Peter H. Kind
About Peter H. Kind
Peter H. Kind (68) is an independent director with deep energy finance and audit expertise. He is executive director of Energy Infrastructure Advocates LLC and previously held senior investment banking roles at Macquarie Capital and Bank of America Securities; he is a CPA with audit experience at large public energy companies. He has served on the XPLR Board since its establishment in August 2017 and earlier served on the board of the general partner (2014–2017). He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Iona College and an MBA from NYU Stern .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Midstream Partners, LP (general partner) | Director; Audit Committee Chair | Feb 2014 – Dec 2021 | Chaired audit committee |
| Macquarie Capital | Senior Managing Director | 2009 – 2011 | Investment banking leadership |
| Bank of America Securities | Managing Director; Group Head, Power & Utility Investment Banking | 2005 – 2009 | Sector investment banking leadership |
| XPLR (general partner) | Director | Jul 2014 – Aug 2017 | Board service prior to XPLR Board establishment |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Infrastructure Advocates LLC | Executive Director | Current | Independent financial/strategic advisory firm |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and chair roles:
- Audit Committee member; all members qualify as “audit committee financial expert” under SEC rules; Audit met five times in 2024 .
- Conflicts Committee Chair; committee comprised solely of independent directors and subject to independence/affiliation restrictions set in its charter .
- Independence and leadership:
- Board determined Mr. Kind is independent under NYSE and Exchange Act standards (including audit committee standards) .
- Executive sessions of independent directors are regularly scheduled; chaired by Audit Committee chair. Board has no lead director .
- Attendance and engagement:
- Board met seven times in 2024; all current directors attended 100% of Board and committee meetings in 2024 .
- All seven directors attended the 2024 annual meeting of unitholders .
- Election results (2025 Annual Meeting):
- Votes FOR Mr. Kind: 32,246,567 (86.5% of votes cast); without voting limitations, 96.7% FOR .
| 2025 Director Election (Mr. Kind) | For | % For | Against | Abstentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes cast | 32,246,567 | 86.5% | 5,018,565 | 349,547 |
- Compensation committee: The Board does not have a compensation committee; the full Board acts in lieu and approved the CD&A for inclusion in the proxy .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Retainer ($) | Committee Chair Retainer ($) | Total Cash ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 105,000 | — (policy provides +$15,000 for chairs) | 105,000 | Cash total for Mr. Kind; committee chairs receive an additional $15,000 per year by policy |
| 2025 (policy) | 90,000 | +15,000 (for committee chairs) | — | 2025 non-employee director cash retainer and chair fee policy |
Travel expenses for Board/committee meetings are reimbursed .
Performance Compensation
| Year | Grant Date | Equity Type | Units Granted | Grant-Date Price | Grant-Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting/Transferability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Feb 20, 2024 | XPLR common units | 5,290 | $28.37/unit | 150,077 | Distributions, if any, paid in cash |
| 2025 | Feb 18, 2025 | XPLR common units | 17,630 | — | — | Units generally not transferable until director ceases Board service |
- Options: No option awards were granted to non-employee directors in 2024 (Option Awards $0) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Midstream Partners, LP (general partner) | Director; Audit Committee Chair | Past (2014–2021) | Midstream energy infrastructure MLP; audit chair service |
No current public-company directorships for Mr. Kind are disclosed in XPLR’s 2025 proxy beyond XPLR itself .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Capital markets and energy finance: Former group head of Power & Utility Investment Banking at Bank of America Securities; senior role at Macquarie Capital .
- Audit/financial expertise: CPA with audit experience in large public energy companies; designated audit committee financial expert by the Board .
- Education: B.S. in Accounting (Iona College); MBA (NYU Stern) .
Equity Ownership
| As of | Units Owned | Units Acquirable Within 60 Days | Total Beneficially Owned | % of Class | Pledged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2025 | 56,760 | 0 | 56,760 | <1% (individual) | None; no units pledged by directors/NEOs |
- Director ownership guidelines: Independent directors must own ≥5x annual cash retainer within 3 years; all independent directors currently do not meet the guideline and received a temporary waiver. They are not permitted to transfer granted units until back in compliance .
Governance Assessment
-
Positives supporting investor confidence:
- Independence and expertise: Determined independent; serves on Audit and chairs Conflicts; designated audit committee financial expert .
- Strong engagement: 100% attendance in 2024 across Board and committee meetings; board met seven times; Audit met five times .
- Shareholder support: Re-elected in 2025 with 86.5% FOR (96.7% without voting limitations), signaling broad investor backing .
- Alignment mechanisms: Significant portion of director pay in equity units; 2024 unit award $150,077 alongside $105,000 cash ; no pledged units .
-
Potential risk indicators and areas to monitor:
- Ownership guideline shortfall: All independent directors (including Mr. Kind) currently do not meet the 5x retainer ownership guideline; a temporary waiver is in place with transfer restrictions on granted units until compliance is restored .
- Board structure: No separate compensation committee (full Board acts in lieu) and no lead independent director—structures some investors may view as weaker governance checks in certain situations .
- Related-party environment: Extensive affiliated arrangements with NextEra entities; as Conflicts Committee Chair, Mr. Kind plays a central role in approving related-person/conflict transactions under the Partnership Agreement and committee charter .
Overall, Mr. Kind brings CPA-level audit rigor and energy finance depth to XPLR’s Board, with evidenced independence and strong attendance, though investors should monitor progress toward ownership guideline compliance and the efficacy of conflict oversight given the company’s related-party context .