Nate Simmons
About Nate Simmons
Nathaniel (Nate) Simmons (age 48) has served as an independent director of Consensus Cloud Solutions (CCSI) since October 2021. He is President of the Cybersecurity and Martech division at Ziff Davis, Inc. (formerly J2 Global) and previously held senior roles at Norton LifeLock/Symantec (COO of Consumer Division; earlier CMO), Time Inc., and began his career at McKinsey & Company. At CCSI, Simmons serves on the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Committee; the Board has determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis, Inc. | President, Cybersecurity & Martech Division | Sep 2019 – Present | Leads subscription-based technology businesses; experience cited as valuable to CCSI Board |
| Norton LifeLock (Symantec Corp., Consumer Division) | SVP & COO | 2017 – 2019 | Operating leadership in consumer cybersecurity |
| Norton (Symantec) | SVP & CMO | 2015 – 2017 | Marketing leadership in consumer security |
| Time Inc. | SVP, Consumer Marketing (and other leadership roles) | Not disclosed | Subscription/consumer marketing expertise |
| McKinsey & Company | Consultant | Early career | Strategy/operations grounding |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis, Inc. | President, Cybersecurity & Martech Division | Public company | Executive role; not listed with any other public company board seats |
| Other public company boards | — | — | None disclosed (0) |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent under Nasdaq rules; only the CEO (Scott Turicchi) is non-independent.
- Committee assignments: Member, Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Committee (Chair: Pamela Sutton-Wallace; members include Douglas Bech and Nate Simmons).
- Chair roles: None disclosed for Simmons.
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, the Board met 6 times; ESG Committee met 4 times; all incumbent directors attended 100% of Board and applicable committee meetings; all six attended the 2024 annual meeting.
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet in regular executive sessions; independent Chairman (Douglas Bech) presides.
- Board structure and elections: Board moving to annual elections beginning with the 2026 annual meeting; Simmons was nominated for a one-year term at the 2025 meeting.
- Key committee independence: Audit and Compensation Committees comprised solely of independent directors.
Fixed Compensation
| Director Cash Program (FY2024) | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | 50,000 |
| Chair retainers – Audit | 30,000 |
| Chair retainers – Compensation | 20,000 |
| Chair retainers – ESG | 20,000 |
| Nate Simmons – FY2024 Director Compensation | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 50,000 |
| Stock Awards (grant date fair value) | 199,994 |
| Total | 249,994 |
Notes:
- The CEO does not receive additional director compensation.
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Grant/Value | Vesting | Instruments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (non-employee directors) | $200,000 grant date value | Fully vests on first anniversary of grant | RSUs | As of 12/31/2024, each non-employee director held 7,987 unvested RSUs |
| Stock options | Not granted in fiscal 2024 | — | Options | Company disclosed no stock option grants in FY2024 |
| Performance metrics (directors) | Not applicable | — | — | Director equity is time-based; no disclosed director performance metrics |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock/Related-Party Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis, Inc. | Executive (President, Cybersecurity & Martech) | CCSI and Ziff Davis entered into multiple agreements at the 2021 separation (TSA, tax, employee matters, IP license, stockholder/registration rights), overseen by CCSI’s Related Party Transaction Policy and Audit Committee review. |
| Other public company boards | None | — |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Subscription-based technology businesses; go-to-market and operations leadership (Ziff Davis, Symantec/Norton, Time Inc.).
- ESG/board governance oversight via ESG Committee membership (director nominations, board evaluations, governance principles, sustainability).
- Corporate governance environment includes independent chairman, majority independent board, and key committees limited to independent directors.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | Ownership % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel (Nate) Simmons | 14,833 | <1% | Beneficial ownership as of April 16, 2025; RSUs vesting within 60 days are included per SEC rules. |
| Unvested RSUs (as of 12/31/2024) | 7,987 | — | Each non-employee director held 7,987 unvested RSUs at year-end 2024. |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited | — | Policy prohibits hedging, holding in margin accounts, and pledging CCSI securities. |
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths
- Independent director with 100% attendance in 2024; active ESG Committee member.
- Compensation structure is equity-heavy (annual $200k RSUs that vest over one year) alongside modest cash retainer ($50k), aligning incentives with shareholders.
- Board-level safeguards: independent chairman, supermajority independent board, key committees limited to independents, regular executive sessions, and independent compensation consultant (FW Cook).
- Hedging and pledging prohibitions support alignment and risk management.
-
Watch items
- Potential related-party sensitivities due to Simmons’ executive role at Ziff Davis and the continuing post-spin agreements between CCSI and Ziff Davis; mitigated by CCSI’s Related Party Transaction Policy and Audit Committee oversight.
- Ownership is modest (<1% beneficial ownership), typical for outside directors; ongoing alignment relies primarily on annual RSU grants and anti-hedging/pledging policy.
-
Board trajectory
- Declassification to annual elections beginning 2026 enhances accountability; Simmons nominated for a one-year term at the 2025 annual meeting.
Fixed Compensation (Detail)
| Component | FY2024 Amount ($) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee directors) | 50,000 | |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed | — |
| Committee member fees | Not disclosed | — |
| Chair fees applicable to Simmons | None |
Performance Compensation (Detail)
| Component | FY2024 Value / Units | Vesting / Terms | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSU annual grant (Simmons) | $199,994 (grant date fair value) | Vests in full on 1st anniversary | |
| Unvested RSUs at 12/31/2024 (each non-employee director) | 7,987 units | Time-based vesting as above | |
| Options (directors) | None granted in FY2024 | — |
Board Governance (Detail)
| Topic | Disclosure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Committees | Audit; Compensation; ESG; Executive | |
| Simmons’ assignment | ESG Committee member | |
| Independence | Independent under Nasdaq rules | |
| Attendance (2024) | 6 Board; ESG 4; 100% attendance by all incumbent directors | |
| Executive sessions | Regular; chaired by Independent Chairman | |
| Compensation consultant | FW Cook engaged; determined independent; no other services |
Related-Party & Conflict Controls
- Related Person Transaction Policy requires Audit Committee approval for transactions >$120,000 involving directors/officers or >5% holders; Board emphasizes arms-length terms.
- Post-spin agreements with Ziff Davis (separation, TSA, tax, employee matters, IP license, stockholder/registration rights) govern ongoing relationship; oversight via policy above.
- Hedging/pledging policy prohibitions reduce alignment risks.
Other Directorships & Interlocks (Summary Table)
| Category | Status |
|---|---|
| Other public company directorships | None (0) |
| Potential interlock exposure | Executive at Ziff Davis (counterparty to post-spin agreements); governed by Related Person Transaction Policy and Audit Committee review |
Governance Conclusion
Simmons brings relevant subscription-tech and operational/marketing expertise and is a fully independent, high-attendance director with equity-aligned compensation and compliance with robust risk-mitigation policies (no hedging/pledging). The principal governance watch item is his executive role at Ziff Davis given ongoing post-spin agreements; CCSI’s Related Person Transaction Policy and independent Audit Committee oversight partially mitigate this risk.