Toronto, ON – September 18, 2024 – Southlea, a leading consulting firm specializing in executive compensation and governance solutions, is excited to announce the appointment of John Tuzyk as a Senior Advisor. Formerly a distinguished lawyer at a leading Canadian law firm, John brings a wealth of legal expertise that aligns seamlessly with Southlea’s advisory services.
John Tuzyk’s extensive background in law and his practice in areas overlapping with Southlea’s core services will significantly enhance the firm’s capabilities. His focus will be on providing expert advice in several critical legal and governance areas, ensuring that Southlea continues to deliver comprehensive and tailored solutions to its clients.
Key Areas of Focus for John Tuzyk:
- Corporate Governance and Disclosure Matters: Including the review of board/committee mandates, preparation of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A), and development of policies such as clawbacks and share ownership requirements.
- Employment Contracts and Incentive Plan Documents: Covering change of control and termination conditions to ensure robust and compliant agreements.
- Equity Plan Governance: Managing share reserve requests and navigating the various TSX/CSA requirements to maintain effective equity plan administration.
- Shareholder Engagement: Addressing say on pay considerations and fostering constructive dialogue with shareholders.
“John’s appointment is a strategic addition to our team, reflecting our commitment to providing unparalleled expertise in executive compensation and governance on an efficient basis within one team,” said Amanda Voegeli, President and Managing Partner. “His legal background and deep understanding of governance issues will be invaluable to our clients.”
John Tuzyk expressed his enthusiasm about joining Southlea, stating, “I am thrilled to be part of a firm that is dedicated to delivering high-quality, customized advice. I look forward to contributing to Southlea’s growth and supporting our clients in navigating complex legal and governance challenges.”
As the only Canadian compensation consulting practice in the GECN – a group of premier, independent consulting firms around the world – Southlea is uniquely positioned to support Canadian companies with global operations. John’s addition to the team further strengthens Southlea’s ability to provide holistic and integrated solutions to boards and Human Resources Committees of Canada’s largest and most complex organizations.
About The Author
John Tuzyk, Senior Advisor
John practiced as a senior partner at a leading Canadian law firm from which he recently retired. One of his recognized areas of specialization is executive compensation and corporate governance. He has advised company boards, board committees, executive compensation and human resource departments and executives, of a significant number of well-known Canadian public companies in the banking and financial services, technology, automotive, mining, retail, hospitality and utility sectors. He was also regularly retained by major executive compensation consulting firms from across Canada. He was one of the first lawyers in Canada to embrace the legal executive compensation practice in a holistic fashion, developing one of the first stock unit plans in Canada, introducing omnibus stock plans in Canada, and making significant contributions to the content of current executive compensation disclosure. He was retained by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) to assist in the preparation of their rules relating to employee stock plans, was retained by the Ontario Securities Commission to assist in preparing their rule on insider trading (subsequently adopted by the CSA) and was retained by the Toronto Stock Exchange to assist in the reformulation of their requirements relating to equity compensation plans.
He advises on all aspects of executive compensation and corporate governance, including the development of board and committee mandates, executive compensation disclosure (including resolving issues with regulators) and stock option and share unit plans, insider reporting, clawback and change of control provisions, executive contracts, and IPO compensation related matters.