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Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. – On May 16, 2018, Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys Jane Jeffries Jones, Janet Lowder, and Vivian Coates provided an overview of executive compensation trends at the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) Carolinas Chapter meeting, which was jointly held at Womble Bond Dickinson’s Charlotte, N.C. office and Red Hat Tower in Raleigh, N.C., with a live webcast to reach a broad audience in the Carolinas. The NASPP is the world’s first, largest and most-respected association for the equity and executive compensation professional community, totaling more than 6,000 members globally. Womble Bond Dickinson and Red Hat, Inc. sponsored the meeting.
Topics covered included:
- An update on CEO pay ratio disclosure;
- Executive compensation trends that have emerged based on recent proxy filings and voting results for “Say on Pay” and equity plan proposals;
- Recent changes in proxy advisor policies;
- Tax reform considerations and its impact on executive compensation;
- Executive and director compensation litigation developments; and
- Quiet period considerations for compensation committees and management following the annual meeting of shareholders.
Jane Jeffries Jones, a partner with Womble Bond Dickinson, has represented over 200 companies in executive compensation and corporate matters during her more than 25 years practicing law. Jane’s practice involves advising clients in all areas of executive and director compensation and related corporate governance matters, including the design and implementation of equity-based compensation plans, employment agreements, cash incentive plans, change in control arrangements, severance and separation arrangements, director compensation plans and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. She also advises her clients’ boards of directors and compensation committees regarding corporate law issues related to executive compensation matters, such as director fiduciary duty issues and corporate governance best practices.
Janet Lowder, an associate with Womble Bond Dickinson, guides corporate clients in securities matters, with a focus on executive compensation and corporate governance. She regularly advises clients with regard to securities and tax laws that apply to compensation plans and arrangements, corporate governance matters that impact executive compensation, the executive compensation aspects of mergers and acquisitions and other significant business transactions.
Vivian Coates, an associate with Womble Bond Dickinson, advises public companies on compensation and corporate governance issues and on the proxy voting guidelines of institutional investors and proxy advisory firms such as ISS and Glass Lewis. Vivian also counsels companies on designing and implementing equity incentive plans and employment, severance, change-in-control and other compensation-related arrangements for both private and public companies.
