Daniel James
About Daniel James
Daniel James is an independent director of Traeger, Inc. (COOK), serving on the Board since 2014; he is age 60 in the 2025 proxy and holds a B.A. in Chemistry from the College of the Holy Cross . James is Managing Partner and CEO of Trilantic North America, which he co-founded in 2009, bringing extensive corporate finance and investing experience; his COOK biography lists private board roles at Ortholite and Sunrise Strategic Partners .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traeger, Inc. | Director | 2014–present | No standing committee roles disclosed |
| Trilantic North America | Managing Partner & CEO | 2009–present; co-founder | Corporate finance and investing leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortholite (private) | Director | Not disclosed | Listed in COOK biography as current private company directorship |
| Sunrise Strategic Partners (private) | Director | Not disclosed | Listed in COOK biography as current private company directorship |
Board Governance
- Class I director; nominated in 2025 to a subsequent term expiring at the 2028 Annual Meeting .
- Independence: Board determined Daniel James qualifies as “independent” under NYSE rules (nine of ten directors in 2025; ten of eleven in 2024) .
- Committees: Not listed as a member of Audit, Compensation, or Nominating & Corporate Governance in 2024 or 2025 .
- Attendance: Met minimum attendance (≥75%) in 2023; all directors met ≥75% in 2024; all incumbents attended the annual meetings in 2023 and 2024 .
- Executive sessions: Independent/non-management directors meet regularly without management; sessions presided by the Lead Director . Lead Independent Director role held by Raul Alvarez since July 2021 .
Committee Membership Snapshot
| Committee | 2024 Membership | 2025 Membership | Chair Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | No | No | None |
| Compensation | No | No | None |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | No | No | None |
Fixed Compensation
- Traeger is a “controlled company” under NYSE rules; its Director Compensation Program pays cash retainers to “Eligible Directors” not affiliated with AEA, OTPP, or TCP; James (affiliated with Trilantic/TCP) is not an Eligible Director and receives no director fees .
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | — | — |
| Stock Awards ($) | — | — |
| Total ($) | — | — |
Program reference (for context): Annual Director Retainer $75,000; Lead Independent Director $75,000; Chair retainers Audit $20,000, Compensation $15,000, Nominating $10,000 .
Performance Compensation
- As a non-Eligible Director, James does not receive RSU grants under the Director Compensation Program .
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| RSU Awards Outstanding at Fiscal Year End (#) | — | — |
| Vested and Unsettled RSUs Outstanding (#) | — | — |
Vesting terms (program context for Eligible Directors): Initial/Annual Grants ~$192,500 vest on first anniversary or next annual meeting; full vesting on change-in-control if not joining post-transaction board .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortholite | Private | Director | Affiliation with Trilantic investor group (TCP) that holds COOK shares |
| Sunrise Strategic Partners | Private | Director | Affiliation with Trilantic investor group (TCP) that holds COOK shares |
| Public company boards | — | None disclosed | No public boards noted in COOK proxy biography |
Stockholders Agreement: AEA, OTPP, and TCP (Trilantic) have director designation rights; certain major actions require prior written consent while thresholds met—creates potential influence by significant stockholders on board composition and strategic decisions .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Managing Partner & CEO of Trilantic North America; co-founded in 2009; extensive corporate finance and investing experience .
- Board Skills Matrix attributes include Strategic Transactions, Risk Management, and Human Capital .
- Education: B.A. Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross .
- Tenure/age: Director since 2014; age 59 in 2024 and 60 in 2025 .
Equity Ownership
- No personal beneficial ownership of COOK shares reported for Daniel James in the security ownership tables for 2024 and 2025 .
- Affiliated holder: Entities affiliated with Trilantic Capital Management L.P. (via TCP Traeger Holdings SPV LLC and related entities) are 5%+ stockholders (2024: 17,986,994 shares; 14.0%; 2025: 17,986,994 shares; 13.8%)—ownership is not attributed personally to James but indicates investor-group exposure .
| Holder | Apr 8, 2024 Shares (#) | Apr 8, 2024 % | Mar 24, 2025 Shares (#) | Mar 24, 2025 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel James (personal) | — | — | — | — |
| Trilantic-affiliated entities (TCP) | 17,986,994 | 14.0% | 17,986,994 | 13.8% |
Policy note: Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy applies to directors; prohibits hedging/pledging Company stock .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and attendance: James is formally independent under NYSE rules and met ≥75% attendance requirements in 2023 and 2024—baseline governance hygiene .
- Committee participation: No committee memberships or chair roles; reduces direct oversight engagement on Audit/Compensation/Nominating matters .
- Alignment signals: No personal beneficial ownership and not eligible for director retainers/equity due to TCP affiliation may weaken direct pay-for-performance alignment versus independent directors who receive RSUs and cash retainers .
- Controlled company and investor influence: COOK is a controlled company; AEA/OTPP/TCP have nomination rights and, while thresholds persist, consent rights over significant actions—key governance risk for minority investors and potential conflicts for investor-affiliated directors like James .
- Executive sessions and policies: Board holds regular independent executive sessions; anti-hedging/pledging policy is a positive governance control .
RED FLAGS
- Affiliation with a significant stockholder (Trilantic/TCP) that has board designation and consent rights—potential conflict of interest and reduced board independence in practice .
- No personal COOK share ownership or director compensation/RSUs—limited direct economic alignment with minority shareholders compared to Eligible Directors .
Mitigants
- Formal independence status under NYSE rules and adequate attendance .
- Independent composition of Compensation and Nominating committees; use of independent consultant (Meridian) with no conflicts for director/executive pay benchmarking .