Nikki L. Hamblin

About Nikki L. Hamblin

Nikki L. Hamblin (age 48) has served on Lakeland Industries’ Board since April 2021 and is currently nominated as a Class III director for a term expiring at the 2028 annual meeting. She holds a B.S. from Syracuse University and an MBA (finance) from the University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School; her background spans investment banking and asset management, with multiple securities and financial planning designations .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Hamblin is independent under NASDAQ/SEC rules; independent directors form a majority of the Board .
• Board classification and nomination: Class III nominee; term to 2028; Board size seven (two Class I, two Class II, three Class III) .
• Committees and roles (FY2025):
  • Nominating & Governance Committee: Chair (members: Hamblin, Melissa Kidd, Thomas J. McAteer) .
  • Compensation Committee: Member (Chair: McAteer; members: Hamblin, Kidd) .
  • Audit Committee: Not a member in FY2025; committee co-chairs Glavin and Schlarbaum; member Herring .
• Historical committee service (FY2024): Audit Committee member (Chair: Schlarbaum; later members included Glavin, Hamblin, Herring) .
• Executive sessions of independent directors: Generally no less than twice a year .
• Meetings and attendance (FY2025): Board 9, Audit 5, Compensation 7, Nominating & Governance 5; each director attended at least 75% of meetings of the Board and applicable committees .

Fixed Compensation

Director fee structure (FY2025): Board retainer $70,000; annual RSU grant value $65,000; additional annual retainers include $20,000 (Lead Independent/Audit Chair/Vice Chair), $7,500 (Compensation Chair and Audit Committee member), $6,000 (Nominating & Governance Chair), $3,750 (Compensation Committee member), $3,000 (Nominating & Governance Committee member). Non-employee directors no longer can elect fees in stock or other equity awards .

Notes:

• Cash compensation likely reflects committee chair and membership adders noted above; Hamblin’s FY2025 cash increased year over year (+$10,750), aligned with committee roles and structure .
• Equity as a proportion of total FY2025 director pay was approximately 43% for Hamblin (64,997/152,497), indicating balanced cash/equity mix .

Performance Compensation

• No director performance metrics (e.g., TSR, EBITDA) are tied to non-employee director compensation; grants are time-based RSUs per policy .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

• No current public company directorships or compensation committee interlocks disclosed for Hamblin; the company reports no compensation committee interlocks among its members .

Expertise & Qualifications

• Finance/investment banking and asset management leadership; experience in M&A and financing transactions; multiple securities/financial planning licenses .
• Education: B.S. (Syracuse University), MBA (finance) (University of Rochester, Simon) .
• Board qualifications: Investment banking and finance experience cited as rationale for Board service .

Equity Ownership

Additional equity alignment:

• As of Jan 31, 2025, each non-employee director held 2,842 unvested RSUs, consistent with annual grant cadence .
• No pledging/hedging or related-party holdings disclosed for Hamblin in the proxy materials reviewed .

Governance Assessment

• Independence and leadership: Independent director; chairs Nominating & Governance Committee, which oversees Board composition, governance principles, director performance, conflicts screening, and ESG oversight—positive for board effectiveness .
• Committee breadth: Compensation Committee member with responsibilities spanning CEO goal-setting, equity awards, and Board pay; prior Audit Committee experience (FY2024) adds financial oversight perspective .
• Engagement: Attendance at least 75% across Board/committee meetings; governance policies include executive sessions, clawback policy (officers), and insider trading policy—supportive of investor confidence .
• Pay/ownership alignment: Balanced cash/equity mix; ongoing RSU grants with standard one-year vest align incentives with shareholder value; beneficial ownership increased year over year (10,800 → 14,610), albeit below 1% of class .
• Conflicts and red flags: No related-party transactions, tax gross-ups, or option repricings disclosed for Hamblin; compensation committee interlocks absent—low conflict risk .
• Shareholder sentiment: 2025 say‑on‑pay approved (For: 6,313,903; Against: 130,994; Abstain: 260,576), and Hamblin re‑elected with strong support (For: 6,330,527; Withheld: 374,946)—indicative of acceptable governance posture .

RED FLAGS: None disclosed for Hamblin in reviewed filings (no pledging/hedging, no related-party transactions, no attendance shortfalls, no compensation anomalies) .

Shareholder Votes (2025 Annual Meeting)