Zaiac Joanne 4

What Happened
Joanne Zaiac, a Director of Designer Brands, was awarded 1,358 stock units (derivative awards) on July 8, 2026. The reported grant shows a transaction price of $0.00 because these are stock units (contingent rights), not an open-market purchase or sale. The units are vested at grant but will convert to an equal number of Class A common shares only upon her termination of service on the Board.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-07-08; Form 4 filed: 2026-07-10 (timely filing).
• Award type/code: A (grant/award or other acquisition); amount: 1,358 stock units; reported price: $0.00 (derivative).
• Shares owned after transaction: Not disclosed in the filing.
• Notable footnotes from the filing:
  • Each stock unit is a contingent right to receive one share of the Issuer's Class A common stock.
  • Units include accrued dividend equivalent rights.
  • Units vest on the grant date but convert to actual shares only when the director leaves the Board.
  • Total awarded number includes accrued dividend equivalents.
• No indication of a sale, purchase, tax withholding, or 10b5-1 plan in this filing.

Context
This is an equity award to a board director rather than a purchase or sale of stock. Because conversion to shares is deferred until termination of board service, these units increase potential future share holdings but do not represent immediate transferable common stock. Such grants are common for non-employee directors as part of compensation and do not by themselves signal a near-term trading intent.