Resource Library Emerging Issues

Our research found that by late June, two companies out of five had cut or planned to cut their CEO’s base salary in response to the crisis—the majority of which reported cuts of 10 to 30 percent overall.

The median CEO pay package was at an all-time high in both the S&P 500 and the Russell 3000 indices, despite the fact that many companies froze or reduced base salaries in response to the pandemic.

Conference Board report says companies have budgeted more money for pay increases than at any point since 2008, with many citing higher inflation as a reason.

A&O Sherman research reports a 10% increase in disclosure of executive security benefits and a 116% increase in the median disclosed value of security benefits among the 100 largest companies listed on the NYSE and Nasdaq from 2024 to 2025. More moderate increases were observed across the S&P 500 and Russell 3000. Meanwhile, the SEC […]

Doug Chia hosts a new podcast based on The Public Company Series published by the NYSE and JP Morgan. The first episode, “Board Structure and Composition,” explores key issues boards face, providing tools and best practices to maximize long-term success. Stay tuned for an episode featuring Blair Jones, Todd Sirras, and their chapter on “The […]

CompensationStandards discusses the recent executive order calling for federal involvement in defense-contractor executive compensation, including by imposing limits on buybacks, instituting potential pay caps, and requiring certain compensation provisions tied to delivery performance in future contracts.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is urging the IRS to provide transition relief after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expanded the excise tax rules governing executive compensation at tax-exempt organizations. The expansion could affect how compensation over $1 million is taxed.

The SEC proposed simplifying filer categories from five to two: large accelerated filers and non-accelerated filers. The proposal would also raise the threshold for becoming a large accelerated filer and extend scaled disclosure requirements to ~80% of public companies.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins delivered remarks at the Society for Corporate Governance Conference, outlining his priorities for reforming the public company disclosure regime and reevaluating the shareholder proposal process. His remarks focused on returning disclosure requirements to a materiality-based framework and shifting more responsibility to companies and shareholders in the Rule 14a-8 process.