Compensation Committees: New Challenges, New Solutions
- Upcoming Sessions
- (1 of 2)
- Dates: 14–16 JUL 2024
- Format: In-Person Learning takes place on the HBS campus or a designated location.
- Location: HBS Campus
- Fee: $7,500
- Dates: 17–19 NOV 2024
- Format: In-Person Learning takes place on the HBS campus or a designated location.
- Location: HBS Campus
- Fee: $7,500

"I was especially impressed with HBS's ability to present a broad array of topics over the course of the program."
Summary
Executive compensation has become a flashpoint issue for board members, institutional investors, regulators, and the media. Examining critical market and regulatory issues, this board leadership program enables compensation committee chairs and members to design more effective compensation programs. You will explore best practices for aligning executive pay to business strategy and company goals and for meeting shareholder expectations as the regulatory climate evolves.
You may also be interested in the related program: Compensation Committees—Virtual.

This program is eligible for the Corporate Director Certificate. Learn More
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Summary
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Executive compensation has become a flashpoint issue for board members, institutional investors, regulators, and the media. Examining critical market and regulatory issues, this board leadership program enables compensation committee chairs and members to design more effective compensation programs. You will explore best practices for aligning executive pay to business strategy and company goals and for meeting shareholder expectations as the regulatory climate evolves.
You may also be interested in the related program: Compensation Committees—Virtual.
This program is eligible for the Corporate Director Certificate. Learn More
DetailsExpand AllCollapse All
Change the way your company approaches executive compensationChange the way your company approaches executive compensation
- Adapt your compensation strategy to fit your business strategy
- Make decisions with deeper knowledge of the relationships among compensation plans, employee motivation, and long-term value creation
- Balance the competing imperatives to attract and retain key executives, adhere to new governmental rules, and navigate public sentiment
- Ensure that the compensation structure promotes the desired corporate culture
Address external factors influencing compensation strategies Address external factors influencing compensation strategies
- Compete effectively for top talent in today's tight labor market
- Understand and anticipate hot-button issues and trends in executive compensation
- Examine the impact of regulatory issues in different countries
- Respond to a more vigilant investor community
Create successful compensation plans and processes Create successful compensation plans and processes
- Design better incentive systems and know the risks that certain incentive structures can create
- Avoid the risks of cookie-cutter executive compensation solutions and external ratings systems
- Gain investor buy-in on compensation plans
- Get the most value from compensation consultants
- Understand and effectively utilize subjective and objective performance measurement systems
Expand your personal and professional networkExpand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
- Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Change the way your company approaches executive compensation
- Adapt your compensation strategy to fit your business strategy
- Make decisions with deeper knowledge of the relationships among compensation plans, employee motivation, and long-term value creation
- Balance the competing imperatives to attract and retain key executives, adhere to new governmental rules, and navigate public sentiment
- Ensure that the compensation structure promotes the desired corporate culture
Address external factors influencing compensation strategies
- Compete effectively for top talent in today's tight labor market
- Understand and anticipate hot-button issues and trends in executive compensation
- Examine the impact of regulatory issues in different countries
- Respond to a more vigilant investor community
Create successful compensation plans and processes
- Design better incentive systems and know the risks that certain incentive structures can create
- Avoid the risks of cookie-cutter executive compensation solutions and external ratings systems
- Gain investor buy-in on compensation plans
- Get the most value from compensation consultants
- Understand and effectively utilize subjective and objective performance measurement systems
Expand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
- Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Who Should Attend
- Directors on boards of publicly listed companies who serve as chairs or members of compensation committees
- Senior corporate executives who participate in compensation planning
- Also appropriate for: Bank directors, chief executive officers, directors of human resources, investors, legal professionals who help structure employment contracts, and senior regulatory officials charged with implementing legislation
Attendance by two or more representatives of your compensation committee or organization will foster teamwork and enhance the program's impact.

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 2 PLDA Points on completion of this program.
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Who Should Attend
-
- Directors on boards of publicly listed companies who serve as chairs or members of compensation committees
- Senior corporate executives who participate in compensation planning
- Also appropriate for: Bank directors, chief executive officers, directors of human resources, investors, legal professionals who help structure employment contracts, and senior regulatory officials charged with implementing legislation
Attendance by two or more representatives of your compensation committee or organization will foster teamwork and enhance the program's impact.
Program for Leadership Development participants earn 2 PLDA Points on completion of this program.
Learning and Living at HBS
When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.
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Learning and Living at HBS
-
When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.
Admissions Criteria and Process
Answering Your Questions
Application Submission
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
Answering Your Questions
Application Submission
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
What You Will Learn
Focused on developing practices that link executive rewards to corporate goals, this board leadership program will help you excel in your compensation role, make better decisions, and guide your organization through the complex issues related to executive compensation. Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies, and small group discussions, the program explores key questions across a number of critical areas.
Participants should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
-
What You Will Learn
-
Focused on developing practices that link executive rewards to corporate goals, this board leadership program will help you excel in your compensation role, make better decisions, and guide your organization through the complex issues related to executive compensation. Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies, and small group discussions, the program explores key questions across a number of critical areas.
Participants should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
Key TopicsExpand AllCollapse All
Designing executive compensation with a strategic viewDesigning executive compensation with a strategic view
- How can you structure your compensation plan to support your company's long-term strategic objectives?
- What factors motivate senior executives—and what role does compensation play in this motivation?
- What characteristics define compensation plans that are both motivating to executives and acceptable to shareholders?
- How can you get succession planning right and hire the right CEO?
Developing an effective compensation planDeveloping an effective compensation plan
- What elements of compensation plans will be most effective in achieving your company's strategic objectives?
- How do you choose between alternative incentive programs?
- How should compensation committees assess the value created by the CEO and management team—and how much of that value should be shared with the CEO and management as compensation?
- How should compensation plans relate to performance evaluation practices for the CEO and other top executives?
- What are the risks being created by your compensation program?
- How is your compensation scheme affecting corporate culture—and what kind of compensation scheme will promote the culture you wish to create?
- How do you create the right peer group to benchmark CEO performance?
- How do you determine the pay for directors?
Creating and implementing compensation committee processesCreating and implementing compensation committee processes
- What role should the compensation committee play in determining CEO compensation, designing compensation plans for other senior managers, and approving performance targets and levels of compensation?
- What does an effective process for committee activities look like—and how should compensation consultants, the CEO or his or her representative, and the senior human resources officer be involved in the process? How should the committee relate to each of these players?
- How should the compensation committee address new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements of compensation disclosure?
- How can compensation committees ensure an effective compensation discussion and analysis (CD&A) report?
Designing executive compensation with a strategic view
- How can you structure your compensation plan to support your company's long-term strategic objectives?
- What factors motivate senior executives—and what role does compensation play in this motivation?
- What characteristics define compensation plans that are both motivating to executives and acceptable to shareholders?
- How can you get succession planning right and hire the right CEO?
Developing an effective compensation plan
- What elements of compensation plans will be most effective in achieving your company's strategic objectives?
- How do you choose between alternative incentive programs?
- How should compensation committees assess the value created by the CEO and management team—and how much of that value should be shared with the CEO and management as compensation?
- How should compensation plans relate to performance evaluation practices for the CEO and other top executives?
- What are the risks being created by your compensation program?
- How is your compensation scheme affecting corporate culture—and what kind of compensation scheme will promote the culture you wish to create?
- How do you create the right peer group to benchmark CEO performance?
- How do you determine the pay for directors?
Creating and implementing compensation committee processes
- What role should the compensation committee play in determining CEO compensation, designing compensation plans for other senior managers, and approving performance targets and levels of compensation?
- What does an effective process for committee activities look like—and how should compensation consultants, the CEO or his or her representative, and the senior human resources officer be involved in the process? How should the committee relate to each of these players?
- How should the compensation committee address new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements of compensation disclosure?
- How can compensation committees ensure an effective compensation discussion and analysis (CD&A) report?
The HBS Advantage
Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Business Administration
Thomas D. Casserly, Jr. Professor of Business Administration, and Senior Associate Dean of Executive Education and HBS Online
Baker Foundation Professor and John G. McLean Professor of Business Administration, Emerita
Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration
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The HBS Advantage
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Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Faculty ChairPhilip J. Stomberg Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Accounting and ManagementFacultyThomas D. Casserly, Jr. Professor of Business Administration, and Senior Associate Dean of Executive Education and HBS Online
HBS Unit:Accounting and ManagementBaker Foundation Professor and John G. McLean Professor of Business Administration, Emerita
HBS Unit:General ManagementRoss Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration
HBS Units:Accounting and ManagementGeneral Management
Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.6%Africa11%Asia Pacific17%Europe8%Latin America7%Middle East51%North America6%Africa11%Asia Pacific17%Europe8%Latin America7%Middle East51%North AmericaEducationEducationHighest level attainedHighest level attainedEducationHighest level attainedJD/LawJD/LawMDMDPhDPhDMBAMBAMS/MAMS/MABS/BABS/BATwo Year CollegeTwo Year CollegeForeign DiplomaForeign DiplomaHigh School DiplomaHigh School DiplomaJD/LawJD/LawMDMDPhDPhDMBAMBAMS/MAMS/MABS/BABS/BATwo Year CollegeTwo Year CollegeForeign DiplomaForeign DiplomaHigh School DiplomaHigh School Diploma
