David N. Watson
AMKOR TECHNOLOGYAbout David N. Watson
David N. Watson (age 66) has served on Amkor’s Board since August 2014. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, and was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Comcast Cable, with prior leadership roles at Comcast Cellular Communications, Bell Atlantic Mobile, and Metrophone . The Board has determined he is an independent director under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comcast Cable Communications, LLC | President & CEO | Current | Executive leadership/operations expertise |
| Comcast Cable Communications, LLC | EVP & COO | Prior role | Day-to-day cable operations (sales/marketing; divisional oversight; ad sales) |
| Comcast Cellular Communications, Inc. | SVP Sales & Marketing; later President | Seven years prior to joining Comcast Cable in 1991 | Wireless operating leadership |
| Bell Atlantic Mobile; Metrophone | Head of Sales & Marketing | Prior role | Telecom commercial leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public Company? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comcast Cable Communications, LLC | President & CEO | No (business unit of Comcast) | Cable Hall of Fame inductee (Nov 2021) |
No other public-company directorships are disclosed for Mr. Watson in the AMKR proxy .
Board Governance
- Independence and tenure: Independent; director since August 2014 .
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee (Chair: Winston J. Churchill) .
- Meetings and engagement:
- Board held six meetings in 2024; all directors attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Compensation Committee met eight times in 2024 .
- Annual meeting attendance: all but one director attended the 2024 annual meeting (individuals not specified) .
- Lead Independent Director: Winston J. Churchill .
- Executive sessions: Non‑employee directors regularly hold executive sessions .
- Risk oversight: Board oversees strategy, financial performance, cybersecurity (with Audit Committee), compensation risk (with Compensation Committee), and ESG (with Nominating & Governance) .
Fixed Compensation (Non‑Employee Director Pay – 2024)
| Component | Policy / Amount | Watson 2024 Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $85,000 policy as of 12/31/24 | $76,500 fees earned in 2024 |
| Committee member retainer (Compensation) | $10,000 member; $15,000 chair | Included in cash total (not itemized) |
| Other cash roles (if applicable) | Lead Independent Director $30,000; Chairman $150,000; Strategic Oversight Role $75,000 | N/A (not disclosed for Watson) |
| Reimbursements/other | Travel expense reimbursement per policy | $1 (fractional DEU cash-out) |
| Total cash | — | $76,500 |
Performance Compensation (Equity – Director Program)
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Annual equity grant | Time-vested RSUs with ~$195,000 grant-date fair value upon election at 2024 annual meeting; rounded to whole shares |
| Vesting | RSUs vest in full on earlier of first anniversary of grant or next annual meeting |
| Dividend equivalents | DEUs accrue on RSUs upon cash dividends; DEUs vest on same schedule |
| Structure | Non‑employee director equity is time‑based (no PSU performance conditions for directors) |
| Independent oversight | Compensation Committee reviews program annually; may use independent consultant (Compensia retained Aug 2024; no conflicts found) |
Director compensation received by Watson in 2024:
- Stock awards (RSUs fair value): $194,972 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Watson |
| Committee interlocks | None; Compensation Committee disclosed no interlocks/insider participation in 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive management and technology/human capital expertise from leading major telecom/cable operations; Cable Hall of Fame inductee (2021) .
- Board skills matrix identifies corporate governance, technology, and human capital management among key attributes across nominees; Watson serves on Compensation Committee .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 222,954 shares (includes derivatives per Rule 13d‑3) |
| % of shares outstanding | <1% (asterisk denotes less than 1%) |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 120,000 shares |
| Unvested RSUs/DEUs vesting within 60 days | 5,991 shares |
| Options outstanding at 12/31/24 | 140,000 options (director options outstanding) |
| Director stock ownership guidelines | 5× annual cash retainer required; compliance achieved or on track for all non‑employee directors as of 12/31/24 |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors; no pledging allowed |
Compensation Structure Notes (Context for Investors)
- Mix for 2024 (Watson): cash $76,500 vs equity $194,972 (time‑based RSUs), aligning directors with long‑term shareholders and limiting pay at risk to service/tenure rather than short‑term metrics .
- Program design features good‑practice guardrails: ownership guidelines, anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging, and independent Compensation Committee oversight with independent consultant support .
Related-Party Transactions and Conflicts
- Company disclosed no related‑party transactions requiring reporting since January 1, 2024 .
- Audit Committee reviews and approves any related‑party transactions under a written policy; conflicted committee members recuse .
Insider Trading and Section 16 Compliance
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Section 16(a) filing timeliness (2024) | All directors and officers filed timely, except one late Form 4 for a different director (Mr. Liu); no delinquencies indicated for Watson |
Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback (Board Oversight Relevance)
- 2024 advisory vote (on 2023 NEO pay) received over 98% support, indicating broad investor approval of executive pay program overseen by Compensation Committee (of which Watson is a member) .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independence, long tenure, and relevant operating expertise; active service on the Compensation Committee that met eight times in 2024 .
- Shareholder‑aligned director pay (equity‑heavy, time‑vested), robust stock ownership guidelines, and prohibitions on hedging/pledging .
- No related‑party transactions; Section 16 compliance clear for Watson .
- Considerations:
- Time commitments: full‑time CEO of Comcast Cable alongside Compensation Committee duties; however, Board disclosure indicates all directors met at least the 75% attendance threshold for Board/committee meetings in 2024 .
- Director equity is time‑based (no performance linkage), which is typical but places emphasis on ownership guidelines and tenure for alignment .
Overall, Watson’s profile supports investor confidence: independent status, Compensation Committee engagement, compliance with ownership and trading policies, and no identified conflicts, balanced against the inherent time‑commitment consideration of a seated CEO role .