Key Points
- MicroStrategy expands its board with three high-profile appointments, including former Binance.US CEO Brian Brooks, just ahead of the company’s inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index on December 23rd.
- The new board members will each receive a $2 million equity package, bringing significant crypto and traditional finance expertise to MicroStrategy’s leadership as the company holds 439,000 BTC valued at approximately $27.1 billion.
Strategic Board Expansion
MicroStrategy, the business intelligence company known for its significant Bitcoin holdings, has appointed three new members to its board of directors, expanding the total count to nine members. The announcement comes at a crucial time as the company prepares to join the Nasdaq 100 stock index on Monday, December 23rd.
High-Profile Appointments
Leading the new appointments is Brian Brooks, whose extensive crypto industry experience includes serving as CEO of Binance.US from May to August 2021 and as chief legal officer at Coinbase from September 2018 to March 2020. Brooks also brings regulatory expertise from his tenure as Acting Comptroller of the Currency from April 2020 to January 2021, where he oversaw banks’ digital asset activities.
Jane Dietze, currently serving as Brown University’s chief investment officer, joins the board with experience managing the university’s $7.2 billion endowment. Her appointment is particularly noteworthy given her current board position at Galaxy Digital, where founder Mike Novogratz praised her as a “thought leader in the endowment space.”
Completing the trio is Gregg Winiarski, who currently serves as the chief legal officer of Fanatics, bringing additional legal expertise to MicroStrategy’s board. Winiarski assumed this role in February 2023 after serving as a senior adviser to the company since August 2021.
Compensation and Company Position
Each new board member will receive an equity package valued at $2 million, split equally between options and RSUs, vesting over a four-year period. This board expansion coincides with MicroStrategy’s continued commitment to Bitcoin investment, with the company recently acquiring an additional $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin. According to Michael Saylor, the company’s co-founder and executive chairman, MicroStrategy’s total Bitcoin holdings now stand at 439,000 BTC, purchased at an average price of $61,725 per bitcoin, representing a total investment of approximately $27.1 billion including fees and expenses.
