Linda Findley
RALPH LAURENAbout Linda Findley
Independent Class A Director since August 2018; age 52. Currently President & Chief Executive Officer of Sleep Number Corporation (appointed April 2025). Previously CEO of Blue Apron (2019–May 2024), COO roles at Etsy and Evernote; earlier led global marketing, business development and customer service for Alibaba.com from Hong Kong. Education: M.A. in Journalism (UNC–Chapel Hill) and B.A. in Corporate Communications (Elon University).
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure (if disclosed) | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. | President & CEO | Apr 2019 – May 2024 | Led corporate strategy and operations |
| Etsy, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Not disclosed | Oversaw product, design, marketing, customer engagement/acquisition; international expansion; revenue-generating go-to-market |
| Evernote | Chief Operating Officer | Not disclosed | Oversaw worldwide operations across 10 countries; led cross‑functional teams |
| Alibaba.com | Head of Global Marketing, Business Development & Customer Service | Not disclosed | Led global functions; based in Hong Kong |
| Fleishman‑Hillard; Text 100; Schwartz Communications | Leadership roles | Not disclosed | Communications and PR leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep Number Corporation | President & CEO | Public | Appointed April 2025 |
RL policy limits overboarding: a Ralph Lauren director who is a named executive officer of another public company is limited to serving on that company’s board and RL’s board; all current directors comply with these limits.
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Linda Findley is independent; all current committee members are independent.
- Committee assignments: Chair, Talent, Culture & Total Rewards Committee; Member, Audit Committee; Member, Finance Committee.
- Attendance and engagement: In FY2025 the Board met 4x; Audit 4x; Talent 4x; Nominating 4x; Finance 5x. Each director attended at least 75% of meetings of the Board and their committees. Independent directors meet in executive session at the start and end of each regular Board meeting.
- Clawback/hedging: Company maintains Dodd‑Frank compliant clawback and pre‑existing recoupment policies; directors and officers are prohibited from pledging, hedging or short selling RL stock.
- Shareholder engagement context: Say‑on‑Pay support at 2024 Annual Meeting was 97%.
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | 95,000 | Standard non‑employee director retainer |
| Committee chair retainer (Talent Committee) | 30,000 | Chair fee |
| Committee membership retainers | 45,000 | Audit ($15k), Talent ($15k), Finance ($15k) |
| Total cash fees (FY2025) | 170,000 | Matches disclosed cash fees |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Grant Date | Instrument | Shares/Units | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2024 | RSUs (annual director grant) | 985 | 170,036 | Vests on 1‑year anniversary |
| FY2025 year‑end holdings | RSUs outstanding | 992.5 | N/A | Includes DEUs; subject to same vesting terms |
Director equity awards are time‑based; no performance metrics apply to director grants.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Other current public company directorships: Not specified by name in the director biography; RL’s nominees summary table lists counts but does not identify companies for Ms. Findley.
- Compensation committee interlocks: None—Talent Committee composed entirely of independent directors; no interlocks or insider participation disclosed.
Expertise & Qualifications
- 25+ years in operations, international marketing, business development, PR, and customer service across consumer internet and technology platforms.
- Led global growth initiatives (North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Russia) with emphasis on scalable customer experience, monetization, product management, design, and marketing.
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficially owned Class A shares | 9,973 | As of record date; includes 996 RSUs vesting within 60 days |
| Ownership % of outstanding | <1% | Asterisked in company table (“*” less than 1%) |
| Director stock ownership guideline | 5x annual cash retainer | Applies to all non‑employee directors |
| Guideline compliance status | Exceeds target | All covered directors exceeded FY2025 target |
| Pledging/hedging | Prohibited | Anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging policy for directors |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; chairs Talent Committee (pay design, succession oversight, human capital), sits on Audit (financial reporting, cybersecurity and AI risk oversight) and Finance (strategy and capital allocation) committees—broad governance touchpoints that support board effectiveness. Attendance thresholds met; equity ownership above guideline aligns incentives; robust company‑level clawback and anti‑hedging policies.
- Potential risks/flags to monitor: Time commitments from concurrent role as CEO of a public company; however, RL’s overboarding limits and attendance compliance mitigate this concern. No related‑party transactions requiring disclosure involving Ms. Findley; independence reaffirmed after review of any affiliated contributions/transactions.
No insider trade details for Ms. Findley were disclosed in the proxy beyond Section 16 compliance (all filings timely).