Executive Compensation Analysis & Design

Pay Starts with Z™

Executive Compensation Experts

Independent, leading-edge executive compensation consulting you can use. We collaborate with corporate owners, board members, compensation committees, senior management, and other stakeholders to develop programs that stand out in a crowded market.

We’re experts in executive compensation consulting, using data-backed analysis and decades’ worth of guidance to design custom strategies that empower your leaders through financial rewards.

We know keeping up-to-date on trends and regulations in executive compensation is a full-time job. At Zayla, we do the work for you. This frees up your time to focus on what you do best: grow your organization. Find out more about what makes Zayla different.

Comprehensive Planning and Design
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With our custom, comprehensive reports and continuing guidance, you can begin implementing new programs and strategies tailored to your organization. From our initial meeting through completion of your project, our consultants are attentive, responsive, and transparent at all stages of the process—so you’ll always have an expert to lean on.

Using research-driven advice from Zayla Partners, you’ll be able to align your policies with your mission. You’ll also maximize productivity, retain key employees, and motivate your staff to achieve short and long-term goals. 

We have two decades’ experience in a range of executive compensation strategies.

Expert Compensation Consultants

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Private companies, public corporations, and nonprofits are asked to innovate and stretch their dollar further than ever before. This has resulted in a hyper-competitive marketplace in which attracting and retaining talent is a daily challenge. Disruptions like shareholder demands, recessions, mergers, new governance, and high inflation can quickly reach crisis levels.  Our consultants are subject matter experts who have experience as board members, company owners, expert witnesses, authors, teachers, and consultants. This gives us exceptional “boardroom EQ”: the ability to navigate a variety of different personalities and the shifting dynamics of the boardroom.
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Designing Compensation for CEOs and Executives

Our process is twofold, and begins with active listening, through in-depth interviews with your stakeholders, to develop a clear picture of where your company is and its long-range vision. We then identify the data that supports your organization’s goals and your best assets: your team.

With Zayla, you’ll always have a transparent fee structure, so there’s never any concern about hidden costs or hourly padding. Our independent, skilled experts will present their guidance in easy-to-understand reports, quickly identifying not just the pain points, but also the solutions to compensation and benefits, corporate governance, and pay-for-performance alignment issues.

We advise large public companies to small private companies and nonprofits to:

  • Conduct a deep analysis of peer company comparisons through proxy statements, 10-Ks, published survey data, or 990s to develop comprehensive executive compensation benchmark.
  • Conduct an independent, third-party assessment of executive compensation components such as base salary, annual incentive, long-term incentive, retirement compensation, and other prerequisites, as compared to the external market.
  • Develop a comprehensive compensation philosophy to guide total rewards decision making and programs. 
  • Develop short-term incentive plans to motivate executives to achieve company short-term goals and objectives. 
  • Develop long-term incentive plans to motivate executives to achieve company long-term goals and objectives
  • Conduct employment agreement analysis and design.
  • Conduct market competitive executive compensation for prior years services to determine plan effectiveness and reasonableness.
  • Provide pay for performance analysis to determine incentive plan effectiveness.
  • Analyze stock holding and ownership analysis against market practices and company ownership guidelines. 
  • Develop annual run rate, overhang, and shareholder value transfer analysis to model stock plan usage and requests for approval. 
  • Shareholder governance modeling to ensure compensation plans will satisfy institutional voters. 
  • Provide proactive shareholder outreach campaigns to gather important feedback regarding executive compensation and corporate governance programs. 
  • Provide reasonable executive compensation analysis for IRS Rebuttal, shareholder oppression, divorce disputes, wrongful termination, wrongful death or shareholder activist disputes.
  • Develop retirement plans that motivate executives to work to retirement and reward with tax efficient strategies.

Let us help you design a leading Executive Compensation program to motivate and retain your best talent!

Executive Compensation FAQ

In 2020, the pandemic led to office shutdowns, which in turn prompted layoffs and decreased compensation. The following year was marked by companies trying hybrid work models, and the “Great Resignation.” In 2022, hyperinflation, hyper employment tension, and higher compensation have dominated the business landscape. With a possible recession on the horizon in 2023, organizations are feeling compensation whiplash.

Zayla’s forward-looking strategy helps you navigate volatility, so you can attract, retain, and motivate all-star leaders and staff—in any economic cycle.

Yes. At Zayla, we begin by analyzing your internal company goals. We mine market data and peer-company practices to develop short- and long-term incentive programs that maximize company performance and align performance and payouts.

Your executive compensation program stems from company performance, philosophy, and culture, combined with long-term goals. We also look at external market practices and the macroeconomic environment in your industry, to advise you on competitive strategies.

First ask your prospective consultant about their industry experience and success with similar projects. Zayla has a long track record of making innovative recommendations for compensation strategy, and the boardroom EQ to navigate complex relationships. We only take on a new project if we believe we can dedicate the necessary time to successful implementation.

We typically recommend reviewing your long-term incentive plans as frequently as you mark awards. For most companies these awards are made annually or every other year.