Reyad Fezzani
About Reyad Fezzani
Reyad Fezzani is an independent director of LanzaTech Global, Inc. (LNZA), appointed in January 2025; he is 58 years old and brings over 35 years of global energy and renewable sector experience, including senior executive roles at BP and leadership positions in renewable project development. He holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College London, is a Chartered Engineer, and a Fellow of IChemE, the Energy Institute, and the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining . The Board has affirmatively determined he is independent under Nasdaq standards, and his 8-K appointment further notes independence determined under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BP plc | CEO, BP Solar; Chairman, Tata-BP Solar; Leader, BP Global Wind and Solar | 23 years at BP (various senior roles) | Led global manufacturing and development of solar/wind assets across US, Europe, India, China, Australia . |
| BP plc | CEO, BP Global Chemicals | Prior to renewable roles | Led chemicals operations across Asia, Americas, and Europe; feedstocks for textiles, plastics, paints, adhesives . |
| Various (post-BP) | Board/advisor to early-stage and growth companies | Ongoing | Governance and strategic advisory in energy/technology companies . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start | Notes/Interlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Collect Limited; Carbon Collect, Inc. | Director | Current | Direct air capture company; potential technology adjacency to LNZA’s carbon management focus . |
| Regenerate Power LLC | Chairman & CEO | Current | Co-founded; developer/owner of utility-scale renewables . |
| Energy Finance Company LLC | Chairman & Managing Partner | Current | Distributed generation projects; owner/operator of generation assets . |
| Woodard & Curran (ESOP) | Lead Independent Director | Current | Engineering company; additional board experience in infrastructure and environmental services . |
| Tata BP Solar India | Chairman (prior) | Prior | Leadership in solar manufacturing and deployment . |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Board class and tenure | Appointed as Class II director with term proposed to expire at the 2028 Annual Meeting, subject to stockholder election; Class II terms expire in 2028 . |
| Independence | Determined independent by the Board under Nasdaq listing standards; 8-K also notes independence under NYSE standards . |
| Committee memberships | Audit Committee member; Audit Committee chaired by Dorri McWhorter. Compensation Committee: Byrne, Messina, Pilenko, Rieschel. Nominating & Governance Committee: Gormly, McWhorter, Messina . |
| Committee meeting cadence (2024) | Audit: 8 meetings; Compensation: 4 meetings; Nominating & Governance: 5 meetings . |
| Board meetings and attendance (2024) | Ten Board meetings; each director (serving in 2024) attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; five of six directors attended the 2024 annual meeting. Fezzani’s appointment occurred in 2025 (no 2024-specific attendance) . |
| Lead Independent Director | Jim Messina; responsibilities include presiding in CEO’s absence, leading executive sessions, calling special meetings, liaison roles . |
| Related-party oversight | Audit Committee reviews material related party transactions; maintains procedures and independence controls . |
| Governance policies | Code of Conduct & Ethics; Insider Trading Policy; Prohibitions on hedging, short-selling, pledging, and derivative transactions by directors and employees . |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $60,000 | Non-employee directors . |
| Lead Independent Director cash retainer (incremental) | $30,000 | Applies to Lead Independent Director . |
| Audit Committee member fee | $10,000 | Annual cash per member . |
| Audit Committee chair additional fee | $10,000 | Incremental chair cash fee . |
| Compensation Committee member fee | $7,500 | Annual cash per member . |
| Compensation Committee chair additional fee | $7,500 | Incremental chair cash fee . |
| Nominating & Governance Committee member fee | $5,000 | Annual cash per member . |
| Nominating & Governance Committee chair additional fee | $5,000 | Incremental chair cash fee . |
Note: The 2024 director compensation table does not include Fezzani because he did not serve during fiscal 2024 .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Type | Grant Value | Grant Date Basis | Vesting | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-vested RSUs (annual) | $100,000 | 5-day VWAP as of April 4, 2024 | Time-vested (no performance metrics disclosed) | Grant-date fair value under ASC 718 . |
No PSUs, options, or performance-based director metrics were disclosed; RSU awards to directors are time-based and valued at market price at grant .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Conflict/Interlock Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon Collect Limited; Carbon Collect, Inc. | Director | Technology adjacency with LNZA’s carbon management focus; no related-party transactions disclosed involving Fezzani; Audit Committee reviews any material related parties . |
| Regenerate Power LLC | Chairman & CEO | Renewable generation developer/owner; no disclosed transactions with LNZA . |
| Energy Finance Company LLC | Chairman & Managing Partner | Distributed generation finance/operator; no disclosed transactions with LNZA . |
| Woodard & Curran | Lead Independent Director | Engineering/services; no disclosed transactions with LNZA . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Renewable energy and chemicals leadership; extensive global project execution in wind/solar and chemicals manufacturing .
- Education: Master’s in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London; Chartered Engineer; Fellow of IChemE, Energy Institute, and Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining .
- Board and advisory experience across energy and technology companies .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Common Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Common | Preferred Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reyad Fezzani | — | — | — | — |
- Applicable percentages based on 231,964,989 common and 20,000,000 preferred outstanding as of the record date; Fezzani not reported with a beneficial ownership line item in the table .
- Pledging and hedging: Company policy prohibits hedging, short-selling, borrowing against accounts holding company stock, or pledging as collateral for loans by directors and employees .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Fezzani brings deep domain expertise in renewables and project finance; he is placed on the Audit Committee, indicating financial literacy and risk oversight involvement, with Audit’s remit covering internal controls and related-party transactions—material for investor confidence in LNZA’s scaling efforts .
- Independence and engagement: Board determined independent; appointed January 2025; committee cadence shows active oversight; 2024 attendance thresholds met by sitting directors; Fezzani’s personal attendance not yet disclosed (joined in 2025) .
- Compensation alignment: Non-employee director compensation mixes cash retainer plus time-vested RSUs; absence of performance-based director equity reduces pay-for-performance linkage but aligns with common small-cap practices; Fezzani did not receive 2024 awards due to timing .
- Conflicts and related parties: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Fezzani; Audit Committee reviews any material related party transactions and the company maintains a written Related Party Transactions Policy requiring Audit Committee approval for items >$120,000 involving related persons .
- RED FLAGS: None specific to Fezzani disclosed. Company-wide Section 16 reporting delinquencies noted for certain directors and executives in 2024; Fezzani not named among late filers. Pledging/hedging is prohibited, which mitigates alignment risks .