2023 Executive Compensation Conference

08:00 AM - 08:50 AM ET

Registration & Continental Breakfast

Check in for the Conference and network over breakfast with peers.

08:50 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Welcome and Introduction

Lisa Hunter, Program Director, Senior Fellow and Leader, Total Rewards Institute, The Conference Board

09:00 AM - 09:40 AM ET

Executive Compensation in Context: Economic, Social and Consumer Trends

This session will help build a greater understanding and appreciation of the macroeconomic backdrop, labor, human capital and ESG considerations in making strategic decisions about executive compensation. Join our Center leaders as they discuss some of the key questions challenging leaders.

Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance

Lisa Hunter, Senior Fellow and Program Director, The Conference Board

Diana Scott, US Human Capital Center Leader, The Conference Board

Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist and Leader, Economy, Strategy & Finance Center, The Conference Board

09:55 AM - 10:40 AM ET

Evolving Executive Compensation - Revisiting our Guiding Principles

Incentive plan leverage and variability have historically been tied to financial and shareholder returns. We argued that the increase in incentive plan leverage was related to “performance-based pay,” and that shareholders should be happy to see high payouts because they were aligned with high returns. In recent years, market volatility and pressure to focus on non-financial and sustainability-related goals have led to a broadening of incentive metrics, wider goal ranges, and more certainty in payouts. This panel will explore: How should practitioners and board members think about the trend in incentive compensation and the role of shareholder returns?

Steve Cross, Managing Director, FW Cook

William Tompkins, VP, Total Rewards, SmileDirectClub

Dana Etra, Managing Director, FW Cook

10:55 AM - 11:40 AM ET

Public Policy Impact and Executive Compensation

This session will address key issues confronting Boards and leaders from a public policy perspective and the practical implications of regulatory changes. Our speakers will include topics such as: SEC guidance, external disclosure requirements, changes to non-competes, crucial shareholder proposals, other government priorities and more.

Arthur Kohn, General Counsel - ERISA, Compensation & Benefits, Citi

Ani Huang, President & CEO, Center On Executive Compensation, and SVP, HR Policy Association

11:45 AM - 12:30 PM ET

Incorporating ESG and Other Non-Financial Metrics Into Executive Incentive Plans: Where do we Go From Here?

This session will examine the key issues of fairness, competitiveness, and alignment in a contemporary context and will challenge the conventional wisdom of the past decade(s). They will discuss the questions that compensation committees will need to ask and answer to respond to the cacophony of critics who insist that executive compensation is out of control and badly in need of better governance, if not greater regulation.

David Wise, Vice Chairman, Rewards, Korn Ferry

Cole Brown, CHRO, American Airlines

Donald Lowman, Senior Client Partner – Global Leader Total Rewards, Korn Ferry

Malaika Myers, CHRO, Hyatt Hotels

01:30 PM - 02:05 PM ET

Fresh Thinking for Executive and Equity Compensation Plans

Equity is a critical component of executive compensation and along with the tried and true, there are new ways to help make the most of your program. This session explores innovative concepts that can improve plan design and benefit both executives and plan sponsors. The panel will explore ways to bring your executive compensation strategy to the next level through a variety of topics. You'll learn about the benefits of automatic exercise at expiration, explore potential blind spots with respect to long-term incentives and pay equity, understand how to empower your employees with equity choice, and learn about tax-efficient ways for executives to maximize charitable giving.

Emily Cervino, Head of Thought Leadership, Fidelity

Sherene Jodrey, Senior Counsel - Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits, Boeing

Maya Wright, Sr Manager Executive Compensation, Iron Mountain

02:10 PM - 02:55 PM ET

Trends in Executive Compensation: Top Compensation Committee Priorities for 2024

This session will look back on what we learned in 2023 and what compensation committees should anticipate in the coming year. Our panel will explore at a high level: CEO compensation trends; Increased CEO and CFO turnover; Institutional investor and proxy advisor expectations; Activists in the Boardroom; and Regulatory updates, including observations from year one of Pay vs. Performance.

Brian Lane, Managing Partner, Pay Governance

Sandra Pace, Partner, Pay Governance

Dena Faccio, SVP Total Rewards, Employee Relations & Workforce Analytics, Voya Financial

Adam Holton, Chief People Officer, Amedisys

03:15 PM - 04:00 PM ET

Hot Topics in Executive Compensation: Through the Legal Lens

In this session, speakers will lead a discussion of the most pressing hot topics in executive compensation through the legal lens, including the latest on compensation clawbacks covering Dodd-Frank as well as DOJ and state law considerations, the constantly-shifting landscape of restrictive covenants in the context of equity incentive programs, and legal and disclosure considerations for equity grant practices.

Merryl Gordon, Associate Counsel, Labor, Employment, Benefits & Workers Comp, Consolidated Edison Company of New York

Andrea Rattner, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP

Kate Napalkova, Partner - Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits, Proskauer Rose

04:05 PM - 04:40 PM ET

Pay Equity and Transparency

In this session, the speakers will discuss the challenges around creating a framework for proactive and sustainable pay equity strategies. They will address the roots causes of issues and approaches to moving forward. They will discuss, the possibility of using advanced technology and standard methodology with a call to action to insource measuring pay equity including executive compensation tied to explicit pay equity metrics.

Vismay Gada, Global Head of Financial Services, beqom

Margret Vilborg Bjarnadottir, Associate Professor of Management Science and Statistics, University of Maryland

04:45 PM - 05:20 PM ET

Research Findings from The Conference Board ESG Center and Insights for the Future of Executive Compensation

We are pleased to share research findings on the sources, extent and focus of ESG backlash and how companies can respond. Our speakers will also share research highlights on shareholder proposals, Corporate Board Practices and executive compensation.

Merel Spierings, Former Senior Researcher, ESG Center, The Conference Board

Andrew Jones, PhD, Senior Researcher, ESG Center, The Conference Board

Lisa Hunter, Senior Fellow and Program Director, The Conference Board

05:20 PM - 05:30 PM ET

Day 1 Wrap-up

Lisa Hunter, Senior Fellow and Program Director, The Conference Board

05:30 PM - 06:30 PM ET

Reception

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Breakfast Roundtables - Hot Topics Selected by Participants

Attendees join a Breakfast Roundtable for facilitated small group discussion on focused issues.

1. Offboarding and Transitioning C Suite Executives - Colleen Hart, Partner, Proskauer Rose

2. Spring-loading and Bullet- dodging: Equity Grant Traps for the Unwary - David Teigman, Partner, Proskauer Rose

3. Managing the ESG Backlash - Megan Wolf, Director, Practice, HR Policy Association and Center On Executive Compensation

4. Telling your Story - Beyond Reporting and Disclosure - Lee Miller, Senior Fellow, Human Capital Center, The Conference Board; Professor, Columbia University School of Professional Studies

5. Reframing the Comp Committee Role - Sean McGrath, Head of Executive and Equity Compensation, MassMutual

6. Pay versus Performance - best practices, lessons learned, where do we go from here - Yanina Koliren, Senior Client Partner - Executive Pay & Governance, Korn Ferry

08:50 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Opening Remarks - Day 2

Lisa Hunter, Senior Fellow and Program Director, The Conference Board

09:00 AM - 09:20 AM ET

Insight from Breakfast Roundtables

We will tap the facilitators and participants from each table to share key questions and insights shared with the group.

09:20 AM - 09:50 AM ET

Perspectives on the Expanding Role of the Compensation Committee

Join us for a discussion about how the role of the Committee is evolving. The pros and cons of broadening their charter? What it means for members and management. Board / Compensation Committee Viewpoint: How is the conversation changing? What defines a successful Committee?

Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance

Ben Stradley, Managing Partner, Pay Governance

09:55 AM - 10:35 AM ET

Re-Aligning Broad-based and Executive Incentive Plans for Greater Impact

Hear from AT&T about how they reimagined their short-term incentive plan to provide year-round, meaningful recognition that better aligns with achievement and culture. Success takes more than just plan design; they will also discuss HRBP's role in the implementation and ongoing execution of the program, and gaining leadership buy-in to make such a big change.

Keith Jackson, CHRO - International, AT&T

Danielle Wilson, VP, Compensation, AT&T

10:50 AM - 11:30 AM ET

AI in Executive Compensation: Threats, Opportunities and Emerging Priorities

AI is quickly becoming the focal point for company leaders and organizations. We need to approach this topic with an open mind, a willingness to change, and a culture of continuous learning. This is a multi-stakeholder matter - the panel will discuss critical issues leaders must consider as we move forward.

Lisa Hunter, Senior Fellow and Program Director, The Conference Board

Zack Vinton, VP Enterprise Compensation, Walmart

Matt Lum, Principal, FW Cook

Todd McGovern, Senior Client Partner – Global Consulting Leader, Executive Pay & Governance, Korn Ferry

11:35 AM - 12:05 PM ET

Tying Sustainability to Executive Compensation to Drive Financial Value and Impact

Companies often attempt to use compensation targets to showcase sustainability/ESG as a priority. How can we help executives strategically align sustainability/ESG with financial KPIs or strategic objectives? This session will share insight on how companies can take advantage of the business case for sustainability/ESG to align executive compensation incentives to drive positive impacts for profit, people, and the planet.

Steve Rochlin, Program Director, The Conference Board

Hugh Welsh, President, dsm-firmenich and General Counsel, DSM North America

Karen Johns, CEO, Net Impact

12:10 PM - 12:45 PM ET

Leaders Forum: Navigating Total Rewards 2023 and Beyond

In this session, our panel of HC and TR leaders will focus on the key issues and hot topics in Total Rewards and executive compensation. They will discuss addressing critical issues as part of a broader strategy and share thoughts on addressing some of the most interesting challenges in 2023 and priorities for 2024.

Aaron Brown, SVP Total Rewards, Synchrony Financial

William Tompkins, VP, Total Rewards, SmileDirectClub

Anabel Pichler, VP Global Rewards, GlobalFoundries

12:45 PM - 01:15 PM ET

Complexities of Communicating in the Age of Increased Disclosure and Transparency

This panel will focus on ways to tell your human Capital Management and sustainability story beyond the numbers. We discuss requirements emerging issues, lessons learned, and what's next.

Solange Charas, PhD, Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, The Conference Board and, Founder & CEO, HCMoneyball

Lee Miller, Senior Fellow, Human Capital, The Conference Board

Nick Chakmakian, SVP Total Rewards, Mastercard

Amee Parekh, SVP HR (former), Hims & Hers and HR Venture Advisor, SemperVirens Venture Capital

01:15 PM - 01:30 PM ET

Program Highlights and Closing Questions

Highlights from breakfast roundtables, closing questions and key takeaways.

Lisa Hunter, Senior Fellow and Program Director, The Conference Board