Neil Bradford
About Neil Bradford
Neil Bradford, age 52, has served as an independent director of Forrester Research, Inc. since February 2018. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of General Index Limited, and previously served as CEO of Financial Express Ltd. (2017–March 2019) and Argus Media; he co‑founded Fletcher Research Limited in 1997, which Forrester acquired in 1999, and held executive roles at Forrester until 2006. A UK citizen, Bradford brings deep research/advisory industry experience and European market perspective to the board .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Index Limited | Founder & Chief Executive Officer | Current | Tech-led provider of energy/commodity benchmarks; market data expertise |
| Financial Express Ltd. | Chief Executive Officer | 2017–Mar 2019 | Led investment ratings and fund research agency |
| Argus Media | Chief Executive Officer | Prior to 2017 (years not disclosed) | Price assessments/business intelligence in energy & commodities |
| Fletcher Research Limited | Co‑founder | 1997–1999 (acquired by Forrester in 1999) | UK technology research; entrepreneurial background |
| Forrester Research, Inc. | Executive roles | 1999–2006 | Former Forrester executive; operating familiarity with company |
External Roles
| Category | Organization | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private company | General Index Limited | Founder & CEO | Energy/commodity benchmarks provider |
| Public company directorships (past 5 years) | — | — | No other publicly-traded company board service disclosed for Bradford |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined all current directors except CEO/Chair George F. Colony are independent under NASDAQ standards; Bradford is independent .
- Committees: Audit Committee member; Audit Chair is Warren Romine. All Audit members meet Sarbanes‑Oxley independence and NASDAQ financial literacy; Romine designated “audit committee financial expert” .
- Meetings: Board met 6 times in fiscal 2024; Audit Committee met 5 times .
- Attendance: Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate meetings of the Board and applicable committees in fiscal 2024 .
- Leadership: Combined Chair/CEO role held by Colony; Lead Independent Director role held by Robert M. Galford since 2017 (Galford retiring May 13, 2025) .
| Governance Attribute | Status | Specifics |
|---|---|---|
| Independence | Independent | NASDAQ independence confirmed (non‑employee) |
| Committee assignment | Audit Committee (member) | Not a chair; committee met 5 times in 2024 |
| Attendance | ≥75% of meetings | Company-wide disclosure for fiscal 2024 |
| Lead Independent Director | Not applicable | Role held by Galford until retirement |
| Executive sessions | Lead Independent presides | Structure described; frequency not disclosed |
Fixed Compensation
| Component (Director) | Structure | 2024 Amount (Bradford) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $30,000 per director | Included in fees earned |
| Committee membership fee | $5,000 per committee; Audit Chair +$8,000; Comp/Nom Chair +$5,000; Lead Independent +$10,000 | One committee fee; not a chair or LID |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | — |
| Total fees earned (cash) | Aggregate cash paid | $35,000 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award (Director) | Grant Date | Shares | Grant Date Fair Value | Vesting | Year‑End RSUs Held | Change‑of‑Control Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (annual director grant) | Jun 3, 2024 | 6,737 | $119,986 | Vests in four equal quarterly installments over one year | 3,369 | RSUs vest in full upon change of control unless assumed/substituted/cashed‑out |
For non‑employee directors, equity is time-based RSUs; no performance conditions are attached to director equity grants .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Type | Entity | Role | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public company boards | — | — | None disclosed for past five years |
| Private company roles | General Index Limited | Founder & CEO | No related‑party transactions disclosed; Audit Committee reviews/approves any related person transactions |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Research/advisory leadership: Founded Fletcher Research; senior leadership at Argus Media; CEO roles at FE and General Index .
- Financial literacy: Serves on Audit Committee; all members meet NASDAQ financial literacy standards .
- Geographic/market perspective: UK citizen with London‑headquartered firm experience; provides European business insight .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | Shares Outstanding (Record Date) | Ownership % of Outstanding | Options/RSUs vesting within 60 days | RSUs held at 12/31/2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Bradford | 29,040 | 18,980,952 | ~0.153% (calc: 29,040 / 18,980,952 ) | — (none within 60 days reported) | 3,369 |
- Stock ownership guidelines: Directors must hold shares equal to at least 2× total annual director compensation; five‑year compliance period; restrictions on sales until target met. Directors and execs “have complied in full” since adoption; targets updated in April 2024 using 200‑day moving average .
- Hedging/Pledging: Insider Trading Policy adopted, but “we currently do not have a policy regarding hedging” .
Governance Assessment
-
Positive signals:
- Independent director with relevant industry and operating experience; sits on Audit Committee and meets financial literacy standards .
- Attendance threshold met; Board and Audit Committee had regular meeting cadence in 2024 .
- Director compensation balanced: modest cash retainer and time‑based equity that vests quarterly, aligning with shareholder interests; standard change‑of‑control treatment .
- Stock retention guidelines require 2× compensation; compliance reported .
- Section 16(a) compliance timely for 2024 (no delinquent filings reported) .
- Company say‑on‑pay support of 99% in 2024 indicates broad investor approval of compensation practices (context for governance culture) .
-
Watch items / RED FLAGS:
- Prior Forrester executive (1999–2006) may raise perceived independence questions for some investors despite formal NASDAQ independence designation; monitor for potential familiarity bias in oversight .
- Company lacks a formal anti‑hedging policy; many investors view director/executive hedging as misaligned—absence of a prohibition is a governance weakness to track .
- Combined Chair/CEO structure increases governance risk; mitigated by Lead Independent Director role, though LID (Galford) is retiring in May 2025—watch transition and maintenance of robust independent oversight .
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Overall view: Bradford’s audit committee role, industry expertise, and equity‑based compensation support alignment and board effectiveness; monitor the company’s hedging policy gap and leadership structure changes for potential investor confidence impacts .