Journey Medical Corporation appoints Joseph Benesch as interim CFO

Journey Medical Corporation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of dermatological conditions, today announced that Ernest (Ernie) De Paolantonio has notified the Company that, effective January 27, 2023, he will step down as Chief Financial Officer of Journey Medical to pursue another opportunity. The Company also today announced the appointment of Joseph M. Benesch as Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective January 27, 2023.

Claude Maraoui, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Journey Medical, said, “Joe has been an instrumental member of our finance and accounting team overseeing all functions as Corporate Controller for over a year now. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, Joe is well-prepared to take the helm of the finance and accounting team during this exciting time for the Company. We anticipate many upcoming milestones, including the announcement of topline data from our DFD-29 Phase 3 clinical trials in the first half of this year with a subsequent NDA filing later this year.”

The Company is conducting an internal and external search for a permanent Chief Financial Officer.

Maraoui continued, “We want to thank Ernie for his contributions to the Company as Chief Financial Officer. Journey Medical benefited from his extensive financial experience and leadership during a critical period as we became a publicly traded, fully integrated pharmaceutical company with eight marketed products and a clinical development pipeline. We have a solid financial foundation in place, and we wish Ernie continued success in the future.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with the Journey Medical management team while leading the finance and accounting functions,” commented Benesch.

Benesch has served as the Company’s Corporate Controller since November 2021. He has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of financial reporting, technical accounting, corporate controllership, regulatory compliance and pharmaceutical company operations. Benesch previously served as the Principal Accounting Officer, Vice President and Corporate Controller of Teligent Pharma Inc., a specialty generic pharmaceutical company, and Corporate Controller of Torrent Pharmaceuticals, a U.S. subsidiary of the Torrent Group, a multinational pharmaceutical company. Before joining Torrent, he held senior financial management positions of increasing responsibility from Corporate Controller to Vice President of Finance at Savient Pharmaceuticals, Adare Pharmaceuticals and Edenbridge Pharmaceuticals. Benesch’s expertise includes building and leading finance teams and preparing SEC and GAAP compliant financial statements, and Sarbanes Oxley implementation. Benesch began his career in the public accounting sector at Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, and Ernst and Young working with a diverse client base. Benesch is a graduate of Wilkes University where he earned a BA in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant.

To ensure a smooth transition, De Paolantonio will consult with and advise the Company through March 31, 2023.

De Paolantonio commented, “It has been a pleasure working with the Journey Medical team and leading the finance group as the company transitioned from being privately held to publicly traded. I believe that the company is well-positioned to achieve many milestones this year and I am committed to a seamless transition.”
MB Bureau