Latest Insights & Industry Trends

While not all pay is justifiable, executive compensation continues to be unnecessarily painted in a severely negative light. In the world of governance, it is a common topic which bands together the masses against the few, falsely highlighting inequity and greed. While...

SUBSCRIBE TO NFP COMPENSATION INSIGHTS » Our Role in Risk Management The role of compensation consultants is vital when it comes to risk management. Companies should be able to rely on us for peace of mind, knowing we have equipped them and their Boards...

In today’s dynamic business landscape, risk management is a paramount concern for organizations striving for sustainable success. Among the myriad aspects of business operations that require careful oversight, compensation management stands out as a crucial area that can...

Sustainability goals are now widely considered on par with more traditional KPIs and are slowly becoming standardized as external pressures continue to push corporations to tie non-financial measures to executive pay; however, this hasn’t always been the case, clearly. So...

NFP has conducted an in-depth survey around executive compensation and benefits to help you stay abreast of the latest trends affecting the industry. We understand attracting and retaining top-level executive talent is paramount for your organization's success and NFP's...

SUBSCRIBE TO NFP COMPENSATION INSIGHTS » Staying Ahead of Rising Compensation Challenges Boards and management teams are facing an increasingly demanding environment when it comes to compensation-related issues. Inflation, a tight labor market...

Inflation, threats of recession, and high employee turnover are just a few of the issues Boards and management teams must contend with in 2023. These challenges are coupled with increased regulations, continued shareholder institution noise, and the SEC continuing to impose...

SUBSCRIBE TO NFP COMPENSATION INSIGHTS » The Evolving Role of the Compensation Committee The role of the compensation committee continues to evolve and grow in complexity. Members can now expect to have more responsibilities as their roles expand into...

A challenging proxy season is ahead as noted in this comprehensive report by The Conference Board. The authors share findings from last year's proxy season that provide insights and expectations for what's to come. Some of the key takeaways for this year's proxy season...

Proxy season is around the corner and there is much to consider in regard to executive compensation disclosures. The SEC has new rules around pay for performance and clawback provisions which companies will need to examine closely in order to craft effective disclosures....

Compensation Risk Assessments As we near closer to the 2023 proxy season, preparations are underway as public companies gather requirements for various compensation-related disclosures. Among them are the results of a compensation risk assessment. The SEC...

Incentive compensation holds an important yet unique place within a company’s pay program initiatives. Both long and short-term incentive plans should be designed to balance attracting and retaining top-level talent in conjunction with motivating behaviors to achieve a...

The L-Blast is Now NFP Compensation Insights! The SEC's Final Ruling on Pay vs. Performance Last month, the SEC released final rules on the pay for performance disclosure requiring public companies to submit additional information regarding executive compensation...

Pay vs. Performance? “Okay, it’s happening, everyone stay calm.” – Michael Scott Last month, after nearly a decade, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final Pay vs. Performance rules (“Final Rules”). These Final Rules, while more complex than...

A Look Into the 2022 Proxy Season As predicted, this year's proxy season is proving to be an especially active one, particularly in the areas of environmental and social issues. As annual meetings wind down, we have a good idea of how trends affecting these issues are...

As we hit the midpoint of the 2022 proxy season, shareholders and investors continue to shift focus towards untraditional topics compared to the prior year's proxy seasons. At the forefront of these conversations sits ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and human...

Effective compensation programs have a strong circular relationship between measurable goals, tangible performance, and actual payouts. This is true whether the goal or goals are short-term or long-term in nature. But what happens when the lines between goals and...

New Focus on Executive Pay for Performance Executive compensation and pay for performance have always been a hot topic, but the SEC's recent reopening for comments on its pay versus performance rule has put renewed focus on this highly debated issue. A push from the SEC...

It’s been nearly twelve years since The Dodd-Frank Act was enacted as a direct response to the financial crisis of 2008. The Act holds many sections detailing regulations to be enforced; however, a recent resurgence of proposed pay for performance mandates from 2015...

Last month, the SEC announced it is reopening the comment period for its proposed clawback policy regarding erroneously awarded incentive compensation. The comment period is expected to close in mid-November and the SEC will then review comments before publishing a final rule....

Next year's proxy season is around the corner and it's a good idea to start preparing, taking important considerations into account regarding executive compensation. In this article, Winston & Strawn share key matters to consider as public companies begin planning,...

  Impacts of a global pandemic, volatility in the markets, bankruptcies and consolidation through M&A activity has created a new business landscape… one no industry has completed escaped. The one area this impacts meaningfully is peer selection for compensation...

Compensation committees continue to evolve, especially after last year's events. In this great article by NACD, new light is shed on the ever-changing role of the compensation committee in regards to human capital and ESG issues. For all of us either on these committees or...

Why the GE case intensified scrutiny from the SEC resulting in stricter disclosure requirements Jack Welch – a past CEO of GE – might be known for a lot of things, but for me, he will always be the reason the SEC will forever watch, review, and opine on executive...

Executive compensation in the eyes of shareholders and outside observers is a complex, intriguing subject matter that always has people talking. As for public company executives, with their compensation required to be disclosed, the discussion around how much the company...

NACD’s Advisory Councils recently met with Fortune 500 committee chairs in the audit, compensation, governance, risk oversight, and lead director groups to reflect on the past year’s events and the new shifts brought on by a new presidential administration. Through the...

We have recently completed and released the results for our 2020 Midstream and Upstream Industry Compensation Surveys. Once again, this year's surveys revealed interesting findings in these sectors. Below are some of the key takeaways from each survey. Midstream Survey »...

Dear All, We hope you and your loved ones continue to stay safe and in good spirits as we get through this challenging time. It’s hard to believe 2020 is halfway over, and what a year it has been. Hopefully the second half of the year gets better and we can finally put...

Dear All, We hope you and your loved ones continue to stay safe and in good spirits as we get through this unprecedented time. Although it will be a challenge, it’s definitely uplifting to see restrictions ease as our country begins to take the first steps in the...

Dear All, We hope you and your loved ones continue to stay safe and in good spirits as we get through this crisis. There is a lot of uncertainty and fear in what we are experiencing, but let me reassure you we are here for you, our clients, partners, and colleagues, to...

Dear All, We are facing unprecedented times and it is my sincere hope that you and your families are safe and have everything you need as we all continue to comply with orders from health and government officials. These are those times in our lives that we will always...

Keep your compensation programs competitive by participating in NFPCC's Midstream and Upstream Industry Compensation Surveys. Get access to the latest benchmarks in both corporate and technical roles, inclusive of actual total direct compensation and target total direct...

Dear All, We are well into the start of the year with spring around the corner and proxy season upon us. Here at NFPCC we have been busy helping our public company clients with their proxies, shareholder outreach and CD&A disclosures. Effective communication to...

In a previous article written by NFPCC in 2018, the growing concern of gender pay gaps and how they impact attraction and retention issues in corporate America was addressed. Through this process, it was discovered that the issue of the pay equity gap really was not as...

Every January, NFPCC purposes to focus on major events that will shape the compensation landscape in the new year. In 2020, the biggest factor that will impact the future of compensation packages and organizational success/profitability, that is a certainty, is the 2020...

SailingStone Capital Partners recently shared a memo» outlining key changes to their proxy voting guidelines relating to governance and incentive compensation practices. Below we share our thoughts on each of the changes they will implement in the 2020 proxy...

Recently, some of the team at NFPCC was afforded a great opportunity to participate in TPH’s Energy Roundtable discussion with multiple constituents involved in the corporate governance landscape within the industry. TPH (Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.) is an...

Dear All, Just like that, the summer break is over and the kids are back in school, excited to see what this new school year brings. We at NFPCC are also looking forward to the opportunities the busy fall season will bring as we prepare to face new challenges. We hope you...

NFPCC attends over 100 board and committee meetings annually. Each meeting is unique; however, there is a key factor that makes a meeting and its discussions fruitful: PREPARATION. Benjamin Franklin once said “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” NFPCC agrees with...

Dear All, As summer vacations wind down and kids start getting ready to go back to school, we too are preparing for what’s ahead in the busy fall season. We have some great articles to share with you in this month’s L-Blast that we hope you find insightful. Our first...

Dear All, Summer is here and we are officially halfway through 2019! It’s a good time for all of us to assess where we are with our goals for the year and recalibrate as needed to achieve those objectives. We have some great pieces to share with you in this month’s...

Dear All, It’s hard to believe school is almost out and summer is around the corner! Work has been intense here at NFPCC but as proxy season winds down we have some time to refocus our energies for what lies ahead. This month we bring you an original NFPCC article regarding...

If you do an internet search for “CEO pay”, you get 807 million hits, and most of those are “hits” on CEO pay. Some are warranted, and many are not.   Nowhere is this truer than CEO pay in the energy business in 2019.  Many investors rotated out of...

Dear All, This year is flying by and summer is already around the corner! We are still in the peak of proxy season and we think you will find this month’s articles especially helpful. In our original article we share the top executive compensation best practices as they...

Companies often ask us, “What are we not doing that we should think about as it relates to executive compensation?” We recognize the executive compensation environment is continually heating up with pressure from just about every angle, and as a result, the answers to...

"Gender Pay Equity Analysis Is Here to Stay. Is Your Company Doing It Right?"» We would like to share this article » from our partners at NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) with our readers. Gender equity continues to be an important topic for most...

Dear All,  It’s hard to believe the first quarter of the year is gone and Spring is here! We are at the peak of proxy season and we have some great articles to share with you this month. We hope these will shed some new light on executive compensation trends and the effects...

Employers have long struggled with the ability to attract, retain and reward key talent. Government limits and restrictions on the amount that employees and employers may contribute toward qualified retirement plans, such as IRAs and 401(k) and 403(b) plans, leave many highly...

Dear All, Spring is around the corner and proxy season is in full swing! Here at NFPCC we are off to a great start this year, staying busy helping our public clients with proxy and CD&A disclosures. Our survey specialists have also been hard at work preparing for our...

While many businesses have a solid business plan in place, they often neglect implementing a compensation strategy. Without proper planning, it’s easy to offer too much or too little money to compete for talent and with the labor market at 3.9% unemployment (December...