Helvi Sandvik

About Helvi K. Sandvik

Helvi K. Sandvik (age 67) is an independent director of Alaska Air Group (ALK) since 2013, serving as Chair of the Safety Committee and a member of the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee . She is President of Kidways LLC and formerly served as President of NANA Development Corporation (1999–2016), with prior leadership roles in the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities including director of statewide aviation and deputy commissioner . She holds a BA from Kalamazoo College and an MBA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks .

Past Roles

Organization	Role	Tenure	Committees/Impact
NANA Development Corporation	President	1999–2016	Oversaw growth from ~$50M revenues to ~$1.5B; diversified into government contracting, energy support, professional services, engineering/construction
Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities	Director of Statewide Aviation; Deputy Commissioner	Not disclosed	Aviation oversight; public-sector leadership in transportation safety and operations

External Roles

Organization	Role	Tenure	Notes
Kidways LLC	President	Current	Business management consulting firm
HDR, Inc.	Board member	Current	Non-public company; engineering and professional services
National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development	Board member	Current	Non-profit governance
Alaska Airlines & Horizon Air (ALK subsidiaries)	Board roles	Current	Subsidiary board service

Board Governance

Committee assignments: Safety Committee Chair; Compensation & Leadership Development Committee member .
Independence: Determined independent under NYSE standards and ALK’s guidelines; all committee members are independent .
Attendance: Board met 5 times in 2024; Safety 4; Compensation 4; Innovation 3; Audit 4; Governance 3. Each director attended at least 75% of board and applicable committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
Executive sessions: Independent directors meet at least quarterly in executive session; chaired by the Board Chair .
Safety oversight scope: Safety Committee monitors passenger/employee safety, aviation security, internal evaluation programs, and advises on safety goals/metrics for compensation .

Fixed Compensation

Component (2024)	Amount (USD)
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash	$110,043
Stock Awards (grant-date fair value)	$139,957
All Other Compensation (travel benefit value, mileage plan miles tax reimbursement, etc.)	$11,877
Total	$261,877

Key structural features:

Annual cash retainer $90,000; Safety Committee Chair retainer $20,000; other chair retainers vary by committee .
Annual stock retainer $140,000; directors may elect DSUs or vested shares (election prior year). In May 2024, Sandvik received 3,191 vested shares (no deferral) .
No meeting fees; no outstanding stock options; no pension; no non-equity incentive participation; directors may elect DSUs under the Stock Deferral Plan .

Performance Compensation

Directors do not receive performance-conditioned equity; annual grants vest at grant (shares) or are fully vested DSUs payable at board departure .

Equity Grant Detail (2024)	Units/Shares	Fair Value (USD)	Vesting/Deferral
Annual Stock Retainer	3,191 shares	$139,957	Fully vested shares at grant; Sandvik did not defer in 2024

Compensation metrics (profitability, safety, guest experience, fuel efficiency, ROIC, TSR, etc.) apply to executives, not directors; no director performance metrics disclosed .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Category	Details
Current public company boards	None disclosed in ALK biography (lists non-public boards only)
Compensation Committee Interlocks	None; 2024 members (Conner, Hogan, Lofton, Sandvik) had no relationships requiring disclosure; no insider participation

Expertise & Qualifications

Business development and M&A; Government/Public Affairs/Regulatory; HR/Organizational Strategy; Public company governance; CEO experience .
Additional board skills reflected in ALK matrix (broad strategy, governance, HR/Org strategy, etc.) .

Equity Ownership

Ownership Item	Amount
Common Stock Beneficially Owned	22,916 shares
DSUs (will settle in shares upon board departure)	7,134 units (aggregate DSUs granted to date)
Percent of Outstanding Shares	<1% (asterisk)
Hedging/Pledging	Prohibited under Insider Trading Policy (no hedging, pledging, margin accounts)
Ownership Guidelines	Directors must hold ≥6× annual cash retainer; all non-employee directors met requirement as of Dec 31, 2024

Section 16 compliance: ALK disclosed late filings for certain officers, but Sandvik was not listed among late filers for 2024 .

Governance Assessment

Board effectiveness: Sandvik’s dual roles (Safety Chair; Compensation member) align safety oversight with compensation goal-setting, signaling integrated risk and performance governance .
Independence and attendance: Independent status and documented attendance support robust oversight and engagement .
Alignment: Equity is granted as fully vested shares/DSUs; stock ownership policy at 6× cash retainer and prohibition on hedging/pledging enhance alignment with shareholders .
Conflicts/related-party exposure: ALK reports no related-person transactions requiring disclosure since Jan 1, 2024; committee interlocks absent; reduces conflict risk .
Director pay structure: Cash + equity retainers near peer medians; benefits include positive-space travel and $10,000 Mileage Plan miles; no options, pensions, or meeting fees—standard for airlines, modest “other comp” values suggest low perquisite risk .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed regarding pledging, related-party transactions, legal proceedings, or low attendance .
Watchpoints: Combined influence on Safety and Compensation requires continued transparency to avoid perceived softening of safety-linked incentive rigor; however, ALK discloses safety metrics in broad-based plans and committee advisement, mitigating concern .