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Jeff Haywood

Director at Definitive Healthcare
Board

About Jeff Haywood

Jeff Haywood, 46, is an independent Class III director whose term expires at the 2027 annual meeting; he has served on DH’s board since February 2015. He is a Managing Director at Spectrum Equity (joined February 2007), with prior roles at Thoma Cressey Equity Partners (associate) and Goldman Sachs (analyst). He holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from Duke University, and the board cites his finance/investment expertise and healthcare analytics experience as core credentials . The board affirmatively determined Mr. Haywood is independent under Nasdaq standards and specifically for service on the Human Capital Management & Compensation Committee, taking into account his Spectrum Equity role .

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
Spectrum EquityManaging DirectorJoined Feb 2007Private equity investment leadership in technology/healthcare/data; finance expertise
Thoma Cressey Equity PartnersAssociateNot disclosedGrowth equity experience
Goldman SachsAnalystNot disclosedEarly-career analytical foundation

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureNotes
RxVantageDirectorCurrentPrivate company; healthcare technology
Keylink Holdings, LLCDirectorCurrentPrivate company
EverlywellBoard ObserverCurrentPrivate company; healthcare

Board Governance

  • Committee assignments: Member, Human Capital Management & Compensation Committee (chair: Jill Larsen). Not on Audit; not on Nominating & Corporate Governance .
  • Independence: Determined independent under Nasdaq; independent for service on the HCM & Compensation Committee .
  • Attendance: Board held 14 meetings in 2024; HCM & Compensation held 5; all directors attended at least 75% of board/committee meetings during service periods .
  • Tenure/class: Class III director; term expires at the 2027 annual meeting .
  • Executive sessions: Non-management and independent directors meet in regular executive sessions led by an independent presiding director .
CommitteeMembership2024 Meetings
AuditNo 8
HCM & CompensationYes 5
Nominating & Corporate GovernanceNo 4

Fixed Compensation

ItemAmount/Policy2024 Actual (Haywood)
Annual cash retainer$50,000 (non-employee directors) $— (no director pay for Advent/Spectrum employees)
Committee chair fees$20,000 (Audit, HCM); $10,000 (Nominating chair) $—
Initial equity grantRSUs valued at $300,000 upon joining (non-employee directors) $— (no awards for Advent/Spectrum employees)
Annual equity grantRSUs valued at $175,000; time-based vesting to next annual meeting (non-employee directors) $—

Policy note: Directors employed by Advent or Spectrum Equity do not receive compensation for board or committee service .

Performance Compensation

ComponentTerms2024 Actual (Haywood)
Options/SARsCompany does not grant stock options/SARs; no option-like instruments None
Performance-based equityNon-employee director equity is RSU-based and time-vested; no disclosed director performance metrics None (no director awards for Advent/Spectrum employees)
Director performance metricsNone disclosed for director compensation; company’s pay-versus-performance metrics apply to NEOs (Adjusted EBITDA Margin, ARR, Stock Price, Relative TSR, Net Dollar Retention, % ARR from enterprise) Not applicable

Other Directorships & Interlocks

  • Nominating agreement: Spectrum Equity (and affiliates) retains the right to designate one director so long as it beneficially owns ≥5% of outstanding common stock; Mr. Haywood is Spectrum Equity’s designee .
  • Registration rights: Affiliates of Spectrum Equity are parties to the IPO registration rights agreement .
  • Compensation committee interlocks: HCM & Compensation Committee members in 2024 (Larsen, Haywood, Young) were not DH officers/employees; the company is party to transactions with Advent and Spectrum Equity described in related-party section .

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Finance and investment expertise in technology/healthcare/data, including service as director in healthcare analytics companies .
  • Education: B.A. in Political Science and History, Duke University .

Equity Ownership

HolderClass A Shares% Class AClass B Shares% Class BCombined Voting Power
Jeff Haywood41,934 * *
Affiliates of Spectrum Equity1,441,657 1.3% 13,843,158 35.5% 10.3%
  • Stock ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold ≥3x annual cash retainer and retain 25% of shares until compliant; however, directors who do not receive director compensation because their principal employment is with an investor fund (e.g., Advent/Spectrum) are not subject to these guidelines. As of Dec 31, 2024, all subject directors met guideline levels for their tenure .
  • Anti-hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits directors from hedging or pledging company securities .

Governance Assessment

  • Strengths
    • Independent status affirmed despite fund affiliation; serves on HCM & Compensation with independence specifically determined under Nasdaq rules .
    • Attendance threshold met; Board and HCM & Compensation committee were active in 2024 (14 and 5 meetings, respectively), supporting oversight continuity .
    • Anti-hedging/pledging and clawback policies enhance alignment and mitigate risk from inappropriate trading or restatements .
  • Potential risks/RED FLAGS to monitor
    • Control/representation: Spectrum Equity holds registration rights and a nominating right and is a >5% beneficial owner, with Mr. Haywood as its board designee; this can create perceived influence over board composition and decisions .
    • Related-party context: Company discloses certain transactions/agreements with Advent and Spectrum Equity; while common in sponsor-backed structures, these arrangements warrant continued scrutiny for conflicts (e.g., TRA/rights agreements) .
    • Alignment: Directors employed by Advent/Spectrum do not receive cash/equity director compensation, reducing direct board-level pay-at-risk; ownership exists but is primarily through affiliated funds, not individual director grants .

Overall: Independence and governance structures are disclosed and supported by policies, but sponsor-related rights and affiliations (nominating and registration rights; meaningful sponsor voting power) represent ongoing governance considerations for investor confidence that should be monitored across vote outcomes, committee decisions, and related-party disclosures .