Elizabeth Simermeyer
About Elizabeth A. Simermeyer
Independent director (age 60) at ACCO since 2023, with prior senior operating roles at Ecolab and earlier experience at S.C. Johnson and Procter & Gamble. She serves on ACCO’s Finance & Planning and Nominating, Governance & Sustainability Committees; the Board has affirmed her independence under NYSE standards. In 2024 she attended more than 85% of Board and committee meetings (Board met eight times), and she is subject to director stock ownership guidelines of 5x annual cash retainer within five years, with all directors meeting or tracking toward compliance as of year-end 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecolab | EVP, Global Group President, Healthcare & Life Sciences | Dec 2019 – Jul 2022 | Led Healthcare & global Life Sciences; previously EVP & Chief Marketing Officer (joined 2014) |
| S.C. Johnson | Executive | Prior to 2014 | Brand/marketing leadership (company executive) |
| Procter & Gamble | Early career | Prior to S.C. Johnson | Foundational CPG training |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Securian Financial Group | Independent Director | Since 2019 | Audit; Nominating/Governance |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Finance & Planning (member) and Nominating, Governance & Sustainability (member). Chairs: Finance & Planning chaired by Kathleen Dvorak; Nominating, Governance & Sustainability chaired by Graciela Monteagudo .
- Independence: Board determined all directors other than the CEO are independent; all standing committees (Audit; Compensation & Human Capital; Nominating, Governance & Sustainability) are fully independent .
- Attendance and engagement: Each director attended >85% of Board/committee meetings in 2024; Board held eight meetings; 2024 annual meeting attendance was 100% for nominees (virtual) .
- Leadership: Independent Chairman (E. Mark Rajkowski) with executive sessions of non‑employee directors at each regularly scheduled quarterly meeting .
- Say‑on‑pay signal: 97.8% approval at 2024 annual meeting (for 2023 NEO pay), indicating broad investor support of compensation governance .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned (Cash) | $108,096 | Annual cash retainer is $105,000; no meeting fees; cash is paid quarterly and may be prorated as appropriate |
| Committee Chair Fees | $0 | Not a chair; chair fees: Audit $25,000; Comp & Human Capital $20,000; NGS/Finance $15,000 |
| Equity Grant (RSUs/common stock) | $125,000 | Annual director equity grant fair market value; typically granted at the annual meeting |
| Total 2024 Compensation | $233,096 | Sum of cash and stock awards; no other comp reported |
- Deferral mechanics: Non‑employee directors receive equity as deferred RSUs until Stock Ownership Guidelines are met; RSUs vest on the earlier of first anniversary or next annual meeting; payment is deferred until within 30 days after board service ends; dividend equivalents accrue only upon vesting .
- Matching gifts: Director charitable matching program up to $5,000 annually; three directors participated in 2024 (no disclosure that Simermeyer participated) .
- Non‑employee director ownership guidelines: 5x annual cash retainer; all directors met or were on track by Dec 31, 2024 .
Performance Compensation
| Item | Applies to Non‑Employee Director? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Performance‑based equity (PSUs) | No | Directors receive time‑based RSUs; PSUs are for executives (AIP/PSU metrics for executives include Adjusted EPS, Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Gross Margin %, Working Capital efficiency) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Type | Detail |
|---|---|
| Compensation committee interlocks | Company discloses no interlocks or insider participation across 2024; none required to be disclosed under Item 404 for Comp & HC Committee |
| Related party transactions | Audit Committee policy requires review/approval; Company reports none in 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
| Skill Area | Board’s Skills Matrix Indication |
|---|---|
| Operating Executive | Yes |
| Marketing/Sales/Brand Management | Yes |
| Human Capital Management | Yes |
| Corporate Strategy | Yes |
| Corporate Governance & Sustainability | Yes |
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RSUs outstanding (incl. vested/unvested, deferred) | 37,030 | Vested/unvested RSUs shown in aggregate at 12/31/2024; director equity is deferred until service ends |
| Ownership guideline | 5x annual cash retainer | All directors met/on track within five years of joining |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Prohibited | Hedging, pledging, short sales prohibited for directors and executives |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independence and committee structure: Fully independent governance committees; independent Chairman; regular executive sessions improve board oversight .
- Attendance and engagement: >85% meeting attendance; full annual meeting participation .
- Ownership alignment: 5x cash retainer guideline and deferred RSUs; hedging/pledging bans reinforce alignment .
- Shareholder signals: Strong say‑on‑pay support (97.8%), suggesting investor confidence in compensation governance .
- No related‑party transactions disclosed; compensation interlocks expressly absent .
- Considerations:
- Director pay mix is balanced (cash plus equity), but equity is time‑based rather than performance‑based; this is typical for directors and avoids operational target conflicts .
- Equity plan dilution monitored; company ceased option grants and uses RSUs/PSUs with fungible ratios and no liberal share recycling—positive for shareholders broadly (plan governance feature) .
Net: Simermeyer’s committee roles (Finance & Planning; Nominating/Governance/Sustainability), independence, attendance, and equity alignment support board effectiveness with low conflict risk. No red flags (pledging/hedging, related‑party, attendance) disclosed; governance practices (independent chair, executive sessions) are strong .