Christina Van Houten
TechTargetAbout Christina Van Houten
Christina Van Houten (58) is an independent director of TechTarget, Inc. and serves as Audit Committee Chair and the Board’s designated audit committee financial expert. She previously served on the Former TechTarget board from August 2019 to December 2024, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth and a BA from Georgetown University . The Board has determined she meets Nasdaq independence standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Former TechTarget (pre-merger) | Director | Aug 2019 – Dec 2024 | Audit Committee member (pre-merger) |
| Mimecast Limited | Advisor to CEO; Chief Strategy Officer | Apr 2018 – May 2022 | Corporate strategy and cyber resilience leadership |
| Infor Global Solutions | SVP Marketing Strategy & Product Management | 2014 – 2018 | Product strategy and marketing |
| Infor | VP Industry Solution & Strategy | 2011 – 2014 | Industry solutions |
| IBM Netezza | VP Strategy & Solutions | 2010 – 2011 | Data/analytics solutions strategy |
| Oracle Corporation | Senior roles | 2005 – 2010 | Enterprise software leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Quotient (EQ) | Co-founder and CEO | Since Jun 2022 | Co-founded with TTGT director Perfecto Sanchez (interlock potential) |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee Chair and financial expert; member of Compensation and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees .
- Independence and attendance: Determined independent under Nasdaq rules; in 2024, all directors met at least 75% attendance for Board and committee meetings, and directors are encouraged to attend the annual meeting .
- Controlled company context: Informa holds ~58% and designates five directors; TTGT avails Nasdaq “Controlled Company” exemptions, so the Compensation Committee includes non-independent members and may limit fully independent oversight of pay; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee is fully independent .
- Trading and alignment policies: Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging (puts/calls/swaps) and pledging of TTGT stock except limited circumstances .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (Non-Employee Directors) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base annual retainer | $20,000 | Applies in 2024 and under 2025 NED Plan |
| Board meeting fee | $1,500 per meeting | |
| Committee meeting fee | $1,000 per meeting | |
| Committee member annual retainers | Audit $5,000; Compensation $2,500; Nominating $2,500 | |
| Committee chair annual retainers | Audit Chair $10,000; Compensation Chair $5,000; Nominating Chair $5,000 | |
| Annual equity for non-chair directors (2025) | Stock option to purchase 5,000 shares at fair market value; exercisable after 1 year | Grant at annual meeting |
| Chair of Board (2024) | $100,000 cash (50% in Dec 2024, 50% Aug 2025) and 7,569 RSUs vesting after one year | Chair-specific |
| Christina G. Van Houten – Fiscal 2024 Director Compensation | Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Stock Awards (RSUs) | 50,543 |
| Option Awards | 151,050 |
| Total | 201,593 |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding at 12/31/2024 | 0 |
Performance Compensation
Directors do not have performance-conditioned pay; RSUs used for retainers/meeting fees are fully vested upon grant and annual options vest based on time, not company metrics . Executive incentive metrics (not applicable to director compensation) are below.
| Company Metric (Executive Bonus Plan) | Definition/Use | Applies to Director Pay? |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (GAAP) | Annual topline performance driver | No |
| Adjusted EBITDA | Non-GAAP EBITDA with specified adjustments | No |
| Longer-Term Contracts (%) | Share of customer contracts >270 days | No |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company boards: None disclosed for Van Houten beyond TTGT .
- Interlocks: Co-founder of EQ with fellow TTGT director Perfecto Sanchez; no related-party transactions disclosed with EQ in the proxy .
- Related party transaction governance: TTGT maintains a related party transaction policy and, per the Stockholders Agreement, may form an ad-hoc Related Party Transactions Committee composed largely of independent, non-Informa designees to review material related-party items .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology and enterprise software leadership (Oracle, IBM Netezza, Infor), cyber resilience strategy (Mimecast), and marketing/product strategy .
- Financial oversight credentials: Audit Committee Chair; designated audit committee financial expert .
- Education: MBA, University of Chicago Booth; BA, Georgetown University .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | As-of Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christina G. Van Houten | 26,618 | <1% | May 30, 2025 |
Insider transactions (more current than proxy):
| Transaction Date | Filing Date | Type | Security | Quantity | Price ($) | Post-Transaction Owned | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-04 | 2024-06-06 | Award | Stock Option (Right to Buy) | 5,000 | 30.21 | 5,000 | |
| 2024-08-13 | 2024-08-15 | Award | Common Stock | 479 | 27.19 | 22,549 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Common Stock | 22,549 | 0.001 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Stock Option | 2,500 | 23.07 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Stock Option | 5,000 | 29.64 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Stock Option | 5,000 | 66.93 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Stock Option | 5,000 | 73.00 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Stock Option | 5,000 | 36.46 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-03 | Return to issuer (merger-related) | Stock Option | 5,000 | 30.21 | 0 | |
| 2025-07-24 | 2025-07-28 | Award | Stock Option (Right to Buy) | 5,000 | 8.70 | 5,000 | |
| 2025-08-14 | 2025-08-15 | Award | Common Stock | 2,417 | 6.00 | 29,035 |
Policy note: Hedging and pledging are prohibited under TTGT’s Insider Trading Policy (directors included) except in limited circumstances .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; Audit Chair and financial expert; established governance policies (Code of Conduct, related-party oversight); attendance standards met across the Board; hedging/pledging restrictions; modest director cash retainer structure with equity that vests over time .
- Alignment: Beneficial ownership of 26,618 shares (<1%); insider filings show continued equity awards and option grants consistent with the NED Plan, supporting ongoing alignment though overall ownership remains small .
- Risks/RED FLAGS:
- Controlled company status: Informa’s majority control and committee composition (non-independent members on Compensation Committee) may constrain purely independent oversight of executive/director pay and major corporate actions .
- Interlock potential: Shared EQ leadership with fellow director Perfecto Sanchez; while no related-party transactions with EQ are disclosed, the relationship warrants ongoing monitoring through TTGT’s related-party policy and RPT Committee process .
- Limited share ownership: Ownership is less than 1% of outstanding shares; while common for outside directors, deeper ownership could further signal alignment .
Additional references:
- Board and committee reports confirm active engagement and charter compliance (Audit and Compensation Committee reports) .
- Director compensation plan mechanics and vesting terms are transparent; RSUs for retainer/fees are fully vested upon grant, while options vest on 1-year schedule, with annual grants tied to the annual meeting .