Robin Abrams
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMSAbout Robin A. Abrams
Robin A. Abrams, age 74, is an independent director at FactSet, serving on the Board since 2011; she was Board Chair from June 23, 2020 until September 17, 2025 and currently chairs the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and sits on the Audit Committee . She is a financial consultant with prior executive leadership roles as CEO of Palm Computing, President and CEO of Verifone, and senior positions at Apple and Accenture; she holds a B.A. in political science and history and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Computing, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Led mobile computing business |
| Verifone | President & CEO | Not disclosed | Led payments technology firm |
| Apple | Senior leadership positions | Not disclosed | Technology/product leadership |
| Accenture | Senior leadership positions | Not disclosed | Technology/services leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes / Potential Interlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lattice Semiconductor Corporation | Director | Current | Semiconductor; no FactSet-related interlock disclosed |
| HCL Technologies Ltd. | Director | Prior | IT services; prior board role |
| Sierra Wireless, Inc. | Director | Prior | Connected devices; prior board role |
| Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology | Board of Trustees | Through 2018 | Non-profit; prior governance role |
Board Governance
- Independence and leadership: Independent director; prior independent Board Chair; currently NCGC Chair and Audit Committee member .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met six times in FY2025; no director attended fewer than 75% of Board and committee meetings in the aggregate .
- Committee activity levels: Audit Committee met seven times; NCGC met five times; Compensation & Talent Committee met six times .
- Stockholder engagement: Board Chair (then Ms. Abrams), current Chair, and CTC Chair met with five large stockholders in 2025 on governance, compensation, AI and sustainability .
- Governance enhancements in recent years: Declassification of Board as of 2025, removal of supermajority voting, and expanded special meeting rights .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Director Retainer (cash or equity election) | $60,000 | Jan 1–Aug 31, 2025 | Retainer could be taken as cash or equity mix (37.5% options / 62.5% RSUs if equity) |
| Board Chair Retainer | $50,000 | Jan 1–Aug 31, 2025 | Ms. Abrams received pro rata grants tied to Board Chair role |
| NCGC Chair Retainer | $15,000 | Jan 1–Aug 31, 2025 | Chair retainers may be taken in cash or equity |
| FY2025 Director Compensation (Abrams) – Cash | $0 | FY2025 | Elected equity for retainer |
| FY2025 Director Compensation (Abrams) – Stock Awards | $193,829 | FY2025 | RSUs fair value aggregated under ASC 718 |
| FY2025 Director Compensation (Abrams) – Option Awards | $116,355 | FY2025 | Stock options fair value aggregated under ASC 718 |
| FY2025 Total Director Compensation (Abrams) | $310,184 | FY2025 | Sum of components |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award | Grant Date | Units | Fair Value per Unit | Strike Price | Vesting | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Options | Jan 15, 2025 | 518 | $144.90 | $453.98 | 100% on first anniversary | 7 years | Standard annual grant to all non-employee directors |
| Annual RSUs | Jan 15, 2025 | 278 | $449.72 | N/A | 100% on first anniversary | N/A | Standard annual grant to all non-employee directors |
| Retainer Election Options | Jan 15, 2025 | 155 | $144.90 | $453.98 | 100% on first anniversary | 7 years | Ms. Abrams elected equity for retainer |
| Retainer Election RSUs | Jan 15, 2025 | 83 | $449.72 | N/A | 100% on first anniversary | N/A | Ms. Abrams elected equity for retainer |
| Board Chair Options (Pro Rata) | Jan 15, 2025 | 130 | $144.90 | $453.98 | 100% on first anniversary | 7 years | Pro rata portion of Chair retainer |
| Board Chair RSUs (Pro Rata) | Jan 15, 2025 | 70 | $449.72 | N/A | 100% on first anniversary | N/A | Pro rata portion of Chair retainer |
Director equity is time-based (no performance metrics), aligning with service continuity and ownership; program redesigned in 2025 to be more market competitive and to tilt the retainer equity mix toward RSUs (62.5%) versus options (37.5%) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Positions (if disclosed) | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lattice Semiconductor Corporation | Director | Not disclosed | None with FactSet disclosed |
| HCL Technologies Ltd. | Director (prior) | Not disclosed | None disclosed |
| Sierra Wireless, Inc. | Director (prior) | Not disclosed | None disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology, product development, and executive leadership (CEO roles at Palm and Verifone; senior roles at Apple and Accenture) .
- Board skills matrix indicates Abrams brings independence, executive leadership, public company board experience, global perspective, risk management, technology/data/cybersecurity, client perspective, strategic planning/M&A, sales/marketing, policy/regulatory, and human capital management competencies to the Board .
- Chair experience and governance leadership (Board Chair through Sept 17, 2025; current NCGC Chair) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Date/Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (shares) | 20,144 | Oct 1, 2025 | <1% of outstanding shares |
| Ownership % of Shares Outstanding | <1% | Oct 1, 2025 | Based on 37,509,725 shares outstanding |
| Unvested RSUs Outstanding | 431 | Aug 31, 2025 | Outstanding RSUs not fully vested |
| Stock Options Outstanding | 9,064 | Aug 31, 2025 | Includes vested/unvested options |
| Anti-Hedging & Anti-Pledging | Prohibited | Policy scope | Directors prohibited from hedging or pledging FactSet stock |
| Director Ownership Guideline | $400,000 | Guideline | Must meet within five years; retention of 50% net shares if not yet met; 75% of vested, in-the-money options count |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Abrams’ long tenure, prior Board Chair role, and current NCGC Chairship signal strong governance continuity and oversight of nominations, board evaluations, and governance risk, with active stockholder engagement during 2025 .
- Audit oversight: As Audit Committee member, she participates in financial reporting, controls, cybersecurity oversight; Audit met seven times in FY2025 and includes an SEC-defined financial expert (Hylton), reinforcing committee strength .
- Independence and attendance: Board determined Abrams is independent; no director fell below the 75% attendance threshold in FY2025, supporting engagement .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay is a balanced cash/equity mix with clear grant mechanics; Abrams elected equity, increasing ownership alignment; vesting is service-based, avoiding discretionary or performance metric controversies at the director level .
- Conflicts/related-party: Company reports no material related-party transactions in FY2025; anti-hedging/pledging and board service limits reduce risk of misalignment; no legal proceedings disclosed for directors over the past 10 years .
- Signal to investors: Governance modernization (declassification, voting standard changes) and high historical say-on-pay support (94.6% in 2024) bolster investor confidence in oversight and alignment practices, though say-on-pay pertains to NEO compensation .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed regarding related-party transactions, legal proceedings, hedging/pledging, or attendance shortfalls; monitor cumulative external board commitments under FactSet’s board service policy to ensure sustained engagement .