Master Classes

Part of CII's mission is to educate members about best corporate governance practices. With that goal in mind, CII staff hosts classes covering various corporate governance topics in conjunction with conferences.

Upcoming In-Person Courses:

Evaluating Pay for Performance
Monday, September 16  11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CT 
Registration for this course is included in registration for CII's Fall 2019 Conference

Performance-based compensation wields the potential to promote, distract from or undermine company objectives. The outcome that ultimately prevails depends largely on specific design features and company circumstances. For proxy voters, portfolio managers and compensation committees, those variables can make separating the wheat from the chaff a daunting exercise.
 
During this two hour supplemental session, practitioners will share how their views on performance-based pay design are changing, and how they scrutinize pay-for-performance terms to make determinations on whether they contribute to the company’s long-term success. The session will include a broader discussion of future role of performance-based pay in executive compensation, and changes that could strengthen its credibility among institutional investors.
 
All conference attendees are encouraged to take part in this supplemental professional enrichment program (you can add the class during the conference registration process). The CII member rate for this course is $295 and the fee for non-members is $395. Lunch is included. For questions about registration, please contact Kylund Arnold. For questions about session content, please contact Glenn Davis.

Online Courses:

The cost for each online course is $195/person. Please contact Michael Miller for more information.
 

Executive Compensation 101	Executive Compensation 201
Originally offered in conjunction with CII's 2015 Fall Conference, Executive Compensation 101 provides a practical introduction to how public companies and their shareholders resolve the question of how management should be paid. Led by practitioners, the class recordings involve a combination of lecture, panel discussion and audience Q&A covering: How to comprehend SEC reporting on compensation practices; Understanding board members’ role and process for determining compensation practices; Funds’ approaches to evaluating executive pay; and Proxy advisers’ analysis of executive compensation practices Speakers: Carol Bowie, head of Americas research, Institutional Shareholder Services Gail Deegan, director, iRobot Dayna Harris, vice president, Farient Advisors Marcia Hooper, partner, Salt Venture Partners; partner, HooperLewis; director, LoJack Suzanne Hopgood, president and CEO, The Hopgood Group; director, Mace Security International Bob McCormick, chief policy officer, Glass, Lewis The total time commitment is approximately three hours.	Originally offered in conjunction with CII's 2017 Winter Conference, Executive Compensation 201 features eight practitioners who share their expertise on trends and challenges in both designing and monitoring executive compensation. Individual presenters and an investor panel cover: Key changes in executive compensation since the advent of say-on-pay; Goal-setting, metrics and targets; Case studies in problematic goal setting, metrics and targets; Investor reactions to presentations; and Organizing effectively for say-on-pay votes  Speakers: Marc Baranski, managing director, Semler Brossy Matt DiGuiseppe, director, stewardship & corporate governance, Nuveen Dayna Harris, partner, Farient Advisors Michael Herskovich, head of corporate governance, BNP Paribas Asset Management Rob Main, head of corporate governance, Vanguard Timothy Stark, director, Equilar Ted White, managing director, Legion Partners Scott Zdrazil, senior investment officer – corporate governance, LACERA The total time commitment is approximately two hours.
Analyzing Proxy Contests	Engaging Effectively
Originally offered in conjunction with CII's 2016 Spring Conference, this master class features a trio of corporate governance practitioners using the case-study method to discuss how they evaluated recent proxy contests. This course provides a lens into the factors that drive voting decisions on contests, arguably the most challenging and consequential votes shareholders face. The class covers related issues such as fruitful approaches to pre-vote engagement; understanding the nature of funds' internal co-ordination between proxy voting staff and investment staff; and emerging trends influencing voting decisions. Speakers: Chris Cernich, head of M&A research, ISS Zach Oleksiuk, director, head of Americas, investment stewardship, BlackRock Tracy Stewart, senior corporate governance analyst, Florida State Board of Administration The total time commitment is approximately two hours.	Originally offered in conjunction with CII's 2016 Fall Conference, this master class explored effective shareholder engagement with portfolio companies. This class centers on how to make ESG engagement productive from the shareholder standpoint, with a particular focus on dialog on governance and executive compensation. Speakers: Matt Cino, principal, CamberView Partners Rakhi Kumar, head of corporate governance, State Street Global Advisors Aeisha Mastagni, portfolio manager, CalSTRS Michael O’Brien, general counsel & secretary, Omnicom Linda Scott, managing director & associate corporate secretary, JPMorgan Chase The total time commitment is approximately two hours.