Anuj Dhanda
BlueLinx HoldingsAbout Anuj Dhanda
Anuj Dhanda, 62, has served as an independent director of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. since May 2023. He is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI), with prior CIO roles at Giant Eagle (2013–2015) and PNC Financial Services (2008–2013). He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Delhi University), MBA and Ph.D. in Management (Finance) from Rutgers University, and currently serves on the board of Penn Entertainment (NASDAQ: PENN) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC) | Chief Information Officer | Mar 2008–Aug 2013 | CIO leadership in financial services |
| Giant Eagle, Inc. | SVP Digital Commerce & Chief Information Officer | Aug 2013–Dec 2015 | Digital commerce and IT leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI) | EVP & Chief Technology and Transformation Officer | 2015–Present | Technology, transformation, cybersecurity oversight |
| Penn Entertainment (NASDAQ: PENN) | Director | Current | Board service |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Governance Committee; committee met 4 times in FY 2024; Chair: Dominic DiNapoli; other members: Marietta Edmunds Zakas. The Board determined Dhanda is independent and that all three committee members are independent under NYSE standards .
- Other committees: Audit Committee members are Yancey (Chair), DiNapoli, Zakas (Dhanda not listed); met 8 times in FY 2024 . Human Capital & Compensation Committee members are Smith (Chair), Fennebresque, Haas (Dhanda not listed); met 4 times in FY 2024 .
- Board attendance: The Board met 9 times in FY 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings they were entitled to attend. All directors standing for election in 2025 attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Independence: The Board has determined a majority of directors are independent (all except CEO Shyam K. Reddy), and Dhanda is independent .
- Risk, conflicts, and governance: Nominating & Governance Committee oversees related-party transactions, outside board service requests, governance policies, and director compensation/stock ownership guidelines . No related person transactions requiring disclosure for FY 2024 were identified . The Chairman chairs executive sessions of non-management directors .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2024 Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $90,000 | Standard non-employee director cash retainer |
| Committee chair fees | $0 | Dhanda was not a committee chair; chairs receive $15,000 (N&G), $15,000 (HCC), $30,000 (Audit) |
| Meeting fees | $0 | Not disclosed; Board may grant fees for extraordinary services |
| Total cash | $90,000 | Sum of cash components |
| Equity Award Detail | FY 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RSU grant value | $135,018 | Time-based RSUs, annual grant to non-employee directors |
| Grant date | May 17, 2024 | Board-approved annual grants on this date |
| Vesting | One year from grant date | Time-based (no performance conditions) |
| Instrument | RSUs (time-based) | Grant-date fair value under ASC 718 |
| Total FY 2024 compensation | $225,018 | Cash + RSU grant value |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | FY 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed | Non-employee directors receive time-based RSUs only; no performance-based director awards |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company boards: Penn Entertainment (Director) .
- Potential interlocks: Dhanda is an executive at Albertsons (ACI). Fellow BXC director Kim S. Fennebresque serves on Albertsons’ board, creating a potential information-flow interlock across companies, mitigated by independence determinations and N&G oversight of outside board service and related-party reviews .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Digital transformation, cybersecurity, merger integration, and system modernization; over 10 years as public company CIO/executive .
- Education: Bachelor of Commerce (Delhi University), MBA and Ph.D. in Management (Finance) (Rutgers University) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Breakdown / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anuj Dhanda | 2,901 | * (less than 1%) | Includes 1,340 RSUs that vest on May 17, 2025 and 1,561 shares held directly |
Director stock ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold stock equal to 5x the cash component of annual retainer; compliance expected within 5 years of joining the Board .
Governance Assessment
- Alignment: Dhanda’s director pay mix is balanced between cash and equity, with time-based RSUs supporting long-term alignment; however, absence of performance-conditional director awards reduces direct pay-for-performance linkage at the board level .
- Independence and attendance: Independent status affirmed; Board-wide attendance at least 75% and engagement evidenced by N&G and Board meeting cadence (4 and 9 meetings respectively) .
- Ownership alignment: Beneficial ownership of 2,901 shares as of March 18, 2025; director ownership guidelines require 5x cash retainer, with a five-year horizon to meet; compliance status not disclosed .
- Conflicts and related-party oversight: No related person transactions requiring disclosure in FY 2024; N&G Committee actively oversees related-party reviews and outside board service, mitigating potential interlocks (e.g., Albertsons connections) .
- Risk controls: Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging and pledging, requires pre-clearance of trades, and enforces blackout periods—positive for investor alignment and risk mitigation .
- Compensation committee practices: The Human Capital & Compensation Committee retained Meridian as independent compensation consultant; independence reviewed with no conflicts, supporting robust compensation governance (context for overall board governance quality) .
Overall signal: Strong independence and governance controls (related-party reviews, hedging/pledging bans), reasonable director pay structure, and active committee participation. Watchpoints include multiple external commitments (Albertsons executive role and Penn Entertainment board) and potential information-flow interlocks with another director tied to Albertsons; these are mitigated by N&G oversight and independence determinations .