(Reuters) - Starboard Value is nominating three directors to design and engineering software maker Autodesk's ( ADSK ) board, the activist investor said on Wednesday, rekindling its proxy battle with the company over margin concerns.

The nominees include Geoff Ribar, former CFO of Cadence Design Systems ( CDNS ), and Christie Simons, a senior Partner at Deloitte & Touche, and Starboard chief executive Jeff Smith.

Starboard, which holds a $500 million stake in Autodesk ( ADSK ), last week announced its intention to nominate a minority slate of director candidates for election at the 2025 annual meeting, nearly a year after it lost a bid to appoint nominees due to missed deadlines.

It has argued that Autodesk ( ADSK ) spends significantly more than software peers and has underperformed the market. It also urged Autodesk's ( ADSK ) board last year to explore a CEO change and cost cuts.

(Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)