Gale King
UnumAbout Gale V. King
Gale V. King (age 68 at the 2025 Annual Meeting) is an independent director of Unum Group since 2022. She is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and previously served as EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, bringing deep human capital, operational leadership, succession planning, and change management expertise from a 37-year tenure at Nationwide .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company | Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer | 2012–2021 | Human capital management; strategy/change; succession planning |
| Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company | Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer | 2009–2012 | Human capital leadership |
| Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company | Senior Vice President, Property & Casualty Human Resources | 2003–2009 | Human resources operations |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Tenure | Committee Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoZone, Inc. | Director | Since 2018 | Not disclosed |
| J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | Director (prior) | 2020–2023 | Not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit; Human Capital; not a committee chair .
- Independence: Board determined Ms. King is independent under NYSE standards and company guidelines .
- Attendance: Board met 8 times in 2024; committee meetings were Audit (8) and Human Capital (6). Average director attendance exceeded 99%, and each incumbent director attended at least 94% of meetings; individual rates not separately disclosed .
- Tenure: Director since 2022 .
- Outside board limits: All directors complied with limits on outside board and audit committee service .
- Audit Committee engagement: Member and signatory to the Audit Committee report in 2024, indicating active participation .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (standard for all non-employee directors) | 125,000 |
| Committee chair additional cash retainer (not applicable to King) | 25,000 |
| Board Chairman additional retainer (not applicable to King; paid 50% cash/50% equity) | 225,000 |
| 2024 fees earned or paid in cash (King) | 125,000 |
| All other compensation (matching gifts; King) | 10,000 |
| 2024 total compensation (King) | 309,987 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Fair Value ($) | Vesting/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant | May 23, 2024 | 3,342 | 174,987 | Dividends accrue in cash and are paid at vest; unvested RSUs at 12/31/24: 3,342 |
- No director options or performance-conditioned equity awards are disclosed for directors; director equity is time-based RSUs .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Status | Tenure | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoZone, Inc. | Current Director | Since 2018 | No compensation committee interlocks or insider participation; none disclosed |
| J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | Prior Director | 2020–2023 | No compensation committee interlocks or insider participation; none disclosed |
- Compensation Committee Interlocks: In 2024, the Human Capital Committee comprised DeVore, Egan, King, and O’Hanley; none were company officers, and there were no reciprocal interlocks with other issuers’ compensation committees .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Business Operations; Corporate Governance Leadership; Insurance/Financial Industry Experience; Regulatory/Risk Management; Technology/Digital Transformation; Public company board experience .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Shares of common stock (beneficially owned) | 1,366 |
| Shares subject to settleable rights or units (payable within 60 days) | 14,365 |
| Total beneficial ownership | 15,731; <1% of class |
| Deferred share rights (total held; not all settleable within 60 days) | 6,078 |
| RSUs held (total; not all settleable within 60 days) | 11,629 |
| Unvested director RSUs at fiscal year-end (12/31/24) | 3,342 |
| Director stock ownership guideline | 5× annual cash retainer ($625,000); all non-employee directors met guideline as of 12/31/24 |
| Hedging/Pledging policy | Directors and executive officers are prohibited from hedging or pledging company stock |
Governance Assessment
-
Board effectiveness and engagement: Dual committee membership (Audit and Human Capital), audit report signatory, and overall Board/committee attendance >99% underscore strong engagement and oversight capacity .
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Independence and conflicts: Confirmed independent; no related-party transactions since the beginning of 2024; compensation committee interlocks absent; anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies in place—positive alignment signals .
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Director compensation mix and alignment: Balanced cash retainer and annual RSU grant ($175,000 nominal; 3,342 RSUs in 2024), with ownership guidelines requiring 5× retainer and documented compliance—supports shareholder alignment .
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Say-on-pay context (shareholder confidence signal): Executive compensation received 93% approval in 2024 (94% in 2023; 95% in 2022), indicating broad investor support for the company’s pay and governance practices .
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Potential conflicts/interlocks: None identified; outside board service limits observed .
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RED FLAGS
- None disclosed: No related-party transactions, no hedging/pledging, no option repricing, and no interlocks indicating conflicts in 2024 .