Hervé Couturier
SabreAbout Hervé Couturier
Independent director of Sabre Corporation since 2017; age 66; President of Kerney Partners. Former senior technology executive with deep software product strategy and development experience at SAP and Amadeus; educated at École Centrale Paris (engineering degree and M.S.). Serves as Chair of Sabre’s Technology Committee and is a member of the Audit and Executive Committees.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadeus | Executive Vice President, Head of R&D | 2012–2016 | Led 5,000-person R&D team; developed responsive travel search engines and large-scale data extraction capabilities. |
| SAP AG | SVP Products; EVP Technology Development; EVP Business Technologies and Research | 2002–2012 | Defined/delivered SAP’s technology product strategy; released software to accelerate business process execution; led research. |
| S1 Corporation | Senior Vice President, Products | 1999–2002 | Product leadership for payment software; strategy and lifecycle management. |
| IBM | Engineer/Manager/BU Manager | 1982–1997 | Technical and business leadership foundation in complex systems. |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimCorp A/S | Director | 2008–2022 | Board oversight of financial software strategy. |
| Infovista | Director | 2016–2024 | Network performance/IT software board service. |
| Sportradar | Director | 2018–2022 | Sports data/analytics governance. |
| Kyriba | Director | 2019–Present | Treasury management software oversight. |
| Odigo | Director | 2021–2023 | Contact center solutions oversight. |
| Syspro | Director | 2025–Present | ERP software governance. |
| Mint | Director | 2022–Present | Software portfolio guidance. |
| Titanbay | Director | 2024–Present | Private markets platform governance. |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Technology Committee (Chair); Audit Committee (Member); Executive Committee (Member). Technology Committee met 4 times in 2024; Audit Committee met 8 times; Executive Committee did not meet.
- Independence: Board determined Couturier is independent under Nasdaq rules.
- Attendance: Board met 6 times in 2024; all incumbent directors attended >75% of Board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting.
- Board leadership: Non-executive Chair (Gail Mandel) defines agendas, leads executive sessions, and oversees risk, succession, and governance evaluations.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (2024) | $90,000 | Paid quarterly. |
| Audit Committee member fee (2024) | $15,000 | Paid quarterly. |
| Technology Committee chair fee (2024) | $15,000 | Paid quarterly. |
| Total fees earned (2024) | $120,000 | Sum of retainer and committee fees. |
| Director equity RSU grant value (2024) | $160,000 | Granted on annual meeting date; vests in full on first anniversary. |
| Director equity RSU grant value (2025) | $200,000 | Approved increase effective Feb 5, 2025. |
| Technology Committee chair fee (2025) | $20,000 | Approved increase effective Feb 5, 2025. |
Performance Compensation
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares/Value | Vesting | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSU (Director annual) | 04/24/2024 | 57,971 units; $160,000 fair value | Vests in full on first anniversary of grant date | None; director RSUs are time-based (no performance conditions). |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public/private company boards include Kyriba, Syspro, Mint, Titanbay; prior boards include SimCorp, Infovista, Sportradar, Odigo. No disclosed related-party transactions with Sabre.
- Prior executive role at Amadeus (GDS competitor) ended in 2016; Board affirms independence under Nasdaq rules.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Software product strategy and development; mainframe/cloud environments; travel tech domain; international management. Education: Engineering degree and M.S., École Centrale Paris.
- Technology oversight including AI, cybersecurity, data privacy, and disaster recovery at committee level.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | RSUs Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hervé Couturier | 172,389 | <1% | 57,971 (granted 04/24/2024) |
- Ownership alignment: Directors must own stock equal to 5x annual retainer; policy includes 50% net share retention until guideline met. Company disclosed directors/executives met or were on track as of June 1, 2023. Hedging/pledging prohibited by Insider Trading Policy.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with deep software and travel-tech expertise; chairs Technology Committee overseeing cybersecurity/AI; strong attendance; meaningful share ownership; director pay structured with significant equity; hedging/pledging banned.
- Potential red flags: Multiple external board commitments may pose time-allocation risk; no specific attendance issues disclosed. No related-party transactions or pledging/hedging activity disclosed.
Overall signal: Governance quality appears solid—independence affirmed, active committee leadership in critical technology risk areas, transparent director pay with increased equity alignment in 2025, and ownership policies that discourage misalignment (no hedging/pledging).