Sonya C. Little
HANCOCK WHITNEYAbout Sonya C. Little
Independent director at Hancock Whitney Corporation since 2016; age 59; former EVP and Chief Administrative Officer at Strategic Property Partners (2019–2024) and former CFO for the City of Tampa (2011–2019). She holds a B.S. in Business from the University of South Florida and has held NASD Series 7 and 63 licenses, with deep finance, audit, investment banking, and risk management credentials; designated by HWC as an audit committee financial expert .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Property Partners | EVP & Chief Administrative Officer | 2019–2024 | Oversaw finance, accounting, risk, HR, IT, government affairs |
| City of Tampa | Chief Financial Officer | 2011–2019 | Led $1.2B+ operating budget, credit ratings, debt portfolio |
| Public Resources Advisory Group | Managing Director | Prior to 2011 | Municipal advisory and finance experience |
| RBC Capital Markets (William R. Hough & Co.) | Investment banker | ~14 years | Capital markets expertise |
| State of Florida Division of Bond Finance; Barnett Bank; Florida National Bank | Finance roles | Prior | Foundational banking/finance roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) | Director | Current | Audit Committee member |
| Turner Construction (private) | Director | Current | Board member |
| Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) | Task Force Member, Subject Matter Expert | Prior | Developed issuer education curriculum |
| FL Partnership for Public Facilities & Infrastructure Act Task Force | Advisor | Prior | P3 legislative guidelines advice |
Board Governance
- Independence: HWC determined all non-employee directors, including Ms. Little, are independent under NASDAQ rules .
- Committees: Audit Committee Vice Chair; Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee member .
- Audit expertise: Board classifies Audit members, including Ms. Little, as “audit committee financial experts” .
- Attendance: Board met 10 times in 2024; each incumbent director attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting. Independent directors held seven executive sessions without management .
- Committee meetings in 2024: Audit (9), Compensation (6), Corporate Governance & Nominating (6), Board Risk (4), Executive (3) .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Fees | Equity Award Value | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $84,167 | $74,980 (restricted stock grant) | $159,147 | Annual equity grant of 1,630 RSAs on 4/26/2024; one-year service-based vesting |
| Program Schedule (2024) | Board retainer: $50,000 | Target equity: ~$75,000 RSAs (1-year vest) | — | Committee retainers: Audit member $15,000; Audit Chair +$16,000; Comp member $10,000; Comp Chair +$10,500; Corp Gov member $7,500; Corp Gov Chair +$10,250; Exec member $7,500; Exec Chair +$10,500; Board Risk member $10,000; Board Risk Chair +$15,000; Chairman +$65,000 |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Metric | Payout Structure | Vest/Hold | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director equity | None (service-based RSAs) | Fixed grant value (~$75k); no performance metrics | 1-year service vest; directors may defer; no performance condition | RSAs granted to non-employee directors; service-based vest only |
No director options or PSUs disclosed; director equity is granted as restricted stock with service vesting only .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Interlocks: Mosaic Company (fertilizer/chemicals) and Turner Construction (private) are not banking peers; no disclosed competitive interlocks with HWC’s client/supplier base. HWC limits directors to serving on no more than three other public company boards in addition to HWC, supporting bandwidth and independence .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial/audit expertise (audit committee financial expert), investment banking, government regulation, strategic planning, and risk management .
- Geographic/regulatory depth via City of Tampa CFO experience and state-level advisory roles .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 15,936 shares | Includes holdings in NQDC plan |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | ~0.0185% (15,936 / 86,126,857) | Based on shares outstanding as of 2/28/2025 |
| Vested vs unvested | Unvested RSAs: 1,630 shares as of 12/31/2024 | 2024 annual grant; one-year service vest |
| Deferred shares | 10,650 shares in NQDC plan | Counted toward ownership under guidelines |
| Pledged shares | None; no directors held pledged shares in 2024 | Positive alignment signal |
| Hedging | Prohibited for directors; Insider Trading Policy bans hedging/short sales | Alignment with shareholders |
| Stock ownership guideline | 5x annual Board cash retainer; expected within 5 years; retain half of shares until compliant | Directors measured annually at prior year-end price |
| Compliance signal | Indicative compliance: 15,936 shares × $54.72 closing price on 12/31/2024 ≈ $872,984 vs $250,000 guideline (5×$50,000) | Exceeds guideline using disclosed method and price |
Insider Trades (Form 4)
| Filing Date | Transaction Date | Type | Shares | Price | Post-Transaction Ownership | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-30 | 2025-09-26 | Award (A) | 86.45 | $63.26 | 18,092.7983 | |
| 2025-06-26 | 2025-06-25 | Award (A) | 97.81 | $55.91 | 17,877.8683 | |
| 2025-04-24 | 2025-04-23 | Award (A) | 1,601 | $49.96 | 17,632.2683 | |
| 2025-03-28 | 2025-03-26 | Award (A) | 101.09 | $54.10 | 16,031.2683 | |
| 2024-04-26 | 2024-04-24 | Award (A) | 1,630 | $46.00 | 15,414.4183 |
Pattern: Director-level RSAs/awards consistent with HWC’s annual director equity program (service-based vesting), plus small award adjustments linked to fee elections or proration .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Ms. Little strengthens audit oversight as Vice Chair and financial expert; her finance/government background supports risk oversight and regulatory engagement quality .
- Independence & engagement: Independent status confirmed; attendance thresholds met; frequent executive sessions underscore robust oversight .
- Alignment: Material personal stake with no pledging and hedging prohibition; ownership appears to exceed guideline, supporting shareholder alignment .
- Compensation structure: Director pay uses fixed cash retainers and service-vested RSAs with no performance metrics, minimizing pay-for-performance risk but aligning via equity ownership and holding/deferral .
- Conflicts/related parties: HWC reviews and approves any related party transactions; insider lending adheres to Regulation O; no director-specific related party transactions disclosed that would impair independence .
- Shareholder signals: 2024 say-on-pay support at 96% indicates broad investor confidence in compensation governance (executive program context) .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Ms. Little—no pledging, no hedging, independence affirmed, and attendance threshold met .