April Hashimoto
About April Hashimoto
April Hashimoto is Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration at Lithium Americas Corp. (LAC), serving since the October 2023 separation; she also served as Interim CFO from November 25, 2024 through January 28, 2025 . She is 61, a CPA, and holds a BA in Economics (University of Western Ontario) and an MBA (Schulich School of Business, York University) . Company performance context during her tenure includes a 2024 overall corporate scorecard outcome of 128% and transformational financing milestones (DOE $2.26B loan closing in Oct-2024 and GM JV) leading to fully funded FID on April 1, 2025 . Proxy disclosures show 2022–2024 PSU cohorts tracking at 0% as of year-end 2024 on absolute and relative TSR (cliff vest after 3 years), indicative of market-linked performance headwinds .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pembrook Copper Corp. | Chief Financial Officer | 2007–2023 | Led finance across a multi-decade period; senior mining finance leadership |
| Pacific Rim Mining Corp. | Chief Financial Officer | 2007–2023 | CFO role supporting mining development and operations |
| Placer Dome Inc. | Controller (Australasian & North American Ops); CFO, Global Exploration & Construction (division roles) | 13 years (dates not disclosed) | Controllership across major operating regions; divisional CFO for exploration/construction |
External Roles
No public company directorships or external board roles disclosed for Hashimoto in the proxy .
Fixed Compensation
Not disclosed for Hashimoto (named executive officer tables cover CEO, Executive Chair, EVP Capital Projects, and former CFO only) .
Performance Compensation
Company program mechanics (applies to executives including Hashimoto), with 2024 corporate scorecard outcomes:
| Metric | Weight | Target Definition | Actual | Payout/Score Basis | Vesting/Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) and ESG | 20% | TRIF reduction; zero environmental incidents; governance/reporting and stakeholder goals | Achieved: TRIF 0.722; zero reportable incidents; governance/ESG deliverables completed | Corporate score 38% (0–200% scale) | STI paid 50% cash and 50% RSUs; RSUs vest 60 days from grant; LTI mix 50% RSUs (annual over 3 years) and 50% PSUs (3-year relative TSR cliff) |
| Corporate Strategy | 50% | Financing completion (DOE Loan), capital structure optimization, strategic JV/offtake | DOE Loan closed Oct-2024; GM JV with $625M; avoided common equity dilution vs Tranche 2 | Corporate score 43% (0–200% scale) | STI/LTI mechanics as above |
| Project Execution | 30% | Engineering advancement, permitting/regulatory progress, site readiness | Detailed engineering to ~50%; permitting completed for construction; site preparation advanced | Corporate score 48% (0–200% scale) | STI/LTI mechanics as above |
Additional program features: incentive award caps at 200% of target; robust stock ownership policy; clawback policy; prohibition on hedging and pledging; insider trading preclearance/blackouts .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 77,913 shares (includes 43,582 shares underlying RSUs exercisable within 60 days) |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | 0.0356% (basis: 218,686,462 shares outstanding as of Apr 15, 2025) |
| Vested vs unvested | Includes 43,582 RSUs exercisable within 60 days of Apr 15, 2025; full vesting schedule for Hashimoto not disclosed |
| Options | No option grants disclosed for Hashimoto; company generally intends to use RSUs/PSUs rather than options |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited for all insiders under Securities Trading Policy |
| Ownership guidelines | Executives required to hold shares equal to 5x base salary (updated effective Jan 1, 2024) |
| Compliance vs guideline | Not disclosed for Hashimoto |
Employment Terms
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | SVP, Finance & Administration |
| Employment start at LAC (newco) | Since separation in October 2023 |
| Interim CFO service | Nov 25, 2024 – Jan 28, 2025 |
| Contract term, severance, change-of-control | Not disclosed for Hashimoto (agreements disclosed for CEO, Executive Chair, EVP Capital Projects) |
| Non-compete / non-solicit / garden leave | Not disclosed for Hashimoto |
| Clawback policy | Incentive Compensation Recovery Policy allows recoupment of erroneously awarded incentive comp (RSUs, PSUs, DSUs, options) |
| Insider trading controls | Preclearance required; blackout periods; hedging/shorts/derivatives/pledging prohibited |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Hashimoto’s beneficial stake is modest at ~0.036% of outstanding shares; however, the updated 5x salary stock ownership guideline materially increases alignment requirements and may encourage ongoing accumulation over the five-year compliance window .
- Selling pressure: Near-term RSU vesting (43,582 shares exercisable within 60 days of Apr 15, 2025) creates potential liquidity events; this is mitigated by insider trading preclearance, blackout periods, and bans on hedging/pledging, reducing opportunistic selling risk .
- Pay-for-performance linkage: Executive STI/LTI outcomes are tied to the corporate scorecard and 3-year relative TSR PSUs; 2024 corporate score was strong at 128%, while TSR cohorts were tracking at 0% as of FY2024, signaling balanced incentives that reward execution yet remain sensitive to market performance .
- Contract risk: Absence of disclosed severance/CIC terms for Hashimoto limits precision on exit economics; board-level clawback and strict trading policies reduce governance red flags amid financing and project execution milestones achieved in 2024–2025 .