Christina Choi
About Christina Choi
Christina Choi (age 47) has served as an independent director of Utz Brands, Inc. since August 2020. She is Chief Marketing Officer, North America at Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) since October 2024, with prior senior marketing leadership roles at Diageo, AB InBev, and Unilever; she holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Vassar College . She is currently a member of Utz’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; she is not a committee chair .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diageo (NYSE: DEO) | SVP Marketing, NA leadership; led Gin & Tequila categories and Breakout Growth Brands | Jan 2019–Oct 2024 | Category strategy, brand marketing, commercialization; led portfolios incl. Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Don Julio |
| AB InBev (NYSE: BUD) | Global Marketing Vice President | Mar 2013–Jan 2019 | Global launch strategy for Michelob Ultra; Stella Artois double-digit sales growth; Super Bowl campaigns |
| Unilever PLC | Marketing & innovation roles (US & Singapore) | 2006–2012 | Global brand and innovation launches across multiple geographies |
| Goldman Sachs | Credit Risk Mgmt & Advisory; Asset Management | Early career | Financial services foundation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) | Chief Marketing Officer, North America | Oct 2024–present | Executive role; not disclosed as a board directorship |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Nominating & Corporate Governance (member); not on Audit or Compensation .
- Independence: Listed as an independent director under NYSE rules .
- Attendance: In 2024 the Board met 7 times; all incumbent directors attended at least 75% of meetings with aggregate attendance >95%; committee attendance at least 95% (committee meetings included) .
- Committee activity: Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee met 4 times; oversees board composition, evaluations, corporate governance, and ESG oversight .
- Executive sessions: Frequent executive sessions of non-management directors are a governance highlight; executive sessions are held for a portion of most Board meetings .
- Stock ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold shares equal to 5x annual board retainer; all directors and ELT members were in compliance in FY2024 .
- Hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits short sales, certain derivatives, and hedging/monetization transactions by directors; no pledging disclosed for directors in the beneficial ownership section .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (Director) | $87,500 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Committee chair fees | $0 | Not a chair; chair retainers are Audit $25k, Comp $15k, N&G $10k |
| Board chair / Lead Independent Director adders | $0 | Not applicable to Choi |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed | Program described; no meeting fees listed |
| Total cash (FY 2024) | $87,500 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Type | FY 2024 Grant Date | Grant Value | Vesting & Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSU (annual equity retainer) | 2024 (annual meeting cycle) | $134,730 | RSUs vest on the earlier of 1-year or next annual meeting; no performance metrics (time-based) |
The director equity retainer is time-based RSUs; no PSUs or performance-condition equity is disclosed for directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock/Related Party Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | The proxy does not disclose other public company directorships or related-party interlocks for Christina Choi . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep CPG brand-building and commercialization experience (Diageo, AB InBev, Unilever), with global market execution and major campaign leadership .
- Current large-cap consumer executive (Ralph Lauren CMO NA), adding retail and premium brand insights .
- Education: MBA (Harvard Business School), BA Economics (Vassar College) .
- Governance: Member of Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, contributing to board composition, evaluations, ESG oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of Record/Date | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A Common Stock owned | Mar 4, 2025 | 29,740 | Less than 1% of Class A; includes 22,320 owned + 7,420 RSUs vesting within 60 days |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days | Mar 4, 2025 | 7,420 | Counted in beneficial ownership per footnote |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Mar 4, 2025 | None disclosed | Beneficial ownership section indicates no pledging by directors/officers in this listing |
| Ownership guidelines compliance | FY 2024 | In compliance | Company states all directors complied with Minimum Ownership Guidelines (5x retainer) |
Insider Trades (Form 4)
| Transaction Date | Filing Date | Type | Shares | Price | Post-Transaction Ownership | SEC Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-04 | 2023-05-08 | Award (RSU/Stock) | 6,746 | $0.00 | 25,210 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1739566/000173956623000101/0001739566-23-000101-index.htm |
| 2024-04-24 | 2024-04-26 | Award (RSU/Stock) | 270 | $0.00 | 25,480 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1739566/000173956624000087/0001739566-24-000087-index.htm |
| 2024-04-24 | 2024-04-26 | Award (RSU/Stock) | 7,420 | $0.00 | 32,900 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1739566/000173956624000087/0001739566-24-000087-index.htm |
| 2024-05-23 | 2024-05-24 | Sale (Open market) | 3,160 | $17.98 | 29,740 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1739566/000173956624000113/0001739566-24-000113-index.htm |
| 2025-04-24 | 2025-04-25 | Award (RSU/Stock) | 9,673 | $0.00 | 39,413 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1739566/000173956625000085/0001739566-25-000085-index.htm |
| 2025-09-04 | 2025-09-05 | Sale (Open market) | 5,703 | $13.63 | 33,710 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1739566/000182153625000004/0001821536-25-000004-index.htm |
Source: Insider-trades skill; post-transaction ownership reflects Form 4 reported holdings, prices reflect reported transaction price .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Independent director with strong CPG and brand leadership; active on Nominating & Governance (ESG oversight, board composition). 2024 board attendance was robust (aggregate >95%), and committee attendance was ≥95% overall; directors attended at least 75% of meetings .
- Ownership alignment: Holds 29,740 shares with 7,420 RSUs vesting within 60 days as of record date; complies with 5x retainer stock ownership guideline; hedging/short sales prohibited by policy; no pledging disclosed .
- Compensation: Director pay mix skews to equity via RSUs ($134,730) alongside cash retainer ($87,500), reinforcing alignment; no performance metrics tied to director equity grants (time-based vesting) .
- Conflicts/related party: Proxy discloses related-party arrangements (e.g., Sageworth Trust services, family employment for other directors), but no related-party transactions involving Christina Choi are disclosed .
- Shareholder signals: Say-on-pay support was >99% last year, indicating broad investor approval of compensation practices; Compensation Committee uses independent consultant F.W. Cook and maintains clawback policy .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Christina Choi. Notable open-market sales occurred in May 2024 (3,160 shares) and September 2025 (5,703 shares); however, holdings remain and sales were modest relative to overall beneficial ownership .
Additional Context
- Board committees and responsibilities, including related-person transaction reviews (Audit Committee), compensation governance (Compensation Committee), and ESG oversight (N&G), are clearly chartered and fully independent .
- The Board’s governance highlights include frequent executive sessions, stock ownership guidelines, annual self-assessments, and risk oversight processes; clawback policy updated effective October 2023 .