Faith Tang
About Faith Tang
Yi “Faith” Tang, 49, is an independent director of Hawkins, Inc. (HWKN) serving since 2020. She is Chief Information Officer at Mortenson Construction (since Oct 2023) and previously served as Global CIO & Chief Digital Officer at MiTek, Inc. (Sep 2021–Sep 2023) and Global CIO at H.B. Fuller (2010–Sep 2021); earlier roles include Baxter, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly. She holds a bachelor’s in Computer Software from Shanghai University and an MBA from Renmin University of China; her IT leadership in large industrials brings valuable insight to the board .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortenson Construction | Chief Information Officer | Oct 2023–present | Brings IT/cybersecurity insight to HWKN’s board |
| MiTek, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway) | Global CIO & Chief Digital Officer | Sep 2021–Sep 2023 | Digital transformation experience in industrials |
| H.B. Fuller Company | Global CIO; various positions | 2010–Sep 2021 | Large industrial manufacturing IT leadership |
| Baxter; Johnson & Johnson; Eli Lilly | Various roles | Prior to 2010 | Broader enterprise systems and operations background |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No public-company directorships disclosed | — | — | HWKN proxy lists executive roles; no other public boards for Tang |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined Tang is independent under Nasdaq rules; HWKN’s board is majority independent .
- Committee assignments (FY2025): Compensation Committee member (Mary Schumacher, Chair); not on Audit or Governance & Nominating .
- Meeting cadence/attendance: Board met 5 times; each committee met 4 times; all directors attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Leadership structure: CEO and Chair roles are separated; Chair is James T. Thompson (independent), enhancing agenda-setting and director engagement .
| Committee | Role | Meetings FY2025 | Chair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation | Member | 4 | Mary J. Schumacher |
| Audit | Not a member | 4 | Jeffrey L. Wright |
| Governance & Nominating | Not a member | 4 | James A. Faulconbridge |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $70,000 | Standard non-employee director retainer |
| Committee membership fee | $8,000 | Per committee; Tang serves on Compensation Committee (1) |
| Chair fee | $0 | Not a committee chair |
| Cash fees earned (FY2025) | $78,000 | As reported for Tang |
| Restricted stock grant (grant-date fair value) | $99,952 | 962 shares granted 7/31/2024; vests 7/31/2025 |
| Total FY2025 director compensation | $177,952 | Fees + equity grant |
Grant details:
- Grant date and shares: 962 restricted shares granted on July 31, 2024; vest one year later (July 31, 2025) .
- Dividends: Restricted stock is eligible to receive dividends paid on common stock .
Performance Compensation
Directors do not receive performance-based pay at HWKN; equity is time-based restricted stock. As a Compensation Committee member, Tang oversees NEO performance programs using the following FY2025 metrics:
| Metric | Target (000s) | Actual (000s) | Non-Equity Payout vs Target | Target Shares Earned vs Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate objective: Income before income taxes | $105,537 | $114,383 | 142.0% | 121.0% |
| Business unit objective: Health & Nutrition operational measure | $15,822 | $18,139 | 173.0% (Rozeboom) | n/a |
Additional program details:
- Annual cash incentive financial goals and actuals (threshold/target/maximum) summarized as: Corporate pre-tax income target $105,537; actual $114,383. Health & Nutrition operational target $15,822; actual $18,139 .
- Independent consultant: McLagan (Aon) advising Compensation Committee; assessed independent; company does not use formal benchmarking; no committee interlocks .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock/Conflict | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | None | Compensation Committee reports no interlocks; all members non-employee directors |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Information technology leadership in industrial manufacturing; adds digital/cybersecurity insight to board oversight .
- Education: BS in Computer Software (Shanghai University); MBA (Renmin University of China) .
- Industry exposure: Building/construction, industrial manufacturing, life sciences (prior employers) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 7,263 |
| Unvested restricted stock (shares) | 962 (vest 7/31/2025) |
| Unrestricted/other shares (approx) | 6,301 (7,263–962) |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | ~0.0348% (7,263 / 20,861,430) |
| Shares pledged as collateral | None; pledging prohibited by policy |
| Hedging of HWKN stock | Prohibited for directors |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and engagement: Independent director with committee responsibilities; board met 5 times and committees 4 times with ≥75% attendance by all directors; a positive engagement signal .
- Compensation Committee quality: Independent membership, use of independent consultant (McLagan), no interlocks—supports robust pay oversight and pay-for-performance alignment .
- Ownership alignment: Tang holds 7,263 shares including 962 unvested restricted shares; hedging and pledging are prohibited, reducing misalignment risk .
- Shareholder support: Say-on-pay received ~95% approval at the Aug 2024 annual meeting, indicating investor confidence in compensation oversight (relevant to Tang’s committee role) .
- Related-party exposure: Proxy discloses related-party transactions (e.g., Stauber lease and employment of executives’ relatives); none involve Tang; transactions are reviewed and ratified by the Audit Committee, mitigating conflict risk .
- RED FLAGS: None identified for Tang—no related-party transactions, no Section 16 delinquency noted for her, and robust anti-hedging/pledging policies are in place .