This proxy season has been the first big test of the SEC’s new policies on disclosing risk-management practices when it comes to pay, and anyone who has a hand in their company’s proxies is likely anxious to know if they’re conforming to the correct standards. Our researchers decided to take a look at the new proxies for a Risk Disclosure and Pay Practices article. Our sample group was 100 large public companies ($14.5+ billion in revenue) who filed proxies on or before April 12, 2010. Here are some of our findings:

• The greatest percentage (72%) of companies cited the tying of long-term performance to compensation as a risk-management policy, with many citing executive stock ownership as a key element in reducing risk.
• The second-greatest percentage (59%) of companies said that ownership guidelines contributed to their mitigation of risk. (NOTE: This figure refers to the number of companies disclosing ownership guidelines specifically as a risk-management strategy, not the number of companies utilizing them overall.)
• 56% of firms cited the balance of short-term and long-term incentives as part of their risk strategy.
• 50% of firms cited the use of clawbacks as part of their risk strategy.
• No firms concluded that their pay practices encouraged excessive risk, but 16% made adjustments to better align executive pay with shareholder interests.
• Only 1% of firms cited elimination of perquisites as a risk-management policy.

We’ll be keeping an eye on any major changes in risk disclosure practices throughout the year. If you’d like to see the full report, click here.

If you’re thinking about attending Equilar’s upcoming Executive Compensation Summit, to be held June 15-16 in Washington, D.C., you’ll be excited to hear our latest news: we’ve just announced a “power lunch” for all conference attendees, with a panel featuring Robert Jackson, Roel Campos, and Jeffrey Cunningham. Rob is a professor at Columbia Law who has spent the past two years as the right-hand man of TARP “pay czar” Kenneth Feinberg, Roel is the former commissioner of the SEC and a partner at Cooley Kronish Godward, and Jeff is the Chairman and CEO of Directorship magazine. These three gentlemen should provide unique insights into the regulatory process, the media’s relationship with exec comp issues, and the future of compensation practices. It’s a unique opportunity that’s not to be missed.

We’re proud to add this trio to our cohort of over 25 top speakers, including representatives of the leading pay advisors and executives from top companies like Walmart, Proctor & Gamble, Intel, and Prudential. If you’ve been putting off your registration for the Summit, now is the time: our Spring Break discount of $200 off will end tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14. Take a look at the Summit agenda and sign up today!

We’re proud to say that 2010 marks our fourth year as the data provider for the New York Times Top 200 CEO Pay study. Since it comes at the height of the proxy season, preparing this study is always a challenge for us, with lots of last-minute additions. I’m very grateful to our research team, especially Andrew and Aaron, for pulling together another well-researched and accurate report, and to the Times for continuing to stand by our work in such a visible and important way.

There’s plenty of interesting info in the Times study, and we’ll be offering lots more to chew on in late April and May, with multiple reports on CEO pay and perquisites. We’ll also be offering a CEO Pay Strategies webinar on May 19th, so be sure to mark your calendars!