Najuma Atkinson
MarqetaAbout Najuma Atkinson
Najuma Atkinson (age 53) has served as an independent director of Marqeta (MQ) since 2023 and is Chair of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee . She is CEO of Najuma Atkinson Consulting (since 2025), previously EVP, Chief People Officer and Special Advisor at Hasbro (2021–2025) and SVP Global HR Services at Dell Technologies (2019–2021), with earlier HR, customer experience, and strategy roles at Dell (1999–2019) . Education: BA, Political Science, Fisk University; MBA, Organizational Management, Trevecca Nazarene University . The Board has determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules; each incumbent director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings in 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbro, Inc. | EVP, Chief People Officer and Special Advisor | 2021–2025 | Led global HR; alignment of human capital strategy |
| Dell Technologies | SVP, Global HR Services | 2019–2021 | Scaled HR operations and technology |
| Dell Technologies | Various roles (HR, Customer Experience, Strategy) | 1999–2019 | Data-driven HR; employee experience technology |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Najuma Atkinson Consulting | CEO | 2025–present | Executive coaching, assessment, advisory services |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee Chair; Nomination & Governance Committee member .
- Independence: Board determined Atkinson is independent; committees are composed exclusively of independent directors .
- Attendance and engagement: Each incumbent director attended at least 75% of meetings in 2024; Board held executive sessions of independent directors regularly, presided by the independent Chair (Jud Linville) .
- Stock ownership/behavioral policies: Non-employee directors must reach stock ownership equal to 5x annual cash retainer within five years; hedging and pledging are prohibited .
| Body/Committee | Role (Atkinson) | 2024 Meetings Held |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Directors | Director | 13 |
| Compensation Committee | Chair | 5 |
| Nomination & Governance Committee | Member | 4 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (policy) | $50,000 | Non-employee director cash retainer |
| Compensation Committee Chair (policy) | $15,000 | Additional annual cash retainer |
| Initial RSU grant (policy) | $400,000 | Vests in three equal annual installments; accelerates on “sale event” per plan |
| Annual RSU grant (policy) | $200,000 | Vests by earlier of 1 year or next annual meeting; accelerates on “sale event” |
| FY2024 Fees Earned (cash) | $58,736 | Actual cash fees paid in FY2024 |
| FY2024 RSUs (grant-date value) | $199,996 | Annual grant in FY2024 |
| FY2024 Total | $258,733 | Cash + RSU grant-date value |
- RSU vesting schedules for directors: Initial Grant in three annual installments; Annual Grant vests in full by earlier of one year or next annual meeting; Chair RSU retainer follows Annual Grant terms; cash election allowed for Annual/Chair RSU only if stock ownership requirements met and 5+ years service .
Performance Compensation
| Performance-Based Director Pay Elements | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-linked director awards or metrics | None disclosed | Non-employee director compensation consists of cash retainers and time-based RSUs; no performance metrics tied to director compensation |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No public-company directorships disclosed for Atkinson in MQ’s proxy |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Global HR management, talent development, and culture building; data-driven HR and technology deployment to enhance employee experience .
- Strategic alignment of human capital with business objectives; executive leadership at public companies (Hasbro, Dell) .
- Education: BA (Fisk), MBA (Trevecca Nazarene) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 141,405 Class A shares; less than 1% |
| Composition of holdings | 103,018 Class A shares owned; 38,387 RSUs scheduled to vest within 60 days of April 21, 2025 |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding (12/31/2024) | 100,114 RSUs |
| Options | None disclosed for Atkinson among directors’ outstanding options |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited by policy |
| Ownership guidelines | 5x annual cash retainer; compliance required by later of Feb 2028 or five years after joining Board |
Governance Assessment
- Committee leadership and independence: As Compensation Committee Chair, Atkinson oversaw an independent process engaging Compensia, Inc. (independent consultant), including peer group design, market analyses, disclosure guidance, and program risk assessment—signals of robust governance and process rigor .
- Board effectiveness: Independent Chair; regular executive sessions; refreshed committee membership; clear risk oversight across committees—supports investor confidence in oversight quality .
- Attendance and engagement: At least 75% attendance for incumbents in 2024, alongside limited committee meeting loads (5 Compensation; 4 NGC)—suggests consistent participation .
- Alignment and safeguards: Mandatory stock ownership (5x retainer), prohibitions on hedging/pledging, and a formal related-party transaction policy reviewed by the Audit Committee mitigate misalignment and conflict risks .
- Related-party exposure: No Atkinson-specific related-party transactions disclosed; company disclosed one legal services relationship tied to an executive’s spouse (not Atkinson), overseen with policy controls—no Atkinson conflict noted .
Red flags: None specific to Atkinson disclosed (no hedging/pledging, no related-party transactions, independent status, attendance ≥75%) .