Michael Sheridan
About Michael Sheridan
Michael W. Sheridan serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at The Brand House Collective (formerly Kirkland’s, Inc.), joining on June 30, 2025, with oversight of legal affairs, talent and culture, and corporate governance . He earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and was born in 1963 . Company performance metrics emphasized in recent compensation frameworks include EBITDA for annual bonuses and TSR as the primary driver of compensation actually paid (CAP) in pay-versus-performance disclosures .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Brands | General Counsel; later President, Education Solutions | 2023–2025 | Led legal function and subsequent business leadership within Education Solutions, building cross-functional execution experience |
| Ceridian | Executive legal and leadership roles | Not disclosed | Brought HR tech and governance expertise cited by KIRK as valuable to transformation |
| Comdata | Legal leadership | Not disclosed | Payments and operational compliance background supporting corporate governance rigor |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Bar Association | Member | Not disclosed | Listed among professional affiliations in public profiles |
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for Sheridan in the latest proxy cycles. The FY2024 Summary Compensation Table lists CEO, CFO, and SVP but does not include Sheridan (he joined mid-2025) .
Performance Compensation
| Component | Metric | Weighting | Targets | Payout Curve | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash bonus (company framework for FY2024 NEOs) | EBITDA | 100% | Threshold, Target, Maximum | 25%, 100%, 150% payout at performance levels per committee schedule | Committee used budgeted EBITDA with linear interpolation |
| Pay-Versus-Performance linkage | TSR (primary), Net income/loss (secondary) | N/A | N/A | CAP fluctuates primarily with TSR; influenced by earnings change | CAP methodology per Item 402(v) |
Company also disclosed historical PSUs tied to EBITDA with a relative TSR modifier in earlier years (no expense recorded due to metric non-achievement in 2021–2022) .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership: No specific Sheridan holdings disclosed in the 2025 proxy table; that table lists directors and NEOs only .
- Section 16 activity: Sheridan signed multiple insiders’ Form 4s as attorney-in-fact (e.g., CFO Andrea Courtois and directors), evidencing governance and compliance oversight .
- Vesting norms: Recent insider Form 4s show RSUs typically vest 1/3 annually over three years (plan-wide design) .
- Insider trading policy and governance: The company maintains a formal insider trading policy and posted governance codes in its 10-K .
- Clawback: Mandatory recoupment/10D-1-compliant policy adopted Sept 19, 2023, applying to current and former executive officers .
- Pledging/hedging: No pledging by Sheridan disclosed; no specific hedging by him disclosed; company policy governs insider trading .
Employment Terms
- Start date and scope: Appointed SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary effective June 30, 2025; scope includes legal, talent & culture, and corporate governance .
- Employment agreement: No Sheridan-specific employment agreement filed to date in 8-K exhibits; recent 8-Ks filed employment agreements for other executives (e.g., CFO), with Sheridan as signatory .
- Severance/change-in-control (company framework): Company does not maintain a general severance plan; under the 2002 Plan, a change in control without replacement awards triggers full vesting of options/RSUs; severance specifics are set by individual agreements for NEOs (illustrated for CEO/CFO in proxy) .
- Clawback: Recoupment policy compliant with Nasdaq Rule 10D-1 .
- Non-compete/non-solicit: Not disclosed for Sheridan.
Performance & Track Record
- Transformation support: Sheridan positioned as a trusted advisor to the CEO and leadership team in KIRK’s rebranding to The Brand House Collective and strategic shift to a multi-brand operating model .
- SEC execution: Served as signatory and agent for service on SEC filings, including the S‑8 registering additional shares under the 2002 Equity Incentive Plan and as power-of-attorney for directors/officers .
- Corporate actions: Signed multiple 8‑Ks (name change/declassification amendments; leadership changes) as the company advanced governance and strategic initiatives .
Investment Implications
- Limited direct trading signals: Sheridan is not currently a named executive officer in pay tables; no personal Section 16 ownership filings located yet (watch for a Form 3/4), reducing near-term insider-selling signal utility .
- Governance and retention: Company-wide RSU structures (1/3 vesting) and a mandatory clawback policy promote alignment and retention; any future disclosure of Sheridan’s compensation and equity mix in the next proxy will clarify pay-for-performance alignment and potential selling pressure from vest schedules .
- Change-of-control mechanics: Equity accelerates absent qualifying replacement awards, important for assessing realized pay under strategic transactions; monitor future 8‑K 5.02 filings for any Sheridan-specific employment/severance terms .
- Execution risk vs. value creation: Sheridan’s legal/governance leadership across HR tech and payments (Ceridian, Comdata) and operating leadership at Community Brands should support KIRK’s multi-brand transformation; continued SEC discipline and governance modernization are positives for investor confidence .