Jennifer McPeek
Cushman & WakefieldAbout Jennifer J. McPeek
Jennifer J. McPeek (age 55) is an independent director of Cushman & Wakefield, serving since 2024. She is a former chief financial officer and chief operating officer with deep finance and strategy experience, including leadership roles at Janus Henderson Investors and Russell Investments, and is a CFA charterholder, positioning her as an Audit Committee financial expert at CWK .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Investments | Chief Financial Officer | 2018–2019 | Led public company finance; informs audit oversight |
| Janus Henderson Investors plc (and predecessor Janus Capital Group) | Chief Operating & Strategy Officer; EVP & CFO; SVP Corporate Finance & Treasurer; SVP Corporate Finance | 2009–2017 (various roles 2009–2017; CFO 2013–2016; COO 2016–2017) | Experience in public company responsibilities and strategic transactions |
| ING Investment Management, Americas | SVP, Head of Strategic Planning | 2005–2009 | Investment and strategy expertise |
| McKinsey & Company | Associate Principal, Corporate Finance & Strategy Practice | 1995–2001 | Value-based management and incentive design perspective |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | Director | Current | Public company board; enhances market/investment perspective |
| First American Funds Trust | Director | Current | Fund board experience |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; all members (including McPeek) qualify as “audit committee financial experts” under SEC rules .
- Independence: McPeek is identified as an Independent Director; CWK affirms majority-independent board and heightened independence standards for audit/comp committees .
- Attendance: Board held 4 meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings during their service; Audit (11 meetings), Compensation (4), NomGov (4) .
- Board leadership: Lead Independent Director is Billie Williamson; independent directors meet in executive session without management .
- Tenure/classification: McPeek is a Class I director with term expiring at the 2025 AGM (reflecting appointment March 18, 2024) .
Fixed Compensation
- Program structure (non-employee directors): Cash retainer $110,000; committee retainers—Audit Chair $40,000; Audit member $10,000; Comp Chair $25,000; Comp member $10,000; NomGov Chair $20,000; NomGov member $10,000; Lead Director $40,000; no meeting fees; reasonable expenses reimbursed .
- McPeek’s 2024 actual cash fees: $93,379 (partial-year service and committee changes) .
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | $110,000 | Policy level as of May 2, 2024 |
| Committee member fee – Audit (non-chair) | $10,000 | Policy level |
| 2024 Cash fees paid – McPeek | $93,379 | Actual for 2024 |
Performance Compensation
- Directors do not participate in Company incentive arrangements and receive no benefits; equity is time-vesting RSUs (no options for directors) .
- RSU grants and vesting:
- March 18, 2024 pro-rated RSU award: $29,508 (vested on May 16, 2024 AGM) .
- May 16, 2024 annual RSU award: $180,000; vests in full on first anniversary of grant .
- Aggregate outstanding stock awards as of Dec 31, 2024 for independent directors: 15,451 units (McPeek included) .
| Grant Date | Vehicle | Grant Value | Vesting Terms | Outstanding at 12/31/2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2024 | RSU (pro-rated) | $29,508 | Vests in full on 5/16/2024 (AGM) | Included in total outstanding |
| May 16, 2024 | RSU (annual) | $180,000 | Vests in full on first anniversary of grant | 15,451 units per independent director |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to CWK | Potential Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | Unrelated market infrastructure | No CWK-related party transactions disclosed; low direct business overlap |
| First American Funds Trust | Unrelated mutual fund trust | No CWK-related party transactions disclosed |
The proxy discloses related party transaction oversight and notes no Item 404 related-party relationships for Compensation Committee members; no McPeek-specific related-party transactions are disclosed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial reporting, internal controls, audit and risk oversight experience supports Audit Committee role; qualifies as Audit Committee financial expert .
- CFO/COO experience in global asset management and consulting on value-based management and incentive design; CFA charterholder .
Equity Ownership
- Stock ownership guidelines: Non-Employee Directors must hold 100% of after-tax shares until 5x annual base cash retainer achieved; all directors were in compliance as of Dec 31, 2024 (minimum or retention requirement) .
- Hedging/pledging policy: Prohibits short sales, derivatives/hedging, margin accounts, and pledging of Company securities .
| Metric | Dec 31, 2024 | May 22, 2025 | Aug 26, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shares held outright | 3,052 | — | — |
| RSU awards outstanding | 15,451 | — | — |
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | — | 18,503 | 18,503 |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | — | <1% (*) | <1% (*) |
(*) Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1%.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with Audit Committee financial expert status; strong CFO/COO background in public companies; documented compliance with director ownership policy; Company prohibits hedging/pledging—improves alignment and reduces risk .
- Engagement: Audit Committee met 11 times in 2024; Board met 4 times; each director attended ≥75%—supports active oversight; audit report lists McPeek as a signatory member, indicating engagement with audited financials and auditor independence .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay mix is cash retainer plus annual time-vesting RSUs; no performance-based cash or options, consistent with best practice to preserve independence; McPeek’s 2024 total compensation $302,896 with RSU emphasis .
- Conflicts/RED FLAGS: No McPeek-specific related-party transactions disclosed; Board policies and Audit Committee oversight on related parties are in place. No pledging/hedging allowed under policy—reduces misalignment risk .
Overall signal: Board effectiveness supported by financial expertise and active audit engagement; compensation and ownership policies promote alignment; no disclosed conflicts tied to McPeek that would impair investor confidence .
Notes
- Director-specific pay-for-performance metrics, options, severance, change-of-control, and clawbacks are not applicable to non-employee directors per CWK’s program disclosures; directors receive fees and RSUs only .
- Insider Form 4 transactions for McPeek are not disclosed in the proxy materials retrieved herein; no additional insider trading data was available in these documents.