Skip to content

Contact Us

Hi, How can we help? Fill out the form below, and we'll find the right person to get in touch.

    Results

    Service Type: Compensation Benchmarking

    IPOs and Executive Pay

    By Kristin Kentra

    As the equity markets have recovered and continued to grow since the financial crisis, many private companies are considering an initial public offering (IPO) of their stock as a way to raise capital and create liquidity for their existing investors and employees. Many companies have been taken private by private equity investors over the past … Continued

    Benchmarking in an Unusual Cycle

    By Kristin Kentra

    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 few challenges when companies review survey data. ■ Industry volatility will likely impact peer group … Continued

    Announced Pay Reductions

    By Kristin Kentra

    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 Services, Equipment, and Drilling ▪ Forum Energy Technologies salary reduction 4/2 (deferred compensation suspension 6/10) … Continued

    Boardroom Comp Under COVID-19

    By Kristin Kentra

    Pre-pandemic, board compensation practices had become static and homogeneous, even as the role of non-employee directors continued to expand—but that was before the pandemic launched a global economic crisis. CBM recently spoke with Jim Heim, a lead consultant with Meridian Compensation Partners, about how the market downturn, coupled with a clear desire on the part … Continued

    Survey Results: Oil & Gas Workforce and Compensation Strategies

    By Kristin Kentra

    Key Takeaways In our March survey results we reported an overwhelming majority of companies focused on emergency business actions and less on compensation considerations. As of the end of April, it appears companies have taken action on their now identified workforce and compensation strategies. Outlined below are some of the key takeaways. Impact on the … Continued

    Announced Retail Executive and Outside Director Pay Reductions

    By Kristin Kentra

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., Meridian has monitored the unprecedented actions taken by retailers to enhance financial flexibility and offset the substantial impact to operations associated with prolonged store closures. These actions have included eliminating non-essential capital expenditures, drawing down revolving lines of credit, suspending dividends and share buybacks, eliminating … Continued

    Executive and Director Pay Reductions

    By Kristin Kentra

    Over the last several weeks, as the global economy shut down, we have seen a steady stream of U.S. companies announcing store and facility closures, reduced hours for workers, layoffs and furloughs. In addition, in response to cash preservation needs, a desire to “share the pain” and to align with the shareholder experience, a number … Continued

    Director Compensation: Key Considerations During COVID-19

    By Kristin Kentra

    Much like executive compensation, director pay will be met with institutional shareholder scrutiny in the months ahead. Investors and proxy advisors will scrutinize stock option awards, meeting fees, and whether board pay remains steady amid lay-offs and revenue declines. How should compensation committees navigate the challenges ahead? In this episode, Meridian Partner Bob Romanchek shares his … Continued

    2020 Executive Compensation Trends and Developments

    By Kristin Kentra

    In the past year, several factors have driven change in the executive compensation landscape in the U.S. Each year, Meridian identifies key developments regarding how companies respond to these ever changing conditions. (Read last year’s survey here.) In 2019, numerous factors impacted the U.S. executive compensation landscape. An increased focus on environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion … Continued

    Director Compensation—What Public Boards are Considering in Light of Substantial Energy Price Declines and/or COVID-19

    By Kristin Kentra

    This will be the first in a series of updates that Meridian will produce, on potential impacts to executive and director compensation programs and related governance issues, from the economic turndown that has followed the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent sharp decline in oil prices. Director Compensation Directors at many companies are currently looking at … Continued

    COVID-19

    By Kristin Kentra

    First and foremost, we hope you, your families and your colleagues are staying safe and healthy during this global health crisis. We appreciate normal business operations for many companies have been upended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only through the extraordinary efforts of employees, executives and boards will companies be able to manage through the … Continued

    Revisiting Board Pay in a Time of Crisis

    By Kristin Kentra

    There is a clear appetite to set the right tone at the top as business leaders balance (a) keeping their workforce and customers safe and healthy with (b) navigating supply chain uncertainty and weakened demand for their products and services. The timing of this crisis—just as many calendar-year companies are planning for annual shareholder meetings … Continued

    Fostering Diversity in Board Pay Practices, Part Two

    By Kristin Kentra

    In recent years, we have observed a remarkable level of homogenization of compensation practices for non-employee directors, even as what is expected from board members of public companies continues to evolve and—generally speaking—expand. In our client work, we have also noted a great deal of diversity in the role that the board is expected to … Continued

    Fostering Diversity in Board Pay Practices, Part One

    By Kristin Kentra

    In recent years, we have observed a remarkable level of homogenization of compensation practices for non-employee directors, even as what is expected from board members of public companies continues to evolve and – generally speaking – expand. In our client work, we have also noted a great deal of diversity in the role that the board … Continued

    Why Pre-IPO Peer Groups are (or at least should be) Different

    By Kristin Kentra

    Most compensation committees review information gathered from a customized peer group of companies as part of compensation program development and relative performance reviews, and peer group construction is often a matter of significant debate. Common sense would suggest that if the goal is to understand what is competitive pay to attract and retain and motivate … Continued

    Market Data in Context

    By Kristin Kentra

    It is a quantifiable, objective way for a compensation committee to gauge how an executive is positioned versus the market, and helps the committee to understand what competitive pay is and if compensation arrangements are adequate to attract, retain and appropriately motivate executives. When proxy season ends, many companies will review market benchmark pay data … Continued

    Executive Compensation in the Banking Industry

    By Kristin Kentra

    Introduction This is Meridian’s fifth year tracking executive compensation practices at U.S. banks with assets above $10 billion. One theme remains consistent: programs continue to evolve. As we entered the 2018 year, companies invested much time and energy calculating the CEO pay ratio and preparing for its disclosure. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act eliminated … Continued

    Trends in Compensation: Committee Chairs & Lead Directors

    By Kristin Kentra

    Compensation trends for lead directors and committee chairs have been interesting to follow in the years after Sarbanes-Oxley. Audit committee chairs were the first to be rewarded with higher pay; compensation committee chairs quickly followed suit as issues like Say on Pay came to the forefront. Yet, we still see a significant gap in pay … Continued

    CEO Compensation in the Largest US Companies

    By Kristin Kentra

    Are US CEOs overpaid? Bob Romanchek, senior partner at the executive compensation consulting firm Meridian Compensation Partners, adds clarity to the issue by looking at the components of pay, the historic levels of total pay opportunity and the critical relationship to company performance. The main components of CEO compensation for large US-based companies are base … Continued

    Preventative Care for Executive Compensation Programs

    By Kristin Kentra

    In many cases, U.S. public companies receive a high level of support from shareholders for their annual advisory vote on the executive compensation program. Based on these results, companies often conclude there is no need to make any material changes to the design of their executive compensation program. As a result, companies may not conduct … Continued

    Should Compensation Committees Seek CEO Input When Deciding CEO Pay?

    By Kristin Kentra

    Determining CEO pay is one of the most visible decisions the compensation committee and board will make. CEO pay decisions communicate the board’s perspective on both the CEO’s and the company’s performance to employees, shareholders, and other external observers. Shareholders and proxy advisory firms primarily focus on CEO pay when evaluating whether to support the … Continued

    Hot-Button Board Compensation Issues

    By Kristin Kentra

    Board compensation is always a hot topic for directors, with outside director compensation, lead director compensation, equity grants, the actual value of outside director pay and instances where companies have been sued for excessive outside director pay all front-burner topics. In the video above, Corporate Board Member recently sat down with Bob Romanchek, partner with Meridian Compensation Partners to talk … Continued

    Vesting Doesn’t Make Sense

    By Kristin Kentra

    It usually perks up the ears of most corporate directors when you say “board compensation.” What’s happened recently in this area, particularly with equity grants? If you take a step back, outside director compensation has generally been in a pretty narrow range, value-wise. Looking back over the past five to seven years, it’s averaged about … Continued

    Avoiding Action on Director Pay

    By Kristin Kentra

    A wave of lawsuits surrounding director compensation surfaced a couple of years ago, often alleging “excessive” pay for boards of directors on a variety of grounds. Because boards set their own pay levels, there are potential legal ramifications due to the “self-dealing” nature of director compensation. While lawsuits were settled and subsequent litigation has subsided, … Continued