Amit Mital
About Amit Mital
Amit Mital (age 56) has served as an independent director of Airship AI Holdings, Inc. (AISP) since December 2023; he is a veteran technology executive and cybersecurity leader with prior senior government service and a Master of Science in Engineering from Dartmouth College . He served as Senior Director for cybersecurity strategy and policy on the U.S. National Security Council and as Special Assistant to the President (2021–2022), and previously was CTO at Symantec (2013–2015) and a corporate vice president at Microsoft for ~20 years; he is also CEO/founder of Kernel Labs and co‑founded Trusted Key, later acquired by Workday .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. National Security Council | Senior Director, Cybersecurity Strategy & Policy; Special Assistant to the President | 2021–2022 | National cybersecurity policy leadership; cross-agency coordination |
| Symantec Corporation | Chief Technology Officer | 2013–2015 | Technology strategy oversight in cybersecurity |
| Microsoft | Corporate Vice President; General Manager | ~20 years; GM concurrently for seven years | Scaled product/engineering leadership |
| Kernel Labs | CEO & Founder | 2018–2021 and current | Focus on ML, VR, cybersecurity innovating at the edge |
| Trusted Key (acquired by Workday) | Co‑founder & Chairman | Not disclosed | Blockchain-based digital identity platform; exit to Workday |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public Company Board? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kernel Labs | CEO & Founder | No public board disclosed | Private company; ML/VR/cybersecurity focus |
| Symantec | CTO (former) | Not a disclosed directorship | Executive role; not a board position |
| Microsoft | Corporate VP (former) | Not a disclosed directorship | Executive role; not a board position |
| Trusted Key | Co‑founder & Chairman (former) | Not a disclosed directorship | Acquired by Workday; no ongoing board disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board has five directors; three (including Amit Mital) are independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee Chair; member of the Compensation Committee; member of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Attendance and engagement: Each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings in the last fiscal year; directors are expected to attend annual meetings .
- Audit quality signal: The Audit Committee includes an “audit committee financial expert” (Louis Lebedin), and issued its report signed by Chair Amit Mital, reflecting active oversight of financial reporting and auditor independence .
- Anti-hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging and limits margin/pledging to ≤25% of owned shares for directors/officers, supporting alignment .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2024 |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $0 |
| Committee membership fees | Not disclosed in proxy |
| Committee chair fees | Not disclosed in proxy |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed in proxy |
Performance Compensation
| Equity/Plan Metric | FY 2024 / Current Terms |
|---|---|
| Option awards (grant-date fair value) | $58,539 |
| Non-employee director compensation limit (cash + equity cap per year) | $250,000 |
| 2023 Equity Incentive Plan shares authorized (post A&R increase) | 7,068,009 shares |
| Evergreen increase (A&R Plan) | +2.0% of outstanding shares each Jan 1 from 2026 to 2033, unless reduced by Board |
| Change-in-control treatment | Committee may accelerate vesting/cash out/assume awards; discretionary protections |
| Clawback administration | Compensation Committee administers clawback policy with plan oversight |
Notes
• Director equity grant specifics (share count, strike, vesting schedule) for Mr. Mital are not detailed in the proxy; only the fair value is disclosed .
• The A&R 2023 Plan adds flexibility for equity-based awards to directors while capping total director compensation and defining CIC mechanics .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Status |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards (other than AISP) | None disclosed |
| Prior public company boards | None disclosed |
| Compensation committee interlocks | None; no officer-director interlocks disclosed |
| Related party transactions involving Mital | None disclosed; Audit Committee reviews all related party transactions |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Cybersecurity strategy and policy leadership from NSC and White House service; strengthens risk oversight, information security, and compliance .
- Enterprise-scale product/engineering leadership from Microsoft; relevant for technology roadmap and operational governance .
- CTO experience at Symantec; deep domain expertise in cybersecurity industry dynamics and vendor risk .
- Graduate engineering education (MS, Dartmouth); technical fluency enhances diligence on complex AI/cyber initiatives .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 128,625 shares; less than 1% |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 117,344 shares |
| Hedging/pledging | Hedging prohibited; pledging/margin restricted to ≤25% of owned shares |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Mital’s appointment as Audit Committee Chair, combined with an audit financial expert on the committee, is a net positive for investor confidence in financial reporting and related-party oversight .
- Alignment: Director pay for Mital in 2024 was entirely equity-based (no cash), promoting long-term alignment; compensation is constrained by a $250k annual cap for non-employee directors .
- Independence/attendance: Independent status and ≥75% attendance standard support governance quality; audit report signature indicates active engagement .
- Dilution guardrails: The A&R 2023 Plan increased authorized shares to 7,068,009 and includes a 2% evergreen; investors should monitor equity usage and grant pacing to avoid pay inflation or dilution exceeding performance outcomes .
- Conflicts and related party exposure: No Mital-specific related-party transactions are disclosed; Audit Committee explicitly oversees related party approvals, reducing conflict risk .
RED FLAGS/Watch items
- Evergreen share increase (+2% annually) can accumulate dilution if not tied to demonstrable value creation; monitor future director equity grants scale and frequency .
- Historical “controlled company” status (2024) due to founder voting power allowed governance exemptions; although the 2025 proxy emphasizes a majority-independent board, investors should continue to assess board autonomy relative to founder influence .