Juan Perez
WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE TECHNOLOGIESAbout Juan Perez
Juan Perez (age 58) is an Independent Director of Wabtec (WAB), appointed January 29, 2025 and nominated for election for a term ending in 2028. He serves on the Audit Committee, the Governance & Sustainability Committee, and the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Subcommittee. Perez has been Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Salesforce since 2022 and will retire as a full‑time employee on April 30, 2025, remaining in an advisory role; previously he spent 32 years at UPS in leadership roles including Chief Information and Engineering Officer and CIO. His current public company directorships include The Hershey Company and American International Group (AIG) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesforce | Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer; transitioning to advisor | Since 2022; retiring as full‑time employee Apr 30, 2025 | Enterprise technology leadership, cybersecurity, AI/data analytics oversight |
| United Parcel Service (UPS) | Chief Information and Engineering Officer; Chief Information Officer; multiple leadership roles | 32 years prior to 2022 | Global logistics, technology and operations leadership; supply chain and information security expertise |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hershey Company | Director | Current | Not specified in WAB proxy |
| American International Group (AIG) | Director | Current | Not specified in WAB proxy |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence status | Independent Director (meets NYSE/SEC standards; board determined all directors except the CEO were independent) |
| WAB committees | Audit Committee (member); Governance & Sustainability Committee (member); ESG Subcommittee (member) |
| Committee meeting cadence (2024) | Audit: 6 meetings ; Governance & Sustainability: 5 meetings ; ESG Subcommittee: 5 meetings |
| Attendance norms | Company states all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting and at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; Perez joined Jan 29, 2025 (attendance data for him not yet applicable) |
| Executive sessions | Regular executive sessions of non‑management directors at all regular Board meetings |
| Board refreshment | 6 new directors since 2019; focus on technology/innovation/cybersecurity among added skills |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non‑employee directors) | $125,000 | Standard director retainer |
| Chair retainers (if applicable) | Chair of Board: $200,000; Lead Independent Director: $40,000; Audit Chair: $25,000; Compensation Chair: $25,000; Governance Chair: $20,000 | Perez is not disclosed as holding chair roles |
| Director stock ownership guideline | 6x annual cash retainer; 5 years to comply | Applies to all non‑employee directors |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Element | Detail | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual stock retainer (illustrative 2024 award to non‑employee directors) | $195,114 in restricted stock (1,165 shares granted May 16, 2024 at $167.48/share) | Generally 12‑month vest; forfeitable if director resigns within 12 months |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Prohibits hedging and pledging by officers and directors |
Note: Perez joined in 2025; the proxy discloses he held 237 restricted shares as of Jan 31, 2025 (see Equity Ownership) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public boards | The Hershey Company; American International Group (AIG) |
| Interlocks (comp committee) | Company reports no compensation committee interlocks in 2024; Perez was not on the compensation committee in 2024 |
| Related‑party transactions | Wabtec purchased ~$2.6 million of software/services from Salesforce in 2024; Perez is a Salesforce executive through Apr 30, 2025; the Governance Committee reviewed and approved the relationship under the related‑party policy |
| Independence safeguards | Board independence criteria include revenue thresholds and other restrictions; Audit/Comp/Governance committees solely independent directors |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 30+ years in global logistics, technology, cybersecurity, data analytics, and AI; extensive supply chain leadership (UPS CIO/Chief Information & Engineering Officer; Salesforce EVP & CIO) .
- Serves on major public boards (Hershey, AIG), reinforcing governance exposure and risk oversight breadth .
- Member of Audit and Governance committees at Wabtec; not designated an “audit committee financial expert” (four others are so designated) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of Jan 31, 2025) | 2,931 shares; <1% of outstanding | SEC beneficial ownership definition applied |
| Restricted shares included | 237 restricted shares included in the above total | |
| Shares pledged | None; company policy prohibits pledging | |
| Ownership guideline status | Not yet met; within 5‑year compliance window and on‑track | Applies to all non‑employee directors; exceptions noted for Babcock and Perez |
Insider Trades
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Section 16 compliance | Company states Section 16 filings were in compliance for 2024, with one late report by an executive officer (not a director); Perez joined in 2025 |
| Form 4 activity | No Perez‑specific Form 4 transactions disclosed in the proxy; no pledging permitted |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independent director with deep technology, cybersecurity, data/AI and global logistics experience; immediate relevance to Audit Committee risk oversight and Wabtec’s digitization priorities .
- Committee footprint spans Audit, Governance, and ESG Subcommittee, positioning him to influence enterprise risk, sustainability, and governance practices (Audit: 6 mtgs; Gov: 5; ESG Subcommittee: 5 in 2024) .
- Strong alignment mechanisms: director stock retainer with 12‑month vest, 6x retainer ownership guideline, and prohibitions on hedging/pledging .
-
Watch items / potential conflicts
- Salesforce related‑party linkage (Wabtec purchases ~$2.6M in 2024) creates an appearance of conflict; mitigants include Governance Committee review/approval, established related‑party policy, and Perez’s retirement as a full‑time Salesforce executive effective April 30, 2025 (continuing as advisor) .
- New to the Wabtec board (Jan 29, 2025), so no prior‑year attendance record; engagement expectations are anchored by committee load and Board practices (executive sessions; high meeting cadence) .
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Shareholder sentiment context
- Say‑on‑pay approval ~96% at the 2024 annual meeting indicates broad investor support for compensation governance, which can bolster overall governance credibility during his initial tenure .