David Howitt
About David Howitt
David Howitt (age 57) has served on DVLT’s Board since December 2021. He is the founder and CEO of Meriwether Group LLC (since March 2004), previously held roles at Adidas US between 1997–2008 including licensing/business development and corporate counsel (1997–2001), and serves on the Board of Advisors at Bloch International. He earned a BA in political science/philosophy from Denison University and a JD in environmental and natural resources law from Lewis & Clark Law School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meriwether Group LLC | Founder & CEO | Mar 2004–present | Strategic consulting for disruptive consumer brands; growth strategy and revenue scaling |
| Adidas US | Licensing/Business Development; Corporate Counsel | 1997–2008; Corporate Counsel 1997–2001 | Brand/business development; legal support |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloch International | Board of Advisors | Not disclosed | Advisory capacity |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined David Howitt is not independent under Nasdaq rules, alongside Nathaniel Bradley, Brett Moyer, and Helge Kristensen; other directors are independent .
- Committee assignments: Howitt is not listed on any DVLT Board committees (Audit; Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance) .
- Committee leadership: Audit chaired by Kimberly Briskey (Audit Committee financial expert), Compensation chaired by Sriram Peruvemba, Nominating chaired by Robert Tobias .
- Meeting cadence and attendance: Board held four meetings in FY 2024; no incumbent director attended less than 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings . Audit Committee held four virtual meetings in 2024; Compensation and Nominating & Corporate Governance approved matters by unanimous written consent in 2024 .
- Leadership structure: CEO (Nathaniel Bradley) and Chairman (Brett Moyer) roles are separate; there is no Lead Independent Director .
- Hedging policy: Company prohibits insiders (including directors) from engaging in hedging transactions .
- Related party transaction oversight: Audit Committee reviews and only approves related party transactions on arm’s-length terms .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2024 Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $20,000 | Director fees earned or paid in cash |
| Committee membership/chair fees | — | Not disclosed; Howitt not on any committee |
| Meeting fees | — | Not disclosed |
| Total cash | $20,000 | |
| Equity grant fair value | $44,090 | Aggregate grant date fair value of restricted stock awards/RSUs (ASC 718) |
| Total compensation | $64,090 |
Performance Compensation
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares | Vesting Start | Schedule | Final Vest Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Common Stock | Jun 7, 2024 | 4,616 | Sep 20, 2024 | Equal installments every 3 months | Sep 20, 2027 |
| Restricted Common Stock | Jul 30, 2024 | 7,541 | Dec 20, 2024 | Equal installments every 3 months | Dec 20, 2027 |
| Restricted Common Stock | Nov 12, 2024 | 7,422 | Mar 15, 2025 | Equal installments every 3 months | Mar 15, 2028 |
- No option awards were disclosed for directors in FY 2024; director equity vesting is service-based with no performance conditions disclosed .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Organization | Public Company? | Role | Committee Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| DVLT (Datavault AI Inc.) | Yes | Director | None |
| Bloch International | No (advisory) | Board of Advisors | Not applicable |
- No other public company directorships or disclosed interlocks with DVLT competitors/suppliers/customers beyond the related-party loan described below .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Growth-oriented operating and advisory experience through Meriwether Group (consumer brands, scaling, revenue) .
- Corporate legal experience (Adidas US corporate counsel) .
- Education: BA (Denison); JD (Lewis & Clark) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Reference Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Howitt | 120,362 | Less than 1.0% (star footnote in proxy) | 279,716,319 shares outstanding as of Oct 14, 2025 |
- Stock ownership guidelines for directors were not disclosed in the proxy sections reviewed. Hedging by insiders is prohibited by company policy .
Related Party Transactions and Conflicts
- Meriwether Loan: On Sep 8, 2023, DVLT entered into a Loan and Security Agreement with Meriwether Group Capital Hero Fund LP (Meriwether), a fund in which Meriwether Group LLC (majority-owned by David Howitt) holds a 25% general partner interest. Meriwether provided a $650,000 term loan to DVLT, originally maturing Nov 7, 2023, extended to Dec 7, 2023; DVLT repaid in full on Dec 7, 2023 .
- Governance handling: DVLT maintains a related person transaction policy; Audit Committee reviews and approves related-party transactions and is tasked with ensuring arm’s-length terms .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Howitt is not assigned to audit, compensation, or nominating committees, limiting his formal role in key governance areas; both Compensation and Nominating committees did not meet in 2024 (actions via written consent), while Audit met four times .
- Independence and conflicts: The Board has explicitly determined Howitt is not independent under Nasdaq rules, and his affiliated Meriwether fund extended a short-term loan to DVLT in 2023—repaid same year—constituting a related-party transaction. This combination elevates conflict-of-interest risk and may affect investor confidence unless future related-party dealings are tightly controlled and disclosed .
- Alignment and incentives: Ownership is modest (120,362 shares; <1%), and director equity awards are service-based RSUs with multi-year quarterly vesting through 2027–2028—supporting retention but not pay-for-performance alignment; no options or performance metrics were disclosed for director compensation .
- Risk mitigants: Adequate attendance (≥75%), prohibitions on insider hedging, and Audit Committee oversight of related-party transactions are positive governance features. Absence of a Lead Independent Director and concentration of leadership roles (separate CEO/Chair, but Chair is a management figure) warrant monitoring for board independence dynamics .