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Matthew Farrell

Director at TrinseoTrinseo
Board

About Matthew Farrell

Matthew Farrell (age 68) is an independent director of Trinseo PLC, serving since November 2020. He is Chairman of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (CHD) since 2019 and served as CHD’s President & CEO from 2016 through March 2025. He holds a B.S. from Manhattan College and is a certified public accountant (inactive), bringing CFO/CEO experience and audit expertise to TSE’s board . The Board has affirmatively determined he is independent under NYSE standards .

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
Church & Dwight Co., Inc.President & CEO2016–Mar 2025Led consumer products company; later became Chairman (see External Roles)
Church & Dwight Co., Inc.EVP, CFO & COOStarting 2014Senior finance/operations leadership
Church & Dwight Co., Inc.CFOStarting 2006Financial leadership
Alpharma Inc.Chief Financial OfficerNot disclosedSenior financial leadership
Ingersoll-Rand Ltd.VP, Investor Relations & CommunicationsNot disclosedCapital markets and communications
AlliedSignal Inc.Senior financial positionsNot disclosedFinance leadership roles
KPMG Peat Marwick LLPAudit PartnerNot disclosedAudit partner; CPA (inactive)

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureNotes
Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE: CHD)Chairman of the Board2019–presentCurrent public company directorship
Lydall Co., Inc. (NYSE: LDL)Director2003–2021Past public company board

Board Governance

  • Board attendance: Board members attended 100% of Board and committee meetings in 2024 .
  • Executive sessions: Non-management directors meet in executive session at least once per regularly scheduled meeting; independent directors meet at least annually; sessions chaired by Board Chair K’Lynne Johnson .
  • Board leadership: Independent, non-executive Chair (K’Lynne Johnson) separate from CEO .
Governance AttributeStatus/Details
IndependenceIndependent under NYSE standards
Director sinceNovember 2020
CommitteesAudit Committee (Audit Committee Financial Expert); Compensation & Talent Development Committee (member)
Committee chair rolesNone (Audit Chair: Jeanmarie Desmond; Comp Chair: Joseph Alvarado)
Compensation committee interlocksNone disclosed (no interlocks involving TSE executive officers)

Fixed Compensation (Director)

ComponentAmountTerms
Annual cash retainer (2024)$90,000Paid quarterly
Annual equity retainer (RSUs)$130,000Time-vested RSUs, vest on 1-year anniversary
Committee chair feesN/A (not a chair)Chair retainers (for reference): Audit $25k; Comp $20k; Nominating $15k; EHSS&PP $15k
Total 2024 compensation$220,000Cash $90,000 + Stock $130,000

Performance Compensation (Director)

  • Structure: Non-employee director equity retainer is time-based RSUs (no director performance metrics or option awards disclosed). Annual equity grants vest after one year to align director interests with shareholders .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

CompanyRoleOverlap/Interlock Considerations
Church & Dwight (CHD)Chairman (current); former CEO through Mar 2025No TSE executive compensation committee interlocks disclosed; interlocks policy section notes none involving TSE executives
Lydall (LDL)Director (past)Past role ended 2021

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Audit/financial expertise: Designated Audit Committee Financial Expert .
  • Executive leadership: Former CEO/Chairman at CHD; significant consumer products and industrial experience .
  • Finance/capital markets: Former CFO roles; audit partner background; CPA (inactive) .

Equity Ownership

Ownership DetailValue
Total beneficial ownership76,308 shares; less than 1% of class
Unvested director RSUsAnnual director RSUs vest in June following grant; proxy notes each non-employee director held unvested RSUs scheduled to vest June 2025
Director ownership guideline5× annual cash retainer within 5 years; retain 50% of shares from RSU vesting until compliant; decline in stock price not deemed breach if previously met
Hedging/pledgingHedging prohibited; pledging prohibited absent preapproval and capacity to repay; no margin accounts
Section 16 complianceAll directors and officers filed required reports on a timely basis in 2024

Governance Assessment

  • Strengths
    • Independence and strong attendance: Independent director with Board-wide 100% attendance in 2024, signaling engagement .
    • Financial oversight: Audit Committee Financial Expert; sits on Audit and Compensation committees, supporting board effectiveness in critical risk and pay areas .
    • Alignment mechanisms: Director equity retainer and stringent ownership/anti-hedging policies align interests with shareholders .
    • No interlocks: No compensation committee interlocks involving TSE executive officers disclosed .
  • Considerations
    • External workload: Simultaneous CHD Chair role and CEO duties through March 2025 may raise time-commitment considerations, though Board attendance indicates full engagement in 2024 .
    • Related-party/pledging risks: Company policy requires audit committee approval of any related-party transactions and restricts pledging; proxy does not disclose related-party transactions involving Mr. Farrell .
  • Say-on-pay signal: 2024 say-on-pay approval ~95% suggests shareholder support for compensation governance; compensation committee uses an independent consultant and maintains clawback policies for incentive pay (executives) .

RED FLAGS

  • None disclosed specific to Mr. Farrell. No related-party transactions or hedging/pledging issues disclosed; attendance was strong; independence affirmed .

Citations:

  • Director biography, roles, age, education, other directorships
  • Independence
  • Board leadership and attendance
  • Executive sessions
  • Committee memberships and chairs; audit financial expert designation
  • Interlocks
  • Beneficial ownership
  • Director compensation structure and amounts; ownership guidelines
  • Anti-hedging/pledging policy
  • Section 16 compliance
  • Say-on-pay result
  • Clawback, consultant independence