Benjamin Jaffe
About Benjamin Jaffe
Benjamin M. Jaffe is a Managing Director at Centerbridge Partners focused on technology investments; he joined Centerbridge in 2013 after working as an analyst in Blackstone’s Restructuring & Reorganization Group and holds an A.B. from Harvard College, cum laude . He became a director of MeridianLink’s surviving corporation at the October 24, 2025 closing of Centerbridge’s acquisition of MLNK, when the prior public-company board resigned and Messrs. Jaffe and Hendricks were appointed directors; MLNK was simultaneously taken private and delisted . He currently serves on external boards including Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) and Speedcast Holdings LLC .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centerbridge Partners | Associate → Principal → Managing Director | Associate 2013–2016; Principal 2016–2020; MD 2021–present | Leads technology investments |
| The Blackstone Group (Restructuring & Reorganization) | Analyst | 2011–2013 | Distressed/restructuring analysis |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) | Board Member | Current (as of 2025) | Fintech core processing; governance oversight |
| Speedcast Holdings LLC | Board Member | Current (as of 2025) | Connectivity services; board oversight |
Board Governance
- Appointment and independence: Upon the merger closing on Oct 24, 2025, prior MLNK directors resigned and Benjamin Jaffe became a director of the surviving corporation (private MLNK); as a Centerbridge MD and acquirer representative, he would not be considered independent under NYSE standards if MLNK were public .
- Pre-merger MLNK governance: Public MLNK had nine directors, seven independent, with an independent chair; committees included Audit, Compensation, Cybersecurity, and Nominating & Corporate Governance; meetings in 2024: board 13, audit 9, compensation 7, cybersecurity 4, nom/gov 4 .
- Committees and attendance for Jaffe: Not disclosed post-merger (private company); pre-merger he was not on MLNK’s public-company board .
- Hedging/pledging: MLNK’s insider trading policies prohibit hedging, short sales, and pledging company securities .
- ESG and cybersecurity oversight: Pre-merger, ESG oversight rested with Nom/Gov; Cybersecurity had a dedicated board committee; post-merger board structures not disclosed publicly .
Fixed Compensation
MLNK’s public-company non‑employee director compensation policy (context; Jaffe’s private-company compensation not disclosed):
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (director) | $40,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Non-executive chair | $30,000 | Incremental |
| Lead independent director | $20,000 | Incremental |
| Committee member retainers | Audit $10,000; Comp $7,500; Nom/Gov $5,000; Cyber $5,000 | Paid in addition to board retainer |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit $20,000; Comp $15,000; Nom/Gov $10,000; Cyber $10,000 | Incremental |
| Initial RSU award | $350,000 grant-date fair value | Vests over 3 years |
| Annual RSU award | $200,000 grant-date fair value | Vests by next AGM or first anniversary |
| Director equity acceleration | Full acceleration upon sale of company | Applied to public MLNK; company sold in 2025 |
Note: The above reflects public MLNK’s policy through 2025; compensation for directors of the private surviving corporation (including Benjamin Jaffe) has not been publicly disclosed .
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Applies to Director Compensation? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-based metrics (e.g., revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR) | No | Non-employee director compensation comprised cash retainers and time-based RSUs; no disclosed performance metrics for directors |
| Change-of-control treatment | Yes | Director equity awards subject to full accelerated vesting upon sale of the company |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Sector | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) | Fintech/core banking | Director | CSI serves banks/credit unions; MLNK’s platform targets similar institutions; potential ecosystem adjacency but no disclosed related-party transactions with CSI |
| Speedcast Holdings LLC | Connectivity | Director | No MLNK-related party disclosures involving Speedcast |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology investment expertise; leads Centerbridge’s tech sector investments .
- Restructuring experience from Blackstone; relevant to transaction execution and post-merger governance .
- Education: Harvard College, A.B., cum laude .
- Public-company board exposure via CSI; private-company governance at Speedcast .
Equity Ownership
- Public MLNK beneficial ownership tables (April 9, 2025) do not list Benjamin Jaffe among named executive officers/directors or 5% holders as of the record date; post-merger ownership of the private company is not publicly disclosed .
- Director stock ownership guidelines (public MLNK): 3x annual equity retainer; compliance status for Jaffe not applicable/disclosed post-merger .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and conflicts: RED FLAG — Jaffe is a Centerbridge MD and became a director through the acquisition; he is not independent of the controlling shareholder, which concentrates governance power at the private company and reduces minority-investor safeguards compared to public MLNK’s prior majority-independent board .
- Board effectiveness: Pre-merger MLNK had structured committee oversight (audit, comp, cyber, nom/gov) and annual external board/committee assessments, supporting robust governance processes; post-merger committee structures and assessments have not been disclosed, creating transparency gaps for investors contemplating rollover or future re-IPO scenarios .
- Related-party oversight: MLNK maintained a formal related person transaction policy overseen by the audit committee; post-merger enforcement remains undisclosed. Jaffe’s external boards (CSI, Speedcast) present ecosystem adjacencies but no MLNK-related transactions have been disclosed; ongoing monitoring recommended if MLNK engages vendors or partners tied to Centerbridge portfolio companies .
- Shareholder alignment signals: Public MLNK prohibited hedging/pledging and maintained director stock ownership guidelines; after going private and delisting, investor visibility into compliance and director equity alignment is limited .
- Transaction context: The board unanimously approved the Centerbridge transaction (announced Aug 11, 2025) and later completed the merger at $20.00 per share; legal scrutiny from investor-rights firms followed, typical for take-private deals, but does not itself imply misconduct; Jaffe publicly endorsed the transaction’s strategic rationale alongside Centerbridge colleagues (Halper Sadeh alert).
Overall: Jaffe brings deep transaction and tech-investment expertise but is a controlling sponsor representative rather than an independent director. For public-investor confidence, key gaps include undisclosed post-merger committee roles, compensation, and ownership alignment at the private MLNK. Continuous monitoring of related-party exposure and future disclosures is warranted .