Daniel Ryterband

Dan is Chief Executive Officer of FW Cook. In addition to his firmwide leadership responsibilities, he consults to organizations on executive compensation strategy and design including tax, accounting, and securities law implications, as well as matters of corporate governance and investor relations.

Dan has more than 30 years of consulting experience; his clients include U.S. and overseas multinationals in a variety of industries, as well as smaller start-up organizations.  Representative clients include Automatic Data Processing, Best Buy, Citigroup, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danaher, General Motors, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Merck, Office Depot, PepsiCo, Raytheon Technologies, Thomson Reuters, The Travelers Companies, and Whirlpool.  Dan also works with smaller companies and private equity financed companies in a variety of industries. Dan has extensive experience in working with Board Compensation Committees and generally attends or participates in over 100 Committee and/or Board meetings annually.

He is a frequent writer and speaker on emerging issues in the field. He has spoken at numerous conferences including those held by the Conference Board, the Harvard Business School, the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals, the American Society of Corporate Secretaries, the American Bar Association, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, WorldatWork, the Association of Executive Search Consultants, Financial Executives International, and other related trade and educational organizations. He has served as guest lecturer at the Harvard Business School, the Columbia Business School, the Stern School of Business at New York University, The Rutgers University Business School, and the Fordham Law School.

Dan served as an advisor to the Conference Board’s Task Force on Executive Compensation. He also served as a special advisor to the NYSE in shaping the shareholder approval rules applicable to equity compensation plans. He also served as a Commissioner on the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Blue Ribbon Panel on the role of the Compensation Committee. Dan holds an M.B.A. in finance and management from New York University and a B.S. in environmental business economics from Rutgers University. He is also a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist and a Certified Executive Compensation Professional.

Dan serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations focused on environmental and educational issues including the Adirondack Council, the Lake George Land Conservancy, and the Council of Philatelists at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.

Relevant Experience

• Compensation Committee Advisor
• Total Compensation Reviews
• Strategic Incentives
• Specific Plan Reviews
• Competitive Comparisons
• Stock Ownership Programs
• Director Compensation
• Executive Recruitment/Retention
• CEO/executive succession strategy
• Severance Packages
• Equity Incentives
• Regulatory Services
• Private Companies/Pre-IPO
• Restructurings
• Shareholder Voting Issues
• Corporate Governance

Speaking Engagements and Presentations

April 7, 2025
Columbia Business School
Executive Compensation and Pay-for-Performance

December 15, 2023
2023 U.S. Spencer Stuart Board Index – Perspectives from governance experts
Interview with Dan Ryterband: CEO Compensation
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March 23, 2023
Harvard Corporate Governance Virtual Roundtable
ESG Issues
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October 3, 2022
New Director Program
Executive Compensation Primer

Publications

April 16, 2025
Evolving Shareholder Engagement Landscape and Bespoke Compensation Design
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July 13, 2023
Thought Leadership from FW Cook’s CEO: Bespoke vs. Homogeneous Compensation Systems
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October 21, 2022
Shareholder Proposals to Limit Severance Aim to Improve Governance But May Have Unintended Consequences
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October 1, 2021
Observations from FW Cook’s CEO: ESG in Incentive Plans
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