George B. Bell
About George B. Bell
George B. Bell (age 64) is an independent director of United Community Banks, Inc. (UCB), serving since 2022. He is a veteran information technology executive in financial services, with prior senior roles at Truist/BB&T and Bank of America; he holds an MBA from East Carolina University and a BS in Mathematics from Barton College .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truist Financial Corporation | EVP, Software Engineering Group Head II; Business Management Manager | 2019–2021 | Led cross-functional tech leadership across HR, Legal, Business Management; executed major conversions; operating leverage in business office . |
| BB&T (predecessor to Truist) | Senior Technology leadership roles | 2002–2019 | Led application development/support; global sourcing; faster payments; co-chaired African American Affinity group . |
| Bank of America | Senior technology manager | ~1994–2002 | Managed nationwide CIF/Teller/ATM/Debit/Call Center apps; M&A system migrations; initial component-based dev; CRM migration; offshore support . |
| BB&T (early career) | Technology and MIS roles | ~1982–1994 | Developed marketing database; ALM forecasting; relational processing; client/account aggregation . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constellation Quality Health (non-profit) | Independent Director | 2024–present | Healthcare consultancy; independent governance role . |
| UNC Charlotte Cybersecurity Symposium | Board member | Current | Affiliation noted; emphasis on cybersecurity leadership . |
Board Governance
- Committees: Audit Committee (member); Risk Committee (member). Audit met 8 times in 2024; Risk met 4 times; Bell is not a chair on either committee .
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Bell is independent under NYSE and SEC rules; only the CEO is non-independent .
- Attendance and engagement: Each incumbent director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings in 2024; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting. Independent directors hold executive sessions at each regular Board meeting led by the Lead Director .
- Oversight relevance: Risk Committee receives quarterly cybersecurity updates (testing, penetration, metrics) and annual program review from the CIO—aligned with Bell’s technology/cyber background .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Schedule (Jan 1, 2024) | 2024 Schedule (Sept 1, 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer (Directorship) | $50,000 | $60,000 |
| Audit – Member | $10,000 | $12,500 |
| Audit – Chair | $15,000 | $20,000 |
| Risk – Member | $10,000 | $12,500 |
| Risk – Chair | $12,500 | $20,000 |
| Nominating & Corp Gov – Member/Chair | $7,500 / $10,000 | $8,750 / $15,000 |
| Talent & Compensation – Member/Chair | $7,500 / $10,000 | $8,750 / $15,000 |
| Executive – Member | $7,500 | $8,750 |
| Equity retainer (Board) | $65,000 | $75,000 |
| Rationale: Adjusted September 1, 2024 to maintain positioning near the 50th percentile of peers; Aon served as independent compensation consultant . |
| Director (2024) | Cash Fees ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| George B. Bell | $75,001 | $65,006 | $140,007 |
| Notes: 2024 director RSU grant (time-based) on May 15, 2024 for 2,413 shares at $26.94 per share; vests the day before the next annual meeting; outstanding at year-end . |
Citations: .
Performance Compensation
- Director equity is time-based RSUs (no PSUs/options) granted annually on election date; vesting occurs the day before the following year’s annual meeting. 2024 RSU shares for directors were 2,413 (except prorated for new appointee); grant-date fair value for Bell: $65,006 .
- No performance metrics are tied to director equity (RSUs are time-based), distinguishing director pay from NEO PSUs which use ROAA percentile and TSR modifiers .
| Metric | Instrument | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Fair Value | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual director equity | Time-based RSUs | May 15, 2024 | 2,413 | $65,006 | Vests day before 2025 annual meeting . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Type | Entity | Role | Public Company? | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate | None | — | No | Board table shows “Other Public Boards: 0” for Bell . |
| Non-profit | Constellation Quality Health | Independent Director | No | No UCB-related transaction disclosed . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Board Matrix: Bell brings executive management, strategic planning, technology/cybersecurity, banking industry, corporate governance, risk management, and CSR perspectives to the Board (matrix checkmarks under Bell across these categories) .
- Education: MBA, East Carolina University; BS Mathematics, Barton College .
- Technical/governance strengths: Information technology development, project execution, system design, customer information management, organizational optimization, M&A integration; emphasis on customer-centric innovation .
Equity Ownership
- Stock ownership guidelines for nonemployee directors: Minimum value equal to 3× annual cash retainer within five years; must retain 100% of net after-tax shares granted until guideline met. Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy applies to directors (no pledging, no hedging, no derivatives) .
- Beneficial ownership specifics for Bell (total shares, vested/unvested) were not disclosed in the cited sections; directors’ 2024 RSUs were outstanding at year-end as noted .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Bell’s technology/cybersecurity experience directly complements UCB’s Risk Committee oversight of information security and cyber threats; his Audit Committee participation supports financial controls oversight .
- Independence and conflicts: Affirmed independent; no related-party transactions involving Bell disclosed for 2024; anti-hedging/pledging policy strengthens alignment .
- Engagement: Audit and Risk committees met regularly; directors met attendance expectations; independent executive sessions reinforce oversight culture .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay is split between cash retainers/committee fees and annual time-based equity; September 2024 increases were peer-driven to the 50th percentile, not discretionary windfalls. Bell’s mix in 2024: $75,001 cash vs $65,006 equity (approx. 54% cash / 46% equity), supporting alignment with shareholders via stock ownership guidelines .
- Shareholder signals: Say-on-pay support of 97.7% at 2024 meeting indicates strong investor confidence in overall compensation governance policies and practices (context for board oversight) .
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed for Bell: no related-party transactions, no hedging/pledging, no low attendance flags, no public-company interlocks; Audit Committee “financial expert” designation is held by James, Richlovsky, and Shaver (not Bell), but Bell’s committee roles match his technology/risk expertise .
References
- UCB DEF 14A (April 2, 2025): Director nominee bio, committee assignments, independence, attendance, director compensation, ownership guidelines, risk/cyber oversight, say-on-pay .
- UCB IR Director page and profile PDF .
- UNC Charlotte Cybersecurity Symposium profile .