UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Filed by the Registrant ☒

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o

Check the appropriate box:

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

21300 Victory Boulevard, 12th Floor
Woodland Hills, California 91367
(818) 223-9008

To our Stockholders:

We are pleased to invite you to attend the annual meeting of stockholders of BlackLine, Inc. to be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., Pacific time. The annual meeting will be a virtual meeting held over the Internet. You will be able to attend the virtual annual meeting, vote your shares electronically, and submit your questions during the live webcast of the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BL2020 and entering your sixteen-digit control number located on your proxy card.

Details regarding how to attend the virtual annual meeting and the business to be conducted at the annual meeting are more fully described in the accompanying notice of annual meeting of stockholders and proxy statement.

Your vote is important. Regardless of whether you plan to attend the virtual annual meeting, it is important that your shares be represented and voted at the annual meeting, and we hope you will vote as soon as possible. You may vote by proxy over the Internet or by telephone, or, if you received paper copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may also vote by mail by following the instructions on the proxy card or voting instruction card. Voting over the Internet or by telephone, written proxy or voting instruction card will ensure your representation at the annual meeting regardless of whether you attend the virtual annual meeting.

Also, please let us know if you plan to attend the virtual annual meeting by marking the appropriate box on the enclosed proxy card, if you requested to receive printed proxy materials, or, if you vote by telephone or over the Internet, by indicating your plans when prompted.

Thank you for your ongoing support of, and continued interest in, BlackLine, Inc.

Sincerely,

John Brennan		Therese Tucker
Chairman of the Board		Chief Executive Officer and Director
	Woodland Hills, California
	March 24, 2020

BLACKLINE, INC.
21300 Victory Boulevard, 12th Floor
Woodland Hills, California 91367

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

By order of the Board of Directors,

Karole Morgan-Prager
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer and
Secretary
Woodland Hills, California
March 24, 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BLACKLINE, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To be held at 9:00 a.m., Pacific time, on Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The information provided in the “Questions and Answers” format below is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of the information contained in this proxy statement. You should read the entire proxy statement carefully.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND ANNUAL MEETING

Why am I receiving these materials?

This proxy statement and the enclosed form of proxy are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our board of directors for use at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders of BlackLine, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any postponements or adjournments thereof. The annual meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., Pacific time. You will be able to attend the virtual annual meeting, vote your shares electronically and submit your questions during the live webcast of the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BL2020 and entering your sixteen-digit control number located on your proxy card.

Stockholders are invited to attend the virtual annual meeting and are requested to vote on the items of business described in this proxy statement. The Notice Regarding the Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, or the Notice of Internet Availability, which contains instructions on how to access the proxy materials and our 2019 annual report, is first being sent or given on or about March 24, 2020 to all stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the virtual annual meeting. The proxy materials and our 2019 annual report can be accessed by following the instructions in the Notice of Internet Availability as well as online at our Investor Relations website at http://investors.blackline.com.

What proposals am I voting on?

You are being asked to vote on three proposals:

You will also be voting on any other business as may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

What other matters may be brought before the annual meeting?

As of the date of this proxy statement, we are not aware of any other matters that will be presented for consideration at the annual meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the annual meeting, the persons named as proxies will be authorized to vote or otherwise act on those matters in accordance with their judgment.

How does the board of directors recommend that I vote?

Our board of directors recommends that you vote your shares:

Who is entitled to vote at the annual meeting?

Holders of our common stock as of the close of business on March 9, 2020, the Record Date for the annual meeting, are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. As of the Record Date, there were 56,362,635 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding. Stockholders are not permitted to cumulate votes with respect to the election of directors. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter properly brought before the annual meeting.

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If, at the close of business on the Record Date for the annual meeting, your shares were registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Company, LLC, or AST, then you are a stockholder of record. As a stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the individuals listed on the proxy card, to vote electronically at the virtual annual meeting, or by Internet or by telephone, or, if you received paper copies of the proxy materials by mail, to vote by mail by following the instructions on the proxy card or voting instruction card.

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in “Street Name”: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee. If, at the close of business on the Record Date for the annual meeting, your shares were held, not in your name, but rather in an account at a brokerage firm, bank or other nominee, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” and the Notice of Internet Availability is being forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the annual meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee regarding how to vote the shares in your account by following the voting instructions your broker, bank or other nominee provides. You are also invited to attend the virtual annual meeting. However, since you are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote your shares electronically at the virtual annual meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee.

How can I vote my shares?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name

If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in one of the following ways:

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in “Street Name”: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held of record by a broker, bank or other nominee, you will receive voting instructions from your broker, bank or other nominee. You must follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank or other nominee in order to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares. Beneficial owners of shares should generally be able to vote by returning the voting instruction card to their broker, bank or other nominee, or by telephone or via the Internet. However, the availability of telephone or Internet voting will depend on the voting process of your broker, bank or other nominee. As discussed above, if you are a beneficial owner, you may not vote your shares electronically at the annual meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee.

Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you are a stockholder of record, you can change your vote or revoke your proxy by:

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in “Street Name”: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee. If you are the beneficial owner of your shares, you must contact the broker, bank or other nominee holding your shares and follow their instructions to change your vote or revoke your proxy.

Why did I receive a notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of the proxy materials instead of a paper copy of the full set of proxy materials?

In accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, we have elected to distribute our proxy materials, including the notice of annual meeting of stockholders, this proxy statement and our 2019 annual report, primarily via the Internet. As a result, we are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability instead of a paper copy of the proxy materials. The Notice of Internet Availability contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials on the Internet, how to vote on the proposals, how to request printed copies of the proxy materials and 2019 annual report, and how to request to receive all future proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by e-mail. We encourage stockholders to take advantage of the availability of the proxy materials on the Internet to help reduce our costs and the environmental impact of our annual meetings.

What is the effect of giving a proxy?

Proxies are solicited by and on behalf of our board of directors. The persons named in the proxy, Mark Partin, our Chief Financial Officer, and Karole Morgan-Prager, our Chief Legal and Administrative Officer and Secretary, have been designated as proxies for the annual meeting by our board of directors. When proxies are properly dated, executed and returned, the shares represented by such proxies will be voted electronically at the virtual annual meeting in accordance with the instruction of the stockholder on such proxy. If no specific instructions are given, however, the shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our board of directors on the proposals as described above and, if any other matters are properly brought before the annual meeting, the shares will be voted in accordance with the proxies’ judgment.

How many votes do I have?

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held as of the Record Date.

What is the quorum requirement for the annual meeting?

A quorum is the minimum number of shares required to be present or represented at the annual meeting for the meeting to be properly held under our amended and restated bylaws and Delaware law. The presence, virtually or represented by proxy, of a majority of the voting power of our stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the annual meeting will constitute a quorum to transact business at the annual meeting. Abstentions, “WITHHOLD” votes, and “broker non-votes” are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. If there is no quorum, the chairman of the meeting may adjourn the meeting to another time or place.

What are broker non-votes?

Broker non-votes occur when a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” does not give instructions to the broker, bank or other nominee, as applicable, as to how to vote on matters deemed “non-routine” and there is at least one “routine” matter to be voted upon at the annual meeting. Generally, if shares are held in “street name,” the beneficial owner of the shares is entitled to give voting instructions to the broker, bank or other nominee holding the shares. If the beneficial owner does not provide voting instructions, the broker, bank or other nominee can still vote the shares with respect to matters that are considered to be “routine,” but not with respect to “non-routine” matters. In the event that a broker, bank or other nominee votes shares on the “routine” matters, but does not vote shares on the “non-routine” matters, those shares will be treated as broker non-votes with respect to the “non-routine” proposals. Accordingly, if you own shares through a nominee, such as a broker or bank, please be sure to instruct your nominee how to vote to ensure that your vote is counted on each of the proposals.

What matters are considered “routine” and “non-routine”?

The ratification of the appointment of PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 (Proposal No. 2) is considered “routine” under applicable federal securities rules. The election of Class I directors (Proposal No. 1), and the advisory non-binding vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers (Proposal No. 3) are considered “non-routine” under applicable federal securities rules.

What are the effects of abstentions and broker non-votes?

An abstention represents a stockholder’s affirmative choice to decline to vote on a proposal. If a stockholder indicates on its proxy card that it wishes to abstain from voting its shares, or if a broker, bank or other nominee causes abstentions to be recorded for shares, these shares will be considered present and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. As a result, abstentions will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum and will also count as votes against a proposal in cases where approval of the proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares present virtually or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting (Proposals No. 2 and No. 3). However, because the outcome of Proposal No. 1 (election of directors) will be determined by a plurality vote, you may only vote “FOR” or “WITHHOLD” and abstentions will have no impact on the outcome of such proposal as long as a quorum exists.

Broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of calculating whether a quorum is present at the annual meeting but will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of votes cast on a proposal. Therefore, a broker non-vote will make a quorum more readily attainable but will not otherwise affect the outcome of the vote on any of the proposals.

What is the voting requirement to approve each of the proposals?

Proposal No. 1: Election of Class I Directors. The election of Class I directors requires a plurality of the voting power of the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. This means that the three nominees for Class I director receiving the highest number of “FOR” votes will be elected as Class I directors. You may vote (i) “FOR” for each director nominee or (ii) “WITHHOLD” for each director nominee. Because the outcome of this proposal will be determined by a plurality vote, shares voted “WITHHOLD” will not prevent a director nominee from being elected as a director. Broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of voting on this proposal.

Proposal No. 2: Ratification of Appointment of PwC. The ratification of the appointment of PwC requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote. You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” on this proposal. Abstentions will count towards the quorum requirement for the annual meeting and will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal. Broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of voting on this proposal.

Proposal No. 3: Advisory Non-Binding Vote to Approve the Compensation of Named Executive Officers. The advisory non-binding vote to approve the fiscal 2019 compensation of our named executive officers requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote. You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” on this proposal. Abstentions will count towards the quorum requirement for the annual meeting and will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal. Broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of voting on this proposal. Because this vote is advisory only, it will not be binding on our board of directors. The compensation committee will review the voting results and take them into consideration when making future decisions regarding executive compensation.

Who will count the votes?

A representative of Broadridge Financial Solutions will tabulate the votes and act as inspector of elections.

What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted or fail to provide timely directions to my broker, bank or other nominee?

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you are a stockholder of record and you submit a proxy but you do not provide voting instructions, your shares will be voted:

In addition, if any other matters are properly brought before the annual meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof, the persons named as proxies will be authorized to vote or otherwise act on those matters in accordance with their judgment.

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in “Street Name”: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee. Brokers, banks and other nominees holding shares of common stock in “street name” for customers are generally required to vote such shares in the manner directed by their customers. In the absence of timely directions, your broker, bank or other nominee will have discretion to vote your shares on our sole “routine” matter—Proposal No. 2 (ratification of the appointment of PwC). Absent direction from you, however, your broker, bank or other nominee will not have the discretion to vote on Proposal No. 1 relating to the election of directors, and Proposal No. 3 relating to the approval of the compensation of our named executive officers.

How can I contact BlackLine’s transfer agent?

You may contact our transfer agent, AST, by telephone at (800) 937-5449 (toll-free for United States residents), or by email at info@amstock.com. Materials may be mailed to AST at:

American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC
6201 15^th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11219

How can I attend the annual meeting?

The annual meeting will be a virtual meeting held over the Internet. You will be able to attend the virtual annual meeting, vote your shares electronically and submit your questions during the live webcast of the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BL2020 and entering your sixteen-digit control number located on your proxy card. The annual meeting webcast will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m., Pacific time. We encourage you to access the meeting prior to the start time. Online check-in will begin at 8:50 a.m., Pacific time, and you should allow ample time for the check-in procedures. You will have the same rights and opportunities that would be afforded by an in-person meeting.

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in “Street Name”: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee. If you were a beneficial owner of shares that are held in “street name” at the close of business on the Record Date, you may not vote your shares electronically at the virtual annual meeting unless you obtain a “legal proxy” from your broker, bank or other nominee who is the stockholder of record with respect to your shares. You may still attend the virtual annual meeting even if you do not have a legal proxy. For admission to the virtual annual meeting, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BL2020 and enter your sixteen-digit control number located on your proxy card.

How are proxies solicited for the annual meeting and who is paying for such solicitation?

Our board of directors is soliciting proxies for use at the annual meeting by means of the proxy materials. We will bear the entire cost of proxy solicitation, including the preparation, assembly, printing, mailing and distribution of the proxy materials. Copies of solicitation materials will also be made available upon request to brokers, banks and other nominees to forward to the beneficial owners of the shares held of record by such brokers, banks or other nominees. The original solicitation of proxies may be supplemented by solicitation by telephone, electronic communication, or other means by our directors, officers or employees. No additional compensation will be paid to these individuals for any such services, although we may reimburse such individuals for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with such solicitation. We do not plan to retain a proxy solicitor to assist in the solicitation of proxies.

If you choose to access the proxy materials and/or vote over the Internet, you are responsible for Internet access charges you may incur. If you choose to vote by telephone, you are responsible for telephone charges you may incur.

Where can I find the voting results of the annual meeting?

We will announce preliminary voting results at the annual meeting. We will also disclose voting results on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days after the annual meeting. If final voting results are not available to us in time to file a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days after the annual meeting, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K to publish preliminary results and, within four business days after final results are known, file an additional Current Report on Form 8-K to publish the final results.

What does it mean if I receive more than one Notice of Internet Availability or more than one set of printed materials?

If you receive more than one Notice of Internet Availability or more than one set of printed materials, your shares may be registered in more than one name and/or are registered in different accounts. Please follow the voting instructions on each Notice of Internet Availability or each set of printed materials, as applicable, to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

I share an address with another stockholder, and we received only one paper copy of the proxy materials. How may I obtain an additional copy of the proxy materials?

We have adopted an SEC-approved procedure called “householding,” under which we can deliver a single copy of the Notice of Internet Availability and, if applicable, the proxy materials and annual report, to multiple stockholders who share the same address unless we receive contrary instructions from one or more of the stockholders. This procedure reduces our printing and mailing costs. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to be able to access and receive separate proxy cards. Upon written or oral request, we will deliver promptly a separate copy of the Notice of Internet Availability and, if applicable, the proxy materials and annual report, to any stockholder at a shared address to which we delivered a single copy of any of these documents. To receive a separate copy, or, if you are receiving multiple copies, to request that we only send a single copy of next year’s proxy materials and annual report, you may contact us as follows:

BlackLine, Inc.
Attention: Investor Relations
21300 Victory Boulevard, 12^th Floor
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Tel: (818) 223-9008

Stockholders who hold shares in street name may contact their broker, bank or other nominee to request information about householding.

Is there a list of stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting?

The names of stockholders of record entitled to vote at the annual meeting will be available from our Corporate Secretary for ten days prior to the meeting for any purpose germane to the annual meeting, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Pacific time, at our corporate headquarters located at 21300 Victory Boulevard, 12th Floor, Woodland Hills, California 91367. The list of stockholders will also be available during the annual meeting through the meeting website at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BL2020.

When are stockholder proposals due for next year’s annual meeting?

Please see the section entitled Stockholder Proposal Deadlines for 2021 Annual Meeting in this proxy statement for more information regarding the deadlines for the submission of stockholder proposals for our 2021 annual meeting.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Composition of the Board

Our board of directors is currently comprised of ten members. Our board of directors consists of three classes of directors, each serving staggered three-year terms. Upon expiration of the term of a class of directors, directors in that class will be elected for a three-year term at the annual meeting of stockholders in the year in which that term expires. Each director’s term continues until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. Any increase or decrease in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors.

Stockholders’ Agreement

We are party to an Amended and Restated Stockholders’ Agreement with Silver Lake Sumeru Fund, L.P., Silver Lake Technology Investors Sumeru, L.P. (individually and/or collectively, Silver Lake Sumeru), Iconiq Strategic Partners, L.P., ICONIQ Strategic Partners-B, L.P., Iconiq Strategic Partners Co-Invest, L.P., BL Series and Iconiq Strategic Partners Co-Invest, L.P., BL2 Series (individually and/or collectively, Iconiq), Therese Tucker and Mario Spanicciati, dated as of October 27, 2016 (or the Stockholders’ Agreement). Pursuant to the Stockholders’ Agreement, Silver Lake Sumeru, Iconiq, Ms. Tucker and Mr. Spanicciati (or the Stockholder Parties) are entitled to designate members of our board of directors subject to certain restrictions, provided, however, that in the event any of the Stockholder Parties no longer beneficially owns at least 5% of the total number of shares of our common stock then outstanding (or the Designation Threshold), on a date that is 120 days before the date of our annual meeting at which directors are to be elected (or the Ownership Measurement Date), then with respect to such meeting and thereafter, the Stockholder Parties shall have no right to designate a designee on our board of directors.

Silver Lake Sumeru no longer owns shares of our common stock, and is therefore no longer entitled to designate any directors. Silver Lake Sumeru previously designated Mr. Babcoke and Mr. Brennan as Silver Lake Sumeru designees at our 2018 and 2019 annual meetings of shareholders, respectively, and each of Mr. Babcoke and Mr. Brennan will continue to serve until 2021 and 2022, respectively. Before the Ownership Measurement Date, neither Iconiq nor Mr. Spanicciati held the Designation Threshold and are therefore no longer entitled to designate designees for this annual meeting.

Ms. Tucker still holds the Designation Threshold and is entitled to membership on our board of directors for so long as she continues to hold the Designation Threshold as of the Ownership Measurement Date, provided, however, in the event that Ms. Tucker ceases to be employed by the company for any reason and she beneficially owns less than the Designation Threshold (i) she will be required to immediately tender her resignation from our board of directors effective only upon acceptance by our board of directors, and (ii) our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, accept or reject such resignation. If our board of directors rejects the resignation, Ms. Tucker will continue to have the right to be designated for membership on our board of directors; provided that our board of directors will have the right, by unanimous vote of the other directors (excluding Ms. Tucker), to require her resignation from our board of directors if our board of directors determines such resignation would be in the best interests of the company, regardless of the number of shares of common stock held by Ms. Tucker. The affiliates of each of the Stockholder Parties who continue to hold shares have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the directors designated as set forth above.

The following table sets forth the names, ages, and certain other information for each of the directors with terms expiring at the annual meeting (including those who are also nominees for election as a director at the annual meeting) and for each of the continuing members of our board of directors. All information is as of March 16, 2020.

Nominees for Director

Marc Huffman has served as our Chief Operating Officer since February 2018, and as our President and Chief Operating Officer since February 2020. Prior to joining us, Mr. Huffman served as President, Worldwide Sales and Distribution of NetSuite Inc., a global cloud ERP software provider (acquired by Oracle Corporation), from April 2014 to February 2018, Senior Vice President of North American Verticals, Channels and APAC of NetSuite from 2010 to April 2014, Senior Vice President of Sales, North America of NetSuite from 2008 to 2010 and Vice President of Sales of NetSuite from December 2003 to 2008. Prior to joining NetSuite, Mr. Huffman served as a director of sales responsible for Canada and the central United States at Oracle Corporation. Currently, Mr. Huffman serves on the board of directors of Channel Advisor Corporation, a provider of software-as-a-service solutions that help retailers and branded manufacturers improve their online performance. Mr. Huffman holds a B.S. with an emphasis on marketing from California State University, Chico.

Mr. Huffman brings valuable experience to our board of directors, including extensive management experience in the technology industry, and operational insight and expertise he has accumulated as our President and Chief Operating Officer.

Therese Tucker. Ms. Tucker is our founder and has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since August 2001. Prior to founding the Company, Ms. Tucker served as Chief Technology Officer for SunGard Treasury Systems, Inc. and SunGard Trading Systems, Inc., providers of software solutions and information technology services. Ms. Tucker holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Ms. Tucker is a valuable member of our board of directors, possessing over 25 years of experience in the finance and technology industry and the operational insight and expertise she has accumulated as our founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Thomas Unterman. Mr. Unterman has served as a member of our board of directors since 2010. Since September 1999, Mr. Unterman has served as Partner for Rustic Canyon Partners, an early stage venture capital

firm, which he founded in September 1999. Previously, Mr. Unterman served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Times Mirror Company, a newspaper publishing company that was acquired by Tribune Co. Currently, Mr. Unterman serves as a director of several civil rights non-profit companies. He also serves as a director for several of the Rustic Canyon portfolio companies. Mr. Unterman holds a J.D. from University of Chicago and a B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton University.

Mr. Unterman is a valuable member of our board of directors, bringing substantial experience as an executive officer of a public company, as an investment professional and as a director of private technology companies. We also believe that Mr. Unterman brings historical knowledge and continuity to the board of directors.

Continuing Directors

Jason Babcoke. Mr. Babcoke has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2013. Mr. Babcoke has served as a Managing Director of Sumeru Equity Partners, a private equity firm, since March 2014. Since July 2011, Mr. Babcoke has been at Silver Lake Sumeru, a middle-market investment group of Silver Lake, a global private equity firm, and is currently a Managing Director. Previously, Mr. Babcoke worked at Symphony Technology Group, a private equity firm, and served as a Senior Manager for Life Technologies, a biotech company, as Director of Engineering for Angstron Systems, Inc., a nano-deposition technology company, acquired by Novellus, and as a Venture Capital Associate for The Spark Group, a technology-focused investment group. Currently, Mr. Babcoke serves as a member of the board of directors for Criteria Corp and Snow Software. Mr. Babcoke holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

Mr. Babcoke brings valuable experience in venture capital investing and knowledge of technology companies to the board of directors.

John Brennan. Mr. Brennan has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2013 and is the Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Brennan cofounded Sumeru Equity Partners, a private equity firm and has served as Managing Director since March 2014. Since February 2008, Mr. Brennan has served as a Managing Director for Silver Lake Sumeru, a middle-market investment group of Silver Lake, a global private equity firm. Mr. Brennan has also previously served as Senior Vice President of Platform Software for Adobe Systems Incorporated, a computer software company, as Senior Vice President of SMB Segment Operations for Hewlett Packard Company, an information technology company, and as Principal and Associate Partner of Electronics and High-Tech Practice for Accenture Strategic Services, a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Mr. Brennan currently serves on the board of directors of several private companies. Mr. Brennan holds an M.B.A. from University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business and a B.A. in History from Yale University.

Mr. Brennan brings valuable management experience as well as experience in private equity investing and knowledge of technology companies to the board of directors.

Owen Ryan. Mr. Ryan has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2018. Since 2018 Mr. Ryan has worked as the Chief Strategy Officer, and subsequently CEO, of Geller Advisors, a strategic financial advisory and wealth management company. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Ryan served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of AEGIS Insurance, a mutual insurance company. Prior to joining AEGIS Insurance, Mr. Ryan was Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Advisory, a financial advisory company, from 2008 until 2016. Mr. Ryan holds a B.S. from New Jersey City University and an M.B.A. from Columbia University, and is a certified public accountant.

Mr. Ryan is a valuable member of our board of directors, bringing extensive management and financial expertise to our board.

Graham Smith. Mr. Smith has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2015. Mr. Smith served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Salesforce, Inc., a provider of customer relationship management software from March 2008 to August 2014. Mr. Smith previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Advent Software, Inc., a provider of portfolio accounting software. Mr. Smith has served as a member of the board of directors for Splunk Inc., a provider of operational intelligence software, since July 2011, of Xero, Inc., a provider of online accounting software, since February 2015, and of Slack, Inc. since

December 2018. Mr. Smith also served as a member of the board of directors of Citrix Systems, Inc., a provider of workplace software, from December 2015 to June 2018, and MINDBODY, Inc., a provider of software to the wellness industry, from February 2015 to February 2019. Mr. Smith holds a B.Sc. in Economics and Politics from University of Bristol in England and qualified as a chartered accountant in England and Wales.

Mr. Smith brings valuable experience to our board of directors, including his experience in the software industry and service as an executive and a director for publicly traded companies, where he has served on various committees and held leadership roles.

Kevin Thompson. Mr. Thompson has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2017. Since March 2010, Mr. Thompson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SolarWinds Inc., an enterprise information technology infrastructure management software company, or SolarWinds, and has held several other positions since he joined SolarWinds in July 2006. Mr. Thompson has served as Chairman of the board of directors of SolarWinds since October 2018. Prior to joining SolarWinds, Mr. Thompson served as Chief Financial Officer of Surgient, Inc., a software company, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of SAS Institute, a business intelligence software company, and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Red Hat, Inc., an enterprise software company. Currently, Mr. Thompson serves on the board of directors of Instructure, Inc., an educational technology company. Previously, Mr. Thompson served on the board of directors of Barracuda Networks, Inc., a data security and storage company, from September 2013 to June 2016, and the board of directors of NetSuite Inc., a business management software company, from September 2006 to November 2016. Mr. Thompson holds a B.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma.

Mr. Thompson is a valuable member of our board of directors, bringing extensive experience working with software and other technology companies.

Sophia Velastegui. Ms. Velastegui has served as a member of our board of directors since March 2020. Ms. Velastegui has served as Chief Technology Officer for Operation Applications at Microsoft Corporation (or Microsoft), a technology company, since February 2020, and previously served as General Manager of Product, AI Products & Search, and General Manager of Product, Knowledge Graph in the AI and Research Group at Microsoft since December 2017. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ms. Velastegui served as Chief Product Officer at Doppler Labs, an audio technology company, from April 2017 to September 2017. Prior to joining Doppler Labs, Ms. Velastegui worked at Nest Labs, Inc., a home automation specialist company, from July 2014 to April 2017, first as Lead for Silicon/Architecture Roadmap, then as Head of Silicon/Architecture Roadmap. Ms. Velastegui holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Ms. Velastegui is a valuable member of our board of directors, bringing extensive engineering and product development experience, as well as experience working with other technology companies.

Mika Yamamoto. Ms. Yamamoto has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2019. Ms. Yamamoto has served as EVP, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at F5 Networks since May 2019. Ms. Yamamoto previously served as Global President, and subsequently Vice President/ GM of Marketo, an Adobe Company, from August 2018 to March 2019. From June 2016 to August 2018, Ms. Yamamoto worked at SAP, an enterprise business application company, first as Chief Marketing Officer and most recently as Chief Digital Marketing Officer. Prior to joining SAP, Ms. Yamamoto worked as Head of Marketing & Merchandising at Amazon, a retail and cloud computing company, from October 2015 to May 2016. Prior to joining Amazon Ms. Yamamoto served as Growth Officer and Strategist at Drumroll from January 2013 to October 2015. Ms. Yamamoto holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Economics and Marketing from Queen’s University.

Ms. Yamamoto brings more than 20 years of enterprise marketing experience and leadership experience in software companies to our board of directors.

Director Not Continuing

Mario Spanicciati. Mr. Spanicciati joined us in 2004, and has served as our Chief Strategy Officer since September 2018. Previously, Mr. Spanicciati served as our Chief Marketing Officer from October 2016 to September 2018, and as our Executive Vice President and as our Chief Strategy Officer from August 2015 to October 2016. He has been a member of our board of directors since September 2013. Prior to joining us, Mr. Spanicciati served as an Analyst for Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking & Investment Group, a division of Merrill Lynch that offers personalized wealth management products and services. Mr. Spanicciati holds a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Mr. Spanicciati is a valuable member of our board of directors, bringing important perspective and experience as our Chief Strategy Officer. We also believe that he brings historical knowledge, operational expertise and continuity to the board of directors.

Director Independence

Our board of directors has undertaken a review of its composition, the composition of its committees and the independence of each director. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, and considering the relationships that each non-employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, our board of directors has determined that each of our directors, other than Ms. Tucker, and if elected, Mr. Huffman, is an “independent director” as defined under the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. In addition, our board of directors determined that Messrs. Ryan, Smith, and Thompson, who are members of our audit committee, satisfy the enhanced independence standards for audit committee members established by applicable SEC rules and the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Brennan, Thompson and Unterman, and Ms. Yamamoto, who are members of our compensation committee, satisfy the enhanced independence standards for compensation committee members established by applicable SEC rules and the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Brennan, Ryan, Smith and Unterman, who are members of our nominating and corporate governance committee, satisfy the independence standards for nominating and corporate governance committee members established by applicable SEC rules and the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Board Leadership Structure

Our board of directors has adopted corporate governance guidelines that provide that one of our independent directors will serve as our lead independent director at any time when our Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman of the Board or if the Chairman is not otherwise independent. The lead independent director will be responsible for calling separate meetings of the independent directors, determining the agenda and serving as chair of meetings of independent directors, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors regarding feedback from executive sessions, serving as spokesperson for the company as requested, and performing such other responsibilities as may be designated by a majority of the independent directors from time to time.

Currently, the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman are separate and Mr. Brennan, an independent director, serves as the Chairman of the Board. Our board of directors believes that having an independent director serve as the non-executive Chairman of the Board is the appropriate leadership structure for our company at this time because it allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on executing our company’s strategic plan and managing our company’s operations and performance, while allowing the Chairman of the Board to focus on the effectiveness of the board and independent oversight of our senior management team.

Role of Board in Risk Oversight Process

Risk is inherent with every business, and we face a number of risks, including strategic, financial, business and operational, legal and compliance, and reputational. We have designed and implemented processes to manage risk in our operations. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks the company faces, while our board of directors, as a whole and assisted by its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of

risk management. Our board of directors reviews strategic and operational risk in the context of discussions, question and answer sessions, and reports from the management team at each regular board meeting, receives reports on all significant committee activities at each regular board meeting, and evaluates the risks inherent in significant transactions. Our audit committee assists our board of directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to risk management in the areas of internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, legal and regulatory compliance, and also, among other things, discusses with management and the independent auditor guidelines and policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management. Our nominating and corporate governance committee assists our board of directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to risks relating to our corporate governance practices, the independence of the board of directors and potential conflicts of interest. Our compensation committee assesses risks relating to our executive compensation plans and arrangements, and whether our compensation policies and programs have the potential to encourage excessive risk taking.

Our board of directors believes its current leadership structure supports the risk oversight function of the board. In particular, our board believes that our non-executive Chairman and our majority of independent directors provide a well-functioning and effective balance to the members of executive management on our board.

Board Meetings and Committees

During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, our board of directors held five meetings (including regularly scheduled and special meetings), and each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of our board of directors held during the period for which he or she has been a director and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of our board of directors on which he or she served during the periods that he or she served. We do not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of our board of directors at annual meetings of stockholders, but we strongly encourage our directors to attend. All directors attended the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders.

Our board of directors has established a standing audit committee, a standing compensation committee, and a standing nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of the committees has the composition and the responsibilities described below.

Audit Committee

Our audit committee currently consists of Messrs. Ryan, Smith, and Thompson, with Mr. Ryan serving as chairperson. Each of Messrs. Ryan, Smith, and Thompson is considered an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act and all members of the audit committee are financially literate.

Our audit committee oversees our corporate accounting and financial reporting process and assists our board of directors in monitoring our financial systems and our legal and regulatory compliance. Our audit committee also:

Our audit committee operates under a written charter approved by our board of directors and that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ listing rules. The charter is available on our website at http://investors.blackline.com. Our audit committee held seven meetings during 2019.

Compensation Committee

Our compensation committee currently consists of Messrs. Brennan, Thompson, and Unterman, and Ms. Yamamoto, with Mr. Brennan serving as the chairperson. Ms. Yamamoto joined our compensation committee effective April 1, 2019, and Mr. Unterman joined our compensation committee effective May 8, 2019.

Our compensation committee oversees our corporate compensation programs. Our compensation committee also:

Our compensation committee operates under a written charter approved by our board of directors and that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ listing rules. The charter is available on our website at http://investors.blackline.com. Our compensation committee held four meetings during 2019.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Our nominating and corporate governance committee currently consists of Messrs. Brennan, Ryan, Smith, and Unterman, with Mr. Unterman serving as the chairperson. Messrs. Ryan and Smith joined our nominating and corporate governance committee effective May 8, 2019.

Our nominating and corporate governance committee oversees and assists our board of directors in reviewing and recommending nominees for election as directors. Our nominating and corporate governance committee also:

Our nominating and corporate governance committee operates under a written charter approved by our board of directors and that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ listing rules. The charter is available on our website at http://investors.blackline.com. Our nominating and corporate governance committee held five meetings in 2019.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During 2019, our compensation committee was comprised of Messrs. Brennan, Thompson, and Unterman, effective as of May 8, 2019, and Ms. Yamamoto, effective as of April 1, 2019. Mr. Brennan is the chairperson of our compensation committee. None of the members of our compensation committee is an officer or employee of our company. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors or compensation committee.

Considerations in Evaluating Director Nominees

In its evaluation of director candidates, including the members of the board of directors eligible for re-election, our nominating and corporate governance committee considers the current size and composition of the board, the needs of the board and its respective committees, the directors nominated or designated in accordance with the Stockholders’ Agreement, and the desired board qualifications, expertise and characteristics, including such factors as business experience and diversity. While we do not have a formal policy with respect to diversity, our nominating and corporate governance committee may consider such factors as differences in professional background, education, skill, race, ethnicity, gender, age and other individual characteristics, qualities and attributes that contribute to the total mix of viewpoints and experience represented on the board of directors. Our board of directors is committed to seeking out highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups and diverse backgrounds. Our nominating and corporate governance committee has, from time to time, engaged an executive search firm to assist in identifying and recruiting potential candidates for membership on our board of directors.

Our nominating and corporate governance committee evaluates each individual in the context of the membership of the board of directors as a group, with the objective of having a group that can best perpetuate the success of the business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment using its diversity of background and experience in the various areas. Each director should be an individual of high character and integrity. The board of directors annually evaluates the performance of the board of directors and its committees. Our nominating and corporate governance committee reviews the self-assessment questionnaires to evaluate the performance of individual members. In determining whether to recommend a director for re-election, our nominating and corporate governance committee also considers the director’s past attendance at meetings, participation in and contributions to the activities of the board of directors and the company and other qualifications and characteristics determined by the board of directors. Each director must ensure that other existing and anticipated future commitments do not materially interfere with his or her service as a director.

After completing their review and evaluation of director candidates, in accordance with the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, our nominating and corporate governance committee will recommend a director nominee for selection by our board of directors. Our board has the final authority in determining the selection of director candidates for nomination to our board.

Stockholder Recommendations for Nominations to Our Board

A stockholder that wants to recommend a candidate for election to the board should direct the recommendation in writing by letter to the company, attention of our Chief Legal and Administrative Officer at BlackLine, Inc., 21300 Victory Boulevard, 12th Floor, Woodland Hills, California 91367. Such recommendation should include the candidate’s name, home and business contact information, detailed biographical data and relevant qualifications, a signed letter from the candidate confirming willingness to serve, information regarding any relationships between us and the candidate, and evidence of the recommending stockholder’s ownership of our stock. Such recommendation should also include a statement from the recommending stockholder in support of the candidate, particularly within the context of the criteria for board membership. We do not have a formal policy regarding the consideration of director candidates recommended by stockholders, but subject to the foregoing, our independent directors will consider candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner

as candidates recommended from other sources. Our independent directors have discretion to decide which individuals to recommend for nomination as directors. Our board has the final authority in determining the selection of director candidates for nomination to our board. A stockholder that wants to nominate a person directly for election to the board at an annual meeting of the stockholders must meet the deadlines and other requirements set forth in our amended and restated bylaws and the rules and regulations of the SEC. Any nomination should be sent in writing to BlackLine, Inc., 21300 Victory Boulevard, 12th Floor, Woodland Hills, California 91367, Attention: Corporate Secretary. To be timely for our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, our corporate secretary must receive the nomination no earlier than January 8, 2021 and no later than February 7, 2021. Please see the section entitled “Stockholder Proposal Deadlines for 2021 Annual Meeting” in this proxy statement for more information.

Communications with the Board of Directors

In cases where stockholders wish to communicate directly with our non-management directors, messages can be sent to our Chief Legal and Administrative Officer at BlackLine, Inc., 21300 Victory Boulevard, 12th Floor, Woodland Hills, California 91367. Our Chief Legal and Administrative Officer will, in consultation with appropriate directors as necessary, review incoming stockholder communications and decide whether a response to any stockholder or interested party communication is necessary.

This procedure does not apply to (i) communications to non-management directors from our officers or directors who are stockholders or (ii) stockholder proposals submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which are discussed further in the section entitled “Stockholder Proposal Deadlines for 2021 Annual Meeting” in this proxy statement.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our board of directors has adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and other executive and senior financial officers. The full text of our code of business conduct and ethics is available on the corporate governance section of our website, which is located at http://investors.blackline.com. We intend to disclose any amendments to our code of business conduct and ethics, or waivers of its requirements, on our website or in filings under the Exchange Act.

Director Stock Ownership Guidelines

In February 2020, the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee recommended, and our board of directors approved, stock ownership guidelines for our directors. Under these guidelines, each director is expected to attain minimum levels of stock ownership equal to 4x the director’s annual cash retainer for service on our board of directors (not including any additional fees received for committee service or serving as a chair of a committee). For purposes of this requirement, shares counted toward these guidelines include any shares outright and in-the-money value of vested but unexercised stock options. The value for purposes of satisfying this requirement is the 90-day trailing average of the closing price of our common stock as of the last trading day of the fiscal year prior to the compliance date. Directors have until the later of February 2025 or, if applicable, the fifth anniversary of the date they join our board of directors to attain the requisite level of ownership. If a director does not achieve the minimum level of ownership by the director’s compliance date, then 50% of the after-tax value of the director’s exercised options or vested RSUs will be retained until the minimum level of ownership for the director is met.

Corporate Responsibility

BlackLine recognizes the importance of a thoughtful approach to corporate citizenship and sustainability. As we continue to develop our strategies and practices in these areas, we are also committed to maintaining and improving our current programs, including:

BlackLine’s products also have a positive environmental impact by allowing our clients to automate their accounting processes, thus potentially reducing the need for voluminous printed financial materials.

COMPENSATION OF NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS

Outside Director Compensation Policy

Our board of directors adopted our Outside Director Compensation Policy in connection with our initial public offering. Members of our board of directors who are not employees are eligible for compensation under our Outside Director Compensation Policy. Accordingly, neither Ms. Tucker nor, if elected, Mr. Huffman, each an executive officer of BlackLine, is eligible for awards under our Outside Director Compensation Policy.

The Outside Director Compensation Policy was developed in consultation with Compensia, Inc., an independent compensation consulting firm, or Compensia. Compensia provided recommendations and competitive non-employee director compensation data and analyses. Our board of directors considered and discussed these recommendations and data, and considered the specific duties and committee responsibilities of particular directors. Our board of directors adopted Compensia’s recommendations when it approved our Outside Director Compensation Policy, which we believe provides our non-employee directors with reasonable and appropriate compensation that is commensurate with the services they provide and competitive with compensation paid by our peer group companies to their non-employee directors.

The compensation committee periodically reviews the type and form of compensation paid to our non-employee directors, which includes a market assessment and analysis by Compensia. As part of this analysis, Compensia reviews non-employee director compensation trends and data from companies comprising the same executive compensation peer group used by the compensation committee in connection with its review of executive compensation.

Under our Outside Director Compensation Policy as in effect for fiscal year 2019, non-employee directors received compensation in the form of equity and cash, as described below:

Cash Compensation

During fiscal year 2019, each non-employee director was eligible to receive the following annual cash retainers for certain board and/or committee service according to our Outside Director Compensation Policy:

$40,000 per year for service as a board member;

$20,000 per year additionally for service as chair of the audit committee;

$8,000 per year additionally for service on the audit committee;

$12,000 per year additionally for service as chair of the compensation committee;

$5,000 per year additionally for service on the compensation committee;

$8,000 per year additionally for service as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee; and

$4,000 per year additionally for service on the nominating and corporate governance committee.

All cash payments to non-employee directors are paid quarterly in arrears on a prorated basis.

Equity Compensation

Non-employee directors are eligible to receive all types of equity awards (except incentive stock options) under our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2016 Plan, (or the applicable equity plan in place at the time of grant) including discretionary awards not covered under our Outside Director Compensation Policy. All grants of awards under our Outside Director Compensation Policy will be automatic and nondiscretionary.

Initial Award. During fiscal year 2019, upon joining our board, each newly-elected non-employee director received an initial equity award having a grant date fair value equal to $185,000 multiplied by a fraction, (1) the numerator of which is (x) 12 minus (y) the number of full months between the date of the last annual meeting of stockholders and the date the individual becomes a member of the board and (2) the denominator of which is 12, (rounded to the nearest whole share), or the Initial Award. The Initial Award was comprised of stock options and restricted stock units, or RSUs, each having a value of 50% of the aggregate value of the Initial Award. The Outside Director Compensation Policy was subsequently amended to provide the Initial Award solely in the form of RSUs. The Initial Award is granted on the date on which such person first becomes a non-employee director.

Subject to the terms of the policy, the Initial Award vests as to 100% of the shares subject thereto upon the earlier of the one-year anniversary of the grant date or the day prior to our next annual meeting of stockholders, subject to the individual’s continued service through the applicable vesting date. A director who is an employee who ceases to be an employee director but who remains a director will not receive an Initial Award.

Annual Award. On the date of our annual meeting of our stockholders, each non-employee director automatically was granted an equity award having a grant date value equal to $185,000, or the Annual Award subject to such individual continuing to be an outside director. The Annual Award was comprised of RSUs. Subject to the terms of the policy, each Annual Award vests as to 100% of the shares subject thereto upon the earlier of the one-year anniversary of the grant date or the day prior to our next annual meeting occurring after the grant date, subject to the individual’s continued service through the applicable vesting date.

The grant date value of all equity awards granted under our Outside Director Compensation Policy is determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Any award granted under our Outside Director Compensation Policy will fully vest in the event of a change in control, as defined in our 2016 Plan, provided that the individual remains a director through such change in control.

Director Compensation Table

The following table provides information regarding compensation of our non-employee directors for service as directors, for the year ended December 31, 2019. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, our non-employee director affiliated with Iconiq did not receive compensation for his service as a director, and our non-employee directors affiliated with Silver Lake Sumeru only received compensation for their service as directors in the fourth quarter of 2019. Each outside director’s reasonable, customary and properly documented travel expenses to attend board meetings is reimbursed by the company.

PROPOSAL NUMBER 1

ELECTION OF CLASS I DIRECTORS

Our board of directors is currently comprised of ten directors and is divided into three staggered classes of directors. At the annual meeting, three Class I directors will be elected to our board of directors by the holders of our common stock to succeed the same class whose term is then expiring. Each director’s term continues until the expiration of the term for which such director was elected and until such director’s successor is elected and qualified or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal.

Nominees for Director

Our nominating and corporate governance committee has recommended director nominees for selection by our board of directors, and our board of directors has nominated, Marc Huffman as a nominee for election as a Class I director, and Therese Tucker and Thomas Unterman each a Class I director, as nominees for re-election as Class I directors at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. If elected, Ms. Tucker and Messrs. Huffman and Unterman will serve as Class I directors until the 2023 annual meeting and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal. For more information concerning the nominees, please see the section entitled “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance.”

Ms. Tucker and Messrs. Huffman and Unterman have agreed to serve as directors if elected, and management has no reason to believe that they will be unavailable to serve. In the event a nominee is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the annual meeting, proxies will be voted for any nominee who may be proposed by our nominating and corporate governance committee and designated by the present board of directors to fill the vacancy.

Required Vote

The Class I directors will be elected by a plurality of the voting power of the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. In other words, the three nominees receiving the highest number of “FOR” votes will be elected as Class I directors. You may vote (i) “FOR” for each director nominee or (ii) “WITHHOLD” for each director nominee. Shares represented by executed proxies will be voted, if authority to do so is not expressly withheld, for the election of Ms. Tucker and Messrs. Huffman and Unterman. “WITHHOLD” votes and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.

Board Recommendation

Our board of directors recommends a vote “FOR” the election to the board of directors of Marc Huffman, Therese Tucker and Thomas Unterman as Class I directors.

PROPOSAL NUMBER 2

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our audit committee has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, or PwC, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020. During 2019, PwC served as our independent registered public accounting firm.

Notwithstanding its appointment and even if our stockholders ratify the appointment, our audit committee, in its discretion, may appoint another independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the audit committee believes that such a change would be in the best interests of our company and its stockholders. Our audit committee is submitting the appointment of PwC to our stockholders because we value our stockholders’ views on our independent registered public accounting firm and as a matter of good corporate governance. If the appointment is not ratified by our stockholders, our audit committee may consider whether it should appoint another independent registered public accounting firm. A representative of PwC is expected to be telephonically present at the virtual annual meeting, where he or she will be available to respond to appropriate questions and, if he or she desires, to make a statement.

Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The following table presents the aggregate fees billed for professional audit services and other services rendered to us by PwC for our fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Auditor Independence

In 2019, there were no other professional services provided by PwC that would have required our audit committee to consider their compatibility with maintaining the independence of PwC.

Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy

Our audit committee has established a policy governing our use of the services of our independent registered public accounting firm. Under this policy, our audit committee (or its delegate) may pre-approve services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm without consideration of specific case-by-case services or may require the specific pre-approval of the committee, in either case, in order to ensure that the provision of such services does not impair the public accountants’ independence. All fees paid to PwC for our fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were pre-approved by our audit committee.

Required Vote

Ratification of the appointment of PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020 requires the affirmative “FOR” vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares present virtually or represented by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal. You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” on this proposal. Abstentions have the same effect as a vote against the proposal. Broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of voting on this proposal.

Board Recommendation

Our board of directors recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020.

Audit Committee Report

BlackLine’s management is responsible for (i) establishing and maintaining internal controls and (ii) preparing BlackLine’s consolidated financial statements. BlackLine’s independent registered public accounting firm, PwC, is responsible for performing an independent audit of BlackLine’s consolidated financial statements and BlackLine’s internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, and to issue a report thereon. It is the responsibility of the audit committee to oversee these activities. It is not the responsibility of the audit committee to prepare BlackLine’s financial statements. These are the fundamental responsibilities of management. In the performance of its oversight function, the audit committee has:

Based on the audit committee’s review of the audited financial statements and the various discussions with management and PwC, the audit committee recommended to the board of directors that the audited financial statements be included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 for filing with the SEC. The audit committee has also appointed PwC as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020.

The Audit Committee

Owen Ryan (Chair)
Graham Smith
Kevin Thompson

This audit committee report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A promulgated by the SEC or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any prior or subsequent filing by BlackLine under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent BlackLine specifically requests that the information be treated as “soliciting material” or specifically incorporates it by reference.

PROPOSAL NUMBER 3

ADVISORY NON-BINDING VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF
NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Our board of directors is asking company stockholders to cast an advisory, non-binding vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers during 2019 as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the requirements of Section 14A of the Exchange Act. This Proposal gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the design and effectiveness of our executive compensation program.

Advisory Vote on Compensation of Named Executive Officers

We believe that BlackLine’s compensation philosophy and program, as described below in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement, are effective in achieving our goals, and that the executive compensation reported in this proxy statement is appropriate, competitive, and aligned with our 2019 results. The compensation program for our named executive officers is focused on pay-for-performance principles. The program is designed to attract, motivate, and retain executive officers in a competitive market for executive talent, reward them with more than base salary if and to the extent BlackLine achieves challenging financial performance goals, and align the officers’ interests with the interests of our stockholders to create long-term shareholder value, while at the same time avoiding the encouragement of excessive risk-taking.

For a more detailed discussion of our compensation philosophy, objectives, principles, and programs, we strongly encourage our stockholders to review this proxy statement, and in particular the information contained in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section below and in the compensation tables and narrative that follow it in the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement.

The vote on executive compensation is not intended to address any specific element of compensation; rather, the vote relates to the compensation of our named executive officers described in this proxy statement.

Our board of directors believes that it is in the best interests of the company and our stockholders to approve the 2019 compensation of our named executive officers, thereby encouraging them to remain in the company’s employ and more closely align their interests with those of our stockholders.

Required Vote

The vote is advisory, which means that the vote is not binding on BlackLine, our compensation committee, or our board. Abstentions are considered votes cast, and thus, will have the same effect as votes “against” the proposal. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal. Although the vote is non-binding, our compensation committee and board value your opinion and will consider the outcome of the vote in making future compensation decisions.

Board Recommendation

Our board of directors recommends an advisory non-binding vote “FOR” the proposal to approve the 2019 compensation of our named executive officers.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table provides information regarding our executive officers as of March 9, 2020:

For Mr. Huffman’s and Ms. Tucker’s biographies, see “Nominees for Director.”

Mark Partin has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 2015 and as our Treasurer since February 2015. Prior to joining us, Mr. Partin served as the Chief Financial Officer for Fiberlink Communications Corporation (now MaaS360, an IBM Company), an Enterprise Mobility Management company from 2005 to 2014. From 1995 to 2005, Mr. Partin served in various senior financial roles for companies such as Headhunter.net, Inc. (now Careerbuilder.com), Contour Medical, Inc. (acquired by Sun Healthcare Group, Inc.), American Health Imaging, and Williams Group International. From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Partin was a CPA and auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Partin holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in business administration from the University of Tennessee.

Karole Morgan-Prager has served as our Chief Legal and Administrative Officer since May 2015 and as our Secretary since August 2015 and was named Chief Legal and Administrative Officer in October 2016. Prior to joining us, Ms. Morgan-Prager served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of McClatchy Company, a newspaper and internet publisher, from July 1995 to May 2015. She was named Vice President of The McClatchy Company in May 1998 and Vice President, Corporate Development in May 2012. From November 1992 to June 1995, Ms. Morgan-Prager served as Associate General Counsel for The Times Mirror Company, a newspaper publishing company that was acquired by Tribune Co. From October 1987 to October 1992, Ms. Morgan-Prager was an Associate with the law firm Morrison & Foerster, working on corporate securities matters. Ms. Morgan-Prager holds a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles and a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from University of Nevada.

Pete Hirsch has served as our Chief Technology Officer since February 2019. Prior to joining us, he served as Executive Vice President of Technology & Operations at Ellie Mae, a cloud-based mortgage application platform provider, from June 2015 to January 2019. From April 2014 to June 2015, Mr. Hirsch served as Senior Vice President, Ariba Cloud Engineering & Technology, at SAP. From 1994 to 2014, Mr. Hirsch served in various senior engineering roles for companies such as IBM, Valchemy, Inc., Alphablox Corp., and Informix Software, Inc. From 1989 to 1994, Mr. Hirsch was Founder & CEO of 3-D Visions Corp. Mr. Hirsch holds an M.S. in communication systems and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

The following Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes our executive compensation program and the material elements of our 2019 compensation program applicable to our named executive officers, or NEOs.

The purpose of this section is to provide a detailed discussion of our executive compensation program, policies, practices, and related corporate governance. This section is designed to assist our stockholders in understanding the approach we take to executive compensation, including how our program is designed and linked to our financial performance, and how our executive compensation practices align with the evolution of our business and organizational culture.

Our NEOs for 2019 are:

Therese Tucker, Chief Executive Officer

Mark Partin, Chief Financial Officer

Marc Huffman, President and Chief Operating Officer

Karole Morgan-Prager, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer

Fiscal Year 2019 Business Highlights

In fiscal year 2019, we delivered strong results from a financial and operational standpoint, as highlighted by the following:

Please see Appendix A to this Proxy Statement for a reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP net income and free cash flow.

Our Business

Our mission is to transform how finance and accounting departments operate by modernizing accounting through unifying data and processes, automating repetitive work, and driving accountability through visibility. We have created a comprehensive cloud-based software platform designed to automate, centralize, and streamline financial close operations and other key Finance & Accounting processes for large and midsize organizations.

Our Compensation Philosophy

We are committed to developing a compensation program that rewards our executives in direct alignment with the achievement of both near- and long-term business and strategic objectives (i.e., pay-for-performance). In furtherance of this objective, our compensation committee routinely considers appropriate adjustments to the design of our compensation program to reflect our strategic direction and evolving needs of our business. Additionally, our compensation committee seeks to set compensation levels for our executive officers at competitive levels so that we can attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified executives to contribute to our success. In assessing the overall compensation for executive officers, the compensation committee generally considers our financial performance, stockholder returns and position vs. selected peers, market compensation data, executive’s performance, awards given in previous years, and recommendations of our independent consultant.

When making executive compensation decisions, the compensation committee is guided by the following principles:

Compensation Elements and Mix

Our 2019 executive compensation program consisted of the following core elements:

2019 Executive Compensation Highlights

Pay-for-Performance Discussion

Our executive compensation program is reasonable, competitive, and appropriately balances the goals of attracting, motivating, rewarding, and retaining our NEOs. To ensure our NEOs’ interests are aligned with those of our stockholders and to motivate and reward individual initiative and effort, a substantial portion of their annual target total direct compensation opportunity is “at-risk” and the actual amounts payable to our NEOs will vary above or below target levels commensurate with our performance.

We emphasize performance-based compensation that appropriately rewards our NEOs for delivering financial, operational, and strategic results that meet or exceed pre-established goals through our cash bonus plan and equity awards.

The graphic below illustrates at-risk pay versus fixed and time-based pay for our NEOs for fiscal year 2019.

Executive Compensation Policies and Practices

We maintain sound governance standards consistent with our executive compensation policies and practices. The compensation committee evaluates our executive compensation program regularly to ensure that it supports our short-term and long-term goals given the dynamic nature of our business and the market in which we compete for executive talent. These policies and practices were in effect during 2019:

What we do

What we don’t do

Governance of Executive Compensation Program

Role of the Compensation Committee

The compensation committee discharges the responsibilities of our board of directors relating to the compensation of our NEOs. With respect to our NEOs, the compensation committee reviews and approves at the beginning of the year, or more frequently as warranted, their annual base salaries; cash bonus opportunities and cash bonus payments; long-term equity incentive compensation; employment offers (including post-employment compensation arrangements); and other compensation, perquisites, and other personal benefits, if any.

The compensation committee’s practice of developing and maintaining compensation arrangements that are competitive includes a balance between hiring and retaining the best possible talent and maintaining a reasonable and responsible cost structure.

Compensation-Setting Process

We do not establish a specific target for setting the target total direct compensation opportunity of our NEOs. When determining and setting the amount of each compensation element, the compensation committee considers the following factors:

These factors provide the framework for compensation decision-making and final decisions regarding the compensation opportunities for each NEO.

Role of Management

The compensation committee believes each of our CEO, CFO, and CLAO has valuable insight into the day-to-day contributions of our NEOs, and solicits the advice and input from each with respect to performance objectives under our annual bonus plan. Our CEO also provides input with respect to adjustments to annual base salaries, annual cash bonus opportunities, long-term equity incentive compensation opportunities, program structures, and other compensation-related matters for our NEOs (other than with respect to her own compensation). The compensation committee reviews and discusses these recommendations and proposals with our CEO and uses them as one factor in determining and approving the compensation for our NEOs. Our CEO recuses herself from all discussions and recommendations regarding her own compensation.

Role of Compensation Consultant

The compensation committee engages an external compensation consultant to assist it by providing information, analysis, and other advice relating to our executive compensation program and the decisions resulting from its annual executive compensation review. For 2019, the compensation committee retained Compensia to serve as its compensation advisor. This compensation consultant serves at the discretion of the compensation committee.

During 2019, Compensia regularly attended the meetings of the compensation committee and provided the following services:

In 2019, Compensia did not provide any services to us other than the consulting services provided to the compensation committee. The compensation committee regularly reviews the objectivity and independence of the advice provided by its compensation consultant on executive compensation. The compensation committee has considered the six specific independence factors adopted by the SEC and reflected in the listing standards of Nasdaq and determined that the work of Compensia did not raise any conflicts of interest.

Competitive Positioning

To compare our executive compensation against the competitive market, the compensation committee reviews and considers the compensation levels and practices of a group of comparable technology companies. The companies in this compensation peer group were selected on the basis of their similarity to us in size, industry focus, and geographic location. For 2019 pay decisions, the compensation committee used compensation data derived from the most recent update of the compensation peer group. The companies in this compensation peer group were selected on the basis of their similarity to us, based on these criteria:

After consultation with Compensia, the compensation committee approved the following compensation peer group for 2019 executive compensation decisions:

To analyze the executive compensation practices of the companies in our compensation peer group, Compensia gathered data from public filings. This information is supplemented with survey data from the Radford Global Technology Survey database of companies that are similar to us in revenue, market capitalization

and industry for purposes of providing additional perspective in the case of executive positions where the compensation peer group offered a limited number of relevant data points. This market data was then used as a reference point for the compensation committee to assess our current executive compensation levels in its deliberations on compensation forms and amounts.

The compensation committee reviews our compensation peer group at least annually and adjusts its composition, taking into account changes in both our business and the businesses of the companies in the peer group.

Stockholder Advisory Votes on Named Executive Officer Compensation

Our stockholders have an opportunity to cast an advisory vote to approve (1) our NEOs’ compensation and (2) the frequency of the vote to approve the NEOs’ compensation.

At the 2019 annual meeting, our stockholders voted in favor of annual advisory votes on the NEOs’ compensation and approximately 99% of the votes cast voted to approve our NEOs’ compensation. We believe that the results of this vote affirm our stockholders’ support of our approach to executive compensation, and therefore we have not made any significant changes to our executive compensation program. We will consider the results from this year’s and future years’ stockholder advisory votes on NEO compensation when making decisions about our executive compensation program.

Individual Compensation Elements

In 2019, the primary elements of our executive compensation program consisted of base salary, an annual cash bonus opportunity, and long-term equity incentive compensation in the form of time-based RSU and option awards.

Base Salary

Base salary represents the fixed portion of the compensation of our NEOs and is an important element of compensation intended to attract and retain highly talented individuals. Generally, we establish the initial base salaries of our NEOs through arm’s-length negotiation at the time we hire the individual NEO, taking into account his or her position, qualifications, experience, prior salary level, and the base salaries of our other NEOs. Thereafter, the compensation committee reviews the base salaries of our NEOs annually and makes adjustments to base salaries as it determines to be necessary or appropriate.

In February 2019, the compensation committee reviewed the base salaries of our NEOs taking into consideration a competitive market analysis prepared by Compensia, the recommendations of our CEO (except with respect to her own base salary), and the other factors described above. Following this review, the compensation committee approved an increase of approximately 2.9% to Ms. Morgan-Prager’s base salary in recognition of her contributions related to our Europe expansion, and did not make any changes to the base salaries of our other NEOs. The 2019 annualized base salaries for our NEOs are set forth below.

Annual Cash Bonuses

Each NEO participated in the 2019 Bonus Plan, which was designed to motivate our NEOs to drive “top line” growth (using a revenue goal) as well as “bottom line” profitability (using a FCF and net income goals). If the FCF goal was achieved, the 2019 Bonus Plan would fund based on our actual achievement against a financial component (weighted 80%) and a discretionary component (weighted 20%), as described below.

Target Annual Cash Bonus Opportunities

Each NEO was assigned a target annual cash bonus opportunity, the amount of which was calculated as a percentage of his or her 2019 annual base salary. In February 2019, the compensation committee reviewed the

target annual cash bonus opportunities of our NEOs, taking into consideration a competitive market analysis prepared by Compensia, the recommendations of our CEO (except with respect to her own target annual cash bonus opportunity), and the other factors described above.

Following this review, the compensation committee approved changes to Ms. Morgan-Prager’s bonus target from 40% to 50%, and to Mr. Partin’s bonus target from 50% to 60%, in each case, in recognition of their outstanding contributions and to bring each executive’s target total cash compensation opportunity to market competitive levels. The compensation committee did not make any changes to the target annual cash bonus percentages of our other NEOs. The 2019 target annual cash bonus opportunities of the NEOs were as follows:

Target Annual Cash Bonus Opportunities

Each participant in the 2019 Bonus Plan was eligible to earn from 0% to up to 125% with respect to the financial portion applicable to his or her target annual cash bonus opportunity depending on our actual performance for the year as measured against the financial performance components, and additional amounts under the discretionary component of the 2019 Bonus Plan.

2019 Bonus Plan Performance Matrix

In February 2019, the compensation committee, with input from management, approved FCF as the threshold “performance measure” and revenue and net income as the performance measures for the financial component under the 2019 Bonus Plan. The compensation committee selected these performance measures because it believed that they were appropriate drivers for our business as they provided a balance between growing our business, and managing our expenses, which enhance stockholder value over the short term.

Under the 2019 Bonus Plan, if we failed to at least achieve the FCF target of $12.0 million in 2019, then the 2019 Bonus Plan would not fund.

If we achieved FCF of at least $12 million in 2019, the 2019 Bonus Plan was to fund based on (1) the extent of our achievement against the target level of each of the financial metrics and (2) the discretion exercised by the compensation committee under the discretionary component, all as set forth below:

The revenue measure funded with respect to that performance measure as follows:

The net income measure funded with respect to that performance measure as follows:

For purposes of the 2019 Bonus Plan, the financial performance measures had the following meanings:

The discretionary component was included to provide the compensation committee with flexibility to incent achievement of business goals and objectives that may evolve after the beginning of the year. The compensation committee believed that retaining discretion to fund a portion of the 2019 Bonus Plan irrespective of achievement of the financial component was important to reward our NEOs for achievement of these goals.

2019 Bonus Plan Decisions

In February 2020, the compensation committee reviewed our overall performance for 2019, including performance against the performance measures established under the 2019 Bonus Plan. Using the 2019 Bonus Plan performance measures, the discretion it reserved under the discretionary component, the target performance, actual performance and relative weighting were as follows:

The compensation committee determined the payment percentage under the discretionary component after assessing the outstanding contributions of our NEOs in 2019 toward our execution on key initiatives that we expect to have long-term benefits on our business and to drive stockholder value over the long-term, including strong achievements in bookings, and execution on key sales and marketing initiatives.

Based on this level of achievement, the 2019 Bonus Plan funded at 111.27% of the target amount.

The target annual cash bonus opportunities and the actual cash bonus payments made to the NEOs for 2019 are as follows:

Long-Term Equity Compensation

The compensation committee believes long-term equity compensation is an effective means for focusing our NEOs on driving increased stockholder value over a multi-year period, providing a meaningful reward for appreciation in our stock price and long-term value creation, and motivating them to remain employed with us.

In 2019, the compensation committee granted equity awards to our NEOs in the form of 50% time-based RSU awards that are settled in shares of our common stock and 50% stock options that are exercisable for shares of our common stock. The compensation committee believed that providing a mix of options and RSUs was important to remain competitive with our compensation peer companies, many of whom use a similar mix. RSUs provide retention incentives for our NEOs and reward them for long-term stock price appreciation while at the same time providing some value even if the market price of our common stock declines. Stock options provide incentives for our NEOs to grow our business and drive value for our stockholders.

As with their other elements of compensation, the compensation committee determined the amount of long-term incentive compensation for our NEOs as part of its annual compensation review and after taking into consideration a competitive market analysis, the recommendations of our CEO (except with respect to her own long-term equity compensation), the outstanding equity holdings of each NEO, the proportion of our total shares outstanding used for annual employee long-term equity compensation awards (our “burn rate”) in relation to the companies in our compensation peer group, the potential voting power dilution to our stockholders (our “overhang”) in relation to the companies in our compensation peer group, and the other factors described above.

In 2019, the compensation committee granted equity awards to our NEOs, the material terms of which are described below:

Each of the awards listed in the table above vests as to 25% of the shares underlying the award on February 20, 2020 and as to 1/16^th of the shares underlying the award each quarter thereafter, subject to the NEO’s continued service with us.

These awards are subject to additional vesting acceleration as described in the “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Upon Termination or Change of Control” section below.

We also set the 2019 cash flow target for our CEO’s performance-based option that was granted in 2016. When that cash flow target was set, the fair value of this grant was determined. See “Summary Compensation Table” and “2016 CEO Performance-Based Equity Award” for additional details.

Employee Benefits

Our NEOs are eligible to participate in our employee benefit programs on the same basis as our other full-time, salaried employees. We sponsor a Section 401(k) profit-sharing plan, which is intended to qualify for favorable tax treatment under Section 401(a) of the Code. Our eligible U.S. employees, including the NEOs, are entitled to participate on the first day of the month following the date of hire. The Section 401(k) plan includes a salary deferral arrangement under which participants may elect to defer up to 100% of their current eligible compensation up to the statutorily prescribed limit. All participants’ interests in their deferrals are 100% vested when contributed. The Section 401(k) plan permits us to make matching contributions and profit-sharing contributions to eligible participants. In 2019, we paid discretionary matching contributions that vest over a three-year period.

In addition, our NEOs are eligible to participate in our employee benefit programs on the same basis as all of our employees. These benefits include medical, dental and vision benefits, disability insurance, basic life insurance coverage, health savings accounts, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, as well as the employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) that we adopted last year. Ms. Tucker is not eligible to participate in our ESPP.

We design our employee benefits programs to be affordable and competitive in relation to the market, as well as compliant with applicable laws and practices. We adjust our employee benefits programs as needed based upon regular monitoring of applicable laws and practices and the competitive market.

Perquisites, Special Bonuses and Other Personal Benefits

Currently, we do not view perquisites, special bonuses, or other personal benefits as a significant component of our executive compensation program. Accordingly, we do not provide perquisites, special bonuses, or other personal benefits to our NEOs, except in situations where we believe it is appropriate to assist an individual in the performance of his or her duties, to make our NEOs more efficient and effective, and for recruitment and retention purposes.

In 2019, we made a one-time payment to our CEO to cover the cost associated with a filing required to be made by her under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. This one-time payment was grossed up for taxes. The total amount of payment is set forth in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table below.

In June 2018, Ms. Morgan-Prager accepted a temporary assignment to work out of our London offices to lead our efforts in expanding and growing our business in the EMEA region. As part of that temporary assignment, the compensation committee approved a package that provided her with housing and travel expense reimbursements, including for family or guests between the United States and London, tax equalization and tax preparation expense reimbursements, and a one-time cash bonus of $35,000 in recognition of her willingness to participate in this assignment and her expected additional contributions during the assignment. This temporary assignment extended into 2019, and the compensation committee approved providing her with the same package.

In addition, in December 2019, certain of our named executive officers received a payout of his or her accrued but unused paid time off (PTO) balance as we continued our transition to an unlimited PTO policy for our employees. The payout of the accrued but unused PTO was on the same terms as our other employees with outstanding accrued but unused PTO balances. The actual PTO payouts for these named executives officers are included in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table below.

Employment Arrangements

We entered into written employment offer letters with each of our NEOs, other than our CEO, and an employment agreement with our CEO. Each of these employment arrangements was approved on our behalf by the compensation committee or, in certain instances, by our board of directors. Each of these employment arrangements provides for “at will” employment and set forth the compensation arrangements for the NEO, including base salary and an annual cash bonus opportunity.

In filling each of our executive positions, our board of directors or the compensation committee, as applicable, recognized that it would need to develop competitive compensation packages to attract qualified candidates in a dynamic labor market. At the same time, our board of directors and the compensation committee

were sensitive to the need to integrate new executive officers into the executive compensation structure that we were seeking to develop, balancing both competitive and internal equity considerations.

For information on the specific terms and conditions of the employment arrangements of the NEO, see the discussion of “Executive Employment Arrangements” below.

Post-Employment Compensation

We entered into written participation agreements under our Change of Control and Severance Policy, or the Policy, with each of our NEOs (other than our CEO) and a written employment agreement with our CEO that provides for change of control and severance payments and benefits.

We believe that having in place reasonable and competitive post-employment compensation arrangements are essential to attracting and retaining highly qualified executive officers. Our post-employment compensation arrangements are designed to provide reasonable compensation to executive officers who leave our company under certain circumstances to facilitate their transition to new employment. Further, we seek to mitigate any potential employer liability and avoid future disputes or litigation by requiring a departing executive officer to sign a separation and release agreement acceptable to us as a condition to receiving post-employment compensation payments or benefits.

We do not consider specific amounts payable under these post-employment compensation arrangements when establishing annual compensation. We do believe, however, that these arrangements are necessary to offer compensation packages that are competitive.

We believe that these arrangements are designed to align the interests of management and stockholders when considering the long-term future for the company. The primary purpose of these arrangements is to keep our most senior executive officers focused on pursuing all corporate transaction activity that is in the best interests of stockholders regardless of whether those transactions may result in their own job loss. Reasonable post-acquisition payments and benefits should serve the interests of both the executive and our investors.

All payments and benefits in the event of a change of control of the company are payable only if there is a subsequent loss of employment by an executive officer (a so-called “double-trigger” arrangement). In the case of the acceleration of vesting of outstanding equity awards, we use this double-trigger arrangement to protect against the loss of retention power following a change of control and to avoid windfalls, both of which could occur if vesting accelerated automatically as a result of the transaction.

We do not use excise tax payments (or “gross-ups”) relating to a change of control of the company and have no such obligations in place with respect to any of our NEOs.

For information on the change of control and severance agreements for the NEOs, as well as an estimate of the potential payments and benefits payable under these agreements as of the end of 2019, see “Executive Employment Arrangements” and “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control” below.

Other Compensation Policies and Practices

Policy Prohibiting Hedging or Pledging of Our Equity Securities

Our Insider Trading Compliance Policy prohibits all our employees, including our NEOs, and the members of our board of directors from engaging in derivative securities transactions, including hedging, with respect to our common stock and from pledging our securities as collateral or holding our securities in a margin account.

Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines

In February 2020, the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee recommended, and our board of directors approved, stock ownership guidelines for our executive officers. Under these guidelines, each executive officer is expected to attain minimum levels of stock ownership equal to 1x (or 5x, in the case of the chief executive officer) the executive officer’s annual base salary. For purposes of this requirement, shares counted toward these guidelines include any shares owned outright and in-the-money value of vested but unexercised stock options. The value for purposes of satisfying this requirement is the 90-day trailing average of the closing price of our common stock as of the last trading day of the fiscal year prior to the compliance date. Executive officers have until the later of February 2025 or, if applicable, the fifth anniversary

of the date they become an executive officer or are appointed to their position to comply with these guidelines. If an executive officer does not achieve the minimum level of ownership by the executive officer’s compliance date, then 50% of the after-tax value of the executive officer’s exercised options or vested RSUs will be retained until the minimum level of ownership for the executive officer is met.

Tax and Accounting Considerations

Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Section 162(m) of the Code generally limits the amount we may deduct from our federal income taxes for compensation paid to our CEO and certain other current and former executive officers that are “covered employees” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code to $1 million per individual per year, subject to certain exceptions. The regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Code contain a transition rule that applies to companies, such as ours, that become subject to Section 162(m) of the Code by reason of becoming publicly held. Pursuant to this rule, certain compensation granted during a transition period currently is not counted toward the deduction limitations of Section 162(m) of the Code if the compensation is paid under a compensation arrangement that was in existence before the effective date of the initial public offering and certain other requirements are met. While certain of our equity awards may be eligible to be excluded from our deductibility limitation of Section 162(m) of the Code pursuant to this transition rule, the compensation committee has not adopted a policy that all equity or other compensation must be deductible.

We currently expect our transition period to expire at our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2020, although it could expire earlier in certain circumstances. In approving the amount and form of compensation for our NEOs in the future, the compensation committee generally considers all elements of the cost to us of providing such compensation, including the potential impact of Section 162(m) of the Code, as well as our need to maintain flexibility in compensating executive officers in a manner designed to promote our goals. The compensation committee may, in its judgment, authorize compensation payments that will or may not be deductible when it believes that such payments are appropriate to attract, retain or motivate executive talent.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

We follow the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“FASB ASC Topic 718”) for our stock-based compensation awards. FASB ASC Topic 718 requires us to measure the compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to our employees and members of our board of directors, including options to purchase shares of our common stock and other stock awards, based on the grant date “fair value” of these awards. This calculation is performed for accounting purposes and reported in the executive compensation tables required by the federal securities laws, even though the recipient of the awards may never realize any value from their awards.

Risk Considerations

The compensation committee, in cooperation with management, reviewed our 2019 compensation programs. Our compensation committee believes that the mix and design of the elements of such programs do not encourage our employees to assume excessive risks and accordingly are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our company. We have designed our compensation programs to be balanced so that our employees are focused on both short and long-term financial and operational performance. In particular, the weighting towards long-term incentive compensation discourages short-term risk taking. Goals are appropriately set with targets that encourage growth in the business, while doing so in a manner that encourages profitability.

Executive Employment Arrangements

Therese Tucker. On August 24, 2016, we entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Tucker. The employment agreement has an initial term of three years from January 1, 2016 and is expected to automatically renew on each year thereafter, unless we or Ms. Tucker provides the other party at least 30 days written notice. The employment agreement automatically renewed for a one-year term on January 1, 2020. In the event of a “change in control” (as defined in Ms. Tucker’s agreement), the term will extend for an additional two years from the date of such change in control.

The employment agreement provides Ms. Tucker with an initial annual base salary of $350,000 and an on-target bonus opportunity equal to 100% of her base salary, based upon achievement of performance objectives

to be determined by our compensation committee. Since then, Ms. Tucker’s base salary has increased to $380,000 as of December 31, 2019. Ms. Tucker’s employment agreement also provides that if her employment is terminated by us without “cause” (excluding by death or disability), we decide to not renew Ms. Tucker’s agreement, or Ms. Tucker resigns for “good reason” (as such terms are defined in Ms. Tucker’s agreement), Ms. Tucker will receive (i) a lump sum payment equal to 18 months of Ms. Tucker’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a lump sum payment equal to the premium costs for Ms. Tucker and her eligible dependents to continue health insurance coverage under COBRA for 18 months; (iii) a lump sum amount equal to the prorated portion of Ms. Tucker’s annual bonus for the year of termination that would have been paid to Ms. Tucker had Ms. Tucker been employed by us for the entire fiscal year of termination, based on actual performance for the year (and assuming any individual performance goals would have been met at target levels); and (iv) a lump sum amount equal to the earned but unpaid bonus for the prior fiscal year, if any.

Ms. Tucker’s employment agreement also provides that if Ms. Tucker’s employment is terminated by us without “cause” (excluding by death or disability), we decide to not renew Ms. Tucker’s agreement, or Ms. Tucker resigns for “good reason” and such termination occurs in connection with, or within three months before or 24 months after a “change of control” (as such term is expected to be defined in Ms. Tucker’s agreement), Ms. Tucker will receive (i) a lump sum payment equal to 12 months of Ms. Tucker’s base salary then in effect, or, if greater, as in effect immediately prior to the change of control; (ii) a lump sum payment equal to the premium costs for Ms. Tucker and her eligible dependents to continue health insurance coverage under COBRA for 12 months; (iii) a lump sum amount equal to the earned but unpaid bonus for the prior fiscal year, if any; and (iv) 100% of the shares subject to Ms. Tucker’s outstanding company equity awards will vest and, to the extent applicable, become exercisable.

Ms. Tucker’s employment agreement also provides that if her employment is terminated due to her death or disability, Ms. Tucker will receive (i) a lump sum amount equal to the earned but unpaid bonus for the prior fiscal year, if any and (ii) a lump sum amount equal to the Ms. Tucker’s target bonus, pro-rated to reflect time served in the year of termination. Any receipt of severance benefits by Ms. Tucker will be contingent upon her execution and non-revocation of a separation agreement and release of claims against us. In the event any of the payments provided for under Ms. Tucker’s employment agreement or otherwise payable to Ms. Tucker would constitute “parachute payments” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, could be subject to the related excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code, she would be entitled to receive either full payment of benefits or such lesser amount which would result in no portion of the benefits being subject to the excise tax, whichever results in the greater amount of after-tax benefits to her. Ms. Tucker’s employment agreement does not require us to provide any tax gross-up payments.

Mark Partin. We entered into a confirmatory employment letter with Mr. Partin. The confirmatory employment letter has no specific term and provides for “at-will” employment. As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Partin’s annual base salary was $365,000 and his annual on-target bonus opportunity was 60% of his annual base salary.

Marc Huffman. We entered into an employment letter with Mr. Huffman in connection with his commencement of employment with us in 2018. The employment letter has no specific term and provides for “at will” employment. As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Huffman’s annual base salary was $350,000 and his annual on-target bonus opportunity was 100% of his annual base salary. The employment letter also provides Mr. Huffman with equity awards that have been previously granted and severance and change of control payments and benefits under the Policy (described below). Mr. Huffman is also reimbursed for travel in compliance with the company’s travel policy.

Karole Morgan-Prager. We entered into a confirmatory employment letter with Ms. Morgan-Prager. The confirmatory employment letter has no specific term and provides for “at-will” employment. As of December 31, 2019, Ms. Morgan-Prager’s annual base salary was $350,000 and her annual on-target bonus opportunity was 50% of her annual base salary.

Compensation Committee Report

The compensation committee has reviewed and discussed with management the section titled “Executive Compensation” (the “Executive Compensation Disclosure”), including, without limitation, the disclosure under the heading “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” summary executive compensation tables and related narrative information included in this proxy statement. Based on such review and discussion, the compensation

committee has recommended to the board of directors that the section titled “Executive Compensation Disclosure” be included in this proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Respectfully submitted by the members of the compensation committee of our board of directors:

John Brennan (Chair)
Kevin Thompson
Thomas Unterman
Mika Yamamoto

This compensation committee report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A promulgated by the SEC or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any prior or subsequent filing by BlackLine under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent BlackLine specifically requests that the information be treated as “soliciting material” or specifically incorporates it by reference.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table presents information concerning the total compensation of our NEOs for services rendered to us in all capacities during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards During 2019

The following table presents information regarding grants of plan-based awards made to our NEOs during 2019:

Outstanding Equity Awards at Year-End

The following table presents information concerning all outstanding equity awards held by each of our NEOs as of December 31, 2019:

2016 CEO Performance-Based Equity Award

Performance-Based Option. The Performance-Based Option covers 482,800 shares of our common stock. The shares subject to the Performance-Based Option vest based on achievement of certain performance metrics and Ms. Tucker’s continued service with us through the date on which achievement is determined by our board of directors or its authorized committee. For the period beginning on January 1, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2019, or the Performance Period, if we achieve yearly cash flow targets as determined by our board of directors concurrently with the annual budget process for each of our fiscal years, or the Cash Flow Metric, then the Performance-Based Option vests based on the extent of our achievement of cumulative annual recurring revenue targets during the Performance Period. If our board of directors determines that the Cash Flow

Metric was met during the Performance Period but we did not achieve the full cumulative annual recurring revenue targets during the Performance Period (which was the result as of December 31, 2019), then the portion of the Performance-Based Option that becomes eligible to vest and become exercisable but failed to vest during the Performance Period may be eligible to vest and become exercisable based on the extent of our achievement of an additional cash flow target for 2020 and a cumulative annual recurring revenue target during the period beginning on January 1, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2020. In 2019, our board of directors set the 2019 cash flow target for the Performance-Based Option, and, as a result, the fair value of this grant was determined in 2019. As of the date of this proxy filing, it is expected that the targets will not be met and that Ms. Tucker will not earn any of this Performance-Based Option and that this Performance-Based Option will be forfeited in 2020. See “Summary Compensation Table” for additional details.

If, upon a “change of control” (as defined in Ms. Tucker’s employment agreement), the Performance-Based Option is not vested and exercisable and is not assumed or substituted for, then it is intended that, immediately prior to such change of control, the Performance-Based Option will vest as to 100% of the shares subject to the Performance-Based Option. If, upon a change of control, the Performance-Based Option is assumed and substituted for and cumulative annual recurring revenue thresholds are met (which are based on the year in which the change of control occurs), then, immediately prior to the change of control, the Performance-Based Option will vest and become exercisable as to the number of shares subject to the Performance-Based Option equal to 1/48th of the number of shares subject to the Performance-Based Option multiplied by the total number of completed months between the date the Performance-Based Option is granted and the consummation of the change of control, rounded down to the nearest whole share, and the remaining shares will become vested and exercisable at a rate of 1/48th of the number of shares subject to the Performance-Based Option per month through the four year anniversary of the date the Performance-Based Option is granted, subject to Ms. Tucker’s continued service with us through each such vesting date.

The Performance-Based Option was granted subject to the terms and conditions of our 2014 Plan and the option agreement thereunder.

Stock Option Exercises and Stock Awards Vested During 2019

The following table sets forth the number of shares acquired and the value realized upon exercise of stock options during 2019 by each of our NEOs. The value realized on exercise of stock options is calculated based on the difference between the market price of our common stock upon exercise and the exercise price of the stock options.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control

The following table provides information concerning the estimated payments and benefits that would be provided in the circumstances described below, assuming that the triggering event took place on December 31, 2019, the last day of our fiscal year.