Jeroen Colpaert
Executive Vice President – Rousselot at DAR
Executive
About Jeroen Colpaert
Executive Vice President – Rousselot since January 2023, with more than 25 years’ experience in operations, business, strategy and leadership, and deep expertise in rendering operations, food‑grade protein production, and anaerobic digestion; fluent in Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish . He joined Darling Ingredients in 2014 and led the Rendering & Specialties business in Belgium and the Global Food Grade Casings business, overseeing acquisitions and integrations worldwide . As of March 14, 2023, he was 47 years old . Company performance metrics relevant to senior executive pay include adjusted EBITDA and individual SOP goals for annual incentives , and PSUs tied to relative ROGI and TSR for long‑term incentives (60% PSUs / 40% RSUs) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darling Ingredients | Executive Vice President – Rousselot | Jan 2023–present | Expertise in rendering operations, food‑grade protein, anaerobic digestion; global leadership |
| Darling Ingredients | Managing Director – Rendering & Specialties (Belgium) | Since joining in 2014 (dates not specified) | Oversaw acquisitions and integrations globally |
| Darling Ingredients | Leader, Global Food Grade Casings business | Since joining in 2014 (dates not specified) | Led global acquisitions and integrations |
| Predecessor of Linde Gas | Managed several businesses | 1999–2014 | Operations and strategy leadership across businesses |
External Roles
No external directorships or public company roles disclosed for Colpaert in the proxies reviewed .
Fixed Compensation
- Individual salary/bonus amounts for Colpaert are not disclosed; he is not listed among Named Executive Officers (NEOs) in the Summary Compensation Table for 2024/2023/2022 .
- Company practice: base salaries reviewed against a Pay Levels Peer Group with input from Meridian; 2024 base salary adjustments applied to NEOs as shown (policy context) .
Performance Compensation
Annual Incentive (Company program design for senior executives)
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Payout range | Performance period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDA (global and/or regional/business line) | Not disclosed per‑executive | Goals set at start of year | 0%–200% of target | FY 2024 (Dec 31, 2023–Dec 28, 2024) | Combined with individual SOP goals |
| Individual SOP goals | Not disclosed per‑executive | Goals set at start of year | 0%–200% of target | FY 2024 (Dec 31, 2023–Dec 28, 2024) | Performance evaluated by compensation committee |
Long‑Term Incentive (Company program design for senior executives)
| Instrument | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting / Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSUs | Relative ROGI | 60% of LTI value | Performance scale set at grant | 2022–2024 cycle: ROGI at 86.30th percentile | 157.5% of target after TSR modifier | Perf. period Dec 31, 2021–Dec 28, 2024 for 2022 grant; PSUs settle in stock |
| PSUs | Relative TSR (modifier) | Incorporated as payout modifier | Modifier scale set at grant | 2022–2024 cycle: TSR <30th percentile → 30% reduction | Incorporated into 157.5% payout above | As above |
| RSUs | Time‑based | 40% of LTI value | Grant date Jan 3, 2024 | N/A | N/A | Vests one‑third annually on each anniversary of grant date |
| 2024 PSUs cohort | ROGI + TSR | Part of 60% PSUs | Targets per award | Cohort perf. period Dec 31, 2023–Jan 2, 2027 | 0%–max per scale | Earned at end of 3‑year cycle |
Note: The above reflects company program design and outcomes for PSU cycles; specific grant sizes/targets for Colpaert are not disclosed in the proxies reviewed .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Stock ownership guidelines require senior executive officers (including NEOs) to hold 2.5x base salary; CEO 5x; directors 5x cash retainer . Covered persons must retain at least 75% of shares received through incentive awards until compliant; measurement uses 90‑day average price and counts specified holdings and 50% of net in‑the‑money option shares .
- Insider trading policy prohibits short sales, hedging, and pledging/margin accounts for directors, executive officers, and employees .
- Compliance noted: as of Dec 28, 2024, all NEOs and then‑serving directors were in compliance with minimum ownership requirements, except Dr. Clark and Mr. Hill (recently elected) were continuing to increase holdings per guidelines .
- Individual beneficial ownership: Colpaert is not listed in the Security Ownership of Management table as of March 11, 2025; table includes CEO, other NEOs, directors, and totals for the group .
Employment Terms
- Compensation committee responsibilities include setting executive goals, reviewing and approving employment agreements, severance/change‑in‑control provisions, stock ownership/retention guidelines, and enforcing clawback policies; the committee met seven times in FY2024 .
- Governance features: no change‑of‑control excise tax gross‑ups; no automatic single‑trigger vesting of equity comp on change‑of‑control; no discounted/reload/repricing of options without shareholder approval .
- Company maintains a compensation recovery (clawback) policy requiring recoupment of erroneously awarded incentive‑based compensation after accounting restatements, applicable to executive officers for compensation received on or after Oct 2, 2023; hedging/pledging prohibited per insider trading policy .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Use of PSUs tied to relative ROGI and TSR (with TSR modifier) and RSUs with multi‑year vesting supports pay‑for‑performance and retention; PSU outcomes show significant leverage to operating performance and market returns (e.g., 157.5% payout for 2022–2024 cycle with strong ROGI but weak TSR) .
- Retention risk: RSUs vest one‑third annually over three years from grant, creating rolling retention hooks for senior executives aligned to ongoing service .
- Risk controls: Strict prohibitions on hedging/pledging and a formal clawback regime mitigate misalignment and misconduct risk; governance prohibits single‑trigger vesting and tax gross‑ups, reducing change‑of‑control windfall risk .
- Transparency gap: As Colpaert is not a NEO, specific compensation amounts, grant sizes, and beneficial ownership are not disclosed—monitor future proxies and any Item 5.02 8‑Ks for individualized terms that could indicate retention pressure or selling activity .