Equity Compensation Program Design
A meaningful equity compensation program for key employees is
often an important element in the total rewards package.
We assist in the design of equity compensation arrangements through
various means:
- Award vehicles. We assist in determining appropriate equity award
vehicles, such as stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted
stock units, or stock appreciation rights (SARs) settled in cash or
stock.
- Participation. We help clients determine which key employees
should participate in the equity compensation program given the
culture, compensation strategy, and retention goals of the company.
- Target Award Levels. Our consultants recommend the appropriate
target award levels for participants. This assistance assures
consistency with the compensation strategy and shareholder
expectations for appropriate compensation.
- Run Rate and Overhang Management. Shareholders are
increasingly aware of the number of shares granted in equity
compensation programs. We assist with determining the appropriate
share usage to optimize the effectiveness of the program, while
managing the expectations of the shareholders.
- Institutional Shareholder Analyst Expectations. Institutional
shareholders often rely on third party analysts to recommend a "for"
or "against" vote on equity plan proposals. We understand the
analysts' systems and work within their analytical tools to help our
clients understand how equity plan proposals may be interpreted by
institutional shareholder analysts.
- Awards Timing and Pricing. We work with our clients to
recommend the appropriate timing and pricing of equity awards.
- Vesting. Our plan design process provides input for an
appropriate
vesting schedule for our clients.