Allison Pickens
COMMVAULT SYSTEMSAbout Allison Pickens
Allison Pickens (age 40) has served as an independent director of Commvault since June 2020. She is the Founding Managing Director of Allison Pickens Ventures and The New Normal Fund (AI and SaaS-focused), a Senior Advisor to Boston Consulting Group, and former COO of Gainsight (2014–2020); her background spans SaaS go-to-market, finance, M&A, and customer growth/retention. She is not an employee of Commvault and is designated independent under Nasdaq standards; she currently serves on the Audit Committee and the Nominations & Governance Committee (NGC) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gainsight (SaaS) | Chief Operating Officer and other executive roles | 2014–2020 | Led customer success operating model and growth initiatives |
| Bessemer Venture Partners | Executive-in-Residence | 2018–2020 | CEO coaching and SaaS strategy advisory |
| Bain Capital Private Equity | Associate | 2009–2011 | Evaluated investments across industries |
| Boston Consulting Group | Management Consultant | 2007–2009 | Strategy projects for public and private companies |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allison Pickens Ventures; The New Normal Fund | Founding Managing Director | Current | AI and SaaS-focused venture funds |
| Boston Consulting Group | Senior Advisor | Current | Advises on strategic transformations of technology companies |
| dbt Labs (private) | Board Director | 2021–2024 | Venture-backed data transformation company |
| Author | Co-author, “The Customer Success Economy” | 2020 | Wiley publication |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director; not a company executive .
- Committees: Audit Committee (member); Nominations & Governance Committee (member). Audit met 6x; NGC met 4x in FY 2025 .
- Committee focus: Audit oversees financial reporting, compliance, whistleblower matters, related-person transactions, and cybersecurity/IT compliance; NGC oversees director nominations, governance guidelines, sustainability, succession, and board/committee evaluations .
- Attendance/engagement: The Board met 4x in FY 2025, with executive sessions at every meeting led by the independent Chair; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings. All directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting virtually .
- Leadership structure: Independent Chair of the Board; committee chairs rotate every five years; Chair rotates every ten years .
- Audit Committee Report: Signed by Chair Shane Sanders, with members Martha Bejar and Allison Pickens, recommending inclusion of FY25 audited financials in the Form 10-K and confirming auditor independence review .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric (USD) | FY 2024 | FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | $58,250 | $62,000 |
| Stock Awards (Grant-date fair value) | $214,947 | $214,980 |
| Total | $273,197 | $276,980 |
- Director cash retainer schedule (FY25): Base retainer $42,000; Audit Committee member $15,000; NGC member $5,000; consistent with Pickens’ $62,000 cash total .
- External consultant: Compensia reviewed non-employee director pay in May 2024 and found practices competitive with market .
Performance Compensation
| Award Year | Grant Date | Award Type | Shares | Grant-date Fair Value | Vesting Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2024 program | Aug 29, 2023 | RSU | 3,137 | $214,947 | Vest on the later of one year from grant or the next annual meeting, service-contingent |
| FY 2025 program | Aug 8, 2024 | RSU | 1,530 | $214,980 | Vest on the later of one year from grant or the next annual meeting, service-contingent |
- Equity design: Time-based RSUs for directors; Commvault does not currently grant stock options, SARs, or similar option-like instruments as part of its equity program .
- Mix insight: FY 2025 pay mix for Pickens ~22% cash ($62k) and ~78% equity ($214,980), aligning incentives to stock performance via equity retainer .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed (public) | — | — | No current public company directorships listed for Pickens in the proxy |
| dbt Labs (private) | Private | Director (prior) | 2021–2024; not a public company interlock |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology/SaaS operator with COO experience; CEO coaching, growth strategy, customer success, finance, M&A; breadth across software, investment, and consulting .
- Board competencies map to Audit (financial literacy, risk/cyber oversight) and NGC (governance, succession, sustainability) mandates .
Equity Ownership
| Item | As of | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (common shares) | May 31, 2025 | 3,137 | <1% of shares outstanding; no options held by individuals listed |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding (FY25 award) | Mar 31, 2025 | 1,530 | FY25 director RSUs outstanding as of fiscal year-end |
| Hedging/Pledging | Policy level | Prohibited | Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging and pledging by directors |
| Director ownership guideline | Policy level | 5x base cash retainer | Compliance: each independent director required to be in compliance owns requisite amount |
Governance Assessment
- Alignment and independence: Independent status, equity-heavy pay mix, ownership guideline (5x retainer), and hedging/pledging prohibitions support alignment with shareholders .
- Committee effectiveness: Active roles on Audit (6 meetings; cybersecurity oversight; related-party review) and NGC (4 meetings; governance oversight) indicate substantive engagement on risk and governance .
- Attendance/engagement: Met at least the statutory 75% attendance threshold; Board holds executive sessions at every meeting led by an independent Chair, reinforcing independent oversight .
- Conflicts/related-party: Pickens leads venture funds investing in AI/SaaS; Audit Committee reviews related-person transactions and none occurred in FY 2025, mitigating conflict risk .
- Director compensation structure: No options or performance-conditioned equity for directors; time-based RSUs at ~$215k annually are market-aligned per consultant review but are retention- rather than performance-conditioned; cash retainer policy is transparent .
- Section 16 compliance: Company disclosed delinquencies only for the CFO due to administrative onboarding delay; no director exceptions noted .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Pickens. No related-party transactions; no hedging/pledging; attendance at least 75%; no Section 16 issues reported for directors .