Kurt Stoffel
Director at DAR
Board
About Kurt Stoffel
Independent director of Darling Ingredients since 2023; age 59 as of March 20, 2025. He serves on the Audit Committee and Sustainability Committee and is designated by the Board as an Audit Committee Financial Expert. Background includes CEO/Chairman (and prior CFO/Managing Director) of SARIA Group, Executive Partner at L. Stroetmann Group, and earlier CFO roles at Oetker Group; he also served as President of the German Biodiesel Association and currently sits on advisory boards for AVO Group and FRICKE Group .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| SARIA Group | Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Executive Board | 2007–2018 | Led a global converter of animal-origin/organic materials; brings deep sector expertise relevant to Darling |
| SARIA Group | Chief Financial Officer & Managing Director; led Spanish ops and biodiesel division | 2002–2007 | Became President of German Biodiesel Association (2008–2009), enhancing energy/biodiesel policy insight |
| L. Stroetmann Group | Executive Partner | 2018–2023 | Food wholesale/retail, petfood, seeds trading, real estate; long-standing prior advisory board member and later Chair |
| Oetker Group | CFO for two brewery operations; other management positions | 1994–2001 | Financial leadership within diversified global group (food/bev, banking, insurance, hotels) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVO Group (Germany) | Advisory Board Member | Current | Spice processing specialist |
| FRICKE Group (Germany) | Advisory Board Member | Current | Global service provider for agricultural machinery |
Board Governance
- Independence and engagement: Board determined Stoffel is independent under NYSE/SEC standards; Board held 8 meetings in FY2024 and all then-serving directors attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee (member; designated financial expert), Sustainability Committee (member) .
- Committee activity: Audit Committee met 7 times in FY2024; Sustainability Committee met 3 times in FY2024 .
- Related-party oversight: Audit Committee reviews and oversees all related-party transactions per charter .
- Lead independent director: Gary W. Mize (not Stoffel) .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | $64,560 | $100,000 |
| Fees deferred into DSUs ($) | — (none) | — (none) |
| Stock awards (RSUs) ($) | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Option awards ($) | — | — |
| Total ($) | $214,560 | $250,000 |
- Non-employee director program details: Annual cash retainer $100,000, plus chair/lead fees (Lead $95,000; Audit Chair $25,000; Compensation Chair $25,000; Nominating Chair $15,000; Sustainability Chair $20,000) and $150,000 in RSUs granted immediately after the annual meeting; no changes in 2024 .
- Program reset in 2023: Board increased cash retainer (to $100,000), annual equity retainer (to $150,000), and certain chair fees effective May 9, 2023 to maintain competitiveness versus peers .
Performance Compensation
- Director equity is an annual retainer in RSUs; proxy does not disclose performance metrics for director equity (time-based retainer). RSUs are granted immediately following the annual meeting at which directors are elected .
| Performance Feature (Directors) | Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Equity award type | RSUs (time-based annual grant) | Granted post-annual meeting |
| Options | None for Stoffel in 2023–2024 | — |
| Clawback policy | Committee administers compensation recoupment policies (company-wide) | Policy existence disclosed; not director-specific metrics |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Stoffel in proxy biography |
| Committee interlocks (company-wide) | 2023 Compensation Committee reported no interlocks/insider participation issues |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit Committee Financial Expert; strong financial/accounting background (financial statements, corporate finance, accounting) .
- Extensive global/international operating experience and risk management in sectors overlapping with Darling’s businesses .
- Strategy, M&A, and governance experience as senior executive and advisory board member .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Measure | As of 12/28/2024 | As of 3/11/2025 |
|---|---|---|
| RSU awards outstanding (units) | 5,940 | — |
| DSUs outstanding (units) | None | — |
| Common stock beneficially owned (shares) | — | 13,940; <1% of outstanding |
| Included RSUs vesting within 60 days (units) | — | 3,369 (included in beneficial ownership per footnote) |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Prohibited by policy (hedging/pledging not permitted) | Prohibited by policy |
- Stock ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold 5x annual cash retainer; as of December 28, 2024, all then-serving directors were in compliance except two newer directors (Clark and Hill), implying Stoffel complied .
Governance Assessment
- Positive signals: Independent status; Audit Committee Financial Expert; active committee roles with frequent Audit and Sustainability meetings; compliance with robust stock ownership and anti-hedging/pledging policies; no related-party transactions identified since December 31, 2023 .
- Pay alignment: Director compensation structure skews to equity (RSUs) alongside modest cash retainer; no options; no changes in 2024 after 2023 adjustment to maintain market competitiveness .
- Potential conflict review: While Stoffel’s prior executive experience spans adjacent industries, the company’s audit committee oversees related-party transactions and none were reportable in the period—mitigating conflict risk disclosed in filings .
No RED FLAGS identified in company disclosures regarding independence, attendance thresholds, related-party transactions, or pledging/hedging. Continued monitoring of committee workloads and any evolving external roles is warranted within the company’s established oversight framework .