Peter Solvik
About Peter Solvik
Independent director of Docusign since March 2006; age 66. Managing Director at Jackson Square Ventures since 2011 and previously Managing Director at Sigma Partners (since 2002). Former Senior Vice President at Cisco Systems. Holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois Gies College of Business. Independent under Nasdaq standards; currently serves on the Compensation and Nominating Committees .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Systems, Inc. | Senior Vice President | Not disclosed | Senior leadership at a large-cap technology firm |
| Sigma Partners | Managing Director | Since 2002 | Venture investing leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Square Ventures (JSV) | Managing Director | 2011 | Venture capital leadership role |
| OneNotary, Inc. | Director | March 15, 2024 | Appointed concurrent with financing in which Docusign invested $0.5M and converted a $0.4M SAFE; JSV invested $3.5M and owned >10% post-close; Solvik is a JSV Managing Director |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Independent under SEC and Nasdaq standards |
| Committee assignments | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (Chair); Compensation and Leadership Development Committee (Member) |
| Committee meeting cadence (FY25) | Nominating Committee: 5 meetings; Compensation Committee: 4 meetings |
| Board attendance | Board held 24 meetings; each member attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings; all continuing directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting |
| Skills alignment | Senior leadership; industry expertise; cybersecurity; corporate governance; product/engineering/operational experience |
| ESG oversight | Nominating Committee has central oversight role for ESG; Compensation Committee supports HCM and succession |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount ($) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cash retainer (FY25 policy) | 46,500 | |
| Nominating Committee Chair fee (FY25 policy) | 12,200 | |
| Compensation Committee member fee (FY25 policy) | 11,400 | |
| Total fees earned (FY25 actual) | 70,100 |
The FY25 fee schedule (retainer + committee fees) reconciles to Solvik’s actual cash fees of $70,100 .
Performance Compensation
| Component | Grant/Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (FY25) | $249,971 (grant-date fair value) | Granted under Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy |
| Vesting schedule | Time-based | Annual grants vest in four equal quarterly installments; full vest on change in control |
| Outstanding RSU awards (as of Jan 31, 2025) | 2,137 shares | Balance reported in proxy |
| Options outstanding (as of Jan 31, 2025) | — | No options reported for Solvik |
| Performance metrics tied to director equity | None disclosed | Director equity is time-based RSUs; no director-specific performance metrics |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Organization | Role | Type | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OneNotary, Inc. | Director | Private | Appointed March 15, 2024 | JSV (where Solvik is MD) invested $3.5M and owned >10% post-close; disclosed as a related-person transaction |
| Compensation Committee Interlocks | None | — | — | No interlocks or insider participation disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Venture capital managing director (JSV, Sigma Partners) with technology investing and governance experience .
- Senior leadership background (Cisco SVP) and operational exposure to large-scale tech businesses .
- Board skills matrix highlights senior leadership, industry expertise, cybersecurity/information security, corporate governance, and product/engineering/operational acumen .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of Mar 15, 2024 | As of Mar 15, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficially owned shares | 249,052 | 227,257 |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | <1% (asterisk per proxy) | <1% (asterisk per proxy) |
| Shares subject to outstanding RSU awards | — | 2,137 |
| Shares subject to outstanding options | — | — |
Stock ownership policy: Non-employee directors must hold stock equal to 3.0x Board retainer; as of Jan 31, 2025, all directors either met the guideline or were within the allowed compliance period . Hedging, pledging, short sales, margin accounts, and derivatives transactions are prohibited for directors . Rule 10b5-1 plans permitted only under Insider Trading Policy; policy summarized in proxy .
Governance Assessment
- Committee leadership and independence: Solvik chairs the Nominating Committee and sits on Compensation; Board explicitly affirms his independence; both committees are fully independent, with clear charters, regular meetings, and robust evaluation processes—favorable for board effectiveness .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 24 times with ≥75% attendance by each director, plus full attendance at the 2024 Annual Meeting—indicative of engagement .
- Alignment and incentives: Director pay is balanced—modest cash plus time-based RSUs with quarterly vesting; annual grant at ~$250k and no options for Solvik; vesting accelerates on change in control, typical but should be monitored for potential entrenchment signals .
- Ownership policy and trading controls: Mandatory stock ownership guidelines and strict prohibitions on hedging/pledging support alignment and mitigate risk .
- Related-party exposure — RED FLAG: OneNotary financing involved Docusign investing alongside JSV (where Solvik is MD), with Solvik joining OneNotary’s board and JSV owning >10% post-close. This is properly disclosed under related-person transactions and subject to board policy review, but presents perceived conflict risk that investors should monitor for independence and oversight rigor .
- Compensation interlocks: None disclosed, reducing reciprocity risk in pay decisions .
Overall, Solvik’s long tenure, committee leadership, independence affirmation, and compliance with ownership/trading controls support governance quality; the OneNotary transaction is the principal conflict-risk signal requiring continued scrutiny of recusal practices and Audit/Nominating oversight .