Sachin Mehra
Director at CRM
Board
About Sachin Mehra
Sachin Mehra, age 54, is an independent director of Salesforce (CRM) since 2023 and serves as Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee; he is designated an SEC “audit committee financial expert.” He is the Chief Financial Officer of Mastercard, with prior finance leadership roles at Hess Corporation and domestic/international finance roles at General Motors; he holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Mumbai) and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard | Chief Financial Officer | Since 2019 | Leads global finance and risk; deep cybersecurity/data privacy knowledge |
| Hess Corporation | Vice President & Treasurer; Vice President & Deputy Treasurer | 2007–2010 | Corporate finance and treasury leadership |
| General Motors | Various domestic/international finance roles | >10 years | FP&A, risk management, treasury experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public Company Board? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard | Chief Financial Officer | No | Global FinTech leadership; technology-focused innovation |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined all nominees except Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, and Robin Washington are independent under NYSE standards; Mehra is independent .
- Committee assignments: Chair of Audit & Finance Committee; the committee met 8 times in fiscal 2025 and oversees accounting, audit firm independence, internal controls, enterprise risk, disclosure controls, and capital structure .
- Financial expert designation: Mehra qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” under SEC rules .
- Attendance: All directors attended at least 75% of board/committee meetings; average director attendance was 97% in fiscal 2025; 12 of 13 directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Auditor oversight: As Audit Chair, Mehra led the annual evaluation that concluded Ernst & Young is independent and was reappointed for fiscal 2026 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Fiscal 2025 Amount | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Committee Chair Cash Fee | $50,000 | Paid quarterly to Audit Chair; standard fees are $50,000 for Audit/Comp/Governance chairs |
| RSU Grant (Directors) | $374,900 grant date fair value | Granted Feb 1, 2024; vests in four equal installments on Feb 22, May 22, Aug 22, Nov 22, 2024, subject to continued service |
| Total | $424,900 | Sum of cash + RSUs |
Policy context: Non-employee directors receive RSUs (approx. $375k) and cash fees for leadership roles; Lead Independent Director receives $150k; committee chairs receive $50k; other standing committee chairs receive $25k .
Performance Compensation
| Element | Structure | Metric(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director equity | Time-based RSUs | N/A | Non-employee directors did not hold unvested stock awards at FY-end and director compensation does not include performance-based awards |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Mehra |
| Related-party transactions | None involving Mehra disclosed; Salesforce’s related-party section lists transactions for certain directors/executives, but not Mehra |
| Policy safeguards | Audit Committee pre-approves/ratifies related-party transactions per written policy to preserve independence |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial, operational, and risk management expertise at a large global FinTech; strong cybersecurity and data privacy knowledge .
- Extensive FP&A, treasury, risk management, and business unit finance leadership across major markets outside the U.S. .
- Education: Bachelor of Commerce (University of Mumbai); MBA (University of Virginia Darden School) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Mehra | Source/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 3,533 | Includes 274 shares issuable upon RSU settlement within 60 days of March 31, 2025 |
| Ownership % of outstanding | <1% | Table reports “*” less than 1% |
| Vested vs unvested | No unvested stock awards at FY-end for non-employee directors | FY25 director RSUs fully vested by Nov 22, 2024 |
| Pledged shares | Prohibited by insider trading policy; no pledging permitted for directors | |
| Hedging | Prohibited for directors | |
| Director stock ownership guideline | $550,000 threshold; unvested awards excluded; must meet by later of Mar 27, 2030 or 5 years from appointment | |
| Guideline compliance status | All non-employee directors were in compliance as of Apr 15, 2025 |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; Audit Chair and SEC-recognized financial expert; robust audit/ERM oversight with documented auditor evaluation and reappointment; strong attendance culture (97% average); hedging/pledging prohibition; enhanced director ownership guideline ($550k) with full compliance reported .
- Alignment: Director pay mix is heavily equity via time-based RSUs, plus modest cash chair fee—promotes ownership alignment without performance distortion; no meeting fees, minimizing pay-for-attendance incentives .
- Conflicts/Red flags: No related-party transactions involving Mehra disclosed; policy requires Audit Committee review of any related-party dealings; prohibition on pledging/hedging reduces misalignment risk .
- Board responsiveness: Following a 45.6% say-on-pay in 2024, board undertook extensive investor engagement and compensation program changes—signals active governance and responsiveness, with Compensation Committee leadership refresh in late 2024/early 2025 .