Eric Lentell
General Counsel and Secretary at ACHR
Executive
About Eric Lentell
Eric Lentell, age 45, is Archer Aviation’s General Counsel and Secretary, appointed in April 2024 after serving as Deputy General Counsel from June 2021 to March 2024; he previously held senior legal roles at Google (post-Fitbit acquisition), Fitbit (culminating as VP, Deputy General Counsel), and earlier roles at VeriFone and DISH Network, and holds a B.S. in Information Systems and a J.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder . During 2024, Archer’s one-year TSR was 58.8% (three-year annualized 17.3%), and the first tranche of 2024 PSUs vested at 200% based on 98th percentile relative TSR vs the S&P 600, underscoring a strong equity-linked performance environment for NEO compensation .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Aviation | General Counsel & Secretary | Apr 2024–present | Company’s top legal officer and corporate secretary |
| Archer Aviation | Deputy General Counsel | Jun 2021–Mar 2024 | Supported company’s legal function through certification, commercialization milestones |
| Google (post-acquisition of Fitbit) | Director of Legal | Not disclosed | Oversaw legal matters related to Fitbit products/services at Google |
| Fitbit, Inc. | Various roles; VP, Deputy General Counsel at acquisition | ~7-year tenure (to Google acquisition) | Led legal matters across product and corporate scope pre-acquisition |
| VeriFone, Inc. | Legal department | Not disclosed | Member of legal team |
| DISH Network LLC | Legal department | Not disclosed | Member of legal team |
External Roles
- No external public company board roles are disclosed in Mr. Lentell’s executive biography .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary ($) | 500,000 | 550,000 |
| 2024 Annual Bonus Design and Outcome | Value |
|---|---|
| Target bonus (% of base) | 50% (NEOs other than CEO) |
| Weighting: Corporate vs Individual | 50% / 50% |
| Corporate achievement vs target | 70% |
| Individual achievement | 100% |
| Payout vs target (formulaic) | 85% (weighted result) |
| Actual bonus paid ($) | 233,750 |
Notes:
- 2024 bonus funding was formulaic with no discretionary adjustments .
Performance Compensation
2024 Long-Term Incentive (LTI) Grants (granted March 26, 2024)
| Award type | Grant date | Target/# | Maximum/# | Grant-date fair value ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-based RSUs | 3/26/2024 | 143,130 | — | 685,593 |
| PSUs (Relative TSR vs S&P 600) | 3/26/2024 | 143,130 | 286,260 | 996,185 |
- RSUs vest in quarterly installments over four years; for the 3/26/2024 grant, 1/16 vested 5/15/2024 and 1/16 quarterly thereafter, subject to continued service .
- PSU design: three annual performance periods (12/24/36 months) with vesting based on relative TSR percentile vs S&P 600; 25th/50th/90th percentiles correspond to 50%/100%/200% of target; payouts linearly interpolate; if absolute TSR is negative, payout is capped at 100% .
PSU Result – First Tranche (Performance Period ended March 26, 2025)
| Performance Period | Relative TSR percentile | Payout as % of target | PSUs vested (#) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/26/2024–3/26/2025 | 98th percentile | 200% | 95,420 |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial Ownership (as of March 31, 2025)
| Holder | Shares | % of Class A |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Lentell (direct + within-60-day RSUs) | 149,679 (53,225 direct; 96,454 RSUs vesting within 60 days) | * (<1%) |
“*” indicates ownership of less than one percent .
Outstanding Equity Awards at 12/31/2024 (Selected detail for Mr. Lentell)
| Grant | Vesting mechanics (per award agreements) | Unvested RSUs (#) | Market value at 12/31/2024 ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/8/2021 RSU (300,000) | 1/4 on 8/15/2022; 1/16 quarterly thereafter | 56,250 | 548,438 (at $9.75/sh) |
| 8/18/2022 RSU (365,854) | 1/4 on 8/15/2023; 1/16 quarterly thereafter | 160,062 | 1,560,605 |
| 5/1/2023 RSU (316,742) | 1/16 on 5/15/2023; 1/16 quarterly thereafter | 178,168 | 1,737,138 |
| 3/26/2024 RSU (143,130) | 1/16 on 5/15/2024; 1/16 quarterly thereafter | 116,292 | 1,133,847 |
| 3/26/2024 PSU (Target 143,130) | Earns 0–200% per relative TSR; annual tranches | 143,130 unearned target | 1,395,518 (assumes target; $9.75) |
Additional alignment and risk controls:
- Anti-hedging and pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging and generally prohibits pledging; pledging would require prior approval from the General Counsel; directors, officers, and employees are generally prohibited from hedging/pledging or holding in margin accounts .
- Clawbacks: Board-adopted Compensation Recovery Policy (Rule 10D-1 compliant, no-fault restatement-based recovery) and an executive clawback for restatements due to gross negligence/intentional misconduct with a 3-year lookback; policy filed as Exhibit 97.1 to the 2024 Form 10-K .
- No stock options for Mr. Lentell are shown outstanding; equity mix is RSUs/PSUs .
Employment Terms
Role and tenure
- Joined Archer June 2021 (Deputy General Counsel); promoted to General Counsel and Secretary April 2024 .
Severance and Change-in-Control (CIC) – Non-CEO Executive Framework
- Base severance (no CIC): 12 months base salary (lump sum), pro rata bonus to extent earned, lump-sum COBRA for severance period, and 12 months additional service credit vesting (excluding performance awards) .
- Double-trigger CIC (within 18 months post-CIC or certain pre-CIC terminations): 12 months base + 100% target bonus (lump sum), pro rata target bonus for service period, 100% vesting of unvested equity (excluding remaining-unsatisfied performance criteria), and COBRA continuation .
- Agreements have a three-year term with automatic renewal unless the Company gives at least three months’ notice (applies to executives other than CEO) .
- No excise tax gross-ups on CIC payments; also no tax gross-ups on perquisites .
Estimated Separation Economics for Mr. Lentell (Hypothetical as of 12/31/2024)
| Scenario | Cash severance ($) | Health ($) | Equity acceleration ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying termination – no CIC | 687,500 | 29,943 | 1,647,448 | 2,364,891 |
| Qualifying termination – with CIC | 893,750 | 29,943 | 5,910,372 | 6,834,065 |
Other benefits and policies:
- Eligible for taxable reimbursement for financial planning/tax services up to $10,000 annually (standard for NEOs) .
- 2024 say-on-pay approval: 99.6% votes in favor (program support) .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: Mr. Lentell’s 2024 incentive structure comprised 50% corporate and 50% individual bonus weighting with a formulaic 85% payout; LTI split 50/50 between relative-TSR PSUs and time-based RSUs, consistent with Archer’s move in 2024 to incorporate performance-based equity for NEOs .
- Upside sensitivity to stock performance: The first PSU tranche (12-month period) paid at 200% (98th percentile vs S&P 600), directly linking realized equity to outperformance; subsequent PSU tranches remain performance-contingent, creating ongoing beta to relative TSR outcomes .
- Vesting-driven supply considerations: Multiple RSU grants vest quarterly (with remaining unvested balances across 2021–2024 awards) and PSU tranches vest annually, which can create periodic settlement events; corporate policy limits hedging/pledging, partially mitigating alignment risks .
- Retention and CIC protection: Standard non-CEO executive agreements provide 12 months cash and full double-trigger equity vesting upon CIC termination, offering retention continuity through critical commercialization and certification milestones; no excise tax gross-ups .
- Governance quality signals: Strong say-on-pay support (99.6%), independent compensation consultant (FW Cook), robust clawback policies, and anti-hedging/pledging controls indicate shareholder-friendly oversight, reducing governance discount risk .