Ekta Singh-Bushell
About Ekta Singh-Bushell
Ekta Singh-Bushell, age 53, has served on Huron’s Board since May 2019 and is an independent director. She is the Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and a member of the Finance & Capital Allocation and Technology & Information Security Committees. Singh-Bushell is Chief Operating Officer at Dragos, Inc. (since 2024), and previously served as COO of the Executive Office at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2016–2017); she spent 17 years in leadership roles at Ernst & Young LLP focused on innovation, technology, information security, and digital strategy. She holds a B.S. in Engineering (University of Poona) and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (UC Berkeley) and maintains certifications including CPA, NACD Directorship Certification, CISSP, FSA, CGEIT, and CISA .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragos, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | 2024–Present | Operational leadership in cybersecurity for industrial infrastructure |
| Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Executive Office) | Chief Operating Officer | 2016–2017 | Executive operations oversight in financial services/governance |
| Ernst & Young LLP | Global Coordinating Partner; Americas Innovation & Digital Strategy Leader; Global/Americas Tech Ops Executive; Global Information Security Officer; Northeast Advisory People Leader | ~1999–2016 (17 years) | Led innovation, technology operations, information security; global advisory leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. | Director | 2022–Present | Audit Committee member |
| Lesaka Technologies, Inc. | Director | 2018–Present | Audit Chair; member, Social & Ethics; Nominating & Governance |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. | Director (Prior) | Jun 2024–Dec 2024 | Audit and Public Policy Committees |
| TTEC Holdings, Inc. | Director (Prior) | 2017–Sept 2024 | Chair, Security & Technology; member, Audit; Nominating & Governance |
| Datatec Limited | Director (Prior) | 2018–2022 | Lead Independent Director; Audit, Risk & Compliance; Remunerations; Nominations |
| Designer Brands Inc. | Director (Prior) | 2018–2022 | Audit; Nominating & Governance |
| MissionOG (VC firm) | Strategic Advisor | 2020–Present | Fintech/payments growth investing advisory |
| DecisionGPS, LLC | Strategic Advisor | 2015–2024 | Strategy advisory |
| Various SaaS startups | Advisor | Ongoing | Technology and growth strategy |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Singh-Bushell is independent per Nasdaq standards .
- Board attendance: The Board held eight meetings in 2024; overall attendance was 99%, and each director attended at least 75% of aggregate meetings. All directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting. Huron’s practice is for all directors to attend each committee meeting, even if not members .
- Board refresh and leadership: Huron is declassifying the Board over 2024–2026; Hugh E. Sawyer appointed non-executive Chair effective January 1, 2025, reinforcing refreshment. Executive sessions are chaired by the non-executive Chair .
| Committee | Role | 2024 Meetings | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Chair | 4 | Board composition, governance guidelines, annual self-assessment, CSR oversight |
| Technology & Information Security | Member | 5 | Strategy oversight; cybersecurity, data protection, AI risks; tech investments; trends monitoring |
| Finance & Capital Allocation | Member | 6 | Capital structure, liquidity, repurchases, financing, risk management coordination with Audit |
Fixed Compensation
| Element | Amount/Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee directors) | $75,000 | Effective Jan 1, 2024; reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses |
| Committee chair fees (N&CG) | $15,000 | N&CG chair retainer amount |
| Committee membership fees (T&IS, F&CA) | $7,500 each | Membership retainer per committee (non-chair) |
| 2024 cash fees earned (Singh-Bushell) | $105,000 | Consistent with $75,000 + $15,000 + $7,500 + $7,500 |
- Meeting fees: Not used; program is retainer-based .
- Deferred compensation: Plan available; in 2024 only McCartney and Zumwalt deferred cash fees; Singh-Bushell did not defer .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Grant Value | Vesting | Unvested RSUs at 12/31/24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Annual RSU grant (directors) | $169,964 | Vests ratably over 12 quarters; grant at Annual Meeting date at closing price | 3,556 units (Singh-Bushell) |
- No director PSUs/options: Director equity is RSUs only; no performance-conditioned metrics disclosed for directors .
- Stock ownership requirement: Non-employee directors must own Huron stock equal to 5x annual retainer ($375,000 implied) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to Huron (if any) | Potential Conflict Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| ChargePoint, Lesaka, prior Cisco, TTEC, Datatec, Designer Brands | None disclosed | No related-party transactions or customer/supplier overlaps disclosed for Singh-Bushell; independence affirmed . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology and cybersecurity: Extensive leadership in tech operations and information security (EY roles; current Dragos COO); T&IS committee membership .
- Finance and governance: CPA; audit committee experience/chair roles at multiple public companies; NACD Directorship Certification .
- Global leadership: Proven multinational management and board experience across industries .
- Recognitions: 2017 Female FTSE “100 Women to Watch”; CUP Catalyst Change Agent (2013) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekta Singh-Bushell | 12,484 | ~0.07% | Outstanding shares: 17,921,212 (Record Date); includes 608 RSUs vesting within 60 days; excludes 2,621 additional unvested RSUs |
- Ownership guidelines: Directors must retain at least 60% of net-after-tax shares from vesting until guideline met; all non-employee directors are in compliance per policy .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited for directors under insider trading policy; no margin accounts or pledging allowed .
Insider Trades
| Year | Form 4 Transactions (Singh-Bushell) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Not disclosed in proxy | Section 16(a) late filings noted for James H. Roth and Kyle Featherstone; none for Singh-Bushell |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and engagement: Independent; committee chair; member on two additional committees; Board had 99% overall attendance; directors attend all committee meetings by practice—signals strong engagement .
- Alignment and incentives: Director equity via multi-year RSUs enhances alignment; robust ownership guidelines (5x retainer) with holding requirements; hedging/pledging prohibited .
- Clawback policy: Expanded Feb 14, 2025 to allow recovery of equity-based compensation for misconduct causing material reputational/financial harm—strong governance .
- Board refresh: Ongoing declassification through 2026 and leadership transition to a new non-executive chair—positive governance signal .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed for Singh-Bushell regarding related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, late Section 16 filings, or attendance shortfalls .
Director Compensation Summary (2024)
| Name | Cash Fees | Stock Awards (RSUs) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekta Singh-Bushell | $105,000 | $169,964 | $274,964 |
Committees and 2024 Meetings (Context)
| Committee | Chair | Members | Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Ekta Singh-Bushell | Markell, McCartney, Zumwalt | 4 |
| Technology & Information Security | Joy T. Brown | Markell, Singh-Bushell, Zumwalt | 5 |
| Finance & Capital Allocation | H. Eugene Lockhart | Brown, Sawyer, Singh-Bushell | 6 |
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback (Context)
- 2024 say-on-pay support: ~98% approval of executive compensation program at the 2024 meeting; Board continues annual say-on-pay .
- Shareholder outreach: Non-executive chair, compensation chair, and management engaged investors; no concerns raised on NEO pay; outreach covered governance refresh and use of equity across organization .
Compensation Committee Analysis (Context)
- Composition: All independent directors; chaired by Hugh E. Sawyer; members Brown, Lockhart, Zumwalt .
- Independent consultant: Pay Governance LLC; no conflicts identified .
- Best practices: No excise tax gross-ups; no hedging/pledging; double-trigger CoC; robust clawback; annual risk assessment; ownership guidelines; no option repricing .