Jerry Burris
About Jerry W. Burris
Independent director at nVent Electric plc since 2018; age 61. President & CEO of Midwest Can Company since 2018, with prior senior operating roles at Associated Materials, Barnes Group, and GE (supply chain, services, and advanced materials). The Board has affirmatively determined he is independent under NYSE standards and company principles . He chairs nVent’s Compensation & Human Capital Committee and serves on the Governance & Sustainability Committee .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest Can Company | President & CEO | 2018–present | Leads a private manufacturer of portable fuel cans; brings manufacturing/operations expertise to nVent |
| Associated Materials Group | President & CEO | 2011–2014 | Led a building products manufacturer; experience in P&L and operations |
| Barnes Group | President, Precision Components; President, Barnes Industrial | Prior to 2011 | Global precision components leadership; operating best practices |
| General Electric (GE) | Multiple senior roles incl. CEO, Advanced Materials Quartz & Ceramics; GM Global Services (GE Healthcare); head of global supply chain sourcing (GE Industrial Systems/Honeywell Integration) | Earlier career | Deep supply chain, quality, product development; led GE African American Forum |
External Roles
| Company/Organization | Role | Since/Through | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohawk Industries, Inc. | Independent Director | 2022–present | Public company directorship |
| Fifth Third Bancorp | Independent Director | Within past 5 years (prior) | Past public board service |
| Midwest Can Company | Director | 2017–present | Private company directorship |
Board Governance
- Independence: Non-employee director; Board determined all non-employee directors (including Burris) are independent; CEO Wozniak not independent .
- Committees: Chair, Compensation & Human Capital; Member, Governance & Sustainability .
- Attendance: 2024 meeting cadence—Board 5 meetings; Audit & Finance 8; Compensation & Human Capital 4; Governance & Sustainability 4. All directors attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings; average attendance 100%; all directors attended 2024 AGM .
- Election support: Re-elected at 2025 AGM with 139,854,180 “For” vs. 905,666 “Against” (abstentions 184,872; broker non-votes 8,189,212) .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Element | 2024 Amount | Mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer | $85,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Committee chair retainer (Comp & Human Capital) | $15,000 | Paid to committee chairs |
| Committee member retainer (Comp & Human Capital) | $7,500 | Membership retainer in addition to chair fee |
| Committee member retainer (Governance & Sustainability) | $7,500 | Membership retainer |
| Total cash actually paid to Burris (2024) | $115,000 | Matches $85k + $15k + $7.5k + $7.5k |
- 2025 update: Board retainer increased to $90,000; annual equity grant target increased to $160,000 (from $150,000) .
Performance Compensation (Director)
- Directors receive time-based RSUs; no performance-based PSU component for directors. Annual RSU grant set at $150,000 in 2024; RSUs generally vest one year after grant .
- nVent’s executive incentive metrics (Revenue, Adjusted EPS, Free Cash Flow, ESG scorecard) apply to executives via the MIP—not to director pay .
Director Compensation (2024 Actuals)
| Component | Burris (USD) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $115,000 |
| Stock Awards (RSUs; grant-date fair value) | $150,019 |
| Total | $265,019 |
| Unvested RSUs at 12/31/2024 (units) | 1,875 |
| Outstanding stock options (legacy Pentair-converted) | 5,244 (non-employee directors only; company stopped granting options to directors) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public board: Mohawk Industries (flooring) since 2022 .
- Prior public board: Fifth Third Bancorp (banking) within past five years .
- Interlocks/conflicts: The Board evaluates customer/supplier ties for independence; relationships (where present) were < the greater of $1 million or 2% of the other organization’s revenues across 2022–2024 and not material to independence. Only Ms. Aaholm’s Cummins relationship is specifically listed; Burris had no such listed relationship .
- Related person transactions: None in 2023; none proposed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive leadership of global manufacturing and supply chain, quality, and product development; broad operations expertise .
- Human capital/compensation oversight as current Chair of nVent’s Compensation & Human Capital Committee; Committee engages independent consultant WTW; independence evaluated under NYSE factors .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ordinary shares owned | 45,040 |
| Right to acquire within 60 days (e.g., options) | 7,119 |
| Total beneficial ownership | 52,159 |
| Percent of class | <1% (as indicated for individuals not listed with a percentage) |
| Unvested RSUs | 1,875 units at 12/31/2024 |
| Outstanding options (legacy) | 5,244 (converted from pre-2018 Pentair options) |
| Stock ownership guideline (directors) | 5x annual board retainer within 5 years; all directors met guidelines as of 12/31/2024 except Ms. Aaholm (on track) |
| Hedging/pledging | Insider trading policy prohibits hedging and pledging for directors; exchange funds permitted for non‑management directors, but not employees |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independent director since IPO year; currently Chairs Compensation & Human Capital Committee, signaling strong voice on pay-for-performance and human capital strategy .
- Robust director ownership alignment: 5x retainer guideline; directors largely in compliance; annual equity delivered in full-value RSUs with one-year vesting .
- Shareholder support appears strong: re-elected in 2025 with 139.9M “For” vs 0.9M “Against” votes .
- No related-party transactions; Board independence processes and thresholds disclosed .
- Company-wide anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy applies to directors; clawback policy robust for incentive compensation and compliant with NYSE/SEC .
-
Watch items / potential risks
- Time commitments: external CEO role at Midwest Can plus public board service; company limits on outside boards and independence capacity reviews are disclosed and all directors are in compliance .
- Exchange funds permitted for non-management directors (while other hedging/pledging is prohibited); investors may prefer full prohibition; no individual exceptions disclosed for Burris .
-
Say-on-Pay sentiment (context for Comp Chair role)
- 2024 Say-on-Pay approval ~97% (proxy summary) .
- 2025 Say-on-Pay vote: 133,880,793 For; 6,809,445 Against; 254,480 Abstentions; 8,189,212 broker non-votes .
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Attendance and engagement
- 2024 attendance: all directors met ≥75% threshold; average 100%; strong governance engagement signals .
-
Compensation structure (directors)
- Mix balanced between cash and time-based equity; 2025 increases to cash retainer and equity grant modestly raise overall value while maintaining design .
Overall, Burris presents as a highly engaged, independent operator with deep manufacturing and supply chain expertise, strong investor support, and alignment through equity ownership and robust governance policies. No material conflicts or related-party exposures are disclosed .