Designing a compensation program is like solving a puzzle – the result should balance business priorities, regulatory imperatives and compensatory intent, with all parts fitting neatly together.

Michael T. Schoonmaker

EY Americas People Advisory Services Reward Leader

Leader of the EY total reward resources in the Americas. Focused on aligning compensation and benefits with business objectives. Father. Avid reader. Runner.

Michael serves as EY Americas People Advisory Services Tax Reward Leader and has over 20 years of experience consulting clients in the financial services industry on people matters, with a particular focus on compensation and benefits (market practice, tax, accounting and industry-specific regulations).

Michael also has experience consulting clients regarding compensation and benefits in the transaction setting, including due diligence and future compensation design.

A member of the New York State Bar, Michael earned his JD from Fordham University School of Law, his LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law and his BA in Political Science and Government from Marist College.

How Michael is building a better working world 

“Following the pack is not necessarily the best approach in coming up with a compensation and benefit design. In my work, I stress that compensation and benefit programs should be specifically tailored to a client’s business objectives, whether in a transaction, transformation or otherwise. This, I believe, helps me contribute to building a better working world.”  

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