Joshua M. Murray
BEYOND MEATAbout Joshua M. Murray
Joshua M. Murray (age 41) is an independent director of Beyond Meat, Inc. (BYND), serving since May 2024, and was appointed Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee on October 15, 2025; he is also a member of the Audit Committee and has been designated an “audit committee financial expert.” He is CFO and Head of Strategy at Orca Biosystems (private) and serves on the board of Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CORT), where he sits on the Audit Committee; he holds an AB in History and Economics from Harvard College. BYND’s board has determined Mr. Murray is independent under SEC and Nasdaq rules and he met the company’s 2024 attendance standard (≥75%).
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orca Biosystems, Inc. (private) | Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategy | Apr 2021 – Present | Finance leadership at cell therapy company |
| Goldman Sachs & Co. | Managing Director; Head of West Coast Healthcare Capital Markets (prior roles since 2006) | Jul 2006 – Apr 2021 | Led capital markets coverage for biotech/life sciences |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ: CORT) | Director | Jun 2021 – Present | Audit Committee |
Board Governance
| Governance Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board determined Mr. Murray has no relationships interfering with independent judgment; qualifies as independent under SEC and Nasdaq |
| Board tenure/class | Director since May 2024; Class II term through the 2027 annual meeting |
| Committee assignments (current) | Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance (appointed Oct 15, 2025); Member, Audit Committee |
| Audit Committee financial expert | Board determined all three current Audit members (including Murray) are “audit committee financial experts” |
| Attendance | In 2024, all directors met ≥75% aggregate board/committee attendance except one (Ms. Bakhshi); thus Murray met attendance expectations |
| Executive sessions & oversight context | Lead Independent Director presides; independent directors meet in executive session at least twice a year |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy/Rate | Murray – 2024 Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer | $40,000 per year | $28,709 (prorated from 5/23/2024 start) |
| Audit Committee – member | $7,500 per year | Included in fees (prorated) |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance – chair | $8,000 per year (chair rate) | Appointed chair 10/15/2025 (affects 2025 onward) |
Notes: Cash retainers are paid quarterly in arrears and prorated based on days served; chairs receive higher retainers per policy.
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Intended Grant Value | Vesting Schedule | Murray – 2024 Grants/Holdings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU (new director) | $250,000 RSU value | Vests in equal monthly installments over 3 years | Included in 2024 stock awards total ($362,585) |
| Initial RSU to next annual meeting (pro‑rated) | $105,000 pro‑rated to next annual meeting | Vests in equal monthly installments until next annual meeting | Included in 2024 stock awards total ($362,585) |
| Annual RSU (continuing directors) | $105,000 RSU value (granted at annual meeting) | Vests in equal monthly installments over 12 months | All non‑employee directors received annual RSUs on 5/23/2024 |
| Outstanding unvested RSUs at 12/31/2024 | — | — | 34,811 RSUs |
There are no performance metrics attached to director RSUs; awards are time‑vested per policy.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Overlap |
|---|---|---|
| Corcept Therapeutics (CORT) | Director; Audit Committee member | Different industry (biopharma); no BYND competitive overlap disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Capital markets and corporate finance expertise (Goldman Sachs MD; head of healthcare capital markets) .
- Audit oversight capability; designated audit committee financial expert at BYND .
- Education: AB (History & Economics), Harvard College .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 26,716 shares; <1% of outstanding |
| Beneficial ownership breakdown | 22,213 shares held; plus 4,503 RSUs vesting within 60 days of record date included in beneficial count |
| Additional unvested equity (not in beneficial count) | 34,811 RSUs unvested as of 12/31/2024 |
| Ownership guidelines | Non‑employee directors expected to hold ≥5× annual cash retainer within 5 years; as of 12/31/2024 all directors were in compliance or on track |
| Hedging/pledging | Company policy prohibits hedging or pledging by directors/officers |
Fixed and Equity Compensation – 2024 Totals
| Component | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash | 28,709 |
| Stock awards (grant‑date fair value, FASB ASC 718) | 362,585 |
| Total | 391,294 |
Related‑Party Transactions and Conflicts
- Related‑party transactions are reviewed/approved by the Audit Committee under a formal policy; the 2025 proxy does not indicate any related‑person transactions involving Mr. Murray.
Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback (governance context)
- In 2024, 85% of votes cast supported Say‑on‑Pay, reflecting generally supportive shareholder sentiment toward compensation practices.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director with audit committee financial expert designation and capital markets expertise; enhances audit and governance oversight .
- Elevated to Chair of Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee in Oct 2025, signaling board confidence in his governance leadership during a period of significant capital structure change .
- Meets attendance expectations; board conducted six meetings in 2024 and he satisfied ≥75% threshold .
- Strong alignment mechanisms: time‑vested RSUs; director stock ownership guideline of 5× cash retainer with directors compliant or on track; hedging/pledging prohibited .
- Watch items:
- Multi‑seat workload to monitor (BYND board/committees and CORT Audit Committee, alongside CFO role at Orca Biosystems) though BYND imposes limits on outside board service and audit committee memberships to manage time commitments.