David Sewell
HuntsmanAbout David B. Sewell
Independent director of Huntsman Corporation since 2022; age 56. Former CEO of WestRock Company with 25+ years in global manufacturing, operations, and downstream ACE (adhesives, coatings, elastomers) markets; current board roles include Audit and Sustainability at Huntsman . The Board has affirmatively determined Sewell is independent under NYSE rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| WestRock Company | President & Chief Executive Officer | 2021–2024 | Oversaw combination with Smurfit Kappa to create Smurfit WestRock plc; led a global paper and packaging company (~$18.7B sales, ~50,000 employees) . |
| The Sherwin-Williams Company | President & COO; President, Performance Coatings Group | 2019–2021; 2014–2019 | Led all operating segments and >60,000 employees; Performance Coatings revenue grew from $2.8B to $6.1B . |
| General Electric (Plastics & Advanced Materials) | Senior commercial, global sales & marketing roles | ~15 years | Senior roles across commercial and business performance functions . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WestRock Company | Director | 2021–2024 | Board member prior to Smurfit WestRock formation . |
| Cleveland Clinic | Trustee | Not disclosed | Non-profit academic medical center governance role . |
| Cleveland Playhouse Square | Trustee | Not disclosed | Non-profit performing arts center governance role . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit and Sustainability .
- Independence: Independent director per Board determination .
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met 6 times; each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings; non-management directors held 4 executive sessions led by the Lead Independent Director .
- Committee activity: Audit met 4 times; Compensation 8; Governance 4; Sustainability 4 .
| Governance Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Board meetings (2024) | 6 |
| Executive sessions (2024) | 4 |
| Audit Committee meetings (2024) | 4 |
| Sustainability Committee meetings (2024) | 4 |
| Independence status | Independent |
| Director attendance threshold | ≥75% achieved by all directors |
Fixed Compensation (Director Cash)
| Component | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer | $125,000 | Non-employee director retainer. |
| Audit Committee member fee | $20,000 | Committee membership fee. |
| Sustainability Committee member fee | $10,000 | Committee membership fee. |
| Total cash fees (2024) | $155,000 | As reported in director compensation table. |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares Granted | Grant-Date Fair Value per Share | Total Grant-Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully-vested stock award or deferred stock units (director election) | Feb 15, 2024 | 6,895 | $23.93 | $165,000 |
| Delivery terms | N/A | N/A | N/A | Shares underlying stock unit awards deliverable upon termination of service . |
- Director equity program: Annual equity in the form of fully-vested stock or deferred stock units; no performance-based metrics apply to director equity grants .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Timeframe | Interlock/Conflict Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| WestRock Company | Director | 2021–2024 | Industry adjacency (packaging, paper); no related party transactions disclosed involving Sewell . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive leadership of a Fortune 500 company; deep domain experience in adhesives, coatings, elastomers markets relevant to Huntsman’s portfolio .
- Global manufacturing, operations, end-to-end supply chain, strategic planning, sales/marketing expertise .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 24,845 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | ~0.014% (24,845 / 173,747,479) |
| Vested stock units deliverable upon termination | 16,612 |
| Hedging/short sales policy | Prohibited for directors and officers; no hedging reported . |
| Pledging | Not prohibited but caution required; no pledging disclosed for Sewell . |
| Director stock ownership guideline | 3× annual cash retainer for directors . |
| Guideline compliance status | All directors/NEOs have met or are progressing toward guidelines as of July 15, 2024 . |
Insider Trading and Section 16 Compliance
| Year | Section 16 Filing Status |
|---|---|
| 2024 | All required Section 16(a) reports were filed timely for executive officers and directors . |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director with directly relevant downstream ACE market experience; enhances board oversight of Huntsman’s strategic growth segments .
- Active roles on Audit and Sustainability Committees support financial integrity, risk oversight, and EHS/product stewardship governance .
- Alignment via annual equity grants and director ownership guidelines; reported compliance/progress across directors .
- Potential risk indicators and mitigants:
- Industry adjacency from prior roles (coatings, packaging) could create perceived conflicts; Board independence criteria applied and no related-party transactions involving Sewell are disclosed in the proxy .
- Attendance expectations met at Board level (≥75% for all directors) and robust meeting cadence across committees .
- Company policy prohibits hedging/short sales; pledging discouraged; no hedging by directors reported .
- Pay/awards governance:
- Director compensation structure is market-based, with cash retainer plus committee fees and annual equity; plan-level clawback applies to awards and a corporate clawback policy is in place (NYSE/10D compliant) .