Category Archives: Executive Compensation

Boeing CEO resigns – the top must drop in crises like these 

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Joe Ahmad

Davd Calhoun, CEO of Boeing, announced he is resigning from the troubled airlines at the end of the year. This is inevitable and the right thing to do. Just like in pro sports, an organization with major problems needs to … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Corporate successsion, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Boeing CEO resigns – the top must drop in crises like these 

Executives Cash in as Companies March Toward Bankruptcy 

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Joe Ahmad

Neiman Marcus is the latest company to raise eyebrows with a generous performance- and retention-based compensation plan for a group of executives at a time when the company itself is fighting for survival.    In July, investors, furloughed employees and bankruptcy trustee Henry Hobbs howled at the prospect of a $10 million compensation package for the high-end retailer’s CEO and a … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Executive Compensation, Retention agreements, Severance Packages | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Executives Cash in as Companies March Toward Bankruptcy 

Harassment Skeletons in McDonald’s Closet Hasten CEO Steve Easterbrook Downfall 

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Joe Ahmad

Even by today’s standards of board oversight in the #MeToo era, the speed of McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook’s fall was breathtaking. In just four short years at the helm, Easterbrook was credited with nearly doubling the company’s share price and … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Workplace Romances | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harassment Skeletons in McDonald’s Closet Hasten CEO Steve Easterbrook Downfall 

C-Suite Lessons from Ghosn’s Nissan Ouster

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Joe Ahmad

For Carlos Ghosn – one of the highest-flying chief executives in the world (literally) – home has been a 50-square-foot cell since Japanese authorities announced a series of vague allegations against him for underreporting his compensation and misusing company property. … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Criminal Prosecutions, Executive Compensation, Fraud | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on C-Suite Lessons from Ghosn’s Nissan Ouster

Study Finds Public Losing Patience When CEOs Act Out

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Joe Ahmad

Add Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, Amazon’s entertainment chief Roy Price and KB Home’s Jeffrey Mezger to the growing list of executives making headlines for the wrong reasons. One of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, Weinstein was forced out after … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Executive Management Style, Legal, Litigation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Study Finds Public Losing Patience When CEOs Act Out

Your Employment Agreement is Nothing Like a Mortgage Document

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Another report on employment contracts is discouraging but not surprising. A survey of 1,000 people in the U.K. showed that more than 90 percent didn’t read their employment contracts – despite the fact that the terms can haunt them for … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Non-Competes | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Your Employment Agreement is Nothing Like a Mortgage Document

Massage Envy No More

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Houston Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson recently interviewed me about how a woman’s search for a better job landed her in serious legal trouble. The unfortunate story involves Maxie Foster, who worked for years as a receptionist to pay her … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Massage Envy No More

Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Bria Burk

Zillow recently reached a whopping $130 million settlement with Realtor.com operator Move Inc. shortly before the two online real estate giants went to trial over alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. While the settlement amount is a far cry from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Continuity, CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Executive Management Style, Fiduciary Duty, Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

Crass Executive Spending Puts Leading Veterans Charity under a Cloud

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

As obvious as it seems, abusing an expense account with lavish personal spending is one of the most common ways a CEO can get into trouble. Being an executive comes with reasonable perks that are necessary and helpful to doing the job. But some people get carried away and forget that these funds are not for their personal use and enjoyment. Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Executive Compensation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Crass Executive Spending Puts Leading Veterans Charity under a Cloud

Do Texas Execs Get Paid for Unused Vacation Time? It Depends

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Joe Ahmad

A recent study revealed that 41 percent of American workers don’t plan to use all of their paid time off. Given the level of competitiveness in the C-suite, it stands to reason that an even higher percentage of executives leave a significant amount of vacation on the table each year. Not only is this a bad idea – taking time away from work can pay off exponentially in more refreshed, focused workers at every level of the company – but it also means that executives who leave their employers may be walking away from a portion of their compensation. Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts | Tagged | Comments Off on Do Texas Execs Get Paid for Unused Vacation Time? It Depends