Camille J. Douglas

About Camille J. Douglas

Camille J. Douglas, age 73, is an independent director of Starwood Property Trust (STWD) serving since 2010, and currently sits on the Audit Committee and the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee . She is Principal at Svanninge Capital (Jan 2025–present), with over 40 years of experience in commercial real estate investment, development, and finance; she holds a BA from Smith College and an MCRP in Urban Planning from Harvard University Graduate School of Design . She has academic appointments as Lecturer and Senior Fellow in Real Estate at Harvard GSD (2024–present) and was previously Adjunct Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School (2005–2023) .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Committee assignments: Audit Committee (member); Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (member). Chairs are Strauss Zelnick (Audit) and Fred Ridley (Nominating); Ms. Douglas does not hold chair roles .
• Independence: The Board determined Ms. Douglas is independent under NYSE standards; in doing so, it considered (i) a LeFrak minority investment in a hotel management company affiliated with Starwood Capital Group, and (ii) Ms. Douglas’s small minority investment in Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund XII managed by Starwood Capital Group .
• Attendance and engagement: The Board met four times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings on which they served and attended the 2024 annual meeting .
• Committee activity levels (2024): Audit Committee met 4 times; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee met 2 times; Compensation Committee met 3 times (context for Board cadence) .
• Financial literacy: All Audit Committee members (including Ms. Douglas) are “financially literate” per NYSE standards; Mr. Zelnick is the Audit Committee Financial Expert .
• Executive sessions and leadership: Non-executive directors hold regular executive sessions, presided over by the Lead Independent Director (Richard Bronson) .

Fixed Compensation

• 2025 change: Board increased annual equity retainer for non-employee directors to $150,000 (time-vested restricted shares) beginning with 2025 grants .

Performance Compensation

• No performance-based metrics or non-equity incentive plan compensation disclosed for non-employee directors; equity awards are time-vested restricted stock. No option awards disclosed .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Expertise & Qualifications

• Over 40 years in commercial real estate investment, development, and finance; senior roles at LeFrak, Olympia & York, and Morgan Stanley .
• Academic credentials and teaching in real estate finance and economics (Harvard GSD; Columbia Business School) .
• Audit Committee member with financial literacy under NYSE standards .
• Education: BA (Smith College), MCRP Urban Planning (Harvard GSD) .

Equity Ownership

Related Party & Conflict Checks

• Child employment: Ms. Douglas has a child employed by STWD as a Vice President; compensation exceeded $120,000 in 2024, consistent with peers at similar responsibility levels .
• LeFrak minority investment: LeFrak (her former employer) made a minority investment in a hotel management company affiliated with Starwood Capital Group (affiliated with STWD’s Manager) .
• Personal fund investment: Ms. Douglas made a small minority investment in Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund XII (managed by Starwood Capital Group) .
• Independence outcome: After considering these relationships, the Board determined Ms. Douglas to be independent under NYSE standards .
• Trading policies: Company has insider trading procedures and an anti-hedging policy framework; director transactions require prior legal approval; insider trading policy filed with 2024 10-K .

Governance Assessment

Strengths

• Long-tenured independent director with deep real estate finance experience; active on two oversight committees (Audit; Nominating & Corporate Governance), supporting board effectiveness in financial reporting, risk oversight, and governance processes .
• Solid engagement: at least 75% attendance at Board/committee meetings in 2024; attended the 2024 annual meeting; Board/committee cadence appropriate for oversight (Board 4; Audit 4; Nominating 2) .
• Pay structure emphasizes alignment: meaningful equity retainer ($140,011 in 2024) alongside cash fees ($122,500), with time-based vesting and director ownership guidelines (≥3x cash retainer) .
• Audit Committee financial literacy and established executive sessions led by a Lead Independent Director enhance independent oversight .

Potential risks / RED FLAGS

• Related-party proximity: (i) child employed by STWD (VP, >$120k); (ii) LeFrak minority investment in a Starwood Capital-affiliated hotel management company; (iii) Ms. Douglas’s small minority investment in a Starwood-managed fund. The Board considered these and still determined independence, but they represent ongoing optics/conflict considerations given STWD’s external management by a Starwood affiliate .
• Ownership concentration: While Ms. Douglas holds 70,185 shares (<1% of outstanding), percent-of-class is small by nature for outside directors; individual compliance with ownership guidelines is not specifically disclosed, limiting assessment of “skin-in-the-game” vs guideline .

Overall read-through: Ms. Douglas brings seasoned real estate finance expertise and active committee engagement. The board acknowledges and monitors related-party touchpoints; independence has been affirmed following review. Compensation mix is straightforward, with a notable equity component and tightened 2025 equity retainer, which supports alignment with shareholder value over time .