William Kurtz
VERINT SYSTEMSAbout William Kurtz
William Kurtz, age 68, has served on Verint’s Board since 2016 and as Lead Independent Director since July 2024. He is an experienced finance executive and audit committee financial expert, currently serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer at Lightforce Orthodontics (since October 2024). His prior roles include Interim CEO and Chief Commercial & Financial Officer at Ripcord and EVP/Chief Commercial Officer after serving as CFO/CCO at Bloom Energy; earlier, he held senior finance roles at Novellus (Lam Research), Engenio, 3PAR, Scient, and AT&T. He is independent under NASDAQ rules and has extensive public board experience, including chairing multiple audit committees .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightforce Orthodontics | Interim CFO | Oct 2024–present | Financial leadership at private dental technology company |
| Ripcord, Inc. | Interim CEO | Jun 2021–Jan 2022 | Led records management/document intelligence company |
| Ripcord, Inc. | Chief Commercial & Financial Officer | Jan 2020–Jun 2021 | Commercial and financial oversight; chairs Ripcord Audit Committee |
| Bloom Energy | EVP & Chief Commercial Officer | 2015–Jan 2019 | Commercial leadership; previously CFO/CCO beginning in 2008 |
| Bloom Energy | Strategic Advisor | Jan 2020–Jan 2021 | Advisory role following executive service |
| Novellus (Lam Research), Engenio, 3PAR (HPE), Scient, AT&T | CFO/other senior finance roles | Pre-2008 | Financial leadership at major tech firms |
| Violin Memory; PMC‑Sierra; Redback Networks | Audit Committee Chair (prior) | Various | Chaired public company audit committees |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aterian Inc. (NASDAQ: ATER) | Chairman of the Board | Current | Audit; Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance |
| Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) | Director | Current | Audit Committee Chair |
| Ripcord (private) | Director | Current | Audit Committee Chair |
| Lightforce (private) | Director | Current | Board member |
Board Governance
- Lead Independent Director since July 2024; responsibilities include presiding over independent director meetings, liaising with the Chair/CEO, and input on Board agendas .
- Current committee memberships: Corporate Governance & Nominating; Audit (Board determined Kurtz is an “audit committee financial expert”) .
- Independence: Board affirms all directors other than the CEO are independent under NASDAQ rules; Kurtz is independent .
- Attendance: Board met 15 times in FYE 25; each incumbent director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; eight of eleven directors attended the July 10, 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Risk oversight: Audit Committee oversight includes financial reporting, internal controls, cybersecurity risk; Compensation Committee oversees comp-related risks; Governance Committee oversees ESG and succession .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FYE 25) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $50,000 | Standard for independent directors |
| Lead Independent Director fee | $35,000 | Paid in lieu of Board membership fee |
| Audit Committee membership fee | $15,000 | Committee membership |
| Corporate Governance & Nominating membership fee | $6,000 | Committee membership |
| Total cash earned (Kurtz) | $99,494 | Reflects role timing; earned for FYE 25 |
| Annual equity grant (grant-date fair value) | $200,008 | 6,859 RSUs granted Apr 22, 2024; vest Apr 10, 2025 |
| Options | $0 | No option awards to directors |
Additional details: Director package includes $200,000 equity with one-year vesting; no per‑meeting fees; chair fees set per committee schedule .
Performance Compensation
- Non-employee director compensation is time-based (RSUs); no performance-based equity, option awards, or bonus metrics are disclosed for directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to Verint | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apax Partners/Valor Buyer LP | Preferred stockholder with board designee rights; Jason Wright serves as Apax Designee on Verint’s Board | Apax holds Series A/B Convertible Preferred; voting on an as‑converted basis with caps; rights to designate a director (Jason Wright) and agree an independent designee (Reid French) under Investment Agreement . |
| Aterian; Sportradar | External boards | No disclosed related-party transactions with Verint; standard independence maintained . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep CFO and finance leadership experience across public tech companies; recognized Audit Committee Financial Expert by Verint’s Board .
- Governance and risk oversight: prior chair of audit committees at multiple public companies; current audit chair at Sportradar and Ripcord .
- Commercial leadership and SaaS transition experience (Bloom Energy) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (common) | 20,193 shares; <1% of outstanding |
| Unvested director RSUs (as of Jan 31, 2025) | 6,859 |
| Options | None outstanding |
| Ownership guidelines | Directors must hold equity equal to 5x annual cash retainer; until met, must retain 50% of after-tax shares from vesting/exercise |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for officers and directors under insider trading policy |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent Lead Director with clear responsibilities; audit financial expertise; active committee work; strong Board attendance; robust policies on clawbacks, hedging/pledging, and stock ownership align director incentives with shareholders .
- Potential conflicts/red flags: Apax’s preferred stock structure and board designation rights create an influence dynamic; however, Kurtz himself has no disclosed related-party transactions and the Compensation Committee reported no interlocks or transaction interests in FYE 25. Related-party transactions require Audit Committee pre‑approval under a formal policy, mitigating risk .
- Director pay and alignment: Kurtz’s FYE 25 pay mix balances cash retainer/committee fees with equity RSUs; ownership guidelines (5x retainer) and prohibited hedging/pledging support alignment. No performance elements in director pay reduce short-term incentive risk but also limit direct pay-for-performance signals for directors .
Overall, Kurtz’s finance governance pedigree and role as Lead Independent Director support board effectiveness and investor confidence; ongoing oversight of Apax-related rights and dilution from equity plans remains a broader governance consideration for Verint but is not specific to Kurtz personally .