Julian G. Blissett
LEARAbout Julian G. Blissett
Julian G. Blissett (age 58) is an independent director at Lear Corporation, elected to the Board on February 14, 2025, and nominated and elected by shareholders at the May 16, 2025 annual meeting. He retired from General Motors in 2024 after a 28-year career culminating as Executive Vice President and President, GM China; he holds a B.Sc. in engineering and business from Sheffield Hallam University and speaks conversational Mandarin and Japanese .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Executive Vice President & President, GM China | To 2024 (retired 2024) | Led GM China through significant growth and change |
| General Motors / Shanghai GM | Executive Director, Shanghai GM Manufacturing | — | Operational leadership in China manufacturing |
| GM International Operations (GMIO) | VP, Manufacturing Engineering | — | Oversight of regional manufacturing engineering |
| GM International Operations (GMIO) | VP, New Business Development | — | Expansion and partnerships across regions |
| Shanghai GM | Executive Vice President | — | Senior operating leadership in JV |
| GM International Operations | Regional President, GMIO | — | Regional leadership across multiple markets |
| General Motors | Various roles in UK, Japan, Poland, China | ~28 years; nearly 20 in China | Broad international operations experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed in Lear’s 8-K appointment release or 2025 Proxy |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Blissett is independent under NYSE rules and Lear’s guidelines .
- Election and support: Elected at the 2025 annual meeting with 49,233,980 For, 103,310 Against, 17,499 Abstentions; broker non-votes 1,386,098 .
- Committees: Per Board practice, new non-employee directors are not appointed to committees in their first year; Blissett currently serves on no committees .
- Board structure/attendance: Board held 9 meetings in 2024; all directors met at least 75% attendance; all attended the 2024 annual meeting (Blissett joined in 2025) .
- Additional governance: Majority voting with resignation policy; mandatory retirement age 75; overboarding limits (non-employee directors ≤3 other public boards) . Hedging and pledging of Lear stock by directors is prohibited by policy .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee director) | $135,000; paid monthly in advance |
| Annual RSU award | ~$175,000 grant date value; vests on earlier of first anniversary or next annual meeting ≥50 weeks after prior meeting; pro-rata RSU if joining mid-cycle |
| Chair retainers | Audit Chair $30,000; People & Compensation Chair $25,000; Governance & Sustainability Chair $25,000 |
| Non-Executive Chair premiums | Additional $80,000 cash and $120,000 RSUs |
| Meeting fees | No regular meeting fees; $1,500 per Board meeting beyond 12 per year |
| Deferrals | Cash retainers can be deferred to a notional interest-bearing account; RSUs can be deferred to stock units; distributions per election/409A |
Notes specific to Blissett:
- Upon joining (Feb 14, 2025), received a pro-rated RSU that vests at the May 16, 2025 annual meeting; 448 units vested within 60 days of the record date and are counted as beneficially owned shares .
Performance Compensation
| Element | Metrics | Design |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-based pay for directors | Not applicable | Non-employee director equity consists of time-based RSUs; no performance-vested awards for directors |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed in LEA filings |
| Prior public company boards | Not disclosed in LEA filings |
| Interlocks (comp committee etc.) | Not disclosed; no P&C interlock noted for Blissett in proxy |
| Related-party transactions | None with Lear under Item 404(a); Board confirms independence |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Skills matrix indicates experience in: CEO/Large Business Head, Auto Industry, Strategy, Finance, Commercial/Marketing, Operations, Human Capital Management, International; also identified as a non-U.S. resident with Pan-Asian experience .
- Board recruited Blissett to add international/Asian market expertise following a director retirement; highlights Board refresh and succession approach .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Shares | % Outstanding | RSUs Held (unvested) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian G. Blissett | 448 | <1% | 0 | Includes 448 RSUs vesting on May 16, 2025 within 60 days of record date; no additional RSUs reported as of Mar 18, 2025 |
| Stock ownership guideline | 5x base annual cash retainer; must hold 50% of net shares until compliant | — | — | New directors reviewed for compliance at year-end 2025 |
| Pledging/hedging | Prohibited for directors | — | — | Per governance and insider trading policies |
As of record date March 18, 2025; shares outstanding 53,540,555 .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths/signals:
- Strong shareholder mandate at first election; clear independence and no related-party ties; brings directly relevant Asia/China operating experience to a globally exposed supplier Board .
- Board practice of delaying committee placement for first-year directors supports onboarding and effectiveness; avoids overboarding via explicit limits; robust anti-hedging/pledging and ownership guidelines align director/shareholder interests .
- Watch items / RED FLAGS:
- New director with limited time-in-seat and no committee assignment yet; monitor future committee placement (Audit/P&C/G&S) to leverage expertise .
- Low current share ownership (early tenure); compliance with 5x retainer guideline to be assessed at year-end 2025 .
- No evidence of conflicts or related-party exposure; Item 404(a) negative and independence affirmed .