David Swinford is president and CEO of Pearl Meyer, and previously served as senior managing director and head of Pearl Meyer’s New York office. Prior to Pearl Meyer, Swinford was a principal and worldwide partner of William M. Mercer Inc., where he was national practice leader for executive compensation. Swinford also has served as a vice president at Towers Perrin and in positions at Sibson & Co. and the Harris Corp. He serves on the faculty of the Corporate Directors Institute of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Swinford writes and lectures regularly on issues related to executive compensation and board governance, including presentations before many directors’ institutes and for university-sponsored executive education programs.