Melissa Law
CactusAbout Melissa Law
Independent director of Cactus, Inc. since January 2020; age 51. She is President, Global Operations at Tate & Lyle (since September 2017), leading EHS, Quality, Sustainability, end-to-end supply chain and logistics, and global manufacturing/engineering. Law spent 20 years at Baker Hughes across technology, manufacturing, operations and P&L roles, and holds a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Houston. She is designated independent by the Board under NYSE/SEC standards.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Hughes Incorporated | Global Specialty Chemicals Business – full P&L responsibility | 2014–2017 | Senior leadership with direct profit and loss oversight |
| Baker Hughes Incorporated | Australasia geo‑market leader | 2013–2014 | Regional leadership role |
| Baker Hughes Incorporated | Senior roles in technology, manufacturing, operations | 1997–2013 | Multi-functional leadership experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Responsibilities/Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tate & Lyle | President, Global Operations | Sep 2017–present | Leads EHS, Quality, Sustainability, supply chain and logistics, global manufacturing and engineering |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee member. Not a chair.
- Independence: Board determined Ms. Law is independent under NYSE and SEC rules.
- Board structure: Nine-member board; declassifying to annual elections by 2027; Lead Independent Director is Gary Rosenthal; non-employee directors hold regular executive sessions.
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board held 4 meetings; Audit 4; Compensation 4; Nominating & Governance 3; each director attended >75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy/Rate | 2024 Amount (Law) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $94,000 per year | $94,000 |
| Audit Committee member fee | $10,000 per year (members); $20,000 (chair) | $10,000 (member) |
| Compensation Committee member fee | $5,000 per year (members); $10,000 (chair) | $5,000 (member) |
| Total cash fees | Sum of above | $109,000 |
Notes: Cash retainers are payable quarterly in arrears.
Performance Compensation
| Equity Vehicle | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant-Date Fair Value | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSUs (non-employee director grant) | Mar 11, 2024 | 3,116 | $145,206 | Vest in full on first anniversary of grant |
| Annual equity program design | Annual | N/A | Target grant date value $141,000 | Time-based RSUs (no options) |
No performance-based equity is used for directors; grants are time-based RSUs under the LTIP.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| — | — | No other public company directorships are disclosed for Ms. Law in WHD’s 2025 proxy. |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: B.S. Biology; M.S. Environmental Chemistry (University of Houston).
- Technical/operational expertise: EHS, quality, sustainability, supply chain/logistics, manufacturing/engineering leadership across energy and food ingredients.
- Audit financial expert designation: The Board identified Semple, McGovern, and Tombar as audit committee financial experts (not Ms. Law).
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Class A) | 13,567 shares; <1% of outstanding. |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days (as of Feb 28, 2025) | 3,116 RSUs. |
| Hedging/Pledging | Directors prohibited from hedging or pledging company stock. |
| Director ownership guidelines | 4x annual cash retainer; as of Mar 27, 2025, each non-employee director met or exceeded expectations. |
Insider transactions:
| Date | Form 4 Action | Security | Shares | Resulting Holdings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2025 | Acquisition via director RSU grant | RSUs | 3,116 | 13,567 | SEC Form 4; Yahoo Insider Roster |
Governance Assessment
- Positives: Independent director on both Audit and Compensation Committees; active operator with cross-industry EHS/supply-chain expertise; strong alignment via annual RSU grants and stock ownership guidelines; anti-hedging/pledging policy; clawback policy adopted; directors’ attendance >75%; Compensation Committee uses an independent advisor (Pearl Meyer) with no conflicts in 2024; prior say-on-pay support of ~95% (2022) indicates broad shareholder alignment.
- Potential watch items: Not designated an audit committee financial expert (committee contains designated experts); no related-party transactions involving Ms. Law disclosed; no legal proceedings disclosures for directors.
No RED FLAGS identified regarding conflicts, related-party exposure, hedging/pledging, or attendance based on the latest proxy.
Appendix: Committee Composition Snapshot (as of Mar 27, 2025)
| Committee | Chair | Members |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | Alan Semple | Semple; Michael McGovern; Tym Tombar; Melissa Law |
| Compensation | Michael McGovern | McGovern; John (Andy) O’Donnell; Gary Rosenthal; Tym Tombar; Melissa Law |
| Nominating & Governance | Gary Rosenthal | Rosenthal; Alan Semple; John (Andy) O’Donnell |