Corporate Governance
Governance Documents
Committee Composition
| Audit Committee | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | Risk Committee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seth Goldman | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | |||
| Chelsea A. Grayson | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | Risk Committee | ||
| Colleen Jay | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | Risk Committee | ||
| C. James Koch | Risk Committee | |||
| Raymond J. Lane | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | |||
| Joshua M. Murray | Audit Committee | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | ||
| Raphael ''Ray'' Thomas Wallander | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | |||
| Kathy N. Waller | Audit Committee | Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee | ||
| Alexandre Zyngier | Audit Committee |
Board of Directors
Seth Goldman has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2013. Mr. Goldman served as Executive Chair of Beyond Meat from October 2015 through February 2020. Mr. Goldman co-founded Eat the Change, Inc., a plant-based snack food and organic tea company under the brand Just Ice Tea®, and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since March 2020. He is also a Co-Founder of PLNT Management, Inc., which operates PLNT Burger®, a plant-based quick-serve restaurant chain, and has served as its Board Chair since 2021. Mr. Goldman has been the Chair of Mission Guardians for Tony’s Chocolonely, a Certified B Corporation and impact company that makes chocolate and fights for equality in the chocolate industry, since that position was established in May 2023. Mr. Goldman has been a member of the Maryland Economic Development Commission since April 2023. 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 2022, Mr. Goldman was named Person of the Year by BevNet Magazine, and in 2015 he 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 Business Hall of Fame. In 2018, Partnership for a Healthier America recognized Mr. Goldman with its Visionary CEO award. Mr. Goldman is a co-Chair of the Yale School of Management’s Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and, since January 2008, has served on the board of directors of Bethesda Green, a sustainability non-profit he co-founded in Bethesda, Maryland. He also served on the board of directors 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 as a Board Leadership Fellow and NACD Directorship Certified with the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Mr. Goldman received a BA degree in Government from Harvard College and an MPPM degree from Yale School of Management and is a Henry Crown Fellow at 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 entrepreneurial companies, and his knowledge of sustainable business practices.
Chelsea A. Grayson has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2024. Ms. Grayson served as an Executive-in-Residence at Wunderkind Corporation (formerly BounceX), a behavioral automation software and analytics company, from March 2020 to January 2024. From November 2022 to July 2023, Ms. Grayson served as CEO of Spark Networks SE (OTC: LOVLY; formerly NASDAQ: LOV), a global dating company with a portfolio of brands (including Zoosk, Elite Singles, Silver Singles, Christian Mingle and JDate/JSwipe), and from August 2020 to July 2023, as a member of its board of directors. From October 2018 to December 2019, Ms. Grayson served as CEO, and from October 2017 to December 2019, as a member of the board of directors, of True Religion, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: TRLG), a global denim and streetwear company based in Los Angeles. From December 2014 to December 2017, Ms. Grayson was at American Apparel Inc. (formerly NYSE: APP), a global vertically integrated apparel manufacturer, retailer and wholesaler based in Los Angeles, where she first joined as General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President, and then served as CEO and as a member of the board of directors. Prior to American Apparel, Inc. she was a partner in the M&A/Corporate Governance practice groups at Loeb & Loeb LLP and Jones Day.
Ms. Grayson has been a member of the board of directors of Xponential Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: XPOF), a leading franchisor of boutique fitness and wellness brands (including Rumble, StretchLab, Club Pilates, YogaSix, CycleBar, Pure Barre, AKT, BFT and Lindora) since October 2021, where she currently is the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee and the Human Capital Management Committee. She has also served on the board of directors of Bedrock Manufacturing Company, owner of the Shinola Detroit and Filson brands, since February 2025, and on the board of directors of The Sunrider Corporation, doing business as Sunrider International, a manufacturing, direct selling and retail sales company in the nutraceutical space, since January 2025. Among other past board positions, Ms. Grayson was a member of the board of directors of Goodness Growth Holdings Inc. (CSE: GDNS) from February 2019 to May 2023; Morphe Cosmetics (Forma Brands) from September 2022 to May 2023; iHerb from June 2021 to June 2022; Precision Surfacing Solutions (Lapmaster Group Holdings) from April 2021 to October 2022; LoudPack from December 2020 to March 2022; Sugarfina from January 2019 to December 2020; and Delta Dental from January 2017 to December 2019. Ms. Grayson has been a member of the UCLA Board of Visitors in the English Department since January 2018. Ms. Grayson has demonstrated her commitment to boardroom excellence as a Board Leadership Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors. Ms. Grayson’s experience at Spark Networks SE, True Religion, Inc. and American Apparel Inc. included executive officer experience prior to or during the time those companies were involved in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization proceedings.
Ms. Grayson received a JD degree, Order of the Coif, from Loyola Law School, and a BA degree in English Literature and Business/Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. We believe that Ms. Grayson is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her extensive leadership, corporate governance and public company experience.
Colleen Jay has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2022. Ms. Jay retired from The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) in October 2017 after 32 years of service, most recently as Global Division President from 2015. Ms. Jay joined The Procter & Gamble Company in 1985 where she managed top brand portfolios and large multi-billion-dollar businesses across multiple categories and geographies, including successfully leading a complex transition and divestiture of several businesses and leading operational units in the United States, Canada, China, and multiple global businesses from Switzerland during the course of her extensive career. From 2010 to 2012, Ms. Jay served as President, Global Female Beauty. From 2012 to 2015, Ms. Jay served as President, Global Retail Hair Care and Color.
Ms. Jay has been a member of the board of directors of Treasury Wine Estates Limited (ASX: TWE) since April 2018, and currently serves on its Human Resources Committee and Wine Operations and Sustainability Committee and was previously on its Audit and Risk Committee. Ms. Jay has been a member of the board of directors of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: COO) since April 2016 and currently serves as its Chair of the Board, as Chair of its Organization and Compensation Committee and was formerly a member of its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Ms. Jay has also worked closely with Catalyst, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to improving workplace inclusion for women. She received a BBA degree in Business from Wilfrid Laurier University. We believe that Ms. Jay is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her extensive experience working in the consumer products industry at a leading public company and her experience on other public company boards of directors.
C. James Koch has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2023. Mr. Koch founded The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE: SAM), a producer of alcohol beverages, in 1984 and currently serves as its Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Koch has been its Chairman since 1995 and resumed the role of its President and Chief Executive Officer in August 2025 after previously serving in that position from 1984 until January 2001. Prior to starting The Boston Beer Company, Inc., he worked as a consultant for an international consulting firm with a focus on manufacturing.
Mr. Koch received a BA degree in Government from Harvard College, an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and a JD degree from Harvard Law School. We believe that Mr. Koch is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience founding and building a public craft brewing company, and his skills in strategy, brand development and industry leadership.
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 served as Partner Emeritus and Advisor of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers LLC (Kleiner Perkins), a venture capital firm, from April 2013 to December 2019, after having previously served as one of its Managing Partners from September 2000 to November 2014. Mr. Lane has been a member of the board of directors of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE: HPE) since 2015 and currently serves on its Technology Committee and Finance and Investment 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 has served on the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Mellon University, including as Chairman of the Board from July 2009 to July 2015, as an Emeritus Trustee since July 2022, and currently serves on the Executive Committee. He also serves on the board of directors of Special Olympics International. Mr. Lane received 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.
Joshua M. Murray has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2024. Mr. Murray is currently Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategy at Orca Biosystems, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing allogeneic cell therapies in blood, immune and genetic diseases, and has served in this position since April 2021. Prior to joining Orca Biosystems, Inc., Mr. Murray held various positions at Goldman Sachs & Co. from July 2006 to April 2021, most recently as a Managing Director and Head of West Coast Healthcare Capital Markets, where he advised a wide array of biotechnology and life sciences companies.
Mr. Murray has served as a member of the board of directors of Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ: CORT), a commercial-stage company engaged in the discovery and development of medications to treat severe endocrinologic, oncologic, metabolic and neurologic disorders by modulating the effects of the hormone cortisol, since June 2021, and currently serves on its Audit Committee.
Mr. Murray received an AB degree, with University Honors, in History and Economics from Harvard College. We believe that Mr. Murray is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience in corporate finance and his experience on another public company board of directors.
Raphael “Ray” Thomas Wallander has served as a member of our board of directors since October 15, 2025 and has served as the Owner, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Maxwell Bay Advisors, LLC, a platform created for independent director services and consulting, since 2018. Through Maxwell Bay Advisors, Mr. Wallander has served on the board of Redwire Corporation since July 2025 and has previously served on the boards of Barnes and Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE:BNED) and F45, as well as several private companies. Since 2007, Mr. Wallander has held various roles with Wayzata Investment Partners, LLC, including Corporate Counsel, Principal, and General Counsel. Wayzata is an SEC-registered investment adviser, and prior to joining Wayzata, Mr. Wallander worked as an attorney in private practice.
Mr. Wallander holds a JD degree and BA degree from the University of Minnesota.
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 as Chair of its Audit Committee and as a member of its Corporate Governance Committee and Personnel & Compensation Committee. Ms. Waller has been a member of the board of directors of CGI Inc. (NYSE: GIB), a leading IT and business consulting services firm, since December 2018 and currently serves as Chair of its Audit and Risk Management Committee. Ms. Waller has also been an executive mentor with the ExCo Group, a global firm of executive mentors, since 2021. Previously she served on the board of directors of Cadence Bank (NYSE: CADE), Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V and Monster Beverage Corporation. In addition, she is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Rochester, Spelman College, the Woodruff Arts Center, where she also serves as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, and the Atlanta History Center, and is a Director at Large for the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. In February 2022, Ms. Waller was appointed Executive Director of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a public/private partnership between the city’s top business, civic and academic leaders, and the Mayor of Atlanta. Ms. Waller received a BA degree in History from the University of Rochester and an MBA degree in Accounting and Finance from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. We believe that Ms. Waller is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her more than 30 years of experience in accounting and finance at a major public company and her experience on other public company boards of directors.
Alexandre Zyngier has served as a member of our board of directors since October 15, 2025 and has served as the Managing Director and Founder of Batuta Capital Advisors LLC, a private investment and advisory firm, since 2013. He also serves on the board of directors of Lazydays Inc., a company that operates RV dealerships, since July 2025, Urgent.ly Inc., a leading roadside and mobility assistance company since January 2025, Unifin Financiera SAB de CV, a Mexican finance company since August 2024, Slam Corp, a public special purpose acquisition company, since February 2023, COFINA Puerto Rico, the taxing authority of Puerto Rico, since February 2019, Atari SA, a video game company, since August 2014 and certain other private entities. Mr. Zyngier previously served on the Board of Directors of companies that include Appvion Holding Corp, a paper and packaging company, from February 2019 to December 2021, GT Advanced Technologies Inc., an advanced materials company, from March 2016 to November 2021, Torchlight Energy Resources Inc., an exploration and production company, from June 2016 to June 2021, Eileen Fisher Inc., a retail company, from November 2020 to May 2021, AudioEye, Inc, a software company, from September 2015 to July 2020, LootCrate Inc., a retail company, from December 2017 to October 2019 and certain other public and private companies.
Mr. Zyngier earned his MBA degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago and his BSc degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Campinas (Unicamp).
Management
Ethan Brown is the Founder of Beyond Meat and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since our inception in 2009. In addition, he served as a member of our board of directors from our inception to October 15, 2025. He has served as a manager of the Planet Partnership, LLC, our joint venture with PepsiCo, Inc., since January 2021, 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 proton exchange membrane 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 on the board of the American Cancer Society’s CEO’s Against Cancer (LA Chapter), is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, was honored as part of The Independent’s Climate 100 for 2024, Inc.’s Best Led Companies 2021, The Bloomberg 50 for 2019 and 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 received an MBA degree from Columbia University, an MPP degree with a focus on Environment from the University of Maryland and a BA degree in History and Government from Connecticut College.
Lubi Kutua has served as the company's Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since October 2022. Mr. Kutua served as Vice President, FP&A and Investor Relations from January 2019 to October 2022. Before joining Beyond Meat, Mr. Kutua served as Vice President, Equity Research, with a focus on the packaged foods and agribusiness sectors, at Jefferies, LLC from August 2015 to January 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Kutua served as Associate-Analyst, Equity Research, also focusing on packaged foods and agribusiness, at KeyBanc Capital Markets. He began his career in financial services at Goldman Sachs, most recently serving as Associate, Divisional Management Reporting. Mr. Kutua received his BA degree in Mathematics and Physics from Hamilton College, and his MBA degree from The New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
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, Dr. 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. Dr. 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 the 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 has served on the board of directors of the El Segundo Economic Development Corporation since 2024, and served as a member of the policy advisory council (previously the policy committee) of the Plant Based Foods Association from April 2023 until June 2025. 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.
Jonathan Nelson has served as the company’s Chief Operations Officer since January 2024. Prior to that, Mr. Nelson served as Senior Vice President, Operations from October 2022 to January 2024, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Operations from December 2021 to October 2022, and Vice President, NA Manufacturing Operations from May 2021 to November 2021, assuming additional responsibilities on an interim basis pending the search for a chief operating officer from August 2021 to December 2021. Prior to joining the company, from March 2021 to May 2021, Mr. Nelson served as Chief Executive Officer of JP Nelson Consulting, a private consulting firm. From January 2012 to January 2021, Mr. Nelson served in various roles with SunOpta, Inc. (NASDAQ: STKL), a global company focused on plant-based foods and beverages, fruit-based foods and beverages, and organic ingredient sourcing and production, including as Vice President, Operations–Ingredients from January 2012 to March 2016, and Vice President, Operations–Plant Based Food and Beverage from March 2016 to January 2021. Mr. Nelson received his BS degree in Paper Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and his MBA degree from the University of Mary.
Drew Lufkin joined Beyond Meat as Senior Vice President, Sales in April 2024. Before joining Beyond Meat, Mr. Lufkin served as Vice President of Sales–Retail/Foodservice at Heartland Food Products Group, a global leader in the consumer-packaged goods industry producing low-calorie sweeteners, coffee, creamers, adult nutrition and liquid water enhancers, from 2017 to 2024. Prior to that, Mr. Lufkin served as Vice President–Sales and Marketing from 2016 to 2017 and Division Vice President–Sales and Marketing from 2012 to 2016 at Kruger Products USA, a leading manufacturer and distributor of tissue and paper towel products. Prior to that, Mr. Lufkin served in various roles at Crossmark Sales & Marketing from 2004 to 2012, most recently as Division Manager. Mr. Lufkin received his BS degree in Business Administration from Babson College.
John Boken was appointed as the company’s interim Chief Transformation Officer in August 2025. Mr. Boken has been a Partner and Managing Director in the Turnaround and Restructuring Services practice at AlixPartners, LLP (“AlixPartners”), an international consultancy firm, for over 6 years and has over 35 years of interim management, corporate turnaround and restructuring experience. As part of his employment at AlixPartners, and a predecessor entity, Zolfo Cooper LLC, Mr. Boken served as Chief Executive Officer of MVK FarmCo LLC dba Prima Wawona from February 2023 to April 2024, as CEO of SolarWorld Americas from January 2018 to July 2022 and as Deputy Chief Restructuring Officer for PG&E Corporation from January 2019 to July 2020, among other executive roles with client companies. Mr. Boken was a Managing Director at Zolfo Cooper LLC, a boutique corporate turnaround and restructuring firm, from July 2002 to November 2018 before Mr. Boken and his partners sold the firm to AlixPartners in November 2018 and combined the practices. Prior to joining Zolfo Cooper LLC in July 2002, Mr. Boken was the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles corporate restructuring practice at Arthur Andersen. Mr. Boken serves on the Board of Directors for The Pasha Group, a privately owned, West Coast-based leader in the shipping, transportation and logistics industry and on the Board of Trustees for the University of Scranton. Mr. Boken holds a B.S. degree in finance from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), as well as a member of the Turnaround Management Association.