Executive Compensation Highlights: First 100 S&P 500 Proxy Filers in 2025
Transitioning From Stock Options to RSUs
Transitioning From Stock Options to RSUs teresa.osborne…Terry Newth
Biography
Terry Newth is a managing director and head of our life sciences practice at Pearl Meyer. He consults on the design, development, and assessment of executive compensation programs that support each organization’s business objectives, long term business strategy, and organizational culture. His clients range from private venture-backed to large multinational life science companies. Terry’s areas of expertise include pay strategy and philosophy development, market-based pay studies, incentive plan design, severance and CIC arrangements, outside director pay, transaction-related compensation, CD&A and supporting table disclosures, corporate governance, and share plan authorizations.
Before joining Pearl Meyer, Terry was a senior consultant in the executive compensation practice of Towers Watson. He also had responsibility for the analysis, development, and implementation of global compensation programs at American Power Conversion and at Thomson Financial.
Terry holds a BS from Providence College and a MS in labor relations/human resources from the University of Rhode Island.
Every day, business moves in a more rapid and dynamic fashion and so it is important that I move just as quickly, not just in terms of responsiveness, but also in anticipating how changing business and talent strategies impact compensation design and decisions. It is my goal to provide thoughtful advice and an informed point of view covering the various matters compensation committees and management teams deal with each year.
Deb Lifshey
Biography
Deborah Lifshey is a managing director at Pearl Meyer, where she specializes in advising clients on compensation matters from a legal perspective including securities disclosure, taxation and corporate governance issues, negotiation contracts, and reasonableness opinion letters.
Prior to joining Pearl Meyer, Deborah practiced at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, where she specialized in executive compensation, ERISA matters, and corporate transactions, and at Holland and Knight, where she specialized in employment litigation matters. She has authored and/or co-authored the following works: "The New Qualified Plan Minimum Distribution Rules," The New York Law Journal (Winter, 1996); "IRS Changes Rules Through Field Service Advice – This Time on FICA and ESPP," Journal of Taxation of Employee Benefits (January/February 2000); Perquisites, Executive Compensation and Benefits Handbook, BNA Publications (2002); Negotiating and Drafting Employment Agreements, Executive Compensation and Benefits Handbook (2004); and Executive Compensation: The Perspective of the Compensation Consultant, Chapter 15 of Corporate Governance: Law and Practice (2005). Deborah is a frequent speaker and panelist on disclosure and taxation issues, and is regularly quoted on executive compensation best practices.
She is a graduate of the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University and the University of Florida College of Law, and served as a federal clerk for the Honorable Judge Susan H. Black on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Deborah is a member of the New York and Florida Bars.
I help the firm’s clients approach executive compensation from the legal and technical perspective. As they strive to go beyond a check-the-box exercise and instead develop pay plans that align with their business and leadership strategies, there is still a devil lurking in the details. My Technical Services Team helps clients ensure they are making sound decisions relative to contracts, securities disclosure, taxation, and overall sound corporate governance practices.
Setting Pay for an Internal CEO Hire
Compensation for Special Board Committees: What to Consider
As the purview of the board has grown in recent years so has the need for special committees to meet and address specific topics, often on a temporary basis.
Designing Performance Stock Unit (PSU) Programs in Volatile Times
Integrating Leadership Teams Results in Organic Growth
The Price of Progress: Compensation Considerations in Life Sciences Transactions
Navigating 11th Hour Guidance on Board DE&I
Anticipating the Effects of Tariffs on Executive Compensation
Leading Organizations through Rapid Growth
Leading Organizations through Rapid Growth teresa.osborne…Lisa Shall
Biography
Lisa Shall is a managing director at Pearl Meyer. She has deep expertise in leadership assessment and coaching, organizational design, CEO and executive succession, executive team development, change management, and talent management processes. She has experience transforming talent and implementing organizational effectiveness initiatives across a wide range of companies and industries. Her clients have included both public and privately held companies in the retail, financial services, healthcare, nonprofit, and consumer products sectors.
Before joining Pearl Meyer, Lisa was an associate partner at The River Group, a boutique consulting firm that specialized in executive development, CEO succession, and organizational transformation. Before joining the River Group, Lisa served as a talent management leader for Northwell Health, a large tri-state area integrated health system. Previously, Lisa was a consultant at Korn/ Ferry International, where she served clients and managed engagements across the areas of executive assessment, onboarding, high-potential leadership development, organizational design, and culture transformation. She also served as a management consultant for Accenture in the Talent and Organizational Performance space, with experience in change management strategy, training strategy, organization impact assessment, stakeholder analysis, and communications planning.
Lisa earned a master’s degree in social-organizational psychology from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
My approach to working with CEOs, Senior Leaders, and Executive Teams ensures that they are equipped to develop their leaders and prepare their organizations for the needs of tomorrow. I am passionate about partnering with my clients to develop sustainable solutions that will enable them to make strategic talent decisions to support their business objectives. I strive to be a trusted advisor who provides knowledge and bespoke tools to best support my client’s needs.
Peter Thies
Biography
Peter Thies is a managing director with Pearl Meyer. Before joining Pearl Meyer, Peter was the co-founder and president of The River Group, a leadership and organization development firm. He has over 30 years of experience helping global companies implement strategic organizational changes. Present and past clients include public company CEOs and executives across numerous industries, including financial services, consumer products, healthcare, retail, industrial, professional services, telecommunications, and the nonprofit sector.
Peter was a senior client partner with Korn Ferry’s Leadership and Talent Consulting division and co-leader of the firm’s CEO succession practice. At Mercer Delta Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), Peter held several leadership positions during his 11-year tenure, including responsibility for consulting practice development, client relationship management, and client satisfaction processes. Peter also worked in Accenture’s change practice for several years.
Peter has published numerous articles in business journals and books on organizational change and is frequently quoted by the business media on CEO succession, executive development, and M&A integration. He holds a PhD and an MBA in organizational behavior from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MS in educational psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in psychology from SUNY Albany.
I believe great leaders positively impact the lives of thousands of employees, customers, and stakeholders, and this, in turn, creates significant value for their organizations. I strive to build strong organizations and leadership teams. I am dedicated to helping leaders transform their organizations and helping organizations transform their leaders.
