John Hopmans
Live Nation EntertainmentAbout John Hopmans
Executive Vice President, M&A and Strategic Finance at Live Nation Entertainment since 2008, leading global M&A and strategic finance initiatives across concerts, ticketing, and sponsorship businesses. He holds an MBA from the University of San Diego and a BA from the University of Guelph; age approximately 66 as of 2025 per third-party profiles . Current pay-for-performance levers: annual cash bonus tied to Adjusted Operating Income (AOI), and performance shares that vest on stock price targets over 2024–2028; Live Nation’s FY2024 revenue was $23.2B, operating income $825M, and AOI $2.15B . Company TSR rose to 181.19 (from a $100 base in 2019) in 2024; AOI is the company-selected measure used for executive incentives .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Nation Entertainment | EVP, M&A and Strategic Finance; previously EVP Business Development | 2008–present | Led Ticketmaster merger; acquisitions in EDM (Insomniac, HARDfest, Creamfields); international ticketing (Ticketnet, ServiCaixa) . |
| Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. | Managing Director; Industry Head | 1991–2008 (various) | Led private equity sponsor coverage and diversified industries teams; real estate workout leadership in New York . |
| Royal Bank of Canada | Account Manager, Corporate Banking | Prior to 1991 | Corporate banking relationships and credit work . |
| The Bank of Nova Scotia | Senior Manager, Real Estate Banking | Prior to 1991 | Managed real estate banking portfolio and workouts . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Specialist Group International BV | Finance Director | Unspecified | International finance leadership . |
| University of San Diego | MBA | — | Education credential . |
| University of Guelph | BA | — | Education credential . |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Base Salary ($) | Perquisites & Other ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,500,000 | 12,980 | Base salary per 2024 agreement; perqs include event tickets and 401(k) contribution . |
| 2023 | 981,725 | 11,005 | As reported in SCT for 2023 . |
| 2022 | 981,725 | — | As reported in SCT for 2022 . |
Employment agreement (effective Jan 1, 2024) sets $1.5M base with discretionary future increases . Company policy prohibits hedging and requires pre-approval for pledging by directors/executives .
Performance Compensation
| Component | Metric | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Bonus (2024) | Company AOI (pro-forma, constant currency) | $2,025M AOI | 109% of target | $1,500,000 | Paid Feb 2025 . |
| Signing Performance Shares (granted Oct 2023) | Stock price targets (consecutive-day attainment) | 289,300 PS target; 0–100% earned | Not disclosed earned to date | N/A | Performance period: 1/1/2024–12/31/2028; vest on attainment of stock price targets over required consecutive days . |
| Equity Incentive – Unvested RS (as of 12/31/2024) | Time-based vesting (previous grants) | N/A | N/A | Market value $8,326,591 | See detailed vesting schedule below . |
| Options Outstanding (legacy) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | See option details below . |
2024 Grants/Exercises and Vested
| Item | Shares (#) | Value ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shares acquired on vesting (2024) | 68,503 | 7,889,152 | Gross before tax withholding . |
| Shares withheld for taxes on vesting (2024) | 34,685 | 3,994,830 | Indicates cashless settlement/withholding pressure . |
Detailed 2025–2027 Vesting Schedule (Unvested RS as of 12/31/2024)
| Vesting Date | Shares (#) |
|---|---|
| March 2025 | 7,399 |
| July 2025 | 11,955 |
| November 2025 | 10,804 |
| July 2026 | 11,955 |
| November 2026 | 10,804 |
| July 2027 | 5,978 |
| November 2027 | 5,403 |
| Total | 64,298 |
Options Outstanding (as of 12/31/2024)
| Exercise Price ($) | Expiration | Exercisable Options (#) |
|---|---|---|
| 29.03 | 3/2027 | 83,480 |
| 44.05 | 3/2028 | 35,280 |
| 56.77 | 2/2029 | 300,000 |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Category | Shares (#) | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common stock (direct) | 88,800 | * | Direct/indirect as disclosed . |
| Exercisable options (≤60 days) | 418,760 | * | Counted in beneficial ownership per SEC rules . |
| Restricted stock (unvested) | 104,189 | * | Unvested RS at record date . |
| Total beneficial ownership | 611,749 | ≤1% (*) | Based on 234,089,506 shares outstanding . |
Officer stock ownership guideline: ≥2.5x base salary for executive officers; CEO guideline is 5x salary . Company policy: no hedging, pledging requires pre-approval .
Employment Terms
| Term | Severance & Bonus | Change-in-Control (CIC) | Acceleration | Definitions/Restrictive Covenants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1/2024–12/31/2028 (at-will thereafter) | If terminated without “cause” or resign for “good reason”: cash payment = 2× base salary; pro-rated current-year bonus and unpaid prior-year bonus . Footnote example shows $4.5M (salary payout + 2024 bonus) in modeled scenario . | CIC: unvested restricted stock immediately vests; performance shares vest based on achieved target stock price as of CIC . | Upon death/disability: immediate acceleration of unvested equity; performance shares vest based on achieved stock price at that time . | “Cause” includes willful misconduct, failure to perform duties, refusal to follow lawful directives, certain criminal convictions, policy violations . “Good reason” includes material reduction of duties/compensation or relocation outside Los Angeles . Non-disclosure, non-solicitation, non-disparagement, indemnification included . |
Clawback policy: Recovers incentive compensation for the prior 3 fiscal years upon an accounting restatement, per NYSE listing standards and Dodd-Frank .
Compensation Mix and Trends (Hopmans)
| Year | Salary ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Non-Equity Incentive ($) | All Other ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 981,725 | 3,706,691 | 981,725 | — | 5,670,141 |
| 2023 | 981,725 | 21,392,825 | 981,725 | 11,005 | 23,367,280 |
| 2024 | 1,500,000 | — | 1,500,000 | 12,980 | 3,012,980 |
Observations:
- 2023 shows large stock awards (grant-date fair value) from the signing performance shares tied to stock price targets (five-year equity component) .
- 2024 compensation is predominantly fixed salary plus AOI-based cash bonus; no new equity grants in 2024 for Hopmans .
Compensation Benchmarking & Governance Context
- Peer group used for benchmarking includes EA, Endeavor, Fox, Netflix, Paramount, Sirius XM, Spotify, UMG, WBD, and WMG .
- Say-on-pay approval was 62.7% in 2024; committee responded with changes: performance requirements for bonuses, consecutive-day stock price attainment (≥20, using 30) for performance share vesting, and non-overlapping metrics for STI vs LTI from 2025 onward .
Investment Implications
- Strong pay-for-performance alignment: Hopmans’ 2024 bonus tied to AOI (achieved 109%), while long-dated performance shares require sustained stock price targets through 2028—creating multi-year alignment and potentially limiting near-term equity selling absent target attainment .
- Near-term selling pressure is moderated by the structure: 2024 vesting of 68,503 RS shares had substantial tax withholding (34,685 shares), but no 2024 equity grants and vesting is staggered through 2027, reducing lumpy supply risk .
- Retention risk appears contained: double-trigger severance (2× salary) plus automatic equity acceleration on termination without cause/good reason and upon death/disability, and CIC equity acceleration, incentivize continuity through 2028; restrictive covenants further protect IP and relationships .
- Alignment safeguards: clawback policy, ownership guidelines (≥2.5× salary), hedging prohibition and pledging pre-approval reinforce shareholder alignment; no excise tax gross-ups disclosed .
Background note: external bios credit Hopmans with leading transformational deals (Ticketmaster merger, Insomniac/HARDfest/Creamfields acquisitions), and deep banking pedigree—supporting capability to execute accretive M&A and strategic finance initiatives .