Scott Crum

About Scott Crum

Scott A. Crum is Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of MSCI, a role he has held since April 2014, and holds a BBA (industrial relations) from Southern Methodist University . He previously served as global head of HR at four public companies (Avon Products; Motorola Mobility; ITT; General Instrument), bringing deep large-cap HR leadership to MSCI . Mr. Crum is 68 years old per MSCI’s FY2024 Form 10-K executive roster . Company performance during the most recent three fiscal years shows operating revenues rising from $2.25B (2022) to $2.86B (2024) and net income from $870.6M (2022) to $1.11B (2024), while MSCI’s cumulative total investment value increased to 244 (base=100, 12/31/2019→12/31/2024), outpacing the S&P 500 at 197 over the same period .

Company performance (context for pay-for-performance)

Cumulative total investment value (base=100 at 12/31/2019)

Past Roles

External Roles

No public-company board roles or external directorships disclosed for Mr. Crum in MSCI’s 10-K executive officer biographies reviewed .

Fixed Compensation

Summary Compensation Table items (cash-oriented lines) and totals

Notes:

• AIP target cash incentive (unchanged): $700,000 for 2022–2024 .
• “All Other Compensation” includes company 401(k) match ($25,740 in 2023) and dividend equivalents on certain awards as applicable .

Performance Compensation

Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) – Design and Payouts

Design for NEOs: 70% financial (Revenue, Adjusted EPS, Total Net Sales, Free Cash Flow), 20% KPIs, 10% DE&I/Sustainability; payout range 0–150% of target .

Long-Term Incentives – Grants, Vesting, and Performance Outcomes

Annual equity grant structure for “other NEOs” (e.g., CHRO): 30% RSUs (service-vest), 35% PSUs (3-year TSR CAGR), 35% PSOs (3-year cumulative Revenue + Adjusted EPS), with RSUs cliff-vesting at 3 years and PSUs carrying a 1-year post-vest holding period; PSOs and PSUs feature performance multipliers (PSUs: 0–300%; PSOs: 0–200%) .

Key annual grant details for Mr. Crum

Performance outcomes (recent cycles)

Equity Ownership & Alignment

Beneficial ownership snapshots

Outstanding (unvested) awards at 12/31/2022

Ownership policy, hedging/pledging, and holding requirements

• Stock ownership guidelines: other NEOs must hold equity equal to 8x base salary; executives must retain 50% of net shares from equity awards until meeting guidelines; all Executive Committee members, including NEOs, are in compliance as of the proxy dates .
• Anti-hedging and anti-pledging: MSCI prohibits all directors and employees, including NEOs, from hedging or pledging MSCI stock and from short sales or derivatives trading in MSCI stock .

Vesting/supply calendar considerations (potential selling pressure)

• RSUs cliff vest on the third anniversary (e.g., 2022 grant vests 2/3/2025; 2023 grant vests 2/2/2026) .
• PSUs and PSOs settle on 3-year cycles with clustering around early February after performance certification (e.g., PSOs/PSUs granted in early Feb typically complete performance/service by early Feb three years later) .

Employment Terms

Employment start date and role

• CHRO since April 2014 .

Severance and change-in-control economics (estimated; based on 12/29/2023 price inputs)

Governance provisions

• Double-trigger vesting upon change in control; robust clawback policies that comply with and extend beyond Rule 10D-1; no excise tax gross-ups; no option repricing without shareholder approval .

Investment Implications

• Alignment and leverage to performance: Crum’s pay mix is highly variable, with AIP tied 70% to financial metrics (Revenue, Adjusted EPS, Total Net Sales, Free Cash Flow) and long-term awards tied to absolute TSR and multi-year Revenue/EPS, directly linking realized pay to MSCI’s growth, profitability, and shareholder returns .
• Execution signal from LTI outcomes: The 2022 PSUs paid 0% on below-threshold TSR (4.2%), while 2022 PSOs paid 100% (EPS target met; revenue target missed), reinforcing payout sensitivity to both market-based returns and operating execution; monitor TSR trajectory and multi-year Revenue/EPS progress into upcoming certification windows .
• Retention and supply dynamics: Three-year cliff vesting for RSUs and synchronized PSU/PSO cycles create predictable vesting events (notably early February), which can introduce episodic selling pressure; hedging/pledging is prohibited, and executives must retain 50% of net shares until meeting the 8x salary guideline, supporting long-term alignment .
• Risk mitigants: Double-trigger CIC, broad clawbacks, and no tax gross-ups reduce governance risk, while beneficial ownership levels (<1% individually) and compliance with stringent ownership guidelines temper concentration risk; watch AIP factor performance (Revenue, Adjusted EPS, TNS, FCF) and TSR vs targets as near-term compensation catalysts .