def14a
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(RULE 14a-101)
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Filed by the Registrant þ
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12 |
GREENHILL & CO., INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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No fee required |
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11( a)(2) and
identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous
filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
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Date Filed: |
March 11, 2011
Dear Stockholders:
You are cordially invited to join us for our 2011 annual meeting of stockholders, which will
be held on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at 11:00 am ET, at the Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Avenue, New
York, New York 10022. Holders of record of our common stock as of March 1, 2010 are entitled to
notice of and to vote at the 2011 annual meeting.
The Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the proxy statement that follow describe the
business to be conducted at the meeting. We also will report on matters of current interest to our
stockholders.
We hope you will be able to attend the meeting. However, even if you plan to attend in person,
please vote your shares promptly to ensure they are represented at the meeting. You may submit your
proxy vote by completing and signing the enclosed proxy card and returning it in the envelope
provided. If you decide to attend the meeting and wish to change your proxy vote, you may do so
automatically by voting in person at the meeting. Stockholders of record also have the option of
voting their shares via the Internet. Instructions on how to vote via the Internet are on the proxy
card.
If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank, trust or other nominee, you will need
proof of ownership to be admitted to the meeting, as described under How can I attend the
meeting? on page 3 of the proxy statement.
We look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting.
Sincerely,
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
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Date and Time:
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time |
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Place:
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Waldorf-Astoria
301 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022 |
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Items of Business:
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1. The election of directors. |
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2. The ratification of the selection of Ernst &
Young LLP as Greenhills independent auditors for
the year ending December 31, 2011. |
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3. Advisory vote on our executive compensation. |
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4. Advisory vote on the frequency of future
advisory votes on our executive compensation. |
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5. Any other business that may properly be
considered at the meeting or at any adjournment of
the meeting. |
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Record Date:
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You may vote at the meeting if you were a
stockholder of record at the close of business on
March 1, 2011. |
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Voting by Proxy or
via the Internet:
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Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting
in person, please vote your shares by proxy or via
the Internet to ensure they are represented at the
meeting. You may submit your proxy vote by
completing, signing and promptly returning the
enclosed proxy card by mail. Instructions on how to
vote via the Internet are on the proxy card. |
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By Order of the Board of Directors |
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Secretary |
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i
Greenhill & Co., Inc. (which we refer to as Greenhill or we in this proxy
statement) is soliciting proxies for use at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held on April
20, 2011, and at any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. This proxy statement and the
enclosed proxy card are first being mailed or given to stockholders on or about March 11, 2011.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING
What is the purpose of the meeting?
At our annual meeting, stockholders will act upon the matters outlined in the Notice of Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. These include the election of directors and ratification of the selection
of our independent auditors as well as advisory votes on our executive compensation and the
frequency of future advisory votes on our executive compensation. Also, management will report on
matters of current interest to our stockholders and respond to questions.
Who is entitled to vote at the meeting?
The Board has set March 1, 2011, as the record date for the annual meeting. If you were a
stockholder of record at the close of business on March 1, 2011, you are entitled to vote at the
meeting. As of the record date, 29,658,014 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding and,
therefore, eligible to vote at the meeting.
What are my voting rights?
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Therefore, a total of
29,658,014 votes are entitled to be cast at the meeting. There is no cumulative voting.
How many shares must be present to hold the meeting?
In accordance with our bylaws, holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock
entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders must be present at the meeting in order to hold the
meeting and conduct business. This is called a quorum. Shares are counted as present at the meeting
if:
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you are present and vote in person at the meeting; |
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you have properly submitted a proxy card by mail; or |
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you have properly voted via the Internet. |
How do I submit my proxy vote?
If you are a stockholder of record, you can give a proxy to be voted at the meeting by
completing, signing and mailing the enclosed proxy card.
If you wish to vote using a proxy, please return your signed proxy card to us before the
annual meeting.
If you hold your shares in street name, you must vote your shares in the manner prescribed
by your broker, bank, trust or other nominee. Your broker, bank, trust or other nominee has
enclosed or otherwise provided a voting instruction card for you to use in directing the broker,
bank, trust or nominee how to vote your shares.
What is the difference between a stockholder of record and a street name holder?
If your shares are registered directly in your name, you are considered the stockholder of
record with respect to those shares.
If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a broker, bank, trust or other
nominee, then the broker, bank, trust or other nominee is considered to be the stockholder of
record with respect to those shares. However, you still are considered the beneficial owner of
those shares, and your shares are said to be held in street name. Street name holders generally
cannot vote their shares directly and must instead
1
instruct the broker, bank, trust or other nominee how to vote their shares using the method
described above under How do I submit my proxy vote?
What does it mean if I receive more than one proxy card?
If you receive more than one proxy card, it means that you hold shares registered in more than
one account. To ensure that all of your shares are voted, sign and return each proxy card you
receive.
How do I vote via the Internet?
Internet voting information is provided on the proxy card. A control number, which is the
number located below the account number on the proxy card, is designated to verify a stockholders
identity and allow the stockholder to vote the shares and confirm that the voting instructions have
been recorded properly. If you vote via the Internet, please do not return a signed proxy card.
Stockholders who hold their shares through a bank of broker can vote via the Internet if that
option is offered by the bank or broker.
Can I vote my shares in person at the meeting?
If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote your shares in person at the meeting by
completing a ballot at the meeting. Even if you currently plan to attend the meeting, we recommend
that you also submit your proxy as described above so that your vote will be counted if you later
decide not to attend the meeting. If you submit your vote by proxy and then decide to vote in
person at the annual meeting, the vote you submit at the meeting will override your proxy vote.
If you are a street name holder, you may vote your shares in person at the meeting only if you
obtain and bring to the meeting a signed letter or other proxy from your broker, bank, trust or
other nominee giving you the right to vote the shares at the meeting.
What vote is required for the election of directors or for a proposal to be approved?
The approval of a plurality of the votes of the shares present at the meeting is required for
the election of directors. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual
meeting is required to ratify the selection of our independent auditors.
How are votes counted?
You may either vote FOR or WITHHOLD authority to vote for each nominee for the Board
of Directors. For the advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory compensation, you may
choose among the following alternatives: EVERY YEAR, EVERY TWO YEARS, EVERY THREE YEARS or
ABSTAIN. You may vote FOR, AGAINST or ABSTAIN on the other proposals. The advisory
votes are not binding on the Board of Directors, but we value your vote and will consider the
results carefully.
If you submit your proxy or vote via the Internet but abstain from voting on one or more
matters, your shares will be counted as present at the meeting for the purpose of determining a
quorum. Your shares also will be counted as present at the meeting for the purpose of calculating
the vote on the particular matter with respect to which you abstained from voting or withheld
authority to vote.
If you abstain from voting on a proposal, your abstention has the same effect as a vote
against that proposal.
The New York Stock Exchange permits a member broker who holds shares in street name for
customers to use its discretion to vote on routine matters but member brokers cannot vote on the
election of directors or on the executive compensation-related proposals if the broker has not
received instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares. We therefore urge you to give
voting instructions to your broker on all proposals.
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How does the Board recommend that I vote?
The Board of Directors recommends a vote:
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FOR all of the nominees for director; |
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FOR the advisory resolution to approve our executive compensation; |
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FOR a frequency of every THREE years for future stockholder advisory votes on our
executive compensation; and |
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FOR the ratification of the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as Greenhills independent
auditors for the year ending December 31, 2011. |
What if I do not specify how I want my shares voted?
If you submit a signed proxy card or vote via the Internet but do not specify how you
want to vote your shares, we will vote your shares:
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FOR all of the nominees for director; |
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FOR the advisory resolution to approve our executive compensation; |
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FOR a frequency of every THREE years for future stockholder advisory votes on our
executive compensation; and |
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FOR the ratification of the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as Greenhills independent
auditors for the year ending December 31, 2011. |
Can I change my vote after submitting my proxy?
Yes. Whether you vote by mail or via the Internet, you may revoke your proxy and change your
vote at any time before your proxy is voted at the annual meeting, in any of the following ways:
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By sending a written notice of revocation to the Secretary of Greenhill; |
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By submitting a later-dated proxy to the Secretary of Greenhill; |
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By voting via the Internet at a later time; or |
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By voting in person at the meeting. |
Will my vote be kept confidential?
Yes. We have procedures to ensure that, regardless of whether stockholders vote by mail, via
the Internet or in person, (1) all proxies, ballots and voting tabulations that identify
stockholders are kept permanently confidential, except as disclosure may be required by federal or
state law or expressly permitted by a stockholder; and (2) voting tabulations are performed by an
independent third party.
How can I attend the meeting?
You may be asked to present valid picture identification, such as a drivers license or
passport, before being admitted to the meeting. You also will need proof of ownership to be
admitted to the meeting. A recent brokerage statement or letter from your broker, bank, trust or
other nominee are examples of proof of ownership.
Please let us know if you plan to attend the meeting when you return your proxy, by marking
the attendance box on the proxy card.
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Who pays for the cost of proxy preparation and solicitation?
Greenhill pays for the cost of proxy preparation and solicitation, including the reasonable
charges and expenses of brokerage firms, banks, trusts or other nominees for forwarding proxy
materials to street name holders.
We are soliciting proxies primarily by mail. In addition, our directors, officers and regular
employees may solicit proxies by telephone or facsimile or personally. These individuals will
receive no additional compensation for their services other than their regular compensation.
4
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Our executive officers and directors are encouraged to own Greenhill common stock, par value
$.01 per share, to further align managements and stockholders interests.
The following table shows how many shares of our common stock were beneficially owned as of
February 26, 2011, by each of our directors and executive officers named in the 2010 Summary
Compensation Table in this proxy statement, and by all of our directors and executive officers as a
group. To the best of our knowledge, based on filings made under Section 13(d) and Section 13(g) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except as noted below no stockholder beneficially
owned more than five percent of our common stock as of March 1, 2011. The percentage has been
calculated on the basis of 29,658,014 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 1, 2011
(excluding treasury stock).
The address for each listed stockholder (other than as indicated in the notes) is: c/o
Greenhill & Co., Inc., 300 Park Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10022. To our knowledge,
except as indicated in the footnotes to this table and pursuant to applicable community property
laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all
shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.
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Shares Beneficially |
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Owned |
Name of Beneficial Owner |
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Directors and Named Executive Officers: |
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Robert F. Greenhill (1) |
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1,328,286 |
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4.5 |
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Scott L. Bok (2) |
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443,044 |
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1.5 |
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Richard J. Lieb |
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31,009 |
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Harold J. Rodriguez, Jr. (3) |
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57,997 |
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Ulrika Ekman |
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13,886 |
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John C. Danforth |
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7,189 |
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Steven F. Goldstone |
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10,107 |
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Stephen L. Key |
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7,529 |
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Robert T. Blakely |
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All Directors and Executive Officers as a group (9 persons) |
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1,899,047 |
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6.4 |
% |
5% Stockholders: |
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Morgan Stanley (4) |
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3,560,561 |
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12.0 |
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Blackrock (5) |
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1,712,011 |
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6.0 |
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T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (6) |
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2,433,398 |
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8.0 |
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Generation Investment Management LLP (7) |
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1,380,474 |
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5.0 |
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Waddell Reed Financial Inc. (8) |
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1,745,419 |
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6.0 |
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Less than 1% of the outstanding shares of common stock. |
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Mr. Greenhills beneficial ownership is calculated by attributing to him all shares of our
common stock owned by him and by two entities controlled by him. The first entity is Greenhill
Family Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership, which owns 989,524 of our shares.
The second entity is Riversville Aircraft Corporation II, a Delaware corporation, which owns
239,680 of our shares. Mr. Greenhill expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of
common stock held by other members of his family in Greenhill Family Limited Partnership. |
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Includes 206,783 shares held by the Bok Family Foundation. Mr. Bok disclaims beneficial
ownership of the shares held by the Bok Family Foundation. |
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Includes 57,997 shares held by Jacquelyn F. Rodriguez. |
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Address: 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. |
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Address: 40 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022. |
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Address: 100 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. |
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One Vine Street, London, W1J 0AH, United Kingdom. |
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6300 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66202. |
Our executive officers are not permitted to hedge or otherwise dispose of the economic risk of
ownership of these shares or any other shares owned by them through short sales, option
transactions or use of derivative instruments. See Executive Compensation Compensation
Discussion and Analysis Executive Stock Ownership below.
Messrs. Greenhill, Bok, Lieb and Rodriguez and Ms. Ekman are employees of Greenhill. They
beneficially own approximately 6% of our common stock in the aggregate. In addition, other
employees of Greenhill beneficially own approximately 8% of the common stock of Greenhill.
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our executive officers,
directors and beneficial owners of more than 10% of our common stock to file initial reports of
ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our securities with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Such persons are required to furnish us with copies of these reports. We believe that
all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our executive officers and directors for 2010
were satisfied.
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ITEM 1 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The number of directors currently serving on our Board of Directors (which we also refer to as
our Board) is six. Each director who is elected will serve a one-year term. Each of the nominees
has agreed to serve as a director if elected. If, for any reason, any nominee becomes unable to
serve before the election, the persons named as proxies will vote your shares for a substitute
nominee selected by the Board of Directors.
The nominees for election as director have provided the following information about
themselves.
Robert F. Greenhill, 74, our founder, has served as our Chairman since the time of our
founding in 1996 and served as our Chief Executive Officer between 1996 and October 2007. Mr.
Greenhill was a member of our Management Committee since its formation in January 2004 until
October 2007. In addition, Mr. Greenhill has been a director of Greenhill & Co., Inc. since its
incorporation in March 2004. Prior to founding and becoming Chairman of Greenhill, Mr. Greenhill
was chairman and chief executive officer of Smith Barney Inc. and a member of the board of
directors of the predecessor to the present Travelers Corporation (the parent of Smith Barney) from
June 1993 to January 1996. From January 1991 to June 1993, Mr. Greenhill was president of, and from
January 1989 to January 1991, Mr. Greenhill was a vice chairman of, Morgan Stanley Group, Inc. Mr.
Greenhill joined Morgan Stanley in 1962 and became a partner in 1970. In 1972, Mr. Greenhill
directed Morgan Stanleys newly-formed mergers and acquisitions department. In 1980, Mr. Greenhill
was named director of Morgan Stanleys investment banking division, with responsibility for
domestic and international corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, merchant banking, capital
markets services and real estate. Also in 1980, Mr. Greenhill became a member of Morgan Stanleys
management committee. We chose to nominate Mr. Greenhill as a director because he is the founder
of our firm and has nearly fifty years of experience in our industry.
Scott L. Bok, 51, has served as Chief Executive Officer since April 2010, served as Co-Chief
Executive Officer between October 2007 and April 2010, and served as our U.S. President between
January 2004 and October 2007. He has also served as a member of our Management Committee since its
formation in January 2004. In addition, Mr. Bok has been a director of Greenhill & Co., Inc. since
its incorporation in March 2004. Mr. Bok joined Greenhill as a Managing Director in February 1997.
Before joining Greenhill, Mr. Bok was a managing director in the mergers, acquisitions and
restructuring department of Morgan Stanley & Co., where he worked from 1986 to 1997, based in New
York and London. From 1984 to 1986, Mr. Bok practiced mergers and acquisitions and securities law
in New York with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Mr. Bok is a member of the board of directors of
Iridium Communications Inc. (f/k/a GHL Acquisitions Corp.). Mr. Bok served as Chief Executive
Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of GHL Acquisition Corp. from 2007 to 2009. He has
also served as a member of the board of directors of Heartland Payment Systems (2001 2005) and
Republic Group Insurance (2003 2007). We chose to nominate Mr. Bok as a director because he
serves as our Chief Executive Officer and has more than twenty years of experience in our
industry.
John C. Danforth, 74, has served on our Board of Directors since February 2005. He served
as the United States Representative to the United Nations between July 2004 and January 2005 and,
except during his service at the United Nations, has been a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave
LLP since 1995. He served in the United States Senate from 1976 to 1995. Senator Danforth is a
member of the board of directors of Cerner Corporation. He is ordained to the clergy of the
Episcopal Church. We chose to nominate Mr. Danforth as a director because he was personally known
to members of our management, who respected Mr. Danforths high integrity, sense of ethics and
experience with government matters; we believe that his long record of outstanding public service
enables Mr. Danforth to bring incremental perspectives to our Board.
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Steven F. Goldstone, 65, has served on our Board of Directors since July 2004. He currently
manages Silver Spring Group, a private investment firm. From 1995 until his retirement in 2000, Mr.
Goldstone was chairman and chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco, Inc. (which was subsequently
named Nabisco Group Holdings following the reorganization of RJR Nabisco, Inc.). Prior to joining
RJR Nabisco, Inc., Mr. Goldstone was a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, a law firm in New York
City. He is also the non-executive Chairman of ConAgra Foods, Inc. and a member of the board of
directors of Merck & Co. Mr. Goldstone served as a member of the board of directors of Trane, Inc.
(f/k/a American Standards Companies, Inc.) from 2002 until 2008. We chose to nominate Mr.
Goldstone as a director because he was personally known to several members of our management, who
respected Mr. Goldstones high integrity and business acumen. We believe Mr. Goldstones past
experience in a service industry similar to ours as well as his experience as the leader of a
complex publicly traded company enables Mr. Goldstone to provide valuable experience to our Board.
Stephen L. Key, 67, has served on our Board of Directors since May 2004. Since 2003, Mr. Key
has been the sole proprietor of Key Consulting, LLC. From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Key was the Executive
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Textron Inc., and from 1992 to 1995, Mr. Key was the
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ConAgra, Inc. From 1968 to 1992, Mr. Key
worked at Ernst & Young, serving in various capacities, including as the Managing Partner of Ernst
& Youngs New York Office from 1988 to 1992. Mr. Key is a Certified Public Accountant in the State
of New York. Mr. Key is also a member of the board of directors of Forward Industries, Inc. and
1-800-Contacts, Inc. Mr. Key served as a member of the board of directors of Sitel, Inc. from 2007
until 2008. We chose to nominate Mr. Key as a director because he was personally known to several
members of our management, who respected Mr. Keys high integrity and financial expertise. We
believe Mr. Keys deep accounting experience and his previous management experience at several
public companies adds significant support both to the Board of Directors and the management team in
considering accounting, finance and related matters.
Robert T. Blakely, 69, has served on our Board of Directors since April 2009. Since 2008, Mr.
Blakely has served as the President of Performance Enhancement Group, a position he previously held
from 2002 to 2003. From February 2006 to January 2008, Mr. Blakely served as Executive Vice
President of Fannie Mae and from February 2006 to August 2007 as its Chief Financial Officer. From
2003 to 2006, Mr. Blakely served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MCI.
From 1999 to 2002 he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lyondell
Chemical. From 1981 to 1999 he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of
Tenneco, Inc. From 1971 to 1981 Mr. Blakely was with Morgan Stanley. Mr. Blakely is a member of
the board of directors of Westlake Chemical Corporation, Natural Resource Partners L.P. and Ally
Financial Inc. (formerly GMAC, Inc.). Mr. Blakely is Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Financial Accounting Federation, the oversight body for the Financial Accounting Standards Board.
We chose to nominate Mr. Blakely as a director because he was personally known to several members
of our management, who respected Mr. Blakelys high integrity and financial expertise. We believe
Mr. Blakelys financial expertise and previous management experience at public companies in several
different industries, including the financial services industry, brings additional perspectives to
the oversight of our business.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the election of all of the director nominees.
Proxies will be voted FOR the election of the nominees unless otherwise specified.
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ITEM 2 ADVISORY RESOLUTION ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
In accordance with the recently adopted Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the Exchange Act), which was added under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), we are asking stockholders to approve an advisory resolution on the
our executive compensation as reported in this proxy statement.
Summary of our Executive Compensation
Our executive compensation programs are designed to attract, motivate and retain executive
leadership necessary for Greenhill to achieve long-term success and increase stockholder value,
taking into account the critical importance of human capital to our business. We are committed to
utilizing the executive compensation program to reinforce our ownership culture and broaden
employee ownership over time.
The components of our compensation for our executive officers and other professional employees
have remained unchanged since the time of our initial public offering in 2004:
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a competitive base salary, and |
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incentive compensation, based on our operating performance and each
individuals contribution to revenue as well as the development of our client
base and market position and, where applicable, management, generally
consisting of |
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an annual incentive compensation in the form of
cash, and/or |
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long-term incentive compensation in the form of
restricted stock units with a five year vesting period. |
The relative percentage of these components is not fixed, giving the Compensation Committee
the flexibility to adjust the mix of compensation as circumstances change. This year, none of our
executive officers will receive any annual incentive compensation in the form of cash and the long
term incentive compensation granted in the form of restricted stock units will vest in its entirety
on January 1, 2016, subject to continued employment until the vesting date. We believe that the
lack of turn-over among our executive officers together with our stockholder returns since our IPO
confirm the effectiveness of our compensation practices. Our total stockholder return over the 1-,
3-, and 5-year periods was 4.4%, 32.9%, and 62.3%, respectively. We encourage our stockholders to
read our Compensation Discussion and Analysis in its entirety.
We are asking our stockholders to approve the following advisory resolution at our 2011 annual
meeting:
RESOLVED, that the stockholders of Greenhill & Co., Inc. (the Company) approve, on an
advisory basis, the compensation of the Companys named executive officers as disclosed pursuant to
Item 402 of Regulation S-K, which disclosure includes the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the
tabular disclosure regarding such compensation and the accompanying narrative disclosure set forth
in the proxy statement for the Companys 2011 annual meeting of stockholders.
This advisory resolution, commonly referred to as say-on-pay, is not binding on the
Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors. Although non-binding, the Board and the
Compensation Committee will carefully review and consider the voting results when evaluating
our executive compensation program.
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The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the approval of the advisory resolution to
approve our executive compensation.
ITEM 3 ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON OUR EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
In accordance with the recently adopted Dodd-Frank Act, we are asking stockholders to vote on
whether future advisory votes on our executive compensation should occur every year, every two
years, or every three years. Stockholders may also abstain from voting.
After careful consideration, the Board of Directors recommends that future advisory votes on
our executive compensation occur every three years. We believe this frequency is appropriate,
among other reasons, because:
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our compensation programs do not change significantly from year to year; |
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our compensation programs do not contain any significant risk to our
stockholders; and |
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a longer period is necessary to assess the effectiveness of our compensation
programs, in light of the long vesting period for our long-term incentive
awards. |
Given that our compensation is comprised of several components which are designed to work
together over a five year time period and which are assessed by the Compensation Committee over a
multi-year horizon, annual adjustments must be made with these long-term goals in mind; we do not
believe frequent, short term changes will be in the best interests of our stockholders. In
addition, while a more frequent vote on executive compensation will indicate that our stockholders
have concerns about our compensation practices, it will not give us specific information about
those concerns. We believe other available tools will provide more meaningful mechanisms for
stockholders to state their views about specific aspects of our executive compensation program and
policies: we are actively engaged in dialogues with our stockholders on a number of topics, and
those whom we do not speak with on a regular basis can use the procedures set out in this proxy
statement under Information Regarding the Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
Procedures for Contacting the Board of Directors to send letters to our directors to express their
views.
We believe that an advisory vote on executive compensation every three years will reflect the
right balance of considerations in the normal course and foster a longer-term view of the
effectiveness of our compensation program. While this vote on the frequency of future advisory
votes on our executive compensation is not binding on the Board of Directors and it is possible
that none of the alternatives receives a majority of votes, we will periodically reassess our views
on frequency and can provide for an advisory vote on executive compensation on a more frequent
basis if changes in our compensation programs or other circumstances suggest that such a vote would
be appropriate.
Stockholders will be able to specify one of four choices on the proxy card: three years, two
years, one year or abstain.
The Board of Directors recommends that you vote to conduct future advisory votes on our
executive compensation every THREE years.
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ITEM 4 RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF AUDITORS
The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors has selected Ernst & Young LLP to continue to
serve as our independent auditors for the year ending December 31, 2011. While it is not required
to do so, our Board of Directors is submitting the selection of Ernst & Young LLP for ratification
in order to ascertain the views of our stockholders on this appointment. If the selection is not
ratified, our Audit Committee will reconsider its selection.
Representatives of Ernst & Young LLP are expected to be present at the annual meeting, will be
available to answer stockholder questions and will have the opportunity to make a statement if they
desire to do so.
The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR ratification of the selection of Ernst &
Young LLP as the independent auditors of Greenhill and our subsidiaries for the year ending
December 31, 2011. Proxies will be voted FOR ratifying this selection unless otherwise specified.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The Board of Directors conducts its business through meetings of the Board and the following
standing committees: Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Governance. Each of the standing
committees has adopted and operates under a written charter, all of which are available on our Web
site at www.greenhill.com. Other corporate governance documents also are available on our Web site
at the same address, including our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics and our Related Person Transaction Policy. The Guidelines, the Code and the Related
Person Transaction Policy are also available in print to any shareholder who requests them.
Director Independence
Under applicable New York Stock Exchange listing standards, a majority of the Board of
Directors must be independent, and no director qualifies as independent unless the Board of
Directors affirmatively determines that the director has no material relationship with Greenhill.
In connection with this independence determination, the Board considered transactions and
relationships between each director or director nominee or any member of his or her immediate
family and Greenhill and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including those reported under Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions below. The Board also examined transactions and
relationships between directors and our director nominee or their affiliates and members of
Greenhills senior management or their affiliates. The purpose of this review was to determine
whether any such relationships or transactions were inconsistent with a determination that the
director or director nominee is independent.
The Board determined that none of Messrs. Danforth, Goldstone, Key or Blakely:
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had any material relationship with Greenhill (other than as directors) |
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had any material relationship, either directly or as a partner, shareholder or
officer of another organization that has a relationship with Greenhill |
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is an employee or has an immediate family member who is or has in the last three
years been an executive officer of Greenhill |
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receives, or has an immediate family member who receives, more than $120,000 in
direct compensation from Greenhill (other than director and committee fees) |
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is affiliated with or employed by, or has an immediate family member who is or has
been within the past three years a partner of or employee of the Greenhill audit team or,
a present or former internal or external auditor of Greenhill |
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is employed or has an immediate family member who is employed as an executive officer
of another company where any of Greenhills present executives serve on the compensation
committee |
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is an executive officer of a company that makes payment to or receives payments from
Greenhill for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal year, exceeds
the greater of $1 million or 2% of such other companys consolidated gross revenues |
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is an executive officer of any charitable organization to which Greenhill has
contributed an amount in any single fiscal year in excess of $1 million or 2% of the
consolidated gross revenues of such charitable organization. |
As a result of this review the Board affirmatively determined that each of our non-employee
directors (Robert T. Blakely, John C. Danforth, Steven F. Goldstone, and Stephen L. Key) is
independent as that term is defined in the applicable New York Stock Exchange listing
standards. Messrs. Greenhill and Bok cannot be considered independent directors because of their
employment at Greenhill.
Meetings of the Independent Directors
In addition to the committees of the Board of Directors described above, our non-employee
directors meet regularly in executive sessions in which our employee directors (Messrs. Greenhill
and Bok) and other members of management do not participate. The independent directors take turns
serving as the presiding director of these executive sessions.
Committees of the Board
Audit Committee
Members:
Stephen L. Key (Chairman)
Robert T. Blakely
John C. Danforth
The Audit Committee is a separate committee established in accordance with Rule 10A-3 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the
Audit Committee are independent as that term is defined in the applicable New York Stock
Exchange listing standards and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and that all
members are financially literate as required by the applicable New York Stock Exchange listing
standards. The Board of Directors also has determined that all members of the Audit Committee have
the accounting or related financial expertise required by the applicable New York Stock Exchange
listing standards and that Mr. Key is an audit committee financial expert as defined by
applicable regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. While we do not have a policy
that limits the number of public company audit committees on which the members of our Audit
Committee may serve, none of the members of our Audit Committee other than Mr. Blakely currently
serve on more than three such audit committees. Mr. Blakely currently serves on the audit
committees of four public companies, including Greenhill. Our Board of Directors has discussed
with Mr. Blakely the time and effort required to be devoted by Mr. Blakely to his service on these
committees and has affirmatively determined that such services do not impair Mr. Blakelys ability
to serve as an effective member of Greenhills Audit Committee.
The Audit Committees purpose is to oversee the independent auditors qualifications,
independence and performance, the integrity of our financial statements, the performance of our
internal audit function and independent auditors and compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements. The Audit Committee has sole authority to retain and terminate the independent
auditors
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and is directly responsible for the compensation and oversight of the work of the
independent auditors. The Audit Committee reviews and discusses with management and the independent
auditors the annual audited and quarterly financial statements, reviews the integrity of the
financial reporting processes, both internal and external, and prepares the Audit Committee Report
included in the proxy statement in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The Audit Committee has adopted and operates under a written charter, which is
available on our Web site at www.greenhill.com. The Audit Committee met five times during 2010. In
addition, the SEC Subcommittee of the Audit Committee, which is responsible for reviewing periodic
reports of Greenhill filed with the SEC, met three times during 2010.
Compensation Committee
Members:
Steven F. Goldstone (Chairman)
Robert T. Blakely
Stephen L. Key
The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are
independent as that term is defined in applicable New York Stock Exchange listing standards.
The Compensation Committee oversees our compensation and benefits policies generally, evaluates
senior executive performance, oversees and sets compensation for our senior executives and reviews
managements succession plan. The Compensation Committee evaluates our compensation philosophy,
goals and objectives generally, and it approves corporate goals related to the compensation of our
senior executives (including the chief executive officer), approves compensation and compensatory
arrangements applicable to our other executive officers based on our compensation goals and
objectives. See Executive Compensation Compensation Discussion and Analysis for more
information on the Compensation Committees role in determining compensation. In addition, the
Committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending the establishment of broad-based incentive
compensation, equity-based, retirement or other material employee benefit plans, and for
discharging any duties under the terms of our equity incentive plan. The Compensation Committee has
adopted and operates under a written charter, which permits the Compensation Committee to delegate
its authority to subcommittees of the Chairman of the Compensation Committee when it deems
appropriate and in the best interests of Greenhill. The charter is available on our Web site at
www.greenhill.com. The Compensation Committee met three times during 2010.
Nominating and Governance Committee
Members:
Robert T. Blakely (Chairman)
Steven F. Goldstone
Stephen L. Key
The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Nominating and Governance
Committee are independent as that term is defined in applicable New York Stock Exchange listing
standards. The Nominating and Governance Committee identifies and recommends individuals qualified
to become members of the Board of Directors and recommends to the Board sound corporate governance
principles and practices for Greenhill. In particular, the Committee assesses the independence of
all Board members, identifies and evaluates candidates for nomination as directors, recommends the
slate of director nominees for election at the annual meeting of stockholders and to fill
vacancies between annual meetings, recommends qualified members of the Board for membership on
committees, oversees the director orientation and continuing education programs, reviews the
Boards committee structure, reviews and assesses the adequacy of our Corporate Governance
Guidelines, evaluates the annual evaluation process for the Board and Board committees and is
charged with
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overseeing our Related Person Transaction Policy. The responsibilities of the
Nominating and Governance Committee are set forth in the Nominating and Governance Committee
Charter, which is available on our Web site at www.greenhill.com. The Nominating and Governance
Committee met two times during 2010.
Meeting Attendance
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that our directors are expected to attend meetings
of the Board and of the committees on which they serve. We do not have a policy requiring directors
to attend our annual meeting of stockholders. All of our directors except Mr. Borrows (who has
since resigned from our Board) attended the annual meeting of stockholders in 2010, and all of our
directors attended at least 75% of the Board and committee meetings on which the directors served.
Procedures for Contacting the Board of Directors
The Board has established a process for stockholders and other interested parties to send
written communications to the Board or to individual directors. Such communications may be made
anonymously. Such communications should be sent by U.S. mail to the Board of Directors, c/o
Greenhill, 300 Park Avenue, New York, New York, 10022 (attention: General Counsel). The
communications will be collected by the Secretary and delivered, in the form received and if so
addressed, to a specified director, the independent directors or the Audit Committee or its
Chairman. Items that are unrelated to a directors duties and responsibilities as a Board member
may be excluded by the Secretary, including solicitations and advertisements, junk mail and
resumes.
Procedures for Selecting and Nominating Director Candidates
In evaluating the appropriate characteristics of candidates for service as a director, the
Nominating and Governance Committee takes into account many factors. At a minimum, director
candidates must demonstrate high standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism, independence,
sound judgment, community leadership and meaningful experience in business, law or finance or other
appropriate endeavor. In addition, the candidates must be committed to representing the long-term
interests of our stockholders. In addition to these minimum qualifications, the Committee also
considers other factors it deems appropriate based on the current needs of the Board, including
specific business and financial expertise currently desired on the Board, experience as a director
of a public company and diversity. The Committee does not have any formal diversity policy. With
these factors and characteristics in mind, the Committee will generally begin its search by seeking
nominations from existing members of the Board and management. The Committee will also reassess
the qualifications of a director, including the directors past contributions to the Board and the
directors attendance and contributions at Board and committee meetings, prior to recommending a
director for reelection to another term.
Our Board of Directors has adopted procedures by which stockholders may recommend nominees to
the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider any director candidate
recommended by shareholders in accordance with the procedures set out in our bylaws and applicable
law on the same basis as it considers other director candidates. Stockholders may also submit a
letter and relevant information about the candidate to the Secretary at Greenhill & Co., Inc., 300
Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
Director and Officer Indemnification
We have entered into agreements that provide indemnification to our directors, officers and
all other persons requested or authorized by our Board of Directors to take actions on behalf of us
for all
losses, damages, costs and expenses incurred by the indemnified person arising out of such
persons service in such capacity, subject to the limitations imposed by Delaware law. These
agreements are in addition to our indemnification obligations under our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation.
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Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
The Chairman of our Board of Directors, Robert F. Greenhill, is the founder of Greenhill and
has previously served as its Chief Executive Officer. In 2007, Mr. Greenhill relinquished the
position as Chief Executive Officer. At that time, the Board of Directors determined that it was in
the best interests of our stockholders for Mr. Greenhill to continue to serve as Chairman of the
Board, given the depth of his experience with our firm and our industry. The independent members
of our Board of Directors have not chosen to appoint a lead independent director. Our Board of
Directors, under the guidance of the Nominating and Governance Committee, reviews the structure of
our Board of Directors and its committees each year as a part of its annual self evaluation
process, and in that context considers, among other things, issues of structure and leadership.
The Board of Directors is satisfied that its current structure and processes are well suited for
the Company, given its simple business model, significant employee stock ownership and size.
The Board of Directors has delegated risk management and oversight to the Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee receives regular reports on risk matters, including financial, legal and
regulatory risks, at its quarterly meetings. The Audit Committee oversees the companys periodic
risk assessments and risk-based internal audits. In addition, the Audit Committee meets regularly
with the Chief Compliance Officer, principal accounting officer and General Counsel of Greenhill as
well as its external and internal auditors, to discuss issues related to risk management. The
Audit Committee, in turn, reports any material risk issues which may arise to the full Board of
Directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all of our directors and
employees, including our principal executive officers, principal financial officer, principal
accounting officer, controller and other employees performing similar functions. A copy of this
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our Web site at www.greenhill.com.
We intend to post on our Web site any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our principal executive officers, principal financial
officer, principal accounting officer, controller and other persons performing similar functions
within four business days following the date of such amendment or waiver.
Related Person Transactions Policy
We have adopted a written related person transactions policy, which is administered by the
Nominating and Governance Committee. This policy applies to any transaction or series of related
transactions or any material amendment to any such transaction involving a related person and the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company. For the purposes of the policy, related persons consist
of executive officers, directors, director nominees, any shareholder beneficially owning more than
5% of the Companys common stock, and immediate family members of any such persons. Under the
policy, the transaction will be referred to the General Counsel, the Chief Executive Officer and/or
the Nominating and Governance Committee for review depending on who the related person is. Such
reviewer will review, approve or ratify the transaction, taking into account all factors that it
deems appropriate, including whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms
generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the
extent of the related persons interest in the transaction. No reviewer may participate in any
review, approval or
ratification of any related person transaction in which such reviewer or any of his or her
immediate family members is the related person. All determinations by the Chief Executive Officer
or the General Counsel under the policy will be reported to the Committee at its next regularly
scheduled meeting or earlier if appropriate. The related person transactions discussed in Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions below were entered into before the adoption of this written
policy.
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Overview and Process
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, which consists entirely of independent
outside directors, has overall responsibility for evaluating and approving the executive officer
base salary, annual and long-term incentive compensation, benefit, severance, equity-based and
other compensation plans, policies and programs of Greenhill. Neither we nor the Compensation
Committee has retained any compensation or similar consultants to assist in determining forms or
amounts of compensation for employees or directors. Rather, the Compensation Committee maintains a
dialogue with the management of Greenhill regarding compensation, industry practices, and the
contributions of individual executives which are taken into account in determining compensation.
Scott Bok, our Chief Executive Officer, makes recommendations to the Compensation Committee
regarding both the form and amount of base salary and incentive compensation each year. The
Compensation Committee, in approving annual and long-term incentive compensation, is also aware of
the amounts of compensation previously awarded to the executive officers and their level of stock
ownership.
Compensation Philosophy
Given the critical importance of human capital to our business, we have designed our executive
compensation program to attract, motivate and retain the executive leadership necessary for
Greenhill to achieve long-term success and increase stockholder value. Our compensation policy has
not changed since our initial public offering in 2004. A substantial portion of each executives
total compensation is variable and delivered on a pay-for-performance basis. We are committed to
utilizing the executive compensation program to reinforce our ownership culture and to broaden
employee ownership over time. We strongly believe that executive and employee ownership directly
aligns the interests of employees and stockholders and promotes long-term stockholder value
creation. The key components of the compensation program for executive officers are base salary,
annual incentive compensation and long-term incentives, each of which is described below. It has
historically been our goal that compensation and benefits in the aggregate represent 50% or less of
our annual revenues although we recognize that we may need to exceed this ratio under certain
circumstances, as was the case in 2010. In allocating compensation to our executive officers and
other senior professionals, our primary emphasis is on evaluating the relative contribution to the
company that each executive officer and other senior professional has made and on allocating
compensation fairly to reflect those contributions. This allocation changes on an annual basis.
See Allocation of Compensation below for a description of 2010 allocations.
Components of Compensation
Base Salary Annual base salaries for executive officers were set at $600,000 at the time of
our initial public offering in 2004 and have remained at that level since then.
Executive officer base salaries and subsequent adjustments, if any, will be determined by the
Compensation Committee, based on a review of relevant publicly available market data and other
factors the Compensation Committee believes are relevant. In addition, the Compensation Committee
will consider salary adjustments for the organizations broader employee population.
Incentive Compensation Incentive compensation is a key component of Greenhills executive
compensation strategy. Awards of annual and long-term incentive compensation are generally based on
Greenhills operating performance and each individuals contributions to revenue as well as to the
development of Greenhills client base, strategic development, market position and management.
Consistent with our philosophy regarding executive ownership, executive officers are eligible for
annual incentive compensation generally payable in the form of cash and long-term incentives
payable
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in the form of restricted stock units. Annual incentive compensation awards and long-term
incentive compensation awards are only granted once a year, generally at the meeting of the
Compensation Committee held in January once the revenue and other financial information is
available; however, we often make restricted stock unit grants to new employees at the time that
they join the firm to foster a sense of ownership. Incentive compensation is awarded pursuant to
the terms of Greenhills Equity Incentive Plan, which permits the Compensation Committee to select
among a variety of types of awards, including cash, stock, options or restricted stock units.
While Greenhill has never awarded any stock options and does not expect to do so, if it were to
award stock options, such options, under the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan, must be granted
with an exercise price of fair market value on the date of the grant, and under the relevant rules
of the New York Stock Exchange, the replacement of any such options with lower-priced options would
require stockholder approval.
Annual Incentive Compensation. The aggregate amount of annual incentive
compensation will vary from year to year depending on the amount of our revenues, industry
practices and other factors. See Allocation of Compensation below for a description
of the process for determining the size of 2010 annual incentive compensation awarded.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation. The aggregate amount of long-term incentive
compensation awarded in any year will also vary from year to year depending on the amount
of revenues, industry practices and other factors. Greenhill believes the use of
significant equity-based awards as part of the compensation program will support the
achievement of the firms long-term objectives and stockholder value creation, further
align executive and stockholder interests and promote executive ownership. Long-term
incentive compensation awards of restricted stock units generally will vest pro rata over a
period of five years, consistent with our desire to maximize long-term retention of senior
professionals. Some awards of restricted stock units may not vest at all for five years,
when they vest fully. Restricted stock units are only transferable in limited
circumstances. We pay dividend equivalents to the holders of unvested restricted stock
units, although such amounts are subject to forfeiture under certain circumstances. See
Allocation of Compensation below for a description of the process for determining the size
of 2010 long-term incentive compensation awarded.
Profit Overrides In 2009, we announced our intention to separate our merchant banking
business to focus entirely on our financial advisory business, and we sold certain assets of our
merchant banking business (including the right to raise successor funds) to certain of our
employees engaged in that business. In previous years, in addition to base salary, annual
incentive compensation and long-term incentive compensation described above, those executive
officers who also served as members of the investment committees of the merchant banking funds or
were otherwise actively involved with those funds, and other employees who played significant roles
in the investments made by our funds, were eligible to receive as additional compensation in any
fiscal year in the form of interests in profit overrides generated by our merchant banking funds
(subject to achievement of a minimum investment return for our funds outside investors). As of
January 1, 2011, none of our employees focuses exclusively on our merchant banking business, as the
separation of that business was completed on December 31, 2010. None of the profit override in
respect of investments made in 2009 or 2010 was allocated to any of our executive officers. The
ultimate value of the profit override allocated to such officers in earlier years in respect of an
investment will not be determinable until that investment has been fully divested or otherwise
monetized by the fund in question, a process which can take many years. No portion of such profit
overrides is paid to employees until such time as the profit overrides are actually paid to
Greenhill by the funds. Profit overrides are subject to vesting, generally over a period of four
years, and may only be transferred under limited circumstances.
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Other Forms of Compensation We do not provide any perquisites to any employees other than Mr.
Robert F. Greenhill, our Chairman of the Board of Directors and a managing director of Greenhill.
Please see Certain Relationships and Related Transactions on page 27 for a description of the
compensation and perquisites provided to Mr. Greenhill.
We do not have any pension, severance or deferred compensation plans, except for our tax
qualified 401(k) profit sharing plan and pension plans where required by applicable law. We
maintain medical, dental, disability and life insurance benefit plans for the benefit of all of our
eligible employees.
Changes in our Executive Officer Team in 2010
On April 21, 2010, Simon A. Borrows resigned from his position as Co-Chief Executive Officer
and Scott L. Bok was appointed as sole Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Borrows stepped down from our
Board of Directors on June 30, 2010. Mr. Borrows is now the Chairman of Greenhill & Co.
International LLP, our English subsidiary, focusing on some of our most important European clients.
Allocation of Compensation
Annual incentive compensation awards and long-term incentive compensation awards are generally
granted once at the beginning of each calendar year in respect of performance for the preceding
year and a desire for long-term retention of the grant recipients. In order to determine the size
of annual incentive and long-term incentive compensation awards to be granted to the executive
officers, we begin by determining the available annual incentive compensation pool and long-term
incentive compensation pool. Each pool is calculated by multiplying our revenues for the
immediately preceding year by a percentage (determined by management in consultation with the
Compensation Committee), and subtracting from that number the salaries and benefits paid to all
employees, certain other compensation expenses (including the expense attributable to previously
issued restricted stock unit grants) and the cash bonuses payable in respect of the preceding
fiscal year to all employees other than the managing directors. The remaining amount represents
the annual incentive compensation pool out of which cash bonuses to managing directors (including
our executive officers) may be awarded.
The actual percentage of our revenues which was recorded as compensation expense during 2010
was 57%. The actual percentage is determined by management in consultation with the Board of
Directors and based on such factors as the relative level of revenues, level of base compensation,
the anticipated compensation requirements (which may vary depending on the level of recruitment of
new managing directors in any given period and other factors), and the level of other costs and
expenses.
In determining the size of the long-term incentive compensation awards granted to our named
executive officers for 2010, the Compensation Committee considered the contributions to revenues,
business development and development of the Company of all of the executive officers. In
particular, the Compensation Committee noted Mr. Boks contributions to the acquisition of Caliburn
Partnership Pty Limited (Caliburn), an Australian financial advisory firm we acquired in April
2010 (Caliburn Acquisition), his role in originating and executing certain client engagements,
and Mr. Boks contributions to the recruitment of additional managing directors and the expansion
of our advisory business. With respect to Mr. Borrows, the Compensation Committee took into
account Mr. Borrows role in originating and executing certain client engagements. With respect to
Mr. Lieb, the Compensation Committee focused on his role in originating and executing certain
client engagements, but also Mr. Liebs service as one of our principal spokespersons with
investors and analysts and his role as Chief Financial Officer. With respect to Mr. Rodriguez and
Ms. Ekman, the Compensation Committee noted their contributions to risk management and oversight of
the accounting, finance, compliance, legal and other administrative aspects of the management of
the Company on a worldwide
18
basis, as well as their contributions to the Caliburn Acquisition. The actual amount of the
awards were determined in part on the basis of the amount of relative revenue contributed, the
scope of the client relationships originated and/or maintained, the relative importance of the
roles played by the executive officers in the execution of specific transactions, in each case,
giving due regard to the complexity and difficulty of the administrative roles played by each such
officer and the importance of retaining such officers.
In 2010, we had higher total financial advisory revenue relative to 2009 and annual incentive
compensation awards to employees who contributed to those revenues were increased accordingly.
However, our executive officers received no cash bonuses in respect of 2010 in order to pay our
other professionals on a competitive basis, to strengthen the retention incentive and because most
of our peers increased the stock portion of executive compensation. Moreover, and in order to
strengthen the retention incentive for our executive officers, all of long-term incentive
compensation received by our executive officers in respect of 2010 was in the form of restricted
stock units that do not vest at all for five years, when they vest fully (rather than vesting pro
rata over five years).
Executive Stock Ownership
Most of our executive officers own significant amounts of stock in Greenhill. See Security
Ownership of Directors, Executive Officers and Certain Beneficial Owners. Scott L. Bok, our Chief
Executive Officer, owns Greenhill common stock and restricted stock units with a value which is
more than 50 times his base salary (assuming a value of our common stock of $70.97, the closing
price of the stock on February 24, 2011). Our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative
Officer and General Counsel also own, in the form of stock and restricted stock units, stock of
Greenhill well in excess of 3 times their base salaries (assuming a value of our common stock of
$70.97, the closing price of our stock on February 24, 2011). As a result, we believe our
executive officers have a demonstrable and significant interest in increasing the stockholders
value over the long term.
Because we have historically awarded our executive officers and other senior employees
long-term incentive compensation in the form of restricted stock units with a vesting period that
is generally longer than those used by our peers, and because the stock-based component for the
executive officers and other senior employees has historically represented a significant portion of
compensation, we have not adopted any stock ownership guidelines.
Our executive officers are prohibited from hedging or otherwise disposing of the economic risk
of ownership of any of our shares owned by them through short sales, option transactions or other
derivative instruments.
Tax and Accounting Implications
Policy on Qualifying Compensation for Deductibility. Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue
Code limits deductions for non-performance-based annual compensation in excess of $1.0 million paid
to certain executive officers. Our policy is to maximize the tax deductibility of compensation
payments to our executive officers. We may, however, authorize payments to executive officers that
may not be fully deductible if we believe such payments are in our stockholders interests as may
be the case for portions of the grants of restricted stock units awarded to our executive officers
in February 2011.
Compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. We structure compensation in a
manner intended to avoid the incurrence of any additional tax, interest or penalties under Section
409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation in accordance
with the requirements of FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718.
19
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The Compensation Committee, comprised entirely of independent, non-employee directors, is
responsible for establishing and administering our policies involving the compensation of our
executive officers. No employee of Greenhill serves on the Compensation Committee. The Compensation
Committee members have no interlocking relationships as defined by the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Greenhill has reviewed and discussed
the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management, and based on such review and discussions,
the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion
and Analysis be included in the Proxy Statement.
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Greenhill & Co., Inc.
Steven F. Goldstone, Chairman
Stephen L. Key
Robert T. Blakely
20
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES
2010 Summary Compensation Table (1)
|
|
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|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
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Non-Equity |
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
Stock |
|
Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awards |
|
Plan |
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Year |
|
Salary |
|
|
|
(2) |
|
Compensation (3) |
|
Compensation |
|
|
|
Total |
Scott L. Bok
|
|
|
2010 |
|
|
$ |
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
7,316,915 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
$ |
356,483 |
|
(4 |
) |
|
$ |
8,273,398 |
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
2,277,714 |
|
|
$ |
575,000 |
|
|
|
665,975 |
|
(5 |
) |
|
|
4,118,689 |
|
|
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,935,000 |
|
|
|
92,366 |
|
|
|
2,495,184 |
|
(6 |
) |
|
|
5,122,550 |
|
Simon A. Borrows
|
|
|
2010 |
|
|
|
393,470 |
|
(7 |
) |
|
|
1,200,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
260,151 |
|
(8 |
) |
|
|
1,853,621 |
|
Former Co-Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
563,871 |
|
(9 |
) |
|
|
2,753,232 |
|
|
|
236,129 |
|
|
|
506,115 |
|
(10 |
) |
|
|
4,059,347 |
|
|
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
625,319 |
|
(11 |
) |
|
|
3,780,000 |
|
|
|
74,681 |
|
|
|
1,173,949 |
|
(12 |
) |
|
|
5,653,949 |
|
Richard J. Lieb
|
|
|
2010 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
691,915 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
91,945 |
|
(13 |
) |
|
|
1,383,860 |
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,050,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
151,103 |
|
(14 |
) |
|
|
1,801,103 |
|
|
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
828,000 |
|
|
|
92,366 |
|
|
|
150,397 |
|
(15 |
) |
|
|
1,670,763 |
|
Harold J. Rodriguez, Jr.
|
|
|
2010 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
791,915 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
42,888 |
|
(16 |
) |
|
|
1,434,803 |
|
Chief Administrative Officer |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
558,476 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
69,969 |
|
(17 |
) |
|
|
1,228,445 |
|
|
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
289,276 |
|
|
|
47,366 |
|
|
|
228,673 |
|
(18 |
) |
|
|
1,165,315 |
|
Ulrika Ekman (19) |
|
|
2010 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
791,915 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
40,578 |
|
(20 |
) |
|
|
1,432,493 |
|
General Counsel and Secretary |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
595,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
45,225 |
|
(21 |
) |
|
|
1,240,225 |
|
|
|
|
2008 |
|
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
272,553 |
|
|
|
47,366 |
|
|
|
56,269 |
|
(22 |
) |
|
|
976,189 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Our executive officers as of December 31, 2010 were Messrs. Bok, Lieb, Rodriguez and Ms.
Ekman. Mr. Borrows stepped down as Co-Chief Executive Officer and ceased to be an executive
officer on April 21, 2010. He is currently Chairman of Greenhill & Co. International, LLP. |
|
(2) |
|
These amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value determined in accordance with
Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 of awards
made pursuant to our Equity Incentive Plan in the referenced fiscal year. See footnotes 2
(Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) and 12 (Restricted Stock Units) to our financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2010 included in our Form 10-K filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, in February 2011, the named executive
officers were granted additional awards of restricted stock units (which we refer to as RSUs)
under our Equity Incentive Plan as part of fiscal year 2010 compensation as follows: Mr. Bok,
41,698 RSUs; Mr. Borrows, 5,383 RSUs; Mr. Lieb 11,904 RSUs, Mr. Rodriguez, 11,904 RSUs, and
Ms. Ekman 11,904 RSUs. All of these awards will vest as to 100% on January 1, 2016. |
|
(3) |
|
These amounts reflect the cash awards to the named executive officers in respect of
performance in the referenced year. We refer to this portion of our annual incentive
compensation as a bonus. |
|
(4) |
|
Consists of $328,883 in dividend equivalent payments made in respect of unvested RSUs
(Dividend Equivalent Payments); $26,600 in cash distributed in respect of profit overrides
on investments made by Greenhill Capital Partners (or GCP) (Profit Overrides) awarded in
previous fiscal years; and $1,000 in a matching contribution to Mr. Boks 401(k) Profit
Sharing Plan. |
|
(5) |
|
Consists of $382,000 in cash and securities distributed in respect of Profit Overrides
awarded in previous fiscal years; $275,890 Dividend Equivalent Payments; $7,085 in profit
sharing contributions and $1,000 in a matching contribution to Mr. Boks 401(k) Profit Sharing
Plan |
|
(6) |
|
Consists of $2,238,000 in cash and securities distributed in respect of Profit Overrides
awarded in previous fiscal years; $249,550 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $6,634 in profit
sharing contributions and $1,000 in a matching contribution to Mr. Boks 401(k) Profit Sharing
Plan. Mr. Bok was also awarded a portion of the Profit Overrides in respect of the investments
made by GCP in 2008, subject to vesting (2008 Profit Override Percentage). Mr. Boks 2008
Profit Override Percentage was 1.43%. Mr. |
21
|
|
|
|
|
Bok did not receive any cash or securities in respect of his 2008 Profit Override; we cannot
predict when, if ever, Mr. Bok will receive any cash or securities in respect thereof. |
|
(7) |
|
Mr. Borrows base salary was paid in British pound sterling and converted to U.S. dollars
using an exchange rate of $1.55 to £1 (the average monthly exchange rate during the period). |
|
(8) |
|
Consists of $250,551 in Dividend Equivalent Payments and $9,600 in cash distributed in
respect Profit Overrides awarded in previous fiscal years. |
|
(9) |
|
Mr. Borrows base salary was paid in British pound sterling and converted to U.S. dollars
using an exchange rate of $1.57 to £1 (the average monthly exchange rate during the period). |
|
(10) |
|
Consists of $373,115 in Dividend Equivalent Payments and $133,000 in cash and securities
distributed in respect of Profit Overrides awarded in previous fiscal years. |
|
(11) |
|
Mr. Borrows base salary was paid in British pound sterling and converted to U.S. dollars
using an exchange rate of $1.85 to £1 (the average monthly exchange rate during the period). |
|
(12) |
|
Consists of $826,000 cash and securities distributed in respect of Profit Overrides awarded
in previous fiscal years and $347,949 in Dividend Equivalent Payments. In addition, Mr.
Borrows was also awarded a portion of the profit overrides on investments made by GCP Europe
in 2008, subject to vesting of 1.0%. |
|
(13) |
|
Consists of $90,945 in Dividend Equivalent Payments and $1,000 in a matching contribution to
Mr. Liebs 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. |
|
(14) |
|
Consists of $143,018 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $7,085 in profit sharing contributions
and $1,000 in matching contributions to Mr. Liebs 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. |
|
(15) |
|
Consists of $142,763 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $6,634 in profit sharing contributions
and $1,000 in matching contributions to Mr. Liebs 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. |
|
(16) |
|
Consists of $39,488 in Dividend Equivalent Payments, $2,400 in cash distributed in respect
Profit Overrides awarded in previous fiscal years and $1,000 in a matching contribution to Mr.
Rodriguez 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. |
|
(17) |
|
Consists of $34,000 in cash and securities distributed in respect of Profit Overrides awarded
in previous fiscal years; $27,884 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $7,085 in profit sharing
contributions and $1,000 in matching contributions to Mr. Rodriguez 401(k) Profit Sharing
Plan. |
|
(18) |
|
Consists of $206,000 in cash and securities distributed in respect of Profit Overrides
awarded in previous fiscal years; $15,039 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $6,634 in profit
sharing contributions and $1,000 in matching contributions to Mr. Rodriguez 401(k) Profit
Sharing Plan. In addition, Mr. Rodriguez was awarded a 2008 Profit Override Percentage of
0.10%. |
|
(19) |
|
Ms. Ekman served as General Counsel from May 2004 until March 14, 2008, and became General
Counsel again on July 22, 2009. |
|
(20) |
|
Consists of $39,578 in Dividend Equivalent Payments and $1,000 in a matching contribution to
Ms. Ekmans 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. |
|
(21) |
|
Consists of $36,340 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $800 cash and securities distributed in
respect of Profit Overrides awarded in previous fiscal years; $7,085 in profit sharing
contributions and $1,000 in matching contributions to Ms. Ekmans 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan. |
|
(22) |
|
Consists of $38,635 in Dividend Equivalent Payments; $10,000 in cash and securities
distributed in respect of Profit Overrides awarded in previous fiscal years; $6,643 in profit
sharing contributions and $1,000 in matching contributions to Ms. Ekmans 401(k) Profit
Sharing Plan. |
22
2010 Grants of Plan Based Awards
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Future Payouts |
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Under Non- |
|
Stock Awards; |
|
|
Grant Date |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity Incentive |
|
Number of |
|
|
Fair Value of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan Awards |
|
Shares of Stock |
|
|
Stock Awards |
Name |
|
Grant Date |
|
(Target) ($) (1) |
|
or Units (2) |
|
|
|
(4) |
Scott L. Bok |
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
See Note 1 |
|
|
22,918 |
|
(2 |
) |
|
$ |
1,816,915 |
|
|
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
See Note 1 |
|
|
69,374 |
|
(3 |
) |
|
|
5,500,000 |
|
Simon A. Borrows |
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
See Note 1 |
|
|
15,136 |
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
1,200,000 |
|
Richard J. Lieb |
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
See Note 1 |
|
|
8,727 |
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
691,915 |
|
Harold J.
Rodriguez, Jr. |
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
See Note 1 |
|
|
9,989 |
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
791,915 |
|
Ulrika Ekman |
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
See Note 1 |
|
|
9,989 |
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
791,915 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
As described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the named executive officers
are eligible for an annual incentive compensation award in the form of a cash payment. As
described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis above, the actual amounts paid to
our executive officers are determined by our Compensation Committee once the available annual
incentive compensation award pool is known and are subject to a percentage cap on each
executive officers potential annual incentive compensation award which is established by the
Compensation Committee at the beginning of each performance period. See footnote 1 of the 2010
Summary Compensation Table for information on the restricted stock units granted in 2011 as
part of our long-term incentive compensation program in respect of 2010 performance to the
named executive officers. |
|
(2) |
|
These restricted stock units were granted in 2010 as a part of our long-term incentive
compensation program in respect of 2009 compensation. These awards will vest as to 20% on each
anniversary of the grant date (the first vesting occurred on January 27, 2011). |
|
(3) |
|
These restricted stock units were granted in 2010 as a part of our long-term incentive
compensation program in respect of 2009 compensation. These awards will vest 100% on the
fifth anniversary of the grant date. |
|
(4) |
|
These amounts reflect the grant date fair value determined in accordance with Financial
Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718. |
23
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares or Units |
|
|
|
|
|
Market Value of Shares or |
|
|
of Stock |
|
|
|
|
|
Units of Stock |
|
|
That Have Not |
|
|
|
|
|
That Have Not Vested ($) |
Name |
|
Vested (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
(2) |
Scott L. Bok |
|
|
5,017 |
|
|
|
(A |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12,542 |
|
|
|
(B |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,620 |
|
|
|
(C |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,499 |
|
|
|
(D |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,198 |
|
|
|
(E |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23,545 |
|
|
|
(F |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,918 |
|
|
|
(G |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
69,374 |
|
|
|
(H |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
182,713 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,923,998 |
|
Simon A. Borrows |
|
|
7,713 |
|
|
|
(A |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,281 |
|
|
|
(B |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,562 |
|
|
|
(C |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
34,183 |
|
|
|
(D |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,198 |
|
|
|
(E |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31,122 |
|
|
|
(F |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,136 |
|
|
|
(G |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
139,195 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,369,448 |
|
Richard J. Lieb |
|
|
2,036 |
|
|
|
(A |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,089 |
|
|
|
(B |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,362 |
|
|
|
(C |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,488 |
|
|
|
(D |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,198 |
|
|
|
(E |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,983 |
|
|
|
(F |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,727 |
|
|
|
(G |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41,883 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,421,003 |
|
Harold J. Rodriguez, Jr. |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
(A |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
287 |
|
|
|
(B |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
717 |
|
|
|
(C |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,209 |
|
|
|
(D |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,616 |
|
|
|
(E |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,120 |
|
|
|
(F |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,989 |
|
|
|
(G |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,938 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,791,896 |
|
Ulrika Ekman |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
(A |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
243 |
|
|
|
(B |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
607 |
|
|
|
(C |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,099 |
|
|
|
(D |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,465 |
|
|
|
(E |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,585 |
|
|
|
(F |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,989 |
|
|
|
(G |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,988 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1,795,980 |
|
24
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The units referred to in this column are restricted stock units granted pursuant to our
Equity Incentive Plan. No other types of equity awards are outstanding. Those awards marked
(A) vested on January 26, 2011; those awards marked (B) vested as to 100% on January 26, 2011;
those awards marked (C) vested as to 20% of the original award on January 31, 2011, and the
remainder will vest ratably on January 31, 2012; those marked (D) vested as to 20% of the
original award on January 28, 2011, and the remainder will vest ratably on January 28 of each
of 2012 and 2013; those awards marked (E) vested as to 20% of the original award on January
28, 2011, and the remainder will vest ratably on January 28 of 2012, 2013 and 2014; those
marked (F) will vest 100% on January 28, 2014; those marked (G) vested as to 20% of the
original award on January 27, 2011, and the remainder will vest ratably on January 27 of each
of 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015; and those marked (H) will vest 100% on January 27, 2015. |
|
(2) |
|
The market value has been calculated by multiplying the number of shares underlying the award
by the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2010 (the last trading day of 2010),
$81.68. For the purposes of this calculation, we have assumed that all conditions to the
vesting of these awards will be fulfilled. |
Stock Vested as of Fiscal Year End 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Shares |
|
Value Realized |
|
|
Acquired on |
|
Upon Vesting |
Name |
|
Vesting |
|
($) (1) |
Scott L. Bok |
|
|
62,851 |
|
|
$ |
4,996,236 |
|
Simon A. Borrows |
|
|
83,227 |
|
|
|
6,617,693 |
|
Richard J. Lieb (2) |
|
|
43,829 |
|
|
|
3,606,952 |
|
Harold J. Rodriguez, Jr. |
|
|
3,542 |
|
|
|
279,137 |
|
Ulrika Ekman |
|
|
5,904 |
|
|
|
468,843 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Value realized upon vesting calculated by multiplying the number of shares acquired upon
vesting at the closing market price of the shares on the last trading date prior to each
vesting date. |
|
(2) |
|
Value realized upon vesting equals the sum of $2,879,168 (in respect of shares vested on
March 31, 2010) and $727,784 (in respect of shares vested in January 2010), in each case
multiplying the number of shares acquired upon vesting by the closing market price of the
shares on the last trading date prior to each vesting date. |
Potential Payments upon Termination or a Change of Control
None of our executive officers or other employees have any severance agreements or
arrangements. However, our Equity Incentive Plan provides that upon the death, disability,
retirement or upon the termination of employment without cause (as determined by our Compensation
Committee) within two years following a change of control or six months prior to a change of
control if the Compensation Committee reasonably believes such termination was at the behest of an
acquiring entity, any restricted stock unit previously granted will be immediately accelerated and
become fully vested (which we refer to as the acceleration provision). The acceleration provision
applies to the
25
restricted stock units held by all of our employees. Had the acceleration provision been
triggered on December 31, 2010, the value of the number of shares of our common stock to be
delivered on that date to our executive officers would have been as follows (calculated using the
closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2010 of $81.68): Mr. Bok, $14,923,998, Mr.
Borrows, $11,369,448, Mr. Lieb, $3,421,002, Mr. Rodriguez, $1,791,896 and Ms. Ekman, $1,795,980.
Employment Agreements
The employment agreements of Messrs. Bok and Rodriguez provide that they will be paid an
annual base salary of $600,000, subject to annual review by the Compensation Committee, and that
they may be awarded a bonus in an amount to be determined in the sole discretion of the
Compensation Committee. These employment agreements are terminable by either party on 90 days
prior written notice. Mr. Borrows employment agreement was terminated in June 2010 and replaced
by a substantially similar agreement, except that Mr. Borrows salary will be $300,000; that
agreement also provides that Mr. Borrows remaining restricted stock units will vest fully in three
years. All of our executive officers are subject to limitations on their ability to compete with
us during the term of their employment and for a three month period thereafter; they are also
prohibited from soliciting certain of our employees for a period of six months following the
termination of their employment.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE
2010 Director Compensation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock |
|
|
|
|
Fees Earned or Paid |
|
Awards (1) |
|
|
Name |
|
in Cash ($) |
|
($) |
|
Total ($) |
John C. Danforth |
|
$ |
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
49,978 |
|
|
$ |
99,978 |
|
Steven F. Goldstone |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
100,020 |
|
|
|
100,020 |
|
Stephen L. Key |
|
|
57,500 |
|
|
|
57,464 |
|
|
|
114,994 |
|
Robert T. Blakely |
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
These amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value determined in accordance with
FASB ASC Topic 718 for awards granted in 2010 pursuant to our Equity Incentive Plan. As
these awards are fully vested, the entire expense arising from them is recognized in the
year the services were rendered to which they relate. |
During 2010, directors who were not Greenhill employees received an annual retainer of
$100,000 for service on our Board of Directors payable at their option either in cash or stock or a
combination. No separate meeting fees were paid. The chairman of the Audit Committee received an
additional annual cash retainer of $15,000, which was paid at his option in a combination of cash
and stock. We have not retained any compensation consultants to advise on director compensation.
It is our policy to ask our non-employee directors to retain any stock granted to them as
compensation until such time as they complete their service on the Board, subject to exceptions for
unforeseen personal circumstances.
Our non-employee directors also will be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in connection with their service on the Board and the Board committees. We may also
arrange transportation for our directors to and from Board meetings. Employees of Greenhill who
also serve as
26
directors receive compensation for their services as employees, but they do not receive any
additional compensation for their service as directors. No other compensation is paid to our Board
members in their capacity as directors. Non-employee directors do not participate in our employee
benefit plans. See discussion under Certain Relationships and Related Transactions Other
Compensation for a description of the compensation paid to Robert F. Greenhill, who is the
Chairman of our Board of Directors and an employee of Greenhill, but is not an executive officer.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
We recognize that transactions between us and any of our directors or executives can present
potential or actual conflicts of interest or create the appearance that our decisions are based on
considerations other than what is in the best interests of the firm and our stockholders. We also
recognize that at times, such transactions may actually be in the best interests of the Company.
Therefore, to ensure such transactions are given due consideration, our Board of Directors adopted
a Related Persons Transaction Policy. Under the policy, the Chief Executive Officer, the General
Counsel and the Nominating and Governance Committee are tasked with reviewing the proposed
transactions between Greenhill and the related parties and the Nominating and Governance Committee
is charged with overseeing the policy. See Information Regarding the Board of Directors and
Corporate Governance Related Persons Transaction Policy above.
Related Transactions Involving Our Directors and Executive Officers
Other Compensation
Mr. Greenhill, one of our directors, is our founder, Chairman and an employee of Greenhill.
In 2010, Mr. Greenhill received a total of $8,524,541 in compensation, including $7,316,915 in
restricted stock units awarded in 2010 (calculated by multiplying the number of shares underlying
the award by the closing price of our common stock on the trading date prior to the grant date of
the award). We also provide Mr. Greenhill with a car and driver, with a cost to Greenhill of
$158,983 in 2010 (comprised principally of compensation expense in respect of Mr. Greenhills
driver who is our employee). In addition, Mr. Greenhill uses an aircraft owned by us for personal
travel; Mr. Greenhill reimburses us for the costs associated with his personal use of the aircraft.
See Use of Corporate Aircraft below. These perquisites are provided only to Mr. Greenhill, in
recognition of his role as founder of our firm.
Relationship with Merchant Banking Funds and other Principal Investments
Greenhill has an indirect interest in three different merchant banking funds and one venture
fund, which we refer to as Greenhill Capital Partners I (or Fund I), Greenhill Capital Partners II
(or Fund II), Greenhill Capital Partners Europe (or GCP Europe) and Greenhill SAVP (or GSAVP), each
of which consists of several related fund vehicles which generally invest in parallel on a pro rata
basis (we refer to those funds collectively as the Funds). The managing general partners of
the Funds (other than the Original General Partner) are controlled by Greenhill.
Greenhills employees, including all of its executive officers and directors, committed an
aggregate of $292 million of capital to the Funds total committed capital of $1.8 billion.
Greenhill and those employees who made capital commitments to the Funds (including all of the
executive officers) have entered into a series of agreements with Funds (the Partnership
Agreements). The principal terms of such Partnership Agreements are as follows:
All limited partners in Fund II, GCP Europe and GSAVP who are managing directors or other
employees of Greenhill have agreed to pay during the commitment period an annual management fee to
the respective managing general partner of such Fund ranging from 1.5% and 2.5% of the capital
committed by such limited partners. The commitment period for Fund II terminated on June 7, 2010,
and will terminate for GCP Europe on December 31, 2012 and for GSAVP on September 30, 2011, in
27
each case, unless extended or terminated earlier by the general partner in accordance with the
terms of the applicable Partnership Agreements. Upon termination of the relevant commitment period,
the annual management fee was reduced to 1% of the invested capital in the case of Fund II, and
will be reduced to 2% in the case of GCP Europe, and 1.5% of the invested or reserved capital in
the case of GSAVP. Limited partners who are employees of Greenhill (with certain exceptions) also
agreed to pay to the managing general partners of the funds certain profit overrides. The
Partnership Agreements also provide for the payment by the limited partners of certain expenses
incurred by the general partner and for the indemnification of the general partner, its affiliates
and their employees under certain circumstances.
On December 22, 2009, Greenhill closed the previously announced sale of certain of the firms
merchant banking assets (including the right to raise successor funds) to a newly-formed entity,
GCP Capital Holdings, Inc. (GCP Capital), owned by Robert H. Niehaus, and V. Frank Pottow, who
were, at the time of the sale, employees in our merchant banking business, in exchange for 289,050
shares of Greenhill common stock. Messrs. Niehaus and Pottow remained employees of Greenhill until
December 31, 2010, when the separation of the merchant banking business was completed. In
connection with the sale, we agreed to commit $5,000,000 to a new merchant banking fund to be
raised by GCP Capital, Greenhill Capital Partners III (GCP III). A number of our employees have
also made commitments to GCP III.
Relationship with Barrow Street Capital
Barrow Street Capital LLC, or Barrow Street Capital, is a real estate merchant banking firm
founded in 1997. One of Barrow Street Capitals two managing principals is Robert F. Greenhill,
Jr., son of Robert F. Greenhill, the Chairman of Greenhill. Barrow Street Capitals investment
committee includes Robert F. Greenhill, Jr., Robert F. Greenhill and other principals of Barrow
Street Capital. Greenhill committed $5.0 million to Barrow Street Capital Real Estate Fund III
(BSREF III), with its investment bearing no management fees or profit override. The commitment
period for BSREF III has ended. Certain of Greenhills managing directors also committed capital
to BSREF III.
Use of Corporate Aircraft
Through our wholly-owned subsidiary Greenhill Aviation Co., LLC, we own and operate an
airplane that is used by our employees for transportation on business travel and by Robert F.
Greenhill and his family for transportation on business and personal travel. We bear all costs of
operating the aircraft, including the cost of maintaining air and ground crews. We have an aircraft
expense policy in place that sets forth guidelines for personal and business use of the airplane.
Mr. Greenhill reimburses the company for the actual out of pocket costs associated with the
operation of the companys aircraft in connection with the personal use thereof by Mr. Greenhill.
In 2010, Mr. Greenhill reimbursed us $237,750 for such costs incurred in 2010. No other employees
used the aircraft for personal travel in 2010.
In addition, employees of Greenhill from time to time use airplanes personally owned by Mr.
Greenhill for business travel. In those instances, Mr. Greenhill invoices us for the travel expense
on terms we believe are comparable to those we could secure from an independent third party. During
2010 we paid $16,652 to an entity controlled by Mr. Greenhill on account of such expenses.
Use of Hangar Space
Riversville Aircraft Corporation, an entity controlled by Robert F. Greenhill, uses and
reimburses us for a portion of the hangar space we lease at the Westchester County Airport. In 2010
Riversville Aircraft Corporation paid us $69,720 in rent and related costs. Riversville Aircraft
Corporation reimburses us for its use of a portion of the hangar space on terms we believe are
comparable to those we could secure from an independent third party.
28
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT AND PAYMENT OF FEES TO AUDITORS
Audit Committee Report
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for assisting the Board in
overseeing the integrity of the financial statements of Greenhill, compliance by Greenhill with
legal and regulatory requirements, and the independence and performance of Greenhills internal and
external auditors.
The consolidated financial statements of Greenhill, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2010,
were audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors for Greenhill.
As part of its activities, the Committee has:
1. |
|
Reviewed and discussed with management and the independent auditors the audited financial
statements of Greenhill; |
2. |
|
Discussed with the independent auditors the matters required to be communicated under
Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, Communications with Audit Committees (SAS 61), as
amended and as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T; |
3. |
|
Received from the independent auditors written disclosures regarding the auditors
independence required by PCAOB Ethics and Independence Rule 3526, Communications with Audit
Committees Concerning Independence; and |
4. |
|
Discussed with the independent auditors, the independent auditors independence. |
Management is responsible for Greenhills system of internal controls and the financial
reporting process. Ernst & Young LLP is responsible for performing an independent audit of the
consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and
issuing a report thereon. Our Committees responsibility is to monitor and oversee these processes.
Based on the foregoing review and discussions and a review of the report of Ernst & Young LLP with
respect to the consolidated financial statements, and relying thereon, we have recommended to
Greenhills Board of Directors the inclusion of the audited consolidated financial statements in
Greenhills Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, for filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Greenhill
Stephen L. Key, Chairman
John C. Danforth
Robert T. Blakely
Auditor Fees
Ernst & Young LLP served as our principal auditors for 2010. The following table presents fees
for professional audit services for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements for
fiscal years 2009 and 2010 as well as fees for the review of our interim consolidated financial
statements for each quarter in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 and for all other services performed for
fiscal years 2009 and 2010 by Ernst & Young LLP.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009 |
|
2010 |
Audit Fees |
|
$ |
786,000 |
|
|
$ |
884,400 |
|
Audit-Related Fees |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Tax Fees |
|
|
145,069 |
|
|
|
139,858 |
|
All Other Fees |
|
|
24,100 |
|
|
|
405,739 |
|
29
Audit-related fees are fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related
to the performance of the audit or review of the financial statements and internal control over
financial reporting. Tax fees are fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning, and all
other fees are fees for any services not included in the other categories.
In addition, Ernst & Young LLP served as the auditors of Greenhill Capital Partners, Greenhill
Capital Partners Europe and GSAVP and received fees for audit in 2009 and 2010 of $401,000 and
$403,300, respectively, and fees for tax and other services including due diligence rendered of $0
and $365,500 in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Auditor Services Pre-Approval Policy
The Audit Committee has adopted an auditor services pre-approval policy applicable to services
performed for us by our independent auditors. In accordance with this policy, the Committees
practice is to approve annually all audit services and, on a case-by-case basis, recurring
permissible non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors during the fiscal year.
The Audit Committee reviews each non-audit service to be provided and assesses the impact of the
service on the auditors independence. In addition, the Audit Committee may pre-approve other
non-audit services during the year on a case-by-case basis, and delegate authority to grant such
pre-approvals during the year to the chairperson of the Audit Committee, so long as the chairperson
informs the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
30
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2012 ANNUAL MEETING
In order for a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for
the 2012 annual meeting of stockholders, the written proposal must be received at our principal
executive offices at 300 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention: Secretary, on or before
November 12, 2011. The proposal must comply with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations
regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials.
Under our bylaws, director nominations or other business that is not submitted for inclusion
in next years proxy statement under SEC Rule 14a-8, but is instead sought to be presented directly
at the 2012 Annual Meeting, must be received no earlier than December 21, 2011 and no later than
January 20, 2012, and must include all of the requirements pursuant to our bylaws. Written notice
must be delivered to the Secretary within these deadlines.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Our 2010 Annual Report to Stockholders and our Form 10-K, including financial statements for
the year ended December 31, 2010, accompany this proxy statement. Stockholders who wish to obtain
an additional copy of our Annual Report and/or a copy of the Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the
year ended December 31, 2010 or a copy of any of the charters of our Audit Committee, Compensation
Committee or Nominating and Governance Committee, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Related
Person Transaction Policy or Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, may do so without charge by
viewing these documents on our Web site at www.greenhill.com or by writing to Greenhill, Attention:
Investor Relations, 300 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
OTHER MATTERS
We do not know of any other matters that may be presented for consideration at the annual
meeting. If any other business does properly come before the annual meeting, the persons named as
proxies on the enclosed proxy card will vote as they deem in the best interests of Greenhill.
31
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GREENHILL & CO., INC. |
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Using a black ink pen, mark your votes with an X as shown in
this example. Please do not write outside the designated areas. |
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Electronic Voting Instructions
You can vote by Internet or telephone!
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Instead of mailing your proxy, you may choose one of the two voting methods outlined below to vote
your proxy.
VALIDATION DETAILS ARE LOCATED BELOW IN THE TITLE BAR.
Proxies submitted by the Internet or telephone must be received by
11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on April 19, 2011.
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Vote by Internet |
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Log on to the Internet and go to |
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http://proxy.georgeson.com/ |
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Follow the steps outlined on the secured website. |
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Vote by telephone |
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Call toll free 1-877-456-7915 within the USA,
US territories & Canada any time on a touch tone
telephone. There is NO CHARGE to you for the call.
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Follow the instructions provided by the recorded message. |
6 IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. 6
A Proposals The Board recommends a vote FOR all nominees, FOR Proposals 2 and 3 and every 3 YRS for Proposal 4.
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1. Election of Directors:
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For
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Withhold |
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For
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Withhold |
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For
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Withhold |
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+ |
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01 - Robert F. Greenhill
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02 - Scott L. Bok
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03 - John C. Danforth
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04 - Steven F. Goldstone
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05 - Stephen L. Key
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06 - Robert T. Blakely
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2.
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Ratification of the Selection of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as
Greenhills auditors for the year ending December 31, 2011.
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c
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3. |
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Approval, by non-binding vote, of Greenhills
executive compensation.
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Recommendation, by non-binding vote, of the frequency of future advisory votes on Greenhills executive compensation.
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B Non-Voting Items
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Change of Address Please print your new address below.
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Comments Please print your comments below.
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Meeting Attendance |
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Mark the box
to the right if you
plan to attend the
Annual Meeting.
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c
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C Authorized Signatures This section must be completed for your vote to be counted. Date and Sign Below
Please sign exactly as name(s) appears hereon. Joint owners should each sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, corporate officer, trustee, guardian, or custodian, please give full title.
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Date (mm/dd/yyyy) Please print date below. |
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Signature 1 Please keep signature within the box. |
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Signature 2 Please keep signature within the box. |
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6IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.6
Proxy Greenhill & Co., Inc.
Notice of 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
300 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10022
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 20, 2011
The undersigned hereby appoints Robert F. Greenhill and Scott L. Bok as proxies, each with
full power of substitution, to represent and vote as designated
on the reverse side, all the shares of Common Stock of Greenhill & Co., Inc. held of record by the
undersigned on March 1, 2011, at 11:00 A.M., at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at The Waldorf Astoria located at
301 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, on
April 20, 2011, or any adjournment or postponement thereof and in their discretion on any other
matters that may properly come before the meeting or any
adjournment or postponement thereof.
Shares represented by this proxy will be voted by the stockholder. If no such directions are indicated, the Proxies will have authority to vote
In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
(Items to be voted appear on reverse side.)