While board members and executives are interested in aligning the compensation with the strategic objectives of the company, there are a variety of ways to accomplish those goals. My approach is to first understand the key drivers of each business and to balance those with a deep understanding of the desires of outside influencers, such as shareholders, their advisors, and regulators. This approach facilitates the development of programs best suited for the company and its participants.
Daniel M. Wetzel is a managing director at Pearl Meyer. With over 30 years of experience in the field of compensation and benefits, Dan assists clients in the areas of executive and non-employee director compensation and employee pay, focusing on the development of annual and long-term incentive compensation programs to meet clients’ strategic objectives. He also provides consultation in the areas of employment contracts and change of control provisions, mergers and acquisitions, expert testimony, reasonableness of compensation, salary administration, performance management, and employee and executive benefits. His client engagements cover a variety of industries and company organizational and developmental stages, including startup/pre-IPO, privately held, public, subsidiary, foreign-owned, and non-profit organizations.
Prior to his current role, Dan was Watson Wyatt Worldwide’s Southern California practice leader for executive and incentive pay and before joining Watson Wyatt, he was a consultant at KPMG, specializing in compensation and benefits issues.
He is a frequently published author of articles on compensation topics and a sought-after speaker for numerous industry meetings including American College of Corporate Directors, Financial Executives International (FEI), Forum for Corporate Directors, National Association of Corporate Directors, UC Berkeley’s Center for Executive Development, and USC’s Corporate Governance Summit.
Dan received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles and his MBA from the University of Southern California. He holds the Certified Executive Compensation Professional (CECP) designation through the WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals and has earned his Professional Director Certification from The American College of Corporate Directors.
