Allie Kline
BILL HoldingsAbout Allie Kline
Allie Kline, age 54, has served on BILL’s Board since September 2020 and is the Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; she also serves on the Audit Committee . She holds a B.S. in Communications from Ithaca College and brings senior operating experience in technology/media, enterprise risk (cybersecurity, payments, regulatory), and governance developed through leadership roles at Verizon Media, AOL, and private equity/innovation platforms .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethos Capital / Identity Digital Innovation Labs | Executive Partner (Ethos); Co-CEO, Innovation Labs (Identity Digital) | 2024–present; 2025–present | Guides tech/data investments; leads agentic identity innovation |
| LEO DIX | Founding Principal | 2020–present | Boutique management consulting leadership |
| Verizon Media (AOL/Yahoo/HuffPost/TechCrunch/MAKERS) | Chief Marketing & Communications Officer | 2015–2018 | Built global B2B/consumer marketing across 20+ brands; led programmatic advertising category |
| MAKERS (Verizon women’s media brand) | Chief Executive Officer | 2016–2018 | Brand leadership and growth |
| AOL Inc. | Chief Marketing Officer | 2013–2015 | Transformation through sale to Verizon; post-transaction integration |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Bancshares Inc. (HBAN) | Independent Director | 2019–present | Banking/payments oversight; board service disclosed |
| Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. | Independent Director | 2020–2021 | Prior public board experience |
| Pier 1 Imports, Inc. | Independent Director | 2018–2020 | Prior public board experience |
Board Governance
- Lead Independent Director responsibilities: calls executive sessions; presides over independent director meetings; liaises with Chair/CEO; consults on board agendas; engages with stockholders (Kline designated LID; structure separates CEO/Chair and LID) .
- Committees: Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance; Member, Audit .
- Independence: Board determined Kline (and all non-employee directors) are independent under NYSE and SEC rules; audit/comp/nom committees fully independent .
- Attendance: In FY2025, all directors attended ≥75% of board and committee meetings; Board met 5x; Audit 8x; Comp 8x; Nominating 4x; Cybersecurity 4x; executive sessions held regularly . In FY2024, all directors attended ≥75%; Board met 10x; Audit 9x; Comp 6x; Nominating 4x; Cybersecurity 4x; executive sessions held regularly .
- Stockholder engagement: Fall 2024 outreach included Kline (as LID and Nom/Gov Chair) participating in meetings with holders representing ~27% of shares to discuss governance/compensation .
- Election status: Standing for re-election at the December 11, 2025 Annual Meeting as a Class III director (term through 2028) .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees earned | $50,500 | $75,000 |
| Cash fee components (policy rates) | Board retainer $32,500; LID $17,500; Audit member $10,000; Nom/Gov Chair $10,000 (effective July 1, 2024) | Board retainer $35,000; LID $20,000; Audit member $10,000; Nom/Gov Chair $10,000; Cybersecurity member $7,500 (if applicable) |
| Total cash | $50,500 | $75,000 |
Notes: FY2024 cash was lower due to timing/proration of the LID designation (effective June 2024) .
Performance Compensation
| Element | FY2024 | FY2025 | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU award (approx. fair value) | $199,994 | $200,010 | Annual non-employee director RSUs ~ $200k; vest on earlier of next annual meeting or one year from grant |
| Initial RSU award (new directors) | — | — | New directors receive ~ $400k RSUs at appointment; vest in three equal annual installments |
| Options | None disclosed | None disclosed | BILL uses RSUs for directors; no performance conditions on director equity |
Director equity awards are time-vested; no revenue/TSR metrics apply to non-employee directors (performance metrics cited in proxy apply to executive PSUs, not directors) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Potential Interlock Considerations |
|---|---|
| Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) | Banking/payments exposure relevant to BILL’s financial institution partnerships; no related-party transactions disclosed with Kline |
| Waddell & Reed; Pier 1 | Historical roles; no current conflict noted |
No related-party transactions involving Kline were disclosed; related-party items (e.g., Director Emeritus compensation; spouse employment of an executive) were reviewed under BILL’s policy and did not involve Kline .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Top skills: Enterprise risk (cybersecurity, payments, regulatory), governance, sales/marketing .
- Operating credentials: Led global marketing across 20+ digital brands at Verizon Media reaching >1B consumers; drove programmatic advertising category development .
- Innovation/PE exposure: Executive Partner at Ethos; Co-CEO of Identity Digital’s Innovation Labs (agentic identity focus) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | FY2024 (as of Sept 30, 2024) | FY2025 (as of Oct 20, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficially owned shares | 6,049 | 11,027 |
| Ownership % of outstanding | <1% | <1% |
| RSUs/options outstanding (director awards) | RSUs outstanding 2,883; options none | RSUs outstanding 2,095; options none |
| Shares counted in footnotes | Common shares held: 6,049 | Common shares held: 8,932 (beneficial ownership includes RSUs vesting within 60 days to reach 11,027) |
| Stock ownership guidelines | 5x annual cash retainer; all incumbents achieved or on track by June 30, 2025 | |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited without approval; directors subject to insider trading policy |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Kline’s dual role as LID and Nom/Gov Chair strengthens independent oversight, succession planning, governance evolution, and shareholder engagement—key for navigating activism and risk (e.g., Cybersecurity, payments compliance) .
- Alignment: Director pay mix is balanced (cash + time-vested equity) with clear ownership guidelines; her beneficial ownership increased year-over-year, and guidelines target 5x cash retainer—supportive of “skin in the game” .
- Independence & attendance: Confirmed independent status; ≥75% attendance; frequent executive sessions and committee activity bolster accountability .
- Conflicts/red flags: No related-party transactions involving Kline; hedging/pledging prohibited; robust clawback and insider trading controls (clawback applies to executives) .
- Shareholder signals: High 2024 Say-on-Pay support (~87%); Kline’s direct involvement in outreach enhances investor confidence in governance responsiveness .
Overall, Kline’s leadership in board governance, independence, and engagement supports investor confidence; compensation structure and ownership guidelines provide alignment, with no disclosed conflicts or attendance concerns .