Laurel Hurd
THOR INDUSTRIESAbout Laurel Hurd
Laurel Hurd, age 55, has served as an independent director of THOR Industries since 2021 and is designated as an Audit Committee financial expert. She is President & CEO of Interface, Inc. (since April 2022) and previously held senior leadership roles at Newell Brands; she holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Miami University (Oxford, OH) . She currently serves on THOR’s Audit and Compensation & Development Committees, and is classified as independent under NYSE standards; directors meet in executive session after each Audit, Compensation, and Board meeting .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newell Brands | Segment President, Learning & Development | Mar 2019 – Apr 2022 | Led legacy brands via innovation, digital acceleration, global expansion |
| Newell Brands | CEO, Writing Division | Mar 2018 – Mar 2019 | Business unit leadership |
| Newell Brands | CEO, Baby Division | Jan 2017 – Mar 2018 | Business unit leadership |
| Newell Brands | President, Home & Baby Division | Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | Business unit leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface, Inc. | President & CEO; Director | Apr 2022 – Present | Global commercial flooring company; sustainability leader |
| THOR Industries | Audit Committee, Compensation & Development Committee | 2021 – Present | Audit financial expert designation |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit (financial expert) and Compensation & Development; not a committee chair .
- Independence and structure: 8 of 9 directors independent; independent Chairman; separate Chair/CEO roles; majority voting standard for directors .
- Attendance: Directors attended 98% of combined Board and Committee meetings; full Board met 6 times with 96% aggregate attendance; no committee-assigned director attended less than 94%; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet in executive session after each Audit, Compensation, and Board meeting .
- Related-party transactions oversight: Audit Committee reviews and approves Item 404 transactions; none identified in FY2025 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period/Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (Director) | $170,000 | FY2025 | Payable quarterly; plus expense reimbursement |
| Committee chair fees | N/A | FY2025 | Audit Chair $25,000; Comp/ESG&N Chairs $20,000; Hurd is not a chair |
| Chairman premium | N/A | FY2025 | Chairman receives $250,000; not applicable to Hurd |
| Total cash fees (Hurd) | $170,000 | FY2025 | As reported |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award | Grant Date | Fair Value ($) | Terms/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director Stock Award (Hurd) | Oct 8, 2024 | $129,942 | Annual equity grant to all directors; no options granted to directors |
- No performance metrics disclosed for director equity; THOR’s Amended & Restated Equity Plan codifies governance features (no dividends on unvested awards; double-trigger vesting for assumed awards on change in control; minimum one-year vesting) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Overlap/Interlock Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Interface, Inc. | President & CEO; Director | Different industry (commercial flooring); THOR Audit Committee disclosed no related-party transactions in FY2025 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 30+ years in consumer-packaged goods, with track record in innovation, digital acceleration, and global expansion .
- Audit Committee financial expert designation; brings finance literacy and risk oversight experience to THOR’s Audit Committee .
- Education: Bachelor’s in business administration and marketing, Miami University (Oxford, OH) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Pledged/Hedged | Ownership Guidelines | Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Hurd | 5,084 | <1% | Hedging/short sale/pledging prohibited for directors | 4× annual cash retainer for directors | Board members in compliance or expected within timeline |
Insider Trades
| Item | FY2025 Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Section 16 filings (Form 4) | No delinquent filings for Hurd | Company reported all officers/directors satisfied filing requirements in FY2025; one late Form 4 gift by Orthwein only |
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Composition: Independent directors only; FY2025 members: Amelia A. Huntington (Chair), Christina Hennington, Laurel Hurd, Jeffrey D. Lorenger; 8 meetings .
- Consultant: Willis Towers Watson (WTW) engaged; fees $116,834; provides benchmarking, peer analysis, and CD&A input .
- Interlocks: No compensation committee interlocks or insider participation disclosed for FY2025 .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent Chair; robust executive sessions; strong attendance; mandatory age-based resignation policy; clawback policy exceeding SEC requirements; anti-hedging/pledging; proxy access; double-trigger equity change-in-control; director ownership guidelines support alignment .
- Alignment: Hurd’s compensation mix (cash retainer plus annual stock award) and beneficial ownership, alongside strict anti-hedging/pledging and director stock ownership guidelines, support investor alignment .
- Conflicts: Interface CEO role noted; Audit Committee reported no related-party transactions in FY2025; Board states no directors serve on an excessive number of outside boards, mitigating overboarding concerns .
- Shareholder signal: 97% Say-on-Pay approval at 2024 Annual Meeting and ongoing shareholder engagement suggest broad support for THOR’s compensation governance framework .