Michael Sentonas
CrowdStrike HoldingsAbout Michael Sentonas
Michael Sentonas is President of CrowdStrike and has served in this role since March 2023; previously he was Chief Technology Officer (Feb 2020–Mar 2023) and Vice President, Technology Strategy (May 2016–Feb 2020). Before joining CrowdStrike, he held multiple roles at McAfee (2004–2016), culminating as Chief Technology Officer – Security Connected (Nov 2013–Apr 2016). He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Edith Cowan University and serves on the CrowdStrike Foundation board and the Forbes Technology Council, with extensive public speaking and advisory work on cybersecurity for government and business communities . Company performance metrics used in executive pay include Revenue Growth Percentage and non-GAAP EPS; FY2025 PSU results were 29.3% revenue growth and $3.95 non-GAAP EPS, driving a 75.6% payout. CrowdStrike reported non-GAAP operating income of $837,695 thousand and cumulative TSR of $651.61 in FY2025; ARR increased 23% to $4.24 billion as of January 31, 2025 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrowdStrike | President | Mar 2023–present | Senior leadership driving product strategy, customer advocacy and growth . |
| CrowdStrike | Chief Technology Officer | Feb 2020–Mar 2023 | Led technology vision and execution across Falcon platform . |
| CrowdStrike | VP, Technology Strategy | May 2016–Feb 2020 | Drove technology strategy and ecosystem alignment . |
| McAfee | CTO – Security Connected | Nov 2013–Apr 2016 | Led platform strategy across security portfolio . |
| McAfee | Various leadership positions | Mar 2004–Nov 2013 | Progressive leadership across product/technology . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrowdStrike Foundation | Board Member | Not disclosed | Supports next-gen cybersecurity and AI talent via scholarships and grants . |
| Forbes Technology Council | Member | Not disclosed | Executive network; contributions on technology leadership . |
| Public speaking/advisory | Speaker/Advisor | Not disclosed | Advises government and business on cyber threats and resilience . |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY 2024 | FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $625,000 | $750,000 (effective Feb 1, 2024) |
| Target Bonus (% of Base) | 100% | 100% |
| Target Bonus ($) | $625,000 | $750,000 |
| Actual Bonus Earned ($) | $653,531 | $795,039 (106.0% of target) |
| Other Compensation ($) | $17,700 | $17,638 |
| Total Compensation ($) | $35,648,591 | $24,313,079 |
Performance Compensation
Annual Cash Incentive (Corporate Incentive Plan, “CIP”) – FY2025
| Metric | Weighting | Aggregate FY2025 Target | Actual Achievement | Payout Mechanics | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-GAAP Operating Income | 30% | $886.5 million (aggregate quarterly targets) | 108.6% average of quarterly achievement | 0–110% funding curve; no payout <85% | Metric must meet 85% threshold for funding . |
| Net New ARR | 70% | $775.0 million (aggregate quarterly targets) | 104.1% average of quarterly achievement | 0–150% funding with tiers; linear interpolation; cap 150% | Primary growth indicator tied to selling and innovation . |
| Net Retention Rate | Modifier (±10%) | 115–120% quarterly target range | Q1: 119%, Q2: 118%, Q3: 115%, Q4: 112% | Up/down modifier to final payout | Within target range except Q4 . |
| CIP Actual Payout (Sentonas) | — | — | — | 106.0% of target, $795,039 paid | Paid quarterly . |
Performance-Based Stock Units (PSUs) – FY2025
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout (% of Target) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth Percentage | 50% | 28% (threshold), 31% (target), 32% (max) | 29.3% | 75.6% (overall PSU payout) | 25% vests at 1-year; remaining 75% vests quarterly over next 3 years, subject to service . |
| Non-GAAP EPS | 50% | $3.77 (threshold), $3.97 (target), $4.15 (max) | $3.95 | 75.6% (overall PSU payout) | Same as above . |
FY2025 Annual Equity Awards (granted April 17, 2024)
| Award Type | Dollar Value ($) | Shares (Target/Granted) | Grant-Date Fair Value ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs | $12,500,000 (program allocation) | 38,732 RSUs | $11,375,201 |
| PSUs (Target) | $12,500,000 (program allocation) | 38,732 (target), 77,464 (max) | $11,375,201 (probable outcome at grant) |
Stock Vested – FY2025
| Metric | FY 2025 |
|---|---|
| Shares Acquired on Vesting (#) | 129,968 |
| Value Realized on Vesting ($) | $44,210,574 |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial Ownership (as of April 15, 2025)
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Sentonas | 208,025 (including 8,230 options exercisable within 60 days) | <1% (“*”) |
- Stock Ownership Guidelines: Executives (other than CEO) must own shares equal to 1x base salary by the later of March 5, 2029 or five years from appointment; owned stock excludes unvested RSUs/PSUs and options. As of fiscal 2025, NEOs and directors have met or exceeded these guidelines based on current accumulation rates and timelines .
- Anti-Hedging/Pledging: Insider trading policy prohibits hedging and pledging without express advance permission from the Board and Chief Legal Officer .
- Clawback: Compensation Recovery Policy effective Oct 2023 requires recovery of excess incentive-based compensation following material restatements within the prior three years .
Outstanding Equity Awards (as of Jan 31, 2025) — Michael Sentonas
| Grant Date | Instrument | Status | Quantity (#) | Exercise Price ($) | Expiration | Market Value ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/01/2016 | Option | Exercisable | 5,000 | 1.67 | 06/01/2026 | — |
| 09/25/2018 | Option | Exercisable | 3,230 | 11.13 | 09/25/2028 | — |
| 04/06/2021 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs | 2,001 | — | — | $796,538 |
| 04/06/2021 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs | 1,398 | — | — | $556,502 |
| 04/06/2022 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs/PSUs | 12,286 | — | — | $4,890,688 |
| 04/06/2022 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs/PSUs | 7,810 | — | — | $3,108,927 |
| 2022 series (footnote 15) | Stock Award | Unvested | 7,029 | — | — | $2,798,034 |
| 04/19/2023 | Stock Award | Unvested PSUs | 50,534 | — | — | $20,116,069 |
| 04/19/2023 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs | 32,728 | — | — | $13,028,035 |
| 04/19/2023 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs | 65,455 | — | — | $26,055,672 |
| 04/17/2024 | Stock Award | Unvested PSUs (FY2025) | 29,262 | — | — | $11,648,324 |
| 04/17/2024 | Stock Award | Unvested RSUs (FY2025) | 31,470 | — | — | $12,527,263 |
Notes: Market values calculated at $398.07 per share (last close on Jan 31, 2025) . RSUs generally vest in 16 equal quarterly installments; FY2025 PSUs vest 25% at one-year anniversary then quarterly over three years, subject to service and certified performance .
Employment Terms
- Employment and Agreements: NEOs have at-will employment; employees (including NEOs) must sign the At-Will Employment, Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement, including IP assignment and confidentiality .
- Severance/Change-in-Control: No special severance or change-in-control cash/acceleration provisions disclosed for Michael Sentonas; the FY2025 table lists “N/A” for his potential payments under termination/change-in-control scenarios .
- Equity Grant Timing: Company does not time grants around release of MNPI; during FY2025 no NEOs were awarded stock options; grants are governed by the 2019 Plan .
Performance & Track Record
- FY2025 results used in compensation plans: Revenue Growth 29.3% and non-GAAP EPS $3.95 yielded PSU payout of 75.6% .
- ARR grew 23% YoY to $4.24 billion as of January 31, 2025 .
- Leadership and product innovation under his purview included Falcon Cloud Security advancements (AI-SPM and DSPM) and enhancements to Falcon Identity Protection; Sentonas emphasized real-time protection across cloud, data, AI models and identities . He also described data pipeline innovation with Onum to accelerate adoption of Falcon Next-Gen SIEM and reduce complexity for SOC migrations .
- Company-wide pay-versus-performance shows FY2025 non-GAAP operating income of $837,695 thousand and cumulative TSR of $651.61 vs peer TSR of $279.92 .
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Mix and trends: FY2025 total compensation decreased versus FY2024, primarily reflecting a normalization from the FY2024 promotion RSU grant ($15 million) to standard annual equity awards in FY2025 (RSUs $12.5 million; PSUs $12.5 million) .
- Pay-for-performance: Approximately 50% of annual long-term equity awards are PSUs tied to top-line (revenue growth) and bottom-line (non-GAAP EPS) metrics; cash incentive weights emphasize profitability (non-GAAP operating income at 30%) and growth (Net New ARR at 70%), with net retention as a modifier .
- Governance: No excise tax gross-ups, no single-trigger acceleration; robust clawback and ownership guidelines; hedging and pledging prohibited without consent .
Equity Ownership & Alignment — Additional Points
- Ownership guideline: 1x salary for executive officers; compliance expected by March 5, 2029 or 5 years from appointment; as of fiscal 2025, executives are meeting/exceeding based on accumulation rates .
- Pledging/Hedging: Prohibited absent express advance permission; no pledging by Sentonas disclosed .
Employment & Contracts — Additional Details
- Non-compete/Non-solicit: Not specifically disclosed; agreements focus on confidentiality and IP assignment .
- Severance/CoC economics: Not applicable for Sentonas per FY2025 potential payments table .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Legal proceedings: Several derivative lawsuits filed against certain officers and directors in 2024–2025 alleging fiduciary breaches and securities law violations; cases consolidated/stayed pending related class action; not specifically naming Sentonas in the cited text .
- Insider trading compliance: Company reported late Form 4 filings for certain individuals (not Sentonas) due to administrative errors .
- Hedging/pledging controls and clawback policy mitigate alignment risks .
Performance Compensation — Detailed Vesting Schedules
- RSUs: 16 equal quarterly installments over four years from grant; FY2025 RSUs begin vesting June 20, 2024 .
- PSUs: Earned based on FY2025 performance; service vesting 25% on one-year anniversary (March 20, 2025), then quarterly over three years .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Heavy weighting to performance-based PSUs and profitability/growth-focused CIP indicates strong pay-for-performance alignment; anti-hedging/anti-pledging and ownership guidelines further align incentives with shareholders .
- Retention risk: Large multi-year RSU/PSU packages with extended service vesting and absence of bespoke severance for Sentonas suggest retention through ongoing vesting rather than contractual severance, limiting single-trigger risk and encouraging continuity .
- Trading signals: Significant value realized from vesting ($44.2M in FY2025) without reported option exercises may lead to periodic selling for tax/liquidity, but anti-hedging/pledging constraints and ownership guidelines temper adverse signals; monitor Form 4s for actual dispositions near major vesting dates .
- Execution: FY2025 achieved strong non-GAAP operating performance and ARR growth supporting PSU and CIP payouts; Sentonas’ leadership in cloud, identity, and AI security innovation reinforces product momentum into FY2026 .