Daniel Artemus Steingart
About Daniel Artemus Steingart
Daniel Artemus “Dan” Steingart, 47, is an independent director of T1 Energy (TE) since January 2023. He is the Stanley‑Thompson Professor of Chemical Metallurgy at Columbia University and Co‑Director of the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center, with a PhD in Materials Science from UC Berkeley and 24 years of electrochemical technology and scale‑up experience . The Board has determined he is independent under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University (MAE; Andlinger Center) | Associate Professor | 2013–2019 | Energy/environment research and teaching |
| City College, City University of New York | Assistant Professor (Chemical Engineering) | — | Early academic appointment in electrochemistry |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | Stanley‑Thompson Professor; Co‑Director, Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center | 2019–present | Leads academic research on electrochemical energy |
| Electra | Advisor | 2020–present | Industry advisory role |
| Liminal Insights Inc. | Co‑founder | 2015–present | Industrial sensing/analytics for batteries (founder) |
| Sila Nanotechnologies Inc. | Industry Advisor | 2016–present | Advanced battery materials advisor |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and roles:
- Compensation Committee: Chair (independent) .
- Europe Optimization Committee: Member .
- Independence and engagement:
- Independent director (NYSE definition) .
- Board held 17 meetings in 2024; each incumbent director then in office attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- Additional governance structures:
- Independent director executive sessions held regularly; independent directors meet in executive session no less than annually .
- Compensation Committee retained independent consultant (Kavea Consulting); committee determined no conflicts of interest in 2024 .
- Company has adopted a clawback policy compliant with NYSE rules covering incentive compensation for current and former executive officers .
- Insider trading policy prohibits hedging and pledging by directors and employees (pledging only with written approval) .
- Notable governance consideration (interlock risk): Under the Trina Cooperation Agreement, for so long as Trina holds specified ownership thresholds and has an independent designee, a Seller‑designated director is entitled to a seat on each of the Nominating & Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees; Seller nominated Mingxing Lin to the Board . Current standing committee membership shows Compensation Committee as Steingart (Chair) and Slettemoen, and Nominating & Corporate Governance as Strine (Chair), Anderson, Kantor, Slettemoen .
Fixed Compensation
Non‑employee director program (annual cash retainers, 2024 schedule):
| Description | Cash Fee ($) |
|---|---|
| Annual director retainer | $100,000 |
| Audit & Risk Committee Chair retainer | $35,000 |
| Compensation Committee Chair retainer | $25,000 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair retainer | $25,000 |
| Audit & Risk Committee member retainer | $20,000 |
| Compensation Committee member retainer | $10,000 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance member retainer | $10,000 |
Individual 2024 director compensation (Steingart):
| Component | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 126,511 | Director/committee service |
| All Other Compensation | 12,500 | $5,000 Technology Advisory Board; $7,500 Europe Optimization Committee |
| Stock‑based Awards | — | None granted in 2024 to Steingart |
| Total | 139,011 | Sum of above |
Outstanding option awards (as of 12/31/2024):
| Instrument | Aggregate Shares Underlying Options |
|---|---|
| Non‑employee director options (vested/unvested mix per award schedules) | 50,000 |
Performance Compensation
- Non‑employee directors do not receive performance‑based annual bonuses or PSU awards; no director‑specific performance metrics disclosed for 2024 .
- Company‑wide (executive) incentive design overseen by the Compensation Committee (chaired by Steingart):
- 2024 STIP Company metrics (50% of outcome): auto production milestone (20% weight), conditional financing approval (15%), budgeted cash spend and compliant quarterly reporting (15%) .
- 2025 STIP introduced seven corporate measures (including EHS compliance, CFIUS approval, integration, operations at G1, cell facility development, EBITDA) plus three individual measures to reinforce pay‑for‑performance .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed beyond T1 Energy . |
| Prior public company boards | None disclosed . |
| Corporate interlocks/conflicts | None disclosed for Steingart; no related‑party transactions identified involving him . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Electrochemistry and battery manufacturing scale‑up expert; advisor to multiple energy storage companies; academic center co‑director (Columbia) .
- Board‑level compensation oversight experience as Compensation Committee Chair .
- Governance, investor, and technology advisory exposure via Technology Advisory Board and Europe Optimization Committee service (paid stipends) .
Equity Ownership
Beneficial ownership (includes options/warrants exercisable within 60 days, RSUs vested/not settled; percent of class indicated when disclosed):
| Metric | As of May 14, 2025 (Record Date) | As of Oct 21, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 33,333 (all via options exercisable within 60 days) | 33,333 (stock options vested and exercisable within 60 days) |
| Ownership % of outstanding | Less than 1% | Less than 1% |
| Shares pledged as collateral | None disclosed; company policy prohibits pledging absent written approval | None disclosed; same policy |
Governance Assessment
-
Positives
- Independence affirmed; chairs Compensation Committee and is not an executive of the company .
- Robust governance infrastructure: clawback policy, anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging policy, independent compensation consultant with no conflicts; regular executive sessions .
- Attendance: all incumbent directors met ≥75% threshold in 2024, indicating engagement .
- Technical depth in electrochemistry aligns with TE’s battery/solar ambitions; relevant to strategy and compensation metric setting for operations‑linked goals .
-
Watch‑items / potential red flags
- Trina Cooperation Agreement grants board/committee nomination rights to a significant shareholder (subject to independence conditions). While current committee rosters show Steingart and Slettemoen on Compensation, continuing oversight is warranted to preserve committee independence as ownership/board composition evolves .
- Director compensation is largely cash‑based (no 2024 equity grant), which may modestly reduce direct equity alignment versus peers; however, Steingart holds outstanding options and received small stipends for advisory/optimization committee service .
-
Shareholder sentiment
- Say‑on‑pay support of 72.8% in the prior year suggests room for continued investor engagement on pay design and outcomes; the committee has enhanced 2025 STIP metrics breadth, which may improve alignment .