Tanya Beder
KIRBYAbout Tanya S. Beder
Independent director of Kirby Corporation (KEX) since 2019; age 69. She serves on the Audit Committee and the ESG & Nominating Committee, and is designated as an audit committee financial expert (all Audit members qualify). Her background spans quantitative finance, risk management, derivatives trading, and machine learning/cybersecurity oversight; education includes a BA in Mathematics & Philosophy from Yale and an MBA from Harvard Business School, with additional cybersecurity and machine learning certifications.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribeca Global Management (Citigroup) | Chief Executive Officer | Prior role (dates not specified) | Led asset management business; risk and performance oversight |
| Caxton Associates | Managing Director; Head of Strategic Quantitative Investment Division | Prior role | Implemented neural networks and ML for trading/risk management |
| Capital Market Risk Advisors | President & Co‑Founder | Prior role | Advisory on capital markets risk; quantitative risk management |
| The First Boston Corporation (now UBS) | Derivatives trader; M&A team (NY & London) | Prior role | Trading and transaction execution experience |
| Stanford University | Lecturer of Public Policy | Prior role | Academic governance/teaching experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nabors Industries Ltd. | Director; Chair of Compensation Committee; Audit Committee (qualified financial expert); Technology & Safety Committee member | 2017–present | Compensation chair; audit oversight; operational safety/technology |
| American Century Investments | Chair of the Board; Member, Technology & Risk Committee; Member, Portfolio Committee | 2011–present | Board leadership; technology/risk; investment oversight |
| Yale University International Center for Finance | Fellow in Practice | Current | Academic/industry bridge on finance research |
| Former: Columbia University Financial Engineering (Advisory Board); UCLA IPAM (Trustee) | Advisor/Trustee | Prior roles | Quantitative finance and applied mathematics governance |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Independent director (NYSE standard) |
| Committee assignments | Audit (Member); ESG & Nominating (Member) |
| Chair roles at KEX | None (not a committee chair at KEX) |
| Audit Committee expertise | Audit Committee operates under charter; all members are “audit committee financial experts” and oversee financial reporting, internal controls, auditor independence, legal/regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity risk reviews |
| Attendance | 2024: Board met 4x; Audit 8x; ESG 4x; each director attended >75% of aggregate Board/committee meetings and attended the 2024 annual meeting |
Fixed Compensation (Nonemployee Director – 2024)
| Component | Amount / Detail |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $85,000 (standard schedule) |
| Committee membership fees | $7,500 per committee; Beder served on two committees (Audit; ESG & Nominating) |
| Fees earned or paid in cash (actual 2024) | $97,500 (reported) |
| Annual equity grant | $201,062 grant‑date fair value (restricted stock) |
| Shares granted and price | 1,828 restricted shares on April 29, 2024 at $109.99 per share |
| Vesting | Director plan restricted stock issued after each annual meeting vests six months after grant |
| Plan mechanics | Automatic grant each year equals ($167,500 / grant‑date price) × 1.2; directors may elect equity in lieu of cash fees (none elected in 2024) |
Equity comprised roughly 67% of Beder’s 2024 director compensation ($201,062 of $298,562).
Performance Compensation
Directors do not receive performance‑based pay at KEX; director equity is time‑based RSUs/restricted stock with six‑month vesting, and there are no performance metrics tied to director compensation.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Sector Link to KEX | Potential Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nabors Industries | Oilfield services (KEX Distribution & Services serves energy end markets) | No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Beder; ESG & Nominating Committee reviews related‑person transactions |
| American Century Investments | Asset management | No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Beder |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Quantitative finance and risk: former head of strategic quantitative investments (Caxton); derivatives trading; co‑founded a risk advisory firm.
- Technology and cybersecurity: certifications in cybersecurity oversight and machine learning; applied ML in trading/risk; committee roles include technology and risk oversight.
- Governance and compensation: chairs the compensation committee at Nabors; extensive board leadership at American Century.
- Financial expertise: qualifies as an audit committee financial expert at Nabors and serves on KEX’s Audit Committee (all members deemed financial experts).
- Education: BA, Yale; MBA, Harvard Business School.
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (KEX common) | 15,998 shares directly owned as of March 3, 2025 |
| Unvested director restricted stock at 12/31/2024 | None outstanding (director awards vest six months post‑grant) |
| Stock options outstanding | None for Beder |
| Ownership guidelines | Directors must own KEX stock equal to 5× annual cash director fee (raised from 4× to 5× in Jan 2024); all directors were in compliance as of Dec 31, 2024 |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors under KEX policy |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths
- Independence, strong attendance, and active committee service (Audit; ESG & Nominating) enhance board oversight, including cybersecurity and ESG risk.
- Deep risk, quantitative finance, and technology/cyber expertise fit KEX’s risk and operational profile; recognized audit committee financial expertise.
- Director pay structure balanced toward equity; six‑month vesting; robust ownership guideline (5× retainer); all directors in compliance; hedging/pledging prohibited.
- Watch items / potential conflicts
- External chair role on Nabors’ Compensation Committee and energy‑sector overlap warrants routine monitoring for conflicts; KEX discloses no related‑person transactions involving Beder and maintains a pre‑approval policy overseen by ESG & Nominating.
- 2024 Say‑on‑Pay support was 72% (below historical >90%); the board responded by increasing performance‑based LTI participation and expanding incentive disclosure for 2025—positive responsiveness, but investors may continue to scrutinize compensation governance.