Neil Green

About Neil Green

Neil Green, age 55, has served as an independent director of Avient (AVNT) since 2021. He is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Otis Worldwide Corporation, with prior senior roles at Otis (Vice President, Transformation and CDO, 2018–2020) and Intel, including Vice President, Data Center Group and President of Intel Federal LLC; his core credentials are digital strategy, cloud, mobility, data science, and cybersecurity, which Avient views as directly relevant to improving product development, service, and manufacturing. The Board has affirmatively determined that Mr. Green is independent under NYSE standards and Avient’s categorical independence guidelines.

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Committees: Audit Committee member (Chair: William R. Jellison) and Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee member (Chair: Richard H. Fearon).
• 2024 meetings held: Audit (7), Compensation (5), Governance & Corporate Responsibility (2), Environmental, Health & Safety (2).
• Attendance: The Board met six times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings and all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting.
• Independence: Board determined Mr. Green meets NYSE independence standards and Avient’s categorical independence guidelines.
• Executive sessions and oversight: Independent directors regularly hold executive sessions; Non-Executive Chairman Richard H. Fearon presides and coordinates committee communications and agendas; Board risk oversight includes Audit (financial reporting, IT/cybersecurity), Compensation (compensation risk), Governance & Corporate Responsibility (sustainability/governance), and EH&S (safety/product stewardship).

Fixed Compensation

• Structure: Non-employee director annual retainer set at $257,500, consisting of $110,000 cash and targeted equity value (increased to $155,000 starting Q3 2024 from $140,000); chair retainers increased in Q3 2024 (Audit +$25k; Compensation +$20k; Governance & Corporate Responsibility +$20k; EH&S +$20k). No meeting fees for regularly scheduled meetings; unscheduled meeting fees $2,000 (in-person) and $1,000 (significant telephonic).
• Benchmarking: Compensation Committee annually reviews director pay; Willis Towers Watson provides competitive assessments; in 2024 the consultant provided only executive/director compensation services and was determined independent with no conflicts.

Performance Compensation

• Design: Director equity awards are delivered as fully vested common shares (payable in quarterly installments, deferrable by election); no performance-based metrics apply to non-employee director equity awards.
• 2024 equity grant mechanics (per quarter): March 28 ($43.40 FMV; 808 shares), June 28 ($43.65 FMV; 806 shares), September 30 ($50.32 FMV; 775 shares), December 31 ($40.86 FMV; 834 shares); number of shares determined by dividing quarter’s dollar value by average of high/low closing price.

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Expertise & Qualifications

• Board skills matrix indicates Mr. Green brings technology, operations, corporate governance, international experience, sustainability, and IT/cybersecurity capabilities to Avient’s board.
• Avient specifically cites his ability to advise on digital strategy, cloud adoption, mobility, data science, and cybersecurity aligned to improving product development, service, and manufacturing.

Equity Ownership

• Stock ownership guideline for non-employee directors: minimum 12,500 shares, to be met within five years; all directors meet or are on track; directors must retain 100% of shares obtained from Avient until guideline met.
• Anti-hedging/anti-pledging: Avient’s Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging and pledging (including short sales and margin purchases) for directors.
• Section 16 compliance: Company states all Section 16(a) filings were timely in 2024 and prior years, except one late Form 4 for the CEO due to administrative error; no issues noted for Mr. Green.

Governance Assessment

• Independence and committee composition: Mr. Green is independent and serves on Audit and Governance & Corporate Responsibility committees, providing oversight of financial reporting integrity, auditor independence, internal controls, IT/cybersecurity risk, and sustainability/governance program integration.
• Attendance and engagement: Board met six times; all directors—including Mr. Green—met at least 75% attendance and attended the annual meeting, supporting engagement standards.
• Pay and alignment: 2024 compensation mix emphasizes equity with fully vested stock grants and a robust ownership guideline (12,500 shares); policy requires retention until guideline met, and Avient benchmarks compensation to peers via an independent consultant with conflict safeguards.
• Conflicts and related-party exposure: The Board’s independence review found no material relationships; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy reduces misalignment risks; no related-party transactions or pledging disclosures involving Mr. Green.
• RED FLAGS: None identified in the proxy for Mr. Green—no late filings, no pledging, no related-party transactions, and strong committee oversight roles; continued monitoring warranted on ownership guideline progress given the 12,061-share beneficial holding versus the 12,500-share guideline, with company stating all directors meet or are on track.