Linda Williams
STEELCASEAbout Linda K. Williams
Independent director at Steelcase Inc. since 2020 (age 55). She is Vice President, Global Head of FP&A Finance for Google Cloud at Google LLC (since January 2024) and previously held senior finance, audit, and risk roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and predecessor companies from 1997–2021, including SVP, Products & Services CFO (2021) and Chief Audit Executive & VP, Enterprise Risk Management (2019–2021). The Board has designated her an Audit Committee Financial Expert. She is classified as independent under NYSE standards.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise (and predecessors) | SVP, Products & Services CFO | 2021 | Senior financial leadership |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | Chief Audit Executive & VP, Enterprise Risk Management | 2019–2021 | Led audit and ERM, governance expertise |
| HPE Pointnext Services Division | VP & CFO | 2015–2019 | Services P&L finance leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google LLC (Google Cloud) | VP, Global Head of FP&A Finance | Jan 2024–present | Current operating role |
| — | Other public company directorships | — | None disclosed in SCS proxy |
Board Governance
- Independence and service: Independent; director since 2020. The Board determined 8 of 10 directors are independent, including Ms. Williams.
- Committees: Audit Committee (member; designated Audit Committee Financial Expert), Compensation Committee (member).
- Committee activity in FY2025: Audit met 8 times; Compensation met 6 times.
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 12 times in FY2025; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting.
- Executive sessions: Board regularly meets in executive session without management, presided over by the non-executive Board Chair.
Fixed Compensation
Standard non-employee director structure (FY2025): Board annual retainer $215,000; paid 40% cash / 60% stock. Audit Committee member retainer $10,000 (cash). Committee Chair additional retainers: Audit $20,000; Compensation $15,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance $15,000; Corporate Business Development $15,000. Board Chair retainer $322,500.
Linda K. Williams – FY2025 director compensation:
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fees earned/paid in cash | $96,000 |
| Stock awards (Class A shares) | $129,000 |
| Total | $225,000 |
| Shares issued in FY2025 (from equity portion) | 9,959 shares |
Notes:
- The $215,000 board retainer paid 40% cash ($86,000) and 60% stock ($129,000), plus $10,000 Audit Committee member retainer in cash → $96,000 cash total.
- Directors may defer retainers into deferred stock under the Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan; no deferred stock is shown for Ms. Williams in FY2025 tables.
Performance Compensation
| Performance-linked element | FY2025 disclosure |
|---|---|
| Performance-based director pay elements or metrics | None disclosed; non-employee director pay consists of cash retainers and stock grants per standard arrangements. |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Other public company boards: None disclosed for Ms. Williams.
- Compensation Committee interlocks: The proxy states no interlocks or insider participation among Compensation Committee members. Ms. Williams served on the committee.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expertise: Designated Audit Committee Financial Expert.
- Functional expertise: Corporate finance (FP&A), auditing, enterprise risk management, large-scale tech operations.
- Industry experience: Technology and enterprise services (Google Cloud, HPE).
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Class A shares beneficially owned (as of May 12, 2025) | 55,620; <1% of Class A |
| Deferred stock credited (director plan) | None shown for Ms. Williams in FY2025 tables |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Company policy prohibits pledging by executive officers; directors may pledge only with pre-approval and blackout restrictions — no such transactions approved (implies none outstanding) |
| Hedging | Prohibited for directors, officers, employees |
| Director stock ownership guideline | ≥5x the cash portion of the board retainer; to be met within 5 years of board appointment. All directors with ≥5 years service are in compliance (company-level disclosure) |
Insider trading activity (Form 4): Our search found no Form 4 transactions for “Linda K. Williams” at SCS between 2024-01-01 and 2025-11-20. (Insider-trades skill search; no records returned.)
Related-Party and Conflict Considerations
- Independence assessment noted immaterial transactions with companies affiliated with certain independent directors (including Ms. Williams) or their immediate families; all fell within categorical independence standards.
- Formal Related Person Transactions Policy overseen by Nominating & Corporate Governance; categories, thresholds, and approval mechanics disclosed.
- Notable ongoing related-party relationship pertains to an independent dealer owned by another director (Forward Space); transactions are reviewed annually. No Williams-specific transactions were highlighted.
Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback (context for governance culture)
- Say-on-pay approval at 2024 annual meeting: 97.5%.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths for investor confidence:
- Independent director with deep finance/audit/risk credentials; Audit Committee Financial Expert.
- Dual service on Audit and Compensation committees with regular meeting cadence (8 and 6, respectively).
- Transparent director pay structure, largely equity-settled, aligned with shareholders; no meeting fees; cash/equity mix consistent with peers.
- Robust anti-hedging policy and tightly controlled pledging; no pledging approvals granted.
- Board reported ≥75% attendance per director and full annual meeting attendance.
- Watch items:
- Concurrent senior operating role at Google Cloud may create time‑commitment constraints during peak periods, though attendance thresholds were met.
- Company notes immaterial transactions with entities affiliated with several independent directors (including Ms. Williams) — currently within independence standards, but should be monitored for any escalation.