Lauren Young
About Lauren Young
Lauren Young, age 42, has served on DH’s Board since July 2019. She is a Managing Director at Advent International and previously worked in the U.S. buyout fund at The Carlyle Group (2006–2009) and as an analyst at McColl Partners (2004–2006). She holds a B.A. from Davidson College and an MBA from Harvard Business School; the Board cites her financial knowledge and cross‑industry investment experience as core credentials . The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules for Board service and specifically for the HCM & Compensation Committee, with the independence review explicitly considering her Advent role .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advent International, L.P. | Managing Director | 2011–present | Private equity leadership across business services, healthcare, industrial, consumer, and technology |
| The Carlyle Group (U.S. buyout fund) | Investment professional (member of U.S. buyout fund) | 2006–2009 | Large‑cap PE execution experience |
| McColl Partners | Analyst | 2004–2006 | Transaction analysis and deal support |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings Inc. | Director | Public | Current public company directorship |
| Iodine Software | Director | Private | Current private company directorship |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, HCM & Compensation Committee; Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Independence: Board determined Ms. Young is independent for Board service and for HCM & Compensation Committee; independence determination considered her Advent employment .
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met 14 times; all directors attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings during their period of service .
- Board classification: Class I director; nominated for a three‑year term expiring at the 2028 annual meeting .
- Nominating rights: Advent has contractual rights to designate two nominees while it holds ≥21.5% and one nominee while it holds ≥5%; Ms. Young is an Advent designee .
| Committee | Membership | Chair | 2024 Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | — | — | 8 |
| HCM & Compensation | Lauren Young | Jill Larsen | 5 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Lauren Young | Lauren Young | 4 |
Fixed Compensation
- Policy: Standard non‑employee director cash retainer $50,000; Audit and HCM & Compensation Committee Chairs receive $20,000; Nominating & Governance Committee Chair receives $10,000; annual RSU grant valued at $175,000; initial RSU grant $300,000 upon joining .
- Advent exemption: Directors employed by Advent or Spectrum Equity do not receive Board or committee compensation .
- 2024 actuals for Lauren Young: No cash fees, no stock awards, no other compensation; no outstanding equity awards as of Dec 31, 2024 .
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash retainer | — | Advent employees do not receive director compensation |
| Committee chair fee | — | Not applicable; compensated chairs must be eligible non‑employee directors |
| Equity (RSUs) | — | No RSUs granted; no outstanding equity awards at year‑end |
Performance Compensation
- Stock‑based awards/Options: DH does not grant stock options with option‑like features; directors who are Advent employees receive no director equity; therefore Ms. Young has no performance‑linked director compensation .
- Performance metrics: Company’s pay‑versus‑performance metrics (for executives) include Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Annual Recurring Revenue, Stock Price, Relative TSR, Net Dollar Retention, and % ARR from enterprise customers; these do not apply to Ms. Young’s director pay (none) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Advent interlocks: Ms. Young is an Advent Managing Director; Advent is DH’s largest holder (57.0% of Class A as of April 1, 2025) and has nominating rights; Board considered Advent roles in independence determinations .
- Voting agreement: Advent agreed to vote any shares exceeding 40.3% of outstanding voting securities proportionally with non‑Advent stockholders, mitigating control concerns after the November 2024 repurchase program .
- Related party transaction: DH entered into a master services agreement with Encora in Nov 2024 (~$1.7 million commitment over one year); Advent owns a majority voting interest in Encora’s parent—potential related‑party exposure .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: B.A. (Davidson College); MBA (Harvard Business School) .
- Domain expertise: Financial analysis, private equity investing across software and technology; service as director at software solutions companies .
- Board qualification: The Board cites financial knowledge, investment experience across industries, and relevant director service as reasons for nomination .
Equity Ownership
- Individual beneficial ownership: Lauren Young shows no reported Class A or Class B shares as of April 1, 2025, with a footnote disclaiming Advent fund holdings except for any pecuniary interest .
- Outstanding shares baseline: 109,544,357 Class A and 38,996,613 Class B shares outstanding as of April 1, 2025 .
- Director ownership guidelines: Apply to non‑employee directors, but exclude directors who do not receive Board compensation because their principal employment is with an investment fund that invests in DH (Advent employees); directors must reach ≥3x annual cash retainer within 5 years if subject to guidelines; as of Dec 31, 2024, all subject directors met tenure‑appropriate levels .
| Holder | Class A Shares | % Class A | Class B Shares | % Class B | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lauren Young | — | — | — | — | Disclaims Advent fund holdings except for pecuniary interest |
| Advent funds (aggregate) | 62,493,676 | 57.0% | — | — | Largest holder; subject to voting agreement on “excess voting securities” |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent determination despite sponsor affiliation; chairs Nominating & Governance and serves on HCM & Compensation; strong attendance culture (≥75% across Board/committees); proportional voting agreement for Advent mitigates outsized control risk .
- Alignment: Ms. Young receives no director cash or equity due to Advent employment; individual “skin‑in‑the‑game” alignment relies on any indirect pecuniary interest through Advent rather than personal DH shareholdings; she is exempt from director ownership guidelines .
- Conflicts/Related‑party exposure: Advent nominating rights and majority ownership create potential influence; Encora agreement (~$1.7m) with an Advent‑controlled affiliate is a related‑party transaction requiring ongoing Audit Committee oversight .
- RED FLAGS: Sponsor‑affiliated director serving as Nominating & Governance Chair may raise independence optics; absence of personal DH share ownership and no director equity could weaken direct alignment; recurring sponsor transactions (e.g., Encora) heighten conflict monitoring needs .