Latest Insights & Industry Trends

Another proxy season is behind us, and like every year, we had an opportunity to take notice of trends, specifically as they relate to executive compensation disclosures. In this case, we see companies are taking approaches to more clearly portray the link between pay,...

For a long time and even more recently in a pandemic/worldwide health crisis, the compensation of executives, specifically in cyclical and commodity-based businesses, has always been scrutinized. Our firm sees articles like Forbes’ “CEO Compensation is Out of Control” and...

NFPCC compiled its annual ranking report of the 100 highest-paid CEOs in North Texas, as reported in The Dallas Morning News. In 2020, Jay Adair, CEO of Copart Inc., topped the list at $25.7 million in total compensation. In addition to Dallas-Ft.Worth’s highest-paid CEOs,...

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...

What is better ISOs or NQSOs? This week, one of the boards I sit on that is preparing to go public, asked the question – “What is better – ISOs or NQSOs?” It’s such a great question and actually, one of the easier questions I have gotten as a board member, so...

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...

Exploring the pros and cons, and key considerations when drafting golden parachutes I was Deloitte & Touche’s national partner in charge of performance management compensation. Several partners were in a conference room with me discussing a merger of two large...

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...

Dear All, Happy New Year, may this be our best year yet! We hope everyone had a joyful holiday season in the company of family and friends. As many of you may know, I had a total knee replacement late December. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your...

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...

Dear All, As 2019 comes to an end, we look back on this year’s accomplishments and the challenges we faced. It was a year that brought forth strength and growth as a team. We look forward to the new year with greater confidence, and purpose to continue to be better and...

Dear All, The holidays are upon us and the end of the year is quickly approaching. It has been an interesting year for us here at NFPCC but in this month of Thanksgiving, we reflect on all our blessings and are thankful we can still say we had a successful year, despite...

Dear All, It’s hard to believe the holidays are around the corner, but what an exciting time for our great city of Houston once again as the Astros compete for their second World Series title! We had a rough start but are now in the lead, just one win away from the...

To All Our Energy Community, There has never been a time where the energy industry has been in such a state of flux… especially with respect to executive and board compensation. Compensation has, for all intents and purposes, become a “battleground” of sorts. Still,...

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, It’s nice to feel some slightly cooler temperatures as we enter the fall season and start drawing closer to the end of 2019! It’s a good time to refocus our energies to tackle the last few months of the year and finish strong. We have some great reads for...

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...

Dear All, It’s hard to believe 2018 is quickly coming to an end. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2019! We at NFPCC are very grateful for another great year and for all of you. We look forward to the new challenges and opportunities the new...

Everyone talks about it, but no one seems to know how to perfectly achieve it…pay-for-performance. We see it everywhere, on the sports fields and in the boardroom, everyone wants to correlate pay with performance. This desire has led to the continual search for the newest and...

Keep your compensation programs competitive with the energy market by participating in NFP Compensation Consulting’ 2019 Energy Pay Pulse Survey. Results will be available to participating organizations in January. Click here for more information or contact our survey...

ISS ANNOUNCES POLICY UPDATES FOR 2019 PROXY SEASON For those unaware, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) announced updates to its 2019 benchmark proxy voting guidelines on November 19, 2018. This is the last step of their annual process wherein they review policies,...

Dear All, We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of family and friends. We have been extremely busy here at NFPCC but there is nothing like the Holidays to bring everyone closer together, not only in our personal lives but in business as well. A time of...

In this article written for WorldatWork's Workspan publication, we outline the important aspects that should be taken into consideration to ensure an IPO is positioned for...

Dear All,  It’s hard to believe the holidays are around the corner and soon we will be gathering with family and friends to celebrate and wrap up 2018! Here at NFPCC are excited to celebrate Thanksgiving, one of our favorite holidays, and are grateful for all of you and the...

In July 2010 Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; primarily, as a response to the financial crisis of 2007-2009. A key provision under Dodd-Frank requires public company directors to determine if the company’s compensation and...

Introduction We are now in the 8th year of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”). Among other things, the implementation of Dodd-Frank meant the majority of public issuers had to learn to navigate the waters of shareholder advisory...

Dear All, Just like that, summer break has come and gone and school is back in session! As we gear up for the busy fall season we took a moment to evaluate our goals as well as our team members. We are excited to announce another round of promotions within our NFPCC staff! Read...

Is gender pay equity gap as big of an issue in 2018 as it has been in previous years? We are all told that gender pay equity is measured on the same scale, but in reality the gap virtually disappears when analyzing the same level, company, and function. Most articles cite “The...

Dear All, We hope you are staying cool and enjoying vacations with your families. The start of school is around the corner and just like the kids, we too are gearing up for the busy fall season.   In this edition of the L-Blast we have some great articles to share with you...