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Our dear friend and colleague passed away this past weekend from complications of an illness he’s fought bravely for several years. Tony was a Senior Consultant in our Lake Forest office since 2011. We are all deeply saddened and our…
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Today, the investing public and investment firms are increasingly interested in company policy. Environmental, Social, and Governance policies, also known as ESG, are on the forefront of many investors’ minds. But what is ESG? And should it be included in…
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On August 30, 2020, the California Assembly approved a first-in-the-nation legislation that would require public companies to include a minimum number of individuals from underrepresented communities on their boards (“Diversity Bill”). If passed into law, the Diversity Bill would apply…
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Generally, a public company is required to include a description of their business and business developments in its annual report (Form 10-K) and certain other SEC filings. The disclosure rules set forth a non-exhaustive list of topics that a company…
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For many companies, incentive goals set before the pandemic have become unachievable. In the short term, companies prioritized emergency planning, safety, layoffs and communications to employees and other stakeholders. A small minority of companies that had clear line of sight…
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Environmental, social, and governance (otherwise known as ESG) topics are of critical focus among the investment community, including targeted funds, and for good reason. As investors become more socially responsible and environmentally aware, they are increasingly looking to invest in…
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The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on people’s lives, businesses and the global economy. Expectations for executive compensation pay levels and future program designs must adapt to this new reality. This webinar featuring Meridian Partners Susan O’Donnell and Daniel Rodda,…
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For the last seven years, Meridian has compiled a database on banking industry compensation practices for all public banks with assets greater than $10 billion. Our database provides insight on trends and emerging practices, including annual and long-term incentive plan…
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In this four-part series, we examine the current state of pre-commercial biotech CEO pay, how it is tailored to the sector, and what drives differences between companies. We will explore: Part One: Tailoring Pay to the Business Part Two: Founders…
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While it may seem like ages ago, public companies are still waiting for the SEC to finalize proposed rules on two Dodd-Frank mandates around compensation: (1) the mandatory clawback and disclosure requirement and (2) the pay for performance disclosure. Recent…
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We expect that the typical fall benchmarking/market data process will look different for many oil & gas companies. The current commodity price and general economic environment will likely impact compensation levels across much of the industry, which will cause a…
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The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the authority on boardroom practices representing more than 21,000 corporate board members, announced the honorees of the 2020 NACD Directorship 100™, an annual recognition of the leading corporate directors, corporate governance experts, policymakers, and…
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The SEC’s adoption of the Final Rule represents the culmination of a years’ long effort to require greater transparency and accountability of PAFs. Specifically, the Final Rule: ■ Conditions the availability of certain existing exemptions from the information and filing…
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When the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread across the United States, boards of directors initially focused on ensuring the safety of their employees and customers and managing to stabilize their businesses for uncertain times ahead. Early on, many companies were…
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Our Meridian Client Update published May 28, 2020 discussed the impact of COVID-19 on 2020 Short-Term Incentive (STI) plans and how Committees may determine appropriate payouts (if any) at year-end. Payout decisions for 2020 STI in many instances will be…
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The Say-on-Pay (“SOP”) era has fostered remarkable homogenization in executive compensation program design. The two primary contributing factors are: 1. Expanded compensation disclosure requirements for publicly traded companies, increasing the transparency of competitors’ programs. 2. The heightened influence of proxy…
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In its latest semiannual Reg Flex Agenda, the SEC identifies the following rule-making initiatives as among those that the SEC expects to address in the short-term – potentially by October 2020. ■ Revised proposed rule on mandatory recoupment (or “clawback”)…
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So far in 2020, market volatility, economic uncertainty, severe business disruptions, and concerns over employee health have materially changed how leaders approach business planning. These breaks from the norm have and will continue to have an impact on compensation committees’ …
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Interestingly, the chemical industry has not been impacted by COVID-19 as severely as some other industries.
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Meridian is currently tracking announced pay reductions within the oil and gas space. The largest number of reductions to date have been announced in the oilfield services sector. We’re planning on regularly updating this list and re-posting at https://www.meridiancp.com/insights/energy/ Oilfield…
