Kyle Watson
Chief Marketing Officer at CELH
Executive
About Kyle Watson
Kyle Watson served as Chief Marketing Officer at Celsius Holdings, Inc. after leading the company’s marketing team since 2019; she became CMO in February 2024, holds a communications and advertising degree from Florida State University, has nearly 20 years of brand marketing experience, and is age 43 . At Hiball Energy, she developed and executed a national strategy “positioning the brand for acquisition by Anheuser-Busch” in 2017 before joining Celsius in 2019 . Company performance context during her senior marketing tenure: 2024 revenue was $1.36B (+3% YoY), gross profit rose 7% to $680M, gross margin expanded 220 bps, and net income was $145M (-36% YoY); three-year TSR to 12/31/2024 was 25% . On Nov 6, 2025, Celsius announced a new Chief Marketing Officer appointment, indicating a transition from Ms. Watson’s CMO role; monitor subsequent 8-K 5.02 filings for timing/details .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celsius Holdings, Inc. | Chief Marketing Officer | Feb 2024 – 2025 transition announced Nov 6, 2025 | Led marketing function; role transition implied by appointment of new CMO |
| Celsius Holdings, Inc. | EVP, Marketing | 2023 – Jan 2024 | Senior leadership of brand marketing |
| Celsius Holdings, Inc. | VP, Marketing | Jun 2019 – Jan 2023 | Built/led marketing team during rapid growth |
| Hiball Energy | Marketing Director | Feb 2016 – Apr 2019 | Led national strategy; positioned brand for 2017 acquisition by Anheuser-Busch |
External Roles
- No external public company board roles or committee positions disclosed for Ms. Watson in the company’s proxy materials .
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for Ms. Watson (she was not a Named Executive Officer in 2024; the proxy’s detailed pay tables cover the CEO, CFO, CCO, CSCO, and CLO) .
- Executives participate in a company-wide annual cash incentive plan (AIP); design and metrics summarized in Performance Compensation below .
Performance Compensation
Annual incentive plan (AIP) design and 2024 outcomes (company plan-level):
| Metric | Weight | Threshold (50% payout) | Target (100% payout) | Maximum (150% payout) | Actual | Payout % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 25% | $1,040M | $1,755M | $2,036M | Below threshold | 0% |
| Gross Profit | 25% | $681M | $851M | $987M | At threshold | 50% |
| Adjusted EBITDA | 25% | $307M | $384M | $445M | Below threshold | 0% |
| Financial subtotal | 75% | — | — | — | — | 17% of target |
| Individual performance | 25% | Rating 0–5 (0–150% payout scale) | 3 = 100% | 5 = 150% | Committee-assessed | Company policy |
Notes:
- The AIP uses 75% financial metrics and 25% individual goals; payouts interpolate linearly between points and cap at 150% of target; no payout for performance <80% of target on a metric .
- 2024 financial component paid at 17% of target due to below-threshold revenue and Adjusted EBITDA and threshold gross profit results .
Long-term incentives (LTI) structure introduced in 2024:
| Vehicle | Intended weighting | Vesting criteria | Vesting horizon |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSUs | CEO 50%; other NEOs 30% | 50% 3-year cumulative revenue; 50% 3-year relative TSR; earnout 50–200% of target | Cliff vest after FY2026 results certified (Mar 2027) |
| RSUs | CEO 50%; other NEOs 70% | Service-based | 1/3 per year over 3 years |
One-time PSU “kicker” (granted in 2024 with 3-year horizon):
| Target condition (20-day avg price in Mar 2027) | Payout |
|---|---|
| $92.49 | 50% of target FY24 PSU award; < $92.49 = 0% |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Stock ownership guidelines: CEO 5x base salary; other executive officers 3x base salary; compliance window is five years from the later of Nov 1, 2022 or appointment date .
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging: Hedging and pledging of company stock are prohibited; as of the proxy date, all directors and executive officers were in compliance (reduces hedging/pledging misalignment risk) .
- Beneficial ownership: Ms. Watson’s individual beneficial ownership is not separately enumerated in the table; she is included within the aggregate “all executive officers and directors” line (6,610,687 shares; 2.55%) as of the 4/1/2025 record date; her ownership as a percent of shares outstanding is therefore not disclosed .
- Ownership guideline compliance statement in the proxy explicitly references NEOs and non-employee directors; Ms. Watson’s compliance with the 3x guideline is not separately disclosed .
Employment Terms
Company-wide executive protections (generally applicable to executive officers, including the CEO/CFO; executive officers may also be party to a CIC Agreement):
| Scenario | Cash severance | Bonus treatment | COBRA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Involuntary termination without cause or resignation for Good Reason (non-CIC) | Lump sum equal to base salary + 100% of target annual bonus | Additional prorated portion of target annual bonus for year of termination | 12 months (lump sum) | Under Executive Severance Plan; subject to release; plan allows admin discretion |
| CIC-related termination (within 3 months before or 24 months after Change in Control) | 2x (base salary + 100% target annual bonus) | Pro rata target annual bonus for year of termination | 18 months (lump sum) | Under Executive CIC Agreement form; subject to execution/eligibility |
| Clawback | N/A | Recoup incentive comp tied to financial measures upon restatement; SOX 304 also applies to CEO/CFO | N/A | Compliant with SEC/Nasdaq requirements |
Notes:
- Only the CEO/CFO have individually negotiated employment agreements with additional terms (e.g., non-compete periods and equity acceleration on CIC); these are not disclosed for Ms. Watson .
- Company insider trading policy bars hedging/pledging and applies to all officers; all officers were in compliance as of the proxy date .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: The 2024 AIP’s 17% financial payout signals discipline and reduces risk of cash windfalls in underperformance; the shift to PSUs (revenue, relative TSR) tightens linkage to multi-year value creation and may influence senior executives’ risk-taking and retention through March 2027 vesting .
- Selling pressure windows: Company RSUs typically vest in tranches annually and 2024 PSUs (and the one-time “kicker”) have a March 2027 determination—these program-wide timelines can cluster insider liquidity events even if Ms. Watson’s individual grants are undisclosed .
- Alignment and downside-risk controls: 3x salary ownership guidelines (for executive officers), anti-hedging/anti-pledging, and a compliant clawback policy collectively reduce misalignment and governance red flags; absence of option repricing and excise tax gross-ups is shareholder-friendly .
- Retention/M&A optics: The Executive Severance Plan and CIC Agreement provide market-standard economics (up to 2x salary+bonus and 18 months COBRA in CIC) that can stabilize leadership through strategic transactions but also create potential accelerated cash outlays in change-of-control scenarios .
- Leadership transition risk: Appointment of a new CMO on Nov 6, 2025 suggests role transition; investors should monitor subsequent 8-K Item 5.02 filings and Form 4s for confirmation, equity forfeiture/acceleration impacts, and potential insider-selling signals around vest dates .
- Governance trajectory: After a 59.9% Say-on-Pay vote in 2022, Celsius engaged shareholders and adopted PSU-based LTIs, stock ownership guidelines, and a clawback, improving pay design quality; monitor 2025 Say-on-Pay outcomes to assess investor reception of the revised framework .