The NASPP Blog

Our popular “Meet the Speaker” series, featuring interviews with speakers at the 25th Annual NASPP Conference, is a great way to get to know our many distinguished speakers and find out a little more about their sessions in advance of the Conference.

For today’s “Meet the Speaker” interview, we feature an interview with Raenelle James of Equity Methods, who will lead the session “A Disrupter’s Guide to Equity Accounting Transformation: Insights from Winning Teams.”  Here is what Raenelle had to say:

NASPP: Why do you feel strongly about your topic?

Raenelle: We were seeking the answer to the question—”What does a center of excellence look like? What exactly is best in class as it relates to equity compensation accounting?”

In our quest, we found that finance executives really care about impact! They want stock compensation accounting (and all other areas in their domain) to deliver relevant and useful decision-making information to stakeholders. They want controls and automation, AND flexibility and agility.

At the end of the day, stock-based compensation is just one component of the overall finance function, but it can and should be a very strategic component.

NASPP: What is one action should companies be taking now?

Raenelle: At the end of the day, there’s no prescriptive “you must do these things” sort of a list. However, to make an impact, having good controls is essential! Therefore taking a step back and taking a critical look at the current process to confirm that good controls are in place is a good first step for most companies.

If this is already a foregone conclusion for you, then ask yourself—what information are you delivering? Is the stock-based compensation accounting function viewed as a key business partner for strategic initiatives? And if not, what information can you help provide that would force organizational leaders to start taking that viewpoint?

NASPP: What is the silver lining to your topic?

Raenelle: Regardless of your size or industry, epitomizing best in class is very feasible.

I like to reference Kaizen as it is the Japanese word for “continual improvement.” Ultimately, that’s what we should be striving for.

NASPP: What is your favorite restaurant in DC?

Raenelle: I may cop out here and give two answers for this question—primarily because one is a bakery, but I had to mention it as I love desserts 🙂

1. PAUL—I discovered this on a trip to DC recently. It’s a French bakery that has amazing pastries. Key note—it is a chain that started in Paris and has a very long history, but I have found it to be a place where I can get very good pastries.
2. Rasika—this is a true restaurant (as opposed to just a bakery). It has amazing Indian food and in the times that I have been there, I have always found something new to try (and have never had a bad meal there).

All of this of course is just my humble opinion :). DC has an amazing selection of restaurants. If you love to eat, this is a great city to be in.

Don’t miss Raenelle’s session, “A Disrupter’s Guide to Equity Accounting Transformation: Insights from Winning Teams,” at the NASPP Conference!

About the NASPP Conference

The 25th Annual NASPP Conference will be held from October 17-20 in Washington DC. This year’s program features close to 100 sessions on today’s most timely topics in stock and executive compensation; check out the full agenda and register today!