John Danhakl
About John Danhakl
Independent Lead Director of Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (LTH); age 68; director since 2015 with current Class III term expiring at the 2027 annual meeting. Background includes Managing Partner at Leonard Green & Partners (LGP) since 1995, prior roles as Managing Director at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (1990–1995) and Vice President at Drexel Burnham Lambert (1985–1990). Board-selected for extensive public company board experience and depth as an investor and financial analyst .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. | Managing Partner | 1995–present | Private equity leadership; sponsor-nominated LTH director |
| Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette | Managing Director | 1990–1995 | Corporate finance, capital markets experience |
| Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc. | Vice President (Corporate Finance) | 1985–1990 | Investment banking, financial analysis |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: IQV) | Director | 2016–present | Not disclosed in proxy |
| Mister Car Wash, Inc. (NYSE: MCW) | Director | 2014–present | Not disclosed in proxy |
Board Governance
- Status: Independent; serves as Independent Lead Director .
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee member; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member .
- Lead Independent Director responsibilities: presides over meetings without the Chair/CEO, approves agendas/schedules, liaison between independent directors and CEO/Chair; chairs executive sessions of independent directors .
- Meeting cadence and attendance: Board met 6 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; non-management directors regularly met in executive session; 10 of 12 directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Committee activity: Compensation Committee held 4 meetings in 2024; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee held 3 meetings .
- Controlled company: Principal Stockholders collectively control >50% of voting power; LTH uses controlled-company exceptions—compensation and nominating committees not entirely independent .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | Program Amount | Danhakl Eligibility | 2024 Received |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer | $75,000 | Not eligible (nominated by Principal Stockholder) | $0 |
| Lead Independent Director retainer | $55,000 | Not eligible | $0 |
| Audit Chair | $40,000 | N/A | $0 |
| Compensation Chair | $35,000 | N/A | $0 |
| NCG Chair | $25,000 | N/A | $0 |
| Audit member | $15,000 | N/A | $0 |
| Compensation member | $10,000 | Not eligible | $0 |
| NCG member | $10,000 | Not eligible | $0 |
Note: LTH determined directors nominated by Principal Stockholders (other than those nominated by Mr. Akradi) do not receive compensation for Board service; limited club memberships/services may be provided (≤$10,000 annually) .
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Element | Program Terms | Danhakl Status |
|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (non-employee directors) | ~$155,000 grant value on annual meeting date; vests in full before next annual meeting or on first anniversary; accelerates on change-in-control | Not granted (ineligible due to Principal Stockholder nomination) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IQVIA (NYSE: IQV) | Director | None disclosed in LTH proxy |
| Mister Car Wash (NYSE: MCW) | Director | None disclosed in LTH proxy |
| LGP nomination rights | LGP entitled to nominate directors; currently includes Danhakl and Galashan; Stockholders Agreement governs composition and removal rights . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expert-level investing and board experience spanning private equity, corporate finance, and public company boards .
- Qualifications cited by LTH for Board service: extensive board experience, investor perspective, and financial analysis capabilities .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Danhakl (individual line item) | 0 | <1% | Individual beneficial ownership listed as “—” |
| LGP Investors (Green LTF Holdings II LP and affiliates) | 41,553,619 | 19.1% | Voting/investment power shared; Messrs. Danhakl and Galashan may be deemed to share power via affiliates, but each disclaims beneficial ownership except to pecuniary interest |
Policy safeguards:
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy for officers/directors/employees; prohibits short sales, derivatives, hedging, and pledging company stock .
Insider Trades (Form 4 – affiliated entities)
| Date | Transaction | Shares | Price | Post-transaction holdings | Notes/Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2024 | Sale (indirect via LGP/affiliates) | 3,600,000 | $20.88 | Not disclosed in proxy | Aggregated Form 4 summary; affiliated entity sale; Danhakl disclaims except to pecuniary interest |
| Nov 11, 2024 | Sale (indirect via LGP/affiliates) | 3,741,394 | $24.18 | Not disclosed in proxy | Aggregated trade record; affiliated entities |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Sale (indirect via Green LTF, LGP VI-A/VI-B) | 4,991,976 | $28.95 | 24,906,061 (indirect) | Form 4 filed; Danhakl disclaims direct beneficial ownership beyond pecuniary interest |
Related-Party Transactions & Conflicts
- Stockholders Agreement provides Principal Stockholders (including LGP) nomination rights; Principal Stockholders collectively >50% voting power; LTH uses controlled company exceptions—Compensation and NCG Committees not fully independent .
- Vendor relationships with LGP portfolio companies in ordinary course (amounts 2024): Tecta (commercial roofing) ~$3,435,000; Insight Global (IT consulting/staffing) ~$629,000; HUB International (insurance brokerage, Canada) ~$188,000; Parts Town (MRO) ~$166,000. Board concluded such relationships did not impair independence given size thresholds and lack of 10% ownership by directors in portfolio companies .
- Multiple real estate sale-leasebacks with entities affiliated to other Principal Stockholders (Akradi, Lasher, LNK); significant related-party leasing obligations disclosed (examples in 2024: LNK-related leases ~$6.6 million; Akradi-affiliated leases ~$1.3–$2.6 million; LTRE-related leases ~$2.6 million) .
- Family employment: Meghan Akradi (VP, Real Estate) received ~$400,000 in 2024 .
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Compensation Committee composition: Stuart Lasher (Chair), Bahram Akradi, Jonathan Coslet, John Danhakl, David Landau; 4 meetings in 2024 .
- Non-employee subcommittee established to satisfy Rule 16b-3 given the committee is not entirely non-employee directors .
- Independent consultant: WTW engaged by Board/Comp Committee; peer group used for executive pay benchmarking; 2024 Say-on-Pay support >96% .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Lead Independent Director role with clear responsibilities; executive sessions chaired by Danhakl improve independent oversight .
- Board-meeting and committee cadence/attendance robust; all directors met ≥75% threshold .
- Anti-hedging/pledging policy; clawback policy; insider-trading controls and blackout periods .
- Risks/RED FLAGS:
- Controlled company structure and Principal Stockholder nomination rights reduce committee independence; Compensation and NCG Committees include non-independent members; Danhakl serves on both .
- Ongoing related-party transactions (vendors tied to LGP portfolio companies) present perceived conflict risks despite thresholds; monitor pricing/terms rigor vs third-party alternatives .
- Significant affiliated insider share sales in 2024–2025 via LGP entities (including large Sept. 2025 sale); while typical of sponsor monetization, sustained dispositions can be a sentiment headwind .
Implications: For investors, Danhakl brings seasoned capital allocation and governance oversight, but alignment relies more on LGP’s fund-level stake than his personal shareholding. Controlled-company dynamics and Principal Stockholder-linked transactions warrant continued scrutiny of committee independence, transaction review rigor by the Audit Committee, and monitoring of sponsor sell-down pace .