Isabel Foley
About Isabel Foley
Isabel Foley is Group General Counsel at CRH and an executive officer on the Global Leadership Team; she joined CRH in 2020, is age 64, and previously was a partner at Arthur Cox, advising state entities and multinationals on risk, litigation, regulatory compliance, and competition matters; she is a BCL, qualified through the Law Society of Ireland, and a CEDR Accredited Mediator . As of March 12, 2025, she beneficially owned 52,530 ordinary shares of CRH, representing less than 1% of shares outstanding . CRH’s incentive architecture emphasizes long-term value creation with PSP metrics in cumulative cash flow, RONA, relative TSR, and sustainability goals (3-year performance periods), plus anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies for directors and executive officers .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Cox (Ireland) | Partner | — | Advised state entities, multinationals, and boards on business-critical risk, exposure and litigation from transactions/disputes, regulatory compliance, and competition; Accredited mediator and mentor |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proxy biography reviewed | No external board roles disclosed in biography section | — | — |
Performance Compensation
CRH’s PSP design (applicable to NEOs and senior leaders broadly; individual award details for Foley are not disclosed in the proxy) .
| Metric | Weighting | Target Disclosure | Measurement Period | Payout Curve | Vesting Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative Cash Flow | Not disclosed | Specific targets not disclosed due to competitive sensitivity | 3-year period ending Dec 31, 2026 | Payout interpolated; vesting 0–100% based on performance | Vests on third anniversary of grant date (for Mar 2024 awards, Mar 2027) |
| RONA | Not disclosed | Specific targets not disclosed due to competitive sensitivity | 3-year period ending Dec 31, 2026 | Payout interpolated; vesting 0–100% based on performance | Vests on third anniversary of grant date |
| Relative TSR vs Performance Peer Group | Not disclosed | Upper quartile relative performance referenced; no numeric targets disclosed | 3-year period ending Dec 31, 2026 | Payout interpolated; vesting 0–100% based on performance | Vests on third anniversary of grant date |
| Sustainability Goals | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | 3-year period ending Dec 31, 2026 | Not disclosed | Vests on third anniversary of grant date |
Performance peer group (for TSR) includes Vinci, Holcim, Saint Gobain, Vulcan Materials, Martin Marietta, Heidelberg Materials, ADS, Owens Corning, and others; updated for 2025 to reflect U.S. emphasis .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 52,530 ordinary shares; less than 1% of outstanding |
| Hedging policy | Directors and executive officers are prohibited from hedging CRH shares; awards hedged are forfeited under plan terms |
| Pledging policy | Directors and executive officers may not pledge or encumber CRH shares (including margin accounts) |
| Award transferability | Equity awards generally non-transferable; any unauthorized pledge/transfer is void |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Introduced Jan 1, 2025 for NEOs and non-management Directors only: CEO 6x salary; other NEOs 3x; Directors 5x retainer; 75% net share retention until met; compliance expected within 5 years (by Jan 1, 2030) |
| Committee view on guideline compliance | Committee comfortable NEOs are in compliance or on track (statement applies to NEOs) |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employment start date | Joined CRH in 2020 as Group General Counsel |
| Role status | Executive officer on CRH Global Leadership Team |
| Clawback | Robust clawback policy providing right to cancel or recoup incentive compensation in event of financial restatement |
| Anti-hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors and executive officers; awards hedged are forfeited; awards non-assignable |
Compensation Committee and Benchmarking
- The Compensation Committee uses Semler Brossy and a U.S.-focused executive compensation peer group spanning Materials and Industrials (e.g., Linde, Caterpillar, Honeywell, Eaton, Deere, Sherwin-Williams, Trane, Vulcan, Martin Marietta, Dow, PPG, Nucor, LyondellBasell) to calibrate pay design and levels .
- Program governance features include pay-for-performance emphasis, challenging targets, clawbacks, anti-hedging/pledging, and prohibition on repricing without shareholder approval .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Foley’s direct beneficial ownership of 52,530 shares provides tangible alignment; anti-hedging/pledging and non-transferability provisions further reduce misalignment and potential leverage-driven selling pressure .
- Incentive architecture: CRH targets cash flow, RONA, TSR, and sustainability metrics over 3-year cycles with 0–100% vesting, favoring durable value creation and long-term holding periods; while individual award details for Foley are not disclosed, these policies set the governance context affecting executive retention and equity-linked incentives across leadership .
- Retention/contract visibility: The proxy provides detailed employment agreements for certain divisional presidents but not for the Group General Counsel; absent disclosed severance or change-of-control terms for Foley, investors should monitor future filings for any executive contract updates that could alter retention economics or vesting acceleration features .
- Ownership guidelines: Formal shareholding requirements apply to NEOs and non-management directors, not explicitly to the Group General Counsel; nonetheless, the Committee indicates NEOs are compliant or on track, and executives are subject to robust clawback and risk-mitigating policies, which support governance quality .