Grant H. Beard
ADVANCED ENERGY INDUSTRIESAbout Grant H. Beard
Grant H. Beard, age 64, is Advanced Energy’s independent Chairman and director since 2014. He is a Senior Executive Operating Partner at Blue Point Capital and a Senior Advisor to Center Rock Capital, with prior CEO/chair roles at Wynnchurch Industries (2016–2017), Wolverine Advanced Materials (2012–2015), and Constar International (2010–2012), plus senior leadership at TriMas, Health Media, and Dana/Echlin. He is recognized for senior leadership, financial expertise, global/industry experience, and public board experience .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wynnchurch Industries, LLC | Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | Jan 2016 – Jun 2017 | Led portfolio of engineered product businesses |
| Wolverine Advanced Materials LLC | Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | Jul 2012 – Oct 2015 | Company owned by Wynnchurch; led operations and strategy |
| Constar International (formerly Nasdaq: CNST) | President & Chief Executive Officer | 2010 – 2012 | Led financial/operational restructuring; sale to Plastipak |
| Blue Point Capital | Senior Executive Operating Partner | 2009 – 2014 (and currently) | Corporate development, strategy, operations; currently Sr. Exec Operating Partner |
| TriMas Corporation | President & Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Strategy and operations leadership |
| Health Media | Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Corporate leadership |
| Dana/Echlin Corporation | Global Group President, Fluid Management Products | Not disclosed | Global operating leadership |
| Anderson Group; Oxford Investment Group | Private equity/merchant banking executive | Not disclosed | Corporate development, strategy, operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Point Capital | Senior Executive Operating Partner | Current |
| Center Rock Capital | Senior Advisor | Current |
| SH-130 Concession Company, LLC | Director (private) | Current |
| TA Systems | Director (private) | Current |
Board Governance
- Role: Independent Chairman; AEIS separates Chair and CEO roles by policy to ensure oversight; principal Chair responsibilities include managing Board operations and providing counsel to the CEO .
- Independence: The Board determined Beard is independent under Nasdaq rules; majority of Board is independent .
- Committee assignments: 2025—no standing committee membership (serves as Chairman); 2024—no committee; prior service included Pricing Committee (chair in 2021; member in 2023) and earlier committee membership on Audit & Finance and Nominating/Governance .
- Attendance/engagement: In 2024, Board held 8 meetings; independent directors held 4 executive sessions; each director attended above 75% of Board/committee meetings; all nominees attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Shareholder support: Re-elected in 2025 with 34,806,110 “For,” 346,846 “Withhold,” 1,356,415 broker non-votes .
Fixed Compensation
AEIS 2024 non-employee director program:
| Compensation Element | 2024 Compensation Program |
|---|---|
| Annual Board Cash Retainer | $60,000 cash retainer; paid quarterly |
| Chairman Additional Cash Retainer | $65,000; paid quarterly |
| Annual Board Equity Retainer | RSUs valued at ~$200,000, granted at Annual Meeting; one-year vest |
| Chairman Additional Equity Retainer | RSUs valued at ~$65,000; one-year vest; increased by $15,000 in Apr 2024 |
| Chair Fees (Cash) | Audit Chair $30,000; Compensation Chair $25,000; Nominating/Gov & Sustainability Chair $15,000 |
| Committee Member Retainers | Audit member $13,000; Compensation member $10,000; Nominating/Gov member $5,000 |
Beard’s 2024 actual director compensation:
| Component | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Cash fees | 125,000 |
| Stock awards (grant-date fair value) | 256,342 |
| Options | — |
| Other | — |
| Total | 381,342 |
Performance Compensation
Non-employee director equity is time-based RSUs; no performance-conditioned director awards disclosed for 2024. Beard’s 2024 RSU grants:
| Grant Date | Shares | Vest Date | Reference Price | Grant-Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2024 (Board RSUs) | 2,093 | May 3, 2025 | $97.99 close | Included in $256,342 total |
| May 3, 2024 (Chairman RSUs) | 523 | May 3, 2025 | $97.99 close | Included in $256,342 total |
Ownership alignment policies:
- Stock Ownership Guidelines (Aug 2024): Non-employee directors must own ≥5x annual Board retainer (phase-in over 5 years); Board reports all non-employee directors either conform or are on track .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Interlocks | Company states no interlocking relationships among directors |
| Related-party transactions | Audit & Finance Committee reviews related-party transactions; historical disclosures note sales to companies where directors serve, with no director having a material interest and transactions conducted at arm’s length |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Senior leadership; financial expertise; public board experience; global/industry experience in industrial and related markets; strategy/operations/M&A background .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | 2018 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned | 33,500 | 51,500 | 55,025 | 56,838 | 60,157 | 63,150 |
| Percent of outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | <1% |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent Chair with high shareholder support; clear separation of Chair/CEO roles; robust stock ownership guidelines; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy; active executive sessions; independent committees; use of independent comp consultant (Compensia) .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay mix leans to equity via annual RSUs vesting in 1 year; 2024 increase in Chairman equity retainer (+$15k) modestly raises fixed-equity exposure, but remains standard for mid-cap tech industrials .
- Conflicts/red flags: Private equity affiliations (Blue Point, Center Rock) warrant routine related-party oversight; AEIS policy/process is in place and recent proxies disclose no director material interests in related-party transactions; company prohibits pledging/hedging by directors .
- Engagement: Attendance metrics and committee activity indicate regular participation; no 2024 committee role for Beard beyond Chair responsibilities, consistent with common practice to preserve Chair focus on Board operations .
Fixed Compensation (Program Signals)
| Signal | Observation |
|---|---|
| Cash vs. equity mix | Annual $60k cash retainer + $200k RSUs; Chair adds $65k cash and $65k RSUs → balanced cash/equity structure |
| Options usage | No director options granted in 2024; Beard option awards = $0 |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed; compensation structured via retainers and RSUs |
| Ownership compliance | Directors conform or are on track to meet 5x retainer guideline |
SAY-ON-PAY & Shareholder Feedback (context)
- 2025 Say-on-Pay: For 30,220,971; Against 4,920,913; Abstain 11,072; broker non-votes 1,356,415 .
- 2024 Proxy reports prior say-on-pay approval over 99% (2024 meeting) and emphasizes pay‑for‑performance philosophy .
Policy & Controls
- Clawback policy adopted Nov 2, 2023 consistent with SEC/Nasdaq Rule 10D-1; prohibits hedging/pledging for employees/officers/directors .
- Audit & Finance Committee oversees related-party transactions and cybersecurity; held 11 meetings in 2024 .
Overall, Beard’s governance profile shows strong independence, broad operating/financial expertise, and shareholder support, with clean related-party disclosures and alignment via equity-based director pay and ownership guidelines .