Tahsinul Zia Huque
Director at EQR
Board
About Tahsinul Zia Huque
Independent trustee of Equity Residential since 2019; age 57. Former President & CEO of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (May 2018–mid-2019), with prior senior leadership roles across Equities, Fixed Income & Currencies and Corporate Banking & Securities. Holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Williams College. Serves on EQR’s Compensation and Corporate Governance Committees; prior public board role at Energy Vault (NYSE: NRGV) until March 2024; currently a general partner at Prime Movers Lab and sits on various private company boards via that role .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. | President & CEO | May 2018 – mid-2019 | Led U.S. broker-dealer; multi-jurisdiction regulatory leadership |
| Deutsche Bank (Americas) | Head of Equities, Fixed Income & Currencies (Americas) | Feb 2016 – May 2018 | Oversaw markets businesses across asset classes |
| Deutsche Bank (Global) | Global Co-COO, Corporate Banking & Securities | Mar 2012 – Feb 2016 | Operated global IB platform; complex regulatory/compliance scope |
| Wall Street (various) | Executive roles in investment banking, sales & trading | ~30-year career | Helped create unsecured debt market access structures for public REITs |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Vault (NYSE: NRGV) | Director | Until Mar 2024 | Resigned March 2024 |
| Prime Movers Lab | General Partner | Current | VC fund focused on scientific/engineering innovations; various private boards via role |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee member; Corporate Governance Committee member; not a chair .
- Independence: Identified as “Independent” trustee; Board’s annual review affirmed independence for all independent nominees under NYSE standards (excluding CEO and Chairman) .
- Attendance: In 2024, Board held six meetings with 98% average attendance; no nominee attended fewer than 93% of Board and committee meetings; all trustees attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Committee cadence: Compensation (6 meetings in 2024); Corporate Governance (4 meetings in 2024) .
- Share ownership guidelines: Trustees must hold 5x cash retainer within 5 years; company disclosed all trustees/executives met or are within permitted timeframe .
- Trading and alignment policies: Prohibitions on hedging and pledging for trustees/executives; zero pledged shares among trustees/executives as of Mar 31, 2025 .
- Compensation oversight practices: Compensation Committee engages independent consultant (Ferguson Partners); 2024 conflict assessment found no conflicts; clawback policy updated in 2023 to conform with SEC/NYSE rules .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Retainer (Trustees) | $90,000 | Effective for FY between 2024 and 2025 Annual Meetings |
| Committee Membership Fee – Compensation (Member) | $15,000 | FY 2024–2025 schedule |
| Committee Membership Fee – Corporate Governance (Member) | $12,500 | FY 2024–2025 schedule |
| Scheduled Total (role-based) | $117,500 | Sum of above role-based fees |
| Actual 2024 Cash Fees Paid | $115,151 | Calendar year 2024 trustee compensation table |
Performance Compensation
| Component | Grant Date | Form | Amount/Units | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Director Equity Grant | Jun 20, 2024 | Share Awards and/or Options | $210,000 | Vests in full on first anniversary of grant date | Trustee may elect mix of shares/options using defined valuation; grant mechanics and vesting detailed in proxy . |
| Unvested Share Awards (as of Dec 31, 2024) | — | Share Awards | 3,346 | Continue per grant terms | Reflects outstanding unvested director equity; Huque had no options outstanding . |
| Option Awards (as of 2024) | — | Options | — | — | Huque did not elect options; option line blank in trustee comp table . |
| Performance metrics (Director equity) | — | — | — | — | Director equity grants are time-based; no performance metric linkage disclosed . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Relationship | Overlap/Interlock Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Vault (NYSE: NRGV) | Former director (to Mar 2024) | No EQR-related party transactions disclosed; independence affirmed . |
| Prime Movers Lab | General partner; private boards | VC role; no related-party transactions disclosed in EQR proxy; Audit Committee reviews any related party deals . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Global finance and markets leadership across asset classes; extensive regulatory experience at CEO/COO levels (multi-jurisdiction) .
- Capital markets familiarity with structuring unsecured debt market access for public REITs—directly relevant to EQR’s financing strategy .
- Strategic, operational, and risk management background from leading complex organizations .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership – Common Share Equivalents | 15,295 | Includes common shares, OP Units and restricted units; as of Mar 31, 2025 . |
| Options Exercisable in 60 Days | — | None for Huque . |
| Percent of Outstanding Shares | <1% | “*” indicates less than 1% per table . |
| Unvested Share Awards (Dec 31, 2024) | 3,346 | Outstanding director equity awards . |
| Shares Pledged as Collateral | 0 | Company prohibits pledging; aggregate pledged by trustees/executives is zero . |
| Hedging/Pledging Policy | Prohibited | Applies to trustees and executives; insider trading controls detailed . |
| Ownership Guideline (Trustees) | 5x cash retainer | Compliance: all trustees met or are within permitted timeframe . |
Governance Assessment
- Positive signals: independence affirmed; strong attendance; active roles on Compensation and Governance Committees; robust clawback and anti-hedging/pledging policies; independent comp consultant without conflicts .
- Compensation alignment: Say-on-pay support ~90% at 2024 Annual Meeting; historical program support averages ~93% since 2015, indicating shareholder confidence in compensation governance .
- Shareholder engagement: Management and, at times, Board conducted extensive outreach; Investor Day held Feb 2025; feedback influences governance and disclosure practices .
- Potential conflicts/related-party checks: Audit Committee reviews related-party transactions; no independence-impairing relationships disclosed for independent trustees including Huque .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed related to attendance, related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, or committee conflicts for Huque .