Danielle Puceta
About Danielle Puceta
Danielle Puceta, age 47, is Emerald Holding’s Executive Vice President, Content & Commerce, and was appointed Chief Digital Officer (CDO) in September 2025; she joined Emerald in July 2021 and previously led Corporate Strategy & Xcelerator, and continues as GM of Elastic Suite . She holds a B.A. and M.S. from Lehigh University and brings a 15+ year track record of digital product, transformation, and APAC leadership at Freeman and American Express Meetings & Events . Company performance context: cumulative TSR and net income during 2022–2024 were 38.08/64.33/52.17 and $130.8M/$(8.2)M/$2.2M, respectively, with 2023 revenue of $382.8M and Adjusted EBITDA of $97.8M, highlighting revenue growth and profitability variability through the cycle .
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative TSR ($ per $100 initial) | 38.08 | 64.33 | 52.17 |
| Net Income (Loss) ($MM) | 130.8 | (8.2) | 2.2 |
| Metric | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Revenue ($MM) | 382.8 |
| Adjusted EBITDA ($MM) | 97.8 |
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Holding | EVP, Content & Commerce | Nov 2022–present | Leads content and commerce divisions; integrates media with events and marketplaces |
| Emerald Holding | SVP, Corporate Strategy & Xcelerator | Jul 2021–Nov 2022 | Led new brand launches and corporate strategy initiatives |
| Emerald Holding | GM, Elastic Suite | Ongoing concurrently | Scales B2B ecommerce platform; product innovation focus |
| Emerald Holding | Chief Digital Officer | Sep 2025–present | Oversees Event Tech platforms, AI integration, digital transformation and growth |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman Company LLC | Senior Vice President | Dec 2016–Apr 2021 | Pioneered digital product diversification and transformation strategies |
| American Express Meetings & Events (APAC) | Senior leadership; Director (last 5 years of tenure) | Ten years; last five as Director | Managed teams across 15 countries; built strategic partnerships in China, Japan, Korea |
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for Puceta (she is not an NEO in the proxy). Emerald’s executive program comprises base salary, annual cash incentives, and periodic long-term equity awards; target bonuses are position-based and reviewed by the Compensation Committee .
Performance Compensation
| Incentive | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Incentive Plan (2024) | Adjusted EBITDA (company-level) [definition provided] | Drives pool funding; individual allocations vary by role | Set by Compensation Committee | Below target | Pool not funded | N/A |
| Long-Term Equity (2025 grants) | Time-based RSUs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Vests in 3 equal annual installments; accelerates on no-cause termination, Good Reason, or Change in Control per 2017 Plan |
Notes: Company plan details are disclosed; Puceta-specific targets/awards are not. Adjusted EBITDA is defined for incentive purposes and excludes non-core items; 2024 pool was not funded based on below-target performance .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 97,000 shares; <1% of outstanding |
| Composition | Includes 97,000 shares issuable upon exercise of currently vested options |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Executives required to hold 2–5x base salary within five years (role-based multiple); counts shares, unvested RSUs, and value of vested unexercised options |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors and executive officers under the securities trading policy |
| Shares pledged | None permitted under policy |
Employment Terms
- Indemnification: Emerald has entered into indemnification agreements with certain officers named in the Management section, providing contractual rights to indemnification and expense advancement (broader than Delaware defaults) .
- Policies: Company-wide clawback policy (NYSE-compliant), anti-hedging/anti-pledging, and stock ownership guidelines apply to executive officers .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Puceta holds 97,000 currently exercisable options, creating direct equity alignment; company policies prohibit hedging/pledging and require meaningful stock ownership multiples for executives, reinforcing alignment over time .
- Retention risk: The executive long-term incentive cadence shifted to periodic larger grants with multi-year vesting and acceleration on certain terminations/Change in Control; with 2024 cash bonus pool not funded, equity becomes the primary retention lever, increasing sensitivity to equity grant timing and vesting in her new CDO role .
- Execution/value creation: As CDO and GM of Elastic Suite, Puceta’s mandate to expand Event Tech platforms and integrate AI across products/operations is a core growth lever (digital commerce, lead-gen, productivity) that should influence segment performance and cross-sell into Connections and Content . Monitor Form 4 filings for any option exercises/sales to gauge near-term selling pressure, and track KPI disclosures tied to digital platform revenue growth and AI-driven efficiency on future calls.
- Governance backdrop: Say-on-pay support (99% in 2023) and robust committee structures indicate stable governance; Onex’s 92.4% control reduces market impact of individual executive trading but amplifies strategic execution as the driver of equity value .