Michael Teaster
About Michael Teaster
Michael Teaster, 58, is Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff at Getty Images, serving in this role since September 2022. He supports the Global Leadership Team and Board with company planning, priority management, and delivery, drawing on 30 years of industry experience and multiple executive roles at Getty Images and predecessor entities . He is not a Named Executive Officer (NEO) in Getty’s proxy disclosures; therefore, individual compensation and ownership details are not reported for him in the NEO tables or beneficial ownership line items . Company performance-linked compensation frameworks for executives emphasize revenue (2024) and revenue plus currency-neutral adjusted EBITDA growth (2023), providing context for incentive design at the firm .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getty Images | SVP, Chief of Staff | Sep 2022–Present | Supports GLT and Board on planning, priorities, delivery |
| Getty Images | SVP, Business Operations | 2017–2019 | Led operational initiatives to drive execution |
| Getty Images | SVP, Global Sales | 2008–2017 | Led global sales organization and revenue execution |
| The Image Bank (acquired by Getty Images in 1999) | VP, Licensee Relations | Pre-1999 | Managed licensing relationships prior to integration into Getty |
External Roles
No external directorships or outside roles are disclosed for Teaster in the company’s executive officer biographies .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 | 2023 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | Not disclosed (Teaster is not an NEO) | Not disclosed (Teaster is not an NEO) | Getty discloses compensation only for CEO and next two most highly compensated executive officers as NEOs |
| Target Bonus % | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Annual Cash Bonus Plan applies to non-sales employees including NEOs; Teaster’s specific target not reported |
| Actual Bonus Paid | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | 2023 company metrics were not met and NEOs received no annual cash bonus; Teaster’s payout not disclosed |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (Annual Cash Bonus Plan) – 2024 | Company component (weighting not specified) | Not disclosed | Assessed by Comp Committee post-year-end | NEO payouts approved per table (Teaster not disclosed) | Applies to non-sales employees including NEOs; individual performance assessed vs objectives and leadership principles |
| Revenue; YoY currency-neutral growth of adjusted EBITDA less capex (Annual Cash Bonus Plan) – 2023 | Equally weighted for corporate performance | Not disclosed | Company measures not met | No annual cash bonus for NEOs; Teaster not disclosed | Individual component not evaluated due to company miss |
| Long-term incentives (RSUs/PSUs/options) – program design | RSUs/PSUs granted in 2024; options historically | Performance metrics for PSUs selected annually | Not disclosed for Teaster | Not disclosed for Teaster | Company-wide plans: 2022 Plan, Earn-Out Plan, ESPP govern equity; Teaster’s grants not reported |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (individual) | Teaster is not listed individually in the beneficial ownership table (directors and NEOs are itemized; all directors and executive officers as a group hold 46,421,287 shares, 11.2%) . |
| Anti-hedging | Directors, officers, and certain employees are prohibited from hedging company stock (puts, calls, prepaid forwards, swaps, collars, exchange funds, etc.) . |
| Anti-pledging | Directors, officers, and certain employees are prohibited from pledging/hypothecating company equity as collateral . |
| Clawback | Incentive-based compensation recovery policy adopted effective October 2, 2023 per SEC/NYSE rules . |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Compensation Committee oversees stock ownership guidelines for executive officers; specific multiples not disclosed . |
Employment Terms
| Provision | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employment agreement | Proxy provides employment agreement details for NEOs; no individual employment terms disclosed for Teaster . |
| Severance & change-in-control | NEOs generally receive 1.5x base + 1.5x target bonus (CEO 2.0x) payable over 18–24 months; health benefits continuation; terms are NEO-specific and not disclosed for Teaster . |
| Indemnification | Company indemnifies directors and executive officers to fullest extent permitted, with customary indemnification agreements . |
| Legal proceedings | No material legal proceedings disclosed relating to directors or executive officers . |
Investment Implications
- Disclosure scope: Teaster is a senior executive but not an NEO; as a result, granular pay, grants, and personal holdings are not reported in proxy tables. This limits visibility on pay-for-performance alignment and selling pressure from vesting events .
- Alignment safeguards: Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies plus a clawback framework reduce misalignment risks across officers, including Teaster .
- Incentive design context: Company’s annual bonus metrics emphasize revenue (2024) and revenue plus currency-neutral adjusted EBITDA growth (2023); PSUs have annually selected performance metrics. Monitor future disclosures for whether Teaster’s incentives mirror these constructs and any merger-related changes to plans .
- Monitoring: Track Form 4 filings and future proxy statements for any insider transactions, vesting schedules, and ownership guideline compliance related to Teaster; none were surfaced in current document searches .