Julie Iskow
Five9About Julie Iskow
Independent director at Five9 and President & Chief Executive Officer of Workiva Inc.; age 63, serving on Five9’s Board since February 2023 as a Class I director with a term ending at the 2027 annual meeting. Education: B.S., University of California, Berkeley; M.S., University of California, Davis. Five9’s Board has determined she is independent under NASDAQ listing standards. Skills matrix flags expertise across technology industry, executive leadership, go-to-market, enterprise risk management, cybersecurity/privacy, cloud, AI, and international expansion.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workiva Inc. | President & Chief Executive Officer | Apr 2023–present | CEO leading SaaS reporting platform; also Workiva director since Jan 2021 |
| Workiva Inc. | President & Chief Operating Officer | Mar 2022–Apr 2023 | Led operations before promotion to CEO |
| Workiva Inc. | Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer | Oct 2019–Mar 2022 | Scaled operations at a public SaaS firm |
| Medidata Solutions, Inc. | Chief Technology Officer; EVP Product Development | Apr 2015–Oct 2019 (CTO); Jul 2016–Oct 2019 (EVP) | Led product/engineering at life sciences SaaS |
| WageWorks, Inc. | CIO & SVP; earlier SVP/VP Product Development | Dec 2013–Mar 2015; prior roles before CIO | Enterprise tech leadership in benefits admin |
| Asyst Technologies; GW Associates, Inc. | VP Engineering | Prior to 2013 | Engineering leadership roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workiva Inc. (NYSE:WK) | Director | Jan 2021–present | Active public company board member |
| Workiva Inc. | President & CEO | Apr 2023–present | CEO responsibilities may affect time/engagement |
| Vocera Communications, Inc. | Director | May 2019–Feb 2022 | Exited on acquisition by Stryker |
| Cvent Holding Corp. | Director | May 2022–Jul 2022 | Short tenure pre-transaction |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee (chair: Robert Zollars). Compensation Committee met 4 times in 2024 and is fully independent; retained Compensia as independent advisor, with no conflicts found.
- Independence: The Board determined Iskow is independent under NASDAQ rules; independent directors meet in regular executive sessions.
- Attendance: Board met 20 times in 2024; Iskow attended 72% of aggregate Board and committee meetings (below Five9’s 75% benchmark). Directors attending the 2024 annual meeting were listed (Iskow not listed).
- Board structure: Classified board; Lead Independent Director is David Welsh since 2014.
- Risk oversight: Compensation Committee (including Iskow) reviews compensation-related risk; broader risk oversight distributed among Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance committees.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees | $43,750 | Five9’s policy: $35,000 annual board retainer; $7,500 Compensation Committee member fee; various chair fees apply (not applicable to Iskow) |
| Equity (RSUs) | $199,991 grant date fair value | Annual RSU grant policy: $200,000 fair value, vests by next annual meeting/first anniversary or upon change in control |
- Director fee policy details: Annual Board retainer $35,000; Compensation Committee member $7,500; chair fees only for chairs; no meeting fees.
- 2025 policy: No changes to non-employee director compensation policy.
Performance Compensation
- Five9 does not grant performance-based equity (PSUs) to non-employee directors; director equity is time-based RSUs with vesting schedules and change-in-control acceleration per policy.
- Metric table is not applicable to director pay (no TSR/revenue metrics tied to director awards); PSUs and performance metrics described in the proxy apply to executives, not directors.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Link to Five9 | Risk/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Workiva Inc. | None disclosed | Iskow is Workiva’s CEO and director; time commitment risk given Five9 attendance shortfall (72%) in 2024. No related-party transactions disclosed in available sections. |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Core skills: Technology industry leadership; executive leadership; go-to-market; enterprise risk; cybersecurity/privacy; cloud; AI; international expansion (as flagged in Five9’s skills matrix).
- Education: B.S. UC Berkeley; M.S. UC Davis.
Equity Ownership
| Item | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Shares owned (direct) | 3,905 | Beneficial ownership as of Mar 25, 2025 |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days | 3,755 | Counted as beneficial for SEC purposes |
| Total beneficial ownership | 7,660 | <1% of shares outstanding (Five9 notes “*” indicates under 1%) |
| Options | None | No stock options outstanding |
| Unvested RSUs (total) | 7,045 as of Dec 31, 2024 | Outstanding unvested RSUs reported |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited by policy | Applies to directors; promotes alignment |
| Ownership guidelines | Directors subject to guidelines (amount not specified) | Company maintains minimum share ownership rules |
Governance Assessment
- Engagement and effectiveness: The only director below Five9’s 75% attendance threshold in 2024 was Iskow at 72%, a notable governance signal that may reflect time constraints as an external CEO. Attendance at the 2024 annual meeting did not list her among attendees.
- Independence and committee quality: Iskow is independent and serves on an independent Compensation Committee that uses an independent consultant (Compensia) and maintains pay governance safeguards (no tax gross-ups, double-trigger CIC, clawback, anti-hedging/pledging). These practices are shareholder-friendly.
- Director pay and alignment: 2024 compensation mix is predominantly equity (RSUs ~$200k vs cash ~$43.8k), indicating long-term alignment and standard market structure for SaaS boards; director RSUs accelerate upon change in control per policy.
- Conflicts/related party exposure: No compensation committee interlocks or insider participation; no related-party transactions involving Iskow are disclosed in the sections reviewed.
- Shareholder oversight context: Say-on-Pay support improved to ~72% in 2024 with performance-focused changes (executive program), suggesting responsive governance; while not director-specific, it reflects the Compensation Committee’s engagement (Iskow is a member).
RED FLAGS
- Sub-75% attendance: Iskow attended 72% of Board and committee meetings in 2024; unique among directors and below Five9’s stated benchmark.
- Annual meeting attendance: Not listed among directors who attended the 2024 annual meeting.
Positive Signals
- Independent status and strong technical/operational background with AI/cyber expertise indicated in Board skills matrix.
- Compensation Committee independence and use of independent advisor; shareholder-friendly policies (no gross-ups, double-trigger CIC, clawback, anti-hedging/pledging).