John A. Young

About John A. Young

John A. Young, 60, is Lead Independent Director at Lucky Strike Entertainment Corporation (ticker: LUCK). He has served on the LUCK board since 2021 and previously served on the board of Old Bowlero and its predecessor entities since 2013. Young is the retired President, CEO and co-founder of Colfax Corporation (NYSE: CFX), with earlier roles as CFO (1995–2000) and CEO (2000–2010), and later Senior Advisor to Oaktree Capital Management (2011–2016). He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a BS in Finance from UVA’s McIntire School .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Independence and role: Young is an independent director and serves as Lead Director, presiding over executive sessions and acting as liaison between the Chair and independent directors .
• Committee leadership: He chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; during fiscal 2025 he also served on the Audit Committee alongside other independent directors .
• Board/committee attendance: In FY2025, the Board met 4 times and each committee met 4 times; each current director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings .
• Controlled company context: LUCK is a “controlled company” under NYSE rules due to Mr. Shannon’s voting control; while LUCK is not currently availing itself of governance exemptions, it reserves the right to do so in the future. A Stockholders Agreement grants board designation rights to Atairos and Mr. Shannon based on ownership thresholds .

Fixed Compensation

• Non-employee director cash retainers (policy): Basic $85,000; Lead Independent Director $40,000; Compensation Committee Chair $20,000; (Audit Chair $25,000; Nominating Chair $15,000). Retainers payable quarterly, with optional deferral or settlement in stock .
• FY2025 – John A. Young: Fees earned $145,000; Stock awards $130,000; Total $275,000 .

• Equity grant details: 10,727 RSUs granted on Dec 10, 2024 at $12.12 per share grant-date valuation; vests at the next annual meeting (Dec 9, 2025) with change-in-control/death/disability acceleration; deferral available .

Performance Compensation

• Directors do not receive performance-conditioned awards; annual director equity is time-based RSUs (no PSU/option program for directors) .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

• Current public company boards: No current public company directorships are disclosed for Young in the proxy biography .
• Interlocks/conflicts: Compensation Committee interlocks section reports no officer service by committee members and no described interlocks; Mercer served as independent compensation consultant .
• Atairos assignments: Only Messrs. Angelakis and Ms. Wagner direct board fees/RSUs to Atairos affiliates; this does not apply to Young .

Expertise & Qualifications

• Executive leadership: Co-founder and former CEO/CFO of Colfax; senior operating and financial leadership in industrials .
• Transaction and development: Corporate development at AMF Industries; M&A associate at Chase Manhattan Bank .
• Education: MBA, UVA Darden (Shermet Scholar); BS in Finance, UVA McIntire .
• Governance experience: Long-standing board service with Old Bowlero/LUCK; Compensation Chair; prior Audit Committee service .

Equity Ownership

• Beneficial ownership (as of Oct 22, 2025): 73,233 Class A shares/units, including 62,506 shares directly and 10,727 RSUs that vest at the 2025 annual meeting; less than 1% of voting power .
• Hedging/pledging policy: Directors are prohibited from hedging and pledging company securities absent pre-approval; directors, officers, employees subject to the policy .

Governance Assessment

• Strengths

  • Independent Lead Director with clear authority, improving board effectiveness and independent oversight .
  • Chairs Compensation Committee; committee uses independent consultant (Mercer) and reports no interlocks or insider participation, supporting pay governance quality .
  • Demonstrated engagement: Board and committees met regularly; all current directors met ≥75% attendance threshold in FY2025 .
  • Strong alignment features for directors: mix of cash and equity, with time-based RSUs that vest at the next annual meeting; option to defer compensation/equity promotes long-term focus .
  • Hedging/pledging prohibition enhances alignment and mitigates risk of misaligned incentives .

• Watch items / potential risks

  • Controlled company structure concentrates voting power; while exemptions are not currently used, LUCK may elect to do so in the future, which could dilute minority shareholder protections .
  • Stockholders Agreement grants board nomination rights to Atairos and Mr. Shannon, potentially influencing board composition; continued emphasis on independent leadership (Lead Director, independent committees) is important .
  • No explicit director stock ownership guidelines disclosed in the proxy (cannot assess compliance) (no guideline referenced).

• Related-party/Conflict review

  • Proxy discloses related-party review policies and standard indemnification; no specific related-party transactions involving John A. Young are identified in the period reviewed .

• Shareholder voting context

  • 2025 annual meeting proposals limited to director election and auditor ratification; no say-on-pay item disclosed in this proxy cycle .

Overall implication: Young’s role as independent Lead Director and Compensation Committee Chair, combined with independent committee structures and attendance, are positive signals for board effectiveness. The controlled company backdrop and board designation rights heighten the importance of his independent leadership and ongoing engagement to sustain investor confidence .