Patricia Kummrow
SYNAPTICSAbout Patricia Kummrow
Patricia Kummrow, age 55, is an independent director of Synaptics (SYNA) serving since July 2021; she currently chairs the Nominating & Corporate Governance (N&CG) Committee and is a member of the Compensation Committee . She retired from Intel in 2025 after senior leadership roles in networking, edge, and platform engineering; she holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (minor in Mathematics) from the University of Texas at El Paso and an M.S. in Management of Technology from Walden University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Corporation | Corporate Vice President, IDM IP Strategy | 2024–2025 | Senior leadership role shaping Intel’s internal IP strategy |
| Intel Corporation | Corporate Vice President, Network and Edge Group; GM, Ethernet Division | 2017–2024 | Led Ethernet Division within Network & Edge; deep networking and edge compute exposure |
| Intel Corporation | Vice President, Platform Engineering Group | 2016–2017 | Platform engineering leadership |
| Intel Corporation | Senior engineering leadership roles | 2005–2016 | Embedded hardware/software leadership |
| Hewlett-Packard | Engineering and engineering management roles | Earlier career | Early engineering leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napatech (Oslo Stock Exchange) | Director; Compensation Committee Chair | Current | Public company directorship and committee leadership |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board has affirmatively determined Kummrow is independent; she serves on fully independent committees .
- Committee assignments: Chair, N&CG Committee; Member, Compensation Committee .
- CEO succession oversight: Chaired the Board’s CEO Search Committee during the 2025 CEO transition (formal framework approved Oct 2024) .
- Attendance: In FY2025, the Board met nine times and each director attended at least 75% of Board and relevant committee meetings; all directors at the time attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Executive sessions: Regular executive sessions of independent directors are held, led by the independent Board Chair .
- Committee meeting cadence FY2025: Compensation Committee – 6 meetings; N&CG Committee – 4 meetings .
- Over-boarding policy (governance context): ≤4 other public boards (≤1 if also a CEO) absent Chair/N&CG approval .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FY2025) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer (non-employee director) | $75,000 | Cash, paid quarterly; payable in cash or shares at director’s election |
| N&CG Committee Chair retainer | $15,000 | Annual chair fee |
| Compensation Committee member retainer | $10,000 | Annual member fee |
| Total cash fees earned (Kummrow) | $95,000 | Per director compensation table |
Directors may elect to receive annual cash retainers in shares; shares are calculated using the closing price on the payment date .
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant Date Fair Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Director RSUs | Nov 1, 2024 | 2,864 | $201,110 | Quarterly over one year | Standard annual grant for non-employee directors |
| Director RSUs (Code A) | Nov 3, 2025 | 3,036 | $0 (Form 4 report value) | As per director grant program | Reported on Form 4 (Code A) acquisition of common shares/RSUs |
- Options: None of the non-employee directors had stock options outstanding as of June 28, 2025 .
- Plan safeguards: Minimum 1-year vesting (95% of awards), no repricing, no evergreen, double-trigger CIC, director annual compensation cap $750,000 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Interlocks/Related-Party Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napatech (public, Oslo) | Director | Compensation Committee Chair | No SYNA related-party transactions >$120,000 disclosed in FY2025; none for directors |
| — | — | — | Compensation Committee interlocks: none for SYNA’s Compensation Committee members (incl. Kummrow) in FY2025 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Semiconductor industry; semiconductor technology; IoT/edge computing; AI/ML; software expertise (as indicated in SYNA’s Board skills matrix) .
- Corporate governance oversight (N&CG Chair), M&A, global business, supply chain experience highlighted across Board skills .
- Education: B.S. Electrical Engineering (UTEP), M.S. Management of Technology (Walden University) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of Aug 29, 2025) | 7,504 shares; <1% of outstanding common stock |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding (as of Jun 28, 2025) | 1,432 |
| Stock options | None outstanding (non-employee directors) |
| Pledging/hedging | Company policy prohibits hedging, margining, and pledging by directors |
| Director ownership guideline | ≥5x annual retainer within five years of Board service start; all non-employee directors met or were within the five-year period as of Jun 28, 2025 |
Recent insider filings (selected)
| Date | Form | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2024 | Form 4 | Annual director RSU grant filing (Kummrow Patricia Lorraine) |
| Nov 2, 2023 | Form 4 | Director RSU grant filing (Kummrow Patricia Lorraine) |
| Nov 3, 2025 | Form 4 | 3,036 shares acquired (Code A director grant) |
| Nov 4, 2025 | Form 4 | Additional filing posted (SECDatabase) |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; chairs N&CG and led the CEO search in 2025 under a formal succession framework, signaling active, structured oversight of leadership transitions . Strong technical credentials in semiconductors, AI/edge, and software align with SYNA’s strategy; serves on two key committees (Compensation and N&CG), supporting board effectiveness . Director compensation is balanced (cash + modest, time-vested RSUs), aligned by ownership guidelines and prohibitions on hedging/pledging .
- Alignment and engagement: Board holds regular executive sessions; all directors achieved ≥75% attendance in FY2025; Say-on-Pay support was 96% at the 2024 Annual Meeting, indicating broad investor confidence in compensation governance .
- Conflicts and red flags: No related-party transactions involving directors in FY2025; no Compensation Committee interlocks; no options outstanding for directors reduces incentive for repricing risk; director pay capped by plan .
- Watch items: Company-wide equity overhang and burn rate trends are being actively managed, but not director-specific; continued monitoring of board refreshment and Audit Chair search in progress is prudent for overall governance quality .
Overall signal: Kummrow’s committee leadership in governance and succession, combined with her semiconductor and AI/edge background, supports board effectiveness and strategic oversight; absence of conflicts and adherence to ownership/hedging policies strengthen investor alignment .