Chris Hoel
About Chris Hoel
Chris Hoel, 54, is Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) of Getty Images. He joined Getty in 2009, rising from Director of Finance to CAO in April 2014, and serves as the company’s Principal Accounting Officer signing SEC reports. He is a CPA (since 1995) with a B.S. in Accounting from Central Washington University, and previously held senior accounting roles at Fisher Communications and Xcyte Therapies .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getty Images | VP, Finance & Chief Accounting Officer | 2014–present | Leads Accounting, External Financial Reporting, and Finance Operations |
| Getty Images | Vice President, Finance | 2013–2014 | Senior finance leadership |
| Getty Images | Senior Director, Finance | 2011–2013 | Advanced finance responsibilities |
| Getty Images | Director, Finance | 2009–2011 | Finance leadership |
| Fisher Communications, Inc. | Corporate Controller | 2005–2009 | Corporate controllership |
| Xcyte Therapies | Controller/Associate Director of SEC Reporting | 2001–2005 | SEC reporting leadership |
External Roles
None disclosed in company biographies and executive officer disclosures .
Fixed Compensation
| Element | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not individually disclosed; Hoel is not a Named Executive Officer (NEO), and the proxy only reports CEO/CTO/CMO compensation | |
| Health and welfare benefits | Officers receive the same core benefits offered to employees (medical, dental, vision, life, disability) | |
| 401(k) match | Company provides a “safe harbor” match of 4% of eligible salary deferrals |
Performance Compensation
Note: Hoel’s individual targets/awards are not disclosed; design elements below reflect company-wide programs that cover executives.
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Annual Cash Bonus (Non‑Sales Bonus Plan): Applies to non‑sales employees including executives. In 2024, the corporate performance metric was Revenue. In 2023, the corporate component used two equally weighted metrics: Revenue and YoY currency‑neutral growth of an adjusted EBITDA measure (less capex and before Non‑Sales Bonus) .
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Long‑Term Incentives: Company uses the 2022 Equity Incentive Plan and Earn‑Out Plan, granting RSUs and PSUs (with annual performance metric-setting for PRSU tranches). Options have also been used historically. Specific award terms for Hoel are not disclosed .
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Governance Features: Company maintains a Dodd‑Frank and NYSE‑aligned clawback policy (effective Oct 2, 2023) and prohibits executive hedging and pledging of company stock .
| Plan/Instrument | Metric(s)/Feature | Weighting/Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Annual Cash Bonus (corporate component) | Revenue | Corporate metric selected for 2024 plan | |
| 2023 Annual Cash Bonus (corporate component) | Revenue; YoY currency‑neutral adjusted EBITDA (less capex, before plan) | Equally weighted within corporate component | |
| RSUs/PSUs | RSUs (time-based) and PSUs (tranches with annual metric-setting over a 3‑year performance period) | Award design under 2022 Plan; individual CAO grants not disclosed | |
| Options (historical) | Time-based vesting; certain grants in outstanding tables include change‑in‑control vesting definitions | NEO examples shown; CAO specifics not disclosed | |
| Clawback | Incentive-based compensation recovery policy | Effective Oct 2, 2023 | |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited for officers under Insider Trading Policy | Applies to officers |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership | Not disclosed for Hoel; proxy tables list directors and NEOs (he is not listed) | |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for officers (anti‑hedging and anti‑pledging policy) | |
| Clawback | Adopted and in effect (SEC/NYSE compliant) | |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Compensation Committee reviews and establishes guidelines for executive officers; individual CAO compliance is not disclosed | |
| Section 16(a) timeliness | Company reported one late Form 4 in 2024 for another executive; Hoel not cited among delinquencies | |
| Principal Accounting Officer | Hoel signs as Principal Accounting Officer on 10‑Q/10‑K filings |
Employment Terms
Individual employment agreement terms for Hoel are not disclosed. For context, current NEO agreements provide, upon termination without cause or resignation for good reason: cash severance equal to 150% of base salary plus 150% of target bonus (CEO at 200%/200%), paid over 18 months (24 months CEO), plus continued health benefits for 18–24 months; non-compete/non-solicit and release conditions apply. This illustrates governance norms but should not be presumed to apply to the CAO absent disclosure .
| Provision (NEO context) | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cash severance | 150% of base + 150% of target bonus (CEO: 200%/200%), paid over 18 months (CEO 24 months) | |
| Health benefits | Continued coverage for 18 months (CEO 24 months) or cash equivalent | |
| Restrictive covenants | Non-compete, non-solicit, confidentiality, IP assignment (as applicable) | |
| Trigger | Involuntary termination without cause or resignation for good reason; release required |
Investment Implications
- Data scarcity: As CAO and not a Named Executive Officer, detailed pay, equity, and ownership disclosures for Hoel are not provided, limiting precision on pay-for-performance alignment, vesting overhang, and insider selling pressure .
- Governance mitigants: Anti‑hedging/pledging and a compliant clawback reduce misalignment and risk-taking incentives; stock ownership guidelines apply at the policy level, though individual CAO compliance is not disclosed .
- Retention dynamics: Executive-wide incentive design (annual revenue-based bonuses; RSUs/PSUs under the 2022 Plan) indicates ongoing at-risk compensation structures supporting retention, but CAO-specific grants and vesting are undisclosed .
- Corporate event risk: The announced Getty–Shutterstock merger-of-equals process introduces potential change-in-control dynamics; while NEO equity award treatments are disclosed as examples, CAO-specific terms are not provided, and investors should monitor subsequent filings for any CAO award accelerations or retention packages as the transaction progresses .
Overall, Hoel’s long tenure and Principal Accounting Officer role suggest operational continuity in financial reporting and controls; however, lack of CAO-specific compensation and ownership disclosure means investors should track future proxies and any Form 4 filings for clearer signals on alignment and selling pressure .