About Us
Our Partners
GK Partners designs, implements and communicates performance-oriented executive compensation and management incentive programs to motivate, reward and retain key employees, and to attract new executive and Board talent. The experience and expertise of our professional staff in all facets of executive compensation enables us to tailor highly-effective programs for individual executives, senior management teams and outside Directors.
Our consulting work addresses the widest range of executive, key employee and Director compensation administration and communications issues including:
Marketpricing and salary structures.Annual incentive compensation and related performance measurement.
Performance-driven and equity-based long-term incentives.
Company valuation, stockholder dilution and enterprise performance.
Organizational structure and executive assessment.
Employment and severance agreements.
Stock option, restricted stock and equity plan design/documentation.
Proxy statement compensation disclosures and Committee reports.
Director remuneration (including cash/stock retainers/meeting fees).
Related accounting, tax and corporate governance issues.
Our Methods Since we are functionally specialized, we apply
our knowledge and experience in companies of all sizes and in most industries (including the manufacturing, consumer, finance, energy, technology and service sectors). We work with many high-quality organizations and pride ourselves on the strength and duration of our client relationships. Our years in consulting have also given us a strong feeling for issues of leadership, organizational structure and Company culture (all of which provide the context for compensation decision-making).
We do not supply "packaged consulting products", but rather employ
a disciplined analytical and design process with particular emphasis
on knowledge of our client's financial structure, market orientation
and human resources strategy. In general, our methods include:
Development of an in-depth understanding of our client's business and organizational culture through a dialogue with top management and the Board.
Detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of compensation programs, compensation values, and related financial and operational performance.
Assessment of the cost efficiency and motivational effectiveness of these programs in relation to the strategic objectives of the enterprise, and the creation of shareholder value.
Design and implementation of highly-effective cash and stock incentive plans which reflect current tax, accounting and disclosure rules and requirements, and which represent best marketplace practices.
It is our usual practice to provide prospective clients with a written proposal with respect to specific compensation consulting requirements and tasks. Such proposals typically describe the scope of any given projects, our specific consulting objectives, the methods to be used, and the staffing, timing and cost of the assignment.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Greg Keshishian
Managing Partner Greg Keshishian leads GK Partners in serving the consulting needs of top management, Compensation Committees and Boards. He specializes in the audit and review of executive compensation programs, negotiation of employment agreements and implementation of performance-focused cash and stock incentive plans. He offers his clients the experience and judgment gained in over twenty years of successful professional practice. This experience encompasses a wide variety of management and directors' compensation assignments and includes special expertise in handling significant transactional situations and in resolving critical company performance and valuation issues. Clients served include over four hundred and fifty publicly and privately-held manufacturing, technology, consumer products, financial, energy and service companies.
Prior to founding GK Partners in 1998, Mr. Keshishian was Senior Vice President and led the Executive Compensation Practice at Handy Associates. Before joining Handy in 1983, he was employed by Revlon Inc., holding significant corporate positions in business development, financial management, and executive and employee compensation. His earlier career encompassed the insurance and retailing industries.
An author and lecturer on executive compensation, Greg Keshishian has addressed many groups including the Council of Institutional Investors and the Investment Management Institute. He has been a featured contributor to several publications such as Pensions & Investment Age, Directorship and CFO Magazine, and has been a commentator on NBC News and CNBC. He also served as a Governor of The Wings Club in New York from 1992 to 1998. He is an Associate Member of the American Bar Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Regents College of the University of the State of New York and attended New York University's Graduate School of Business Administration.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Paul Lydon
Senior Consultant Paul Lydon is a key member of the GK Partners team providing executive and employee compensation consulting services to
a broad range of industrial and service organizations. He evaluates and designs both cash and equity-based incentive compensation programs, and assists clients in developing and implementing compensation strategies that will motivate and retain key management and professional employees.
As an experienced compensation professional, Mr. Lydon specializes in the analysis and interpretation of comparative corporate performance, marketplace compensation standards, and management pay programs. He has an extensive background in researching and analyzing annual and long-term compensation plans, stock plan authorizations and potential dilution effects, stock option valuations (including Black-Scholes techniques), financial performance and company value scenarios, and all aspect of total management remuneration.
Prior to joining GK Partners in 1998, Paul Lydon was employed by Handy Associates in New York for twelve years as a Compensation Consultant in increasingly responsible positions. His earlier experience was in economic and financial analysis, and database management. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Scranton, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Robert M. Bono
Executive Vice President Robert Bono is a seasoned professional with a specialization in strategic compensation and financial planning. He has created sophisticated, multiyear compensation and financial forecasting models which identify factors that optimize return on equity, define capital and human resources requirements, and demonstrate the effects of these variables on equity value appreciation and total shareholder returns.
Mr. Bono has served in senior financial management positions in a number of complex organizations. Prior to his association with GK Partners, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Triad Guaranty Insurance Company in Winston-Salem NC, and (in that role) lead the company through a successful initial public offering. He has also been on the Board of Directors of several privately-held companies.
Robert Bono is a summa cum laude graduate of Tulane University and received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
James R. Clovis
James Clovis is an experienced Senior Consultant widely-recognized as an expert in the assessment and motivation of executive-level employees and management teams, and in the design and implementation of organizational structures and succession planning processes. He has successfully served many world-class manufacturing, service and technology clients as a highly-valued advisor to top management in the selection and retention of key executive and professional talent.
Prior to his association with GK Partners, Mr. Clovis was Senior Vice President at Handy Associates in New York. In addition to his accomplished consulting career, his background includes Hercules,
Inc. and Lockheed Corporation in human resources management and industrial relations positions. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Our Alliances
Developing Strategic Solutions for Managing Mergers
and Developing Leaders
Bridge Consulting Group provides solutions to the people, organizational and cultural issues that arise from mergers and other corporate change initiatives. Their expertise can help to build a culture of leaders, critical to effective and rapid change, in your organization. They focus on providing actionable, value-added solutions and strategies for achieving successful mergers and improving organizational and individual performance.
Douglas B. Gehrman, Managing Director, has had extensive change management experience during his 25 years in executive-level human resources positions. Prior to founding Bridge Consulting Group, Doug held the position of Executive Vice President-Human Resources for Van Kampen Investments, Inc., one of the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter companies. Over a five year period, he was instrumental in the successful integration activities of four financial services mergers/acquisitions. Doug brings practical business expertise in business integration, leadership development and all facets of human resources management. He can be reached by e-mail at: dgehrman@bridgecons.com
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
