Ho Kyu Kang

About Ho Kyu Kang

Independent director at Lam Research since 2023 (age 63), currently Chair of the Board’s Innovation and Technology Committee. Kang is Professor, Department of Systems Semiconductor Engineering at Yonsei University (since March 2021) and formerly Executive Vice President and Head of Research at Samsung Electronics’ Semiconductor R&D Center (2017–2021), with prior senior roles in process development and advanced technology (2003–2017). He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, an M.S. from KAIST, and a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Hanyang University .

Past Roles

Organization	Role	Tenure	Committees/Impact
Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R&D Center	EVP & Head of Research	2017–2021	Led R&D; senior executive of major Lam customer
Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R&D Center	EVP, Leader of Process Development	2015–2017	Advanced process development
Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R&D Center	SVP, Team Leader	2010–2015	Technology leadership
Samsung Electronics	VP, System LSI Process Architecture & Advanced Technology	2003–2010	Advanced technology programs
Samsung Electronics	R&D Engineer	From 1985	Early technical career

External Roles

Organization	Role	Tenure	Committees/Impact
Yonsei University	Professor, Systems Semiconductor Engineering	Mar 2021–Present	Academic leadership
Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)	Director (non-profit consortium)	2017–2020	Industry R&D governance
SEMATECH	Director (non-profit consortium)	2010–2015	Industry R&D governance

Board Governance

Committee assignments: Chair, Innovation & Technology Committee; members include Ahmed, Mayer, Talwalkar (4 meetings in FY2025) .
Independence: Board determined Kang (and all directors except the CEO) are independent under Nasdaq rules .
Attendance: All directors attended ≥75% of Board/committee meetings in FY2025; Board met 5 times; ITC met 4 times .
Other public company directorships: None listed for Kang in Lam’s nominee summary .
Lead Independent Director: Not applicable; independent Chair (Talwalkar) serves as Board Chair .
Governance practices: Majority voting standard, prohibition on hedging/pledging, stock ownership guidelines for directors, annual self-evaluations .

Fixed Compensation

Component	Calendar Year 2025 ($)	Fiscal Year 2025 ($)	Notes
Non-employee Director Annual Retainer	100,000	100,000	Program-level retainers
Innovation & Technology Committee – Chair	20,000	20,000	Committee chair retainer
Total Cash Earned (Kang)	—	120,000	FY2025 reported cash fees

Reference (prior year): FY2024 reported cash for Kang was $100,000; ITC retainers were pro-rated beginning May 2024 and planned for payment after the first committee meeting in Aug 2024, so not reflected in FY2024 .

Performance Compensation

Grant Date	Instrument	Shares (#)	Grant Date FV ($)	Price Basis	Vesting
Nov 8, 2024	RSUs (annual director grant)	2,950	228,094	Target $230,000; 30-day avg price $77.95	Vests Oct 31, 2025; service-based
Nov 10, 2023	RSUs (annual director grant)	369	250,119	Target $230,000; 30-day avg price $622.70	Vested Oct 31, 2024; service-based

Director equity awards are service-based RSUs; no performance metrics are applied to director equity grants. Awards accelerate under death/disability, corporate transaction, or if not re-elected before vest date; subject to Lam’s clawback policy and plan terms .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Company	Type	Current Board Seat	Notes
—	Public company	None	Lam’s proxy lists no current public boards for Kang
SRC; SEMATECH	Non-profit industry consortia	Former director	Past roles; not public issuers

Expertise & Qualifications

Deep semiconductor industry and customer technology knowledge; leadership, global business, and manufacturing/operations expertise flagged in Lam’s skills matrix .
Board nominators emphasize his senior executive experience at Samsung (major Lam customer) and deep equipment technology understanding .

Equity Ownership

Holder	Beneficial Ownership (#)	% of Class	Notes
Ho Kyu Kang	8,693	<1%	Includes 2,950 RSUs vesting within 60 days of Sep 5, 2025

Director stock ownership guidelines: at least 5x annual cash retainer by the fifth anniversary of initial election; directors are in compliance or have time remaining to meet requirements .
Hedging and pledging of Lam stock is prohibited under the Insider Trading Policy .

Governance Assessment

Board effectiveness: Kang chairs the Innovation & Technology Committee overseeing R&D strategy, investment levels, competitive positioning, IP protection, and emerging tech risks—aligning with his deep semiconductor process background . Strong attendance and an independent Board Chair support governance quality .
Alignment: Director compensation mixes cash retainers with annual RSUs that vest upon service, with an aggregate cap for outside director compensation under the 2025 Stock Incentive Plan ($1,000,000, $1,500,000 for a non-executive Chair) and minimum vesting periods; awards are subject to clawback .
Independence and conflicts: Board determined Kang is independent; Lam reports no related-party transactions involving directors or immediate family members >$120,000 for FY2025. The audit committee oversees related-party and conflict-of-interest situations. Kang’s past executive role at Samsung (a major Lam customer) is disclosed and considered by the Board in independence determinations; no material related-party transactions were reported, mitigating direct conflict risk .
Shareholder sentiment: Say-on-pay support has been strong (>90% from 2021–2024), and Lam prohibits hedging/pledging—both positive signals for governance and alignment .

RED FLAGS: None disclosed in proxy regarding Kang—no attendance issues, no related-party transactions, no hedging/pledging, and no other public board overboarding. Potential perceived conflict risk due to prior Samsung role is monitored via audit committee oversight; independence reaffirmed by Board .