Christine Battist
About Christine Battist
Independent Class II director at Bolt Projects Holdings, Inc. (BSLK), age 56; appointed in February 2025. She is a CPA (Texas) with 30+ years of public-company finance leadership, designated an Audit Committee Financial Expert, and deemed independent under Nasdaq rules . Tenure on BSLK’s board began in 2025 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avison Young (private) | Chief Financial Officer | Jan 2018 – May 2023 | Led finance, capital markets, IR and internal audit functions |
| Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. (NYSE: SBY; REIT) | Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer | Jun 2012 – Sep 2016 | Public-company CFO oversight of SEC reporting and capital markets |
| Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO; REIT) | Managing Director | Sep 2011 – Jun 2012 | Residential MBS-focused finance leadership |
| The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) | Various finance roles | May 2005 – Sep 2011 | Fortune 500 finance roles; operations and financial controls |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Southwest Corporation (NASDAQ: CSWC) | Director | Aug 2018 | Current public-company directorship |
| Highland Bank (private) | Director | Mar 2025 | Private-company board role |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee Chair; Audit members include Jeri Finard, Sami Naffakh, Gail Zauder, and Battist (Chair) .
- Audit expertise: Board determined Battist qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” per Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K .
- Independence: Board designated Battist independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Board leadership: CEO Daniel Widmaier serves as Chair; Corporate Governance Guidelines provide for a Lead Independent Director when Chair is not independent (not disclosed who serves) .
- Meetings/attendance: In 2024 (pre-appointment), Board met 4x; Audit 3x; Compensation 1x; Nominating/Governance 1x; all incumbent directors then serving attended ≥75% (Battist joined in 2025) .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors hold regular executive sessions, no less than twice per year .
- Insider trading/ethics: Company prohibits hedging and pledging; quarterly trading blackouts and preclearance for directors; robust Code of Conduct .
Fixed Compensation
Director cash compensation program applicable to non-employee directors:
| Component | Amount (USD) | Vest/Pay Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer (cash) | $40,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears; prorated for partial service |
| Audit Committee Chair retainer | $15,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Audit Committee member (non-chair) retainer | $8,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Compensation Committee Chair retainer | $12,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Nominating & Governance Chair retainer | $8,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Non-Executive Chairman additional retainer | $30,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
Given Battist’s role as Audit Committee Chair, her applicable cash retainers are the annual board retainer plus the audit chair stipend under this program .
Performance Compensation
Equity grants for non-employee directors under the current program:
- Initial Award: RSUs covering 1,125 shares; vests one-third annually over 3 years .
- Annual Award: RSUs covering 750 shares; vests in full on earlier of 1 year or next annual meeting .
- Pro-Rated Annual Award: Pro-rated fraction of 750 shares; same vest convention as Annual Award .
- Change-in-control: Director RSUs vest in full if not continuing as a post-transaction director .
Christine-specific granted/holding status:
| Award Type | Shares | Status/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RSUs outstanding | 357 | RSUs vesting within 60 days of July 11, 2025 (pro-rated annual award) |
No director options/PSUs for Battist are disclosed; director equity is time-based (no performance metrics tied to director equity) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public board: Capital Southwest Corporation (CSWC) .
- Private boards: Highland Bank .
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Battist with BSLK during the period reviewed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- CPA (Texas); BBA in Accounting, St. Norbert College .
- Deep public REIT and Fortune 500 finance experience; prior CFO roles; capital markets, IR, audit leadership .
- Audit Committee Financial Expert designation by the Board .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christine Battist | 357 | <1% | RSUs vesting within 60 days of July 11, 2025; no direct common shares disclosed |
Policies impacting alignment:
- Hedging and pledging of company stock are prohibited by policy .
- Corporate Governance Guidelines address stock ownership for directors, but specific numeric ownership guidelines are not disclosed in the proxy .
Insider Filings
- Section 16 compliance: Battist executed a Power of Attorney on Feb 20, 2025 authorizing officers to file Forms 3/4/5 on her behalf, evidencing compliance infrastructure for insider reporting .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent director with extensive finance/CFO background and formal Audit Committee Financial Expert designation; chairs the Audit Committee .
- Strong governance policies: clawback policy for officers; anti-hedging/pledging; preclearance and blackout controls .
- Active board processes: executive sessions and committee structure with clear charters and oversight responsibilities .
-
Alignment and risk considerations:
- Low personal economic exposure to BSLK (<1% ownership; 357 RSUs), which may limit “skin-in-the-game” alignment compared to more substantial holdings .
- Company capital structure complexity and frequent equity-linked financing proposals (e.g., Seneca/Ascent proposals) pose dilution and governance monitoring demands; this elevates audit/finance oversight importance rather than reflecting on Battist’s independence .
- Specific director stock ownership multiple or compliance status not disclosed; inability to assess guideline adherence .
-
RED FLAGS:
- Minimal disclosed equity ownership (only 357 RSUs; <1%): potential alignment gap if not supplemented by future ownership accumulation .
- Ongoing financing and share issuance approvals increase dilution risk to shareholders, requiring stringent audit oversight (contextual governance risk) .