William G. LaPerch
About William G. LaPerch
Independent director with deep communications and data infrastructure experience; age 69; director since 2013. Chairs the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Audit Committee, with “audit committee financial expert” designation. Education: BS, United States Military Academy (West Point); MBA, Columbia University; NACD Board Leadership Fellow (2017); CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight. Core credentials in bandwidth, colocation/interconnection, and communications across public and private companies .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| AboveNet, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer, President, Director | Not disclosed | Led bandwidth infrastructure services provider |
| Metromedia Fiber Network | President, Network Services; President, Enterprise Services | Not disclosed | Grew metro fiber operations |
| MCI WorldCom, Inc. | Vice President, Network Services | Not disclosed | Global communications operations leadership |
| Hylan Datacom | Executive Chairman | Jul 2016–Dec 2019 | Oversaw construction services in communications infrastructure |
| Hylan Datacom (Board) | Director | Jul 2016–Mar 2022 | Governance oversight |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windstream Holdings, Inc. | Director; Chair, Compensation Committee | Since Sep 2020 | Oversees executive pay at telecom provider |
| South Reach Networks | Senior Advisor | Since May 2020 | Dark fiber and networks advisory |
| LaPerch Consulting | Principal | Since Jul 2012 | Advises PE firms in network, data center, cloud segments |
| ITG Communications, LLC | Board of Managers | Not disclosed | Services to broadband operators and electric cooperatives |
| FirstLight | Director | Not disclosed | Telecommunications services provider governance |
| Blackstone Inc. | Consultant | Not disclosed | Note: DLR/Blackstone $7B JV (Dec 2023); board determined not an Item 404 related party transaction |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance; Member, Audit .
- Audit committee financial expert: Yes (SEC definition) .
- Independence: Board affirmatively determined all non-employee nominees (including LaPerch) are independent under NYSE rules .
- Attendance: Board held 6 meetings in 2024; Audit Committee held 11; Nominating & Corporate Governance held 5; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; Independent Directors met in executive session 4 times .
- Tenure: Director since 2013 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board Member annual cash retainer (2024) | $85,000 | Standard for non-employee directors |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee – Chair fee (2024) | $25,000 | Chair fee |
| Audit Committee – Member fee (2024) | $20,000 | Member fee |
| Total fees earned or paid in cash (2024) | $129,613 | Includes value of election to receive fully vested PIUs in lieu of cash retainers under Director Equity Election Program |
Director Election Program: Non-employee directors may elect all/part of cash retainers/committee fees in fully-vested PIUs equal to 100% of cash value; in 2024, LaPerch elected 100% and received 821 PIUs .
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Grant Value | Instrument | Vesting Schedule | Performance Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual equity grant (2024) | Jun 7, 2024 | $229,916 | Long-term incentive units (PIUs) | Vests in full on earlier of 1-year from grant or day before next Annual Meeting, subject to continued service | None (time-based vesting for directors) |
| Unvested director equity (as of Dec 31, 2024) | N/A | N/A | Unvested long-term incentive units | 1,571 units outstanding | N/A |
Policy details:
- Non-employee directors may elect restricted stock instead of long-term incentive units; if a director is not an “accredited investor” on grant date, the grant is in restricted stock with same vesting .
- On Mar 1, 2024, Board increased annual director equity award from $190,000 to $230,000 (effective at 2024 Annual Meeting) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None |
| Private/company boards | ITG Communications (board of managers); FirstLight (director); Hylan Datacom (former director) |
| Interlocks/Transactions | DLR-Blackstone $7B JV announced Dec 2023; LaPerch is a consultant to Blackstone. Board reviewed and determined not a related party transaction requiring Item 404(a) disclosure |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Industry expertise: Bandwidth, colocation/interconnection, communications; extensive public company leadership .
- Education & credentials: BS (West Point), MBA (Columbia), NACD Board Leadership Fellow (2017), CERT Cybersecurity Oversight certificate .
- Audit oversight: Designated audit committee financial expert .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares and units) as of Apr 7, 2025 | 23,605; less than 1% of shares outstanding |
| Unvested director equity (as of Dec 31, 2024) | 1,571 long-term incentive units |
| Ownership guidelines | Non-employee directors: 5x value of prior year cash retainer/fees; compliance required within 5 years; all directors/officers are in compliance |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited (pledging requires prior approval); all directors/officers in compliance |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Long tenure and domain expertise; independent; committee leadership (chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance); audit committee financial expert; solid engagement (≥75% attendance); robust director ownership guidelines with compliance; anti-hedging/pledging policies in force .
- Alignment: Significant equity-based compensation with time-based vesting and option to take retainers as fully-vested PIUs, increasing skin-in-the-game; annual director equity grant raised to $230k in 2024, maintaining competitive market alignment .
- Potential conflicts: Consulting relationship with Blackstone concurrent with DLR’s JV; Board reviewed and deemed not an Item 404 related party transaction, but remains a monitoring point for perceived influence or information flow risks .
- Compensation process oversight: Talent & Compensation Committee uses independent consultant (Semler Brossy); independence confirmed; director compensation reviewed against market; supports pay governance quality .
- Shareholder sentiment context: Say-on-Pay approval ~89% at 2024 Annual Meeting, indicating broad support for compensation governance; while executive-focused, it reflects overall investor confidence in pay practices .
Overall signal: Strong independence and committee leadership with credible financial oversight; equity-heavy compensation and guideline compliance support alignment. The Blackstone consulting tie is not a disclosed related party transaction but warrants continued monitoring for optics and potential interlocks as DLR pursues JV activity .