Elizabeth Hamren
LEGALZOOM.COMAbout Elizabeth Hamren
Elizabeth (Liz) Hamren, 53, is an independent director of LegalZoom.com, Inc. (LZ) since 2021, serving on the Audit and Compensation Committees. She is CEO of Ring, Inc. (an Amazon subsidiary) since March 2023, and holds a B.S.E. in Civil Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard Business School . The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring, Inc. (Amazon subsidiary) | Chief Executive Officer | Mar 2023–present | Leads smart doorbell/home security technology company |
| Discord Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Dec 2021–Mar 2023 | Operated voice, video, text communications platform |
| Microsoft Corp. | Corporate VP, Gaming Experience & Platforms | May 2018–Dec 2021 | Ran product/engineering for Xbox consumer products/services incl. Game Pass, hardware, platform, PC experience |
| Microsoft Corp. | Corporate VP, Devices | Mar 2017–Apr 2018 | Led devices organization |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. (Oculus) | Head of Global Marketing & Sales | Aug 2015–Mar 2017 | Led global go-to-market for Oculus |
| Dropcam, Inc. | VP Marketing | Nov 2012–Oct 2014 | Consumer camera/IoT marketing leadership |
| Plantronics; Jawbone; OQO, Inc. | Executive roles | Not disclosed | Prior executive experience in consumer tech |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbro, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAS) | Director | Current | Listed as “Other U.S. Public Company Boards” for Hamren |
| Ring, Inc. (Amazon subsidiary) | CEO | Mar 2023–present | Operating role outside LZ |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee member; not a chair (Audit Chair: John Murphy; Compensation Chair: Sivan Whiteley) .
- Independence: Board affirmed Hamren is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Attendance: Board met 8 times in 2024; each current director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings of which they were members; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Executive sessions: Regular executive sessions of independent directors; Audit/Comp/Nominating also hold sessions without management .
- Meetings in 2024: Audit (5), Compensation (7), Nominating (5) .
- Risk oversight: Audit Committee reviews related-party transactions; oversees ERM and cybersecurity. Compensation Committee oversees comp risk; Nominating oversees governance/ESG and succession .
- Anti-hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits directors from hedging or pledging Company stock .
- Director stock ownership guidelines: 5x annual cash Board retainer, with 5-year phase-in; if not in compliance after phase-in, must retain 100% of net shares from RSU vesting .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Structure | Disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $35,000 per Eligible Director | Policy |
| Committee member retainers | Audit: $10,000; Compensation: $7,500; Nominating: $5,000 | Policy |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit Chair: $20,000; Compensation Chair: $15,000; Nominating Chair: $10,000 | Policy |
| 2024 Fees earned (Hamren) | $49,167 | Actual |
| 2024 Stock awards (Hamren) | $178,548 (RSUs; grant-date fair value per ASC 718) | Actual |
| RSUs outstanding at 12/31/2024 (Hamren) | 21,080 shares | Actual |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Metric(s) | Payout Structure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Director Equity | Time-based RSUs | Annual grant sized at $200,000 / Share Price; vests by next annual meeting or first anniversary; initial grants vest annually over 3 years | No director PSUs disclosed |
| Change-in-control treatment | N/A | Director RSUs granted under policy fully vest immediately prior to closing of a Change in Control | Alignment feature |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed | N/A | Director awards are time-based RSUs; no performance metrics specified |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Relationship | Description | Potential Conflict/Interlock | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbro board | Hamren is a current director of Hasbro | None disclosed with LZ | No interlock issues disclosed |
| Ring (Amazon subsidiary) CEO | Operating role at Amazon subsidiary | Potential ecosystem overlap if LZ had transactions with Amazon | No related-party transactions disclosed involving Hamren; related-party oversight sits with Audit Committee |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Skills cited by LZ: Operations and process transformation; C-Suite leadership; Product innovation; Go-to-market; Subscription-based business models; Human capital management; Risk assessment and management; Public company governance .
- Audit Committee financial expert designation: Hamren is not marked with the † designation; Gooden and Murphy are .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (shares) | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Hamren | 67,249 | <1% | Includes rights to acquire within 60 days per SEC rules |
| RSUs outstanding (12/31/2024) | 21,080 | N/A | Time-based director RSUs |
| Ownership guidelines | 5x annual cash Board retainer, 5-year phase-in; unvested RSUs count toward compliance | N/A | Compliance status not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independence and committee service: Independent director on Audit and Compensation Committees, providing oversight on financial reporting, cybersecurity, related-party transactions, and executive/director compensation .
- Attendance and engagement: Met minimum attendance expectations (≥75% of meetings for all current directors) and attended 2024 annual meeting; committees held regular executive sessions .
- Alignment mechanisms: Director RSUs with annual grants and robust stock ownership guidelines (5x retainer) support alignment; anti-hedging/pledging policy mitigates misalignment risk .
- No interlocks/conflicts disclosed: Compensation Committee interlocks absent; related-party policy overseen by Audit Committee; no Hamren-related transactions reported .
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Potential Risks / RED FLAGS
- External time commitments: Concurrent CEO role at Ring (Amazon subsidiary) plus Hasbro board requires monitoring for bandwidth; LZ imposes numerical board limits and overboarding safeguards (no director >3 public boards) which mitigates this risk; Hamren lists only one other public board .
- Ecosystem overlap: As CEO within Amazon’s ecosystem, potential conflict would exist only if LZ engaged in material transactions with Amazon or Ring; none disclosed for Hamren, and any related-party transaction would require Audit Committee review/approval per policy .
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Overall: Hamren’s product, subscription, and go-to-market expertise fit LZ’s strategic focus on subscription legal/compliance solutions; committee roles and independence bolster board effectiveness, with governance policies (ownership, anti-hedging, related-party review) supporting investor confidence .