PERELLA WEINBERG PARTNERS CLASS A (PWP)
Sector: Financials
2026 Annual Meeting Analysis
PERELLA WEINBERG PARTNERS CLASS A · Meeting: May 27, 2026
Directors FOR
3
Directors AGAINST
0
Say on Pay
FOR
Auditor
FOR
Director Elections
Election of Directors
PWP's 3-year stock return of +148.9% outperforms the company-disclosed peer group median of +89.7% by +59.2 percentage points, which is below the 65-point threshold required to trigger a negative vote under the strong-positive TSR tier; no overboarding, attendance, or independence concerns are present, and Steel brings deep finance and regulatory experience relevant to an advisory firm.
Bennett joined the board in July 2025, which is less than 24 months ago, making him exempt from the TSR underperformance trigger under the policy's new-director exemption; he brings strong credentials as a former Ernst & Young COO and certified public accountant, and no other disqualifying factors are present.
Dabboussi joined the board in July 2025, which is less than 24 months ago, making her exempt from the TSR underperformance trigger under the policy's new-director exemption; she brings relevant experience in finance and energy sector transactions, and no other disqualifying factors are present.
All three Class II director nominees pass the TSR performance screen — PWP's 3-year return of +148.9% exceeds the peer group median by +59.2 percentage points, below the 65-point threshold required to trigger a negative vote for directors with longer tenure; the two new directors (Bennett and Dabboussi) are additionally exempt as recent appointees. No overboarding, attendance, independence, or qualification concerns were identified for any nominee.
Say on Pay
✓ FORCEO
Andrew Bednar
Total Comp
$5,147,053
Prior Support
87%%
CEO Andrew Bednar's total reported compensation of $5,147,053 for 2025 is reasonable and well within benchmark expectations for a CEO at a ~$1.9 billion independent advisory firm, particularly given that the prior year's unusually large figure ($27.4 million) reflected a one-time restructuring-related payment, and the 2025 figure represents a significant normalization. The pay program includes meaningful variable components — the bulk of total pay consists of annual incentive bonuses paid partly in cash and partly in stock awards that vest over three years, along with performance-based long-term incentive awards tied to stock price hurdles, satisfying the policy's requirement that at least 50-60% of senior executive pay be variable and performance-linked. The company received 87% shareholder support at its inaugural Say on Pay vote in 2025, a strong endorsement, and maintains a formal clawback policy adopted in December 2023 that allows recovery of incentive pay in cases of financial restatement.
Auditor Ratification
✓ FORAuditor
Ernst & Young LLP
Tenure
N/A
Audit Fees
$2,317,443
Non-Audit Fees
$11,714
Non-audit fees (tax consulting of $11,714) represent only about 0.5% of audit fees ($2,317,443), well below the 50% threshold that would raise independence concerns; Ernst & Young is a Big 4 firm appropriate for a company of PWP's size and complexity; auditor tenure is not disclosed in the proxy so the tenure trigger cannot fire; no material restatements were identified.
Overall Assessment
The 2026 Perella Weinberg Partners annual meeting ballot contains two standard proposals: election of three Class II directors and ratification of Ernst & Young as auditor. All three director nominees pass the TSR and governance screens, EY's fee structure raises no independence concerns, and the Say on Pay vote — though not formally on this year's ballot given the board's adoption of a triennial schedule — reflects a program that received 87% support in 2025 and features appropriately structured variable pay; no stockholder proposals were submitted.
Compensation Peer Group
5 companies disclosed in 2026 proxy filing