Denny Marie Post
About Denny Marie Post
Denny Marie Post is an independent director of Travel + Leisure Co. (TNL), age 68, serving since 2018, with committee assignments on the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committees. Her background includes more than 30 years in consumer-driven industries with executive leadership in marketing, product innovation, and brand management; prior roles include CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and senior positions at Starbucks, Burger King, T-Mobile, and YUM! Brands . The Board affirmatively determined she is independent under NYSE standards and TNL’s Director Independence Criteria .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nextbite | Co-President | Jun 2022 – May 2023 | Led a virtual restaurant/online order management pioneer; consumer/technology crossover experience . |
| Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. | President & CEO | Aug 2016 – Apr 2019 | Public company CEO experience; leadership, brand management, human capital . |
| Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. | President | Feb 2016 – Aug 2016 | Operational leadership . |
| Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. | EVP & Chief Concept Officer | Mar 2015 – Feb 2016 | Product/innovation leadership . |
| Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. | SVP & Chief Marketing Officer | Aug 2011 – Mar 2015 | Marketing leadership . |
| T-Mobile USA | SVP & Chief Marketing Officer | Prior to Red Robin | Telecom marketing leadership . |
| Starbucks Corporation | SVP, Global Beverage, Food & Quality | Prior to Red Robin | Consumer product and quality systems . |
| Burger King | SVP & Chief Concept Officer | Prior to Red Robin | Concept development . |
| YUM! Brands (KFC USA, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell Canada) | Various management roles | Prior to Red Robin | Multi-brand, multi-geography food service operations . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vital Farms, Inc. | Director | Current | Current public company directorship . |
| Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. | Director | Former | Former public company board . |
| Bluestone Lane Holdings | Board Member | Current | Private company board role . |
| Libbey Glass | Board Member | Current | Private company board role . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee (5 meetings in 2024); Member, Corporate Governance Committee (4 meetings in 2024). All members of these committees are independent; no compensation committee interlocks reported .
- Attendance: The Board met 4 times in 2024; each Director attended all Board meetings, 100% of their committee meetings, and the 2024 annual meeting .
- Independence: Post was affirmatively determined independent under NYSE standards and TNL’s criteria; the Board reported no related-party transactions involving independent Directors in the prior year .
- Executive sessions: Non-management directors meet regularly without management; independents meet at least annually in private sessions chaired by the Lead Director .
- Board refresh: She joined in 2018 as part of post-spin refresh; the Board highlights balanced tenure and skills coverage .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Paid in Cash | $123,825 | Actual cash compensation for 2024 . |
| Stock Awards (Grant-date fair value) | $248,671 | Includes $125,000 time-vesting RSU grant on Mar 13, 2024; remainder from retainer paid in stock/DSUs . |
| All Other Compensation | $37,729 | Primarily charitable match and Wyndham Rewards Points; charitable match portion for Post was $33,701; 500,000 points valued at $4,028 . |
| Total | $410,225 | Total 2024 director compensation . |
| Director Compensation Program Element (2024) | Amount | How Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Retainer – Director | $210,000 | At least 50% in equity; equity annually; cash quarterly; DSU deferral option available . |
| Compensation Committee Member | $20,000 | Additional retainer . |
| Corporate Governance Committee Member | $17,500 | Additional retainer . |
| Director Equity Awards | $125,000 | Time-vesting RSUs; 100% vest after 1 year (Mar 13, 2024 grant) . |
| Charitable Match | Up to $75,000 | Company match $3-for-$1 on qualifying contributions . |
| Wyndham Rewards Points | Up to 500,000 (~$4,028) | Annual benefit to increase exposure to properties . |
- 2024 program change: Vesting schedule for annual equity grants modified to one-year vesting; for 2025, the Board approved immediate vesting of annual equity grants to non-employee Directors, which reduces retention duration but aligns with peer practices per Aon review .
- Ownership guidelines: Non-management Directors must own stock ≥5x cash retainer or ≥2.5x total retainer; compliance period 5 years. As of Dec 31, 2024, 100% of Directors exceeded the threshold .
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based equity or cash metrics are disclosed for Director compensation; equity for Directors is time-vesting (no TSR/EBITDA metrics) .
- Policy highlights include robust stock ownership guidelines and prohibition on hedging/pledging, reinforcing alignment without explicit performance conditions .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Compensation Committee Interlocks | None involving TNL executive officers/directors; committee members are independent . |
| External consultant | Aon Human Capital Solutions engaged; committee reviews independence annually. Aon provides other services to TNL affiliates; Committee concluded no conflict and independence maintained via structural safeguards . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Skills: Executive leadership; sales and marketing; hospitality/consumer; human capital; risk management; sustainability; global perspective; current public board service .
- Board rationale: Prior public company CEO experience and compensation/governance committee service provide expertise critical to TNL’s business and oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership (as of Dec 31, 2024) | Shares/Units | % of Class |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (Total) | 37,253 | <1% (based on 67,063,541 shares outstanding) . |
| DSUs (issuable) | 27,276 | n/a . |
| Unvested RSUs (issuable) | 6,352 | n/a . |
- Hedging/Pledging: Prohibited for directors under Insider Trading Policy; also prohibits holding shares in margin accounts .
- Deferral: Directors may defer cash/equity compensation into DSUs, credited with dividend equivalents and paid out in stock upon Board departure .
Insider Trades (Recent)
| Transaction Date | Filing Date | Type | Shares Transacted | Price | Post-Transaction Ownership | SEC Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-30 | 2025-10-02 | Award (A) – Common Stock | 351 | $0.00 | 37,626 | |
| 2025-06-30 | 2025-07-02 | Award (A) – Common Stock | 400 | $0.00 | 37,275 |
- Administrative compliance note: Due to a Company administrative error, a late Form 4 was filed July 25, 2024 for DSUs issued April 25, 2024 under the Non-Employee Directors Deferred Compensation Plan (affecting multiple directors, including Post) .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Strong attendance (100%) and active committee participation support governance quality; independence affirmed and regular executive sessions enhance oversight .
- Compensation oversight: As a Compensation Committee member, Post participates in CEO/NEO pay decisions and succession/human capital reviews; the committee utilizes an independent consultant with formal conflict safeguards, mitigating consultant multi-service risks .
- Alignment signals: Robust director ownership guidelines with full compliance, prohibition on hedging/pledging, DSU deferrals, and equity-heavy pay mix (~63% equity for directors in 2024) indicate long-term alignment .
- Potential red flags: Immediate vesting of 2025 director equity awards reduces retention/hurdle duration relative to historical practice, though justified via peer benchmarking . The 2024 late Form 4 due to administrative error is a minor compliance blemish; monitor for recurrence .
- Shareholder feedback context: 2024 Say-on-Pay support was 78% vs ~90% average for 2020–2023; as a Compensation Committee member, Post is part of the response to investor feedback on pay-for-performance alignment .