Magdalena Yeşil
SoFi TechnologiesAbout Magdalena Yeşil
Magdalena Yeşil (age 66) is an independent director of SoFi Technologies, serving on the board since May 2021 after previously serving on Social Finance’s board from July 2018 to May 2021. She is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and venture capitalist, an early investor and founding board member of Salesforce (until 2005), and founder of UUnet, CyberCash, and MarketPay. She holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University; current roles include board seats at Picsart, Plume, and Informed.IQ, an AI firm focused on automating consumer loan application processing. Her technology and fintech background is central to board oversight at SoFi.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Venture Partners | General Partner | 1998–2005 | Oversaw investments in 30+ companies; early-stage board service |
| Salesforce.com | Founding Board Member | Until 2005 | Early investor; contributed to scaling enterprise software |
| UUnet; CyberCash; MarketPay | Founder | 1990s | Internet access, e-commerce infrastructure, electronic payments; Red Herring Entrepreneur of the Year (1997) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informed.IQ | Director | Current | AI automation for consumer loan applications |
| Picsart | Director | Current | Creative platform; private company |
| Plume | Director | Current | Smart home networking; private company |
| Smartsheet (NYSE: SMAR) | Director | 2017–Jan 2025 | Board tenure ended upon acquisition by Vista Equity Partners |
| Zuora (NYSE: ZUO) | Director | 2017–Dec 2023 | Board tenure ended upon acquisition by Silver Lake |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined Yeşil is independent under SEC and Nasdaq standards.
- Committee assignments: Member, Risk Committee (2025); previously Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance (through Jan 2024).
- Engagement: Board met 12 times in 2024; only one director fell below 75% attendance, indicating Yeşil met ≥75% attendance. Risk Committee met 4 times in 2024.
- Board leadership: Independent Chair (Tom Hutton) separates chair and CEO roles, supporting objective oversight.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $50,000 | Non-employee director base cash retainer (paid quarterly) |
| Committee membership – Risk | $12,500 | Member fee (annual) |
| Total cash fees (2024) | $62,500 | Reported for Yeşil in 2024 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award | Grant Date | Shares/Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU | July 8, 2024 | 35,034 RSUs; $222,466 grant-date fair value | Vests on the earlier of next annual meeting or 12 months from commencement (July 14, 2024) | Annual non-employee RSU program sized from 30-day average price |
| Stock options (outstanding) | Pre-2021 grants | 313,704 options, all exercisable as of Dec 31, 2024 | N/A | Legacy option overhang for alignment; not part of 2024 grant cycle |
No director performance metrics (e.g., revenue/EBITDA targets) are tied to director pay; annual equity is time-based RSUs sized to $250,000 and vests on a time schedule.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public boards: Smartsheet (2017–2025), Zuora (2017–2023).
- Private/venture boards: Picsart, Plume, Informed.IQ.
- Potential interlocks/conflicts: Informed.IQ operates in loan origination automation. SoFi’s related-party policy assigns review/approval of any transaction >$120,000 with a director interest to the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; no Yeşil-related transactions were disclosed for 2024–2025.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology/fintech operator and investor; founder of pioneering internet/payments companies; Salesforce founding board member.
- Board experience across enterprise SaaS and consumer tech; relevant to SoFi’s digital financial services and risk oversight.
- Education: Stanford BS (Industrial Engineering), MS (Electrical Engineering).
Equity Ownership
| Category | Shares |
|---|---|
| Directly held by Yeşil | 379,682 |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days of Mar 31, 2025 | 35,034 |
| Options exercisable as of Mar 31, 2025 | 313,704 |
| Trust – Troy Kevork Wickett (trustee: Yeşil) | 144,629 |
| Trust – Justin Yesil Wickett (trustee: Yeşil) | 144,629 |
| Spouse – James F. Wickett | 174,280 |
| Total beneficial ownership | 1,191,958 (<1% of 1,104,104,203 shares outstanding) |
- Ownership alignment guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold stock equal to 5x annual cash retainer; policy requires retention of at least 50% of net shares until compliant. Majority met requirements by year-end 2024, with full compliance anticipated in 2025.
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent status; seasoned technology and fintech governance experience; current seat on Risk Committee.
- Met attendance thresholds; Board and Risk Committee active cadence in 2024.
- Clear director pay structure with modest cash fees and standardized RSU grants; legacy options provide added alignment.
- Robust related-party review, clawback policy for executives, and strict hedging/pledging restrictions covering directors reduce governance risk.
-
Watch items / potential conflicts:
- External role at Informed.IQ (loan application automation) is adjacent to SoFi’s lending activities; no related transactions disclosed, but monitor for future relationships requiring committee review.
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Shareholder signals:
- Say‑on‑pay support was ~90.5% in 2024, indicating broad investor approval of compensation governance.
Overall, Yeşil’s independent status, risk committee participation, and technology/fintech depth support board effectiveness at SoFi; current disclosures show no related‑party conflicts. Continued monitoring of any business ties via the related‑party process is advisable.