Mary Elizabeth West
Albertsons CompaniesAbout Mary Elizabeth West
Mary Elizabeth West, 62, is an independent director of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (ACI) serving since 2020. She is Finance Committee Chair and a member of the Compensation and Governance committees; her background includes senior operating and brand leadership roles across major consumer and retail companies and service as a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company . The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under NYSE rules; she met the Company’s expectation to attend at least 75% of Board and committee meetings in fiscal 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hershey Company | Senior Vice President & Chief Growth Officer | May 2017 – Jan 2020 | Led growth, marketing, innovation, R&D, M&A; expanded offerings beyond chocolate into snacks |
| J.C. Penney Company, Inc. | EVP & Chief Customer and Marketing Officer; prior Board member | Board: Nov 2005 – May 2015; EVP thereafter (dates not specified) | Customer and marketing leadership at U.S. department store chain |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | EVP, Chief Category & Marketing Officer | 2012 – 2014 | Global snack foods leadership post-Kraft spin |
| Kraft Foods, Inc. | Chief Marketing Officer; 21-year career | CMO in 2007; 21-year tenure | Stewarded iconic brands (Kraft Mac & Cheese, Oreo, Maxwell House) |
| McKinsey & Company | Senior Advisor | Current | Strategic advisory to enterprises |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbro, Inc. | Director | Since June 2016 | Global play & entertainment company |
| Lowe’s Inc. | Director | Since April 2021 | Home improvement retailer |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and engagement
- Finance Committee Chair; Compensation Committee member; Governance Committee member .
- Independence: Board affirmed West is independent under NYSE and Exchange Act standards .
- Attendance: Board met 10 times in fiscal 2024; all directors except one attended at least 75%—West met the threshold .
- Director share retention guidelines: Must retain at least 50% of shares received from equity awards during Board service; all directors in compliance as of June 20, 2025 .
| Committee | Role | Meetings in FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | Chair | 3 |
| Compensation | Member | 4 |
| Governance | Member | 3 |
- Oversight scope that matters for investors
- Finance Committee: Oversees capital structure, financing, share repurchases, hedging policies, significant borrowings/issuances, insurance adequacy, investor relations, capital expenditure plans .
- Compensation Committee: Oversees executive pay philosophy, CEO/NEO pay, incentive metrics/goals, succession planning, Board pay, CD&A disclosures .
- Governance Committee: Director nominations, independence review, governance guidelines, Board/management evaluations, ESG and compliance oversight .
Fixed Compensation
- Program structure (non-management directors)
- Annual cash retainers: Board Chair $200,000; Board Member $125,000 .
- Committee fees: Chair $40,000; Member $20,000 for Audit, Compensation, Finance, Governance, Technology .
- No meeting fees; reasonable expenses reimbursed .
- Annual equity grant: TBRSUs valued at $145,000; grants on first business day of fiscal year; vest on last day of fiscal year; dividend equivalents accrue and vest with units .
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board Member annual retainer (cash) | $125,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Committee chair fee (Finance) | $40,000 | Per committee, annual |
| Committee member fee (Comp/Gov) | $20,000 each | Per committee, annual |
| Annual director equity (TBRSUs) | $145,000 | Grant at fiscal year start; vest fiscal year end |
| Share retention | Retain ≥50% of shares from awards | All directors in compliance |
- Mary West – FY2024 actual | Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | Stock Awards (Grant Date Fair Value) | Total | |---|---|---|---| | Mary Elizabeth West | $165,000 | $144,994 | $309,994 |
Performance Compensation
- Directors do not receive performance-based equity; annual grants are time-based RSUs (TBRSUs) with one-year vesting. No options or PSUs are part of the director pay program .
| Component | Metric(s) | Grant Timing | Vesting | FY2024 Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBRSUs (Director Equity) | None (time-based) | First business day of fiscal year | Last day of fiscal year | $144,994 grant-date fair value for West |
| Options | N/A | N/A | N/A | None disclosed for directors |
| PSUs | N/A | N/A | N/A | None disclosed for directors |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Overlaps/Interlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Hasbro, Inc. | Director since June 2016 | No ACI-disclosed interlocks with ACI competitors/suppliers/customers |
| Lowe’s Inc. | Director since April 2021 | No ACI-disclosed interlocks with ACI competitors/suppliers/customers |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive leadership in food and retail sectors, marketing and category management, R&D and innovation, and M&A—relevant to ACI’s brand, merchandising, and strategic growth agenda .
- Public company board experience at Hasbro and Lowe’s; strategic planning, operations/marketing, and governance skills emphasized in ACI’s director biography .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Elizabeth West | 32,885 | ~0.006% (32,885 ÷ 563,990,471) | “*” less than 1% per proxy |
| Director Share Retention Compliance | In compliance | — | All directors comply with ≥50% retention guideline |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited speculative trading; any pledge/hedge must be pre-cleared under Insider Trading Policy | — | Alignment safeguard |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Finance Committee chair role places West at the center of capital structure, financing, and investor relations oversight—critical amid post-merger termination litigation/strategic planning; committee met 3 times in FY2024, indicating formal cadence of oversight . Independence affirmed, and attendance met ≥75% threshold, supporting engagement and governance quality .
- Pay and alignment: Director pay mix is balanced between fixed cash and time-based equity with mandatory share retention; no performance or option components suggests lower risk of pay-driven conflicts; West’s FY2024 total $309,994 aligns with program norms .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: Proxy discloses related-party transactions with Cerberus affiliates and the CEO’s spouse’s food brokerage; oversight resides with the Audit Committee under a formal policy. No West-specific related-party transactions disclosed; her independent status and non-Cerberus affiliation mitigate interlock risk in these cases .
- Risk indicators:
- Independence and attendance thresholds met; no disclosed pledging/hedging by West, with pre-clearance requirements providing additional guardrails .
- Director compensation reviewed annually by independent consultant FW Cook; no changes recommended in 2024, signaling restraint and market alignment .
- Executive say-on-pay support at 90.3% in 2024 reflects broader investor confidence in pay governance, indirectly supportive of Board oversight quality .
No Mary West-specific red flags disclosed in the proxy related to conflicts, attendance shortfalls, hedging/pledging, or related-party transactions. Continued monitoring of Finance Committee oversight is advisable given disclosed related-party engagements and capital allocation decisions .