Musa Tariq
Guardant HealthAbout Musa Tariq
Musa Tariq is an independent director of Guardant Health, serving since 2023 and aged 42 as of the 2025 proxy; he is a global marketing executive with leadership roles across consumer technology and brand-led companies and holds a B.S. in Geography and Economics from the London School of Economics . He most recently was Chief Marketing Officer at GoFundMe (2021–2023) and previously led Airbnb Experiences marketing (2018–2020), with earlier brand leadership at Ford, Apple, Nike, and Burberry .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoFundMe | Chief Marketing Officer | Jan 2021 – Jun 2023 | Led brand and marketing/comms functions |
| Airbnb (Experiences) | Global Head of Marketing | Sep 2018 – Dec 2020 | Drove brand awareness and adoption |
| Ford Motor Company | Chief Brand Officer | Jan 2017 – Mar 2018 | Brand leadership |
| Apple | Marketing leadership | Not disclosed | Brand/marketing leadership |
| Nike | Marketing leadership | Not disclosed | Brand/marketing leadership |
| Burberry | Marketing leadership | Not disclosed | Brand/marketing leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Since/Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MasterClass | Advisor | Not disclosed | Strategic counsel to consumer platform |
| British Fashion Council | Advisor | Not disclosed | Advisory role |
| Felix Capital | Advisor | Not disclosed | Advisor to VC firm |
| Various startups | Advisor | Not disclosed | Advisor to several startups |
Public-company boards: None disclosed for Mr. Tariq in GH’s proxy .
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; not a chair (Ian Clark chairs the committee) .
- Independence: Board determined Mr. Tariq is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules, with no material relationships affecting judgment .
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, the Board held 10 meetings (committees: Audit 4, Compensation 5, Governance 4); all incumbent directors met at least 75% attendance on Board and committee meetings .
- Executive sessions and leadership: Non-management directors meet in executive session regularly (at least twice annually) led by Lead Independent Director Ian Clark .
- Governance committee remit: Oversees board composition/leadership, succession planning, corporate responsibility (including climate/sustainability), IT/cyber compliance education, Code of Conduct, governance guidelines, and annual board/committee self-evaluation .
Fixed Compensation
Director compensation is equity-only (no cash retainers or meeting fees), aligning director interests with shareholders; directors receive initial and annual RSU/option awards, with vesting and change-in-control protections per the 2018 Plan .
| Component | 2024 Amount ($) | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU award (M. Tariq) | 212,500 | Vests in full at the earlier of 1-year from grant or next annual meeting, subject to continued service | |
| Annual option award (M. Tariq) | 212,746 | Becomes exercisable in full at the earlier of 1-year from grant or next annual meeting, subject to continued service | |
| Cash retainer / meeting fees | — | N/A | GH does not pay cash fees; reasonable meeting expenses reimbursed |
| Lead Independent Director RSU (LID award) | 45,000 | Same vesting schedule as annual awards | Applies only to LID; not applicable to Mr. Tariq |
2024 total reported compensation for Mr. Tariq: $425,246 (Stock Awards $212,500; Option Awards $212,746) .
Performance Compensation
| Element | Metric(s) | Vesting/Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director equity awards | None (time-based only) | RSUs and options vest per one-year (annual awards) and four-year (initial awards) schedules | No revenue/TSR/ESG performance metrics for director compensation; change-in-control, death, disability, or termination without cause accelerate vesting as specified |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Current | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Public company boards | None disclosed | No GH disclosure of any Tariq public-company directorships |
| Non-profit/academic boards | Not disclosed | No specific non-profit/academic boards listed for Tariq |
| Potential interlocks/conflicts | None disclosed | No related-party transactions involving directors reported in 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Global brand and marketing leadership across consumer tech/auto/luxury sectors; prior senior roles at GoFundMe, Airbnb, Ford, Apple, Nike, Burberry .
- Education: B.S. in Geography & Economics, London School of Economics .
- Fits Board’s stated focus on diverse skills (marketing, global experience) to oversee strategy, performance, culture, and risk; Governance Committee evaluates qualifications, attendance, and contributions for re-election .
Equity Ownership
| Category | Shares/Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shares held directly | 3,345 | Common stock |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 20,961 | Vested/exercisable options counted toward beneficial ownership |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days | 7,174 | Time-based RSUs counted as beneficial ownership if vesting within 60 days |
| Total beneficial ownership | 31,480 | As disclosed; represents <1% of outstanding shares |
| Shares outstanding (Record Date) | 123,888,045 | Shares outstanding on April 21, 2025 |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | ~0.025% | 31,480 / 123,888,045, computed from disclosed figures |
| Outstanding Equity (as of Dec 31, 2024) | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RSUs (director awards) | 13,420 | Outstanding RSUs for Mr. Tariq |
| Stock options (director awards) | 28,940 | Outstanding options for Mr. Tariq |
- Stock ownership guidelines: Directors must hold $250,000 in GH stock (5× $50,000 median director cash retainer benchmark); compliance period until the later of Jan 1, 2026 or five years from becoming subject; until compliant, must retain 20% of net-settled shares for one year post vest/exercise .
- Hedging/pledging prohibitions: Directors are prohibited from hedging, pledging, margin, short sales, and derivative transactions in GH stock under the Insider Trading Compliance Policy .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status and active Governance Committee membership support board oversight on succession, corporate responsibility, and cyber/IT compliance; attendance met company thresholds in 2024 . Equity-only director pay with one-year vesting aligns directors with shareholder value; annual director comp decisions benchmarked to peers and capped under the 2018 Plan . No related-party transactions in 2024; company maintains clawback (2023), ownership guidelines, anti-hedging/pledging, and robust stockholder engagement (93.6% Say-on-Pay approval in 2024) .
- Potential risks/RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Mr. Tariq—no overboarding noted in proxy for him; no pledging/hedging; no related-party exposure; directors receive no cash fees and compensation is time-based equity, which may modestly increase dilution pressures but is constrained by annual director compensation limits under the 2018 Plan ($750,000 cap) . Executive sessions led by the LID help mitigate management influence despite combined Chair/Co-CEO structure .