Colleen Taylor
LOWES COMPANIESAbout Colleen Taylor
Colleen Taylor (age 57) is an independent director at Lowe’s Companies, Inc., serving since 2022. She is President, U.S. Merchant Services at American Express and brings deep payments, merchant acquiring, and technology risk management expertise; she is designated an “audit committee financial expert.” She served on the board of Bill.com (2020–2022). Independence affirmed under NYSE and Lowe’s categorical standards; all incumbent directors attended at least 90% of meetings in fiscal 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Company | President, U.S. Merchant Services | 2020–Present | Senior leadership in merchant services, payments; accountable for technology/e-commerce delivered to large merchants |
| Wells Fargo & Company | EVP, Merchant Services | 2019–2020 | Payments/merchant services leadership |
| Mastercard Incorporated | EVP, New Payments | 2017–2019 | Led new payments initiatives |
| Capital One Financial Corporation | EVP, Head of Treasury Management, Merchant Services & Enterprise Payments (and other roles) | 2009–2017 | Payments, risk management, strategic planning |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill.com Holdings, Inc. | Director (public company) | 2020–2022 | Prior public board service |
| American Express Company | President, U.S. Merchant Services (executive) | 2020–Present | Executive role; not a Lowe’s directorship |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit; Sustainability; Technology. Not a chair. Designated an “audit committee financial expert” by the Board .
- Independence: Board determined Taylor is independent under NYSE and company standards; all current committees are composed solely of independent directors .
- Attendance: Board held 5 meetings; each incumbent director attended ≥90% of Board/committee meetings in fiscal 2024; directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Committee activity (FY24 meetings): Audit (9), Compensation (6), Nominating & Governance (6), Sustainability (3), Technology (2) .
- Board leadership and process: Lead Independent Director role in place; executive sessions of independent directors at each meeting; robust annual Board/committee/self evaluations and active risk oversight (including cybersecurity and AI) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FY2024) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $100,000 | No meeting fees; committee member service has no additional fee unless chair |
| Committee chair fees | $0 | Not applicable (Taylor is not a chair) |
| Lead Independent Director fee | $0 | Not applicable |
| Equity (Deferred Stock Units) | $221,290 | Aggregate grant-date fair value; 1,000 DSUs for each non-employee director in 2024 |
| Total (cash + equity) | $321,290 | As reported for Colleen Taylor |
Additional structure:
- Target mix one-third cash, two-thirds equity at market median; 2025: annual DSU award increased to $215,000, audit/comp chair retainers to $30,000/$25,000 (not applicable to Taylor unless roles change) .
Performance Compensation
Directors do not receive performance-vested awards; equity is granted as time-based Deferred Stock Units.
| Award Type | Grant Size | Vesting | Dividends | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deferred Stock Units (DSUs) | 1,000 units in 2024 (each director) | Vest on earlier of 1-year anniversary or day before next Annual Meeting; payout in shares at end of Board service | Dividend equivalents credited as additional units | Not applicable for non-employee directors (no EPS/TSR/ROIC metrics) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public boards: None disclosed for Taylor (prior: Bill.com 2020–2022) .
- Potential interlocks/conflicts: The Board’s independence review considered ordinary-course transactions with organizations where directors or their immediate family members are officers or directors; all such transactions were well below 2% of the counterparty’s revenue and deemed immaterial. Board affirmed independence for Taylor under these standards .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Payments/merchant acquiring, banking, and e-commerce platforms; technology risk management and cybersecurity oversight; strategic planning and financial analysis; leadership of large global sales/product/operations teams. Designated “audit committee financial expert” by the Board .
Equity Ownership
| Holding Type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (common shares) | 2,240 shares (<1% of outstanding) | As of March 24, 2025; includes shares issuable within 60 days (footnote shows 2,211 attributable to issuable/deferred categories) |
| Deferred Stock Units (director plan) | 3,197 units | As of January 31, 2025 |
| Pledged shares / Hedging | None permitted under policy | Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy applies to directors |
| Ownership guidelines | 5x annual cash retainer; 5-year compliance window | All current directors have met or are on track |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Strong committee alignment to Taylor’s expertise (Audit/Sustainability/Technology), with financial expert designation enhancing audit oversight credibility. Attendance and participation thresholds met; independent director structure and executive sessions provide robust oversight .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay is simple, market-median, with majority equity via DSUs to align with shareholders; no meeting fees or performance “stretch” incentives that could bias oversight. 2025 small upward adjustments keep market competitiveness without adding risk .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-person transactions disclosed for Taylor; Board’s independence review specifically considered ordinary-course relationships tied to directors’ outside affiliations and deemed them immaterial under its categorical standards; Taylor remains independent .
- Shareholder signals: Say-on-pay support at 92% in 2024 reflects favorable investor sentiment toward compensation governance; ongoing shareholder engagement and committee oversight of E&S and technology risks support investor confidence .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Taylor (no attendance shortfalls, no related-party transactions, no pledging/hedging). Potential perceived conflict due to payments-industry executive role mitigated by formal independence determinations with quantified immateriality thresholds .