Inder Singh
Lead Independent Director at IONQ
Board
About Inder Singh
Inder M. Singh (age 66) is IonQ’s Lead Independent Director (since March 2025) and has served on the board since December 2021. He is a seasoned finance and operations executive and designated “audit committee financial expert,” with prior public company CFO roles; he holds an MBA in finance from NYU and MS/BS engineering degrees from Columbia University . He is independent under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arm Limited | EVP & Chief Financial Officer; also led corporate IT, procurement, enterprise security | Apr 2019 – Dec 2022 | Large-scale finance leadership and enterprise functions oversight |
| Unisys Corp. | Senior VP & CFO; previously Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer | CFO: Nov 2016 – Apr 2019; CSMO: Mar 2016 – Nov 2016 | Public company CFO; strategy/operator experience |
| SunTrust Bank (equities unit) | Managing Director | Not disclosed | Sell-side leadership experience |
| Comcast Corporation | Senior Vice President in Finance | Not disclosed | Corporate finance leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (public) | Director | Since Dec 2021 | Public company board experience |
| Affinity Federal Credit Union | Board member | Current | Financial services governance |
| Columbia University | Entrepreneurship Advisory Board member | Current | Startup advisory |
| U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security | Project advisor (national security and critical infrastructure) | Current | Public-sector advisory |
Board Governance
- Independence and leadership: Singh is independent and serves as Lead Independent Director; responsibilities include presiding over executive sessions, shaping agendas, liaising with major shareholders, and advising on advisors/consultants to the board .
- Committee assignments: Chair, Audit Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (NCGC). Audit will comprise Singh (Chair), Toledano, and Chou post-annual meeting; NCGC will comprise Singh and Toledano (Chair) post-annual meeting .
- Expertise: Board-designated “audit committee financial expert” (Item 407(d) Reg S-K) .
- Attendance/engagement: All directors attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings in 2024. Committee intensity: Audit (13 meetings), Compensation (8), NCGC (9) .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet in executive session on a periodic basis, led by the Lead Independent Director .
- Board structure: Executive Chair (Peter Chapman), CEO (Niccolo de Masi), and Lead Independent Director (Inder Singh) provide separation of roles and oversight balance .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Item | 2024 Amount |
|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash (Inder Singh) | $45,859 |
| Stock awards (grant date fair value recognized in 2024) | $183,152 |
| Total (cash + equity) | $229,011 |
Policy parameters (effective Oct 2024 unless noted):
- Annual base retainer: Non-executive chair $70,000; Lead Independent Director $70,000; Other non-employee directors $50,000 .
- Committee retainers: Audit Chair $20,000; Compensation Chair $15,000; NCGC Chair $10,000; other members: Audit $8,000; Compensation $6,000; NCGC $4,000 .
- Note: Prior policy (pre-Oct 22, 2024) paid Lead Independent Director $45,000 and other directors $30,000; Comp and NCGC chair retainers were $12,000 and $8,000, respectively .
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Equity element | Structure | 2024/Current Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant | Time-based, vests in full by next annual meeting (or 1-year anniversary) | $200,000 value granted on first business day after 2024 annual meeting (policy then in effect) |
| Annual RSU grant (current policy) | Time-based, same vesting | $220,000 value under amended policy |
| Election to receive equity in lieu of cash | Fully vested RSUs quarterly in arrears based on quarter-end price | Available to all non-employee directors |
| Change-in-control vesting | Full acceleration for directors’ unvested equity | Upon change in control (per 2021 Plan) |
Note: Director equity is time-based RSUs; no performance metrics apply to director equity (performance-based elements pertain to executives) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Body | Role | Interlocks/Conflicts |
|---|---|---|
| John Wiley & Sons, Inc. | Director | No compensation committee interlocks reported for IonQ directors/officers in 2024; committee interlock disclosure indicates none applicable . |
| Affinity Federal Credit Union; DHS; Columbia University | Director/advisor roles | Not a customer/supplier disclosure; company’s related-party transaction policy requires Audit Committee approval if any arise . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expertise: Audit committee financial expert; extensive public-company CFO experience (Arm; Unisys) .
- Strategy/operations: Prior roles included Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer; oversight of IT, procurement, enterprise security at Arm .
- Education: MBA (NYU), MS and BS in engineering (Columbia) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Mar 31, 2025) | 117,570 shares (<1% of outstanding) |
| Composition | 80,480 options exercisable within 60 days; 37,090 shares held directly |
| Director awards outstanding (Dec 31, 2024) | Options outstanding: 80,480; Stock awards outstanding: 27,121 |
| Ownership policies | Directors must hold shares ≥5x annual cash retainer within 5 years (excludes extras for committees/LID); applies to all non-employee directors |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors, officers, employees under insider trading policy |
Related-Party/Conflicts Oversight
- Policy and review: Audit Committee reviews and approves any related-person transactions >$120,000; factors include fairness, independence impact, availability of alternatives; only transactions “fair to us and in our best interests” are approved .
- Independence: Board affirmatively determined Singh is independent; no family relationships among directors or officers disclosed .
- Pledging/hedging: Prohibited, reducing alignment risk concerns .
Insider Trading and Section 16(a) Compliance
- Section 16(a) compliance: For FY2024, all Section 16(a) filing requirements for officers, directors, and >10% holders were complied with, except one late Form 4 by the CFO (Thomas Kramer) on Sept 13, 2024; no late filings for Inder Singh disclosed .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths and signals of effectiveness:
- Lead Independent Director plus fully independent Audit, Compensation, and NCGC committees; Singh chairs Audit and is a designated financial expert, indicating robust financial oversight .
- High meeting cadence (Audit 13 in 2024) and ≥75% attendance across directors signal active oversight; independent executive sessions enhance board independence .
- Director equity grants are time-based RSUs and director stock ownership guideline of 5x retainer strengthens alignment; hedging/pledging prohibited .
-
Watch items:
- Time commitments: Singh holds at least one other public board seat (Wiley) and several advisory roles; ongoing monitoring of bandwidth is prudent, though no attendance concerns disclosed .
- Related-party exposure: None disclosed; continue to monitor given Singh’s broad network; strong audit committee oversight in place .
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RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Singh (no related-party transactions, no pledging, no Section 16(a) delinquency, independent status affirmed) .