Susan Yun Lee
About Susan Yun Lee
Susan Yun Lee, age 45, is an independent director of American Battery Technology Company (ABAT), serving since April 1, 2024. She chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. Ms. Lee is a multi-asset-class investor; she is CIO of the Clif Family Foundation and a Partner at White Road Capital, with prior roles spanning Angeles Investment Advisors (partner, built and led PE/credit/VC practice), The Broad Foundations (asset management), Black Canyon Capital, Vintage Capital Partners, Bain & Company, and The Walt Disney Company. She holds an MBA (honors, Toigo Fellow) from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics (Phi Beta Kappa) from Stanford University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure (if disclosed) | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angeles Investment Advisors | Partner; advised E&Fs on portfolio strategy; built and led PE/credit/VC practice | — | Built/led private equity, private credit, venture capital investment practice |
| The Broad Foundations (and family office) | Managed investment assets | — | Multi-asset oversight |
| Black Canyon Capital | Private equity investor | — | Direct investments; growth/capital financings for portfolio companies |
| Vintage Capital Partners | Private equity investor | — | Direct investments; portfolio company financing support |
| Bain & Company | Strategy | — | Strategy development and implementation |
| The Walt Disney Company | Strategy | — | Strategy development and implementation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure (if disclosed) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clif Family Foundation | Chief Investment Officer | — | Current |
| White Road Capital (single family office) | Partner | — | Current |
| Crescent Capital | Independent board director | — | Current |
| Library Foundation | Investment Committee member | — | Current |
| American Battery Technology Company | Director; Compensation Committee Chair; Nominating & Governance member | Since 2024 | Current board roles |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Chair – Compensation; Member – Nominating & Corporate Governance; not on Audit .
- Independence: Board determined Ms. Lee is independent under Nasdaq rules; no family relationships among directors/officers .
- Director since: 2024; appointed March 25, 2024 effective April 1, 2024; nominated for re-election in 2025 .
- Board leadership: ABAT separates Chair and CEO; Rick Fezell is non-executive Chair and Lead Independent Director .
| Body | Meetings (FY 2024) | Meetings (FY 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Directors | — | 4 |
| Audit Committee | 6 | 4 |
| Compensation Committee | 6 | 4 |
| Nominating & Governance Committee | 5 | 4 |
- Compensation Committee interlocks: None; no member is/was an ABAT executive; no cross-board interlocks with ABAT officers .
- Legal proceedings: Proxy states no proceedings material to evaluating directors’ ability or integrity in past ten years .
Fixed Compensation
Program structure for non-employee directors (FY2024–FY2025):
- Annual Board Cash Retainer: $25,000 .
- Additional Annual Cash Retainers (Committee Chair): Audit $15,000; Compensation $10,000; Nominating $10,000 .
- Additional Annual Equity for Chairman of the Board: $120,000 in RSUs (not applicable to Ms. Lee) .
- Annual Director Equity Grant: $150,000 in RSUs .
| Fiscal Year | Cash Fees ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2024 | — | Joined April 1, 2024; table shows no FY24 cash amounts for Ms. Lee |
| FY 2025 | 35,000 | Matches $25,000 board retainer + $10,000 Compensation Chair fee |
Performance Compensation
- Director equity is delivered as restricted stock units (RSUs) via an annual grant valued at $150,000; no option awards are part of the standard director program .
| Fiscal Year | Stock Awards ($) | Instrument | Vesting Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2024 | — | — | Any RSUs earned will first vest on June 30, 2025 |
| FY 2025 | 149,899 | RSUs | Annual director RSU grant; program specifies $150,000 grant value |
- Performance metrics for director equity: None disclosed; director grants are RSUs with vesting as scheduled in the program (first vest date for Ms. Lee specified as June 30, 2025) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent Capital | Independent director | — | Disclosed as current external public company directorship |
| American Battery Technology Company | Director | Compensation (Chair); Nominating & Governance (Member) | No comp committee interlocks at ABAT |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Multi-asset class investor across public equities, private equity, venture, real assets, credit, fixed income, and hedge funds .
- CIO experience (Clif Family Foundation) and family office partner (White Road Capital) .
- Built and led PE/credit/VC practice at Angeles Investment Advisors; prior private equity roles at Black Canyon Capital and Vintage Capital Partners .
- Strategy execution at Bain & Company and The Walt Disney Company .
- Education: MBA, Harvard Business School (honors; Toigo Fellow); BA Economics, Stanford University (Phi Beta Kappa) .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | Percent of Outstanding | Basis/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 17, 2025 | 149,899 | <1% | Based on 118,046,888 shares outstanding as of Sept 15, 2025 |
- Related-party transactions: None involving Ms. Lee requiring Item 404(a) disclosure; appointment not pursuant to any arrangement/understanding (other than normal board processes) .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Ms. Lee is an independent director, chairs the Compensation Committee, and sits on Nominating & Governance, supporting oversight of pay and governance. The Board is majority independent and separates Chair/CEO, with a Lead Independent Director (Fezell) .
- Engagement: Compensation and Nominating Committees each met 4 times in FY2025; Board met 4 times (FY2025), evidencing active governance cadence. In FY2024, committees met 5–6 times as the board structure matured .
- Alignment: Ms. Lee received the standard director equity grant ($150k RSUs program; $149,899 recognized in FY2025) and holds 149,899 shares (<1%), providing equity alignment without option awards that could misalign risk .
- Conflicts/interlocks: No compensation committee interlocks; no related-party transactions reported for Ms. Lee; no material legal proceedings affecting director integrity disclosed .
- RED FLAGS: None identified in proxy disclosures regarding related-party transactions, compensation committee interlocks, or legal proceedings. Attendance rates by director were not individually disclosed; however, committee and board meeting counts are provided .
