Evelyn D'An
About Evelyn D’An
Evelyn D’An has served on BLZE’s Board since August 2021; she is President of D’An Financial Services (founded 2004) and a former Ernst & Young partner with 18 years serving clients across retail, consumer, technology, financial services, and media sectors. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from the State University of Albany and is designated independent under Nasdaq rules; the Board also identifies her as an audit committee financial expert with financial sophistication .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernst & Young | Partner | 18 years | Served clients across multiple sectors; foundation for audit expertise |
| D’An Financial Services | President | Since 2004 | Strategic consulting; governance/finance advisory background |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure Start | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoomcar Holdings, Inc. (public) | Director; Audit Chair | April 2023 | Audit oversight leadership |
| Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. (public) | Director; Audit Chair | February 2025 | Audit oversight leadership |
| GHD Group Pty Ltd (private) | Director; Audit Chair | March 2020 | Audit oversight leadership |
| Enochian Biosciences Inc. (now Renovaro BioSciences) (public, prior) | Director | March 2018–April 2021 | Pre-clinical biosciences board experience |
| Summer Infant, Inc. (public, prior) | Director | November 2016–June 2022 | Consumer products governance experience |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee (Chair), Compensation Committee (Member); not on Nominating and Corporate Governance .
- Independence: The Board determined Evelyn D’An is independent under SEC/Nasdaq rules; independent directors hold regular executive sessions .
- Meeting cadence and attendance: Board met 7 times in 2024; no director attended fewer than 75% of Board/committee meetings; all five directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting . Audit Committee met 9 times; Compensation Committee met 11 times; Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met 5 times in 2024 .
- Audit Committee remit (selected): Oversees financial reporting integrity, auditor independence and performance, disclosure controls, related person transactions, and cybersecurity/IT risks .
- Board leadership: Combined Chair/CEO; Lead Independent Director is Jocelyn Carter-Miller .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Annual Retainer (Cash) | Committee Fees (Cash) | Total Cash Fees | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $35,000 | Audit Chair $20,000; Compensation Member $6,000 | $61,000 | Policy unchanged in 2024; cash paid quarterly in arrears |
Performance Compensation
| Year | Equity Type | Grant Date Fair Value | Unvested RSUs Outstanding (Shares) | Performance Metrics/Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | RSUs | $150,000 | 20,604 shares as of 12/31/2024 | No performance metrics disclosed for non-employee director RSU awards |
Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy provides for annual stock awards; the proxy tabulates RSUs and fair values but does not specify performance conditions for director grants .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Industry Relation to BLZE | Interlock/Conflict Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Zoomcar Holdings, Inc. | Car sharing platform; not a direct BLZE customer/supplier | No BLZE-related transaction disclosed; audit chair role indicates governance oversight elsewhere . |
| Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. | Biopharma; no clear tie to BLZE’s storage business | No BLZE-related transaction disclosed; audit chair role . |
| GHD Group Pty Ltd | Technical professional services | No BLZE-related transaction disclosed; audit chair role . |
| Prior: Enochian/Renovaro; Summer Infant | Biosciences; consumer products | No BLZE-related transactions disclosed in current related party section . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit committee financial expert; meets Nasdaq financial sophistication requirements .
- Deep governance and accounting experience; EY partner background; multi-sector advisory expertise .
- Risk oversight: Active participation/chairing in audit functions and compensation oversight; committee workload indicative of strong engagement (9 Audit; 11 Compensation meetings in 2024) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Class A Shares Beneficially Owned | Options Exercisable within 60 Days | Ownership % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evelyn D’An | 53,187 shares | 31,348 shares via options exercisable within 60 days (footnote (4)) | Less than 1% (based on 54,832,967 shares outstanding) |
RSUs count in beneficial ownership only if settle within 60 days; as-of 12/31/2024, she held 20,604 unvested RSUs (not necessarily within 60 days), separately disclosed in director compensation footnote .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independent director; Audit Committee Chair and Compensation Committee Member; designated audit committee financial expert .
- Strong attendance: Board reports no director below 75%; high committee meeting cadence (Audit 9; Compensation 11) suggests substantive engagement .
- Ownership alignment: Holds common shares and legacy options; annual director RSU grants support equity alignment; hedging and pledging of company stock prohibited by Insider Trading Policy .
- Related-party oversight: Audit Committee reviews related person transactions; recent related-party marketing services involving CEO’s family were disclosed and completed; committee has explicit mandate over such matters .
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Watch items / potential red flags
- Multi-board workload: Chairs three external audit committees (Zoomcar, Matinas BioPharma, GHD) in addition to BLZE Audit Chair; while evidencing expertise, cross-commitment could pose time-allocation risk during peak periods .
- Combined Chair/CEO structure at BLZE places greater weight on effectiveness of the Lead Independent Director and committee chairs (including Audit); continued robust executive sessions and committee independence remain critical .
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Compensation structure signals
- Mix is standard: cash retainers plus time-based RSUs; no performance metrics disclosed for director awards, which is typical for non-employee directors but offers limited direct pay-for-performance linkage .
- Cash fee breakdown matches policy (retainer + committee roles), indicating policy adherence and transparency .
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Conflicts and related-party exposure
- No personal related-party transactions disclosed for Evelyn D’An; BLZE’s only disclosed significant related-party transaction pertains to services from the CEO’s brother’s firm, under Audit Committee oversight .
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Independence and investor confidence
- Explicit Board determination of independence; regular executive sessions reinforce independent oversight; clear committee charters publicly available, supporting governance transparency .