Compensation Consulting Services for Family Offices & Privately Held Businesses

Strategic compensation consulting services for family offices, family-owned businesses, privately held companies and ESOP organisations. We help boards, executives and business owners design compensation strategies that attract talent, reward performance and support long-term business value.

Consulting Experience

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Clients Supported

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Why Choose Us

40+ Years of Expertise

Decades of specialised experience in executive, employee, board and incentive compensation.

500+ Clients Supported

Trusted by more than 500 organisations, with extensive experience in family-owned and privately held businesses.

Private-Business Specialists

We focus on family offices, family-owned enterprises, privately held companies and ESOP organisations.

Hundreds of Incentive Plans Designed

Extensive experience creating annual performance bonuses and simulated long-term incentive programmes.

CPA-Led Professional Expertise

Led by Bruce K. Benesh, CPA, with senior experience at Grant Thornton and Arthur Andersen and published industry expertise.

Compensation Consulting Built for Private Businesses

Compensation decisions in family-owned and privately held businesses involve more than determining salary. Executive pay, employee compensation, incentive plans and board compensation can directly influence performance, retention, governance and long-term business objectives.

Benesh Consulting Group provides specialised compensation consulting services designed around the realities of family offices, family-owned companies, privately held businesses and ESOP organisations.

Our approach combines compensation benchmarking, market analysis, incentive plan design and practical advisory support to help clients make informed compensation decisions. Rather than applying a standard compensation model, we consider factors such as company size, industry, geographic location, ownership structure, responsibilities and business objectives.

With more than 40 years of compensation consulting experience and more than 500 clients supported, Benesh Consulting Group brings deep experience to complex compensation decisions.

Benchmarking With Business Context

We evaluate compensation using relevant market data alongside company size, industry, geographic location, position responsibilities and ownership structure. This creates a more meaningful comparison for family-owned and privately held businesses.

Incentive Plans That Drive Performance

We design short-term and long-term incentive programmes that connect compensation with measurable business objectives, performance, retention and long-term value creation.

Compensation Aligned With Governance

Compensation can affect leadership accountability, board effectiveness and family-business governance. We help organisations develop compensation structures that reflect responsibilities while supporting business and ownership objectives.

Our Services

Compensation advisory for private businesses, family offices and enterprises, boards, ESOPS

Benesh Consulting Group provides specialized compensation consulting for family-owned companies, privately held businesses, family offices, executives, employees, boards, and legal matters.

Executive compensation

Design compensation programs that align executive leadership with business performance, retention, governance, and long-term growth.

Good For

C-suite pay, leadership incentives, long-term incentives, retention plans, and performance-based compensation.

Employee compensation

Build practical employee compensation structures that support internal fairness, market competitiveness, and talent retention.

Good For

Salary structures, market benchmarking, incentive plans, pay ranges, and compensation administration.

Board compensation

Create board compensation plans that reflect governance responsibilities, company complexity, and private-business realities.

Good For

Director retainers, meeting fees, committee compensation, outside board members, and family board structures.

Expert witness support

Provide compensation-related analysis, reports, and expert support for disputes, litigation, and legal proceedings.

Good For

Reasonable compensation, executive pay disputes, bonuses, commissions, equity compensation, and expert testimony.

Benesh Consulting Group helped us bring clarity to a complex executive compensation structure. Their recommendations were practical, well-supported, and aligned with how our family business actually operates.

Family business ownerPrivately held company

Their understanding of private-company compensation is different from standard consulting firms. They helped our board evaluate pay, incentives, and governance with confidence.

Board memberFamily-owned enterprise

The team provided thoughtful analysis, clear benchmarking, and a compensation plan that balanced market competitiveness with our long-term retention goals.

Chief executive officerPrivate operating company

Aligning compensation with performance, governance, and long-term growth

For family offices and privately held businesses, compensation decisions are closely tied to leadership, retention, ownership goals, and board governance. Benesh Consulting Group helps clients create compensation structures that are clear, competitive, and built around private-business realities.

Compensation built around business goals

Design executive, employee, and board compensation programs that connect pay with responsibility, performance, retention, and long-term value creation.

Practical guidance for complex private companies

Support families, boards, and leadership teams with market-informed recommendations, incentive plan design, and governance-ready compensation structures.

What does a compensation consulting firm do?

A compensation consulting firm evaluates an organisation’s compensation structure, market data, pay levels, incentives and related programmes to help develop competitive and strategically aligned compensation plans. At Benesh Consulting Group, this can include executive compensation, employee compensation, board compensation, incentive programmes and compensation-related expert-witness matters

How does compensation benchmarking work for privately held companies?

Compensation benchmarking compares salaries, incentives and other compensation elements with relevant market data. For privately held and family-owned businesses, effective benchmarking should also consider factors such as industry, company size, geographic location, ownership structure, position responsibilities and business objectives. BCG uses this broader context when evaluating compensation for private businesses.

What types of compensation consulting services do you provide?

Benesh Consulting Group provides specialised compensation consulting across executive compensation, employee compensation, board of directors compensation and compensation-related expert-witness support. Services can include compensation benchmarking, salary structures, incentive plans, executive pay, board compensation, performance-based compensation and compensation analysis for legal matters.

How should family-owned businesses structure executive compensation?

Executive compensation for a family-owned business should consider the executive’s responsibilities, market competitiveness, company performance, ownership structure, family and governance considerations, retention objectives and long-term business goals. A compensation consultant can benchmark the position and help determine an appropriate combination of base salary, short-term incentives, long-term incentives and benefits.

How do you determine appropriate board of directors compensation for a private company?

Board compensation should reflect the director’s responsibilities, company size and complexity, industry, geographic market and the organisation’s governance and business objectives. BCG’s board compensation process includes benchmarking, evaluation, incentive planning and development of the final compensation plan, with consideration given to cash retainers, meeting fees, equity-related compensation and total compensation.

Common questions

Schedule a Strategy Call with Bruce Benesh

Get expert guidance on executive, employee, and board compensation strategies designed around your organization’s unique goals. Schedule a confidential strategy call with Bruce Benesh to discuss your challenges, opportunities, and the right path forward.