Chrissy Taylor
COMMERCE BANCSHARES INC /MO/About Chrissy Taylor
Christine B. “Chrissy” Taylor (age 49) is President & CEO of Enterprise Mobility and has served as an independent, non‑employee director of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH) since April 2022; she holds a B.A. in sociology from Miami University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis . Her background includes leadership across mobility services (Enterprise Rent‑A‑Car, National, Alamo) and operational/financial roles spanning Europe consumer rental, fleet restructuring, car sales, and North American operations, culminating in elevation to CEO in 2020 . She is characterized by the board as bringing insight on economic trends in mobility and customer experience .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Mobility | President & CEO | CEO since 2020 | Led mobility portfolio brands; strategic and operational leadership |
| Enterprise Mobility | President & COO | 2019–2020 | Oversight of operations prior to CEO role |
| Enterprise Mobility | EVP & COO | 2016–2019 | Senior operations leadership |
| Enterprise Mobility | North American Operations | 2013–2016 | Oversight of NA operations |
| Enterprise Mobility | Car Sales business | 2011–2013 | Managed Car Sales |
| Enterprise Mobility | Fleet Management restructuring | 2008–2011 | Guided financial restructuring |
| Enterprise Mobility | Consumer rental market (Europe) | 2006–2008 | Developed European consumer rental |
| Enterprise Mobility | Management Trainee | Joined 2000 | Early career foundation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Roundtable | Member | Not disclosed | National policy/CEO forum |
| U.S. Travel Association | Member | Not disclosed | Industry association engagement |
| St. Louis CITY SC (MLS) | Majority female‑owned investor group | Not disclosed | Part of first majority female‑owned MLS club |
Board Governance
- Committee assignment: Member, Committee on Governance/Directors; not a chair; Lead Director and Governance Chair is Earl H. Devanny III .
- Independence: Board determined Ms. Taylor is independent under NASDAQ rules .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held 4 regular meetings in 2024; all directors attended 100% of Board and committee meetings on which they served; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Executive sessions: Executive sessions held regularly; Governance Chair serves as Lead Director and chairs executive sessions .
Fixed Compensation
Director pay is delivered via mandatory participation in the Stock Purchase Plan for Non‑Employee Directors; cash fees are credited monthly and converted to whole shares at the NASDAQ consolidated closing bid price, with shares issued after year‑end; non‑employee directors also receive standard cash components and chair premia .
| Component | Amount | Mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Annual retainer | $20,000 | Paid quarterly; credited to Director Plan and converted to stock monthly |
| Per Board meeting fee | $7,500 | In‑person or virtual; credited and converted to stock |
| Per committee meeting fee | $1,000 | For committees on which the director is a member |
| Year‑end additional annual fee | $75,000 | Paid after year end; credited and converted; increased from $50,000 in 2022 |
| Committee chair annual fee | $10,000 | Chair premium (Taylor is not a chair) |
Director‑specific annual totals:
| Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash (Taylor) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $75,813 | Converted to shares per Director Plan; 1,131 shares issued in Jan 2023 to Taylor for 2022 fees |
| 2023 | $126,000 | Converted to stock monthly; stock awards column “—” reflects plan mechanics |
| 2024 | $126,000 | Converted to stock monthly; stock awards “—” |
Ownership guideline for directors:
- Requirement: $300,000 stock ownership; new directors have 5 years from election to comply .
- Status: As of Dec 31, 2023, Taylor (elected 2022) had until 2027; as of Dec 31, 2024, all non‑employee directors satisfied the requirement except June McAllister Fowler (Taylor compliant) .
Performance Compensation
- Non‑employee director compensation at CBSH is not performance‑based; no RSUs/PSUs, option grants, or incentive metrics are disclosed for directors (stock awards shown as “—”; plan converts fees into stock monthly) .
- Therefore, no performance metrics (TSR, revenue, EPS) apply to Ms. Taylor’s director compensation at CBSH .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Public/Private | Role | Committee Roles | Potential Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crawford Group, Inc. | Private | Director | Not disclosed | Interlock: CBSH Executive Chairman David W. Kemper served on The Crawford Group board in 2024 while Taylor is a director; noted in Comp Committee Interlocks section |
| Other public company directorships | — | None | — | CBSH proxy lists “Other Directorships: None” for Taylor |
Expertise & Qualifications
| Area | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Industry leadership (Mobility, transportation services) | CEO of Enterprise Mobility; stewardship of rental, fleet, carsharing, subscription brands |
| Operations and restructuring | Led fleet management restructuring; NA operations oversight; European market development |
| Customer experience orientation | Board summary emphasizes best‑in‑class service focus |
| Education | BA, Miami University; MBA, Washington University in St. Louis |
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Class |
|---|---|---|
| Christine B. Taylor | 6,354 | <1% |
Notes:
- Table includes directors and executives as of Dec 31, 2024; methodology includes shares acquirable within 60 days by SARs (none indicated for Taylor) .
- No pledging or hedging of company stock for Taylor is disclosed; Section 16 compliance notes no delinquencies for Taylor .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee fit: Taylor is independent and sits on Governance/Directors, aligning with her oversight and executive leadership background; Governance Chair is the Lead Director (ensures independent leadership in executive sessions) .
- Attendance and engagement: Strong—100% attendance in 2024 across Board and committee meetings; presence at Annual Meeting indicates engagement with governance calendar .
- Alignment via stock plan and ownership guideline: Mandatory director stock purchase plan converts fees into common shares, and Taylor is compliant with the $300,000 ownership guideline as of Dec 31, 2024, reinforcing alignment incentives .
- Compensation structure signals: Cash components increased in 2023 (year‑end fee raised from $50,000 to $75,000), but economic exposure is translated into equity via the Director Plan—reducing misalignment risks typically associated with pure cash retainers .
- Potential conflicts: Interlock with The Crawford Group (Taylor is a director; Kemper served on its board) warrants monitoring for banking relationships; CBSH’s Related Party Transaction Policy screens and disclosed multiple Kemper‑family related transactions (e.g., Tower Properties) but does not identify transactions involving Taylor, Enterprise Mobility, or The Crawford Group—mitigating immediate conflict concerns .
- RED FLAGS: None directly tied to Taylor disclosed (no low attendance, no director‑level stock hedging/pledging, no director‑specific related‑party transactions). The Crawford Group interlock is a watch item for potential information flow or preferential treatment, but policy governance and disclosure currently mitigate this risk .
Overall, Taylor’s independent status, perfect attendance, equity‑linked director pay via the stock purchase plan, and compliance with ownership guidelines support investor confidence. The noted interlock with The Crawford Group should be monitored in future proxies for any related‑party interactions or banking exposure; none are currently disclosed .