Steven Sordello
CompassAbout Steven Sordello
Independent director of Compass, Inc. since November 2020; age 55; former CFO of LinkedIn (2007–2022) with deep experience in strategy, operational/financial management, and M&A. He holds a B.S. in Management and an MBA from Santa Clara University; current COMP board term expires in 2027 and he serves on the Audit and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFO; later SVP & CFO Emeritus | 2007–2022 | Led finance at scale; IPO-to-Microsoft integration experience | |
| TiVo | CFO | 2006–2007 | Public-company finance leadership |
| AskJeeves | CFO | 1999–2005 | Growth-stage tech CFO |
| Adobe Systems | Senior roles | 1994–1999 | Operating and finance experience in software |
| Syntex | Senior roles | 1992–1994 | Pharma operating roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian Corporation | Director | Since 2015 | Current public company directorship |
| Grafana Labs | Board member | Since Sept 2024 | Technology/private company board |
| Santa Clara University | Trustee; Chair, Finance Committee | Since 2013 | Governance/finance oversight |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Sordello is independent under NYSE rules; all board committee members are independent; Audit Committee members (including Sordello) are financially literate .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee (member); Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (member). 2024 meetings: Audit 5; Nominating 4; Compensation 5 .
- Attendance: The Board met 8 times in 2024; all directors attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Board leadership: CEO Robert Reffkin is Chair; Charles Phillips is Lead Independent Director; regular executive sessions of independent directors are held .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy Amount (USD) | 2024 Actual for Sordello (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Board member annual cash retainer | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Audit Committee member fee | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance member fee | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Total cash | $65,000 (sum for his roles) | $65,000 |
- Cash vs equity mix in 2024: Cash $65,000 ; equity grant fair value $212,620 ; total $277,620 → cash ~23% / equity ~77% (based on disclosed values) .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Grant Detail | Value/Units | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Director RSU | Policy annual RSU award following annual meeting | $225,000 policy target | Vests fully at earlier of next annual meeting or one year; service-based |
| 2024 Director RSU (Sordello) | Annual grant | 57,310 RSUs; fair value $212,620 | Annual vest schedule per director policy |
- No performance-based equity or cash metrics are used for non-employee director pay at COMP; director equity is time-based RSUs under the 2021 EIP .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committees | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian Corporation | Director | Not disclosed | No COMP-related transactions disclosed; unrelated industry (software) |
| Prior: Cloudera | Former Director | Not disclosed | No COMP-related transactions disclosed |
- Related-party transactions: None required to be reported since start of fiscal 2024 .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial leadership: Multi-decade CFO experience (LinkedIn, TiVo, AskJeeves) and public-company board governance (Atlassian) .
- Technology and M&A: Deep operational/financial management in tech; strategy and M&A credentials .
- Audit committee suitability: Board determined Audit Committee members are financially literate; Martell is designated financial expert; Sordello serves as member .
- Education: B.S. in Management and MBA, Santa Clara University .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Class A common) | 338,127 shares (<1%) | Less than 1% of outstanding shares; includes 194,460 options exercisable within 60 days |
| Options | 194,460 (exercisable within 60 days as of 3/24/2025) | Director option holdings also shown in director comp table |
| Unvested stock awards (as of 12/31/2024) | 57,310 RSUs | Annual director grant outstanding |
| Ownership guidelines | Non-employee directors: 5x annual Board retainer | All non-employee directors met guidelines as of 12/31/2024 |
| Hedging/Pledging | Hedging prohibited; pledging restricted and requires General Counsel approval | Policy in place; no pledges disclosed for Sordello |
Insider Trades (Form 4 Filings)
| Filing Date | Transaction Date | Summary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 2024 | Noted in filing index | Form 4 filed by Sordello (reporting change in beneficial ownership) | |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Jun 5, 2024 | Form 4; RSU-related entry noted in summaries | |
| Jun 6, 2025 | Jun 4, 2025 | Form 4; director equity activity (conversion/exercise code M noted) | |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Sep 4, 2025 | Form 4 filed |
Note: Form 4 summaries above reference public filing indices; exact share counts and codes are contained in the SEC forms.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with significant public-company CFO and technology-sector governance experience; serves on Audit and Nominating committees; Audit Committee independence and financial literacy affirmed; Board holds regular executive sessions and annual self-evaluations .
- Alignment: Director pays predominantly equity-based (annual RSUs) with stock ownership guidelines met; hedging prohibited and pledging restricted; no related-party transactions disclosed for 2024–2025 window .
- Engagement: Board met 8 times in 2024; all directors ≥75% attendance and attended the annual meeting; committee cadence appears appropriate (Audit 5; Nominating 4) .
- Signals: 2024 say‑on‑pay support ~93% suggests shareholder acceptance of compensation governance (contextual to exec pay, not director pay) .
- Watch items: Not designated as the Board’s audit committee financial expert (Martell holds that designation) though financially literate; no disclosed conflicts/interlocks with COMP customers/suppliers; monitor pledging approvals (policy allows GC-approved pledges under strict limits) .