Daniele Ferrari
HuntsmanAbout Daniele Ferrari
Independent director of Huntsman Corporation (HUN) since 2018; age 63. Senior Advisor at SK Capital Partners, and former CEO of Versalis S.p.A. (Eni) with more than 35 years of global executive and operational leadership in chemicals. Previously held numerous roles at Huntsman culminating in President of the Performance Products division, with prior roles at ICI and Agip Petroli. Education: Diploma in Industrial Chemistry (Istituto San Giorgio, Italy); Honorary Master’s in Chemical Sciences (University of Ferrara, Italy). The Board has affirmatively determined he is independent under NYSE rules.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Versalis S.p.A. (Eni) | Chief Executive Officer | 2011–2020 | Led strategic repositioning to significant profitability; sustainability modernization initiatives (green/circular processes). |
| Huntsman Corporation | Various roles culminating in President, Performance Products division | — | Direct operating leadership experience directly relevant to HUN’s businesses. |
| ICI; Agip Petroli (Eni) | Executive roles | — | Upstream/downstream sector experience. |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure/Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK Capital Partners | Senior Advisor | 2021–present | Specialty materials/chemicals-focused private equity. Potential appearance of conflict monitored via Related Party Transactions Policy; no Ferrari-related transactions disclosed. |
| Ecopol S.p.A. | Chair, Supervisory Board | 2023–present | Packaging films; board leadership role. |
| New Heubach Group | Supervisory Board Member; Chair, Compensation Committee | Former | Global pigments manufacturer. |
| SEQENS | Supervisory Board Member; Chair, Sustainability Committee | Former | Pharma solutions/specialty ingredients. |
| Matrìca S.p.A. (JV: Versalis/Novamont) | Chairman, Board of Directors | Past | Bioplastics/green chemistry JV. |
| CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council) | President | 2018–2020 | Industry leadership network. |
| PlasticsEurope Bruxelles | President | 2013–2018 | Sector advocacy leadership. |
| Alliance to End Plastics Waste | Board Member | — | Sustainability governance. |
| Oxford University Business Economics Program | Board Member | — | Advisory role. |
| Venator Materials PLC | Former Independent Director | Former | Huntsman spin-off (pigments). |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| HUN Board committees | Nominating & Corporate Governance; Sustainability (member) |
| Committee chairs | Governance (Chair: Cynthia L. Egan); Sustainability (Chair: Jan E. Tighe); Audit (Chair: Jeanne McGovern); Compensation (Chair: Sonia Dulá). Ferrari holds no chair roles. |
| Independence | Board determined Mr. Ferrari is independent. |
| Attendance | Each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings in 2024. |
| Board/committee activity (2024) | Board met 6 times; non-management executive sessions held 4 times; Audit 4; Compensation 8; Governance 4; Sustainability 4. |
| Lead independent director | Cynthia L. Egan serves as Non-Executive Vice Chair and Lead Independent Director; leads executive sessions. |
| Annual meeting attendance | Five directors attended the 2024 annual meeting (Ferrari not individually disclosed). |
| Policies | Majority voting; proxy access; policy prohibiting short sales by directors; robust stock ownership guidelines. |
Fixed Compensation (Non-Employee Director, 2024)
| Component | Amount | Source/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $125,000 | |
| Committee member fees | $10,000 (Governance); $10,000 (Sustainability) | |
| Total cash | $145,000 | |
| All other compensation | $0 (no matching gifts recorded for Ferrari in 2024) |
Performance Compensation (Directors)
| Component | Terms/Value | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Equity grant (2024) | $165,000 grant-date fair value; 6,895 shares at $23.93; fully vested stock award or deferred stock units at director’s election. | None (director equity is not performance-vested; no financial/ESG metrics apply to director awards). |
| Options, PSU, performance goals | Not applicable to non-employee directors in 2024. | N/A |
Context: HUN uses a shareholder-approved stock incentive plan; new 2025 plan prohibits repricing without shareholder approval and subjects awards to clawback. Change-in-control allows board discretion on vesting/forfeiture. These provisions inform overall pay governance (though director equity itself is not performance-based).
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current external roles listed above; no disclosed interlocks with HUN’s Compensation Committee or executive officers; Compensation Committee Interlocks section reports none for 2024.
- No related-party transactions involving Mr. Ferrari are disclosed in the 2025 proxy; related-party policies require Audit Committee pre-approval and annual monitoring of any such transactions.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep industry operating expertise in global chemicals, portfolio repositioning, and sustainability/circular economy; prior leadership of Versalis and earlier Huntsman division president role.
- Governance roles at European industry associations (CEFIC, PlasticsEurope) and sustainability-focused organizations (Alliance to End Plastics Waste).
- Educational credentials in industrial chemistry with honorary master’s; extensive international operating experience.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daniele Ferrari | 46,611 shares; less than 1% | Footnote: includes 46,611 vested stock units deliverable upon termination of service. |
| Shares outstanding (record date) | 173,747,479 | As of March 7, 2025. |
Policy signals: HUN discloses robust stock ownership guidelines for directors; policy prohibits short sales by directors and executive officers. No pledging policy disclosure is specified in the proxy summary.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; relevant heavy-industry and sustainability expertise aligned to HUN strategy; active service on Governance and Sustainability Committees; Board-level processes (majority voting, proxy access, robust ownership guidelines, short-sale prohibition) support investor alignment. Attendance thresholds met; active committee cadence.
- Compensation alignment: Director pay mix balanced with modest cash retainer plus equity ($145k cash; $165k equity in 2024), supporting alignment without introducing performance metric complexity for directors. Independent consultant (Meridian) advises on market alignment of director pay.
- Potential monitoring items: External role as Senior Advisor to SK Capital Partners (active in chemicals and materials) could introduce perceived conflicts if any SK portfolio companies transact with HUN; no such related-party transactions are disclosed and HUN’s policy requires Audit Committee pre-approval and recusal where applicable.
- Shareholder sentiment: Say-on-pay support has been solid (approx. 85% in 2024; 97% in 2023; 85% in 2022), indicating general investor confidence in compensation governance.
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Mr. Ferrari (no low attendance, no related-party transactions, no hedging/short-sale issues disclosed). Continue to monitor any SK Capital–related interactions and updates to HUN’s anti-hedging/pledging policies.