2026 Executive Compensation & Talent

07:15 AM - 08:15 AM ET

Registration and Networking Breakfast

08:15 AM - 08:25 AM ET

Welcome and Introductions

Kathy Horgan, Chief Human Resources and Citizenship Officer, State Street

08:30 AM - 09:15 AM ET

The Role of Incentives in Driving Results

During this fireside chat, two Board members with CEO experience will share their insights on using incentives to drive financial and non-financial results through macroeconomic volatility, government policy, technological change, and cultural evolution.

Tamara Lundgren, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Radius Recycling

Steve Odland, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Conference Board

09:20 AM - 10:00 AM ET

Continuing Challenge of TSR Alignment with Annual and Long-term Incentive Payouts

Aligning annual and long-term incentive outcomes with shareholder returns is a core objective of executive compensation design. Though a simple principle, the practice is highly complex due to the challenging and volatile macroeconomic environment, periodic financial crises, and changes in the regulatory and governance landscape over time. This panel will examine today’s most prevalent incentive designs, such as the predominant use of PSUs in long-term incentives, and the growing pressure to recalibrate for better TSR alignment.

Metin Aksoy, Managing Director, FW Cook

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM ET

Meet & Connect

10:20 AM - 11:00 AM ET

Consideration of Proxy Advisor Guidance in Executive Compensation Plan Risk Management

Shareholder interests are varied and lead to differing views on the risks involved with performance metrics and plan designs. Our speakers will share how they consider proxy advisor guidance and other key factors in designing an executive compensation plan to reward performance while mitigating risk.

11:05 AM - 11:45 AM ET

Next Steps Emerging from SEC Hearings and Public Statements on Disclosure Framework

Our speakers will discuss potential reforms intended to simplify and modernize the Regulation S-K disclosure framework and what these developments could mean for governance, executive compensation, compliance, and board oversight.

Luna Bloom, Associate Director of Legal and Regulatory Policy, Division of Corporation Finance, US Securities and Exchange Commission

Colleen Hart, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP

Andrea Rattner, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP

11:50 AM - 01:00 PM ET

Networking Lunch

01:00 PM - 01:35 PM ET

Unintended Consequences of Traditional Compensation Practices – How and Why They Have Inflated Executive Pay

The Professors from the Cornell Institute of Compensation will share their research on issues around executive compensation practices: Peer Group Selection; Chasing the Median; Selection of Performance Metrics in PSUs; The Use of Discretionary Catch All Performance Categories; The timing of TSR measurement; Fixing plans when the broken (aka don’t pay out). Practitioners will provide their perspective on the implications of these findings.

M. Diane Burton, Professor and Academic Director of the Institute for Compensation Studies, ILR School, Cornell University

Brian Dunn, Compensation Committee Chair and Director of Multiple Boards and Director of Professional Programming, The Institute for Compensation Studies, Cornell University

Eric Weinberg, VP, Head of Executive and Equity Compensation, Prudential Financial

01:40 PM - 02:15 PM ET

C-Suite Succession Planning and Compensation Challenges

Explores how compensation design can strengthen CEO and C-suite succession pipelines. Participants examine incentive structures and retention tools that support leadership continuity and long-term value. The discussion highlights various approaches that can be adopted by a compensation committee to ensure stability and effective stewardship during executive transitions.

02:20 PM - 02:55 PM ET

Selecting an Executive Compensation Consultant for the Board and/or Management

Our panel examines the evolving role of the executive compensation consultant and the pros and cons of engaging a single advisor for both the board and management. Speakers will share their criteria for selecting a consultant and explore governance practices that safeguard independence, clarify roles, and strengthen the quality of decision-making

Maria Sastre, Board Member, General Mills, O’Reilly Auto Parts, GuideWell Holdings, Holdings, Miramar Holdings

Mike Archbold, Former CEO of GNC (General Nutrition Centers) and of Talbots, Program Director, CFO Council: Fortune 250

03:00 PM - 03:20 PM ET

Meet & Connect

03:25 PM - 03:55 PM ET

Benchmarking Report on CEO and Executive Compensation Practices

The Conference Board’s Governance & Sustainability Center presents highlights from its annual benchmarking report on CEO and executive compensation trends across U.S. public companies. Our panel will build on the findings with real-world insights, offering a sharp, forward-looking discussion of the forces shaping compensation practices in the year ahead.

Andrew Jones, PhD, Principal Researcher, Governance & Sustainability Center, The Conference Board

Jakob Janzon, Executive Director, Global Compensation, Linde

04:00 PM - 04:30 PM ET

Assessing an Executive Compensation Program for Updates

Executive compensation programs can drift out of alignment as business strategy, talent needs, and stakeholder expectations evolve. Our speakers will share how they approach the review of their company’s executive compensation program to identify design gaps, test pay-for-performance alignment, assess competitiveness, and surface governance or disclosure risks.

Melissa Kaplan, SVP, Head of Total Rewards, The Hartford

Sven Skillrud, Vice President, Total Rewards, Nike, Inc.

04:30 PM - 05:00 PM ET

Ask the Experts

Bring your toughest questions to a panel of seasoned executive compensation leaders. Whether its evolving stakeholder demands, or regulatory uncertainty, no topic is off limits. A running list of questions gathered throughout the conference will shape the discussion, offering practical insights on how to navigate disruption from every angle.

05:00 PM - 05:05 PM ET

Day One Recap and Day Two Preview

Kathy Horgan, Chief Human Resources and Citizenship Officer, State Street

05:05 PM - 06:00 PM ET

Networking Reception