Donnell White
HUNTINGTON BANCSHARES INC /MD/About Donnell White
Donnell R. White is Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Huntington Bancshares (HBAN). He joined HBAN in June 2021 as Regional DEI Director and was elevated to Chief DEI Officer and Executive Leadership Team member in October 2023; he is age 48 as of the April 16, 2025 annual meeting . He is part of HBAN’s leadership team; the company’s 2024 performance backdrop during his tenure included Adjusted EPS of $1.25, Adjusted ROTCE of 16.0%, and company-level MIP metrics performance of 105.2% of target, with reported full-year EPS at $1.22, total revenue up 0.5% to $7.4B (FTE basis), loans +6.6% y/y, and deposits +7.4% y/y . HBAN’s executive pay framework emphasizes long-term, stock-based performance (PSUs on ROTCE; MIP metrics on EPS, PPNR growth, operating leverage) with robust anti-hedging/pledging and clawback policies .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) | SVP & Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer; ELT member | Oct 2023–present | Executive responsibility for enterprise DEI strategy and integration |
| Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) | SVP & Regional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director | Jun 2021–Oct 2023 | Led regional DEI initiatives and stakeholder engagement |
| TCF Financial Corporation | Chief Diversity Officer & Director of Strategic Partnerships | Aug 2019–Jun 2021 | Built DEI and external partnerships pre-merger into HBAN |
| Chemical Financial Corporation | Chief Diversity Officer & Director of Strategic Partnerships | Jun 2018–Aug 2019 | Advanced DEI programs and partnerships prior to TCF merger |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAACP – Detroit Branch | Executive Director | Mar 2001–Jun 2018 | Civic leadership; advocacy and community engagement |
Fixed Compensation
- HBAN discloses detailed compensation for Named Executive Officers (NEOs) only; Donnell White is an executive officer but not a NEO in 2024, and his base salary, target bonus, and actual bonus are not individually disclosed in the proxy .
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Program Linkage | 2024 Target | 2024 Actual | Payout/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EPS | Annual MIP | Not disclosed for Donnell White | $1.25 | Company-level MIP performance vs targets was 105.2% of target; individual payout mechanics for non-NEO not disclosed |
| Adjusted PPNR Earnings Growth | Annual MIP | Not disclosed for Donnell White | 2.04% | See above |
| Adjusted Operating Leverage | Annual MIP | Not disclosed for Donnell White | 4.2% | See above |
| Adjusted ROTCE | Long-term PSUs | Peer-relative ROTCE with absolute floor; weighting not disclosed for non-NEO | 16.0% | PSUs are based on Relative and Absolute ROTCE; company program uses PSUs as majority of LTI value for NEOs; non-NEO specifics not disclosed |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Executive officers are subject to stock ownership requirements (multiples of salary; valued using 30-day average closing price; five years to comply); policy applies beyond NEOs to approximately 60 next-level executives, reinforcing alignment. Specific multiple for Donnell White is not disclosed .
- HBAN prohibits hedging or pledging of company securities by executives and Directors; no dividend equivalents are paid on equity grants prior to vesting .
- Robust clawback policies apply to executive officers: Misconduct Recoupment Policy and Financial Restatement Compensation Recoupment Policy (adopted Oct 2023) allowing recovery of incentive compensation after restatements .
- Section 16(a) reporting: one Form 4 for Donnell White was filed late due to administrative error, reporting forfeiture of shares to cover tax withholding upon RSU vesting—indicating RSU awards vest and are subject to tax withholding but not open-market selling pressure .
Employment Terms
- Only HBAN’s CEO has an employment agreement; change-in-control “Executive Agreements” are in place for NEOs with double-trigger provisions. There is no disclosure that Donnell White has an employment agreement or Executive Agreement .
- HBAN compensation practices include: double-trigger change-in-control provisions, no excise tax gross-ups, and no option repricing without shareholder approval .
- Insider Trading Policy is filed as an exhibit to the 2024 10-K; executives are subject to trading controls and blackout procedures .
Compensation Peer Group (Context for Pay Practices)
| Peer Banks Used for 2023–2024 Benchmarking |
|---|
| Citizens Financial (CFG), Comerica (CMA), Fifth Third (FITB), KeyCorp (KEY), M&T Bank (MTB), PNC (PNC), Regions (RF), Truist (TFC), U.S. Bancorp (USB), Zions (ZION) |
Company Performance Context (during Donnell White’s tenure)
| Metric | 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EPS | $1.22 | Reported EPS |
| Total revenue (FTE) | $7.4B; +0.5% y/y | FTE basis (21% tax rate) |
| Total assets | $204B; +8% y/y | Year-end |
| Period-end loans | +$8.1B; +6.6% y/y | Growth vs 2023 |
| Period-end deposits | +$11.2B; +7.4% y/y | Growth vs 2023 |
Investment Implications
- Alignment: HBAN’s executive framework ties incentives to quality revenue and efficiency (EPS, PPNR growth, operating leverage) and long-term returns (ROTCE PSUs), with stringent anti-hedging/pledging and clawback policies—positive signals for alignment and risk control around non-NEO executives like Donnell White .
- Retention/vesting: Evidence of RSU vesting and tax withholding indicates equity-based compensation; absence of disclosed individual severance/change-in-control terms (outside NEOs) suggests less payout risk, but exact retention economics for White are not available—monitor future proxies and Form 4s for grant schedules and vesting cadence .
- Governance/optics: Minor Section 16(a) filing lapse (administrative) is not indicative of selling pressure and is a low-severity compliance item; overall, HBAN’s say-on-pay support (86.9% in 2024) and peer-group benchmarking support disciplined pay governance .
- Trading signals: No individual insider selling disclosed for White; broader executive program increases PSUs in 2025, emphasizing ROTCE—watch for PSU certifications and any DEI-linked performance disclosures that could influence leadership stability and enterprise culture outcomes, but today’s market-moving levers remain company financial metrics where HBAN delivered growth in 2024 .