Trynka Shineman Blake
Twist BioscienceAbout Trynka Shineman Blake
Independent director at Twist Bioscience (TWST); appointed August 5, 2025 as a Class II director with service through the 2026 Annual Meeting if elected . Former CEO of Vistaprint (a Cimpress company) with nearly three decades of experience in customer experience, digital transformation, and global marketing; B.A. in psychology from Cornell University and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vistaprint (Cimpress) | Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Scaled business from under $100M to >$1B revenue; led tech re-architecture and customer-centric transformation |
| Vistaprint (Cimpress) | President North America; EVP Global Marketing; Chief Customer Officer | Not disclosed | Accelerated product development and innovation portfolio expansion |
| PreVision Marketing (acquired by Valassis) | Senior positions | Not disclosed | Analytics and marketing leadership experience |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Public/Private | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tripadvisor | Director | Public | Current board service |
| Semrush | Director | Public | Current board service |
| Captura (Charlesbank company) | Director | Private | Current board service |
| Steer | Director | Not disclosed | Current board service |
| Ally Financial Inc. | Director | Public | Prior board service |
| UBM plc | Director | Public | Prior board service |
| Vistaprint (Cimpress) Management Board | Board member | Private | Prior governance role |
| Mass Technology Leadership Council | Board of Trustees | Non-profit | Prior board role |
Board Governance
- Class II director; appointed August 5, 2025; term runs to the 2026 Annual Meeting, and if elected, until successor duly elected .
- Committee assignment: Audit Committee member .
- Independence: Audit Committee members must meet Nasdaq/SEC independence standards; the company states audit committee members satisfy independence requirements as a governance practice . Given her Audit Committee appointment, she is expected to meet these criteria .
- Attendance: Twist’s policy strongly encourages directors to attend Board and committee meetings; in FY2024 each director attended ≥75% of aggregate meetings (pre-dates Blake’s appointment) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $50,000 | Standard non-employee director cash retainer for service as director |
| Audit Committee member retainer | $10,000 | Annual cash retainer for Audit Committee service |
| Initial RSU grant | $395,000 grant-date fair value | Standard initial director RSU award; RSUs vest one-third annually over 3 years per director policy |
| Annual RSU grant | $240,000 grant-date fair value | Granted at the close of each annual meeting; vests 100% on earlier of one-year anniversary or next annual meeting |
Note: TWST’s 2025 proxy indicates standard director retainers of $45,000 (Board) and $10,000 (Audit) prior to Blake’s appointment; the August 2025 8-K specifies $50,000 for Blake’s Board retainer, evidencing an updated amount at appointment .
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Applies to Director Compensation? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR, ESG goals | No | Director equity awards are time-based RSUs; no performance-conditioned director awards disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current boards: Tripadvisor, Semrush, Captura, Steer .
- Potential interlocks/conflicts: Company disclosed no related-party transactions involving Blake at appointment (Item 404(a)) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep operating and governance experience: scaled Vistaprint from < $100M to > $1B in revenue; led digital transformation and customer-centric initiatives .
- Strategic areas: corporate governance, customer experience, digital transformation, global marketing .
- Education: B.A. Cornell; M.B.A. Columbia .
Equity Ownership
- Initial and annual RSU awards as above; specific share counts for Blake not disclosed in 8-K. Standard director RSU vesting schedules apply (initial: three annual tranches; annual grant: one-year vest or next annual meeting) .
- Hedging/pledging prohibited under TWST’s Insider Trading Compliance Program, supporting alignment with shareholders .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Appointment adds seasoned operating and customer-experience expertise during TWST’s growth phase; Audit Committee placement strengthens oversight breadth .
- Independence and conflicts: No related-party transactions; Audit Committee role implies adherence to independence standards; positive signal for investor confidence .
- Compensation alignment: Cash retainer modest; majority of director compensation in equity with multi-year vesting—supports long-term alignment; change-in-control acceleration for director RSUs per policy is limited to non-employee director awards and contingent on service through change-in-control timing .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed—no Item 404(a) transactions, no hedging/pledging permitted; attendance pre-appointment strong among Board generally .