Our Work

Consulting Services

We advise boards of Directors and management of companies across a breadth of industries on the design of effective executive compensation programs with a focus on alignment, linkage with business strategy, and adherence to strong governance standards. We work with both publicly-traded companies as well as privately-held companies, including but not limited to private equity/venture capital-backed companies and family-owned businesses.  

We also have extensive experience assisting with compensation in special circumstances, such as during M&A activity, IPOs, de-SPACs, and turnarounds. Our experience and expertise allow us to provide relevant insights into market trends. Our consulting approach is grounded in a business philosophy in which we tailor our support based on each company’s unique situation, business strategy, and objectives.

Performance

We have a proven track record of helping our clients link their compensation strategy to business success – as each client defines it – to drive sustainable value to their companies. Specifically, we focus on pay and performance calibration, assisting with selecting performance metrics to drive strategy and setting goals to drive shareholder value.

Compensation

As specialists in executive compensation, we work with our clients to develop comprehensive compensation programs. Our most requested services include total compensation review, annual incentive design, long-term incentive design, performance measurement, and board compensation. We also advise on a range of special situations, such as M&A activity, IPOs/de-SPACs, and turnarounds.

Governance

We enable our clients to execute compensation planning according to deliberate decision-making processes, which delivers confidence in the face of market scrutiny. With our expertise in best practices for executive pay and governance policies, we provide our clients with the guidance they need to make informed decisions. We also offer valuable insights on regulatory compliance and public disclosure, so that our clients can operate with confidence and transparency.

Clients

Our client experience is diverse, spanning across industries and ranging from early-stage, high-growth companies to mature Fortune 500 companies, both publicly-traded and privately-held. The unifying theme: satisfied clients who are happy to serve as references. A representative sample of our client experience is provided for reference.

our client experience

1000+

Clients advised by our senior leadership team

24/11

Advised companies across all 24 sub-industry groups within 11 major industry sectors

Provided below is a sample of our client experience:

ADT
BBVA, S.A.
Clear Secure
Foot Locker
GameStop
J. Crew
Merck
Outfront Media
PVH Corp.
Paramount Global
Scotts Miracle-Gro
Take-Two Interactive
The Hain Celestial Group
Time Warner Cable
Tradeweb Markets
WD-40 Company
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"We view our client relationships as true partnerships, with collaboration and open communication occurring during every step of the process."

Kristine Bhalla

Partner
ClearBridge Compensation Group

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"Our business problem-solving approach, rigorous analytics, and partnership work style allow us to provide tailored solutions that best address your business needs."

Yonat Assayag

Partner
‍ClearBridge Compensation Group

Services

Total Compensation Review & Design

Annual Incentive Design

Long-Term Incentive / Equity Compensation Design

Board of Directors Compensation

Pay-for-Performance Assessment & Performance Measurement

Compensation for Special Situations & Other Services

Shareholder Communication

Total Compensation Review & Design

  • Develop compensation philosophy to support business strategy
  • Identify the market against which to assess client compensation practices, including developing a peer group of relevant companies, as applicable
  • Assess current pay levels and total compensation program design against the compensation philosophy, internal compensation objectives, and market practices
  • Analyze relationship between pay and performance

Annual Incentive Design

  • Develop annual incentive plans designed to support business strategy
  • Determine design features including participation, vehicle(s), target opportunities, pay for performance leverage, metrics, and goal setting
  • Consider regulatory and technical requirements
  • Consider implications of design, including external perceptions/risks, proxy disclosure and Say on Pay vote, and shareholder and shareholder advisory group perspectives
  • Review plan documents

Long-Term Incentive / Equity Compensation Design

  • Develop long-term incentive plans designed to support business strategy and shareholder value creation
  • Determine design features including participation, vehicle(s), target opportunities, time horizon, and performance aspects, as applicable (for example, pay for performance leverage, metrics, and goal setting)
  • Consider regulatory and technical requirements
  • Consider implications of design, including external perceptions/risks, proxy disclosure and Say on Pay vote, and shareholder and shareholder advisory group perspectives
  • Analyze share usage (run rate/burn rate and dilution/overhang) vs. market practices
  • Review Stock Plan proposals and assist with determining share request terms
  • Review plan and award documents

Board of Directors Compensation

  • Assess Board compensation against market practices
  • Determine Board compensation structure, including compensation levels by element for Board members and Committee Chairs/members (e.g., cash retainer, meeting fees, equity grants), as well as compensation design (e.g., cash/equity mix, equity vehicles/vesting)
  • Determine equity ownership and holding requirements

Pay-for-Performance Assessment & Performance Measurement

  • Identify key strategic objectives for success
  • Define performance metrics and targets for those objectives to ensure goals meet or exceed shareholder expectations
  • Calibrate pay for performance relationship
  • Run simulations to test plan results under different scenarios to avoid surprises
  • Assess historical pay-for-performance alignment

Compensation for Special Situations & Other Services

  • Transactional compensation design, including M&A, spin-offs, IPOs, de-SPACs, and joint ventures
  • Other special situations, including turnarounds and bankruptcies
  • Contractual arrangements, including employment agreements and severance and change-in-control arrangements
  • Compensation governance policies, including stock ownership guidelines, clawback policies, anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies

Shareholder Communication

  • Draft and/or review compensation disclosure (e.g., proxy, 8-Ks) to ensure disclosure effectively communicates compensation program
  • Assist with shareholder engagement process

Total Compensation Review & Design

  • Develop compensation philosophy to support business strategy
  • Identify the market against which to assess client compensation practices, including developing a peer group of relevant companies, as applicable
  • Assess current pay levels and total compensation program design against the compensation philosophy, internal compensation objectives, and market practices
  • Analyze relationship between pay and performance

Annual Incentive Design

  • Develop annual incentive plans designed to support business strategy
  • Determine design features including participation, vehicle, target opportunities, pay for performance leverage, metrics, and goal setting
  • Consider regulatory and technical requirements
  • Consider implications of design, including external perceptions/risks, proxy disclosure and Say on Pay vote, and shareholder and shareholder advisory group perspectives
  • Review plan documents

Long-Term Incentive / Equity Compensation Design

  • Develop long-term incentive plans designed to support business strategy and shareholder value creation
  • Determine design features including participation, vehicle(s), target opportunities, time horizon, and performance aspects, as applicable (for example, pay for performance leverage, metrics, and goal setting)
  • Consider regulatory and technical requirements
  • Consider implications of design, including external perceptions/risks, proxy disclosure and Say on Pay vote, and shareholder and shareholder advisory group perspectives
  • Analyze share usage (run rate/burn rate and dilution/overhang) vs. market practices
  • Review Stock Plan proposals and assist with determining share request terms
  • Review plan and award documents

Board of Directors Compensation

  • Assess Board compensation against market practices
  • Determine Board compensation structure, including compensation levels by element for Board members and Committee Chairs/members (e.g., cash retainer, meeting fees, equity grants), as well as compensation design (e.g., cash/equity mix, equity vehicles/vesting)
  • Determine equity ownership and holding requirements

Pay-for-Performance Assessment & Performance Measurement

  • Identify key strategic objectives for success
  • Define performance metrics and targets for those objectives to ensure goals meet or exceed shareholder expectations
  • Calibrate pay for performance relationship
  • Run simulations to test plan results under different scenarios to avoid surprises
  • Assess historical pay-for-performance alignment

Compensation for Special Situations & Other Services

  • Transactional compensation design, including M&A, spin-offs, IPOs, de-SPACs, and joint ventures
  • Other special situations, including turnarounds and bankruptcies
  • Contractual arrangements, including employment agreements and severance and change-in-control arrangements
  • Compensation governance policies, including stock ownership guidelines, clawback policies, anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies

Shareholder Communication

  • Draft and/or review compensation disclosure (e.g., proxy, 8-Ks) to ensure disclosure effectively communicates compensation program
  • Assist with shareholder engagement process
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We are an independent consulting firm advising boards of directors and senior management on executive compensation issues.

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