Reward Policy and Practice
Strategic Reward Skills Masterclass
This masterclass is fully booked. New dates have been added here.
11 and 12 May 2022:
Day 1: 10.00 – 17.00 (followed by formal dinner)
Day 2: 08.15 – 17.15
This will be our seventh Strategic Reward Skills Masterclass and each year we evolve the content and format to ensure continued relevance and value for those attending.
The Masterclass is aimed both at prime succession candidates to current Heads of Reward in major listed companies, and also at newly promoted or aspiring Corporate HR Directors, who are seeking to develop a more strategically focused set of reward skills. Attendees particularly value our simulated Remuneration Committee session, focused on stakeholder management and the interface role with the RemCo and Main Board.
The content of the Masterclass is founded on those areas most frequently reported by RemCo Chairs as essential to effective performance as the Group HR Director or Head of Reward in major companies. Our proprietary content encompasses:
- The ability to develop a ‘grounded’ reward strategy – aligned with business strategy
- The ability to review, assess and contribute to RemCo effectiveness
- The ability to assess the effectiveness of longer-term incentive arrangements aligned to sustainable, long-term performance
- The ability to design and conduct a risk audit of reward.
Prior to attendance, delegates will be asked to review their organisation’s strategic business objectives, including as outlined in the Annual Report, and to assess the alignment between these objectives and their organisation’s:
- approach to talent strategy,
- reward values and principles, and
- major group-wide reward plans.
It is important that anyone nominated to attend the programme will have the opportunity to discuss their organisation’s strategic business objectives (and performance model) with relevant members of senior management. Each nominating PARC member and nominee will have a discussion with a member of the PARC team at least three weeks before the Masterclass. Under the guidance of the nominating PARC member, each attendee should be set clear actionable objectives linked to the Programme deliverables, which they can share in the pre-Masterclass discussion with the PARC team.
The Masterclass is an ideal learning, networking and skills development opportunity for the next generation of Reward and HR Leaders. Peer exchange and collaboration between delegates are fundamental components of the programme. The content is targeted at experienced, capable talent who are most likely to progress to the most senior HR and reward roles.
The Masterclass incorporates a speakers’ dinner at the end of Day 1, which forms an essential component of the Masterclass and builds towards the Remuneration Committee simulation on Day 2.
Masterclass Leaders
Karen Clark
Director, PARC
Karen leads PARC and is accountable for the member and partner experience. She has been instrumental in facilitating executive networking for 15+ years. She is a co-contributor to PARC’s annual programme and chairs PARC’s Peer2Peer exchanges. She has a focus on ensuring members’ interests are met and responded to. Aligned with this focus she works closely with Partners, external subject matter experts and our associate advisers to ensure the value of PARC activities and support for our members. She also facilitates PARC’s learning offering which aligns with her interest in the development of individual and team capability plus the opportunity for progressive enjoyable careers. She is an EMCC qualified executive coach which supports her development work with our members. She is also a qualified solicitor. Karen has an interest in the role of governance in support of improved, sustainable performance and positive societal impact.
Drew Matthews
Group Head of Reward, Benefits & Wellbeing, Centrica
Drew Matthews is Group Head of Reward, Benefits & Wellbeing at Centrica. He has extensive corporate and consultancy experience gained from multinational companies across a variety of industries. He was previously at BAE Systems, BT and Tesco where he had accountability for reward, HR policies, global mobility, employee relations, HR mergers and acquisitions, and health, safety and wellbeing. Prior to becoming an HR Director, Drew worked as an independent remuneration committee adviser for a number of consultancy firms including PwC and Deloitte.
Phil Wills
Director, PARC and Independent Consultant
Phil Wills contributes to the development of PARC’s programme of events. He also runs an independent consultancy business providing strategic reward support on the delivery of business strategy and organisational performance. He is a coach to newly appointed (or aspiring) Corporate HR Directors on all areas of reward strategy and delivery, including incentive plan design and governance effectiveness. His previous corporate roles included Global Head of Reward for Reed Elsevier (RELX), for ICI, and for Diageo. In 2010 he established an independent consultancy business to provide strategic reward support, focused on the delivery of business strategy and organisational performance.
