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Beyond Pay: Comp Committees’ Remit Stretches Oversight Boundaries

It’s no longer just about pay. In the ever-evolving corporate governance landscape, the remit of compensation committees is at a tipping point. So says RJ Bannister, partner and COO at Farient Advisors, a compensation and corporate governance advisor with deep roots in how the work of compensation committees gets done.

Read More > 05.15.2024

Briefs

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Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval on Comp Plan, Relo to Texas

Elon Musk appears determined to win back his $56 billion compensation package rescinded in February by a Delaware Chancery Court judge ruling following a bench trial. In a preliminary proxy statement filed April 17 in advance of its annual meeting, Tesla asked shareholders to vote “for” Musk’s…

Read More > 04.23.2024

Briefs

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Corporate Commitment to ESG Driven by Value Creation

There is no turning back. Corporate focus on long-term value inextricably links to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Despite “anti-woke” sentiment heightened by state and federal politics, the business case for adopting sustainability strategies is reflected by the growing number of companies in multiple geographies and industries that incorporate…

Read More > 04.23.2024

Briefs

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BlackRock CEO Sees Looming Global Savings Crisis

Zero hour for retirement funding. BlackRock Chair and CEO Larry Fink’s annual letter to investors describes what he calls a global retirement crisis. BlackRock therefore has a sizable stake in spearheading solutions to the crisis: Half of the $10 trillion in assets managed by world’s largest asset manager are retirement…

Read More > 04.08.2024

Briefs

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A Sign of the Times: Starbucks Drops ‘DEI,’ Favors ‘Talent’

Shareholders overwhelmingly approved Starbucks’ fiscal year 2024 compensation plan in a say-on-pay vote that received 90% yes votes. The 2024 pay program removes explicit diversity and sustainability goals from bonus considerations for top leaders and modifies the equity incentive plan around issues of talent and sustainability. Last…

Read More > 03.26.2024

Briefs

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A Match Made in London Adds Depth and Scale to Farient

A desire to expand its geographic reach while providing greater opportunities for staff led Robin A. Ferracone, the founder and CEO of Farient Advisors, to undertake a combination between Farient and Remuneration Associates (Rem.n), located in London. The deal, announced in a March 6…

Read More > 03.12.2024

Briefs

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SEC Wants to Know How Directors Oversee Climate Risks

After two years of vigorous debate, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 6 approved by a 3-2 vote the nation’s first climate disclosure rules—weaker than what was originally proposed in March 2022. Of note, the SEC dropped a controversial plan to require companies to…

Read More > 03.11.2024

Briefs

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Tesla Case: Questions of Process, Independence

Judicial opinions rarely make for good reading. The Delaware Chancery Court decision rescinding Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $55.6 billion performance-based equity compensation package is an exception. In a 200-page judgment released after the market close on Jan. 30, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick cited Musk’s “extensive ties”…

Read More > 02.19.2024

Briefs

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SEC’s Pending Rules Put Boards at the Ready

“Time is money. Time is risk.” So said U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler speaking at the European Commission on January 25, 2024, in reference to the timing of the clearance and settlement cycle for securities trading. Beginning on May 28, 2024, a rule…

Read More > 01.30.2024

Briefs

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A New Year Predicated on CEO Transitions

Like families, all companies are different. Those helmed by entrepreneurial founders, legacy executives, or rogue CEOs—some of whom may have controlling stakes in their companies—are the outliers. For most large-company public company boards, leadership transitions take place in an orderly fashion. At least that is how they appear in their…

Read More > 01.16.2024

Briefs

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RIP Compensation Committees?

In a different era, public company boards of directors typically had three standing committees: audit, nominating and governance, and compensation. Today, however, amid the growing complexity of business and changing expectations and rules governing corporations, boards are electing to alter their committee structures to keep pace with their increasing oversight…

Read More > 01.16.2024

Briefs

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A Look Back at Compensation Committees’ Greatest Challenges

What a year it has been. Our world was beset by unthinkable humanitarian crises and wars likely to alter social, personal, and political proclivities for generations to come. It was a good year to refresh our thinking on all aspects of leadership beginning perhaps with Walter Bennis and Burt Nanus’s…

Read More > 12.12.2023

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