Dessislava Temperley
About Dessislava Temperley
Independent non-employee director of Cimpress plc (CMPR) since September 2021; age 52 as of the 2025 proxy; current term expires at the 2027 AGM. She chairs the Audit Committee, is designated the Audit Committee Financial Expert, and serves on the Compensation and Nominating Committees, with 100% attendance in FY2025 across Board and relevant committees. Prior roles include Group CFO at Beiersdorf AG (2018–2021) and 14 years at Nestlé in senior finance positions; education includes a BS in Economics (American University in Bulgaria), MBA (Henley Business School, UK), and UK Chartered Management Accountant credential.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beiersdorf AG | Group Chief Financial Officer (Executive Board) | Jul 2018 – Jun 2021 | Led finance and operating discipline for multinational personal-care and adhesives company |
| Nestlé | Head of IR; CFO Nestlé Purina Petcare (EMENA); Head of Global Planning & Performance Monitoring; Controller; Finance Director | Apr 2004 – Jun 2018 | Investor relations, regional CFO, global planning/performance |
| Cable & Wireless | Finance roles (Global Capital Investments) | Circa 2001–2004 | International finance experience |
| Shell Bulgaria | Early career finance | Circa 1994–1990s | Entry-level finance foundation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committee Roles (if disclosed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC | Non-Executive Director | Since May 2020 | Not disclosed in CMPR proxy |
| Philip Morris International Inc. | Independent Non-Executive Director | Since Dec 2021 | Not disclosed in CMPR proxy |
| Corbion N.V. | Board Member (Supervisory Board) | May 2021 – May 2025 | Not disclosed in CMPR proxy |
Cimpress IR confirms board service at CCEP and PMI and prior board at Corbion; bio notes experience on audit committees at multinational companies (general statement).
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit (Chair; Financial Expert), Compensation (member), Nominating (member) .
- Independence: Board determined all non-employee directors (including Temperley) are independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Attendance: Board met 3 times in FY2025; each director attended every Board and committee meeting they served on; Audit met 5x, Compensation 4x, Nominating 2x .
- Executive sessions: Non-employee directors meet at least twice per year without management to discuss CEO performance .
- Board leadership: CEO/Chair roles combined; no lead independent director due to small Board size; Board periodically reevaluates structure .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY2025 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $100,000 | Paid quarterly; prorated for partial-year service |
| Audit Committee Chair cash retainer | $25,000 | Additional retainer for Audit Chair |
| Total cash (FY2025) | $125,000 | Temperley’s cash fees reported |
| Annual RSU grant (non-employee directors) | $199,947 | Grant value; RSUs vest 25% per year over 4 years; awarded following annual meeting |
| Total director comp (FY2025) | $324,947 | Fees + RSU grant for Temperley |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Structure | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Annual equity | Time-vested RSUs | No director performance metrics disclosed; RSUs vest based on continued service (25% per year over 4 years) |
CMPR director compensation uses cash retainers and time-based RSUs; no performance-based targets tied to director pay are disclosed .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Sector Exposure | Potential Conflict with CMPR |
|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC | Beverage bottling | No related-party transactions disclosed with CMPR; low direct overlap with CMPR’s mass customization/printing businesses |
| Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | No related-party transactions disclosed with CMPR; low direct overlap |
| Corbion N.V. (through May 2025) | Food/biochemicals | No related-party transactions disclosed with CMPR; low direct overlap |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit Committee Financial Expert; deep finance leadership and public-company board experience .
- Education: BS Economics (American University in Bulgaria), MBA (Henley Business School, UK), UK Chartered Management Accountant .
- 20+ years in finance roles spanning IR, regional CFO, global planning, and group CFO .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 5,541 | As of Oct 16, 2025; <1% of outstanding shares |
| Ownership % of outstanding | <1% | Based on 24,671,784 shares outstanding |
| RSUs outstanding (6/30/2025) | 7,073 | Director outstanding award detail |
| Shares acquirable within 60 days | 2,611 | RSUs/options vesting/exercisable on or before Dec 15, 2025 |
| Ownership guidelines | 3× annual Board cash retainer | Applies to directors; compliance met or on track as of 6/30/2025 |
| Hedging policy | Prohibited | Insider Trading Policy bars derivatives/hedging in CMPR securities |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Audit Chair with formal “financial expert” designation; robust committee activity (5 meetings) and full attendance, supporting strong financial oversight.
- Clear independence determination; no Temperley-related party transactions disclosed.
- Share ownership guidelines (3× retainer) with directors compliant or on track; hedging prohibited; clawback policy adopted June 19, 2023 (SEC/Nasdaq-compliant).
- Balanced director pay structure with modest cash retainer and time-vested RSUs aligning director interests to long-term value without short-term metrics.
-
Watch items / potential red flags:
- Combined CEO/Chair with no lead independent director may concentrate authority; mitigated by small board and periodic structural review plus executive sessions.
- Multiple external public-company board commitments (CCEP, PMI) increase time demands; ensure continued 100% attendance and active engagement (met in FY2025).
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No Temperley-specific conflicts identified:
- CMPR disclosed one related-party transaction in FY2025 with Prescott-affiliated entities (director Vassalluzzo), not involving Temperley.
-
Compensation governance context:
- Compensation Committee (including Temperley) did not engage an outside compensation consultant for executive compensation benchmarking in FY2025; relies on internally developed analyses and refreshed peer group—consider potential perceptions of advisor independence vs. internal rigor.
Overall investor confidence signals are positive given Temperley’s audit leadership, independence, full attendance, and compliance with ownership alignment policies; monitor board leadership structure and her multi-board workload for sustained effectiveness.