Anil Kamath
BIGCAbout Anil Kamath
Anil Kamath joined BigCommerce’s Board as a Class I director effective July 1, 2025; his term runs to the 2027 annual meeting unless earlier ended. He holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Bombay and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford; he spent 13 years at Adobe as Fellow and VP of Technology driving data science, machine learning, and AI for Adobe Experience Cloud . He founded Efficient Frontier (acquired by Adobe in 2012) and previously founded eBoodle (acquired by Shopzilla in 2000) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe | Fellow and Vice President of Technology (Experience Cloud) | 2012–2025 | Led data science/ML/AI; spearheaded generative AI for enterprise marketing, launched Gen Studio for Performance Marketing |
| Efficient Frontier | Founder; Founding CEO (to 2004); CTO/Board member thereafter | 2002–2012 | Managed >$2B ad spend platform; integrated into Adobe Marketing Cloud post-acquisition |
| eBoodle | Founder | 1998–2000 | E-commerce company acquired by Shopzilla |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs | Longtime Member | Current (as of 2025) | Startup investing/mentoring network |
| StartX (Stanford-affiliated accelerator) | Lead Mentor and Advisor | Current (as of 2025) | Focus on early-stage innovation |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee – Member; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee – Member .
- Class/Term: Appointed Class I director effective July 1, 2025; term expiring at 2027 annual meeting .
- Independence status: Nasdaq rules require Compensation and Nominating committees be fully independent; Kamath’s committee appointments are consistent with those requirements. Formal board independence determinations appear in annual proxies; the 2025 proxy predates his appointment .
- Board leadership context: Jeff Richards serves as Lead Independent Director; Board met 14 times in 2024 with all directors meeting ≥75% attendance; 2024 annual meeting attendance was 100% (Kamath not yet a director) .
Fixed Compensation
Director compensation program (non-investor, non-employee directors):
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $35,000 | Eligible to be taken in RSUs; all 2024 directors elected RSUs in lieu of cash |
| Lead Independent Director retainer | $20,000 | Paid in addition to Board retainer; historically taken in RSUs |
| Committee Chair retainers | Audit $20,000; Compensation $15,000; Nominating $8,000 | |
| Committee member retainers | Audit $10,000; Compensation $7,500; Nominating $4,000 | |
| Annual equity grant | ~$181,300 in RSUs, vests in 1 year | Typical for non-employee directors |
Note: Kamath’s specific 2025 director grant/retainer elections were not disclosed in the 2025 proxy (appointment post-April 2, 2025); expect disclosure in the next proxy cycle .
Performance Compensation
- Directors are compensated via fixed retainers and time-based RSUs; no performance-vesting director awards disclosed (2024/2025 proxies show RSUs for directors; options only for Executive Chair appointment) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company boards: None disclosed beyond BigCommerce .
- Prior public company boards: Not disclosed .
- Potential interlocks/conflicts: No related-party transactions >$120,000 reported since Jan 1, 2023 (pre-appointment), other than compensation arrangements; Board monitors conflicts via Nominating & Governance Committee .
Expertise & Qualifications
- AI/ML and data science: Led Adobe Experience Cloud’s AI/ML; launched generative AI-powered Gen Studio for performance marketing .
- Entrepreneurship/scale-up: Founded Efficient Frontier and eBoodle; executed integration into Adobe; strategic oversight and corporate development experience .
- Education: B.Tech IIT Bombay; Ph.D Stanford (Computer Science) .
Equity Ownership
| Filing | Date | Class | Beneficial Shares | Derivatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form 3 (Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership) | July 11, 2025 | BIGC | 0 | None | Filed for appointment effective July 1, 2025; “No securities are beneficially owned” |
Observation: Initial lack of share ownership is common upon appointment; RSU retainers and annual director RSUs typically build alignment over time under the director program .
Governance Assessment
-
Positives
- Deep AI/ML expertise aligned with BigCommerce’s innovation agenda; expected to strengthen data-driven strategy and product outcomes for merchants .
- Committee placements (Compensation; Nominating & Governance) indicate governance trust and alignment with independence standards; these committees oversee pay practices, talent, board independence, and conflicts .
- Board structure features a Lead Independent Director and robust 2024 meeting cadence/attendance, supporting oversight quality .
-
Areas to monitor / potential red flags
- Initial zero share ownership (Form 3) means near-term alignment relies on RSU program; track subsequent holdings, RSU grants, or open-market purchases to assess skin-in-the-game .
- Related-party exposure: none reported recently; continue monitoring future Item 404 disclosures for any relationships tied to prior companies or advisory roles .
- Compensation consultant conflicts: Company uses Aon-Radford with independence assessed; maintain oversight of consultant relationships to avoid cross-business conflicts (general governance context) .
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Implications
- Kamath’s appointment signals emphasis on applied AI and performance marketing capabilities; beneficial for product competitiveness and margin improvement initiatives tied to platform intelligence .
- Governance posture remains conventional with independent committees, clawback policy for executives, and prohibitions on hedging/pledging; director-specific compensation remains equity-heavy, supporting long-term alignment .