Jennifer Taylor
FreshworksAbout Jennifer Taylor
Independent Class III director (Age 52), serving on the Freshworks board since 2021. Background in product leadership and operations: President of Plaid Inc. since February 2024; formerly Chief Product Officer and SVP of Products at Cloudflare (2017–December 2023); prior senior product leadership at Salesforce (2015–2017). Education: B.A. in Public Policy, Brown University; M.B.A., Harvard Business School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaid Inc. | President | Feb 2024–present | Executive operator; fintech domain expertise |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Chief Product Officer; SVP Products | Jun 2017–Dec 2023 | Led product development; technology operations |
| Salesforce.com, Inc. | SVP Product Management (Data.com & Search) | Aug 2015–Jun 2017 | Product strategy in enterprise SaaS |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Public Company? | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaid Inc. | President | No (private) | Feb 2024–present | Executive role; no board seat disclosed |
| — | — | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independence: Determined independent under Nasdaq rules; member of a board where a majority are independent .
- Committees: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; not a chair (committee chaired by Lead Independent Director Roxanne Austin) .
- Attendance: Board met 11 times in 2024; every director attended ≥75% of board/committee meetings during their service period .
- Lead Independent Director structure: Independent leadership via Lead Director (Austin), with authority over agendas and executive sessions; supports effective oversight .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Fees Earned (Cash) | Equity Taken in Lieu of Cash | Annual Director RSU Grant | Total Director Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $0 (elected stock) | 2,680 fully-vested Class A shares in lieu of cash retainers (aggregate) | 15,116 RSUs granted Jul 1, 2024 | $231,191 stock awards; total $231,191 |
| 2023 | $0 (elected stock) | 2,065 fully-vested Class A shares in lieu of cash retainers (aggregate) | 11,092 RSUs granted Jul 1, 2023 | $233,458 stock awards; total $233,458 |
Program parameters (for reference):
- Cash retainers (2024): Board $34,500; Nominating Committee member $4,000; Lead Independent Director +$16,500; chair fees vary by committee . Effective Jan 1, 2025: Board $35,000; Lead Independent Director $20,000; Nominating Chair $9,000; other retainers unchanged .
- Equity: Annual RSU grant value $195,000 in 2024; $200,000 effective Jan 1, 2025; vests on first anniversary (accelerates if not re-elected) .
Performance Compensation
- Directors do not receive performance-linked option/PSU awards; compensation is time-based RSUs and optional fully-vested stock in lieu of cash .
Detailed grant and vesting schedules:
| Grant Date | Type | Shares/Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2024 | RSU | 15,116 shares | Vests in full on first anniversary; accelerates if not re-elected at annual meeting | Under non-employee director program |
| Quarterly 2024 | Stock in lieu of cash | 2,680 shares (aggregate) | Fully vested at grant | Election under director program |
| Jul 1, 2023 | RSU | 11,092 shares | Vests in full on first anniversary | Under director program |
| Quarterly 2023 | Stock in lieu of cash | 2,065 shares (aggregate) | Fully vested at grant | Election in lieu of cash |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Person | Other Public Boards | Overlap/Interlock with FRSH Stakeholders |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Taylor | None disclosed | None disclosed; no related-party transactions involving Taylor reported |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Product development and technology leadership across Cloudflare and Salesforce; now operating executive at Plaid .
- Academic credentials (Brown, Harvard Business School) align with strategic governance and product oversight .
- Board qualification cited by FRSH: product development expertise and strong technology industry experience .
Equity Ownership
| As of | Class A Owned | Class B Owned | RSUs Vesting within 60 Days | Ownership % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2025 | 22,170 shares | 168,770 shares | 18,750 Class B RSUs | Less than 1% beneficial ownership |
Additional alignment details:
- Unvested RSUs held (12/31/2024): 99,486 shares .
- Stock ownership guidelines adopted Dec 2024: non-employee directors must hold 4× annual cash retainer; compliance confirmed for covered individuals as of 12/31/2024 .
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy for directors; margin accounts and pledging prohibited .
Governance Assessment
- Independence & committee role: Independent director with governance oversight via Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; no chair role—supports balanced board dynamics .
- Engagement: Met the board’s ≥75% attendance threshold; participates in a board with active executive sessions and empowered Lead Independent Director—positive for oversight quality .
- Alignment: Elects equity in lieu of cash; holds meaningful RSU balance; subject to ownership guidelines and anti-hedging/pledging—strong alignment features .
- Compensation structure: Director pay is standard for peers, reviewed by independent consultant (Compensia); program modestly increased to median in 2025—no apparent inflationary red flags .
- Conflicts/related parties: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Taylor; FRSH reviews any such transactions under a formal policy overseen by the Audit Committee . Note: Taylor’s concurrent executive role at Plaid could be a workload consideration; no FRSH-Plaid transactions disclosed .
- Shareholder signals: Say-on-pay received >96% support at 2023 meeting; next vote expected in 2026—indicates broad investor support for FRSH’s pay practices framework .
Director Compensation (Context and Mix)
| Component | 2024 Program Level | Taylor’s 2024 Actuals |
|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer | $34,500 (paid quarterly; shares allowed in lieu) | Elected shares; aggregate 2,680 shares |
| Nominating Committee member retainer | $4,000 (member) | Included in share election |
| Annual RSU grant | $195,000 value (2024); $200,000 from 2025 | 15,116 RSUs granted Jul 1, 2024 |
| Total 2024 director pay | — | $231,191 stock awards; $0 cash; total $231,191 |
Compensation Committee Analysis (Context)
- Compensation Committee (independent; chaired by Sameer Gandhi) oversees director compensation and uses Compensia as independent consultant; 2024–2025 changes aligned to peer median .
Related Party Transactions (Monitoring)
- FRSH maintains a formal Related Person Transactions Policy; Audit Committee reviews/approves transactions >$120,000 involving related persons. No transactions disclosed involving Taylor .
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback (Context)
- 2023 say-on-pay approval exceeded 96%; next advisory vote expected at the 2026 annual meeting .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- None disclosed regarding Taylor (no hedging/pledging; no related-party dealings; independent status maintained) .
- Monitoring item: Dual responsibilities as Plaid President could pose time-commitment risk; board attendance metrics currently satisfactory .
Notes on Insider Trades
- The DEF 14A does not include Form 4 transaction detail. No insider trading or pledging disclosures specific to Taylor were reported in the proxy; see SEC Forms 3/4/5 on EDGAR for transaction-level data (not included in these materials) .