Peeyush Ranjan
About Peeyush Ranjan
Peeyush Ranjan, 51, has served as an independent director of Airship AI Holdings, Inc. (AISP) since December 2023. He is a seasoned technology executive with senior engineering leadership roles at Google (2006–2015; 2017–March 2025), Flipkart (CTO, 2015–2016), and Airbnb (VP Engineering, 2015–2016). He holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur, an M.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University, and an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Washington . He is classified as independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| VP/Director/Manager of Engineering | 2006–2015; 2017–Mar 2025 | Senior engineering leadership across multiple periods; core tech credentials | |
| Flipkart | Chief Technology Officer | 2015–2016 | Led technology at major e-commerce platform in India |
| Airbnb | VP of Engineering | 2015–2016 | Engineering leadership at global marketplace |
| Microsoft | Engineering | Not specified | Earlier engineering experience |
| Hewlett Packard | Engineering | Not specified | Earlier engineering experience |
| InfoSpace, Inc. | Engineering | Not specified | Earlier engineering experience |
| Consera Technologies | Engineering | Not specified | Earlier engineering experience |
External Roles
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed in the proxy biography |
| Private/non-profit/academic boards | Not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board has 5 directors; three are independent — Amit Mital, Peeyush Ranjan, and Louis Lebedin .
- Committees:
- Audit Committee: Member; chaired by Amit Mital; Lebedin is the “audit committee financial expert” .
- Compensation Committee: Member; chaired by Louis Lebedin .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Chair; members include Amit Mital and CEO Victor Huang .
- Attendance: Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of Board and applicable committee meetings in the last fiscal year .
- Annual meeting attendance: Expected of all directors, barring good cause .
- Committee charters: Available on the company’s website; committees comprise only independent members per Exchange Act/Nasdaq rules (note CEO participates only on Nominating) .
- Compensation committee interlocks: None; no members were officers/employees, and no cross-comp committee relationships disclosed .
Fixed Compensation
Director compensation (FY 2024):
| Component | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees | $65,000 | Independent director monthly/annual fees as part of program |
| Option awards (grant-date fair value) | $50,683 | Non-employee director options; no formal stock compensation plan specific to directors |
| Stock awards | — | Not disclosed for Ranjan |
| Meeting/committee fees | — | Not itemized; cash fees captured above |
| Total | $115,683 | Sum of cash and option awards |
- Director compensation limit: Non-employee director compensation (cash plus equity value) is capped at $250,000 per fiscal year under the equity plan .
Performance Compensation
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed for directors; director pay comprises cash fees and option awards |
| Clawback policy | Company maintains a clawback policy administered by the Compensation Committee |
| Equity plan terms relevant to directors | Options/SARs max 10-year term; strike/base at least fair market value on grant; no repricing without shareholder approval |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Other public company boards | Not disclosed |
| Internal interlocks | CEO Victor Huang sits on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee where Ranjan serves as Chair |
| Shared committees with customers/suppliers/competitors | Not disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: B.Tech (IIT Kharagpur), M.S. (Purdue), MBA (University of Washington) .
- Technical expertise: Senior engineering leadership across big tech, e-commerce, and marketplace platforms; appointed for “extensive technology experience” .
- Governance skills: Chairs the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; member of Audit and Compensation committees .
Equity Ownership
As of October 16, 2025:
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 153,861 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | <1% (asterisk denoted) |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 144,094 |
| Shares outstanding (reference) | 34,175,563 |
| Anti-hedging/pledging policy | Hedging prohibited; pledging/margin limited to ≤25% of total shares owned |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent status and broad technology leadership background; chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance and serves on Audit and Compensation .
- Attendance meets threshold (≥75%); supports engagement .
- Company policy prohibits hedging and limits pledging to 25%, reducing misalignment risk .
- Non-employee director compensation capped at $250,000, limiting pay inflation .
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Ranjan; audit committee oversees related-party reviews .
-
Considerations:
- CEO sits on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee alongside Ranjan (Chair), which can dilute independence in board refresh/succession deliberations in some governance frameworks .
- Director equity compensation is primarily via stock options; proxy notes no formal stock compensation plan specific to independent directors, indicating ad hoc grants rather than a structured director equity program .
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RED FLAGS:
CEO participation on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee may reduce perceived independence of director selection and governance policy oversight, despite independent chairing by Ranjan .
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Overall: Ranjan’s committee load and chair role signal active governance involvement, with policy scaffolding (anti-hedging/pledging, clawback, comp cap) supporting investor alignment; modest personal ownership and option-based director pay are typical for smaller issuers, but formalizing a director equity plan and excluding management from governance committees would further strengthen investor confidence .