Why Southlea - Southlea Group

We do more than provide data, we are your compensation consulting partners.

We created Southlea to offer a different compensation consulting experience. We are more than data providers. We combine the latest global market insights with a deep understanding of your business to provide you with a tailored and independent perspective.

Southlea provides an individualized compensation consulting experience

Global insights and local support

We are the only Canadian compensation consulting practice in the GECN – a group of premier, independent consulting firms around the world – providing access to over 150 colleagues serving over 35 countries.

Independent point of view

We follow protocols to ensure independent and objective advice is provided to the Human Resources Committee. We provide the same advice regardless of who retains us.

Deep business and financial expertise

We blend deep financial and human capital expertise to develop effective compensation plans that support business priorities.

Collaborative approach

We work with you to gain a strong understanding of your business strategy and the views of all stakeholders.

Strong industry focus

Our experience in financial services (including insurance and asset management), natural resources (energy and mining) and technology ensures we deliver tailored advice based on your specific industry dynamics.

Robust market insights

We have a partnership with ESGAUGE, a third party data analytics firm, to efficiently provide disclosed pay data for Canadian and US companies. In addition to our own specialized compensation surveys, we can leverage your access to relevant third-party compensation surveys.

Our team of experienced advisors are ready to help

Our team is a diverse mix of engagement leaders, project managers, analysts, specialist contractors and support professionals. As one of Canada’s largest compensation practices, we are designed to be efficient and effective at producing high quality work and meet deadlines.

Get to know us

Our Advisory Approach

We provide thoughtful perspectives and advice, not just data

Trusted advisor

We build long-term relationships by understanding your business and HR strategies, opportunities and challenges, and working collaboratively with key stakeholders.

Quality assurance and excellence model

We aim to deliver accurate and thoughtful work that addresses your needs. We follow a rigorous review process to ensure information presented is timely, accurate and provides a relevant point of view.

Client relationship management

Each major client relationship is led by a Southlea partner. We commit to annual planning and quarterly update meetings to establish and monitor your priorities throughout the year.

Active project management

We bring together the right people at the right time. Our team-based approach provides multiple contacts and we leverage the latest technology to facilitate the secure exchange of information.

Our Clients

We can help with diverse, complex and global organizational challenges

Different ownership structures

We work with publicly-traded, privately-held, family-owned, PE/VC backed, pre-IPO, asset management, and other organizations (public sector / not-for-profit) with complex compensation challenges.

Industry focus

We work with clients across all industries, but our expertise is in financial services (insurance & banking), asset management, natural resources (energy, power and mining) and technology sectors.

Global orientation

Our partnerships with GECN firms around the world allows us to provide you with local insights and support to address global compensation challenges.

Complex and unique circumstances

Our experienced advisors regularly support organizations going through complex and unique challenges. We can help the board and senior management effectively navigate past these complex challenges.

I’ve known Amanda for many years and have trusted her independent point-of-view anchored in a deep understanding of our investment strategies and the asset management industry. This means that she asks the right questions to effectively connect our performance with pay.

— Mark Wiseman,

Board Chair of AIMCo

Navigating complex executive compensation plans is one of the Board’s toughest jobs, as it requires carefully balancing of management and shareholder interests. Southlea brings everyone together while maintaining independence, making my job more effective.

— Michael Mueller,

Board Chair of Laurentian Bank

Southlea has become a trusted partner and advisor to both the Board and Management because they understand the business and tailor their recommendations and consulting advice to fit our company and culture. It is a high-quality individualized service that shines through based on their knowledge, skill and responsiveness to their client. It is a refreshing partnership and an enjoyable collaboration.

— Claudia D’Orazio,

Centerra Gold – Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Information Technology

Southlea have significant breadth and depth of experience in compensation consulting in the asset management industry in Canada. Their compensation survey provides rich data for the industry and their ability to interpret its results and adapt it to the particularities of each segment of the industry is invaluable.

— Jay Mann,

Fiera Capital – Senior Vice President, Global Total Rewards & HR Operations

Amanda and Tara are true subject matter experts in compensation and their expertise and dedication to our organization has been instrumental to our success. Their ability to partner both with management and the Board ensures the best outcomes for the governance of our decision.

— Krista Pell,

AIMCo – Chief People, Culture and Engagement Officer

Southlea takes the time to understand your business and its performance drivers, which makes their research and advice actionable and tailored to your organization – no generic templates and insights here! Southlea’s work is consistently of high quality and the team is very responsive, always co-collaborating with clients to meet their objectives. Most importantly, the Southlea team knows their craft and are always on top of emerging market and best practices. Plus, they are simply a team of really wonderful people who are great to work with.

— Karin Adams,

TMX Group – VP, Talent & Total Rewards

We bring and interpet deep industry insights

Asset management

We have significant experience working with pension funds, captive and independent asset managers, venture capital and private equity firms, and large family offices across the country. Our expertise lies in our understanding of the complex interrelationships between pay and performance, and the widely disparate markets for talent. As developers of the Southlea Asset Management Compensation Survey, we have an intimate understanding of the unique roles that reside within organizations, particularly those that straddle investment management and advisory, and the factors that influence pay.

Financial services (banking and insurance)

We have experience working with a wide range of financial services companies, including banks (of various sizes including the large chartered banks), insurers (both P&C and life), credit unions and diversified companies (capital markets, specialized finance, financial technology).

We understand the nuances of different talent markets for different business units and how to compare across financial services companies of different sizes and structures.

Our expertise includes designing and running pulse surveys to collect industry-specific market insights, creating incentive plans that can be applied across the organization or for select groups, and sharing compensation programs to plan participants and external stakeholders.

Mining

We have significant experience working with small, mid and large-cap mining companies, headquartered in Canada with global operations.

We use our understanding of the complexities of the mining industry to build effective compensation programs, including:

Business and compensation challenges associated with the lifecycle stage of the mine(s) in each issuer’s portfolio
Importance of a balanced focus on health & safety, community relations, broader ESG, operating performance, financial results and share price growth
Dynamics of a volatility commodity price on market and shareholder value

Our industry experience, together with the experiences of other GECN consultants in major mining markets (including Australia, South Africa, the UK and the US) allows us to offer a unique balance of global market insights and local market perspectives.

Energy (oil & gas and power)

We have experience working with energy companies across the spectrum including upstream, midstream and downstream oil & gas, electric utilities, power generators and renewable power. We understand the unique challenges that energy companies face given the increasing focus on climate change and different energy transition priorities. We have insights into the significant capital expenditures and commodity-cyclical performance outcomes that result in differing stakeholder perspectives and unique compensation challenges within the energy industry.

Technology

We have experience working with technology companies under various ownership structures, including pre-IPO and PE/VC backed. We understand how the evolving labour market dynamics over the past few years have created challenging compensation issues including tough competition for specific skill-sets, significant use of equity compensation and different pay models. We can develop customized pay structures that align with your talent markets and are flexible to support rapid growth.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help

We are excited to partner with you to solve your complex compensation challenges. Our experienced team of compensation consultants are ready to learn more about how we can most effectively support you.

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