Item 5.02 | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. |
Executive Leadership Succession Plan
On March 28, 2022, Delek US Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) announced a CEO succession plan under which Ezra Uzi Yemin, the Company’s current President and Chief Executive Officer, will become Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors (the “Board”). Under the succession plan, the Board has approved the appointment of Avigal Soreq as the next President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, to be effective in June 2022.
Mr. Soreq, age 44, has been the Chief Executive Officer of El Al Israel Airlines, the national airline of Israel, since January 2021. Prior to that, he served as a member of the Company’s executive management team, including as the Chief Operating Officer from March 2020 until January 2021, its Chief Commercial Officer from November 2016 until March 2020, an Executive Vice President from August 2015 until January 2021, and a Vice President from 2012 until 2015. In addition, Mr. Soreq served as an Executive Vice President of Delek Logistics GP, LLC from 2015 until 2021, and as its Vice President from 2012 until 2015. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Soreq worked for SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), and previously as a senior finance and business consultant for Trabelsy & Co., and as a consultant in the corporate finance department for KPMG’s Tel-Aviv office. His past experience includes service in the Israeli Air Force in various roles between 1996 and 2004, where he reached the rank of Major. Mr. Soreq is a certified public accountant in Israel.
Additional Leadership Appointments
Effective March 27, 2022, the Board named Todd O’Malley the Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Mr. O’Malley has served as an Executive Vice President and the Chief Commercial Officer of the Company since March 2021. From January 2018 until February 2021, Mr. O’Malley served as President of TKO Energy Enterprises, Inc., an advisory services firm specializing in the petrochemical and renewable energy industries. From April 2020 until February 2021, Mr. O’Malley served as President and CEO of Citizens Companies, a consulting and investment concern active in the petrochemical and renewable energy industries. Mr. O’Malley previously served as the EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Gulf Oil LP, President of the general partner of PBF Logistics LP, a master limited partnership active in the midstream sector of the oil and gas industry, as well as positions of increasing responsibility at PBF Energy, Inc.
The Company also announced that it has named Nithia Thaver an Executive Vice President and the Company’s President of Refining. Mr. Thaver has served as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Refining, since December 2018. From 2017 to 2018, Mr. Thaver served as the Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, of Philadelphia Energy Solutions, which owned and operated a refinery. Prior to that, Mr. Thaver held positions of increasing responsibility at several companies in the oil and gas industry, including Sunoco, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil.
Independent Director Appointment
On March 27, 2022, the Board appointed Leonardo Moreno as a director of the Company’s Board, effective immediately. Mr. Moreno will stand for election at the Company’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders. Mr. Moreno will hold office until his successor is duly elected and qualified, or earlier termination of his service. The Board has not yet appointed Mr. Moreno to any Board committees.
There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Moreno and any other persons pursuant to which he was selected as a director of the Company. Mr. Moreno has not been a party to any transactions required to be reported under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K in this Current Report on Form 8-K. Effective as of the effective date of his appointment to the Board, Mr. Moreno will receive compensation consistent with the Company’s compensation program for non-employee directors.
Compensation Arrangements
Mr. Yemin
In connection with the transition of Mr. Yemin to Executive Chairman of the Board, the Company entered into two agreements with Mr. Yemin. The first is an amendment to Mr. Yemin’s existing employment agreement that terminates his employment agreement on the date he becomes Executive Chairman of the Board (the “Effective Date”); provided, however, that the accelerated vesting provisions for equity awards under his current employment agreement will be preserved through Mr. Yemin’s tenure as Executive Chairman of the Board.
The second agreement entered into with Mr. Yemin in connection with this transition is a new Executive Chairman Agreement. Under the Executive Chairman Agreement, Mr. Yemin will serve as the Executive Chairman of the Board and be entitled to receive a base salary of $800,000 through the period ending 12 months after the Effective Date and base salary of $500,000 through the period beginning on the one year anniversary of the Effective Date and ending December 31, 2023, provided that he continues to be elected as a member of the Board. Through the period ending December 31, 2023, Mr. Yemin will be eligible to receive an annual target bonus of 140% of the base salary in effect for the calendar year in which such bonus is payable. If at any time during the period ending December 31, 2025, Mr. Yemin ceases to be a