Chantelle Breithaupt
AMBARELLAAbout Chantelle Breithaupt
Chantelle Breithaupt, age 52, was appointed as an independent director of Ambarella (AMBA) on February 25, 2025, and is standing for her first shareholder election as a Class I director at the 2025 Annual Meeting; she serves on the Audit Committee and has been designated an Audit Committee financial expert . She is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Arista Networks (ANET) (since February 2024), previously CFO of Aspen Technology (March 2021–December 2023), and earlier held senior finance roles at Cisco and General Electric; she holds an Honors Business Administration (HBA) degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspen Technology | SVP & Chief Financial Officer | Mar 2021–Dec 2023 | Oversaw accounting/financial reporting; public company CFO experience |
| Cisco Systems | SVP, Finance; VP Finance (Americas; Customer Experience/Services); Senior Director – Operational Finance | Apr 2014–Mar 2021 (various roles, most recent SVP Jan–Mar 2021) | Multiple leadership roles, large-scale finance operations |
| General Electric | Executive global finance roles | ~15 years | Progressive finance leadership across global operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET) | SVP & Chief Financial Officer | Feb 2024 (joined Jan 2024) | Current |
| Aspen Technology (NASDAQ: AZPN) | SVP & Chief Financial Officer | Mar 2021 | Former (through Dec 2023) |
Board Governance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Board class & tenure | Class I director; appointed Feb 25, 2025; up for election in 2025; term would run to 2028 if elected |
| Independence | Board determined she is independent under SEC and Nasdaq rules |
| Committees | Audit Committee member (not chair); current Audit Committee members: Breithaupt, Hu, Paisley (Chair), Schwarting |
| Financial expert designation | Board determined Ms. Breithaupt (and Mr. Paisley) qualify as “Audit Committee financial experts” under SEC rules |
| Committee activity | FY2025 meetings: Audit 6; Compensation 5; Governance & Nominating 4 |
| Nomination & search | Identified by third-party search firm; recommended by Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee |
| Related party transactions | None reportable under Item 404(a) for Ms. Breithaupt |
| Indemnification | Will sign Ambarella’s standard indemnification agreement |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Value | Vesting & Terms | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU grant | $150,000 | Vests in three equal quarterly tranches | Mar 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, 2025 | |
| Initial RSU units recognized (Form 3) | 2,442 RSUs (underlying shares) | 1/3rd vest on each date above; 100% by Sep 15, 2025 | As above | |
| Standard director compensation | Standard non-employee director compensation per Ambarella’s program | Not quantified in 2025 8-K; program disclosed in 2024 proxy | Reference to 2024 program | |
| Change-in-control treatment (plan terms) | If awards not assumed/substituted, full acceleration; if assumed and director terminated (other than voluntary at acquirer’s request), full acceleration | Applies to non-employee director equity under the plan | Plan-level provision |
Performance Compensation
| Performance Metric | Target/Definition | Applies to Director Pay? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | Ambarella’s non-employee director awards are time-based RSUs; no performance metrics tied to director compensation disclosed | No | RSU vesting is time-based; no TSR/financial metrics noted for directors |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | Ms. Breithaupt’s biography lists executive roles (Arista CFO; AspenTech CFO); no other public-company board memberships are cited in Ambarella’s proxy bio |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep financial leadership across public technology companies and industrials; CFO experience and SEC-reporting acumen .
- Audit Committee financial expert designation supports board oversight of financial reporting, controls, and auditor matters .
- Technology market familiarity (Cisco; AspenTech; Arista), relevant to Ambarella’s sector .
- Education: Honors Business Administration (HBA), Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) .
Equity Ownership
| Class | Amount | Ownership Form | Vesting Status | Vest Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary shares subject to RSUs | 2,442 | Direct | Time-based RSUs | Mar 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, 2025 | Initial Form 3; 1/3 on each date, fully vested by Sep 15, 2025 |
| Stock ownership guidelines | 5x annual cash retainer within five years for non-employee directors | Policy | — | — | Policy documented in Ambarella proxies (2018; reaffirmed 2022) |
| Pledging/hedging | Not disclosed for Ms. Breithaupt | — | — | — | No pledging noted in available filings |
Insider Trades
| Date | Form | Security | Amount/Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2025 | Form 3 (Initial Statement) | Ordinary shares subject to RSUs | 2,442 | RSU award vesting 1/3 on Mar 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, 2025 |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with recent public-company CFO experience; Audit Committee financial expert designation enhances board effectiveness on audit/controls; no related-party transactions flagged; standard director equity aligns incentives over near-term vesting .
- Compensation/Alignment: Initial RSU grant ($150,000) with quarterly vesting aligns with typical retainer-plus-RSU structures; Ambarella’s plan provides clear change-in-control treatment, limiting entrenchment risk .
- Engagement capacity: Concurrent role as CFO of Arista Networks represents a significant time commitment; the 2025 proxy reports robust Audit Committee activity (six meetings), and Ms. Breithaupt is positioned to contribute given her financial expertise . No individual meeting attendance rates are disclosed due to her late-FY appointment .
- RED FLAGS: None identified in filings—no Item 404(a) related-party transactions, no indications of hedging/pledging, and compensation is standard for non-employee directors .
Overall, Breithaupt’s profile signals strong financial oversight capabilities and independence, with equity-based director pay providing reasonable alignment; monitoring time-commitment across her CFO role and AMBA board service remains prudent given the demands of both posts .