Stephen Williamson
Director at HON
Board
About Stephen Williamson
Stephen Williamson is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and was appointed to Honeywell’s Board on April 1, 2025; he is 58 and serves as an independent director with Audit Committee membership and designation as an Audit Committee Financial Expert . His background spans senior finance leadership across Thermo Fisher (2001–present), prior finance roles at Honeywell (including CFO, Asia-Pacific), and earlier work in transaction support and audit at Price Waterhouse; he was previously a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | SVP & CFO | Aug 2015 – Present | CFO since Aug 2015; leads global finance |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | VP, Financial Operations | 2008 – 2015 | Enterprise financial operations leadership |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | Various finance leadership roles | 2004 – 2008 | Operating business finance leadership |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (UK) | VP, European Financial Operations | 2001 | Europe-focused finance oversight |
| Honeywell | CFO, Asia-Pacific; corporate development and operational finance | Prior to 2001 (dates not disclosed) | Regional CFO; finance roles at Honeywell |
| Price Waterhouse | Transaction support and audit | Early career | Audit and transaction support practice |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. | Director (prior public company board) | Not disclosed | Prior board experience; no current public boards other than Honeywell |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board affirmatively determined Williamson is independent under SEC/Nasdaq rules (including enhanced criteria for Audit Committee members) . |
| Committee assignments | Audit Committee member; designated Audit Committee Financial Expert; appointment to Audit Committee effective April 1, 2025 . |
| Board/Committee attendance (context) | In 2024, the Board held 9 meetings with 100% attendance at regularly scheduled meetings; average committee attendance was 99%; each director participated in ≥98% of aggregate Board/committee meetings (Williamson joined in 2025; 2024 stats reflect the prior slate) . |
| Annual meeting results (2025) | Elected with strong support: For 475,386,656; Against 4,440,944; Abstain 1,560,351; Broker non-votes 72,531,204 . |
| Annual meeting attendance policy | Corporate Governance Guidelines encourage all directors to attend the Annual Meeting; all then-serving directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting . |
Fixed Compensation
| Element | Amount | Structure/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer | $120,000 per annum | Paid quarterly |
| Committee membership fees | $10,000 per annum; Audit Committee $15,000 per annum | Paid quarterly per committee |
| Committee chair fees | Audit Chair $40,000; MDCC Chair $25,000; CGRC Chair $20,000 per annum | Paid quarterly, in addition to membership fees |
| Lead Director fee | $60,000 per annum | Paid quarterly (in addition to retainer) |
| Common stock equivalents | $60,000 per annum | Credited at beginning of year; paid in cash after service; dividend equivalents accrue |
| Deferred comp interest | 5.91% (2024 rate) | Interest on deferrals in the Director Deferred Compensation Plan |
| Charitable match | Up to $25,000 per director per year | Dollar-for-dollar match to qualified charities |
| Other benefits | Business travel accident insurance $350,000; aircraft use allowed for travel to meetings | As disclosed |
Newly appointed directors receive prorated annual director compensation upon joining the Board; RSU grants are made on substantially the same terms as other non-employee directors .
Performance Compensation
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Equity compensation (annual) | RSUs with target value $130,000; annual grant on date of Annual Meeting; vest on the earliest of specified triggers (scheduled vest date, death/disability, Change in Control, or voluntary termination on/after 10-year Board tenure) . |
| Options to directors | No stock options granted to non-employee directors in 2024 . |
| 2024 RSU calibration (context) | 2024 non-employee director RSU grants: 637 shares valued at $204.15 per share; Williamson was not appointed until April 1, 2025 and is not included in the 2024 director compensation table . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Relationship Type | Company | Honeywell Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Executive role at outside company with commercial relationships | Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | Honeywell had ordinary-course, arm’s-length commercial relationships with companies at which certain directors serve as officers, including Thermo Fisher. Combined purchases/sales were <1% of each company’s consolidated gross sales for the last three fiscal years; not material under Nasdaq thresholds; Board confirmed independence . |
| Compensation committee interlocks | None | During 2024, no MDCC member had relationships requiring disclosure; no cross-compensation committee interlocks with Honeywell executives (Williamson is not on MDCC) . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep financial and business experience enabling significant shareholder value creation; breadth of industry and international experience; extensive M&A execution, financing, and integration expertise .
- Designated Audit Committee Financial Expert, providing financial reporting, audit, and controls oversight depth at the Board committee level .
- Prior Honeywell finance leadership enhances domain familiarity and operational insight without compromising independence under SEC/Nasdaq criteria .
Equity Ownership
| Requirement | Threshold | Compliance Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director stock ownership guideline | ≥5x annual cash retainer (≥$600,000) | All current directors except Lee, Watson, Lamach, and Williamson have attained; Williamson (joined April 2025) has five years to attain . | Directors must hold net shares from option exercises for one year . |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors | Prohibitions on hedging, pledging, short sales, and trading options on Honeywell securities . | Enhances alignment and risk control . |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness signals: Strong shareowner support for Williamson’s election (475.4M “For”) and robust Board/committee attendance framework support investor confidence in governance rigor .
- Independence and conflicts: The Board’s annual independence review confirmed Williamson’s independence, with any Thermo Fisher–Honeywell commercial interactions deemed arm’s-length and immaterial (<1% test), mitigating related-party risk .
- Alignment and incentives: Honeywell’s director pay structure (cash retainer, committee fees, equity via RSUs only) and stringent ownership/anti-hedging policies reinforce long-term alignment; no director stock options in 2024 reduces risk of misaligned incentives .
- Oversight strength: Audit Committee membership and “financial expert” designation position Williamson to contribute meaningfully to audit, ERM, and compliance oversight, including data use/AI compliance areas assigned to the Audit Committee .