Leadership Structure of the Board
We believe that the structure of our Board and its committees provides strong overall management of our Company. In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board does not currently have a policy as to whether the offices of the Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be separate. Our Board, in consultation with our Nominating Committee, believes that it should have the flexibility to make this determination as circumstances require, and in a manner that it believes is best to provide appropriate leadership. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, from time to time, our Board may determine that it should have a Lead Independent Director who may perform such additional duties as our Board may otherwise determine and delegate. Our Nominating Committee will periodically consider our Board’s leadership structure and make recommendations to change the structure as it deems appropriate.
Currently, Mr. Paradise serves as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board and we do not have a Lead Independent Director. As a founder of our Company, Mr. Paradise is best positioned to identify strategic priorities, lead critical discussion and execute our business plans. The Board believes that this overall structure meets the current corporate governance needs and oversight responsibilities of the Board. Moreover, the Board believes that the independent directors, who comprise a majority of the Board, provide effective oversight of management.
Director Attendance at Board Meetings and Annual Meeting of Stockholders
In 2021, the Board held 8 meetings and its committees (including the Special Committee) collectively met 27 times. The Board and the Nominating Committee recognize the importance of director attendance at Board and committee meetings. In 2021:
• | Overall attendance at Board and committee meetings was over 97%; and |
• | Attendance was at least 75% for each director. |
In addition, each of the directors serving on the Board at the time of the Skillz’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders attended the meeting. Skillz’s has no formal policy on director attendance at annual meetings of stockholders, but members of the Board are strongly encouraged to attend annual meetings of stockholders.
Meetings of Non-Employee Directors
In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the listing standards of the NYSE, our non-employee directors meet regularly in executive sessions of the Board without management present. Historically, Mr. Wakeford has presided over these executive sessions. Additionally, executive sessions of the non-management directors are led by the Chairs of the Compensation and Audit Committees, respectively, at least once per year.
Code of Ethics and Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Conduct that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, which is available on our website at https://investors.skillz.com. The information on, or otherwise accessible through, our website does not constitute a part of this proxy statement. To the extent required by law, we expect to disclose any amendments to the code, or any waivers of its requirements, on our website.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
Our Board adheres to governance principles designed to ensure the continued vitality of the Board and excellence in the execution of its duties. The Board has had in place a set of corporate governance guidelines reflecting these principles, including the Board’s policy of requiring a majority of the Board to be comprised of independent directors (except as otherwise permitted by NYSE rules), the importance of stock ownership by the Board to align the interests of directors and stockholders, and access by the Board to Company management and independent advisors. These guidelines are available on our website at https://investors.skillz.com.
Communications to the Board
Stockholders and interested parties can contact the Board (including the Chairman of the Board and non-employee directors) through email at nonmanagement-directors@skillz.com or through written communication sent to Skillz Inc., P.O. Box 445, San Francisco, California 94104, Attention: Charlotte Edelman, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Our Corporate Secretary reviews all written communications and forwards to the Board a summary and/or copies of any such correspondence that is