Jeffrey Evans
About Jeffrey Evans
Jeffrey H. Evans (age 56) is an independent director of Lifetime Brands, appointed on January 17, 2025. He brings three decades of retail leadership across Walmart, Sam’s Club, and At Home, and currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer for the Reebok brand at Galaxy Employee Corporation; he holds a BA in Finance from Ithaca College . He was added as the 10th director to the Board and is classified as independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Employee Corporation (Reebok brand) | Chief Commercial Officer | Current | Go-to-market leadership for brand commercialization |
| At Home (private home décor retailer) | President/Chief Merchandising Officer; member of Office of the CEO | 2023–2024 | Led merchandising and growth initiatives |
| Walmart U.S. | EVP, Entertainment, Toys & Seasonal | 2020–2022 | Senior merchandising leadership across stores and e-commerce |
| Walmart U.S. | SVP/General Merchandise Manager (Home/Apparel) | 2012–2020 | Drove category merchandising and sourcing |
| Walmart/Sam’s Club divisions | Senior merchandising roles | 2006–2022 | Omnichannel strategy, brand-building, sourcing |
| Filene’s Department Stores | Early career | Began 1990 | Foundational retail experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DXM (private technology company) | Director | Current | Board role in apparel/footwear tech solutions |
| Wholescale (private tech) | Advisory Board Member | Current | Customer engagement technology advisory |
| Biddeford Advisors LLC | Founder | 2022– | Retail/merchandising advisory firm |
Board Governance
- Status: Independent director; joined when Board expanded to 10 seats on Jan 17, 2025 .
- Committee assignments: None listed as of the 2025 proxy summary (chairs shown below); assignments TBD .
- Independence determination: Board classifies Evans as independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Board meetings and attendance: Board held 6 meetings in 2024; all then-serving directors attended ≥75% of Board and relevant committee meetings in 2024 (Evans joined 2025) .
- Lead Independent Director: Michael J. Regan (appointed 2023); independent directors meet in executive sessions .
- Board committees and chairs:
- Audit: Chair Michael J. Regan; members Regan, Schnabel, Phillips
- Compensation: Chair Cherrie Nanninga; members Nanninga, Jarosh, Pollack
- Nominating/Governance: Chair Michael J. Regan; members Regan, Jarosh, Nanninga, Pollack
- ESG: Chair Veronique Gabai-Pinsky; members Gabai-Pinsky, Jarosh, J. Siegel, Kay
- Executive: Chair Jeffrey Siegel; members J. Siegel, Regan, Kay
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Director Cash Retainer | $60,000 | Standard non-employee director retainer |
| Annual Equity Grant (Restricted Common Stock) | $105,000 | Standard non-employee director equity; Evans to receive pro-rated equity from his election to 2025 Annual Meeting |
| Committee Chair Retainer | $20,000 (Audit/Comp), $10,000 (Nom/Gov or ESG) | Additional cash for chairs |
| Committee Member Retainer | $2,000 | Annual cash per committee |
| Meeting Fees | $2,000 per Board mtg; $500 per committee mtg | Per-meeting cash fees |
| Lead Independent Director Retainer | $30,000 | Applies to LID (Regan) |
| Chairman Retainer | $50,000 | Applies to Chair (J. Siegel) |
Performance Compensation
| Performance-based Element | Metrics/Structure |
|---|---|
| None disclosed for directors | LCUT’s director pay is cash retainer + time-based restricted stock; no director performance metrics disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company directorships: None disclosed for Evans .
- Private company/other roles: DXM (director), Wholescale (advisory board), Biddeford Advisors (founder) .
- Related-party transactions: Company states no Item 404(a) related-party transactions involving Evans .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep retail merchandising, e-commerce and omnichannel strategy experience; brand-building and sourcing expertise built at Walmart, Sam’s Club, and At Home .
- Board skills matrix highlights Evans across public company board experience, financial literacy, risk management, human capital/compensation, executive experience, strategic planning, M&A, housewares/retail, and ESG .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Source/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 18, 2025 (Proxy Record Date) | 7,144 | 0.03% | As reported in Security Ownership table (22,414,005 shares outstanding) . Percent calculated: 7,144 / 22,414,005. |
| June 18, 2025 (post-grant) | 34,921 | ~0.16% | Post-transaction holdings per Form 4 (award on 6/18/25). Percent calculated using 22,414,005 shares outstanding . |
- Ownership guidelines: Directors must hold stock equal to 3x annual cash retainer within 5 years; Company states all directors/officers have satisfied or are on track to comply (Evans’ 5-year clock began at appointment) .
- Anti-hedging: Directors are prohibited from hedging company stock under Insider Trading Policy .
Insider Trades (2025)
| Filing Date | Transaction Date | Form | Type | Shares | Post-Transaction Ownership | SEC Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-27 | 2025-01-17 | 3 | Initial filing (director) | — | — | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/874396/000162828025002638/0001628280-25-002638-index.htm |
| 2025-01-27 | 2025-01-17 | 4 | A – Award (Common Stock) | 7,144 | 7,144 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/874396/000162828025002640/0001628280-25-002640-index.htm |
| 2025-06-20 | 2025-06-18 | 4 | A – Award (Common Stock) | 27,777 | 34,921 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/874396/000162828025032371/0001628280-25-032371-index.htm |
Governance Assessment
- Positives
- Independent appointment; no Item 404 related-party transactions disclosed for Evans and independence formally determined under Nasdaq rules .
- Skillset squarely aligned with LCUT’s customer base and omnichannel shift; Board skills matrix shows broad coverage in merchandising, retail, and ESG .
- Director pay emphasizes equity (annual $105k restricted stock) and stock ownership guidelines (3x retainer), reinforcing alignment; anti-hedging policy in place .
- Board structure includes lead independent director, regular executive sessions, and strong committee coverage (Audit, Comp, Nom/Gov, ESG) .
- Recent say-on-pay support at ~90% (2024), signaling broad shareholder acceptance of pay practices .
- Watch items / potential flags
- Board features family relationships involving the Chairman (employment of relatives; cousin also a director) which may be perceived as entrenchment risk, though governed via related-party oversight .
- Significant representation and ownership from Centre Partners (two directors; ~26.7% beneficial ownership via related entities) implies influence; independence processes and committee composition should continue to be monitored .
- Evans has limited board tenure; committee assignments not yet disclosed, so his direct governance impact remains to be observed .
No Evans-specific conflicts or related-party exposure were disclosed by the Company. His director compensation follows LCUT’s standard non-employee framework with a pro-rated first-year equity grant .
Notes on Compensation Committee & Pay Practices (context for governance quality)
- Compensation Committee (all independent) chaired by Cherrie Nanninga; uses independent consultant Pearl Meyer with no identified conflicts .
- Peer group used to inform executive pay; disclosed composition spans household durables/leisure/textiles with defined size parameters .
- Company-wide clawback policy aligned to SEC/Nasdaq rules; stock ownership guidelines for executives and directors in place .
Signals Relevant to Investor Confidence
- Board expansion and addition of an experienced retailer suggest increased focus on merchandising and omnichannel execution .
- Governance scaffolding (LID, executive sessions, anti-hedging, clawback, ownership guidelines) supports alignment and oversight .
- No Evans-related party transactions; independence confirmed .