Frederic W. Cook & Co
FW Cook is a private executive compensation consulting firm founded in 1973 that advises compensation committees and senior management of public, pre-IPO, and tax-exempt organizations across seven US offices, leveraging a proprietary database of 3,000+ companies and the 400-participant Executive Compensation Survey.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Frederic W. Cook & Co does
Frederic W. Cook & Co (FW Cook) is a privately held executive compensation consulting firm founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York, with a national footprint across seven US offices (New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco). The firm provides retained advisory services to corporate boards of directors, compensation committees, and senior management teams on executive compensation strategy, incentive plan design, equity valuation, pay-for-performance disclosure, and corporate governance matters. Its primary customer segments are publicly traded companies (including substantial representation of the S&P 500, S&P 100, and S&P 1500), pre-IPO and high-growth private companies, and tax-exempt organizations requiring Intermediate Sanctions reviews.
FW Cook's central technical asset is a proprietary data platform comprising two components: the Executive Compensation Survey (ECS), an annual survey with participation from more than 400 companies representing approximately 35% of the S&P 500 and 40% of the S&P 100, and a custom-researched proprietary database covering more than 3,000 companies with full S&P 1500 coverage, including detailed pay-program design data. The platform includes regression and interactive benchmarking tools that allow participants to model compensation against peer groups. Supporting the platform is a dedicated Data Analytics function led by a former Korn Ferry Digital / Aon executive (Steven Flores, hired 2021), with additional team additions in 2022.
The firm operates on a retained advisory engagement model with no publicly disclosed pricing. Services are delivered through senior Managing Directors working directly with clients, supported by Principals and Consultants organized across office locations. There is no parent company, no external investment, and no M&A activity in the source data. Geographic reach beyond the US is supported through international research partnerships (FIT Remuneration Consultants, Pretium Partners) rather than owned-and-operated foreign offices.
Frederic W. Cook & Co firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frederic W. Cook & Co
- Legal name
- FW Cook & Co., Inc.
- Website
- https://fwcook.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- FW Cook is a private executive compensation consulting firm founded in 1973 that advises compensation committees and senior management of public, pre-IPO, and tax-exempt organizations across seven US offices, leveraging a proprietary database of 3,000+ companies and the 400-participant Executive Compensation Survey.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frederic W. Cook & Co industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Compensation Consulting
- akta.pro primary industry
- Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory (BPACAJAG)
Keywords
Where Frederic W. Cook & Co is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Frederic W. Cook & Co business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Frederic W. Cook & Co product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FW Cook is an executive compensation consulting firm that advises corporate boards of directors, compensation committees, and senior management on the design of executive and non-employee director pay programs. Its offerings include retained advisory services, the proprietary Executive Compensation Survey (ECS) covering 400+ companies, and an internal database of 3,000+ companies used for benchmarking, incentive plan design, and pay-for-performance analysis.
Product overview
FW Cook operates as a consulting firm offering executive compensation advisory services. The firm's core offerings include executive compensation consulting services, a proprietary Executive Compensation Survey (ECS) covering 400+ companies, and an extensive database of 3,000+ companies for benchmarking and research. These services are delivered through seven US offices by a team of consultants, supported by market intelligence and research reports.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Compensation Consulting Services
- Executive Compensation Survey (ECS)
- Executive Compensation Database
- Market Intelligence and Research Reports
Companies that use Frederic W. Cook & Co
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Frederic W. Cook & Co technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Frederic W. Cook & Co partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Frederic W. Cook & Co competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pearl Meyer: Pearl Meyer is one of the largest independent executive compensation consulting firms in the US, serving public, private, and not-for-profit boards — the closest direct competitor to FW Cook in scale, focus, and client profile.
- Semler Brossy: Semler Brossy is a pure-play executive compensation and corporate governance advisory firm serving compensation committees of public and large private companies — directly comparable in service mix and client type to FW Cook.
- Meridian Compensation Partners: Meridian is an independent executive compensation consultancy focused on compensation committee advisory for large public and pre-IPO companies, competing head-to-head with FW Cook on the same RFPs.
- Farient Advisors: Farient Advisors provides executive compensation, governance, and strategic HR advisory to public and private companies — a like-sized, similarly specialized direct competitor to FW Cook.
- Compensation Advisory Partners (CAP): CAP is an independent executive compensation consulting firm serving Fortune 500 and large private company boards — a focused direct competitor with similar senior-partner-led engagement model.
- Pay Governance: Pay Governance is an independent executive compensation consulting firm focused on compensation committee advisory for large public companies — directly competing with FW Cook in the same niche.
Broad incumbents
- Mercer: Mercer is a global HR consulting powerhouse whose rewards/executive compensation practice competes with FW Cook; FW Cook's Martin Katz was previously a Worldwide Partner there, illustrating direct talent and client overlap.
- Aon (Radford): Aon's Human Capital practice (including legacy Radford) is one of the largest executive compensation and rewards consulting platforms globally — a broad incumbent that competes with FW Cook while offering far broader HR and risk services.
- Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm whose Rewards & Digital offerings (including legacy Korn Ferry Digital) directly compete with FW Cook's data and executive pay advisory — Steven Flores joined FW Cook from Korn Ferry Digital.
- Willis Towers Watson: WTW is a global advisory firm with a significant executive compensation and rewards practice that competes with FW Cook, particularly for multinational and Fortune 500 board engagements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Frederic W. Cook & Co social profiles
Digital presenceFrederic W. Cook & Co financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frederic W. Cook & Co leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles32 records
Frederic W. Cook & Co funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frederic W. Cook & Co M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Frederic W. Cook & Co
What does Frederic W. Cook & Co do?
FW Cook is an executive compensation consulting firm that advises corporate boards of directors, compensation committees, and senior management on the design of executive and non-employee director pay programs. Its offerings include retained advisory services, the proprietary Executive Compensation Survey (ECS) covering 400+ companies, and an internal database of 3,000+ companies used for benchmarking, incentive plan design, and pay-for-performance analysis.
Is Frederic W. Cook & Co a public or private company?
Frederic W. Cook & Co is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Frederic W. Cook & Co founded?
Frederic W. Cook & Co was founded in 1970. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Frederic W. Cook & Co based?
Frederic W. Cook & Co is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Frederic W. Cook & Co's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pearl Meyer, Semler Brossy, Meridian Compensation Partners, Farient Advisors, Compensation Advisory Partners (CAP) and Pay Governance. Broad incumbents are Mercer, Aon (Radford), Korn Ferry and Willis Towers Watson.
Does Frederic W. Cook & Co have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frederic W. Cook & Co.
What industry is Frederic W. Cook & Co in?
Frederic W. Cook & Co's product category is Executive Compensation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAJAG, Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards Advisory.