Arthur Schick Jr
UNIVERSAL CORP /VA/About Arthur J. Schick, Jr.
Arthur J. Schick, Jr. (age 69) is an independent director of Universal Corporation (UVV) since 2023, serving on the Audit Committee, Finance and Pension Investment Committee, and Nominating, Governance and Risk Committee . He is a 35-year PepsiCo veteran, retiring in 2020 as Vice President of Proprietary Flavors within the Beverage Concentrate Division; earlier roles included Senior Director, Procurement and Director, Global Procurement. He began his career in R&D at Procter & Gamble and has significant industry leadership experience, including serving as President of the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) in 2013. Since 2020, he has led Alpha Sierra Global LLC, a consulting firm focused on consumer products and ingredients .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| PepsiCo, Inc. | Vice President, Proprietary Flavors (Beverage Concentrate Division) | 2003–2020 | Led manufacturing of proprietary flavors and global sourcing strategies; supply chain management |
| PepsiCo, Inc. | Senior Director, Procurement; Director, Global Procurement | 1985–2003 | Leadership in global procurement, operations, supply chain |
| Procter & Gamble | Research & Development | Early career | Technical/product development exposure |
| Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) | Contributing Board Member; President | ~10+ years; President in 2013 | Industry standards and advocacy leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Sierra Global LLC | President | 2020–present | Consulting focused on consumer products, flavor compounding, and ingredients |
| Other public company boards | None disclosed | — | No other public company board service indicated in biography or skills matrix |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Audit; Finance and Pension Investment; Nominating, Governance and Risk. Not a committee chair .
- Independence: Board determined all directors except the CEO are independent; Audit Committee members (including Schick) are independent and financially literate under NYSE/SEC standards .
- Attendance: In FY2025, the Board held 20 meetings and each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; Audit Committee met 8 times; Nominating, Governance and Risk Committee met 4 times .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors met in executive session 12 times in FY2025, with a Lead Independent Director presiding (Thomas H. Johnson) .
- Annual meeting: All Board members attended the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | 87,083 | 104,500 |
| Stock Awards – grant date fair value ($) | 164,452 | 131,989 |
| All Other Compensation ($) | — | 450 |
| Total ($) | 251,535 | 236,939 |
- Director fee schedule (FY2025): Annual cash retainer $80,000; Audit Committee member $10,000; Compensation/Executive/Nominating & Governance member $7,500; Finance & Pension Investment member $7,000; Audit Chair $22,000; Compensation and Human Resources Chair $18,000; Nominating, Governance and Risk Chair $18,000; Finance Chair $15,000; Lead Independent Director $25,000 .
Performance Compensation
| Grant Detail | Aug 4, 2023 | Aug 6, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| RSU Shares Granted | 3,350 (pro rata as new director) | 2,660 (annual grant to all non-employee directors) |
| Grant-Date Closing Price | $49.09 | $49.62 |
| Grant-Date Fair Value Recognized (FY) | $164,452 (FY2024) | $131,989 (FY2025) |
| Vesting | One-year cliff vesting | One-year cliff vesting |
| Dividend Equivalent Rights | Earns DERs on RSUs | Earns DERs on RSUs |
| Performance Metrics | None disclosed for directors (time-based RSUs) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Current | Prior |
|---|---|---|
| Public company boards | None disclosed | None disclosed |
| Private/non-profit boards | FEMA (President, 2013; contributing board member >10 years) | — |
| Interlocks (compensation committee) | None noted; committee interlocks/insider participation sections report no interlocks for members, though this section covers named executive officers context |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Global consumer products executive; deep experience in ingredients, procurement, operations, supply chain, and product R&D .
- Skills matrix indicates broad competencies across audit/public accounting, environmental sustainability, executive leadership, finance, human capital management, industry experience, international, legal/regulatory, marketing, product development, risk oversight, social responsibility, strategic planning/M&A, supply chain/distribution, and technology/cyber .
Equity Ownership
| Date/Reference | Shares | Percent of Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2024 (aggregate Common Stock, RS/RSU, DER units) | 3,449 | — | Director holdings disclosure |
| Mar 31, 2025 (aggregate Common Stock, RS/RSU, DER units) | 6,302 | — | Director holdings disclosure |
| Jun 5, 2025 (beneficial ownership record date) | 6,340 | <1% | 24,798,421 shares outstanding; no pledging by any directors |
- Non-employee director stock ownership guideline: minimum $400,000 in Common Stock (5x $80,000 retainer); compliance within five years. As of March 31, 2025, all non-employee directors were compliant except Mr. Schick and Ms. Manolios (newer directors) .
- Insider Trading Policy: prohibits hedging, short-selling, publicly traded options, and pledging/margin accounts, with narrow exceptions requiring prior approval and demonstration of repayment capacity .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; multi-committee service (Audit; Nominating, Governance & Risk; Finance & Pension Investment) enhancing board oversight; strong sectoral and supply chain expertise aligned with UVV’s plant-based ingredients strategy; adequate meeting engagement (≥75% attendance; Audit met 8x; NG&R met 4x) .
- Alignment and incentives: Director compensation balanced between cash ($104,500 FY2025) and equity ($131,989 RSUs; one-year cliff vesting with dividend equivalents), supporting ownership build; RSU grants consistent year over year (2,660 RSUs in 2024 cycle) .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: Board independence review found no business relationships with organizations connected to directors or immediate families in the past three fiscal years; hedging/pledging restricted by policy; no pledging by directors reported .
- RED FLAGS: Not yet compliant with director ownership guideline ($400,000 minimum) as of March 31, 2025 due to recent appointment; within a five-year window to reach compliance . No other material red flags (e.g., related-party transactions, attendance shortfalls, option repricings) surfaced in proxy disclosures .