Convention organized by the Jean-Pierre Blumberg Chair on 23 Might
Over the previous few years, remuneration in public corporations has acquired appreciable consideration in each tutorial and public discourse. A number of nationwide and worldwide initiatives have reformed remuneration practices to attain varied targets, together with enhancing shareholder engagement, encouraging energetic monitoring by (unbiased) administrators, reaching company sustainability, and incentivising long-term worth creation. Though these traits have had a major impression on observe, giant variations in remuneration practices nonetheless exist.
On the afternoon of 23 Might 2024, the Jean-Pierre Blumberg Chair organizes a convention on the subject of “Current traits within the remuneration of executives and administrators”. The convention goals to enhance the understanding in Belgium and Europe of the dynamic matter of remuneration of executives and administrators. The convention brings collectively concept and observe by means of tutorial shows that include empirical proof on remuneration practices, and thru a panel dialogue of distinguished practitioners (moderated by Charles-Antoine Leunen, Linklaters).
Extra data and registration might be discovered through this hyperlink. Beneath follows a quick teaser of what convention individuals could anticipate.
Remuneration of unbiased administrators in shares
The Belgian Company Governance Code of 2020 contained a provision that was radically new in Belgium: non-executive administrators (together with unbiased administrators) ought to obtain a part of their remuneration in shares of the corporate. A number of years later, it’s protected to say that the supply has not been an awesome success, as many corporations “clarify” why they deviate from it, reasonably than comply.
In his presentation on the convention, Pieterjan Heynen (KU Leuven) will talk about the benefits and drawbacks of remunerating unbiased administrators in shares, evaluate the Belgian strategy to the strategy in different nations, and supply new empirical proof on which corporations are deviating from the Company Governance Code, and why.
Say-on-pay voting
Belgium has recognized advisory say-on-pay voting on the remuneration report since 2012, and binding say-on-pay voting on the remuneration coverage since 2020, consistent with the EU Shareholder Rights Directive II. A number of years after these authorized initiatives, the query arises: what have shareholders executed with these rights?
Throughout the convention, Christoph Van Der Elst (Ghent College & Tilburg College) will current new empirical proof on shareholder voting on Belgian remuneration studies and remuneration insurance policies in recent times, which can assist us perceive the impression of say-on-pay voting in Belgian observe.
The long-term construction of government compensation
A protracted-standing debate exists on how company governance can fight short-termism and incentivize long-term worth creation by firms. The Jean-Pierre Blumberg Chair is at the moment working an FWO-funded analysis mission on “short-termism in European company governance”. Govt compensation is a crucial factor of this debate.
Theo Monnens (College of Antwerp) will talk about in the course of the convention how government compensation might be designed to incentive long-term conduct. He may also current hand-collected proof on which instruments are used within the compensation of CEOs of Belgian corporations to foster a long-term perspective. Particularly, he’ll analyze which corporations use long-term incentive plans, whether or not CEOs obtain a part of their compensation in shares and whether or not these shares are topic to lock-up intervals, whether or not CEOs have to fulfill minimal shareholding necessities, and plenty of different components which will impression a CEO’s incentive to consider the long run.
ESG targets in government compensation
Increasingly, corporations are usually not solely occupied with long-term worth creation for shareholders, but in addition about incorporating “environmental, social and governance” (ESG) components in company decision-making. This has led to a latest pattern of incorporating ESG targets in government compensation. This pattern has not been with out controversy, as some have argued (e.g. Bebchuk and Tallarita) that the usage of ESG targets has primarily served the pursuits of executives, reasonably than these of stakeholders.
Throughout the convention, Bettina De Ruyck (Vlerick Enterprise College) will current her analysis on the extent to which shareholders assist the usage of ESG targets within the compensation of CEOs of enormous European corporations. Her conclusions are nuanced: the usage of ESG targets in CEO compensation is related to increased shareholder approval in say-on-pay votes, however solely when exterior reviewability (e.g. monetary disclosures and ESG transparency) and inside reviewability (e.g. board independence) are excessive.
Pay complexity
With all of the developments talked about above, it’s unsurprising that government compensation has develop into increasingly advanced – one thing corporations and stakeholders have been criticizing.
Marthe Van Hove (Vlerick Enterprise College) will current proof on pay complexity in giant European corporations. She may also present how the extent of pay complexity is related to possession and governance traits of corporations, and what the impression is of pay complexity on corporations’ monetary efficiency.
Conclusion
Remuneration of administrators and executives is a subject that has seen many developments not too long ago, and the convention of 23 Might gathers a number of consultants that can present proof on how these developments have been taking form.
Are you inquisitive about the developments described above? Yow will discover extra data on this web site. Registration is free for college students and teachers, whereas registration for practitioners prices € 100,00 and consists of accreditation for the OVB, IBJ, and Compliance Officers of the FSMA.
Tom Vos
Assistant professor, Maastricht College
Visiting professor, Jean-Pierre Blumberg Chair on the College of Antwerp
Lawyer, Linklaters LLP
