Amy Allbach Samford
About Amy Allbach Samford
Amy Allbach Samford is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CompX International (CIX), serving as EVP & CFO since 2022 and previously as VP & CFO from 2019 to 2021. She is 50 years old and also serves concurrently as EVP & CFO of Valhi, NL Industries and Contran, and as EVP of Kronos Worldwide, with prior finance roles across the Contran group since 2006 . As principal financial officer, she signs the company’s SOX 302 and 906 certifications and, with the CEO, reported that disclosure controls were effective as of year-end 2024 . Company performance during her tenure saw FY 2024 net sales of $145.9m (vs. $161.3m in 2023) and operating income of $17.0m (vs. $25.4m in 2023), with management citing lower sales in both segments; net sales and operating income improved year-to-date 2025 on higher security and marine components demand .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CompX International | VP & Chief Financial Officer | 2019–2021 | Led finance prior to promotion to EVP; part of multi-entity leadership across the Contran group . |
| CompX International | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | 2022–Present | Principal financial officer responsible for SEC certifications and controls; concurrent leadership roles across affiliates . |
| Contran-affiliated companies | Various accounting and financial positions (including officer roles) | 2006–Present | Progressive finance leadership across Contran-related companies, supporting group coordination and oversight . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Valhi, Inc. | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | Current |
| NL Industries, Inc. | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | Current |
| Contran Corporation | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | Current |
| Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Executive Vice President | Current |
Fixed Compensation
Note: Except for the CEO, CompX executive officer pay is delivered via an Intercorporate Services Agreement (ISA) with Contran; the ISA charge allocated to CIX for Contran-employed executives represents compensation for services rendered and is not dependent on CIX financial performance .
| Metric ($) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary (ISA charge) | 292,000 | 441,000 | 468,000 |
| Bonus (cash) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock Awards (RSU/PSU) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All Other Compensation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 292,000 | 441,000 | 468,000 |
Additional program context:
- CompX has historically forgone long-term equity compensation and uses primarily cash-based pay; discretionary annual bonuses are used, but only the CEO received such bonuses in 2022–2024; Samford received no bonus .
- ISA methodology allocates Contran’s employment cost (salary, estimated bonus, payroll taxes, benefits/overhead) by expected time devoted; the charge is reviewed by CompX’s compensation committee and approved by independent directors with the CFO’s concurrence .
Performance Compensation
CompX discloses no performance plan (annual or long-term) for Samford; she received no bonus or equity awards in 2022–2024, and the ISA charge allocated to CIX is not tied to CIX performance.
| Incentive Type | Metric(s) | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed for Samford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Reference | Notably, the ISA charge “is not dependent upon our financial performance.” |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Security | Beneficial Ownership | % of Class |
|---|---|---|
| CompX Class A common | 1,000 shares | <1% (of 12,318,557 shares outstanding) |
| NL Industries common | 2,000 shares | <1% (of 48,847,734 shares outstanding) |
| Valhi common | 1,000 shares | <1% (of 28,294,793 shares outstanding, per voting count) |
- No outstanding equity awards at December 31, 2024 (implies no unvested RSUs/PSUs/options at year-end) .
- The ownership tables include no footnotes indicating pledged CompX shares for Samford; no pledging disclosure is provided for her in the proxy’s ownership section .
- CompX has share ownership guidelines for non-employee directors; no executive ownership guidelines are disclosed in the cited materials .
- CompX has not adopted specific hedging policies for employees/directors but requires compliance with its Insider Trading Policy; Rule 10b5-1 trading plans are permitted under the policy .
- CompX maintains a clawback policy (“Policy for the Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation”) referenced in the 10-K exhibit index .
Employment Terms
- Structure: Services of Samford (a Contran employee) are provided to CompX via an Intercorporate Services Agreement (ISA); the annual charge equals Contran’s cost to employ her (salary, estimated bonus, payroll taxes, benefits/overhead) allocated by expected time devoted across affiliates .
- Pay-for-performance linkage: The ISA charge is expressly not dependent on CompX’s financial performance; the compensation committee reviews the proposed ISA fee annually and recommends approval to the board after considering benchmarks and CFO concurrence .
- Trading and compliance: Samford signs SOX certifications and management concluded disclosure controls were effective as of December 31, 2024; quarterly certifications continue in 2025 .
- Hedging/10b5-1/short sales: Insider Trading Policy governs trading; hedging is addressed through the policy; Rule 10b5-1 plans are allowed; officers/directors are prohibited from short sales under Section 16(c) .
Company Performance During Samford’s Tenure (select)
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Net Sales ($m) | 161.3 | 145.9 |
| Operating Income ($m) | 25.4 | 17.0 |
Additional context:
- In 2024, CompX returned a $2.00 per share special dividend; CEO’s bonus cited cash flow strength enabling the special dividend .
- 2025 trajectory improved: 9M 2025 net sales $120.6m vs $107.5m in 9M 2024; operating income $17.0m vs $12.1m, driven by stronger security products (government) and marine components (towboat/government/industrial) .
- Say-on-pay: 2024 advisory approval received 90.3% of eligible votes .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment risk: Samford’s compensation as charged to CompX is set via the Contran ISA and “is not dependent upon our financial performance,” and she received no bonus or equity in 2022–2024—indicating low direct incentive linkage to CIX operating or stock performance .
- Limited insider selling pressure: No outstanding equity awards at 12/31/2024 and direct CompX ownership of 1,000 shares suggest minimal vesting-related or large forced-selling dynamics for Samford .
- Governance/controls: Strong process signals (effective disclosure controls; SOX certifications) and a formal clawback policy mitigate some governance risk; however, absence of a specific hedging prohibition (policy relies on insider trading policy) may modestly weaken alignment optics vs. peers that ban hedging .
- Controlling shareholder and structure: With 87.3% of CompX Class A indirectly controlled by the Harold C. Simmons Family Trust/Lisa K. Simmons via NL, governance and compensation decisions (including ISA terms) occur within a tightly controlled group context, which can reduce external market pressure on incentive design .
- Execution and operating track record: FY 2024 softness (lower sales and operating income) rebounded in 2025 YTD on government security and marine demand, pointing to cyclical/contract mix leverage but not directly influencing Samford’s pay under the current ISA structure .