Chris Havey, Partner, and Patrick Powers, Lead Consultant, are the featured experts on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Chris has 20 years of experience consulting across industries on incentive design, linking pay with performance, benchmarking, and more. Patrick works with companies of all sizes on compensation strategies, plan design, and governance.

The proxy statement is a critical communication tool for companies and shareholders. In this podcast, Chris and Patrick discuss how companies articulate the link between pay and performance in the proxy statement. They provide a rationale for performance metrics and explain how those metrics tie to strategic outcomes.

You’ll also learn about disclosing shareholder engagement and outreach; why establishing formal policies for involuntary severance will be a top concern; and why succinct explanations with easy-to-read graphs build credibility.

After you listen, connect with Chris Havey and Patrick Powers on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Michael Powers, Managing Partner, and Rosie Newman, Lead Consultant, are the featured experts on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Michael has over 25 years of experience consulting on executive compensation design issues, including substantial experience at the board of director level. Rosie has five years of experience consulting for a variety of industries including tech, consumer products, and financial services.

While it is still a minority practice, there are 10 to 20 large-cap public companies using equity incentive choice programs successfully. In this podcast, Michael and Rosie explain the fundamental elements of equity choice programs, how they might be structured, and the benefits they offer to both employees and employers.

They also discuss some of the risks involved. You’ll learn what things to consider if you plan to include the C-Suite in an equity choice program, what kinds of resources and information employees need to make the most informed decision, and why equity choice programs can be a meaningful driver of talent recruitment and retention.

After you listen, connect with Michael Powers and Rosie Newman on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Jessica Page, Lead Consultant, and Dan Kaufman, Partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, are the featured experts on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Jessica has more than 10 years of experience advising corporations on executive compensation matters including benchmarking, corporate transactions, and incentive plan design. Dan consults on a variety of issues including short- and long-term plan design, alignment of pay and performance, and compensation disclosure.

Board members play a critical role in a company’s management, but how should they be compensated for their time and effort? The director role is one of oversight and risk management, so pay differs from executive compensation in that it is based on service, not company performance.

You’ll learn how companies currently structure director compensation programs and how pay programs were impacted by the pandemic. Jessica and Dan also discuss future trends, including compensating for roles on special committees or assignments and establishing a mandatory retirement age.

After you listen, connect with Jessica Page and Dan Kaufman on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

This episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast features Partner Michael Brittian and  Senior Consultant Adam Hearn of Meridian Compensation Partners. Michael has over 20 years of experience consulting on compensation-related issues for diverse industries such as oil and gas, financial services, and retail. Adam advises on a broad range of matters including benchmarking, peer group design, and change-in-control and severance arrangements.

CEO compensation matters generate energy and emotion for stakeholders, employees, customers, and the general public. In this podcast, Michael and Adam explain how companies establish compensation plans for CEOs from hire to retire. The process is highly nuanced. Incentives vary based on many factors: whether the CEO was promoted from within or hired externally, their years of experience in the CEO role, market data and other performance benchmarks, and more.

They break down the process of designing a CEO compensation program, from establishing clear roles and responsibilities to gathering and analyzing data. You’ll learn why new CEOs might earn less (or more) than their predecessors, how CEOs are compensated when transitioning out of the organization, and how compensation committees try to balance internal business needs with external expectations.

After you listen, connect with Michael Brittian and Adam Hearn on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

This episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast features Virginia Rhodes, partner, and Jeff Keckley, lead consultant, of Meridian Compensation Partners. Virginia has more than 20 years of experience consulting in all areas of compensation including program design, benchmarking, and governance in best practices. Jeff also consults on a variety of issues including peer group selection, benchmarking, and severance arrangements.

Many organizations continued to struggle during 2021. Compensation committees face tough decisions in determining executive payouts while taking into account supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, raw material price increases, and other uncontrollable factors. In the podcast, Virginia and Jeff break down various ways companies are adapting annual and long-term incentive programs to cope with these pressures.

They talk about why it is easier to make adjustments to annual plans, especially considering that investors and proxy advisors generally have a negative view toward adjusting performance-based long-term incentives after the fact. You’ll also learn how companies are designing more flexible plans by adjusting annual performance periods, widening target performance ranges, and building discretion into the plan from the beginning.

After you listen, connect with Virginia Rhodes and Jeff Keckley on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Robert Romanchek, Partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, is the featured expert on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Robert has more than 30 years of experience consulting on executive compensation matters at large, small, and mid-cap companies, both public and private.

In 2015, the SEC proposed, but never finalized, regulations governing clawbacks and pay-for-performance. The current statute’s vague parameters make it difficult to build compensation structures that are effective and compliant. The SEC recently announced that it intends to finalize regulations by April 2022.

In light of this, Robert offers advice on how companies can prepare for new regulations. Regarding pay-for-performance, companies need more specific requirements from the SEC to build compensation models. Rather than modifying clawback policies, Robert recommends taking inventory of existing policies and processes and waiting for final rules.

After you listen, connect with Robert Romanchek on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Donald Kalfen, Partner, and George Paulin, Senior Managing Director at Meridian Compensation Partners, are the featured experts on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. They each have decades of experience advising private and public companies on the design, implementation, and administration of executive compensation programs.

In this episode, Donald and George shed light on what special awards are and how they are used in relation to executive compensation programs. They frame their discussion around Meridian’s research, keeping track of special awards of $10 million or more, and provide insight into how various stakeholders such as shareholders and proxy advisors view special awards.

You’ll learn why companies use special awards, how they are designed, and how using special awards can affect Say on Pay vote outcomes. Donald and George also provide advice on engaging with other shareholders if ISS and Glass Lewis recommend against Say on Pay and institutional investors follow in lockstep.

After you listen, connect with Donald Kalfen and George Paulin on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Annette Leckie, Partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, is the featured expert on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Annette has 30 years of experience consulting on the full range of executive and director compensation issues. She is a frequent speaker on the topic as well as a member of the Compensation Committee Leadership Network.

On the podcast, Annette provides a brief history of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act and its implications on company clawback policies. She shares several reasons companies should be revisiting their policies, including renewed SEC interest in proposing clawback policy rules and guidelines.

She explains why restatement clawbacks and misconduct clawbacks should be treated separately and offers examples of types of misconduct to consider as possible triggers. Annette also provides a comprehensive list of items to examine when reviewing your clawback policy.

After you listen, connect with Annette Leckie on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Jim Heim and Tom McNeill, Partners at Meridian Compensation Partners, are the featured experts on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Jim has over 20 years of experience and primarily consults with tech and life sciences companies, including IPOs. Tom works primarily in the energy sector as well as telecom, financial services, and consumer services.

In this episode, Jim and Tom address the challenges of crafting executive compensation plans that are on par with industry peers and shareholder expectations, while meeting the unique needs and priorities of the individual company—from pay mix to metrics and navigating proxy advisor preferences.

They discuss which sectors might benefit most from short- or long-term incentives, what non-traditional metrics companies might use in special circumstances, the role of ESG metrics, and why the use of stock options is declining in some sectors. They also share ideas on how to communicate with shareholders and proxy advisors to garner support for Say-on-Pay votes.

After you listen, connect with Jim Heim and Tom McNeill on LinkedIn.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.

Jamie McGough, Partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, is the featured expert on this episode of The Executive Compensation Podcast. Jamie is experienced in total compensation strategies, analysis, and pay for performance. He has more than 22 years of experience consulting with compensation committees and senior leadership on compensation and corporate governance matters.

In this episode, Jamie goes back to the basics of compensation plan design. He addresses numerous reasons that explain why executive pay is relatively high in terms of supply and demand for high-performing talent. He also explains why the growing availability of public information surrounding compensation often increases the value of executive pay.

Jamie breaks down common metrics and outcomes for which companies typically compensate, such as profitability and stock price creation, and how intangible metrics like ESG play into final pay decisions. Lastly, he addresses a few other popular talking points: diversity in the C-Suite, rapid advancement of young executives, and over-paying or under-paying executives.

After you listen, connect with Jamie McGough on LinkedIn and visit MeridianCP.com to learn more about Meridian Compensation Partners.

This episode is brought to you by Meridian Compensation Partners. Learn more by visiting MeridianCP.com.