Roderick Christie
Venture GlobalAbout Roderick Christie
Roderick Christie (age 62) is an independent director of Venture Global, Inc. (VG) since September 2023; he serves on the Audit Committee and is designated an “Audit Committee financial expert.” He attended 100% of Board and committee meetings in 2024 and brings 30+ years of global energy and industrial technology leadership, including executive roles at Baker Hughes and GE across turbomachinery, subsea, and climate technology solutions .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Hughes (Nasdaq: BKR) | EVP, Industrial & Energy Technology | Sep 2022 – Jan 2023 | Led wide range of energy/aviation/auto technologies |
| Baker Hughes | EVP, Turbomachinery & Process Solutions | Jan 2016 – Sep 2022 | Created Climate Technology Solutions in 2017 (hydrogen, CCUS, clean energy, emissions); integrated Controls, Sensing & Diagnostics into IET |
| Aero Alliance Products & Services LLC | Board Member | Jun 2018 – Feb 2023 | JV oversight; industrial energy technology exposure |
| GE Energy Subsea Solutions | President & CEO | Jun 2011 – Dec 2016 | Subsea leadership for oil & gas |
| GE Energy CEE, Russia & Central Asia | President | Sep 2004 – Jun 2011 | Regional energy strategy, M&A, privatizations |
| GE Energy Services Europe | CEO | Jun 1999 – Sep 2004 | Services leadership across Europe |
| Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE: SSE) | Engineering/Project Dev/Management roles | ~14 years (pre-1999) | Utility sector engineering and development |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venture Global LNG, Inc. (wholly-owned subsidiary of VG) | Director | Jun 2023 – Present | Subsidiary board service |
| Aero Alliance Products & Services LLC | Board Member | Jun 2018 – Feb 2023 | Industrial JV; not disclosed as a public company board |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; VG’s Audit Committee comprises independent directors (Christie, Orekar, Staton), chaired by Orekar .
- Financial expert: The Board designated Christie as an “Audit Committee financial expert” under Item 407(d)(5)(ii) .
- Independence: The Board determined Christie is independent under SEC and NYSE rules .
- Attendance: Directors averaged 100% attendance; Christie attended 100% of Board and committee meetings in 2024 .
- Controlled company status: VG Partners controls ~97.8% voting power; VG uses NYSE “controlled company” exemptions (Compensation and Nominating/Governance Committees not fully independent), which reduces minority shareholder protections until control changes .
- Risk oversight: Audit Committee oversees financial reporting, internal controls, auditor independence, related-person transactions, conflicts, cybersecurity risk, and recoupment policy administration .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Role | Cash Retainer ($) | Committee Member Fee ($) | Committee Chair Fee ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Non-employee Director | 240,000 | — | — | Fees earned in cash; total for Christie was $240,000 |
| Post-IPO Policy (effective 2025) | Non-employee Director | 240,000 | 25,000 per committee | 50,000 (Audit); 40,000 (Comp); 40,000 (Nominating/Gov) | Cash retainers governed by policy |
| Pre-IPO (historical) | Non-employee Director | — | — | — | $60,000 cash per Board meeting attended prior to IPO |
Performance Compensation
| Component | Grant Type | Grant Value ($) | Vesting | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Director Grant | Stock options or RSUs | Determined by Compensation Committee | Equal annual installments over 4 years | None disclosed (time-based vesting) |
| Annual Director Grant | Stock options or RSUs | 200,000 | Equal annual installments over 4 years | None disclosed (time-based vesting) |
VG’s disclosure for directors indicates time-based vesting and does not specify performance-conditioned metrics for director equity awards .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Public/Private | Role | Overlap/Interlock Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venture Global LNG, Inc. | Private (subsidiary) | Director | Subsidiary governance alignment |
| Aero Alliance Products & Services LLC | Private JV | Board Member | Industrial JV exposure; no related-party transactions involving Christie disclosed by VG |
Expertise & Qualifications
- International energy leadership across LNG, turbomachinery, subsea, and industrial technology; created Baker Hughes Climate Technology Solutions (hydrogen, CCUS, emissions) .
- Audit Committee financial expert designation and financial literacy per NYSE/SEC standards .
- 30+ years in oil & gas, gas processing, LNG, refining, petrochemical, and electricity sectors .
- Education not disclosed in the proxy .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Class A Shares | % Ownership | Class B Shares | % Voting Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roderick Christie | 988,820 | <1%* | — | — |
- “Represents less than 1%” as disclosed; VG prohibits directors and insiders from hedging, short sales, and pledging company stock, strengthening alignment and reducing red-flag risk .
Governance Assessment
- Positives:
- Independent director with deep sector expertise; Audit Committee financial expert, enhancing oversight of financial reporting and controls .
- 100% attendance indicates strong engagement .
- Robust insider policy prohibiting hedging/pledging; Audit Committee reviews related-party transactions and administers recoupment policy .
- Concerns/RED FLAGS:
- Controlled company governance: Compensation and Nominating/Governance Committees are not fully independent; majority voting power concentrated with VG Partners (~97.8%), limiting minority investor influence .
- High cash orientation in director pay with large retainers (annual $240,000) and time-based equity (annual $200,000) may reduce performance sensitivity at the Board level; no disclosed performance metrics for director equity awards .
- No director stock ownership guidelines disclosed; alignment depends on policy prohibitions and individual holdings (Christie beneficially owns <1%) .
No related-party transactions involving Christie were disclosed; the Audit Committee (including Christie) reviews and approves related-person transactions and potential director conflicts per policy .