Owen Wurzbacher
ZIAbout Owen Wurzbacher
Independent director (Age 33) serving on ZoomInfo Technologies Inc.’s Board since August 6, 2024; currently Chief Investment Officer at HighSage Ventures and previously Managing Director & Portfolio Manager (2019–2023). Prior roles include Highfields Capital, Amazon, and Blackstone; education includes an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford (Arjay Miller Scholar; Alexander A. Robichek Award in Finance) and an AB magna cum laude in Biology with a minor in Economics from Harvard. The Board cited his extensive capital markets and industry experience in nominating him .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| HighSage Ventures | Chief Investment Officer | Current | Sets strategy and oversees portfolio management . |
| HighSage Ventures | Managing Director & Portfolio Manager | 2019–2023 | Portfolio management; leadership . |
| Highfields Capital | Investment role (prior) | Not disclosed | Capital markets expertise . |
| Amazon | Role (prior) | Not disclosed | Operating experience . |
| Blackstone Group | Role (prior) | Not disclosed | Transactions/investing experience . |
External Roles
| Company/Organization | Role | Public Company Board? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed in filings | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed for Wurzbacher . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee .
- Independence: Board determined Wurzbacher independent under Nasdaq rules; also independent for Exchange Act Section 10C(a)(3) (compensation committee) .
- Board classification and term: Class I director with term expiring at the 2027 Annual Meeting .
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, Board held 7 meetings and all incumbent directors attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings during their service; 3 of 9 then-serving directors attended the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders .
- Committee activity levels (2024): Audit (6), Compensation (6), Nominating & Corporate Governance (5), Privacy, Security, & Technology (4) meetings .
- Compensation Committee Report signatory: Wurzbacher is listed as a member signatory to the 2024 CD&A recommendation .
- Board leadership and oversight: Combined Chair/CEO structure; no Lead Independent Director yet, but Board committed to appoint one by the next annual meeting; independent director executive sessions occur regularly and at least twice per year .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Program Level | 2024 Actual (Wurzbacher) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $50,000 | $29,625 (prorated from Aug. 6 appointment) . |
| Committee member fee – Compensation | $7,500 | Included in prorated cash total . |
| Committee member fee – Nominating & Corp. Gov. | $4,000 | Included in prorated cash total . |
| Committee chair fees (for reference) | Audit $20,000; Comp $15,000; PST $15,000; Nominating $8,000 | Not applicable (not a chair) . |
| Meeting fees | None disclosed | None disclosed . |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award | Grant Determination | Vesting Schedule | 2024 Fair Value / Shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (non-employee directors) | $200,000 in RSUs at each regular annual meeting; prorated for mid-year appointees | Vests in full at the earlier of the first anniversary or the next annual meeting date | Wurzbacher: $154,521 fair value (prorated); 19,291 unvested RSUs outstanding as of 12/31/2024 . |
| Performance Metrics Applied to Director Equity | Details |
|---|---|
| None (time-based RSUs only for directors) | Director RSU awards are time-based; no PSU/performance metric conditions disclosed . |
Director Compensation Mix (2024)
| Item | Amount ($) | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees | 29,625 | 16.1% (calculated from ) |
| Stock awards (RSUs) | 154,521 | 83.9% (calculated from ) |
| Total | 184,146 | 100.0% |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| HighSage Ventures | CIO | No related-party transactions with HighSage disclosed in proxy; Board’s related person policy outlines approval process; independence affirmed . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Capital markets and SaaS/industry experience; Board cited “extensive knowledge and experience with capital markets and with our industry” .
- Education: Stanford MBA (Arjay Miller Scholar; Robichek Award in Finance) and MA in Education; Harvard AB magna cum laude in Biology with minor in Economics .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Wurzbacher | 19,291 | <1% | As of March 15, 2025; 338,415,320 shares outstanding . |
| Unvested vs. Vested | 19,291 unvested RSUs; vested shares not disclosed | — | As of 12/31/2024 unvested RSUs 19,291 . |
| Pledging/Hedging | None permitted; policy prohibits hedging and pledging; no shares of any director/NEO pledged or in margin accounts | — | Securities Trading Policy and statement of no pledging . |
| Ownership Guidelines | Non-employee directors: 5x annual cash retainer; five-year window to achieve; must retain ≥50% of net shares until compliant | — | Company-wide guidelines; individual compliance status not disclosed . |
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback (Context)
| Proposal | Votes For | Votes Against | Abstentions | Broker Non-Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory, non-binding vote on NEO compensation (2025) | 261,047,298 | 1,257,452 | 2,420,567 | 21,338,448 . |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee roles: Wurzbacher strengthens board oversight through two key committees (Compensation; Nominating & Governance), and is affirmed independent under Nasdaq and Exchange Act standards—positive for investor confidence .
- Alignment via equity: High equity component and strict anti-hedging/anti-pledging plus stock ownership guidelines enhance alignment; his unvested RSUs and prorated grant support long-term orientation .
- Engagement: Signatory to the Compensation Committee’s CD&A report indicates active involvement in pay strategy and governance processes; 2024 attendance thresholds met at board level .
- Potential conflicts: No Item 404 related-party transactions disclosed involving Wurzbacher; his HighSage role presents typical investment firm affiliations but no reported transactions with ZoomInfo—low conflict signal .
- Structural oversight: Combined Chair/CEO with commitment to appoint a Lead Independent Director by next annual meeting—monitor as a structural governance improvement; not specific to Wurzbacher but relevant to overall board effectiveness .
Red Flags
- None specific to Wurzbacher disclosed: no related-party transactions, no pledging/hedging, independence affirmed, attendance thresholds met .