benefits for service on the Board and Board committees, as well as recommending any changes to the Board as necessary. To assist with the execution of its duties and responsibilities, the Compensation Committee has the authority, in its sole discretion, to select, retain and obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, as necessary.
In the third quarter of 2020, we retained Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory firm, as our compensation consultant to review and advise with respect to the compensation structure of the Company and executive compensation matters. We also retained external legal counsel for employment and compensation matters during 2020. Willis Towers Watson provided the Compensation Committee with market information that the Compensation Committee used when determining whether our executive and director compensation is competitive, commensurate, and consistent with market trends for comparable companies. The Compensation Committee is not required to implement, or act consistently with, the advice or recommendations of its compensation consultant or external counsel.
Our Compensation Committee considered, among other things, the factors enumerated by the SEC and NASDAQ for evaluating whether Willis Towers Watson and our external legal counsel were independent and concluded that both were independent and that no conflict of interest existed.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
Our Compensation Committee consists of Patrick Keeley, who serves as the committee’s chairperson, Elizabeth Hendricks, Jonathan Huberman and Andrew Hendricks. Other than as set forth below, no person who served on the Compensation Committee in the Company’s last completed fiscal year was at any time during fiscal year 2020, or at any other time, one of our officers or employees. Elizabeth Hendricks served as President of Curiosity Studios, the in-house production function of Legacy CuriosityStream, from June 2018 to October 2018. Prior to serving as the President of Curiosity Studios, Ms. Hendricks served as Legacy CuriosityStream’s President and Chief Executive Officer from August 2013 to June 2018. Jonathan Huberman served as SAQN’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer from its inception until October 2020. None of our executive officers has served as a director or member of a compensation committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any entity, one of whose executive officers served as a director of our Board or member of our Compensation Committee.
In addition, since our last fiscal year, members of our Compensation Committee, including any members of their immediate families or persons sharing their households, had direct or indirect material interests in the transactions or currently proposed transactions set forth below, in which we are a participant and which exceeded $120,000 in amount.
Investor Rights Agreement
Concurrently with the Closing of the Business Combination, the Company entered into the Investor Rights Agreement with Legacy CuriosityStream, the Sponsor, HFM and officers and directors of Legacy CuriosityStream.
Under the Investor Rights Agreement, CuriosityStream shall nominate two Sponsor Directors for election as members of the Board if, at such time, the Board does not contain a Sponsor Director and the Sponsor Entities together continue to beneficially own at least 50% of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Sponsor Entities as of the effective time of the Merger. Further, under the Investor Rights Agreement, HFM and the officers and directors of Legacy CuriosityStream must vote in favor of, or otherwise consent to, the election or appointment of a Sponsor Director at any meeting of the stockholders under the terms set forth above. If the Sponsor does not elect to nominate two Sponsor Directors, CuriosityStream must permit the Sponsor to select one non-voting observer to participate in any Board meeting (including any committee thereof), for so long as the Sponsor and its affiliates continue to beneficially own at least 50% of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Sponsor Entities as of the effective time of the Merger.
In the case of a vacancy on the Board created by the death, disability, disqualification, removal or resignation of a Sponsor Director, CuriosityStream must notify the Sponsor of such vacancy and nominate an individual timely designated by the Sponsor for election to fill the vacancy, provided that such nomination would not constitute a breach of the Board’s fiduciary duties or applicable laws.
Further, under the Investor Rights Agreement, CuriosityStream must provide to Legacy CuriosityStream stockholders, officers and directors certain customary “mandatory,” “demand” and “piggyback” registration rights. Legacy CuriosityStream’s directors and officers are subject to certain transfer restrictions for a period of 180 days