Christiana Obiaya
TETRA TECHAbout Christiana Obiaya
Christiana Obiaya (age 42) has served as an independent director of Tetra Tech, Inc. since 2023; she is currently CEO and a director of Heliogen, Inc. and holds a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from MIT (Sloan) . She joined TTEK’s board effective January 2, 2023 and brings ~20 years of experience in strategy, finance, and renewable energy project development .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bechtel Energy | CFO and Head of Strategy | 2017–2021 | Led finance and strategy for a multi-billion-dollar global energy unit . |
| Bechtel (various) | Leadership roles (finance, strategy, project development, investment, execution) | 2010–2017 | Broad execution experience across major energy/infrastructure projects . |
| Renewable energy projects (Kenya, India) | Project work on energy access | 2008–2009 | Field experience in emerging markets energy access . |
| Multinational consumer goods company | Engineer (design/manufacturing scale-up) | 2004–2008 | Technical and operations grounding . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heliogen, Inc. | CEO and Director | Feb 2023–present | Public company board service; AI-enabled solar technology . |
Board Governance
- Independence and Board Service: TTEK’s board determined Ms. Obiaya is independent under Nasdaq standards; she is one of ~90% independent directors .
- Committee Assignments (timeline):
- Appointment 8‑K: Audit Committee and Strategic Planning & Enterprise Risk (SPER) Committee (effective Jan 2, 2023) .
- FY 2023/2024: Member, Compensation Committee and SPER Committee .
- FY 2024/2025: Member, Compensation Committee (chair: Kirsten Volpi); committee average attendance 100%; 4 meetings in FY 2024 .
- Attendance: In FY 2024 the Board held six meetings; all incumbent directors attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings during their service period .
- Executive Sessions and Evaluations: TTEK holds executive sessions after every regular Board meeting and conducts annual Board/committee self-assessments led by independent directors .
- Ownership Guidelines: Directors must hold ≥5× annual base cash retainer within five years; as of FYE 2024, all directors met guidelines (considering phase-in) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer ($) | $100,000 | $110,000 | Program retainer levels. |
| Committee membership fee – Compensation ($) | $5,000 | $5,000 | Member fee (not chair). |
| Presiding Director/Chair adders ($) | N/A | N/A | Not applicable to Ms. Obiaya . |
| Meeting fees ($/meeting over 8 per year) | $2,000 | $2,000 | Only if >8 meetings. |
| Fees earned (Ms. Obiaya) ($) | $105,000 | $115,000 | Actual cash received. |
Performance Compensation
| Award | Grant Date | Shares (#) | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (directors) | Nov 21, 2023 | 2,125 | $69,836 per director grant total; $32.86/share | Vested Nov 30, 2024 (service-based) | Change-in-control: immediate vesting; pro‑rata if <10 years of service; RSUs forfeited upon death/disability . |
| PSUs (directors) | Nov 21, 2023 | 3,190 (target) | $129,859 per director grant total; $32.86 (EPS component) and $48.55 (TSR component) per share | 3-year cliff; performance-based (EPS growth and relative TSR) | COC: immediate vesting; pro‑rata if <10 years, subject to performance results . |
Performance metric framework (applies to PSU awards):
- EPS Growth vesting credit: 0% if <2%; 100% at 9%; 200% at ≥16% average annual growth over the 3-year period .
- Relative TSR vesting credit: 0% if <25th percentile; scales to 200% at ≥75th percentile vs industry peers (16 companies) and S&P 1000 (equal-weighted) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Heliogen, Inc. | CEO and Director | No TTEK related person transactions in FY 2024; policy requires Audit Committee review of any related party dealings . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Senior leadership in energy infrastructure; finance and strategy execution (Bechtel CFO/Head of Strategy) .
- Technical credentials (MIT BS Chemical Engineering; MIT Sloan MBA) .
- Renewable energy technology and project development experience; public company board service .
- Skill areas cited by TTEK: senior leadership; industry/technical expertise; government client regulatory; business development/M&A; financial sophistication; innovation/technology; international operations; risk oversight; talent management/compensation .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Amount | As-of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 3,810 | Jan 2, 2025 | <1% outstanding (*) . |
| Unvested RSUs (director grants) | 2,125 | Sep 29, 2024 | FY 2024 director grant; vest service-based . |
| Unvested PSUs (director grants) | 5,720 | Sep 29, 2024 | Reflects multiple PSU cycles (split-adjusted) . |
| Stock options outstanding | 0 | Sep 29, 2024 | Directors not granted options in FY 2024 . |
| Ownership guideline compliance | In compliance (phase-in considered) | FYE 2024 | Directors must hold ≥5× retainer . |
| Hedging/Pledging of company stock | Prohibited by policy | Ongoing | Anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy . |
(*) Less than 1% as disclosed in the Security Ownership table .
Governance Assessment
- Committee influence: As a member of the Compensation Committee alongside an independent chair and independent consultant (Meridian), Ms. Obiaya participates in executive pay oversight, equity plan approvals, and ownership guideline monitoring—committee average attendance was 100% in FY 2024, indicating strong engagement .
- Independence and alignment: Independent status, anti-hedging/pledging policy, robust stock ownership guidelines (≥5× retainer) and confirmed compliance support investor alignment .
- Conflicts/related parties: No related person transactions in FY 2024; Audit Committee reviews any such matters per policy, mitigating conflict risk from external roles (e.g., Heliogen) .
- Attendance and time commitments: Board held six meetings in FY 2024 with ≥75% attendance by all incumbents; committee meetings are sequential (non-overlapping), facilitating full participation. Overboarding is limited by policy (≤3 other public boards without specific approval); Ms. Obiaya serves on one other public board, within policy .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed—no pledging/hedging, no related party transactions, strong committee attendance, and compliance with ownership guidelines . Potential watchpoint is dual role as a public-company CEO (Heliogen) due to time demands, but TTEK’s overboarding and attendance data mitigate concern to date .