Thomas S. Kim

About Thomas S. Kim

Thomas S. Kim is Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary of Gartner, Inc., serving since April 2023; he is 54 years old . Prior to Gartner, he was Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary of Thomson Reuters (2019–2023) with earlier leadership roles including General Manager, Global Separation Execution (2019), Managing Director, China (2017–2018), and Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel, Global Growth and Operations (2014–2016); he began at Reuters Group Plc in 1999 and previously practiced law at Baker & McKenzie and Hancock, Rothert & Bunshoft (now Duane Morris) . As Corporate Secretary, he signs proxy notices and leads legal/compliance reporting to the Audit Committee, providing quarterly updates on ethics, helpline activity, and litigation matters . Company performance metrics tied to executive incentives include FX-neutral revenue of $6,331 million and EBITDA of $1,586 million for 2024 (bonus payout basis), with Contract Value (CV) at $5,262 million (+7.8% YoY), and Gartner notes stock appreciation outpaced the S&P 500 and its peer group over medium/long terms .

Past Roles

External Roles

Fixed Compensation

• Not disclosed. Thomas S. Kim is not listed among Named Executive Officers (NEOs) whose individual compensation is detailed; Gartner’s CD&A covers CEO, CFO, EVP Global Services & Delivery, CHRO, and (former) EVP Global Business Sales for 2024/2023 .
• Executive base salary-setting framework: market-based pay, responsibilities, and experience, with benchmarking to a defined peer group; base salary increases typically aligned to industry merit trends .

Performance Compensation

• Executive bonus plan design: annual cash bonuses for executive officers are 100% based on company-wide FX-neutral EBITDA (50% weight) and Revenue (50% weight), with payout from 0% to 200% of target; Compensation Committee certified results annually .

2024 company bonus metrics and outcome (applies to executive officer bonus plan):

2023 company bonus metrics and outcome:

Long-term incentives for executive officers:

• Equity mix: 70% PSUs (CV-based), 30% stock-settled SARs; all vest 25% per year over 4 years; PSUs use a one-year performance period with earned units vesting thereafter; SARs have a seven-year term and deliver value only via stock price appreciation .
• 2024 PSU CV performance: Target $5,222mm, Actual $5,262mm (+7.8% YoY), PSUs earned at 120.8% of target .
• 2023 PSU CV performance: Target $4,814mm, Actual $4,839mm (+7.7% YoY), PSUs earned at 113.9% of target .

Equity Ownership & Alignment

• Stock ownership guidelines: CEO must hold ≥6× base salary; all other executive officers ≥3× base salary; 50% of net after-tax shares from all released awards must be held until guidelines are met .
• Prohibition on hedging/pledging: Insider Trading Policy forbids short selling, hedging and pledging of Company securities for all directors, executive officers, and employees .
• Clawback: Company will recover excess incentive-based compensation from current/former executive officers for the prior three fiscal years if a restatement is required due to material noncompliance; policy compliant with SEC/NYSE Rule 10D-1 .
• Ownership/pledging disclosure: Beneficial ownership table (as of April 4, 2025) covers directors and NEOs; company notes “to the Company’s knowledge, none of these shares has been pledged”; Thomas Kim’s individual holdings are not disclosed in the table .

Employment Terms

• Severance and change-of-control terms for executive officers (other than CEO):
  • Involuntary termination without cause (no change in control): 12 months base salary; COBRA premium reimbursement up to 12 months; unvested equity generally forfeited (except death/disability/retirement) .
  • Double-trigger within 12 months following a Change in Control: all unvested equity vests in full; PSUs vest at target if performance not yet determined; stock options/SARs become exercisable for 12 months post-termination; plus base salary and COBRA per above .
  • Severance contingent on execution of separation agreement with confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicit obligations; refusal of comparable employment offer may forfeit severance .
• CEO-specific (for context): 3× salary and 3× target bonus with double-trigger vesting and COBRA for up to 36 months; no excise tax gross-up; performance deemed at actual or target depending on period completion .

Performance & Track Record

• Governance/compliance role: As Chief Legal Officer, Kim/Legal function provides quarterly reports to the Audit Committee on compliance program effectiveness, helpline activity, and litigation; supports cybersecurity oversight reporting cadence .

Compensation Committee Analysis

• Committee responsibilities: Approves/oversees equity awards, executive pay, peer group, and human capital programs; retains independent consultant (Exequity) and assessed as independent .
• Peer group for benchmarking (2024): Adobe, Akamai, Aon, Autodesk, Cadence, Equifax, Intuit, Moody’s, ServiceNow, Splunk (acquired March 2024), SS&C, Synopsys, Interpublic Group, Thomson Reuters, Verisk, VMware (acquired Nov 2023), Workday .
• Say-on-pay approvals: 92% approval in 2023 and again in 2024; Company maintained program structure in response to consistent support .

Risk Indicators & Red Flags

• Positive: No single-trigger equity acceleration on change-in-control; double-trigger required . Robust clawback and ownership/holding requirements . Hedging/pledging prohibited .
• Watch items: Perquisite tax gross-ups for certain events (e.g., Winner’s Circle imputed income) are disclosed for NEOs, though excise tax gross-ups for severance/COC are not provided .

Compensation Structure Notes (applies to executive officers)

• Pay mix heavily incentive-based; long-term equity 70% PSUs (CV) / 30% SARs; vesting 25% annually over 4 years .
• Bonus metrics rigorous; certified payouts of 159% (2023) and 162.6% (2024) of target for executive officer plan .
• Equity award grant practices avoid grants during closed trading windows; off-cycle grants governed by policy and Compensation Committee approvals .

Investment Implications

• Strong alignment: Executive policies—ownership multiples, 50% holding requirement, clawback, and hedging/pledging ban—reduce misalignment and short-termism risk; Kim’s role as Corporate Secretary/Chief Legal Officer reinforces compliance discipline .
• Retention risk: Four-year vesting on PSUs/SARs with double-trigger acceleration only upon change-in-control plus termination supports retention while deterring opportunistic departures; severance is limited to 12 months’ salary for non-CEO executives .
• Incentive levers: Company-wide EBITDA and Revenue are key bonus drivers; CV governs PSU outcomes—recent years delivered above-target payouts (120.8% in 2024; 113.9% in 2023), signaling sustained growth momentum that can support continued long-term value creation .
• Trading signal: Absence of hedging/pledging is positive; individual Form 4 activity for Thomas S. Kim is not disclosed in the proxy/8-Ks retrieved, limiting conclusions on near-term selling pressure .

Note: Individual compensation and ownership details for Thomas S. Kim were not disclosed in the NEO tables or beneficial ownership listings reviewed; sections requiring exact personal amounts are therefore omitted consistent with disclosure limits .