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David Swinford

Chairman
Rochester

David Swinford President and CEO Headshot

Expertise

  • Executive Compensation Strategy
  • Employment Agreements
  • Director Compensation
  • Business Unit Incentives
  • Compensation Governance Processes

Education

  • BA, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • MS, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • JD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Get in touch with David

(585) 713-1413 Download Bio (203) 570-0135 LinkedIn Contact David

Commitment To Clients

Our mission is to help organizations build and maintain great leadership teams to create value for the organization's stakeholders over the long term. All of our work on compensation benchmarking, plan design, and related governance issues is structured to fulfill this mission. Our advice is thoughtful, tailored to the organization, frequently innovative, and always straight-forward, open, and candid.

Biography

David Swinford is chairman of Pearl Meyer. He is a senior advisor to the firm’s leadership team and serves on the firm’s board of directors. In his consulting role, Dave works closely with companies to align executive compensation with business and leadership strategies, helping clients build and maintain strong executive teams that create value over the long term.  

For more than 40 years, Dave has worked with boards and management teams in all major industries. He has been with Pearl Meyer for 24 years, and in 2007 was named president and CEO. During his tenure as CEO, he guided the firm’s growth and its approach to delivering strategy-driven executive compensation consulting services. Prior to 2007, he served as senior managing director and head of Pearl Meyer’s New York office.

As an industry leader, Dave works closely with the National Association of Corporate Directors and other organizations on director education and intellectual capital issues. He writes and speaks regularly on executive compensation and board governance, and serves on the board of the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, one of the country’s most respected animal welfare organizations.

Before joining Pearl Meyer, he was a managing director and worldwide partner of William M. Mercer, Incorporated, where he was a national practice leader for executive compensation. Dave also served as a vice president at Towers Perrin, with worldwide responsibility for the executive compensation consulting practice, and in positions at Sibson & Company and Harris Corporation. He holds BS, MS, and JD degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

Publications and Presentations

Advisor Blog
Mark Rosen
David Swinford
January 2022

How Inflation Complicates the Compensation Committee’s Job

Some options for boards to consider as they make decisions for merit budgets and executive incentive plans during this period of uncertainty.

Read More
Video
David Swinford
Mark Rosen
Deb Lifshey
Sharon Podstupka
June 2020

Are Boards Talking About ESG?

How much of the environmental, social, and governance discussion in the mainstream is taking place in the boardroom?

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Video
David Swinford
Mark Rosen
Deb Lifshey
Sharon Podstupka
June 2020

Communicating ESG Priorities

Determine the top-level concerns for your company and then tell a succinct and clear story about your organization’s position on these ESG objectives.

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Video
David Swinford
Mark Rosen
Deb Lifshey
Sharon Podstupka
June 2020

Gender Pay Issues are ESG Issues

Addressing the gender pay gap and overall equality issues are good starting points for any company beginning to reward for ESG goals.

Read More

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Responses from 337 companies indicate base salary increases are higher than normal and many are planning mid-year raises.

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An Argument for Getting The Healthcare Board Involved in Broad-Based Compensation Issues

A changing talent landscape and numerous external influences may require the board to look closer at workforce pay.

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