Greg Hughes
BLACKLINEAbout Greg Hughes
Greg Hughes joined BlackLine’s Board on July 25, 2025 and serves as a non-employee director with membership on the Compensation Committee; he is also a member of the Board’s independent Strategic Committee, indicating independence under Nasdaq standards. He holds an MBA from Stanford and a B.A./M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT; prior roles include CEO of Veritas (2018–2024) and CEO of Serena Software (2013–2016) . There are no family relationships or related-party transactions disclosed with BlackLine, and he will sign the company’s standard indemnification agreement .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veritas Technologies LLC | Chief Executive Officer; Director | 2018–2024 | Led ARR growth, subscription model transition, and cloud business build; culminating in merger with Cohesity . |
| Serena Software | President & Chief Executive Officer | 2013–2016 | Led during private equity ownership and sale to Micro Focus . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cohesity | Director | 2024–present | Board member following Veritas/Cohesity transaction . |
| LogMeIn | Director | 2011–2017 | Public company board experience in collaboration software . |
Board Governance
- Current BlackLine committee assignments: Compensation Committee (member) and Strategic Committee (member; committee composed of independent directors) .
- Independence signals: No family relationships; no related-party transactions under Item 404(a); participation on an “independent Strategic Committee” .
- Standard board practices: Majority-independent board policy; robust committee structure with defined charters and independence requirements .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer (cash) | $40,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears . |
| Compensation Committee member retainer (cash) | $7,500 | Paid quarterly in arrears . |
| Chair fees (if applicable) | Audit $20,000; Compensation $15,000; Nominating $8,000; Tech & Cyber $10,000 | Not currently applicable to Hughes . |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award | Grant Value | Vesting | Change-of-Control Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU award (prorated) | $200,000 × prorata fraction | 100% vests at earlier of one year or day prior to next annual meeting, subject to service . | |
| Annual RSU award | $200,000 | 100% vests at earlier of one year or day prior to next annual meeting, subject to service . | |
| Acceleration | — | — | All director awards fully vest upon a change in control, per plan terms . |
Performance metrics are not applied to director equity; awards are time-based RSUs under the Outside Director Compensation Policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cohesity | Private | Director | AI-powered data security/data management; no related-party transactions with BlackLine disclosed . |
| LogMeIn | Public (historical) | Director | 2011–2017; no BlackLine interlocks disclosed . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Enterprise software CEO and operator (Veritas, Serena); transformation at scale, subscription/pricing transitions, ARR growth, and cloud business building .
- Board governance in public and private tech; compensation committee experience; strategic oversight (Strategic Committee) .
- Education: MBA (Stanford); B.A. and M.S. in EECS (MIT) .
Equity Ownership
- Beneficial ownership: Not disclosed in 2025 proxy (post-appointment); Form 4 retrieval unsuccessful; no ownership details available at this time .
- Director stock ownership guidelines: Minimum ownership equal to 4× annual Board cash retainer; compliance by later of Feb 2025 or fifth anniversary of joining the Board; if short, 50% of after-tax value of exercised options/vested RSUs retained until met .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited by Insider Trading Compliance Policy .
Governance Assessment
- Alignment: Independent director with compensation limited to standard cash retainers and time-based RSUs under a transparent policy; no related-party ties disclosed .
- Board effectiveness: Adds deep enterprise software and transformation expertise to Compensation and Strategic Committees; strengthens board oversight of talent, pay-for-performance, and strategy .
- Investor confidence signals: Board maintains majority independence and formal charters; recent say-on-pay support improved to >94% at the 2024 meeting, reflecting responsiveness to shareholder feedback on compensation design .
- Potential conflicts (monitoring): External Cohesity board role—if BlackLine contemplates partnerships or vendor relationships with Cohesity, best practice is recusal to avoid perceived conflicts (no related-party transactions currently disclosed) .
RED FLAGS (currently none disclosed):
- No related-party transactions or family relationships disclosed for Hughes .
- Company prohibits hedging/pledging; director equity uses standard time-based vesting; no option repricing or tax gross-ups for directors under policy .