Christopher McCarthy
CourseraAbout Christopher D. McCarthy
Christopher D. McCarthy (age 49) is an independent Class II director of Coursera, Inc., serving since January 2023, with his current term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting. He is Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President & CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, bringing operational leadership, consumer trends expertise, and social impact experience. He holds a B.S. with honors in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramount Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: PARA) | Co-Chief Executive Officer | May 2024–present | Leads global media assets |
| Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks | President & CEO | 2022–present | Oversees Paramount, Showtime, MTV, Comedy Central, Smithsonian |
| ViacomCBS/CBS & Viacom (post-merger) | President of Entertainment & Youth Brands, Domestic Media Networks; President & CEO, MTV Entertainment Group | Dec 2019–2022 | Led entertainment portfolio post-merger |
| Viacom (pre-merger) | Senior executive roles incl. President of MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo | 2004–2019 | Brand turnarounds; industry coalitions on mental health & civic engagement |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Medical Center of New York (non-profit) | Board Member | 2022–present | Non-profit governance role |
No other public company board memberships disclosed for Mr. McCarthy .
Board Governance
- Class II director; term expires at the 2026 annual meeting .
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (Governance) .
- Independence: The Board determined Mr. McCarthy is independent under NYSE rules; 7 of 9 directors are independent .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 7 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of applicable meetings; overall attendance was 98%. Non-management directors hold executive sessions at each regular meeting, presided over by the Lead Independent Director .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy (Structure) | 2024 Actual for McCarthy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Retainer | $37,500 annual cash retainer; additional annual retainers for committee service | $42,000 fees earned | Policy benchmarked by independent consultant (Compensia) |
| Annual Equity Retainer (RSUs) | RSUs with target economic value of $185,000; number of shares set using 30-day average price; vest on earliest of 1-year anniversary, next annual meeting, or change-in-control | $149,165 grant-date fair value; 18,669 RSUs granted May 22, 2024, vest by May 22, 2025 (or earlier triggers) | Fair value computed under ASC 718; vesting subject to continued service |
| Initial RSU upon appointment | Vests over three years (33% after one year, then quarterly for 8 quarters) | 12,219 unvested RSUs remaining from 1/31/2023 initial grant; vest quarterly through Feb 15, 2026 | Subject to continued service; converts to shares per schedule |
- Director compensation is set and periodically reviewed by the HRC Committee, with benchmarking by Compensia .
Performance Compensation
| Performance-linked Elements in Director Pay | 2024 Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Performance bonuses or PSUs for directors | None disclosed; non-employee director compensation consists of cash retainers and time-based RSUs |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Compensation committee interlocks: None. No Coursera executive served on another company’s compensation committee/board where Coursera directors or executives served as executives during the last fiscal year .
- Potential interlocks/conflicts: No related-person transactions disclosed involving Mr. McCarthy. Related-party transactions disclosed involve NEA affiliates (Chang and Sandell) and DeepLearning.AI (Andrew Ng), not McCarthy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: B.S. with Honors in Commerce and Engineering (Drexel); MBA (Wharton) .
- Skills matrix highlights: Technology & AI; Consumer insights; Operational leadership; Finance & accounting; Global scale; Public company governance/compliance .
- Board role: Member of Governance Committee overseeing board composition, self-assessments, succession planning, PBC obligations, ownership guidelines, and CEO succession .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Feb 28, 2025) | 35,737 shares; <1% of outstanding | As reported; percentage rounded per company disclosure |
| RSUs unvested (Dec 31, 2024) | 30,888 RSUs total (18,669 2024 annual grant; 12,219 from 1/31/2023 initial grant) | Vesting: annual RSUs vest by May 22, 2025; initial grant vests quarterly through Feb 15, 2026, subject to service |
| Options exercisable/unexercisable | None disclosed for McCarthy | Director option balances table shows none for McCarthy |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Non-employee directors: 3x cash retainer; unvested RSUs do not count; retain ≥50% of net shares until in compliance | Expected to be in compliance within five years of applicability; hedging and pledging prohibited |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Independent director on an all-independent Governance Committee; strong board practices include annual self-assessments, executive sessions, and majority-independent board with a Lead Independent Director .
- Attendance and engagement: Company reported 98% overall attendance; policy requires at least 75% participation per director; executive sessions at each regular meeting support candid oversight .
- Ownership alignment: Time-based RSUs plus stock ownership guidelines (3x cash retainer) and prohibitions on hedging/pledging create alignment and risk controls; McCarthy holds 35,737 shares beneficially .
- Compensation reasonableness: 2024 director pay for McCarthy ($42,000 cash; $149,165 RSUs; total $191,165) fits Coursera’s standardized director program and is benchmarked via Compensia, with vesting tied to service or annual meeting timing .
Potential Risks / RED FLAGS
- Time commitments: Concurrent service as Co-CEO of Paramount Global could constrain bandwidth; Coursera’s governance framework includes limits on other for-profit board service and robust committee oversight to mitigate risks .
- Related-party exposure: None disclosed for McCarthy; Audit Committee oversees related-party transactions under a formal policy .
- Alignment risks: Hedging/pledging prohibited; stock ownership guidelines enforce minimum holdings and 50% net-share retention until compliant .
Overall signal: Governance profile indicates independence, committee engagement, and high-level operating expertise with aligned incentives; no disclosed conflicts or attendance issues specific to McCarthy .