Judith Buckner
WHIRLPOOL CORP /DE/About Judith Buckner
Judith K. Buckner was appointed to Whirlpool Corporation’s Board of Directors on June 16, 2025; she serves on the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee and the Human Resources Committee . She is President of Reynolds Cooking & Baking (a division of Reynolds Consumer Products) and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University . Whirlpool’s Board leadership structure provides that all directors other than the Chairman/CEO are independent and all committees are composed entirely of independent directors .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reynolds Consumer Products | President, Reynolds Cooking & Baking | Nov 2022 – Present | Leads a major kitchen category brand portfolio; operational oversight |
| Reynolds Consumer Products | President, Presto Products | 2019 – Nov 2022 | Led plastics/consumer products unit; category growth and operations |
| Reynolds Consumer Products | SVP, Business Transformation | 2017 – 2019 | Enterprise transformation initiatives |
| Reynolds Consumer Products | VP, Operations & Engineering (Hefty Waste & Food Bags) | Prior to 2017 | Manufacturing, engineering leadership |
| Reynolds Consumer Products | Engineering Manager; Plant/Manufacturing roles | 2000 – 2017 | Progressive operations/engineering leadership |
| Hoechst-Celanese/Invista | Engineering & leadership roles | 1991 – 2000 | Product development/operations experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Public Company Board? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reynolds Consumer Products (NASDAQ: REYN) | President, Reynolds Cooking & Baking | Nov 2022 – Present | No directorship disclosed in WHR filings/press release |
Board Governance
- Committees: Corporate Governance & Nominating; Human Resources .
- Independence: Whirlpool states all directors other than the Chairman/CEO are independent and all committees are entirely independent .
- Attendance norms: The Board met six times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; annual meeting attendance was universal except one director due to illness .
- Committee cadence and scope (2024 reference baseline for governance processes):
- Audit: 8 meetings; financial reporting, internal controls, compliance, cybersecurity .
- Corporate Governance & Nominating: 3 meetings; board composition, governance practices, director compensation recommendations .
- Human Resources: 4 meetings; executive compensation, equity grants, human capital metrics .
- Finance: 3 meetings; capital structure, liquidity, capital allocation .
- Related person transactions oversight: Formal review and approval procedures administered by Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee; no compensation committee interlocks existed in FY2024 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | 2025 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Retainer | $150,000 | $150,000 | Paid quarterly; directors may defer cash |
| Annual Stock Retainer | $150,000 | $160,000 | Granted on annual meeting date; shares determined by dividing cash retainer by closing price; immediate vesting |
| Chair Retainers – Audit | $25,000 | $25,000 | — |
| Chair Retainers – Corporate Governance & Nominating | $20,000 | $20,000 | — |
| Chair Retainers – Finance | $15,000 | $15,000 | — |
| Chair Retainers – Human Resources | $20,000 | $25,000 | Increased for 2025 |
| Presiding Director Retainer | $40,000 (2024) | $40,000 (2025) | Raised from $35,000 to $40,000 in 2024 |
| Other Benefits | Product testing, business expense reimbursement; charitable match up to $10,000; legacy life/travel insurance for directors serving as of 1/1/2011 | Same | No tax gross-ups for product testing; directors taxed on benefit |
Director-specific disclosure: Buckner’s non-employee director package is $150,000 cash retainer and $160,000 annual equity in Whirlpool common stock; consistent with other non-employee directors .
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based director compensation metrics are disclosed; director equity grants vest immediately and are retainer-based, not tied to operational/TSR goals .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | Role/Board | Committee Roles | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reynolds Consumer Products | Executive (President) | N/A | As an executive officer of a public company, Whirlpool’s governance guidelines limit such directors to serving on up to two public company boards; overall director limit is four . No related person transactions disclosed; formal review process in place . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep consumer kitchen category experience; manufacturing, operations, and engineering leadership; enterprise transformation .
- Chemical engineering degree (Purdue) .
- Fit for HR and Governance committees given operational discipline and transformation background .
Equity Ownership
| Filing | Filing Date | Form Type | Post-Transaction Ownership (Common) | Notes/Policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership | 2025-06-18 | Form 3 | 0 shares reported; securitiesOwned 0 | Directors must meet stock ownership equal to 5x cash retainer within five years of initial election; all non-employee directors were on track or compliant as of end-2024 . Hedging and pledging by directors prohibited . |
Governance Assessment
- Signals of effectiveness:
- Immediate placement on Governance & Nominating and Human Resources committees positions Buckner within board refreshment and executive pay oversight—high-impact governance assignments .
- Balanced director pay mix (cash/equity) with 2025 stock retainer increase to $160k aligns directors with shareholder outcomes; equity vests immediately, simplifying alignment and avoiding complex performance metrics .
- Strong board processes: annual self-evaluations (including third-party review every three years), attendance thresholds, and codified related party transaction procedures .
- Independence and alignment:
- Whirlpool states all directors other than the Chairman/CEO are independent and that committees are fully independent; Buckner is a non-employee director on two committees .
- Ownership guideline requires 5x cash retainer within five years; Buckner filed Form 3 with initial 0 shares and will have a five-year runway to comply .
- Conflicts/Red flags to monitor:
- External executive role at Reynolds Consumer Products (kitchen category) could present perceived industry adjacency; monitor for any related person transactions—none disclosed and robust review process exists .
- Hedging/pledging are prohibited by policy, reducing misalignment risk .
- Time-commitment constraints addressed by board limits on outside public boards (max four; max two for public company executives) .
- Shareholder sentiment context (Board oversight environment):
- 2024 say-on-pay: 32,614,218 For; 5,399,000 Against; 211,780 Abstain .
Sources
- Appointment and committee assignments; director compensation specifics: 8-K dated June 17, 2025 ; press release .
- Director compensation program; ownership guidelines; attendance; committee scopes: DEF 14A (March 5, 2025) .
- Prior year director compensation structure (context): DEF 14A (March 4, 2024) .
- Insider ownership filing: SEC Form 3 link .
- Reynolds biography: .