Brett Paschke
PRA GROUPAbout Brett L. Paschke
Brett L. Paschke (age 56) is an independent director of PRA Group, Inc., serving as Chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Audit Committee. He is Managing Partner of WinForest Partners (private equity) since December 2023, after senior leadership roles at William Blair & Company from 1997–2023, including Vice Chair of Investment Banking and leader of Equity Capital Markets. He has served on Duluth Holdings Inc.’s board and audit committee since 2021 and holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| WinForest Partners | Managing Partner | Dec 2023–present | Focused on investments in healthcare, technology, and services |
| William Blair & Company | Senior Director of Investment Banking; previously Vice Chair of Investment Banking; leader, Equity Capital Markets Group | 1997–Dec 2023 | Led ECM through 2009–2020; extensive public company transaction experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq) | Director | Since 2021 | Audit Committee |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Compensation Committee Chair; Audit Committee member .
- Independence: Board determined Paschke is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Attendance: Board held 11 meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; all then-serving directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Executive sessions: Lead Independent Director presides over executive sessions of independent directors at each Board meeting .
- Committee cadence: Audit (8 meetings), Compensation (6), Nominating & Corporate Governance (6), Risk (6) in 2024 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees (2024) | $115,000 | Composition consistent with retainers: Board Member $70,000; Compensation Chair $30,000; Audit Committee Member $15,000 |
| Equity (RSUs, grant-date fair value, 2024) | $154,991 | RSUs granted on 2024 Annual Meeting date; vest on 1-year anniversary or next annual meeting |
| Total (2024) | $269,991 | No retirement benefits or perquisites for directors; travel reimbursement only |
- Director retainers (policy reference): Board Member $70,000; Committee Chair $30,000; Committee Member $15,000; Lead Independent $30,000; Chairman $125,000 .
- Stock ownership guidelines: Directors must hold shares valued at ≥5x the annual Board cash retainer; 5-year compliance window from board start date .
Performance Compensation
- Directors receive time-based RSUs only; no options or PSUs for non-employee directors .
- Vesting: RSUs vest on the anniversary of grant or the next annual meeting date, if earlier .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to PRA | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Duluth Holdings Inc. | Apparel retailer; no disclosed transactions with PRA | No related-party transactions disclosed; low direct interlock risk with PRA’s debt purchasing/collections business |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial industry and capital markets expertise; extensive work with public companies and equity capital markets .
- Strategic planning and international/public company experience .
- Education: M.B.A., Harvard Business School; B.A., Politics, Princeton University .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Class |
|---|---|---|
| Brett L. Paschke | 25,056 | <1% |
- Hedging/pledging: Company prohibits hedging and pledging of Company stock by directors .
- Related-party transactions: None in 2024 under Company’s Related Party Transaction Policy .
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Composition: Brett L. Paschke (Chair), Glenn P. Marino, Geir L. Olsen, Lance L. Weaver .
- Independent consultant: Pearl Meyer engaged; Committee assessed independence and found no conflicts .
- Program oversight: Pay-for-performance philosophy, stock ownership guidelines, clawback policy for executive incentive compensation, and risk review of compensation programs .
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- 2024 Say-on-Pay: Over 91% approval; Committee maintained continuity of 2024 NEO program in response to shareholder support .
- Investor engagement: Management conducted 60+ unique meetings in 2024, engaging holders of 60% of shares outstanding .
Insider Trades
| Year | Form 4 Transactions (Proxy Reference) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Not specifically listed for Paschke; Company notes one late filing for CFO (Sehgal) only | Section 16(a) compliance otherwise met for directors; no exceptions flagged for Paschke . |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independent director holding critical Compensation Committee Chair role; Audit Committee member; committees composed solely of independent directors .
- Robust governance policies: majority voting for directors in uncontested elections; anti-hedging/anti-pledging; director stock ownership guidelines; executive clawback policy .
- Clear director pay structure with measured equity grants promoting alignment; no perquisites/retirement benefits .
- Active shareholder engagement; strong Say-on-Pay support indicating investor confidence in compensation governance .
- Watch items:
- External role as private equity Managing Partner (WinForest) warrants ongoing monitoring for any future related-party exposure; none disclosed in 2024 .
- Attendance reported at “≥75%” threshold across directors; no director-specific attendance disclosed; continue to monitor director engagement granularity .
No conflicts, related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, or director-specific governance red flags were disclosed for Brett L. Paschke in 2024–2025 materials .