Asha Sharma
CoupangAbout Asha Sharma
Asha Sharma (age 36) is an independent director of Coupang, Inc., serving since June 2024. She is Corporate Vice President and Head of Product, AI Platform at Microsoft (since March 2024), and previously held senior operating and product roles at Instacart, Meta, and Porch Group; she holds a B.S. in Business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management . The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under NYSE standards, including for Compensation Committee service .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maplebear Inc. (d/b/a Instacart) | Chief Operating Officer | Feb 2021 – Mar 2024 | Led operations for leading online grocery platform |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | VP Product, Messenger | Aug 2017 – Feb 2021 | Oversaw messaging, video communication, and monetization |
| Porch Group, Inc. | COO & Corporate Secretary | Jul 2015 – Aug 2017 | Operating leadership; corporate governance responsibilities |
| Porch Group, Inc. | Chief Marketing Officer | May 2013 – Jul 2015 | Led marketing for vertical software platform for the home |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Corporation | Corporate VP & Head of Product, AI Platform | Mar 2024 – present | Product leadership in AI Platform |
| AppLovin Corporation | Director | Aug 2021 – Sep 2023 | Public company board experience in mobile technology |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee member; also serves on the Section 16 Equity Committee subcommittee (with Pedro Franceschi) that grants equity awards under Rule 16b-3 .
- Chair roles: None disclosed for Ms. Sharma; current committee chairs are Neil Mehta (Compensation), Jason Child (Audit), and Kevin Warsh (Nominating & Corporate Governance) .
- Independence: Board determined Ms. Sharma is independent, including for Compensation Committee service; Board noted she was employed by an organization that did business with Coupang in 2024, but transaction amounts did not exceed the greater of $1 million or 2% of either party’s consolidated gross revenues (below NYSE thresholds) .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 4 times in 2024; no director attended fewer than 75% of Board and committee meetings; independent directors meet in regular executive sessions led by the Lead Independent Director .
- Lead Independent Director: Neil Mehta; responsibilities include moderating executive sessions and acting as liaison with the CEO and stockholders .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual director retainer | $300,000 grant date fair value | RSUs | Granted on each annual meeting date to continuing non-employee directors; vests by next annual meeting/1 year |
| Compensation Committee member retainer | $10,000 grant date fair value | RSUs | Additional Annual Retainer Award for committee membership (non-chair) |
| Cash fees (board/committee) | Not disclosed | — | Policy is equity-based retainers; no cash fees described |
| Annual director compensation cap | $750,000 per calendar year | Aggregate (equity + cash) | Increased to $1,000,000 in the calendar year a director first joins the Board |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant Date Fair Value | Vesting/Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU Award (at appointment) | Jun 21, 2024 | 14,248 | $304,053 | Vests in full on earlier of next annual meeting or June 13, 2025; time-based, no performance metrics disclosed |
| Change-in-control treatment (policy) | — | — | — | Upon change in control, all unvested director equity vests in full |
No director performance-based metrics (revenue/EBITDA/TSR/ESG) are disclosed for non-employee director compensation; director awards are time-based RSUs under the policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock/Conflict Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| AppLovin Corporation | Director (Aug 2021 – Sep 2023) | No compensation committee interlocks; Coupang discloses no officer-director interlocks involving its Compensation Committee members in 2024 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Corporate executive role (not a director) | Board considered her employment at an organization doing business with Coupang; amounts below materiality thresholds; independence affirmed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology and innovation leadership across AI platform product at Microsoft; prior operating leadership spanning commerce, messaging, and monetization at Instacart and Meta .
- Operating and marketing leadership at Porch Group; breadth across product, operations, and governance (Corporate Secretary) .
- Education: B.S. in Business, University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Voting Shares Beneficially Owned (as of Mar 31, 2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Asha Sharma | — | No Class A or Class B beneficial voting shares; RSUs vesting within 60 days are included in beneficial ownership calculations (none for Ms. Sharma); held 14,248 unvested RSUs as of Dec 31, 2024 |
Governance Assessment
- Alignment and incentives: Equity-only director pay (annual RSUs and committee RSUs) with full vesting at change-in-control aligns director compensation with stockholder interests and promotes retention; 2024 initial grant of 14,248 RSUs ($304,053) fits within first-year cap of $1,000,000 .
- Committee effectiveness: Service on the Compensation Committee and the Section 16 Equity Committee suggests high engagement in human capital and equity grant governance; Compensation Committee members are all independent, and no compensation committee interlocks are disclosed .
- Conflict oversight: Board explicitly evaluated Ms. Sharma’s employment relationship with an organization doing business with Coupang; transaction amounts were well within NYSE independence thresholds, and independence was affirmed—mitigating conflict risk .
- Attendance/engagement signal: Board and committees met regularly in 2024 (Board: 4; Compensation: 4); aggregate attendance thresholds met; independent director executive sessions occur regularly under the Lead Independent Director, supporting independent oversight .
Red flags to monitor
- Related-party exposure: Continued monitoring of any business ties between Coupang and Ms. Sharma’s employer (Microsoft) given disclosed relationship, even though amounts were below thresholds and independence was affirmed .
- Ownership alignment: As of Mar 31, 2025, Ms. Sharma had no beneficial voting shares; equity alignment exists via RSUs, but lack of owned shares prior to vesting modestly reduces immediate “skin-in-the-game” optics .