George Paulin was a pioneer in the role of independent advisor to public company board compensation committees, and was instrumental in establishing FW Cook as a national leader in executive compensation consulting services.

After joining the firm in New York in 1982, he launched the first satellite office in Chicago the following year. He led the Chicago office until 1988, when he moved to Los Angeles to start that office, which he continues to lead. He became the firm’s President in 1994, CEO in 2001, and Chairman in 2015. During this time, the firm grew exponentially in market share and employment.

George is widely recognized as an authority on strategic executive compensation program design across industries. He actively advises the compensation committees at many of the nation’s largest and most valuable public companies. Examples include Cisco, Disney, Hewlett Packard Inc., 3M, McDonald’s, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, Visa, Wells Fargo and others. In addition to public companies, he is also authoritative on executive compensation in private and family-owned businesses. Current clients include Bacardi LTD and Cargill; George served for many years on the Compensation Committee of The Pritzker Family Trust.

George has testified before Congress on executive compensation matters, appeared on CNBC, and contributed to most major business publications. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment relations in 1990, and is a member of the University’s President’s Council. He was named to the National Association of Corporate Director’s list of the 100 most-influential people in corporate governance in multiple years.

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