With the Delta variant causing states to do an “about face” on public health measures and businesses reevaluating their paths forward on return to the office, we expect the ongoing pandemic to impact business performance and corporate governance decisions for the foreseeable future.
As an executive compensation and corporate governance firm, our team at Farient continues to monitor how companies respond to and communicate about the pandemic.
We are paying particularly close attention to human capital management, stakeholder incentives and all aspects of corporate governance including executive compensation. In this newsletter, we highlight a selection of marquee brands that made changes to their pay programs from the onset of COVID in March 2020 to where we are today.
It was widely reported that many executives took pay cuts at the onset of the pandemic, and we wanted to investigate whether companies made changes to other components like long- and short-term incentives.
Not surprisingly, while we found many companies made adjustments to their pay plans. Those with sound compensation philosophies and rigorous processes had the proper foundation already in place to determine an appropriate response.
Farient on Business Sustainability Proxy Season Analysis
How COVID Disrupted Executive Pay Programs
This Farient Brief uses our proprietary COVID Tracker™ to explore the most common changes we see in pay programs, and highlights some of the marquee brands that made changes.
Investor demand for diversity, equity and inclusion was at an all-time high in the latest proxy season. A Farient analysis featured in Pensions & Investments magazine showcases why corporate boards are paying closer attention to DEI when setting targets for executive compensation.
Climate Tops Proxy Season in Proposals, Success Rate
Stakeholder issues are hot topics. In addition to DEI, investors are also sending strong signals about climate change. Farient’s Dayna Harris discusses whether companies are doing enough to address it.
Some CEOs at Mutual, Private Insurers Had Big Pay Bumps Last Year
A handful of chief executives of large life insurers, whose pay packages are normally hidden from view, had a great year in 2020. I talked with Life Annuity Specialist magazine about the use of discretion in the insurance industry.
Agenda features a recent report by Farient Advisors that shows about a third of S&P 500 companies have linked DEI metrics to their executive compensation.
How Companies Can Promote DEI in Remote Working Situations
While many companies delay their “return to work” strategies, they must continue to promote DEI initiatives in their remote format. Andrea Wade, freelance business writer, shares helpful hints for how to do so.
Get ready for the National Association of Corporate Director’s (NACD) Annual Global Board Leadership Summit, where Farient Partner Dayna Harris will join a panel of experts to talk climate issues, activist shareholders, stakeholder incentives and executive compensation best practices.
Join Farient Partner Dayna Harris for a robust discussion on executive compensation, stakeholder value and corporate governance with CSweet.org, an organization for female CEO / Presidents, CFOs, COOs, CIO / CTOs, CMOs, VPs, Directors and Founders across industries.
R.J. is a Partner and our Chief Operating Officer. He has 30 years of experience in consulting to the S&P 1500 and large private companies as the named Executive Compensation consultant, representing either the Compensation Committee or Management, and sometimes both parties. R.J. is frequently quoted in business and industry publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Agenda, among others. Learn more about R.J.
About Farient
Farient Advisors LLC is an independent executive compensation, performance, and corporate governance consultancy. Farient provides a comprehensive array of services to boards of directors and management, including compensation program design, performance measurement and goal-setting, pay and performance alignment, board of directors’ compensation, and shareholder communications, among others. Farient is located in Los Angeles, New York, Louisville, and Dallas and is a founding partner of the Global Governance and Executive Compensation Group (GECN Group), serving clients throughout the world. Farient is recognized by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council as a certified diverse company.
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