Mala Anand
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIESAbout Mala Anand
Mala Anand, age 57, has served as an independent director of Agilent Technologies since March 2019; she is Corporate Vice President, Customer Experience at Microsoft (since November 2019) and previously held senior executive roles at SAP and Cisco, with multiple technology patents, bringing software and analytics leadership and technology/innovation expertise to the Board . She is classified as independent under Agilent’s NYSE-aligned standards; nine of ten directors are independent (CEO excluded), and the Board regularly holds executive sessions of independent directors without management present .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Corporate Vice President, Customer Experience | Nov 2019–present | Senior operating leadership in customer experience/digital; brings software analytics insight |
| SAP SE | President, Intelligent Enterprise Solutions and Industries | Oct 2016–Oct 2019 | Enterprise software strategy and industry solutions leadership |
| Cisco Systems | SVP, Data & Analytics and Automation Software Platform | Jul 2014–Oct 2016 | Platform and analytics leadership |
| Cisco Systems | VP & GM, Services Platform Group | Oct 2007–Jun 2014 | Services platform operational leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Corporate Vice President, Customer Experience | Nov 2019–present | Operating executive role (not a public company directorship) |
| Other Public Directorships | None | N/A | Proxy lists no current or former public boards in past five years |
Board Governance
- Committees: Compensation Committee member; Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee member .
- Committee activity: Compensation Committee met 5 times in FY2024; Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee met 5 times in FY2024 .
- Board meetings: Board met 7 times in FY2024; each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Independence: The Board determined all non-CEO directors are independent under NYSE standards; independent directors meet in regular executive sessions chaired by the Non-Executive Chair .
- Tenure and class: Director since March 2019; Class III term expires in 2027 .
- Stockholder meeting attendance: Agilent encourages but does not require director attendance; one Board member attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Board leadership: Strong independent Chairperson; independent standing committees; majority voting and director resignation policy .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Board Cash Retainer ($) | $105,000 | $105,000 |
| Audit Committee Member Retainer ($) | $0 (not a member) | $0 (not a member) |
| Committee Chair Retainers ($) | $0 (not a chair) | $0 (not a chair) |
| Annual Stock Award ($) | $226,848 | $247,471 |
| Annual Stock Award – Shares Granted (#) | 1,658 | 1,678 |
| Total Director Compensation ($) | $331,848 | $352,471 |
- Program design: Non-employee directors receive a mix of cash and equity; standard annual stock grant value is $235,000, determined by dividing $235,000 by the 20-day average price, and vests immediately; directors may elect to defer cash into deferred shares under the Director Deferral Plan .
- Director stock ownership guideline: Required ownership equal to at least six times the annual cash retainer; all incumbent non-employee directors have either achieved or are expected to achieve within five years of initial election/appointment .
Performance Compensation
| Performance Element | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-based Director Pay Elements | None; annual equity vests immediately and is not tied to performance metrics | None; annual equity vests immediately and is not tied to performance metrics |
- Notes: Agilent’s performance metrics (e.g., PFR, LTPP TSR/EPS) apply to NEOs, not non-employee directors; the Compensation Committee oversees pay-for-performance for executives and reported strong alignment (e.g., FY2024 Say-on-Pay 89% approval) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| None | N/A | No current or recent public company directorships in past five years |
- Related party transactions: In FY2024, no related person had a direct or indirect material interest; certain ordinary-course transactions with Pfizer and UTSW were reviewed and ratified (Anand not associated with those entities) .
- Policy: Related Person Transactions Policy prohibits transactions absent approval; contains specific pre-approvals with quantitative thresholds for certain relationships .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Software/analytics leadership; valuable digital technology insight for life sciences .
- Public company executive experience; technology/innovation strategy; branding/marketing expertise per Director Qualifications Matrix .
- Multiple technology patents; extensive executive and operational experience at large global organizations .
- Education: Bachelor’s in Computer Science (University of Massachusetts) and Master’s in Computer Science (Brown University) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Common Shares Owned | Deferred Stock Units | Options/RSUs within 60 days | Total Beneficial Ownership | % of Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mala Anand | 12,728 | 0 | 0 | 12,728 | <1% |
- Hedging/pledging: Policies prohibit hedging, short selling, and pledging of Agilent common stock .
- Ownership guideline: Six times cash retainer requirement applies to all non-employee directors .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee engagement: Anand is independent and serves on two key governance bodies (Compensation; Nominating/Corporate Governance), supporting oversight of executive pay, director compensation, and board composition/refreshment; both committees met five times in FY2024, indicating active governance cadence .
- Attendance and board activity: The Board met seven times in FY2024; each director met the ≥75% attendance threshold, supporting baseline engagement standards .
- Compensation alignment for directors: Balanced cash ($105k) and equity ($247k; 1,678 shares) with immediate vesting and robust ownership guidelines (6x retainer), aligning director incentives with shareholder value without performance levers that could bias oversight .
- Conflicts/related-party lens: Anand’s Microsoft executive role is disclosed; no Microsoft-related transactions were disclosed as related-party transactions in FY2024, and the company reported no related person with a material interest, reducing conflict risk per policy .
- Shareholder signals: Governance practices include majority voting with resignation policy, independent Chair, and proxy access; FY2024 Say-on-Pay support at 89% suggests shareholder confidence in compensation oversight (committee chaired by Scangos, with Anand as a member) .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed regarding related-party transactions, pledging/hedging, attendance shortfalls, or director pay anomalies; note that only one director attended the 2024 annual meeting (attendance not required), which is neutral but highlights limited visible engagement at the meeting level .