Insights
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In the News
Fortune – Term Sheet Readers Predict a Recession In 2019
By Polina Marinova Thank you to everyone who responded to the question: “What’s your top business-related prediction for 2019?” This year’s Crystal Ball was much darker than years past, with many readers predicting that a recession is around the corner. Below are your predictions: RECESSION: Term Sheet readers…
Read More > 12.21.2018
In the News
Bloomberg – Billion-Dollar Award Made a CEO Uneasy. Now He’s Fixing It
By Anders Melin Some Axon employees could collect multimillion-dollar payouts ‘We figured out how to scale the Elon Musk magic,’ Smith says The prospect of a billion-dollar windfall left Rick Smith uneasy. It crept up on the chief executive officer in February, while he was telling employees about…
Read More > 12.21.2018
In the News
Agenda – How Boards Evaluate Comp Consultants
By Stephanie Forshee Each board has its own way of evaluating its compensation consultant, but most — two thirds, according to Agenda’s latest Directors’ and Officers’ Outlook survey for the fourth quarter — opt for some form of annual evaluation. However, the data also shows that a sizable 14% have no…
Read More > 12.17.2018
In the News
Agenda – ISS Unveils New Financial-Health Measure
By Stephanie Forshee Institutional Shareholder Services is considering a new way of measuring a company’s financial health. The proxy advisory firm announced that it could implement economic value added, or EVA, as a metric in the next two years. EVA, also known as economic profit, measures the value a company generates…
Read More > 12.12.2018
Briefs
ESG Shareholder Proposal Findings That Will Surprise You
Thank you to Proxy Insight Ltd that provided data for this Farient Brief. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) proposals continue to make the rounds. Some of the world’s most influential investors, including State Street, Vanguard and BlackRock, are raising the bar on corporate responsibility. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s…
Read More > 12.05.2018
Briefs

The Seven “Deadly Sins” for Compensation Committee Agendas in 2019
Compensation Committee Agendas. In the spirit of the holiday season that precedes proxy season, we have developed our “Seven Deadly Sins for Compensation Committees in 2019” that are bound to place you on Santa’s naughty list should you make the mistake of not avoiding them. Our list, which includes specific…
Read More > 11.27.2018
In the News
New York Times – Carlos Ghosn Felt Stars Deserved Big Pay. His Accusers Say He Took That Too Far.
By David Gelles and Motoko Rich Shortly after Carlos Ghosn took over in 1999 as chief operating officer of an ailing Nissan Motor, he overhauled the way the company paid senior employees. Abandoning Japanese traditions that rewarded seniority and shunned incentive…
Read More > 11.20.2018
In the News
Agenda – ‘Dark Side’ of Power? Governance Pros Weigh In on Nissan Chair’s Arrest
By Jennifer Williams-Alvarez Once celebrated Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested Monday after an internal investigation revealed he underreported his compensation to authorities in Japan for years and misused company assets. Ghosn and representative director Greg Kelly, who has also been arrested, had been under investigation by the company for several months related to the allegations.
Read More > 11.19.2018
In the News
NACD Directorship – Repartee: Gauging the New Normal of Total ‘Stakeholder’ Return
A conversation between John Trentacoste and Phyllis J. Campbell facilitated and edited by Judy Warner On the fourth day of the 2018 NACD Global Board Leaders’ Summit, a deeply experienced director joined with what some of our NACD members might describe as a rising rock star of a compensation consultant.
Read More > 11.16.2018
Briefs

Director Pay: A Close Look at the Trends
Executive pay gets plenty of attention in the press and from shareholders. Whether it’s the top 10 pay disclosures of the year or the latest severance package of a big company CEO, the story is sure to garner headlines. As if CEO pay isn’t enough, director pay is now starting to…
Read More > 10.09.2018
In the News
NACD Directorship – Dare to Be Different: Strategic Compensation Plan Design
By Robin Ferracone The criticism of executive compensation plans these days is that they are too homogenized. Our post–Dodd-Frank governance landscape, proxy advisor policies, and even investor guidelines have conspired to create a rules-based environment for executive compensation design, pushing most companies to a new, formulaic normal. Take a…
Read More > 10.04.2018
In the News
CFO – SEC Move Could Lessen Proxy Advisers’ Influence
By David McCann The commission rescinds guidance that led investment managers to outsource their proxy-voting decisions to proxy advisers. The Securities and Exchange Commission has rescinded two guidance letters from 2004, a move that may reduce the influence proxy advisers have on say-on-pay and other shareholder votes. The guidance letters informed investment…
Read More > 09.19.2018
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