Ryan O’Hara
About Ryan O’Hara
Ryan O’Hara (age 56) is an independent Class II director at Thryv Holdings, Inc., serving since 2020. He is CEO of Likewize and brings deep operating experience across technology, recurring revenue models, and public company board service, with prior CEO roles at Shutterfly and Move/Realtor.com and senior positions at Madison Square Garden and Gemstar-TV Guide. He holds a BA in Economics from Stanford University, an MBA and Director Certificate from Harvard Business School. The board explicitly determined he is independent under SEC and Nasdaq standards.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Likewize | Chief Executive Officer | Current | Technology protection and support company leadership |
| 210 Home Buyers Warranty | Chief Executive Officer | Jul 2022–Dec 2024 | Transition leadership in home warranty sector |
| Apollo Global Management | Advisor (Tech/Media) | Jan 2020–Dec 2022 | Sector advisory; capital markets exposure |
| Shutterfly, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; Director | Jun–Dec 2019 (CEO); Jun–Oct 2019 (Director) | Consumer tech turnaround exposure |
| Move Inc./Realtor.com | Chief Executive Officer | Jan 2015–Jun 2019 | Scaled recurring revenue (proptech) |
| Madison Square Garden Company | Senior management | Prior to 2015 | Media/events operations experience |
| Gemstar–TV Guide International | Senior management | Prior to 2015 | Media distribution and product |
| Nestlé S.A.; Fox Cable Networks; British Sky Broadcasting; PwC | Various roles | Prior to 2015 | Global operations, media, finance grounding |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offerpad | Director | Current | Public company directorship (real estate tech) |
| Inside Real Estate | Board Observer | Current | Information flow into proptech ecosystem |
| TKB Critical Technologies | Director | Until Aug 2023 | Former public board seat |
| REA Group Limited | Director | Jun 2017–Apr 2019 | Global digital real estate exposure |
| Stanford Center on Longevity | Advisory Council | Aug 2020–Jan 2024 | Academic network; governance perspective |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director under SEC/Nasdaq; current independent members include O’Hara .
- Committee leadership: Chair, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; members Akhtar and Vaccarello; 4 meetings held in 2024 .
- Other committees: Not listed as member of Audit or Compensation (membership table shows chairs/members; O’Hara is chair only of Nominating & Corporate Governance) .
- Attendance: Board met 5 times in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of board and committee meetings during their service period. He attended the 2024 annual meeting (all directors except Heather Zynczak were present) .
- Lead Independent Director: John Slater presides executive sessions; non-management directors meet regularly in executive session (2025 plan) .
- Nomination history: Initially nominated at direct listing by Mudrick Capital; nomination rights have since expired, removing sponsor influence risk .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | FY2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board Retainer (cash) | $100,000 | Standard non-employee director retainer |
| Committee Chair Fee (cash) | $20,000 | Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair |
| Total Cash Fees | $120,000 | Sum of retainer and chair fee |
| Equity (RSUs) – Grant Date | $140,000 grant-date fair value | Granted June 13, 2024; vests in full on 1-year anniversary |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | No per-meeting fees disclosed |
Performance Compensation
- Directors at Thryv receive time-based RSUs; no performance-based equity or cash metrics disclosed for non-employee directors. Company performance metrics (Adjusted EBITDA, FCF, SaaS Net Revenue; TSR) apply to NEOs, not directors.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to THRY | Risk/Interlock Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Offerpad | No customer/supplier link disclosed | No related-party transaction disclosed with O’Hara; no THRY transactional ties disclosed |
| Inside Real Estate | Board observer | Information flow benefit; no conflict disclosed |
No related-party transactions involving O’Hara are disclosed; the audit committee reviews and pre-approves related person transactions >$120,000, with recusals for interested members.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Qualifications cited by the board: Significant experience in technology and recurring revenue models; deep public/private board experience .
- Education: BA Economics (Stanford); MBA and Director Certificate (Harvard Business School) .
- Governance tools: Clawback policy adopted Nov 29, 2023 (Exchange Act 10D/Nasdaq 5608 compliant); anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy for directors and employees .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shares owned directly | 13,221 | Common stock held directly |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 55,556 | Included in beneficial ownership per SEC rules |
| RSUs vesting within 60 days | 7,364 | Included in beneficial ownership per SEC rules |
| Total beneficial ownership | 76,141 | Sum of direct + options + RSUs |
| % of shares outstanding | <1% | Based on 43,731,034 outstanding shares (Apr 15, 2025) |
| Director ownership guideline | 3× annual retainer | Applies to non-employee directors; retention limits until met |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited | Insider Trading Policy bans hedging and pledging for directors |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent director serving as Chair of Nominating & Corporate Governance, signaling strong involvement in director selection, governance practices, and board composition. Committee met 4 times in 2024, and board-wide attendance was ≥75% across directors, supporting engagement quality.
- Clear director pay mix: modest fixed cash plus annual RSU grant; equity ownership and stock ownership guidelines (3× retainer) promote alignment; anti-hedging/anti-pledging and clawback policies further strengthen governance.
- No disclosed related-party transactions involving O’Hara; prior sponsor nomination rights have expired, reducing potential influence or interlocks from legacy investors.
-
Watch items:
- Legacy nomination by Mudrick Capital at the direct listing (expired now) warrants routine monitoring of independence and board refresh practices, which O’Hara’s chair role in Nominating should help steward.
- Thryv’s financing includes a term loan with significant participation by BlackRock, a >5% holder; while not linked to O’Hara, concentrated creditor/shareholder exposure is a broader governance consideration overseen by the audit committee.
Overall, O’Hara’s governance profile reflects independence, active committee leadership, and appropriate alignment mechanisms with minimal conflict signals disclosed. Continuous monitoring of director ownership guideline compliance and board refresh decisions remains prudent.