Sweta Chakraborty
LIGHTBRIDGEAbout Sweta Chakraborty
Independent director of Lightbridge Corporation since September 2021; age 40 as of March 12, 2025. A globally recognized risk and behavioral scientist with specializations spanning climate, COVID-19, and science-policy communication; currently CEO and Executive Board Member of North America for “We Don’t Have Time” and founder of “Adapt to Thrive.” Education: B.S. in Decision Science (Carnegie Mellon), Ph.D. in Behavioral Science (King’s College London), post-doctoral work at Oxford University. Independent under Nasdaq rules; serves on the Compensation Committee and the Governance & Nominating Committee. Attendance: each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings in 2024.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institute on Science for Global Policy | Associate Director | 2015–2018 | Developed scientific consensus and delivered evidence-based policy recommendations to policymakers |
| Lootok Ltd. | Cognitive Scientist & Project Lead | 2013–2014 | Designed communication strategies grounded in behavioral science with Fortune 100s (Mars, Novartis, PVH) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| We Don’t Have Time (Sweden-based tech start-up) | CEO & Executive Board Member, North America | Since 2015 | Climate impact reduction focus |
| Adapt to Thrive | Founder | Ongoing | Interactive platforms for adaptation knowledge |
| Top Tier Impact Group | Chair, Policy Action Unit | Since 2020 | Energy & climate policy focus |
| Center for Climate and Security | Fellow; host of “The Climate and Security” podcast | Ongoing | Nuclear/climate security communications |
Board Governance
- Independence: Determined independent by the Board pursuant to SEC/Nasdaq rules; majority of Board is independent.
- Committee assignments (FY2025 slate): Compensation Committee (member); Governance & Nominating Committee (member). Not a chair.
- Attendance: Each director attended at least 75% of Board (4 meetings) and relevant committee meetings in 2024; Compensation Committee met 5 times; Governance & Nominating met 4; Audit met 4.
- Governance structure: Combined CEO-Chair with a Lead Independent Director (Daniel B. Magraw).
- Clawback/Insider policies: Nasdaq-compliant clawback adopted in 2023; hedging/pledging/short sales prohibited.
- Say-on-pay: 2024 advisory vote approved by 81.6% of votes cast.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2024 | FY 2025 (Planned) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Retainer | $65,000 | $70,000 |
| Committee Chair Fees | None (member-only; chair fees only for chairs) | If chair: Audit $12k; Comp $8k; Gov/Nom $6k (not applicable to her unless appointed chair) |
| Meeting Fees | None disclosed | None disclosed |
| Payment Destination | Cash payments made directly to Adapt to Thrive (her company) | Same structure implied; not otherwise modified |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant-Date Fair Value | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Stock Award (Director annual grant) | Issued Jan 2, 2025 (awarded Dec 2024) | 17,183 equivalent shares | $100,000 (valued at $5.82/share) | Vests in full after one year of service (FY2024 program) |
| Restricted Stock Award (FY2025 program) | Annual | Not stated | $100,000 | Vests quarterly and in full after one year of service |
No director options or PSUs disclosed; equity is service-vested RSAs without performance metrics.
Performance Metric Table (Directors)
| Metric | Applies to Director Equity | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Service tenure | Yes | One-year service vest for director RSAs (FY2024); quarterly service vest for FY2025 program |
| Financial/TSR targets | No | No performance-based conditions disclosed for director equity |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company boards: No other public company directorships disclosed in the LTBR proxy biography or director compensation sections.
- Potential interlocks: None disclosed involving LTBR competitors/suppliers/customers.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Risk and behavioral science expertise; policy advisory experience to government agencies; proven corporate communications impact with Fortune 100s.
- Education: B.S. (Carnegie Mellon), Ph.D. (King’s College London), post-doc (Oxford).
- High-profile communications: Regular media appearances; keynote/speaking (SXSW 2019–2024; TEDxCalgary 2020); publications/op-eds.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Common | Pledged/Hedged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweta Chakraborty | Dec 31, 2024 | 40,950 | <1% | None pledged; hedging/pledging prohibited by policy |
| Sweta Chakraborty | Mar 12, 2025 (record date) | 52,538 | <1% | None pledged; hedging/pledging prohibited by policy |
Footnote on ownership tables indicates RS awards exercisable/vesting within 60 days are included where applicable; no options listed for Dr. Chakraborty.
Insider Trades and Section 16
| Item | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Late Section 16 filings | Not listed among late filers (late filings disclosed for NEOs only) |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; dual service on Compensation and Governance & Nominating Committees; adequate attendance; equity grants foster alignment; company-wide prohibition on hedging/pledging; Nasdaq-compliant clawback policy.
- Compensation alignment: Director pay is a mix of fixed cash retainer and annual RSAs; RSAs vest with continued service rather than performance conditions (standard for small-cap governance).
- Potential conflicts: Cash retainer paid to her company (Adapt to Thrive); however, Audit Committee reports no related-party transactions requiring disclosure under Item 404 for FY2024.
- RED FLAGS: None identified specific to Dr. Chakraborty—no disclosed related-party transactions, no pledging/hedging, not a chair drawing incremental fees; robust insider trading and clawback policies in place.
Context signals: Say-on-pay approval at 81.6% suggests acceptable investor sentiment toward compensation programs; committee interlocks: none; independent compensation consultant (Pay Governance LLC) engaged with no other Company work.