Wesley Bryett
About Wesley Bryett
Wesley Bryett (age 43 as of April 15, 2025) is a Class II director of a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. (AKA), serving on the Board since September 2021; his current term expires at the 2026 annual meeting . He co-founded Princess Polly in 2010 and has served as its Co-Chief Executive Officer since founding; he previously founded web consultancy New Business Media (2004–2010). He holds a Bachelor of Information Technology from Griffith University (Australia) and currently also serves as CEO of Culture Kings, a role for which the Compensation Committee approved a performance-based option award in 2023 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Polly | Co-Chief Executive Officer; Co-founder | 2010–present | Co-founded and led brand growth in fashion eCommerce |
| Culture Kings | Chief Executive Officer | 2023–present (performance-based option award approved on 2023-09-06) | Operating leadership of a key AKA brand; compensation noted in director table as employee salary/bonus |
| New Business Media | Founder | 2004–2010 | Web consultancy leadership |
External Roles
| Company/Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public-company directorships disclosed in the proxy statements . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: None. As of April 15, 2025, he is not a member of the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees; this was also the case as of April 15, 2024 .
- Independence: Not listed among directors the Board has affirmatively determined to be independent under NYSE rules; Board states independent directors include Christopher Dean, Ilene Eskenazi, Sourav Ghosh, Matthew Hamilton, Myles McCormick and Kelly Thompson (Audit committee independence also specified for Ghosh, McCormick, Thompson) .
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings, and all eight current directors attended the 2024 annual meeting . In 2023, each director attended at least 75% of meetings and all eight directors attended the 2023 annual meeting .
- Board structure: AKA is a “controlled company” under NYSE rules due to Summit’s majority control and relies on certain governance exemptions (e.g., committee composition), including for the Nominating Committee .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors regularly meet in executive session without management present; Board Chair presides .
Fixed Compensation
Compensation reported in the Director Compensation tables reflects his operating roles at AKA subsidiaries (not standard non-employee director fees).
| Year | Cash (Fees Earned or Paid in Cash) | Stock Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $604,126 | — | Cash reflects employee salary and bonus as Co-CEO of Princess Polly and CEO of Culture Kings (not director fees) . |
| 2023 | $406,854 | $1,200,000 | Cash reflects employee salary; stock awards reflect performance-based option award for accepting Culture Kings CEO role . |
Reference non-employee director program (for context; he did not receive standard director fees):
- Standard retainer: $50,000 cash annually, plus annual RSUs with grant-date value of $100,000 (1-year vest), and additional committee/chair retainers; directors affiliated with Summit and company employees do not receive director compensation .
Performance Compensation
- 2023 performance-based option award: Approved by the Compensation Committee on September 6, 2023 in connection with his acceptance of the Culture Kings CEO role; aggregate grant-date fair value reported as $1,200,000 in the Director Compensation table .
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Award type | Performance-based stock option (Culture Kings CEO) |
| Grant approval date | September 6, 2023 |
| Grant-date fair value | $1,200,000 |
| Strike price | Not disclosed |
| Vesting schedule/metrics | Not disclosed; labeled performance-based in proxy |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Other public-company boards | None disclosed . |
| Registration rights | Parties affiliated with the Bryett family (Australian Management Investors) are party to a Registration Rights Agreement; each such investor becomes entitled to one Demand Registration after the fourth anniversary of the IPO, alongside piggyback rights; company bears registration expenses (excluding underwriting discounts) . |
| Director nomination regime | Summit has designation rights to Board seats and committee participation proportionate to ownership under the Director Nomination Agreement entered at IPO; also restricts changing Board size without Summit consent . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Founder/operator in fashion eCommerce with Princess Polly; current CEO leadership at Culture Kings; entrepreneurial/technology background via New Business Media .
- Education: Bachelor of Information Technology (Griffith University, Australia) .
- Board skills alignment: retail/eCommerce domain expertise and operating leadership experience cited by the Board as relevant to AKA’s business .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned (Apr 15, 2024) | % Outstanding (Apr 15, 2024) | Shares Beneficially Owned (Apr 15, 2025) | % Outstanding (Apr 15, 2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryett Enterprises Trust (Wesley Bryett) | 1,715,932 | 16.4% | 1,715,932 | 16.1% | Trust’s primary beneficiaries: Eirin and Wesley Bryett; trustee structure confers sole voting and dispositive power to Mr. Bryett . |
Additional alignment/controls:
- Hedging/pledging: Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging and pledging/margin of company securities by directors, officers, and employees .
- Section 16(a): 2024 proxy lists late filings for several insiders but does not identify Mr. Bryett; 2025 proxy lists delinquencies for certain insiders and directors but not Mr. Bryett .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Significant ownership stake (≈16%) aligns incentives with shareholders; ownership structure confers sole voting/dispositive power, indicating direct accountability .
- Deep operating experience in fashion eCommerce via Princess Polly and Culture Kings; Board cites these credentials as relevant to AKA’s strategy .
- Not assigned to Audit or Compensation Committees, which mitigates potential conflicts in financial oversight or executive pay decisions .
- Company-wide clawback policy adopted in 2023 (for executive officers) and prohibition on hedging/pledging bolster governance and alignment frameworks .
-
Risk indicators and potential conflicts
- Controlled company status under NYSE with reliance on governance exemptions; Nominating Committee not fully independent—reduced minority shareholder protections .
- Not classified as independent by the Board; simultaneously serves as CEO of Culture Kings and Co-CEO of Princess Polly within AKA, increasing related-party considerations and potential for management/board role overlap .
- Registration Rights Agreement provides liquidity avenues (Demand/Piggyback registrations) to Bryett-affiliated holders; while customary, it introduces overhang/event risk considerations around secondary sales .
-
Director compensation mix and signals
- Reported amounts in director tables primarily reflect subsidiary operating compensation rather than independent director fees, underscoring his management posture rather than non-employee director status .
- The 2023 Culture Kings CEO performance option (reported fair value $1.2M) signals retention/turnaround emphasis at brand level; however, specific performance hurdles and vesting mechanics were not disclosed in the proxy .
Overall, Bryett brings high domain relevance and strong ownership alignment, but his non-independent status, operating roles, and controlled-company governance structure warrant continued monitoring for related-party sensitivities, committee safeguards, and transparency around performance award conditions .