Non-executive directors face scrutiny over board pay

The role of non-executive directors on remuneration committees has come under increased scrutiny following a backlash from angry shareholders at FTSE-100 firms.The issue reared its head last week at Royal Dutch Shell as 60 per cent of shareholders voted against plans to award discretionary bonuses to executives who had missed company performance targets. It was one of the biggest rebellions by shareholders ever seen at a FTSE-100 company and came a month after a revolt by 80 per cent of shareholders at Royal Bank of Scotland, which is now 70 per cent government owned.
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School