Linda Crawford
VERINT SYSTEMSAbout Linda Crawford
Independent director at Verint Systems (VRNT) since June 2021; age 61. Former CEO of Helpshift (AI-driven customer support), prior senior roles include Chief Customer Officer at Optimizely and nearly a decade at Salesforce where she led the Sales Cloud Products division; earlier executive roles at Siebel Systems. Core credentials: cloud software, CX/SaaS go-to-market, and customer success leadership. Education not disclosed in the proxy.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helpshift, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | 2017–2020 | Led AI-driven customer support solutions; retired in 2020 |
| Optimizely, Inc. | Chief Customer Officer | 2016–2017 | SaaS customer experience leadership |
| Salesforce | EVP; CEO of Sales Cloud Products | ~2007–2016 (nearly a decade) | P&L and product leadership for Sales Cloud |
| Siebel Systems | Executive positions | Not disclosed | Early CRM industry operator experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAR Technology Corp. (NYSE: PAR) | Director | Current | Restaurant operations and technology company |
| ChannelAdvisor | Director | 2021–2022 | Former public company director |
| Demandware | Director | Prior to 2016 | Company acquired by Salesforce in 2016 |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO (Dan Bodner) are independent under NASDAQ rules; thus Ms. Crawford is independent.
- Committee assignments: Member, Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee; Member, Compensation Committee. No chair roles.
- Attendance and engagement: The Board held 15 meetings in FY ended Jan 31, 2025; each incumbent director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings during their tenure.
- Board leadership: Combined Chair/CEO with a Lead Independent Director (William Kurtz) structure; independent directors hold executive sessions.
- Related-party oversight: Audit Committee reviews related-party transactions; no transactions involving Ms. Crawford disclosed.
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $50,000 | Non-employee director package |
| Committee membership fees | $10,000 (Comp), $6,000 (Governance) | Per committee; chairs receive higher fees (not applicable to Crawford) |
| Lead Independent Director fee | $35,000 | For LID, paid in lieu of membership fees (not applicable to Crawford) |
| Per-meeting fees | None | No per-meeting fees |
| Cash earned FYE 25 (Crawford) | $60,239 | Reflects retainer + committee fees accrued for FYE 25 |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant-Date FV | Vesting | Status at 1/31/2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-based RSUs (annual) | Apr 22, 2024 | 6,859 | $200,008 (at $29.16/sh) | One-year vest (Apr 10, 2025) | 6,859 unvested RSUs outstanding |
- Annual equity grant policy for independent directors: $200,000 in RSUs with one-year vesting. No option awards granted. Dividends/dividend equivalents not paid before vesting under plan.
- Change-in-control treatment: Double-trigger—outstanding awards generally do not accelerate if assumed/substituted unless a qualifying termination occurs within two years post-CIC.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Type | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public boards | PAR Technology Corp. (Director) |
| Prior public boards | ChannelAdvisor (2021–2022); Demandware (pre-2016 acquisition) |
| Interlocks or conflicts | None disclosed involving Ms. Crawford. Related-party matters primarily pertain to Apax Partners’ investment and board designees; Ms. Crawford is not identified as an Apax designee. |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Cloud software/SaaS leadership; customer experience automation; large-scale product and go-to-market leadership (Salesforce Sales Cloud).
- Governance experience across multiple public boards; member of Verint’s Compensation and Corporate Governance & Nominating committees.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (as of 4/30/2025) | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Crawford | 18,553 shares | <1% | As reported in Security Ownership table |
Ownership alignment and policies:
- Director ownership guideline: 5x annual cash retainer (i.e., target equity holding equal to $250,000; no fixed time to achieve; must retain 50% of after-tax shares until met).
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited for officers and directors; also prohibits short sales and options trading in company securities.
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independent director with deep CX/SaaS operating credentials; serves on Compensation and Corporate Governance committees—roles central to pay design, succession planning, ESG oversight, and board effectiveness.
- Clear ownership alignment mechanisms: annual RSU grants, robust director ownership guidelines, and prohibitions on hedging/pledging.
- Active board engagement: 15 meetings; all incumbents met or exceeded 75% attendance threshold.
- Equity plan guardrails: no option repricing without shareholder approval; prohibition on dividends on unvested awards; double-trigger CIC vesting.
-
Watch items
- Board-level investor influence: Apax Partners holds preferred equity and designates a director (Jason Wright) with additional rights tied to ownership levels; while not related to Ms. Crawford, this dynamic warrants continued monitoring of independent oversight and potential conflicts (no Crawford-specific conflicts disclosed).
- Director compensation stability: Package unchanged since 2014 (LID fee added in 2017); periodic market checks continue, but investors may scrutinize equity burn and dilution trends at the plan level (companywide dilution would be ~14% if 2025 plan amendment approved).
Overall: Ms. Crawford appears to enhance board effectiveness through relevant domain expertise and independent oversight, with no disclosed related-party transactions or conflicts. Her compensation and equity align with peer practices and company policies designed to protect shareholder interests.