Lynee Luque
NERDWALLETAbout Lynee Luque
Lynee Luque is Chief People Officer at NerdWallet (NRDS), serving in the role since April 1, 2022; she previously led People Operations after joining in September 2020. She holds a B.S. from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Michigan; age 46 as disclosed in the latest proxy . During her tenure period, company revenues rose from $538.9M (FY 2022) to $687.6M (FY 2024), while EBITDA improved to $34.0M in FY 2024; NRDS ties executive incentives to revenue growth and non‑GAAP operating income metrics, aligning leadership pay with operating performance .
| Metric | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue ($USD Millions) | $538.9 | $599.4 | $687.6 |
| EBITDA ($USD Millions) | $6.1 | $24.3* | $34.0 |
Values retrieved from S&P Global for metrics marked with an asterisk.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| NerdWallet | Vice President, People Operations | Starting Sep 2020 | Built People Ops foundation ahead of CPO appointment |
| Envoy | VP & Head of People | Starting Sep 2018; ended prior to Sep 2020 | Scaled HR programs at a growth-stage tech company |
| Global Human Resources Director | Not disclosed | Led global HR initiatives at a major social media platform |
External Roles
- None disclosed for Ms. Luque in the company’s proxy materials .
Fixed Compensation
- For non‑NEO executive officers (which includes the Chief People Officer), the proxy does not disclose individual base salary, target bonus, or actual bonus paid. NRDS, as an emerging growth company, provides reduced executive compensation disclosure and is exempt from say‑on‑pay votes .
- Company-wide elements for executives include base salary, annual cash incentives, and equity awards (RSUs, PSUs, PSOs) administered by the Compensation Committee .
Performance Compensation
NRDS aligns executive incentives to operating performance; for 2025, “other executive officers” (which includes the Chief People Officer) participate in an annual cash incentive plan based on two metrics .
| Plan | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual/Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Incentive (2025) | Revenue-related growth metric | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Cash, annual |
| Annual Cash Incentive (2025) | Non‑GAAP operating income-related metric | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Cash, annual |
| Equity Awards (company standard terms) | RSUs | — | — | — | Typically 16 quarterly installments over ~4 years |
| Equity Awards (company standard terms) | Stock Options | — | — | — | Typically 1/48th monthly over ~4 years; no grants timed around MNPI windows |
Notes:
- The proxy provides detailed award mechanics and vesting schedules for NEO awards and standard company practices; individual equity grants for Ms. Luque are not disclosed .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Topic | Disclosure | Implications |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership | Individual holdings for Ms. Luque are not disclosed; only directors and NEOs are itemized in ownership tables . | Visibility into personal “skin‑in‑the‑game” is limited. |
| Stock ownership guidelines | No formal executive stock ownership guidelines; CEO/ CFO voluntarily agreed to hold 6x/4x total cash comp, respectively . | No explicit holding multiple for CPO; cultural ownership encouraged . |
| Pledging/hedging | Company prohibits pledging, hedging, short sales, and derivatives for officers, directors, and employees . | Reduces misalignment and speculative trading risk . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Employment agreements | Company states “No Employment Agreements” as a governance practice . | Executives, including CPO, generally at‑will absent separate agreement . |
| Severance / Change‑of‑Control | Amended policy renews automatically; provides salary, target bonus, COBRA, and equity acceleration for specified officers, with full time‑based vesting upon CoC termination (performance awards excluded unless specified) . | Policy eligibility is explicitly noted for CEO/CFO; Ms. Luque’s participation is not specified . |
| Clawback | Compensation Recovery Policy adopted Oct 2, 2023; recovers incentive comp upon accounting restatements per Nasdaq and SEC rules . | Strengthens pay‑for‑performance integrity . |
| Non‑compete / non‑solicit | Not disclosed. | — |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance linkage: Ms. Luque participates in an annual incentive plan tied to revenue growth and non‑GAAP operating income, which anchors compensation to near‑term operating results—positive for alignment with shareholder value drivers .
- Selling pressure risk: Anti‑pledging/hedging policies reduce forced selling and speculative exposure; absence of disclosed personal holdings limits monitoring of potential insider selling pressure specific to the CPO .
- Retention and transition risk: The company’s stance of no employment agreements and selective eligibility for severance/change‑of‑control benefits injects some uncertainty for non‑NEO executives; Ms. Luque’s coverage is not specified, making individual retention economics less visible .
- Execution backdrop: Company performance improved across revenues and EBITDA during 2022–2024, providing a constructive operating context for human-capital initiatives under the CPO’s remit .