William Scannell
SnowflakeAbout William F. Scannell
William F. “Bill” Scannell (age 63) joined Snowflake’s board on May 7, 2025 as a Class I director, bringing decades of global go-to-market leadership from Dell Technologies, where he serves as President, Global Sales & Customer Operations . He holds a B.S. in Business Management from Northeastern University and currently serves on the board of IonQ, Inc., adding exposure to quantum computing markets . His Snowflake board tenure began in May 2025 and he is classified as an independent director under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Technologies | President, Global Sales & Customer Operations | Feb 2020–present | Oversees Sales, Presales, Specialty Sales, OEM, Global Alliances & Channel; drives global go-to-market strategy and growth |
| Dell Technologies | President, Global Enterprise Sales & Customer Operations | Sep 2017–Jan 2020 | Led enterprise-focused global sales operations |
| EMC Corporation | President, Global Sales & Customer Operations | Pre‑Sep 2016 until EMC’s acquisition by Dell | Senior sales leadership during EMC era; continued into Dell post-acquisition |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| IonQ, Inc. | Director | Current | Board-level oversight at a quantum computing company |
| Dell Technologies | President, Global Sales & Customer Operations | Current | Global field leadership across ~180 countries |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Scannell is independent; non‑independent directors are Burton, Dageville, Ramaswamy, and Slootman .
- Committee assignments: None listed for Scannell in the 2025 proxy; other directors cover Audit, Compensation, Nominating & Governance, and Cybersecurity committees .
- Attendance context: In FY2025 the board met 5 times; each director serving during the year attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings. Scannell was appointed after FY2025 (May 2025) .
- Lead Independent Director: Michael L. Speiser; independent directors held multiple executive sessions led by the LID .
- Governance developments: Proposal to declassify the board phased through 2028; reflects responsiveness to shareholder support for annual elections .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount / Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $33,000 per year | Payable quarterly; begins for Scannell in 2026 per his appointment terms |
| Lead Independent Director add-on | $20,000 per year | Not applicable to Scannell (LID is Speiser) |
| Committee member fees | Audit $10,000; Compensation $9,500; Nominating & Governance $5,000; Cybersecurity $5,000 | Chair fees in lieu of member fees: Audit $25,000; Compensation $15,000; Nominating & Governance $10,000; Cybersecurity $10,000 |
| Expense reimbursement | Ordinary, necessary travel; up to $10,000/year for director education | Per governance guidelines |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RSU (director onboarding) | May 7, 2025 | $1,000,000 | Time-based; 1/3 on each of the first, second, third anniversaries of grant, subject to service | Granted automatically under 2020 Plan at appointment |
| Annual RSU (director) | Beginning 2026 annual meeting | $300,000 per annual grant | Vests on earlier of next annual meeting or first anniversary, subject to service | Directors appointed in same calendar year as annual meeting do not receive that year’s annual RSU |
| Change-in-control (director awards) | N/A | Full vesting of outstanding director awards immediately prior to closing | Applies to non-employee directors in service at time of corporate transaction | Policy-level provision |
Directors do not receive performance-based cash bonuses or PRSU metrics; director equity is time-based per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company boards: IonQ, Inc. .
- Executive role at major tech supplier: Dell Technologies (President, Global Sales & Customer Operations) .
- Related-party screening: Upon appointment, Snowflake disclosed no transactions requiring Item 404(a) reporting with Scannell .
- Independence context for interlocks: Board evaluates transactions where independent directors serve on boards of counterparties and determined such relationships did not impair independence when conducted at arm’s length without material interest; board will continue evaluating facts and circumstances .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Go-to-market leadership: Extensive global sales and customer operations expertise, including OEM and channel ecosystems .
- Enterprise technology field depth: Senior leadership at EMC/Dell; aligned with Snowflake’s enterprise data/AI platform scaling .
- Board-level experience: IonQ director adds frontier computing exposure; complements Snowflake’s AI strategy .
Equity Ownership
| Filing/Form | Date | Beneficial Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form 3 (Initial Beneficial Ownership) | May 9, 2025 | “No securities are beneficially owned.” | RSU award granted at appointment; RSUs are unvested and settled upon vesting; Form 3 reported no current beneficial holdings |
| Insider trading & alignment | Policy | Hedging, short sales, pledging, and margin accounts prohibited for directors | Enhances alignment; mitigates risk indicators |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and role fit: Independent director with deep sales execution expertise; no Item 404 related-party transactions at appointment—reduces immediate conflict risk .
- Committee impact: No committee assignments as of the 2025 proxy; potential future placement could leverage sales/customer operations experience on Nominating & Governance or Cybersecurity (ecosystem risk), but current status is non-committee member .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay structure is standard—modest cash retainer and time-based RSUs (initial $1,000,000; annual $300,000 thereafter), with no performance cash or PRSU metrics for directors, and robust anti-hedging/pledging policy—supports long-term alignment without excessive risk .
- Board process and signals: Board declassification phased by 2028 reflects responsiveness to shareholder governance preferences; strong executive session cadence and committee coverage suggest solid oversight architecture .
- Monitoring points and potential conflicts (for investors): Scannell’s concurrent senior role at Dell warrants ongoing monitoring for any Snowflake–Dell commercial arrangements; current disclosure shows no reportable related-party transactions at appointment, and the board’s independence framework addresses arm’s-length dealings without director material interest .
No RED FLAGS identified specific to Scannell at appointment (no Item 404 transactions; prohibited hedging/pledging; independent status). Continued monitoring advisable regarding any future Snowflake–Dell engagements to ensure adherence to independence and related-party standards .