Candace Jackson
About Candace Jackson
Candace Jackson (age 40) is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Silvaco Group, Inc. (SVCO) since September 2024, bringing deep public company securities, governance, and capital markets execution experience; she previously served as Deputy General Counsel at Synaptics, led US Foods’ IPO and exit of controlling shareholders while establishing its securities/governance function, and held senior legal roles at Mayer Brown, Aerion, Primerica, and Husch Blackwell; she holds a B.A. in Sociology (University of Michigan) and a J.D. (Emory University School of Law) . Her governance footprint is visible in SEC disclosures (e.g., she signed the September 5, 2025 CFO appointment 8-K as SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary) and operates within a framework that includes anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies and a Nasdaq-compliant clawback policy . As performance context during her tenure, Silvaco reaffirmed Q1 and FY 2025 guidance amid a CFO transition, underscoring management’s operating confidence despite leadership changes .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synaptics Incorporated | Deputy General Counsel | Jul 2021 – Sep 2024 | Deputy GC at a global fabless semiconductor design leader; public company governance and SEC reporting |
| Aerion Corporation | Associate General Counsel | Feb 2021 – Jun 2021 | Legal role during wind-down of a 20-year aviation development program |
| Mayer Brown LLP | Senior Associate; Associate | Sep 2018 – Feb 2021; Jun 2015 – Mar 2016 | Led capital raises for public companies; securities and corporate governance counsel |
| US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) | Assistant General Counsel | Apr 2016 – Jun 2018 | Led IPO and exit of controlling stockholders; established securities and corporate governance function |
| Primerica, Inc. (NYSE: PRI) | Senior Attorney | Post-Citigroup spin-out (dates not specified) | Securities and corporate governance legal responsibilities at a public financial services firm |
| Husch Blackwell LLP | Associate | (dates not specified) | Corporate/securities legal practice experience |
External Roles
No external public company directorships or committee roles disclosed for Candace Jackson in the proxy or 8-K filings .
Fixed Compensation
- Company pay philosophy: base salaries at or below market median; Compensation Committee considers performance, experience, role scope, market data, and CEO recommendations (except for CEO) .
- Perquisites and tax treatment: Company-wide details for perquisites are not broadly disclosed; CEO-specific benefits (e.g., car lease reimbursement and whole-life insurance premium support) illustrate selective perquisite usage rather than broad entitlements; nothing specific disclosed for Candace Jackson .
- Anti-hedging/anti-pledging and pre-clearance: Executives and directors are prohibited from derivatives/hedging, margining, and pledging without prior written pre-clearance; blackouts and pre-clearance apply to senior officers and directors .
Not disclosed: Candace Jackson’s individual base salary, target bonus %, and actual bonus paid are not disclosed in the latest proxy .
Performance Compensation
Program design and recent execution:
- Annual performance bonus: Senior officers’ bonuses are tied to corporate and individual KPIs derived from the Board-approved annual operating plan; target bonus opportunities set by the Compensation Committee, with discretion to adjust payouts .
- 2024 payout mix: 30% cash / 70% immediately vested RSUs (RSU value reported in “Stock Awards”) .
- Long-term incentives: RSU awards generally vest over four years (25% at first anniversary, remainder quarterly), aligning executives with long-term shareholder value creation .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout Mix | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate KPIs (company-wide) | Variable by role | Set annually by Compensation Committee | CEO: 95% of target; CFO: 89.8%; SVP TCAD: 98.1% | 30% cash / 70% immediately vested RSUs | RSU portion of bonus vests immediately; standard RSUs vest over 4 years |
Not disclosed: Candace Jackson’s specific KPI mix, target %, attainment, and bonus payout for 2024/2025 are not disclosed .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Insider trading controls: Blackout periods and pre-clearance procedures for senior officers and directors; derivatives/hedging, margining, and pledging are prohibited absent pre-clearance .
- Clawback: Nasdaq Rule 10D-1 compliant policy—recoups excess incentive compensation from officers over the 3 completed fiscal years preceding any required restatement due to material noncompliance with financial reporting .
- Pledging red flag (principal stockholder): Major shareholder Katherine S. Ngai-Pesic has 1,000,000 shares pledged as collateral (principal stockholder governance consideration, not tied to Jackson) .
Not disclosed: Candace Jackson’s total beneficial ownership, vested/unvested equity breakdown, and ownership guideline compliance status are not disclosed in the proxy .
Employment Terms
Executive Severance Plan (effective Feb 20, 2024) applies to executive officers and senior management; Senior Vice Presidents are covered by specific multiples:
| Provision | Non-CIC Termination (SVP) | CIC Window Termination (SVP) | Triggers | Equity Treatment | Tax Gross-ups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash severance | 9 months of then-current monthly base salary + pro-rated target bonus for the year, paid in two equal installments | 15 months of then-current monthly base salary + pro-rated target bonus in a single lump sum | “Good reason”/“without cause”; CIC window = from 3 months prior to 12 months post-CIC; release required | Non-CIC: equity acceleration limited (CEO/CFO only per plan); CIC: accelerated time-based vesting of 100% of then outstanding equity awards for all NEOs (plan specifies coverage at NEO level; SVP treatment governed by plan; Candace’s individual grants not disclosed) | Company states “No excise tax gross-ups” among governance best practices |
| COBRA premiums | Up to 9 months for SVP | Up to 15 months for SVP | Double-trigger for equity acceleration in CIC (termination in CIC window + release) | IPO Acceleration applied to NEOs only (50% or 25% depending on role); no Candace-specific IPO acceleration disclosure | No single-trigger change of control provisions per policy |
Other governance terms:
- Anti-hedging/anti-pledging and pre-clearance for executives/directors .
- Clawback for erroneously awarded compensation per Nasdaq Rule 10D-1 .
Investment Implications
- Compensation alignment: Program emphasizes pay-for-performance via annual KPIs and four-year RSU vesting; bonus RSUs immediately vest but are part of annual incentive mix, balancing liquidity and alignment; Candace’s specific targets/awards are not disclosed, limiting precision on her personal pay-for-performance calibration .
- Retention risk: Double-trigger CIC terms (15 months cash + COBRA + full time-based equity vesting acceleration for covered executives) reduce flight risk in change-of-control scenarios; non-CIC severance (9 months + COBRA + pro-rated bonus) provides baseline retention support for SVPs .
- Insider selling pressure: Lack of Form 4 visibility for Candace constrains trading-signal analysis; attempted Form 4 fetch failed due to API authorization (we attempted to retrieve “Candace Jackson” insider transactions for SVCO via the insider-trades skill and received an Unauthorized error). Company policies (anti-hedging/pledging, pre-clearance/blackouts) limit opportunistic trading, but bonus RSUs’ immediate vesting can create potential liquidity events .
- Governance and control: Silvaco is a “controlled company” (Principal Stockholders ~69.8% voting power), availing exemptions for full independence on some committees; however, Audit Committee is fully independent and Compensation/NCG Committees include independent directors and use an independent consultant (Compensia) . Controlled status concentrates influence and can affect compensation/governance stringency; anti-pledging policies and clawback mitigate some alignment risks .
- Headline/legal risk context: CFO equity award vesting thresholds were modified in February 2025 due to “previously disclosed litigation” impacting stock price, reflecting elevated headline risk; forward-looking statements acknowledge ongoing litigation uncertainty; Candace’s role overseeing SEC/reporting functions positions her centrally in risk governance/compliance .
- Execution credentials: Her track record in IPOs, exits, and public company governance (US Foods, Synaptics) strengthens Silvaco’s legal/compliance posture during post-IPO maturation and finance leadership transitions (she signed CFO appointment 8-K) .
Tool attempt note: We attempted to fetch Candace Jackson’s Form 4 filings and current ownership via the insider-trades skill (filter by person “Candace Jackson”, SVCO, filing date range 2024-01-01 to 2025-11-19) and received a 401 Unauthorized error, so insider transaction-level trading signals could not be retrieved programmatically.