Fundamentals of Executive Compensation

Michele Aguilar Carlin is Executive Vice President, Learning of CHRO Association and its Center On Executive Compensation and former CEO of the American Health Policy Institute. Shelly joined the Association in August 2014 from Motorola Solutions, where she was Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Communications.

During her tenure at Motorola, Shelly led the HR function through a period of substantial change, from the spin-off of its consumer cell phone business to a major transformation of how HR services are delivered. She also implemented the CEO Leadership Forum, a business-driven learning program for the company’s top 20 high potential executives.

Prior to serving as the head of HR, Shelly was Corporate Vice President, Global Rewards. Before joining Motorola in 2008, she was VP of Compensation, Benefits and HR Technology for the Campbell Soup Company. Shelly’s earlier positions included VP, HR Rewards and Operations for TIAA-CREF; VP of Compensation and Benefits for Sears, Roebuck and Co.; and SVP of executive compensation and corporate unit reporting for Bcom3 Group, Inc.

Shelly earned an BA and MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles and was an Academic All-American in softball and a member of UCLA’s 1982 National Championship team.

Richard R. Floersch is Senior Strategic Advisor to the CHRO Association and its Center On Executive Compensation. Rich joined the Association in January 2016 from McDonald’s, where he was Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer. Mr. Floersch served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of McDonald’s Inc. for over a decade, leading the company’s commitment to its people during a critical and successful period for the company. Mr. Floersch and his global team led programs critical for retention, development and cultivating the next generation of McDonald’s leaders. He also oversaw the resources and opportunities offered to employees at company-owned restaurants to help them reach their personal and professional goals. In addition to his 12 years with McDonald’s, Mr. Floersch served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Kraft Foods International from 1998 to 2003. Previously, he was Vice President of Corporate Compensation at Philip Morris.

A leader in the broader HR industry, Mr. Floersch served as Vice Chair of the Association and as the Chair of its Center On Executive Compensation, and on the Board of Directors at Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, a non-profit initiative to match local employers with qualified unemployed job seekers in the Chicago metro area. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Personnel Roundtable and was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources in 2009. Mr. Floersch earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Ani Huang is President, Policy and Practice of the CHRO Association, the only independent organization serving Chief Human Resource Officers and top HR executives of major multinational corporations.

Ani’s reputation and deep expertise in C-suite HR issues make her a trusted resource and confidant for CHROs and rewards executives. She regularly advises top executives and senior policymakers on human capital issues ranging from executive compensation and workforce AI to CEO succession. Her expertise also extends to the CHRO’s evolving role in driving business results by shaping corporate strategy.

As President, Policy and Practice, Ani leads the Association’s value offering to members. In this role, she guides a team of global experts in creating invaluable resources and peer engagement opportunities that CHROs and senior HR executives rely on.

Ani also serves as CEO of the Association’s Center on Executive Compensation. Her leadership established the Center as the top independent resource for CHROs and total rewards executives navigating complex executive compensation and governance challenges.

Before joining the CHRO Association, Ani held senior HR leadership roles including Vice President, Global Compensation and Benefits at Global Payments and HR Advisor at Deutsche Bank.

Ani earned her degree in International Relations from Stanford University and is frequently sought after by executives, policymakers, industry organizations, and the media for her insights on complex workplace issues and the voice of the CHRO.

Charlie Tharp is Senior Advisor, Research and Practice of the Center on Executive Compensation. In that role, Tharp is responsible for setting overall policy positions and research initiatives undertaken by the Center and representing the Center in public forums. He is also a Visiting Professor and CES Fellow at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina and previously held faculty appointments at Boston University, Cornell University and Rutgers University.

Tharp has over 25 years of corporate experience, including key human resource positions with General Electric, PepsiCo, Pillsbury, CIGNA and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Tharp also served as the interim Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Saks, Incorporated. Earlier in his career he served as an executive compensation consultant for the global consulting firm of Towers Perrin.

Tharp holds a Ph.D. in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University, an LLM in Human Rights and Social Justice from the University of Connecticut School of Law, a J.D. from the Quinnipiac School of Law, a Masters in Economics from Wayne State University and a BA from Hope College where he was Phi Beta Kappa and a Baker Scholar. In 1998 Tharp was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and in 2010 was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy, the highest honor in the HR profession. He previously served as President of the Academy.

Megan Wolf is the Senior Director, HR Practice and Policy for the CHRO Association and its Center On Executive Compensation. In this role, she engages with members on a variety of executive compensation and governance topics and supports the team in the development and delivery of member offerings.

Megan joins the association from Equity Residential, where she served as the Head of Compensation and Financial Benefits. She has held Human Resources and Labor Relation positions at Vertis Communications and General Motors. Megan is a graduate from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University.

Ira T. Kay, a Managing Partner/Founder at Pay Governance, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on executive compensation. He works closely with the boards and management to help them develop executive compensation programs that Balance the Tension in increasing shareholder value in the current regulatory environment. His clients include premier US and global corporations ranging across various industries, including financial services, retail, technology, health care, mining and manufacturing, consulting, insurance, banking, business services, engineering, consumer products, media, food, transportation, among others.

Ms. Russo has extensive management, operational, international business and financial expertise and a broad understanding of the technology industry, which includes her career achievements during her tenure as CEO and director of Alcatel-Lucent and Lucent Technologies Inc. In addition, her directorships at other public companies, including her roles as the non-executive chairman of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company and chair of the Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee of General Motors, provide her with deep experience on governance issues facing large public companies.