Insights
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From Afterthought to Advantage: Linking Talent and Compensation Into One Agenda
In boardrooms today, directors are losing sleep—not from what they know, but from what they don’t know. The risks that matter most sit below the surface, like an iceberg: talent flight, leadership fragility, misaligned incentives, and succession plans that look fine on paper but falter in practice. While boards are…
Read More > 05.19.2026
Briefs
How Uncertainty, Talent, and Data Are Redefining Executive Pay
As the 2026 proxy season winds down, executive compensation discussions are rapidly changing. Pay design, talent retention, disclosure, and technology are no longer separate conversations; they’re converging at the boardroom level. Against this backdrop, a conversation with R.J. Bannister, partner and Chief Operating Officer at Farient Advisors, a global executive…
Read More > 04.27.2026
Briefs
Farient Urges SEC to Keep, But Simplify, PvP Disclosure
Farient Advisors has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to retain the agency’s Pay vs. Performance disclosure rule. But it wants the requirement trimmed back to its analytical core. In an April 13 comment letter to the SEC on File No. 4-855, the firm said the rule’s…
Read More > 04.24.2026
Briefs
Say on Pay in the Age of AI: Separating Signal from Noise
For leaders of compensation planning, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) creates new unknowns. Proxy voting is one immediate example. This season marks the first year that the full capabilities of generative AI will be available to—and increasingly used by—investors as a supporting tool for their proxy voting process. Use…
Read More > 04.13.2026
Briefs
Pay, Performance, and the Quarter: What the SEC’s Reporting Proposal Means for Boards
For over half a century, quarterly reporting has been a hallmark of U.S. public markets. Now, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is exploring whether companies should be allowed to report earnings semiannually instead of quarterly, while still requiring disclosure of material events. Some boards support the change to semiannual…
Read More > 03.30.2026
Briefs
When Pay Attracts Activists
After decades advising boards through shareholder scrutiny, compensation redesigns, and activist pressure, Farient Advisors COO R.J. Bannister has learned that credibility is built long before a proxy fight begins. In a market where investors demand tighter alignment between pay, performance, and strategy—and where activists are increasingly sophisticated—Bannister argues that compensation…
Read More > 03.11.2026
Briefs
Atkins Puts Executive Pay Disclosure Squarely in Governance Crosshairs
As boards prepare for a new proxy season, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins is making clear that executive compensation disclosure—long a flashpoint for directors and investors alike—sit at the center of his regulatory agenda. In recent speeches, including remarks delivered February 17, 2026, at a corporate law…
Read More > 02.23.2026
Briefs
Why Carried Interest Is Becoming a Powerful Retention Tool for Public Asset Managers
Carried interest is increasingly viewed as a critical executive compensation tool because of its ability to create long-term “holding power” for top executives and other key talent. As competition for high-performing investment professionals intensifies, public asset managers are adopting compensation structures that more closely resemble those of the private markets.
Read More > 02.23.2026
Briefs
The Magic of Disney
When The Walt Disney Company hands the keys to its kingdom to Josh W. D’Amaro next month, it signals a subtle but telling shift in how it pays for leadership. Outgoing chief executive Robert A. Iger, one of corporate America’s most highly compensated and closely watched CEOs, exits with a…
Read More > 02.12.2026
Briefs
The ‘Boomerang CEO’ Phenomenon: Why Boards Bring Leaders Back
The term “boomerang CEO” refers to a chief executive who leaves a company—through retirement, succession, or board transition—only to be rehired later to reassume the top role. While often perceived as unusual, the practice has recurred across major public companies, particularly during periods of operational stress or leadership breakdowns. Boards…
Read More > 02.12.2026
Briefs
Resurrecting History: ISS Lengthens ‘Look-backs’ for P4P Tests
In December 2025, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) announced changes to its quantitative tests used to assess CEO pay for performance. Three tests, Relative Degree of Alignment (RDA), Multiple of Median (MOM), and Financial Performance Assessment (FPA), will now use longer time horizons for shareholder meetings starting February 2026. These changes…
Read More > 01.27.2026
Briefs
Proxy Advisors Face Heat from Executive Order, AI Adoption
The proxy-voting ecosystem is entering an unprecedented period of disruption. A Trump administration executive order, JPMorgan’s artificially intelligent voting, and sweeping policy changes from ISS and Glass Lewis are reshaping governance norms. In short, boards and management can expect tighter regulatory oversight, diminished influence of traditional proxy advisors, and a…
Read More > 01.27.2026
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