Hong Du
About Hong Du
Hong Du, 53, is an independent director of Playtika Holding Corp. and has served on the Board since January 2022. She is Co‑President and Chief Operating Officer of SINA Corporation (since February 2013) and has been a director of Weibo Corporation since January 2014. She holds a B.S. in Applied Chemistry from Harbin Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Business Administration from Lincoln University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees / Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| SINA Corporation | Co‑President & Chief Operating Officer | Feb 2013 – Present | Senior operating leadership over technology/media platform |
| SINA Corporation | COO | Feb 2008 – Feb 2013 | Operations leadership |
| SINA Corporation | SVP, Sales & Marketing | Feb 2007 – Feb 2008 | Commercial leadership |
| SINA Corporation | VP, Sales | Sep 2005 – Feb 2007 | Sales leadership |
| SINA Corporation | General Manager, Sales | Apr 2005 – Aug 2005 | Commercial role |
| SINA Corporation | General Manager, Sales Strategy | Jan 2005 – Mar 2005 | Strategy role |
| 1Pai.com (JV SINA/Yahoo!) | Deputy General Manager | May 2004 – Jan 2005 | JV leadership |
| SINA Corporation | Business Development | Nov 1999 – Apr 2004 | Corporate development |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weibo Corporation (public) | Director | Jan 2014 – Present | Committee service not disclosed in PLTK proxy |
| SINA Corporation (private) | Co‑President & COO | Feb 2013 – Present | Executive role, not a board seat |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Ms. Du is independent under SEC and Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee; the Committee met five times in 2024. She also served on a Special Committee in 2024 (paid a monthly retainer) .
- Attendance: The Board met seven times in 2024; all directors attended at least 75% of Board and relevant committee meetings. Directors did not attend the 2024 virtual annual meeting of stockholders .
- Board structure: Playtika is a “controlled company” but does not use Nasdaq controlled-company exemptions (majority‑independent committee composition maintained) .
- Anti-hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits directors from hedging or pledging Playtika securities .
- Compensation Committee Report: Signed by Hong Du (with Bing Yuan), indicating active oversight of executive pay .
Fixed Compensation (Director; 2024)
| Component | Detail | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board Retainer (cash) | Non‑employee director retainer | $50,000 |
| Committee Fees (cash) | Compensation Committee member fee | $10,000 |
| Special Committee (cash) | Member fee ($20,000 per month) | Included within total cash; Ms. Du’s 2024 cash fees totaled $300,000 |
| Equity Grant (RSUs) | 31,776 fully vested RSUs; grant‑date fair value | $230,694 |
| Total 2024 Director Compensation | Cash + Stock | $530,694 (Cash $300,000; Stock $230,694) |
- Mix: Cash 56.5% ($300k) vs Equity 43.5% ($230.7k), derived from the disclosed amounts .
Performance Compensation
- No performance‑based director compensation was disclosed for Ms. Du; 2024 director equity was granted as fully vested RSUs, and no unvested director awards were outstanding at year‑end 2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Sector | Role | Potential Interlock / Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weibo Corporation | Social media | Director | No Playtika related‑party transaction with Ms. Du disclosed in 2024–2025 proxy . |
| SINA Corporation | Internet/media | Co‑President & COO | Executive role at SINA; proxy discloses no related party transactions involving Ms. Du . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology and digital media operating expertise (long tenure at SINA) .
- Public company board experience (Weibo) .
- Compensation oversight experience (member and signatory of PLTK Compensation Committee report) .
- Education: B.S. Applied Chemistry (Harbin Institute of Technology); M.S. Business Administration (Lincoln University) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (shares) | 107,312 shares; <1% of outstanding |
| Vested vs Unvested | No non‑employee directors held unvested awards as of Dec 31, 2024 |
| 2024 Director RSU Grant | 31,776 fully vested RSUs (grant‑date fair value $230,694) |
| Pledged/Hedged Shares | Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director with relevant operating and public board experience; active committee contributor and signatory on Compensation Committee report .
- Company maintains independent committees despite controlled‑company status; robust anti‑hedging/pledging policy and adopted SEC/Nasdaq‑compliant clawback policy (company‑wide) .
- Director pay structure includes equity, providing alignment; no unvested director awards outstanding year‑end 2024, reducing overhang complexity .
- Watch items:
- Special Committee service carried significant monthly retainers ($20k/month). While this signals elevated workload, investors may scrutinize the mandate and outputs of the Special Committee given the cash intensity relative to base board fees .
- The Board disclosed that directors did not attend the 2024 virtual annual meeting of stockholders—investors may prefer visible director presence at annual meetings as an engagement signal .
- Ms. Du’s senior executive role at SINA and board role at Weibo present external commitments; no PLTK related‑party transactions involving Ms. Du are disclosed in the proxy .
Contextual shareholder signals:
- Say‑on‑pay support was ~85% at the 2024 annual meeting, indicating generally supportive sentiment toward compensation governance (Comp Committee signed by Du) .