Category Archives: Executive contracts

Non-Profit CEOs Deserve Competitive Pay Too

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

A recent survey by the Chronicle of Philanthropy points out that, although CEO pay is essentially just keeping up with inflation, some of the highest earners routinely make more than $1 million. Nationally, the Chronicle reports, executive pay at the … Continue reading →

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Executive Compensation Under the Microscope

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

It looks like compensation committees at J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup Inc. are keenly aware of the role that public perception and company performance plays in setting executive compensation, particularly in light of the financial industry’s recent poor performance (and … Continue reading →

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Saving Face in the Face of a Demotion

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

The saga of the reported demotion of Ann Curry, the “Today” show anchor, causes me to consider how high-profile executives can save face and prosper after suffering a similar fate. Although Curry’s ordeal is being played out in the national … Continue reading →

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Dodging Land Mines During a Job Search

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

Job changes are almost as inevitable these days as death and taxes, but lawsuits over them don’t have to be. There are all kinds of considerations an executive needs to keep in mind when looking for a job, depending on … Continue reading →

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Employee Anti-Poaching Agreements Thwart the Free Market

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

An interesting case is playing out as we speak in Silicon Valley, where a group of high-tech employees has sued Google, Apple, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Adobe, Intel, and Intuit over an alleged “gentlemen’s agreement” not to recruit each other’s employees. In In … Continue reading →

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What to do when your successful business unit is sold

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

Success is sometimes rewarded in strange ways, such as when a company sells off a highly profitable business unit in order to raise cash (as Nestle did when it bought Cadbury and as Barnes & Noble is considering doing with … Continue reading →

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Negotiating a severance package

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Joe Ahmad

Litigation avoidance is very high on most companies’ priority lists, and when a company is considering letting an executive go, one of their biggest concerns is how to keep their soon-to-be-former executive from hiring someone like me to file a … Continue reading →

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What’s the Best Way to Take People With You to a New Company?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Joe Ahmad

I’ve devoted a couple of blogs (here and here) to what things executives should and should not take with them when they change employers. Simply playing that part right can help avoid litigation with former employers. Where it gets really … Continue reading →

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Mandatory Retirement Age Policies Not so Mandatory

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Joe Ahmad

Two recent high-profile executive retirements, both citing the companies’ mandatory retirement age policies, raise the question “how can mandatory retirement age policies be legal?” The truth is, most of them aren’t. Neither IBM CEO Sam Palmisano nor Freddie Mac Chairman … Continue reading →

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Changing Jobs? Here’s What Not to Take With You

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Joe Ahmad

In my last blog, I discussed what executives should take with them when they’re leaving their company. In this blog, we’ll go over something just as important: what they shouldn’t take with them. The short answer is, besides the employment … Continue reading →

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