Autodesk appointed Jeff Epstein and Christie Simons to its Board of Directors as part of a cooperation agreement with investment firm Starboard Value LP. Epstein and Simons will serve as non-voting observers until Autodesk’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, after which they will become full voting members. The appointments are part of an agreement that includes Starboard withdrawing its director nominees and agreeing to customary voting and standstill terms. “Jeff and Christie are both exceptional leaders who bring a wealth of technology, finance and audit expertise,” said Stacy J. Smith, Chairman of Autodesk’s Board. “Their insights will be valuable as we continue to execute our industry cloud, platform and AI strategies to deliver strong business performance and create shareholder value.”
Epstein, a former CFO at Oracle, DoubleClick, and Nielsen’s Media Group, is currently an Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and serves on the boards of Twilio, Okta, AvePoint, and Couchbase. Simons, with over 30 years of experience, was a Senior Partner at Deloitte. She currently serves on the board of Micron Technology and has held leadership roles in several professional organizations. Epstein holds degrees from Yale and Stanford, while Simons earned her degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. Starboard CEO Jeff Smith welcomed the appointments, stating, “Jeff and Christie will bring valuable perspectives to Autodesk’s Board, helping oversee the Company’s strategy to drive enhanced profitability.”
