Susan Taylor
KLAAbout Susan Taylor
Susan Taylor, age 56, is an independent director of KLA Corporation and a designated audit committee financial expert under SEC rules. She joined KLA’s Board on May 8, 2025 and serves on the Audit Committee; her background spans senior accounting leadership at Meta (Chief Accounting Officer), LinkedIn, Silver Spring Networks, Yahoo!, and 13 years at PwC. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in California .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | Chief Accounting Officer | Apr 2017 – Jun 2023 | Led global accounting/internal controls at scale |
| LinkedIn Corporation | VP, Controller, Chief Accounting Officer | 2012 – 2017 | Built reporting and control environment |
| Silver Spring Networks, Inc. | VP, Controller, Chief Accounting Officer | 2009 – 2012 | Scaled accounting for networking solutions |
| Yahoo! Inc. | Senior Director, Accounting Policy | 2008 – 2009 | Policy governance for complex tech accounting |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers | Assurance practice (various roles) | ~13 years | External audit/assurance foundation |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Storage, Inc. | Director | Since 2018 | Public company board experience |
Board Governance
- Independence: All directors other than the CEO are independent per NASDAQ standards; Audit Committee comprises only independent directors .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member (current). The Board has three standing committees (Audit; Compensation and Talent; Nominating and Governance) .
- Audit committee expertise: The Board determined Susan Taylor is an “audit committee financial expert” .
- Attendance/engagement: In FY2025 the Board met 4 times; each incumbent director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings. Audit Committee held 8 meetings in FY2025 .
- Leadership structure: Independent Chair of the Board; executive sessions of independent directors occur at each regular Board meeting .
- Policies: Anti-hedging and pledging policies; clawback policy compliant with SEC/NASDAQ; insider trading policy governs directors and prohibits hedging .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY2025 Susan Taylor Actual | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees (retainer + committee) | $28,750 | Pro-rated due to appointment in May 2025 |
| Stock awards (RSUs, grant-date fair value) | $116,753 | Pro-rated RSU grant covering 166 shares |
| All other compensation | $0 | No dividend equivalents paid in FY2025 for her |
| Total | $145,503 |
Program design (Outside Directors):
- Standard annual cash retainer: $100,000; Audit Committee member fee $15,000; Chair fees: Audit $30,000; Nominating $10,000; Compensation $20,000 .
- Annual RSU value: $235,000 (Chair: $290,000), vests in full annually; dividend equivalents paid upon vesting .
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Applied to Directors? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cash bonus tied to operating/financial targets | No | Director pay consists of cash retainers and RSUs; no director performance bonus disclosed . |
| PSUs or options with performance hurdles | No | Outside Directors receive RSUs; no option grants disclosed for directors in FY2025 program . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| External Board | Overlap/Interlock Risk to KLAC | Related-Party Exposure Noted |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Storage, Inc. | None identified in KLAC related-party disclosure | Pure Storage not listed among KLAC’s FY2025 related-party transactions; Audit Committee states listed related parties had no material interest . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technical/finance: Deep accounting, internal controls, financial reporting, and scale-up operations experience across major tech platforms; designated audit committee financial expert .
- Education/credentials: Bachelor of Commerce (University of Toronto); CPA (inactive), California .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Taylor | 166 | <1% | Includes 166 RSUs expected to vest within 60 days of Sep 10, 2025 . |
| Unvested Director RSUs (as of Jun 30, 2025) | 166 | — | Aggregate unvested RSUs outstanding . |
Stock ownership guidelines:
- Directors expected, after 4 years of service, to hold ≥5x the standard annual cash retainer; RSUs count toward compliance. New directors are allowed time to reach compliance .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with audit financial expert designation; current Audit Committee member; robust governance framework (independent chair, executive sessions, anti-hedging/pledging, clawback). FY2025 attendance thresholds met; Audit Committee met 8 times, indicating active oversight .
- Alignment: Current ownership is modest (166 shares; <1%), typical for a newly appointed director; program relies on annual RSUs which vest, offering ongoing equity exposure. Directors have clear stock ownership guidelines to build alignment over time .
- Conflicts: No KLAC related-party transactions disclosed involving Pure Storage; Audit Committee processes and independence affirmed; auditor independence procedures in place .
- Shareholder signals: Say-on-Pay support was ~92.5% “FOR” in 2024, indicating general investor confidence in compensation governance (executive program context) .
RED FLAGS: None directly tied to Susan Taylor in KLAC disclosures. Monitoring items include near-term ownership build toward guideline levels and continued audit oversight effectiveness as a new appointee .