Compensation Advisory Partners
Compensation Advisory Partners is an independent, employee-owned executive compensation consulting firm advising boards, compensation committees, and senior management at large public companies, private enterprises, and tax-exempt organizations on pay strategy, incentive design, and regulatory compliance across 12 industry verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Compensation Advisory Partners does
Compensation Advisory Partners (CAP) is an independent, employee-owned executive compensation consulting firm founded in 2009 by partners who previously worked together at larger consulting practices including Mercer, KPMG, and Ford Motor Company. The firm advises boards of directors, compensation committees, and senior management teams on executive and director compensation strategy, incentive plan design, pay-for-performance alignment, regulatory compliance, and compensation matters associated with corporate transactions such as IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, and restructurings. Its core products are direct consulting engagements spanning 12 industry verticals (Consumer Products, Financial Services, Industrials, Insurance, Materials, Media & Telecommunications, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Retail, Technology, and Utilities) and three primary client types: publicly traded companies, privately held companies (including family-owned, PE- and VC-backed), and tax-exempt organizations.
CAP operates from four U.S. offices — New York (headquarters), Chicago, El Segundo (Los Angeles), and Bellevue (Seattle) — with engagement-based pricing negotiated per client. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees and is not publicly disclosed. The firm supplements advisory work with a proprietary research platform, CAPintel, producing annual industry-specific pay-and-performance reports (e.g., 140-company CFO study, 65 S&P 500 Materials/Industrial firms, 49 tech companies, 40 regional banks, 19 insurers), a recurring 120 Company study, and publications including the 3rd edition of "A Practical Guide to Compensation Committee Service" (2025). Strategic data partnerships with MLR Media (private company director compensation database) and use of Equilar and DataRails data underpin this research output, which functions as the firm's primary marketing and thought leadership channel. The firm is structured as Compensation Advisory Partners LLC, entirely employee-owned with no external private equity or venture capital investment, and acquired Vivient Consulting in February 2019.
Compensation Advisory Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Compensation Advisory Partners
- Legal name
- Compensation Advisory Partners LLC
- Website
- https://capartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Compensation Advisory Partners is an independent, employee-owned executive compensation consulting firm advising boards, compensation committees, and senior management at large public companies, private enterprises, and tax-exempt organizations on pay strategy, incentive design, and regulatory compliance across 12 industry verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Compensation Advisory Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Compensation Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting (BPAHAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory (BPACAJAG)
Keywords
Where Compensation Advisory Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Compensation Advisory Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Executive Compensation Consulting: CAP provides executive and director compensation consulting services to boards of directors and management teams. Revenue is generated through professional service engagements including compensation strategy development, incentive plan design, regulatory compliance support, and advisory work for corporate governance matters.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Compensation Advisory Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Compensation Advisory Partners is an independent executive compensation consulting firm that advises boards of directors, compensation committees, and senior management teams on executive and director pay strategy, incentive plan design, pay-for-performance alignment, and regulatory compliance. The firm delivers advisory engagements supplemented by proprietary research publications, industry-specific benchmarking reports, and a published guide for compensation committee members, serving public companies, private enterprises, and tax-exempt organizations.
Product overview
Compensation Advisory Partners (CAP) is an independent executive compensation consulting firm offering advisory services through a combination of direct consulting engagements and proprietary research publications. The core offering consists of executive compensation consulting for boards and management teams, complemented by an extensive library of industry-specific research reports (CAPintel), the annual 120 Company Research study, and published guides such as the Practical Guide to Compensation Committee Service. Services span board director compensation benchmarking, incentive plan design, pay-for-performance alignment, and transaction-related compensation advisory for M&A, IPOs, and executive transitions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Compensation Consulting
- Board of Director Compensation Benchmarking and Design
- Pay and Performance Alignment Services
- Executive Transitions and Strategic Transactions
- Industry-Specific Compensation Advisory
- Private Company Compensation Services
- Tax-Exempt Organization Compensation
- A Practical Guide to Compensation Committee Service
Companies that use Compensation Advisory Partners
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Compensation Advisory Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Compensation Advisory Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MLR MediacoreMLR Media publishes Directors & Boards, Family Business and Private Company Director. CAP maintains a proprietary database of private company director compensation and governance through this partnership, enabling CAP to provide unique insights for private company clients.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Compensation Advisory Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Willis Towers Watson: Global advisory firm with a substantial executive compensation and rewards practice competing for the same compensation committee mandates as CAP, but within a broader risk/insurance/HR portfolio.
- KPMG (People & Change Advisory): Big-4 firm whose Performance & Compensation practice was also a CAP-founding pedigree (Burek, Laddin, Malafis all ex-KPMG). Competes via enterprise-wide HR transformation mandates.
- Aon (Radford): Aon's Human Capital practice (including Radford) competes with CAP on executive and broad-based compensation, leveraging its scale and integrated benefits/risk capabilities.
- Mercer: Global HR consulting giant whose Human Capital / executive compensation practice was the birthplace of multiple CAP founders. Largest incumbent competitor; competes via bundled HR offerings rather than a pure-play independent model.
Direct peers
- Farient Advisors: Boutique executive compensation and strategic HR advisory firm formed via a Livingston/Paradigm merger. Competes head-to-head with CAP for board-level compensation engagements.
- Semler Brossy: Closest direct peer — an independent, employee-owned executive compensation consulting firm focused exclusively on comp committee advisory for large public companies. Mirrors CAP's boutique, conflict-free positioning and Fortune 500 client base.
- Pay Governance: Independent executive compensation advisory firm serving compensation committees of public and large private companies. Highly comparable business model, service mix, and target buyer as CAP.
- Meridian Compensation Partners: Independent executive compensation consulting firm with deep Fortune 500 client roster. Direct competitor to CAP with similar independent, partner-led model.
- Frederic W. Cook & Co. Long-standing independent executive compensation consultancy serving large public companies. Highly comparable service offering and client profile to CAP.
- Pearl Meyer: Independent executive and board compensation consulting firm. Overlaps with CAP on incentive plan design, pay-for-performance alignment, and director compensation advisory.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Compensation Advisory Partners social profiles
Digital presenceCompensation Advisory Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Compensation Advisory Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Compensation Advisory Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Compensation Advisory Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Compensation Advisory Partners
What does Compensation Advisory Partners do?
Compensation Advisory Partners is an independent executive compensation consulting firm that advises boards of directors, compensation committees, and senior management teams on executive and director pay strategy, incentive plan design, pay-for-performance alignment, and regulatory compliance. The firm delivers advisory engagements supplemented by proprietary research publications, industry-specific benchmarking reports, and a published guide for compensation committee members, serving public companies, private enterprises, and tax-exempt organizations.
Is Compensation Advisory Partners a public or private company?
Compensation Advisory Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Compensation Advisory Partners founded?
Compensation Advisory Partners was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Compensation Advisory Partners based?
Compensation Advisory Partners is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Compensation Advisory Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: executive Compensation Consulting.
Who are Compensation Advisory Partners's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Willis Towers Watson, KPMG (People & Change Advisory), Aon (Radford) and Mercer. Direct peers are Farient Advisors, Semler Brossy, Pay Governance, Meridian Compensation Partners, Frederic W. Cook & Co. and Pearl Meyer.
Does Compensation Advisory Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Compensation Advisory Partners.
What industry is Compensation Advisory Partners in?
Compensation Advisory Partners's product category is Executive Compensation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAGAF, Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting, with a secondary code of BPACAJAG, Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.