Ryan Greene
StagwellAbout Ryan Greene
Ryan Greene is Stagwell’s Chief Financial Officer (appointed July 2, 2025) after serving as Chief Operating Officer since August 2021 and previously CFO of The Stagwell Group/Stagwell Media since 2015 . He has 20+ years in finance and operations across Omnicom agencies, MorganFranklin Consulting, Ernst & Young, B|Com3, and Arthur Andersen; he holds a BBA (Pace), an MBA (NYU Stern), and is a NY-licensed CPA . As of March 11, 2024 he was age 46 and an STGW executive officer . Stagwell’s executive pay and LTIPs for Greene are primarily tied to cumulative Adjusted EBITDA, with pay-versus-performance disclosures highlighting Adjusted EBITDA, revenue growth, net debt, and TSR linkage for senior leadership .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stagwell Inc. | Chief Financial Officer | Jul 2025–present | Elevated to CFO to drive finance and $80–100M AI-led efficiency plan; previously led $65M cost synergies as COO . |
| Stagwell Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Aug 2021–Jul 2025 | Led operations, IT, real estate consolidation and $65M cost synergies since 2021 . |
| The Stagwell Group / Stagwell Media | Chief Financial Officer | Sep 2015–Aug 2021 | Financial leadership through portfolio scaling and pre-merger integration . |
| MorganFranklin Consulting | Financial Management Consultant | Oct 2013–Sep 2015 | Advised on IPOs, M&A, process reengineering across multiple industries . |
| Omnicom Group (CLS Strategies, C2 Creative, DAS network) | Financial leadership roles | Various (pre-2013) | Corporate finance/operations roles in agencies . |
| Ernst & Young; B | Com3 (Publicis); Arthur Andersen (TMT group) | Corporate finance/operations | Early career |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pace University; NYU Stern | BBA; MBA | — | Education credentials . |
| State of New York | Certified Public Accountant | — | License held . |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $575,000 | $575,000 | $600,000 (effective Oct 1, 2024) | $650,000 (effective Jul 1, 2025) |
| Target Bonus (%) | 75% of base (per employment agreement) | 75% of base | 75% of base | 80% of base (amended at CFO appointment) |
| Actual Annual Cash Bonus ($) | $0 (paid via equity in subsequent year) | $0 (paid via equity/retention) | $0 (paid via equity/retention) | Not disclosed (amended terms allow up to 50% payable in RSUs at company discretion) |
| Retention Bonus ($) | — | $161,719 (awarded Mar 8, 2024 for 2023 performance year) | $205,000 (awarded Mar 7, 2025 for 2024 performance year) | — |
| Annual Incentive Equity Granted (#) | 65,816 restricted shares (granted Feb 23, 2023; for 2022 year) | 31,191 RSUs (granted Mar 8, 2024; for 2023 year) | 20,750 RSUs (granted Mar 7, 2025; for 2024 year) | — |
| Annual Incentive Equity Vesting | Vested Feb 23, 2024 | Vests Mar 8, 2025 | Vests Mar 8, 2025 | — |
Performance Compensation
| Award (Grant Date) | Metric | Target | Threshold/Max | Status/Actual | Target Shares/Units | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Stock LTIP (Mar 8, 2024) | Cumulative Adjusted EBITDA | $1.325B (2024–2026 performance period) | 80% threshold; up to 120% max | In progress | 63,372 PSUs (target) | Mar 8, 2027 (subject to performance and service) |
| 2023 Stock LTIP (Feb 23, 2023) | Cumulative Adjusted EBITDA | $1.425B (2023–2025 performance period) | 80% threshold | In progress | 50,145 restricted shares (target) | Mar 1, 2026 (subject to performance and service) |
| 2022 Stock LTIP (Aug 15, 2022) | Cumulative Adjusted EBITDA | $1.425B (2022–2024 performance period) | — | Committee exercised discretion to vest 82% of shares at target (45,221 vested Mar 31, 2025; remainder forfeited) | 55,148 restricted shares (target) | Mar 31, 2025 (discretionary vesting) |
| 2021 Stock LTIP (Oct 15, 2021) | Cumulative Adjusted EBITDA | $1.1B (2021–2023 performance period) | — | Exceeded target; 100% vested | 41,000 restricted shares (target) | Mar 31, 2024 |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | Apr 15, 2024 | Dec 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (Class A shares) (#) | 183,507 | — |
| Ownership % of Shares Outstanding | <1% | — |
| Unvested Restricted Shares (#) | 105,293 | — |
| Unvested RSUs (#) | — | 31,191 (annual incentive RSUs vested Mar 8, 2025) |
| Market Value of Unvested RSUs ($) | — | $205,237 (as of 12/31/2024) |
| Unearned LTIP Shares/Units (#) | — | 168,665 (2022/2023/2024 LTIPs in aggregate) |
| Market/Payout Value of Unearned LTIPs ($) | — | $1,109,816 (as of 12/31/2024) |
| Hedging/Pledging | Hedging prohibited; pledging limited to 40% with approval; currently no hedging/pledging by officers/directors | Hedging prohibited; pledging limited to 40% with approval; currently no hedging/pledging by officers/directors |
Employment Terms
- Employment Agreement: dated September 12, 2021; initial base salary $575,000; annual discretionary bonus up to 75% of base salary; signing bonus $300,000 .
- CFO Appointment & Compensation Amendments: effective July 1–2, 2025; base salary increased to $650,000; target bonus increased to 80% of base; up to 50% of bonus payable in RSUs (one-year vest) at company discretion .
- Severance: if terminated without cause, salary continuation for six months; the company’s 12/31/2024 termination scenario shows cash severance $300,000 and additional vesting of equity awards as applicable .
- Change-in-Control: annual incentive RSUs vest; LTIPs vest at 100% of target upon termination without cause or for good reason within one year of a Change in Control; outside CIC, LTIPs vest pro-rata based on service; death/disability also results in 100% target vesting .
- Restrictive Covenants: two-year post-employment non-solicit and restrictions on rendering services for clients of the type served by the company .
- Clawback: executive compensation clawback policy adopted Oct 1, 2023; applies to incentive-based compensation after restatements; no clawbacks required for the 2022 revisions .
- Equity Plan Design: no repricing without shareholder approval; minimum 1-year vesting (limited exceptions); no tax gross-ups; double-trigger CIC vesting for new awards under the Third Amended and Restated 2016 Plan .
Additional Performance & Track Record Indicators
- Cost Synergies: As COO, Greene spearheaded $65M cost synergies since 2021; as CFO, tasked to lead $80–100M AI-led efficiencies announced at April Investor Day .
- Option Exercises & Vested Stock (2024): Greene had no SAR exercises; 106,816 restricted shares vested in 2024, realizing $709,150 in value .
Say-on-Pay & Governance Context
- Say-on-Pay Support: 2024 advisory vote on NEO compensation received over 99% support .
- Committee Oversight: Human Resources and Compensation Committee sets metrics, awards, and reviews risks; long-term incentives focus on Adjusted EBITDA over three-year periods .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: Greene’s incentives are predominantly equity-linked to multi-year Adjusted EBITDA targets, with recent discretionary vesting (82% of 2022 LTIP) signaling Committee support despite under-target performance, but creating future equity supply as awards vest .
- Near-term selling pressure: Annual incentive RSUs granted for 2023 and 2024 vest in March 2025, adding potential supply; Greene had 31,191 RSUs vesting Mar 8, 2025 and LTIP tranches scheduled in 2026/2027 .
- Retention risk mitigants: Contractual severance, double-trigger CIC vesting, two-year restrictive covenants, and a clawback policy reduce attrition risk and protect alignment; hedging is prohibited and pledging limited, with no current pledging/hedging by officers .
- Execution focus: Greene’s track record of cost synergies and mandate to deliver $80–100M AI-led efficiencies tie his compensation outcomes to execution on EBITDA; watch Adjusted EBITDA progress versus LTIP targets ($1.325B for 2024 LTIP; $1.425B for 2023 LTIP) to gauge payout risk and future dilution .