Ryan P. Hourihan

Managing Director

Los Angeles

Expertise

Executive and Broad-Based Compensation

Annual and Long-Term Incentive Design

Board of Director Compensation

Board and Leadership Assessment

Private Company Compensation

Education

BS, University of Southern California

Certifications

Certified Executive Compensation Professional

Lominger Competency Model

Decision Styles Assessment

Commitment to Clients

I strive to be viewed as a trusted advisor to all of my clients by providing a differentiated, client-centric, partner-driven, and strategically oriented approach to consulting. I view compensation issues from both a strategic and business perspective in order to develop creative, yet practical solutions that resonate with participants as well as stakeholders.

Biography

Ryan P. Hourihan is a managing director with Pearl Meyer. He has over ten years of experience advising boards and senior management on incentive compensation design, corporate governance, and performance measurement with the objective of supporting business strategy, value creation, and shareholder interests. Ryan is particularly experienced in compensation challenges unique to privately held firms seeking to compete with publicly traded firms. His clients have included Fortune 500 organizations, privately held companies, and pre-IPO ventures across an array of industries.

Prior to joining Pearl Meyer, Ryan co-founded Echelon Compensation Partners, a boutique consulting firm that specialized in offering privately held and small- to mid-cap public organizations with high-level management compensation services.

Ryan is a Certified Executive Compensation Professional and holds a BS from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

in the news | Agenda | March 1, 2024

Boards Strike Meeting Fees Amid Rising Workloads

Getting rid of meeting fees and funneling that money to annual cash or equity retainers takes "a lot of noise out of the system," said Ryan Hourihan, a managing director at Pearl Meyer. "It's not a takeaway, but more of a simplification [of] director compensation."

Publications and Presentations By Ryan P. Hourihan

close up of bright blue and lime aluminum facade on industrial building

New Year, New Data: Digging in to the Latest Director Compensation Study

Webcast

| Feb 2024 |

Hourihan / Dupuis

Evaluate your board’s compensation levels and practices against the market.

indoor game of mixed doubles tennis on light blue court

Competing on Compensation as a Private Company

Article

| Jan 2024 |

Steinhoff / Hourihan

While private companies may lack access to the strong allure of public company equity, there are clear ways to compete for—and win—high caliber talent.

cello and bow in motion and out of focus

Director Compensation and Board Assessment: Two Tools for Driving Board Excellence

Webcast

| Dec 2023 |

Hourihan / Walton

How can directors build and maintain a high performance board with a positive culture as the foundation?

The Data Confirm It: Director Service is Changing

Ask the Expert Interview

| Jan 2023 |

Ryan Hourihan

New data on director compensation and board composition point to a year-over-year decrease in TDC and two emerging trends.

At Pearl Meyer, we work with boards and organizations to design and implement compensation and leadership strategies that build great management teams.

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