Sara Baack
EURONET WORLDWIDEAbout Sara Baack
Sara Baack (age 53) is a Class II independent director of Euronet Worldwide (EEFT), appointed in February 2024 with her term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting. She is Founding Partner at Snowhawk LP (since 2022), and previously served as Chief Product Officer (2019–2022) and Chief Marketing Officer (2012–2019) at Equinix, Inc. She holds a B.A. from Rice University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equinix, Inc. | Chief Product Officer | 2019–2022 | C-level leadership across product; global interconnection/data center domain |
| Equinix, Inc. | Chief Marketing Officer | 2012–2019 | Led marketing through growth and ecosystem expansion |
| Splunk Inc. | Director | Dec 2017–Feb 2023 | Public-company board experience in enterprise software |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure/Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowhawk LP | Founding Partner | Since 2022 | Private investment firm focused on cloud/connectivity/services |
| ProsperOps | Director | Current | Cloud management; private board role |
| CleanArc Data Centers | Director | Current | Data centers; private board role |
| Service Express | Director | Current | Technology services; private board role |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO (Michael J. Brown) are independent; Sara Baack is classified as Independent (“I”) in the committee matrix .
- Committee assignments: As of the 2025 proxy, Baack is not listed as a member of the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees .
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board held 4 regular meetings; each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings. Directors are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting; two directors attended in 2024 .
- Lead Independent Director: Thomas A. McDonnell was appointed Lead Independent Director in February 2025 .
- Committee charters: All standing committee charters are available on the company’s website .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Terms | FY 2024 Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $100,000 | Paid at beginning of term | Baack received $100,000 cash |
| Annual equity (stock awards) | $160,000 | Granted on annual meeting date; vests immediately | Grant date: May 16, 2024; grant-date value per share $115.27 |
| Total annual director compensation | $260,000 | — | Baack total $260,000 (cash + stock) |
| Leadership fees (if applicable) | N/A for Baack | Lead Independent Director $30k; Audit Chair $25k; Comp Chair $20k; Nominating Chair $15k | Baack did not hold chair/lead roles in 2024 |
Directors may elect to take all Board fees in common stock .
Performance Compensation
Director pay is not tied to performance metrics; it is a fixed cash retainer plus immediately vested stock awards .
Company-level performance metrics used by the Compensation Committee for executive pay (context for governance quality, not applied to director pay):
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Adjusted EPS (constant currency) | Most important measure linking “compensation actually paid” to performance |
| Adjusted operating income | Considered alongside EPS for performance evaluation |
| Stock price increases | Included in “pay versus performance” assessment |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Public/Private | Role | Committee/Interlock Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splunk Inc. | Public (during tenure) | Director (Dec 2017–Feb 2023) | No interlocks disclosed involving Baack; Compensation Committee interlocks disclosed none among committee members (Baack not a member) |
| ProsperOps | Private | Director | — |
| CleanArc Data Centers | Private | Director | — |
| Service Express | Private | Director | — |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Product development and marketing experience across cloud, connectivity, and technology services; prior C-level roles at Equinix .
- Education: B.A. (Rice University); M.B.A. (Harvard Business School, Baker Scholar) .
- Board notes her experience as particularly valuable to support expansion across new categories and markets .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 2,063 shares (does not exceed 1% of outstanding) |
| Shares outstanding (record date) | 43,233,526 (March 17, 2025) |
| Ownership guidelines | Directors required to hold 5× cash portion of annual retainer after 5-year compliance period; Baack in initial 5-year period must retain 100% of vested shares net of tax until requirement met |
| Current guideline position | Not applicable during initial period; shows 2× cash portion of annual retainer as current position indicator for new directors |
| Hedging/pledging | Company prohibits hedging; pledging generally prohibited with limited exceptions. No pledging disclosed for Baack |
Director Compensation Table (FY 2024)
| Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | Stock Awards | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Baack | $100,000 | $160,000 | $260,000 |
Stock awards granted to directors vest immediately; 2024 grant date May 16, 2024; value per share $115.27 .
Insider Trades and Section 16 Compliance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Section 16(a) compliance (FY 2024) | Company disclosed timely filings generally; exceptions noted for Brown (gifts reported on Form 5) and Sprong/Herrero (late Form 4 for director stock grant). No exception noted for Baack |
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- 2025 Say-on-Pay: Votes For 34,174,148; Against 4,486,935; Abstentions 35,464; Broker non-votes 1,633,371 .
- 2024 Say-on-Pay: Votes For 31,608,739; Against 8,858,582; Abstentions 61,331; Broker non-votes 1,654,850 .
- Compensation consultant: FW Cook retained; independence assessed with no conflicts .
- Investor engagement: Outreach to ~70% of common stock; feedback led to plan changes, including shifting more stock options to stock awards in 2026 and adding a stock appreciation metric to performance stock awards (adds TSR-like feature and second criterion beyond adjusted EPS) .
Governance Assessment
- Independence & engagement: Baack is independent; newly appointed as part of board refresh that reduced average tenure and broadened diversity; attendance thresholds met across directors .
- Committee assignments: No committee memberships yet, limiting near-term direct influence on audit/compensation oversight; however, governance charters and processes are robust .
- Alignment: Director pay is balanced between cash and equity with immediate vesting; ownership guidelines require retention for new directors and 5× retainer over time, supporting alignment with shareholders .
- Conflicts: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Baack. Company-level related-party aircraft lease with CEO was reviewed and ratified by Audit Committee; not tied to Baack .
- Policy safeguards: Anti-hedging; pledging generally prohibited; clawback policy adopted in 2023 for incentive-based compensation; strong use of independent consultant and annual risk assessment .
RED FLAGS
- None specific to Baack disclosed (no related-party exposure, no hedging/pledging, no late Section 16 filings). Company-level related-party aircraft lease exists with CEO, but Audit Committee review/ratification mitigates risk; still noteworthy for governance context .