Corporate Governance
Governance Documents
Committee Composition
| Audit Committee | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diane Carhart | Audit Committee | ||
| Sally Grimes | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | ||
| Raymond J. Lane | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | ||
| Muktesh “Micky” Pant | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | |
| Ned Segal | Audit Committee | ||
| Christopher Isaac “Biz” Stone | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | ||
| Kathy N. Waller | Audit Committee | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee |
Board of Directors
Ethan Brown is the founder of Beyond Meat and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our board of directors since our inception in 2009. He also serves as a manager of the Planet Partnership, LLC, our joint venture with PepsiCo, Inc., and served as our Secretary from our inception to September 2018. Mr. Brown began his career with a focus on clean energy and the environment, including serving as an energy analyst for the National Governors’ Center for Best Practices. He then joined Ballard Power Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDP), a hydrogen fuel-cell company, being promoted from an entry-level manager to reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer before leaving to found Beyond Meat.
Mr. Brown also created and opened a center for fuel reformation and has held several industry positions, including Vice Chairman of the Board at The National Hydrogen Association and Secretary of the United States Fuel Cell Council. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, was honored as part of Inc.’s Best Led Companies 2021, The Bloomberg 50 for 2019, Newsweek’s Top Innovators of 2019, and, along with Beyond Meat, is the recipient of the United Nation’s highest environmental accolade, Champion of the Earth (2018). Mr. Brown holds an MBA from Columbia University, an MPP with a focus on Environment from the University of Maryland and a BA in History and Government from Connecticut College. We believe Mr. Brown’s strategic vision for our company and his expertise in technology and business operations make him qualified to serve on our board of directors.
Seth Goldman joined Beyond Meat as a member of our board of directors in February 2013. Mr. Goldman served as Executive Chair of Beyond Meat from October 2015 through February 2020. Mr. Goldman is the Co-Founder of Eat the Change, and has served as Chief Change Agent of Eat the Change since March 2020. He is also a co-founder of PLNT Burger, a quick-serve restaurant concept. Mr. Goldman was the TeaEO Emeritus and Innovation Catalyst for The Coca-Cola Company’s Venturing & Emerging Brands, a part-time position he held from November 2015 through December 2019. Mr. Goldman co-founded Honest Tea Inc., a bottled organic tea company, in February 1998, which was later sold to The Coca-Cola Company, and previously served as Honest Tea’s President and TeaEO until 2015.
In 2015, Mr. Goldman was named the #1 Disruptor by Beverage World and Beverage Executive of the Year by Beverage Industry magazine. He has also been recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and by the Washington DC Business Hall of Fame. In 2018, Partnership for a Healthier America recognized Mr. Goldman with its Visionary CEO award. Mr. Goldman is the co-chair of the Yale School of Management’s Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and, since January 2008, has served on the advisory board of Bethesda Green, a local sustainability non-profit he co-founded. He also served on the board of Ripple Foods, a dairy-free plant-based milk company from November 2015 to October 2020, the advisory board of the American Beverage Association from 2013 to 2019 and the Yale School of Management from July 2013 to March 2020. Mr. Goldman has demonstrated his commitment to boardroom excellence by becoming NACD Directorship Certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Mr. Goldman has a BA degree in Government from Harvard College and a Masters of Private & Public Management degree from Yale School of Management and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. We believe that Mr. Goldman is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive experience working at fast-growing brands in the food and beverage industry, his experience founding and building an entrepreneurial company and his knowledge of sustainable business practices.
Sally Grimes has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2021. Ms. Grimes has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Clif Bar & Company since June 2020. Prior to joining Clif Bar, Ms. Grimes served in a number of senior roles at Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), including the Group President of Prepared Foods for Tyson Foods from August 2017 to January 2020, President of Retail from January 2017 to August 2017 and Chief Global Growth Officer & President, International from August 2014 to January 2017. Ms. Grimes joined Tyson Foods through the acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company, where she served as Chief Innovation Officer & President, Gourmet Foods Group from July 2012 to August 2014. Prior to joining Hillshire, Ms. Grimes served as Global Vice President of Marketing for Sharpie at Newell Rubbermaid from June 2007 to July 2012. Ms. Grimes also held several roles during her time in brand management at Kraft Foods from July 1997 to June 2007.
Ms. Grimes has been recognized by leading business publications including being named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women to Watch in 2019 and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2012. She was also recognized by Crain’s Business as one of The Most Powerful Women in Chicago Business in 2019. Ms. Grimes has served on the board of directors of the Midtown Educational Foundation and the Economic Club of Chicago since June 2019. Ms. Grimes also served on the board of directors of Numerator, a Vista Private Equity portfolio company, from October 2019 to October 2020. Ms. Grimes holds a BS degree in Finance from Valparaiso University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We believe that Ms. Grimes is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her extensive experience working in the food industry and her significant leadership experience.
Raymond J. Lane has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2015. Mr. Lane has been a Managing Partner at GreatPoint Ventures, a venture capital firm, since March 2015. Mr. Lane has served as a Partner Emeritus and Advisor of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers LLC, a venture capital firm, since April 2013 and was a Managing Partner of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers LLC from September 2000 to April 2013. Mr. Lane has served on the board of directors of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE: HPE) from November 2015 to the present and is currently a member of its Technology Committee. In addition, Mr. Lane previously served as executive Chairman of Hewlett-Packard Company from September 2011 to April 2013 and as non-executive Chairman of Hewlett-Packard Company from November 2010 to September 2011.
Prior to joining Kleiner Perkins, Mr. Lane was President and Chief Operating Officer and a director of Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL), a software company. Mr. Lane serves on the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Mellon University, including as Chairman of the Board from July 2009 to July 2015. He also serves on the board of directors of Special Olympics International. Mr. Lane holds a BS degree in Mathematics and an honorary PhD in Science from West Virginia University. We believe that Mr. Lane is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience in working with entrepreneurial companies and his experience on other public company boards of directors.
Muktesh “Micky” Pant has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2021. Mr. Pant retired from Yum Brands in January 2018 after 13 years of service, most recently as the Chief Executive Officer of Yum China Holdings (NYSE: YUMC). Mr. Pant joined Yum Brands in 2005 as its Chief Marketing Officer and served in a number of senior roles of increasing responsibility, including Chief Executive Officer of Yum Restaurants International, Chief Executive Officer of KFC Globally, President of Taco Bell International and Chief Concept Officer of Yum Brands. Mr. Pant was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the China Division of Yum Brands in 2015 and played a key role in the spin-off of Yum China as a separate company and its successful listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2016. In 2018, Mr. Pant retired as Chief Executive Officer of Yum China Holdings and served as Vice Chairman of the Board and Senior Advisor until May 2020. Mr. Pant served as a consultant to Beyond Meat from March 3, 2020 through December 31, 2020 pursuant to a consulting agreement between Mr. Pant and the company.
Mr. Pant has four decades of experience in marketing and international business and has lived and worked in the United States, China, the United Kingdom and India. Prior to working for Yum Brands, Mr. Pant worked at Reebok International, serving in various roles from 1994 to 2004, including Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Pant also worked at PepsiCo India from 1992 to 1994 and at Unilever in India and the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1990.
Mr. Pant has been a member of the board of directors of Primavera Capital Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company listed on the NYSE (NYSE: PV-UN) since January 2021. Mr. Pant previously served as a member of the board of directors of Pinnacle Foods (now part of Conagra Brands) from December 2014 to June 2018 and as a member of its audit committee from 2015 to 2018. Mr. Pant holds a B Tech degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and is a recipient of the Institute’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. We believe that Mr. Pant is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience working in the food and beverage industry, including leadership positions with quick serve restaurants, and his public company board experience.
Ned Segal has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2018. Mr. Segal has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) since August 2017. From January 2015 to August 2017, Mr. Segal served as Senior Vice President of Finance of Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU), a business and financial software company. From April 2013 to January 2015, Mr. Segal served as Chief Financial Officer of RPX Corporation, a former publicly traded company that provides patent risk management and discovery services. From 1996 to April 2013, Mr. Segal held various positions at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), most recently as Head of Global Software Investment Banking. Mr. Segal has been a member of the board of directors of Tishman Speyer Innovation Corp. II (NASDAQ: TSIB) since January 2021 and currently serves on its Audit Committee and as Chair of its Compensation Committee. Mr. Segal holds a BS degree in Spanish from Georgetown University. We believe that Mr. Segal is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his experience in finance at a number of major public companies.
Christopher Isaac “Biz” Stone has served as a member of our board of directors since January 2012. Mr. Stone is a Co-Founder of Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) where he has served as Creative Director since 2006 with a hiatus as Advisor between 2012 and 2017. Mr. Stone was the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Jelly Industries, Inc. from January 2013 to March 2017. Mr. Stone served as Special Advisor to the founders of Pinterest from March 2017 to March 2018, has been a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University since August 2015, has served as an advisor to The Global AI Council since August 2018, and is an active angel investor in companies such as Slack, Square and Intercom. In addition to Twitter, Inc., Mr. Stone co-founded A Medium Corporation in January 2012, which provides an online publishing platform, and has served as a member of its board of directors since January 2012 and as Creative Director from February 2012 to April 2013.
Mr. Stone was also Chairman of the Board of Polaroid Swing, Inc. from July 2016 to November 2017 and was an independent director of Workpop, Inc. from September 2014 until May 2017. His honors include Inc. magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Decade, TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, GQ magazine’s Nerd of the Year and The Economist’s “Innovation Award.” We believe that Mr. Stone is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive experience in working with entrepreneurial companies.
Kathy N. Waller has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2018. Ms. Waller retired from The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) in March 2019 after more than 30 years of service, most recently as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and President, Enabling Services prior to her retirement. Ms. Waller joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1987 as a senior accountant in the Accounting Research Department and served in a number of accounting and finance roles of increasing responsibility. From July 2004 to August 2009, Ms. Waller served as Chief of Internal Audit. In December 2005, she was elected Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company, and in August 2009, she was elected Controller. In August 2013, she became Vice President, Finance and Controller, assuming additional responsibilities for corporate treasury, corporate tax and finance capabilities, and served in that position until April 2014, when she was appointed Chief Financial Officer and elected Executive Vice President. Ms. Waller assumed expanded responsibility for The Coca-Cola Company’s strategic governance areas when she was also appointed to serve as President, Enabling Services, on May 1, 2017.
Ms. Waller has been a member of the board of directors of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) since July 2015, and currently serves on its Audit, Corporate Governance and Personnel and Compensation Committees. Ms. Waller has been a member of the board of directors of CGI Inc. (NYSE: GIB) since December 2018 and currently serves on its Audit and Risk Management Committee. Ms. Waller joined the board of directors of Cadence Bank (NYSE:CADE) in May 2019 and serves on its Credit Risk Committee and Executive Compensation and Stock Incentive Committee. Previously she served on the board of directors of Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V and Monster Beverage Corporation. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Spelman College and The Woodruff Arts Center. In February 2022, Ms. Waller was appointed Executive Director of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a public partnership between the city’s top business, civic and academic leaders, and the Mayor of Atlanta. She received a BA degree in History from the University of Rochester and an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. We believe Ms. Waller is qualified to serve on our board of directors because she has more than 30 years of experience in accounting and finance at a major public company.
Management
Ethan Brown is the founder of Beyond Meat and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our board of directors since our inception in 2009. He also serves as a manager of the Planet Partnership, LLC, our joint venture with PepsiCo, Inc., and served as our Secretary from our inception to September 2018. Mr. Brown began his career with a focus on clean energy and the environment, including serving as an energy analyst for the National Governors’ Center for Best Practices. He then joined Ballard Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDP), a hydrogen fuel-cell company, being promoted from an entry-level manager to reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer before leaving to found Beyond Meat. Mr. Brown also created and opened a center for fuel reformation and has held several industry positions, including Vice Chairman of the Board at The National Hydrogen Association and Secretary of the United States Fuel Cell Council. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, was honored as part of Inc.’s Best Led Companies 2021, The Bloomberg 50 for 2019, Newsweek’s Top Innovators of 2019, and, along with Beyond Meat, is the recipient of the United Nation’s highest environmental accolade, Champion of the Earth (2018). Mr. Brown holds an MBA from Columbia University, an MPP with a focus on Environment from the University of Maryland and a BA in History and Government from Connecticut College.
Phil Hardin joined Beyond Meat as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in July 2021. Before joining Beyond Meat, Mr. Hardin served as Vice President, Finance at Amazon Advertising from March 2019 to July 2021, and Director, Finance, Amazon Advertising from August 2017 to March 2019. Mr. Hardin also served in various other roles at Amazon’s business divisions, including Director, Finance for EU Customer Fulfillment from February 2016 to August 2017 and Director, Investor Relations for Amazon.com from May 2014 to February 2016. He was also Director, Finance for Kindle Content & Digital Subsidiaries from October 2011 to May 2014. Mr. Hardin received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, and his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Doug Ramsey joined Beyond Meat as Chief Operating Officer in December 2021. Before joining Beyond Meat, Mr. Ramsey served as Head of Retail Poultry Operations for Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) from May 2021 until December 2021. Mr. Ramsey served in various other roles at Tyson Foods, which he joined in 1992, including President, Global McDonalds Business from January 2019 to April 2021, Group President Poultry from August 2017 to January 2019, President Poultry from March 2017 to August 2017 and SVP/GM Big Bird Value Added from April 2014 to March 2017. Mr. Ramsey received his BS in Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations from Southern Arkansas University.
Dariush Ajami, PhD, joined Beyond Meat in June 2015. Since July 2018, Dr. Ajami has been Chief Innovation Officer of Beyond Meat. He served as Director of Chemistry from June 2015 to August 2016, Director of Research from August 2016 to August 2017 and Vice President of Innovation from August 2017 to July 2018. Prior to joining Beyond Meat, Mr. Ajami was an Assistant Professor of Molecular Assembly at The Scripps Research Institute and Skaggs Institute of Chemical Biology from July 2008 to June 2015, where he worked on the fundamentals of molecular assembly, natural products and their applications in therapeutic development. Mr. Ajami has a BS degree in Chemistry from Isfahan University, Iran, an MS degree in Organic Chemistry from the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran, and a PhD degree in Organic Chemistry from Technical University of Brunswick (Technische Universität Braunschweig), Germany.
Teri L. Witteman joined Beyond Meat as General Counsel and Secretary in May 2019, and has served as Chief Legal Officer since April 2021. Prior to joining Beyond Meat, Ms. Witteman was a partner with Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP from April 2016 to May 2019, specializing in the areas of SEC compliance, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisitions. Before joining Musick Peeler, Ms. Witteman was an attorney with Anglin Flewelling Rasmussen Campbell & Trytten LLP from September 2004 to April 2016, having started her career with Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles, where she focused on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. From December 2012 to September 2018, Ms. Witteman served as Secretary of Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM), a national coffee roaster, wholesaler and distributor of coffee, tea and culinary products. Ms. Witteman received her Juris Doctor degree, Order of the Coif, from UCLA School of Law, and her BA degree in Economics, with honors and distinction, from the University of California, Berkeley.
Beth Moskowitz joined Beyond Meat in December 2019. Since October 2021, Ms. Moskowitz has served as Beyond Meat’s Chief Brand Officer. Prior to her current position, she served as Beyond Meat’s Chief Creative Officer from January 2021 to October 2021 and Head of Special Projects for Beyond Meat from December 2019 to January 2021. Ms. Moskowitz also currently serves as a Partner of Everyware Imagineable Inc., a business consulting firm, a position she has held since January 1993. Ms. Moskowitz began her career in marketing and advertising, encouraging various high-profile brands, such as Budweiser, American Airlines, American Express and Fox Sports to “think outside the box”. Ms. Moskowitz, as an entrepreneur, co-founded the e-commerce company PrimeSport/Razorgator, an online ticket reselling business in June 1995 and held the position of Vice President of Business Development until June 2012. Ms. Moskowitz is also a demonstrated philanthropist, having served as the Executive Director of Cedars-Sinai Sports Spectacular from 1995 to 2020, an organization dedicated to linking world-class athletes and innovative medical research in support of the leading nonprofit Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Margaret “Jackie” Trask joined Beyond Meat as Chief People Officer in March 2021. Prior to joining Beyond Meat, Ms. Trask spent 15 years at JAFRA Cosmetics International, Inc., most recently as SVP of Worldwide Human Resources from June 2011 to March 2021 and Vice President of Worldwide Human Resources from December 2006 to March 2011. Before joining JAFRA Cosmetics International, Inc., Ms. Trask served as Vice President Human Resources & Facilities at Triad Financial Corporation from October 2004 to November 2006. From January 2002 to September 2004, Ms. Trask was the Principal of Baby Bouquet by Jacquelyn Revé, a start-up company she founded which manufactures and markets high-end natural skin care for babies. Ms. Trask served as Vice President, Business Partner Human Resources of Conexant Systems, Inc. from May 2000 to August 2001 and Director of Worldwide Compensation, Benefits, Occupational Health and Safety at Gateway from October 1998 to May 2000. Ms. Trask received her BA with distinction from Harvard University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Management.
Deanna Jurgens joined Beyond Meat in May 2021 and assumed the role of Chief Growth Officer in June 2021 after serving as Chief Global Sales Officer at skincare company Rodan & Fields, where she was responsible for sales across the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan from April 2018 to May 2021. She also serves as a manager of the Planet Partnership, LLC, our joint venture with PepsiCo, Inc. Ms. Jurgens has also held senior leadership roles across PepsiCo’s North America business during her more than 15-year career at the food and beverage giant, including most recently from April 2016 to February 2018 as Region Vice President and from February 2018 as Senior Vice President for Frito-Lay’s largest operating business. Ms. Jurgens brings over 20 years of experience with a proven record of growing sales and profit through strategy, branding, marketing, operational excellence and innovative approaches. She was also responsible for some of PepsiCo’s largest retail customers as Vice President and General Manager for Target; Vice President of Sales for Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade for Sam’s Club; and Vice President of Insights, Strategy and Advanced Analytics for Walmart. Ms. Jurgens received her BS degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon.
Bernie Adcock joined Beyond Meat as Chief Supply Chain Officer in December 2021. Before joining Beyond Meat, Mr. Adcock served as Chief Supply Chain Officer for Tyson Foods, Inc. from September 2014 until December 2021. Mr. Adcock served in various other roles at Tyson Foods, which he joined in 1990, including SVP Poultry and Prepared Foods Shared Services from March 2013 to September 2014, SVP Business Integration from March 2012 to March 2013, SVP & GM Small Bird BU from April 2010 to March 2012, and SVP Operations from March 2007 to April 2010. Mr. Adcock received his BS in Poultry Science from Virginia Tech.
