Kevin Cook
BumbleAbout Kevin Cook
Kevin D. Cook (age 61) was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Bumble Inc., effective August 12, 2025; he brings 30+ years of financial management experience, including CFO of Cloudera, senior finance and corporate development roles, and earlier investment banking leadership positions; he holds a B.A. in Economics–Business from UCLA and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center . He joins amid a transition where Q2 2025 revenue declined 7.6% year-over-year to $248.2 million while Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 38.1%, and 2024 company results included $1,071.6 million in total revenue and 28.4% Adjusted EBITDA margin under the STI framework .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudera, Inc. | Chief Financial Officer | Oct 2021–Sep 2023 | Senior financial leadership at a hybrid cloud data and AI platform; positioned to lead through transformation and growth per Bumble’s appointment announcement . |
| Cloudera, Inc. | SVP Finance, Corporate Development & Investor Relations | Aug 2014–Sep 2021 | Led finance, corporate development, and IR functions over multi-year period . |
| Barracuda Networks, Inc. | VP Strategic Finance, Corporate & Business Development | 2010–2012 | Strategic finance and corporate development at a global cybersecurity company . |
| Cowen; Credit Suisse; Wachovia (Wells Fargo); RBC Capital Markets | Investment banking leadership roles | Not disclosed | Investment banking leadership across multiple firms . |
| Morrison Foerster | Business & Finance department | Not disclosed | Early career experience in business and finance . |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Terms |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $525,000 per year . |
| Target annual bonus | No less than 80% of base salary (performance-based) . |
| 2025 bonus proration | 2025 bonus (if any) prorated for period employed in fiscal 2025 . |
Performance Compensation
Short-Term Incentive (STI)
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout Mechanics | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate and individual performance objectives (specific metrics not disclosed for CFO) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Eligible to earn annual cash bonus; target ≥80% of base; paid by March 15 following performance year; 2025 prorated . | Cash bonus timing per plan; no vesting concept . |
Note: Company-wide STI design for 2024 NEOs used revenue, adjusted EBITDA margin, total paying users, and individual performance, but CFO-specific weights for 2025 were not disclosed .
Long-Term Incentive (LTI) – Equity
| Award Type | Grant Value | Instrument | Grant/Timing | Vesting | Performance Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-on equity | $12,000,000 | RSUs | Granted as soon as practicable after Aug 12, 2025 (per plan and award agreement) . | Terms per RSU agreement not disclosed; upon qualifying severance, any time-based equity scheduled to vest in the 12 months following termination accelerates . | None disclosed for sign-on RSUs . |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Form 3/4) | Not disclosed in filings cited here as of his appointment; initial Section 16 filings expected after start date (not in scope of retrieved documents) . |
| Pledged shares | Company policy prohibits hedging or pledging by directors and executive officers . |
| Hedging policy | Hedging of company securities prohibited for directors, executive officers, and employees . |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Not disclosed in retrieved excerpts . |
| Equity cadence/pressure | Time-based RSUs create periodic vesting; if terminated without cause/for Good Reason, the next 12 months of scheduled time-based vesting accelerate, potentially affecting supply timing upon separation . |
Employment Terms
| Topic | Key Terms |
|---|---|
| Employment status | At-will; serves as CFO of Bumble Trading LLC and Bumble Inc. . |
| Principal location | Kentfield, California (or as mutually agreed) . |
| Reporting | Reports to CEO . |
| Notice | Executive must provide 60 days’ advance written notice for voluntary resignation (non–Good Reason); Company may pay in lieu or place on garden leave . |
| Severance – Without Cause or Good Reason | Accrued rights plus (i) 12 months of then-current base salary and 100% of target annual bonus, paid over 12 months; (ii) up to 12 months of COBRA at active-employee rates (or equivalent taxable payments); (iii) acceleration of any unvested time-based equity scheduled to vest in the 12 months after termination (including the Sign-On RSUs) . |
| Death/Disability | Accrued rights; any earned but unpaid prior bonus; pro-rata bonus for year of termination, subject to release and compliance . |
| For Cause / Voluntary (no Good Reason) | Accrued rights only; garden leave or pay in lieu may apply on notice . |
| Good Reason (examples) | Material decrease (>10%) in base or target bonus; material diminution in duties/authority; failure to grant Sign-On RSU; change in reporting (no longer to CEO); relocation >50 miles from Kentfield, CA; Company material breach; notice/cure required . |
| Restrictive covenants | Confidentiality and non-disparagement (indefinite); employee non-solicit for 12 months post-employment; customer non-solicit during employment; non-compete during employment; IP assignment; return-of-property obligations . |
| Arbitration/Governing law | Binding AAA arbitration; California law; class/collective action waiver . |
| 280G (Parachute) | “Best net” cutback provision to avoid excise tax if payments constitute parachute payments; waterfall for reductions specified . |
| Indemnification/D&O | Standard form indemnification agreement; D&O insurance maintained at company’s discretion . |
Say‑on‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback (context)
| Item | 2025 Annual Meeting Result |
|---|---|
| Advisory vote to approve NEO compensation | Votes For: 782,545,500; Against: 19,034,314; Abstain: 30,213; Broker Non‑Votes: 12,940,095 . |
Performance & Company Context (during transition)
| Metric | Period | Value/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | Q2 2025 | $248.2 million (−7.6% y/y) . |
| Adjusted EBITDA | Q2 2025 | $94.6 million; 38.1% margin . |
| Total paying users | Q2 2025 | 3.777 million (−8.7% y/y) . |
| 2024 total revenue | FY 2024 | $1,071.6 million (per Pay vs Performance table) . |
| Adjusted EBITDA Margin (Reference in STI design) | FY 2024 | 28.4% (company reported metric referenced in executive comp section) . |
| TSR (value of $100 investment) | FY 2024 | Company TSR $11.58; Index TSR $91.21 (Pay vs Performance presentation) . |
Investment Implications
- Compensation structure and alignment: Cook’s comp is heavily at‑risk with a large $12 million sign‑on RSU grant and a target bonus of at least 80% of salary, aligning incentives with equity value creation; hedging/pledging prohibitions improve alignment with shareholders .
- Retention and separation economics: Severance includes 12 months’ salary plus 100% of target bonus, 12 months COBRA, and acceleration of the next 12 months of time‑based equity, which is supportive for retention yet could front‑load equity supply on a qualifying separation; 280G “best‑net” cutback reduces parachute tax risk and shareholder optics in a change‑in‑control scenario .
- Execution mandate: He enters during a reset emphasizing member quality and operating efficiency; with Q2 2025 revenue down but Adjusted EBITDA margin up, investors should watch whether CFO initiatives sustain margin expansion while stabilizing paying user trends and revenue trajectory .
- Governance risk mitigants: Robust clawback policy (Dodd‑Frank compliant), prohibitions on hedging/pledging, and use of independent compensation advisor and committee independence reduce governance red flags around compensation .