Maria R. Singer
UNIVERSAL HEALTH SERVICESAbout Maria R. Singer
Maria R. Singer, age 51, has served on the UHS Board since 2020 and is an independent director. She is Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Finance at Houlihan Lokey; previously Managing Director and COO of Blackstone Advisory Partners (2008–2015) and held senior roles at Lehman Brothers in the Office of the Chairman and Debt Capital Markets (2002–2008). She serves on the Audit, Finance, Nominating & Governance, and Quality & Compliance committees. Education is not disclosed.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houlihan Lokey | COO, Corporate Finance | Current | Financial strategy expertise applied to UHS Board work |
| Blackstone Advisory Partners | Managing Director & COO | 2008–2015 | Transaction advisory leadership; strategic/financial acumen |
| Lehman Brothers | SVP, Office of the Chairman; SVP, Debt Capital Markets | 2002–2008 | Capital markets and senior advisory experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Audit (member), Finance (member), Nominating & Governance (member), Quality & Compliance (member) .
- Independence: Board determined Singer is independent under SEC/NYSE standards .
- Board & committees activity in 2024:
- Board held seven regular meetings; “all or substantially all” directors participated; all directors attended the 2024 virtual annual meeting .
- Audit Committee met 10 times .
- Quality & Compliance met five times .
- Nominating & Governance met once .
- Finance Committee did not meet in 2024 .
- Lead Independent Director: Eileen C. McDonnell .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer (cash) | $100,000 | Standard for all non-employee directors |
| Audit Committee member fee | $12,500 | Annual retainer for Audit members (non-chair) |
| Nominating & Governance member fee | $5,000 | Annual retainer for N&G members |
| Quality & Compliance member fee | $11,250 | Annual retainer for Q&C members (non-chair) |
| Total 2024 cash fees (Singer) | $128,750 | Matches Director Compensation table |
| Meeting fees | — | Not disclosed |
Performance Compensation
Directors at UHS do not have performance-based cash incentives; equity is time-based RSUs to align interests.
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares | Grant-Date Fair Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (Class B) | May 15, 2024 | 1,097 | $199,917 | Fully vests on earlier of 1-year anniversary or next annual meeting ≥50 weeks after prior | Applies to all non-employee directors |
| Dividend equivalents (Singer) | 2024 | — | $1,190 | Paid upon prior RSU vesting | As disclosed for directors |
Performance metrics used for NEOs (not directors): adjusted EPS and return on capital for annual incentives; PBRSUs tied to three-year Adjusted EBITDA net of NCI. Not applicable to director compensation.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Relationship | Potential Interlock/Transaction |
|---|---|---|
| Houlihan Lokey | Executive role (COO, Corporate Finance) | No UHS related-party transactions disclosed with Houlihan Lokey |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Capital markets, transaction advisory, and corporate finance expertise; supports Audit and Finance oversight .
- Audit Committee service indicates financial literacy per Board determination of committee qualifications (committee collectively independent; financial expert is McDonnell) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Class B Shares Beneficially Owned | Components/Notes | Ownership % of Class B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria R. Singer | 10,416 | Includes 2,500 options exercisable within 60 days and 1,097 RSUs vesting within 60 days of Mar 17, 2025 | ~0.018% (10,416 / 57,951,938 Class B outstanding) |
Director outstanding equity awards (as of Dec 31, 2024):
- Options: 7,500 (Singer)
- RSUs outstanding: 1,097 (Singer)
- No pledging/hedging permitted under policy; hedging prohibited .
Insider trades (Form 4) in 2025 (indicative of activity around annual grant/vest):
| Date (Transaction) | Type | Shares | Price | Post-Txn Ownership | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-14 (vest/settle) | Sale | 1,097 | $191.4797 | 7,884 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/352915/000112760225014475/0001127602-25-014475-index.htm |
| 2025-05-14 (new grant) | Award | 1,065 | $0.00 | 8,981 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/352915/000112760225014475/0001127602-25-014475-index.htm |
Note: Sale on RSU vest date and contemporaneous grant are common for director annual equity cycles; no red flags implied by routine settlement mechanics.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director with deep finance/transaction background; serves on four key committees (Audit, Finance, N&G, Quality & Compliance), enhancing board effectiveness and cross-functional oversight .
- Active committee cadence: Audit (10 meetings) and Quality & Compliance (5) suggest robust oversight in financial reporting and care quality; Board held 7 regular meetings with strong participation, indicating engagement .
- Director equity via RSUs aligns interests; annual grants vest around the next meeting, supporting ongoing alignment without performance gaming risk for directors .
- Risks/Watch items:
- UHS is a “controlled company” with insiders holding ~90% of voting power across classes; declassification proposal was opposed by the Board and reportedly rejected by over 90% of votes in 2024, which can reduce accountability pressure despite the presence of independent directors .
- No director-specific attendance rate disclosed; only aggregate “all or substantially all” language—adequate but less transparent than per-director attendance reporting .
- No disclosed related-party transactions involving Singer; continue monitoring given her senior role at an advisory firm (Houlihan Lokey), although none were disclosed by UHS .
Overall, Singer’s finance and advisory background and multi-committee roles are constructive for board effectiveness and investor confidence; the controlled-company governance structure is the primary systemic risk to board accountability rather than director-specific concerns.