The Compensation Gap Boards Don’t See Coming: When a Long-Tenured CEO Steps Down
One of the most common dynamics we see in CEO searches occurs when a long-tenured leader steps down and the board begins recruiting a successor. The outgoing CEO may have served for 15 or 20 years. Over that time, their compensation grew gradually, typically through modest annual increases of two to four percent. The board […]
Preparing for Your Next CEO Agreement Conversation: Advice for Boards and Candidates
CEO compensation conversations in associations tend to follow a familiar pattern: both sides feel slightly uncomfortable, the discussion happens quickly, and the final terms reflect compromise more than strategy. There is an opportunity to approach it differently. For both boards and CEOs, the compensation conversation is one of the most important governance moments in the […]
Five Provisions Missing from Most Association CEO Agreements
In the course of conducting CEO searches for associations and nonprofits, we review a lot of employment agreements. Some are well constructed. Others have meaningful room to grow.
Association CEO Compensation: The Market Has Changed More Than Most Boards Realize
Over the past several years, the demands on association CEOs have shifted in ways that most compensation benchmarks have not caught up with. The role now routinely involves navigating regulatory complexity, managing hybrid and distributed teams, overseeing technology transformation, competing for talent against the private sector, and leading organizations through cycles of political and economic uncertainty.