What CEO Exit Crisis? | Farient Briefings

September 25, 2025

What CEO Exit Crisis?

modern red building with outdoor stairs and door, 3d rendering background

 

Record-high C-suite turnover hasn’t unnerved boards yet, according to a new director research initiative developed by Corporate Board Member and Farient Advisors.

The third year of this exclusive joint research on “Turnover at the Top” is newly published in CBM‘s Fall 2025 issue. In candid one-on-one interviews, CBM‘s Melanie C. Nolen probes directors’ attitudes toward succession readiness.

Read insights on board oversight of talent management with such leading public company directors as Marcia Avedon (board member, Acuity, Cornerstone Building Brands, and Generac Holdings), Gaby Sulzberger (board member, MasterCard and Eli Lilly), and Jennifer Tejada (CEO and chair, PagerDuty; board member, Estée Lauder Companies).


Ferracone, Bannister Named to 2025 D100

NACD Directorship100 trophy with backdrop

 

Honors recognizing excellence in corporate governance were awarded to Farient Founder and CEO Robin A. Ferracone and Farient Partner and COO R.J. Bannister by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Since its inauguration in 2017, the Directorship 100 (D100) has sought to recognize the 100 most influential people in the corporate governance ecosystem, divided equally between public company board directors and the corporate governance influencers allied to them.

Farient, established by Ferracone in 2007, sets the standard for exemplary corporate governance, compensation, and talent management advisory. Bannister joined the firm in 2020 and manages the development and acceleration of talent.


ICYMI

What Glass Lewis Overhaul of PFP Model Portends

 

Farient Advisors took a deep dive into preliminary revisions that Glass Lewis is making to its pay for performance model for 2026 shareholder meetings. The result is an analysis of the changes so far, published in the September 12th edition of Farient Briefings.

The article features a high-level explanation of the changes, the most relevant questions and answers raised by the updates, and recommendations for how companies and their boards should begin to prepare for proxy season 2026.

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In the News

 

A Potentially Big Pay Day for OpenDoor’s New CEO—Fortune

A “founder mode” pay plan was awarded to Kaz Nejatian upon his appointment as new CEO of OpenDoor. The former COO of Shopify could net nearly $2.8 billion if he meets ambitious stock price targets. OpenDoor co-founders Eric Wu and Keith Rabois were re-appointed to the board and injected fresh capital. Farient Advisors’ Vice President Eric Hoffmann told Fortune that Nejatian’s package is built around two performance-based awards—one ensuring shareholder value isn’t eroded and another tied to aggressive stock price milestones of up to $33 per share. At market close on September 24, OpenDoor was trading at $7.08 per share.

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Where to Find Us

 

2025 NACD Directors Summit

Strengthening C-Suite Succession Planning

How can boards best prepare to mitigate leadership risks and secure mission-critical talent? Proactive strategies will be presented by Farient Principal Tracy Wittman, KPMG Senior Advisor Annalisa Barrett, and public company board director Colleen B. Brown during this Summit session on October 14, 2025 at 10:45 a.m.

National Harbor, Maryland

October 12-15, 2025

 

NACD Carolinas Chapter

Executive Perspectives on Top Risks

To thrive amid rapid change, knowledge is power. Farient Partner Jarret Sues leads a timely discussion on risks with Director Marcia Avedon, CHRO Janice Dupré, and Protiviti Managing Director Fran Maxwell. This in-person and virtual session will explore board-level strategies for sustaining leadership pipelines, culture, and values. For additional information on how to attend virtually, contact us at info@farient.com.

Quail Hollow Club

3700 Gleneagles Road

Charlotte, NC 28210

October 29, 2025

5 p.m.-7 p.m.

 

NACD Board Leadership Exchange

Compensation Committee Leader Exchange

This invitation-only, semi-annual directors’ forum allows candid off-the-record conversations and rare access to Fortune 500 board leaders tailored to various committee roles. Compensation Committee Chairs discuss the latest strategies for aligning compensation with performance, predicting turnover, building strong leadership pipelines, and more.

New York City

November 19, 2025

 

2025 Directorship 100 Gala

Celebrating Excellence in Board Leadership

Farient’s Robin A. Ferracone and R.J. Bannister will be among the 100 honorees recognizing outstanding leadership in governance and the boardroom.

Cipriani

25 Broadway, New York, NY 10004

December 11, 2025

6-10 p.m.

 

For additional information on any of these events, please send an email to info@farient.com.

 


Understanding Climate Incentives

 

Exclusive: Around the globe, the heat is on to combat climate change while some political regimes denounce the veracity between greenhouse gas emissions and a warming planet. Nevertheless, large corporations are reporting Scope 1, Scope 2, and, increasingly, Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions and linking reductions to executive compensation, according to Farient Advisors’ newly published 2025 Global Trends in Stakeholder Incentives: Climate Strategies and Incentives for Corporate Sustainability.

Learn more about how the world’s largest companies are setting and achieving climate goals by linking climate measures to executive incentives by sector and geography.

Download PDF


About Farient Advisors 

Farient Advisors LLC is an independent premier executive compensation, performance, and corporate governance consultancy. Farient provides a full array of services, linking business strategy to talent and compensation through a tailored, analytically rigorous, and collaborative approach. Farient has locations in Los Angeles, New York, Louisville, and London. Farient works with clients globally through its partnership in the Global Governance and Executive Compensation (GECN) Group. Farient is a certified diverse company and is recognized by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

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