Pearl Meyer Unscripted

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our first episode examining executive compensation at tax-exempt organizations, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by managing director Alexander Yaffe to discuss the challenges that tax-exempt health systems face when competing for executives in a market where for-profit organizations c...

We are closing out our “Top 5” series with a look at leadership readiness and the role it plays before, during, and after a major transaction. In this episode, Mark and Aalap are joined by Managing Director Matt Richburg to discuss why boards and sponsors should think about leadership readiness as an underwriting issue, how early they should assess whether the leaders who built the company are the...

We continue our “Top 5” series with a re-examination of the long-term incentive mix. In this episode, Mark and Aalap are joined by Managing Directors Jan Koors and Greg Stoeckel to discuss why market volatility and the difficulty of setting meaningful three-year performance goals are prompting some companies to reconsider the traditional mix of PSUs and RSUs, and why stock options may be finding t...

We continue our “Top 5” series with a look at the potentially changing landscape for executive compensation disclosure. Mark and Aalap are joined by Managing Directors Deb Lifshey and Sharon Podstupka to discuss what proposed SEC changes could mean for compensation committees, why reduced disclosure requirements may not translate into reduced investor expectations, and how companies can use this p...

We continue our “Top 5” series with a topic that is increasingly central to boardroom conversations: CEO succession readiness. In this episode, Mark and Aalap are joined by Managing Directors Peter Thies and Susan Sandlund to discuss why boards need to move beyond simply identifying a potential CEO successor and focus more deliberately on whether the organization is truly ready for leadership tran...

In Season 5 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted , we’re examining hot topics likely to be on compensation committee agendas as they head into fall planning meetings. In our first episode, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by managing directors Steve Van Putten and Will Cockle to discuss how executive incentive plans can support business transformation while still maintaining accountability for f...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our fourth and final episode examining the technology space, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by managing director Eric Myszka to discuss stock-based compensation expense, equity efficiency, and whether companies are getting the right return from equity spend.

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our third episode examining the technology space, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are re-joined by managing director Malcolm Adkins to discuss how AI’s value chain is extending beyond traditional technology companies into data centers, power, infrastructure, and energy-related businesses, and ho...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our second episode examining the technology space, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by managing director Will Cockle to examine how AI-native companies and traditional SaaS companies are now operating in very different compensation markets, which is driving shifts in board-level conver...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our first episode examining the technology space, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by managing director Steve Charlebois to discuss how technology has moved from a broad growth story to a more AI-driven value creation story, and what that shift means for performance orientation, equity...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our second episode examining the oil and gas industry, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined again by managing directors Malcolm Adkins and Wes Hart from Pearl Meyer's Houston office. Together, they discuss how AI, data centers, power demand, and adjacent growth opportunities are influencin...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our second episode examining the oil and gas industry, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by Wes Hart to examine some of the incentive design challenges compensation committees are faced with in a sector defined by cyclicality, commodity price volatility, and shifting investor expectatio...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In our first episode examining the oil and gas industry, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by Malcom Adkins to discuss how compensation committees are navigating a smaller public-company universe, rethinking peer group design, and evaluating whether traditional approaches to performance me...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In this episode, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by Rob James to discuss the key compensation issues life sciences companies should address when preparing to go public.

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In this episode, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah are joined by Matt Molberger to discuss the key equity strategy “levers” that life sciences companies can use to manage their share burn rates and preserve equity plan pools. Related Content: Looking Beyond Gross Burn Rate in Life Sciences Equity Pro...

Season 4 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted is looking at executive compensation through an industry lens. In the first episode, co-hosts Mark Rosen and Aalap Shah speak with Terry Newth , the founder of Pearl Meyer's Life Sciences Practice, about creating a balanced annual incentive program and process. Related Content: Incentive Plan Design in Early-Stage Growth Companies: Navigating Goal Adjustments Dur...

Today’s private equity CFO must do far more than manage the numbers. In the final episode of Season 3 of Pearl Meyer Unscripted , David Clary and Vamsi Tetali explore why the traditional “game manager” CFO profile breaks down in high-constraint environments, and how strategic CFOs balance capital discipline, liquidity management, and exit readiness—without becoming the “chief no officer.” The conv...

Early insight into leadership and organizational dynamics can uncover hidden risks, inform stronger deal decisions, and shape value creation from the start. Host David Clary is joined by Kim Kroll and Annie Czarnecki to explore why human capital is often the most under-examined—and most critical—area of private equity diligence. While firms invest heavily in financial and operational analysis, lea...

In this episode, host David Clary is joined by Lisa Shall to explore why culture is no longer just an aspirational concept, but a governance issue. Together, they examine how culture—often framed through values and engagement—can become a source of risk when misaligned with strategy. From regulatory breaches to performance breakdowns, they discuss how cultural issues are frequently underestimated...

In this episode, host David Clary is joined by Jeff Lagomarsino to explore why company transformation efforts so often fail—not because of strategy, but because organizations cannot absorb the change. Together, they examine how leadership alignment, talent, incentives, and organizational dynamics—not just a business plan—determine whether transformation initiatives succeed or stall, and what it ta...

In this episode, host David Clary is joined by Susan Sandlund to explore why volatility is no longer episodic, but persistent. Together, they examine how economic shifts, geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, and regulatory change have made uncertainty the norm rather than the exception.

In Season 3 of Unscripted , we're exploring the real conversations happening today in boardrooms and the C-suite, and the new rules and adaptations required for executive leaders to be effective. In this episode, host David Clary is joined by Peter Thies to discuss succession planning, a topic that seems to be on the minds of most company leaders, and explore the "Leadership Bench Problem" that no...

The SEC is undertaking a comprehensive review of its rules around disclosure for the first time in nearly two decades. What regulations might be changing and when – and how should boards be preparing for potential changes, and communicating to their investors? In our closing episode of Season 2, Mark and Aalap are joined by Deb Lifshey and Sharon Podstupka to discuss the current state of the regul...

When unforeseen events impact the performance of a business, the compensation committee may consider whether to use discretion to adjust formulaic incentive payouts that have been affected by such events. In this episode, Mark and Aalap are joined by Greg Stoeckel to examine why discretion is used so rarely, and its role in maintaining alignment between pay and performance without undercutting the...

Although ESG-related metrics have been around for decades, the rapid adoption of certain metrics into incentive plans is a relatively recent phenomenon. The adoption has in turn led to certain challenges – both with respect to the (often politicized) question of whether to include such metrics in incentive plans in the first place, and how to assess their relative impact. In this episode, Mark and...