Benoit Dageville
SnowflakeAbout Benoit Dageville
Co-founder of Snowflake and President of Products, Benoit Dageville (age 58) has served on Snowflake’s board since August 2012 and previously served as Chief Technology Officer from 2012–2019. He holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Jussieu University, and is recognized for driving Snowflake’s product innovation . Company performance in FY2025 (ended Jan 31, 2025) included product revenue of $3.5B (+30% YoY), net revenue retention of 126%, and non-GAAP free cash flow of $884.1M, underscoring robust consumption and cash generation trends during his product leadership tenure .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowflake | Chief Technology Officer | Aug 2012 – May 2019 | Co-founder leading core product architecture and innovation |
| Oracle | Architect, Manageability Group | Jan 2002 – Jul 2012 | Senior engineering roles building large-scale database systems |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No public company directorships disclosed in latest proxy |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 5,084,886 shares (1.5%) | As of Apr 30, 2025; % of 333,638,697 shares outstanding |
| Direct/indirect breakdown | See below | Detailed trust and award components |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days | 3,539 shares | Scheduled short-term vesting |
| PRSUs vesting within 60 days | 3,190 shares | Scheduled short-term vesting |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 1,073,477 shares | Near-term exercisable options |
| The Snow Trust UTA | 3,254,680 shares | Dageville is trustee |
| Selene GRAT No. 1 | 750,000 shares | Dageville is trustee |
| Thira GRAT No. 1 | 750,000 shares | Spouse trustee; beneficial ownership disclaimed |
| Stock ownership guidelines | In compliance | All directors/executives in compliance; 2x base salary for other NEOs; 5x for CEO/CFO |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited | Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging, short sales, margin, and pledging |
Insider Trading & Vesting Pressure
Regular 10b5‑1 plan sales and option exercises suggest ongoing supply from scheduled liquidity and estate planning transfers.
| Date | Action | Shares | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 13, 2025 | Sale | 25,000 | $264.45 | Under 10b5‑1 plan (adopted Mar 28, 2025); same day option exercise of 25,000 @ $13.48 and 7,500-share gift |
| Aug 7, 2025 | Option exercise + sale | 25,000 | — | Fully vested option @ $13.48 exercised; Form 4 notes 10b5‑1 plan |
| Jul 10, 2025 | Gift | 7,500 | — | Indirect gift via trust (Form 4 aggregator) |
| May 1, 2025 | Exercise + sale + gift | 6,250 (ex.) / 6,250 (sale) / 1,875 (gift) | $0.74 (ex.) / $168.00 (sale) | Under 10b5‑1 plan (adopted Mar 29, 2024); option fully vested |
| Dec 23, 2024 | Sale | 286 | $165.31 | Under 10b5‑1 plan (adopted Mar 29, 2024) |
- Pattern: frequent 25,000-share tranches with low-strike option exercises and immediate sales, plus periodic gifts to estate vehicles; all disclosed under Rule 10b5‑1 trading plans .
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director class/term | Class I; term to expire at 2027 annual meeting (pre-declassification schedule) |
| Independence status | Not independent (employee-director) |
| Committee memberships | None; not listed on Audit/Comp/Nominating/Cyber committees |
| Board meeting attendance | ≥75% attendance during FY2025 (all directors met threshold) |
| Lead Independent Director | Michael L. Speiser (context for board oversight) |
| Declassification proposal | Board recommended phased declassification by 2028 annual meeting |
Director Compensation
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Non-employee director cash/equity | Not applicable; Dageville is an employee and did not receive director fees or RSU grants under the non-employee policy |
Performance Compensation (Company Program Context)
- Executive cash bonuses are funded quarterly off product revenue with gates on non-GAAP product gross margin, non-GAAP operating margin, and “stable edges” growth; program caps pool at 110% and individual payout at 200% of plan payout .
- Annual “refresh” equity awards for NEOs use PRSUs weighted to total revenue (50%), non-GAAP operating margin (25%), and non-GAAP adjusted free cash flow (25%), vesting over multi-year periods; FY2025 PRSU achievement was ~89.4% of target for NEOs granted .
Note: Dageville was not a named executive officer in FY2025; his individual cash/equity grant details are not disclosed in the NEO tables .
Employment Terms
- Executive severance/change-in-control coverage is provided under Snowflake’s CIC Plan (amended Aug 2023), with cash severance (salary, target bonus), COBRA reimbursement, and equity acceleration for covered participants; tiers differ by role (CEO/CFO tier 1; other NEOs tier 2) .
Note: Dageville’s specific CIC tier/terms are not individually disclosed in the proxy .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Founder with a material stake (1.5% of outstanding), including large trust holdings and near-term exercisable options; hedging and pledging are prohibited, and directors/executives meet ownership guidelines—supportive of long-term alignment .
- Selling pressure: Consistent 10b5‑1 plan-driven sales and option exercises (notably recurring 25,000-share tranches) indicate ongoing scheduled liquidity; monitor cadence around earnings/events for potential supply overhang .
- Governance: Dual role (President of Products + Director) with non-independence is mitigated by a majority-independent board, lead independent director structure, and declassification initiative—reducing potential entrenchment concerns over time .
- Execution backdrop: Company performance trends—30% product revenue growth, 126% NRR, strong non-GAAP FCF—support the product-led strategy overseen by Dageville, but continued insider distributions warrant monitoring for technical overhang versus fundamentals .