William James Wartinbee
Executive Vice President, Global Sales Strategy & Operations at IT
Executive
About William James Wartinbee
William James Wartinbee, age 51, is Executive Vice President, Global Sales Strategy & Operations (GSSO) at Gartner (ticker IT). He has led GSSO since December 2020 and has served as EVP, Global Sales Strategy & Operations since December 2022; he previously led Global Talent Acquisition and Workforce Planning (2020) and Global Talent Acquisition (2015–2020). He joined Gartner in 2011 to build the People Analytics function and was formerly a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and ZS Associates focused on sales strategy and execution . Company performance anchoring executive incentives: 2024 revenue was $6,331 million (FX-neutral), EBITDA was $1,586 million, with the short-term incentive plan certifying a 162.6% payout; PSUs tied to Contract Value (CV) earned at 120.8% on FX-neutral CV of $5,262 million (+7.8% YoY). Gartner’s five-year TSR (2019–2024) translates a $100 investment into $314, materially outpacing the peer index .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gartner | EVP, Global Sales Strategy & Operations | Dec 2022–present | Leads seller productivity via process design, territory planning, technology, training, analytics |
| Gartner | Head of GSSO | Dec 2020–Dec 2022 | Drove sales productivity improvements across global sales operations |
| Gartner | SVP, Global Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning | Jan 2020–Dec 2020 | Built workforce planning rigor supporting growth hiring |
| Gartner | SVP, Global Talent Acquisition | Sep 2015–Jan 2020 | Scaled global recruiting infrastructure and processes |
| Gartner | People Analytics leader | 2011–2015 (joined Gartner in 2011) | Established People Analytics capability within HR |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey & Company | Management Consultant, sales strategy & execution | Pre-2011 (not disclosed) | Specialized in sales strategy/execution advising large enterprises |
| ZS Associates | Management Consultant, sales strategy & execution | Pre-2011 (not disclosed) | Sales strategy/execution engagements driving commercial effectiveness |
Fixed Compensation
- Wartinbee is an executive officer but not a Named Executive Officer (NEO); his specific base salary and target bonus are not disclosed in the proxy’s Summary Compensation Table (which covers CEO and four other NEOs) .
- Gartner’s compensation framework emphasizes performance-based pay, with executives at will and only the CEO having an employment agreement; bonus awards are capped at 2x target .
Performance Compensation
Company-certified incentive metrics (FX-neutral) for 2024 that drive executive payouts and alignment:
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBITDA (cash STIP) | 50% | $1,497m | $1,586m | 196.7% | N/A (cash) |
| Revenue (cash STIP) | 50% | $6,274m | $6,331m | 128.5% | N/A (cash) |
| Contract Value (PSUs) | 100% | $5,222m | $5,262m | 120.8% PSUs earned | PSUs/SARs vest 25% annually over 4 years |
Notes:
- Long-term equity mix for NEOs is 70% PSUs (CV-based) and 30% SARs; both vest 25% per year over four years, reinforcing retention and long-term value creation .
- Bonus metrics apply to NEOs; Gartner’s program broadly links executive incentives to EBITDA, revenue, and CV performance .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Stock ownership, transactions, and alignment signals:
| Date | Transaction | Shares | Price ($) | Value ($) | Shares Owned After | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-13 | Sale (S) | 538 | 449.09 | 241,610 | 7,965 | SEC Form 4 links: |
| 2025-02-09 | Option exercise (M) | 301 | — | — | 7,925 | |
| 2025-02-09 | Tax withholding (F) | -95 | 529.29 | — | 7,830 | |
| 2024-12-06 | Sale (S) | 189 | 523.54 | 98,949 | 7,311 | SEC Form 4: |
| 2024-07-31 | Sale (S) | 299 | 499.11 | 149,234 | 7,671 | |
| 2024-02-09 | Option exercise (M) | 484 | — | — | 8,122 | |
| 2024-02-09 | Tax withholding (F) | -95; -44 | 463.52 | — | 7,638 |
- Ownership as % of shares outstanding: 7,965 / 77,059,204 = ~0.0103% (as of April 4, 2025) .
- Hedging and pledging are prohibited for all directors and executive officers under Gartner’s Insider Trading Policy; executives must hold 50% of net after-tax shares from released awards until stock ownership guidelines are met .
- Proxy indicates “To the Company’s knowledge, none of these shares has been pledged” for those listed in the security ownership table; Wartinbee is not listed among NEOs/directors in that table .
Employment Terms
| Topic | Terms | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employment agreement | Only the CEO has an employment agreement; all other executive officers (including Wartinbee) are at-will | |
| Severance (non-CEO executives) | If terminated without cause: 12 months continued base salary; up to 12 months COBRA reimbursement; unvested equity forfeited except in death/disability/retirement | |
| Change-in-control (double-trigger) | If terminated without cause within 12 months post-CoC: all unvested outstanding equity vests; PSUs vest at target if performance not yet determined; SARs/options exercisable for 12 months; COBRA reimbursement up to 12 months | |
| Restrictive covenants | Separation requires reaffirmation of confidentiality, non-competition, non-solicitation obligations; release of claims; certain payments may be delayed under Section 409A | |
| Clawback | Company-wide Clawback Policy updated in 2023 to comply with Dodd-Frank and NYSE Rule 10D‑1; awards subject to recovery; PSU/SAR agreements explicitly subject to clawback |
Compensation Structure Notes
- Long-term equity awards: PSUs (70%) tied to CV and SARs (30%), vesting 25% annually across four years; maximum PSU payout capped at 200% of target .
- Short-term cash bonus metrics: EBITDA (50%) and Revenue (50%), FX-neutral, rigorously set; 2024 payout certified at 162.6% based on actual results .
- Governance practices: no single-trigger vesting; no excise tax gross-ups; independent compensation consultant; annual risk assessment; holding requirements until ownership guidelines satisfied .
Performance & Track Record
- 2024 operational strength: CV up 8% FX-neutral; Research revenue up 5%; Conferences revenue at all-time high $583 million (+15% FX-neutral); Consulting up 9% FX-neutral; $735 million returned via buybacks .
- Pay-versus-performance disclosures: five-year TSR significantly outpaced peer group; compensation actually paid aligns with CV, TSR, and net income trends .
Compensation Peer Group and Say-on-Pay
- Peer group used for benchmarking includes Adobe, Intuit, ServiceNow, Synopsys, Verisk, Workday, etc.; Exequity provides independent analysis; Gartner does not target a specific percentile but reviews 25th/50th/75th percentiles .
- 2025 Annual Meeting Say-on-Pay: Votes For 61,438,783; Against 4,673,262; Abstentions 310,624; Broker Non-Votes 4,502,286—indicating strong shareholder support .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Positive governance signals: double-trigger only; clawback in place; hedging/pledging prohibited; no tax gross-ups .
- Section 16 compliance: company reports timely filings except two late Forms 4 (Dawkins; Genovese); no issues disclosed for Wartinbee .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Wartinbee operates within Gartner’s performance-driven framework—cash bonuses tied to EBITDA and revenue, and equity heavily weighted to CV-based PSUs—creating strong linkage of pay to drivers of long-term value .
- Retention and selling pressure: Four-year vesting cadence and holding requirements support retention; Wartinbee’s recent insider activity reflects modest periodic sales and routine tax-withholding/exercise events, with small absolute ownership (~0.01% of shares outstanding), suggesting limited selling overhang .
- Downside protections and governance: Double-trigger CoC vesting, robust clawback policy, and hedging/pledging prohibitions reduce misalignment risks and signal disciplined compensation governance .