Laura Angelini
KnowlesAbout Laura Angelini
Independent director of Knowles Corporation (KN), age 61, appointed to the board in December 2024 and currently serves on the Compensation Committee. She brings 30 years of medical device and healthcare leadership, including General Manager, Renal Care Global Business Unit at Baxter (2016–2021) and senior roles at Johnson & Johnson across vision care, strategic marketing, and Eastern Europe operations. Independence affirmed under NYSE and KN standards; board structure features an independent Chair and at least two-thirds independent directors .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter International Inc. | General Manager, Renal Care Global Business Unit | 2016–2021 | Led global renal care; large-scale operations and strategic transformation |
| Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon; Vision Care; Eastern Europe) | President, North America & Global Franchise Development – Vision Care; VP Global Strategic Marketing – Ethicon; VP Medical Devices & Diagnostics – Eastern Europe | 2013–2016; 2012–2013; 2010–2011 | Strategic marketing, global franchise development, regional P&L leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCC plc | Director | Current | Not disclosed in KN proxy |
| Identiv, Inc. | Director | Current | Not disclosed in KN proxy |
| Jacksonville University | Trustee | Current | Not disclosed in KN proxy |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Compensation Committee member (not Chair) .
- Independence: Determined independent; KN requires all Audit, Compensation, and Governance & Nominating members to be independent .
- Board leadership: Independent Chairman (Keith Barnes) as of February 2025; CEO is only non-independent director .
- Attendance: Board met 8 times in 2024; each director attended at least 80% of meetings while serving .
- Executive sessions: Held at least quarterly without management; chaired by independent Chair .
- Time commitments policy: Limits on outside boards; audit committee overload restrictions enforced .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited for directors; trading plans permitted under Rule 10b5-1 .
- Board evaluations: Annual board/committee evaluations; individual director evaluations with outside facilitator on a rolling basis .
- Related persons approvals: Governance & Nominating Committee pre-approves any transactions >$120,000 involving directors/related parties; no specific transactions disclosed involving Angelini .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $29,200 | Prorated due to December 2024 appointment |
| Stock Awards (RSUs grant date fair value) | $238,014 | Includes 3,473 RSUs vesting 12/6/2025; onboarding grant of 8,683 RSUs with three-year cliff vesting (footnote date shows 12/6/2025) |
| Total | $267,214 | Sum of cash + stock |
Director program structure (set October 2024, effective 2025): Annual retainer $255,000 ($65,000 cash; $190,000 stock, one-year cliff); Board Chair +$70,000 cash; Committee Chair retainers: Audit $25,000; Compensation $20,000; Governance $12,500; Committee member retainers: Audit $10,000; Compensation $8,000; Governance $5,000 .
Performance Compensation
- KN directors receive RSUs; no performance-based PSU awards or director-specific performance metrics disclosed for non-employee directors. Equity vests time-based (annual or cliff) and may be deferred under the Non-employee Director Deferral Program .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public boards: DCC plc and Identiv, Inc.; no KN-disclosed interlocks or related-party exposure with KN customers/suppliers .
- Non-profit/academic: Trustee, Jacksonville University .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Industry: Extensive MedTech/healthcare product, global operations, and strategic marketing experience from Baxter and J&J .
- Board Skills Matrix: Strategic planning, global/international, sales/marketing, engineering, public company board experience .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of 3/7/2025) | — shares; <1% | No shares counted for vesting within 60 days; thus shown as “—” with <1% indicator |
| Outstanding stock awards (12/31/2024) | 12,156 RSUs/unvested units | Non-employee director stock awards outstanding |
| Stock ownership guidelines | 3x base annual cash compensation; 5 years to meet | All non-employee directors in compliance as of 12/31/2024 |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited | Alignment safeguard |
| Deferrals | Program allows deferral until end of service; no deferral noted for Angelini | Others have deferrals; no footnote for Angelini |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths supporting investor confidence:
- Independent director, on the Compensation Committee; governance practices include independent consultant (Compensia) with no other services to KN .
- Robust pay governance (no tax gross-ups on CIC, double-trigger vesting for equity in CIC for executives, clawback policy compliant with SEC/NYSE) .
- Board processes for related-party transactions and director time-commitments mitigate conflicts; executive sessions quarterly .
- Say-on-pay support ~98% at 2024 meeting reflects shareholder alignment on executive pay .
- Risk indicators and potential red flags:
- No related-party transactions involving Angelini disclosed; KN states prohibitions on hedging/pledging reduce alignment risk .
- Director compensation is primarily time-based RSUs; no performance metrics for directors—common market practice but offers limited direct pay-for-performance linkage at the director level .
- Attendance standard met across the board; Angelini’s late-2024 appointment implies limited 2024 meeting exposure, but board-level attendance compliance disclosed .
Overall, Angelini’s MedTech operating background and strategic marketing expertise complement KN’s transformation toward higher-value industrial/MedTech markets, while governance structures (independence, ownership guidelines, hedging/pledging bans, and strong committee processes) help mitigate conflicts and support board effectiveness .