SPEAKER BIOS
Jim Scannella
Jim Scannella is an Associate Principal in the New York Compensation Practice of Buck Consultants, a
Mellon Financial Company. He consults in several areas of compensation and benefits planning,
specializing in strategies that promote employee ownership. His practice emphasizes executive
compensation, focusing on annual and long-term incentives, supplemental retirement plans, change-incontrol benefits, and boardroom pay. Jim also acts as a technical resource to HR professionals, providing
guidance on the regulatory aspects of compensation and benefits planning (tax, accounting, ERISA,
SEC).
Jim has more than 20 years of experience in advising companies in the design and operation of their
employee compensation and benefit plans. He has worked with companies of all sizes, from closely-held
manufacturers to multinational financial services firms.
Jim joined Buck Consultants in early 2002 after serving for sixteen years as a Principal and practice
leader of the New Jersey office compensation consulting practice of a “Big Five” accounting firm.
Rick Barrett
Rick Barrett is a Principal and the regional director of Buck’s New York Metro Region Communications
Practice. Rick leads a team of communication professionals with expertise in a full spectrum of
communication disciplines.
In addition to providing clients with traditional communication solutions in the areas of corporate and
human resource communications, Rick has expertise in the area of intranet-based product and content
development. This expertise helps clients whose business strategy calls for leveraging technology to
better equip employees with critical tools and information.
Rick’s experience in the area of business-to-employee (B2E) communications spans nearly 15 years,
including eight years with Towers Perrin, where he managed a group of creative and print production
professionals. After leaving Towers Rick spent several years working with Internet agencies specializing
in Web-based marketing solutions for a variety of clients. Rick joined Buck recently as a result of
Mellon’s acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Unifi Network, where he was national director of
eCommunications and the west region communications practice leader.
Rick received his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of California. In his spare time
he writes – and very occasionally publishes – short fiction.
Ron Schneider
Ron Schneider is a Product Manager at Mellon Investor Services, LLC, responsible for Proxy Solicitation
and Investor Relations Suite of Services.
Ron Schneider joined Mellon as Senior Analyst in its Proxy Solicitation, StockWatch and Information
Agent Group in July 2000. He recently was promoted to Product Manager for this Group, now known as
the Investor Relations Suite of Services.
Prior to joining Mellon, Ron spent four years at The Financial Relations Board, the country’s largest
investor relations agency, where he managed its proxy solicitation, corporate governance and stock
surveillance practice. Before that, he served as a consultant to important proxy intermediary ADP
Investor Communication Services. Earlier, he worked in increasingly senior capacities for fourteen years
at major proxy solicitation firms Morrow & Company, D.F. King and Georgeson & Company, where he
rose to the position of Director.
During this period, Ron has worked with public companies in all industries and of all sizes on the full
range of proxy solicitation, corporate governance, shareholder activism and control issues. He has
personally managed over 1,500 proxy solicitations, 200 tender or exchange offers, and 30 proxy fights.
At Mellon, Ron and his Group work with clients involved in difficult proxy solicitations involving
compensation and other issues, and counsel clients on a range of issues of public ownership.
Ron is a graduate of Princeton University, is a member of the American Society of Corporate Secretaries,
the National Investor Relations Institute, and is a frequent speaker at industry events.
Peter Duggan
A 1988 graduate of Boston College, Peter has a BA in Mathematics and English as well as a MBA of
Finance and International Business from the Stern Business School of New York University.
Peter is Vice President and Director of Product Management for Mellon Investor Services’ Corporate
Actions business. Product responsibility includes: Exchanges, Tenders, and Elections for M&A
transactions as well as demutualizations, subscriptions, IPO Exchanges; Oddlot Programs; reverse splits;
employee option tenders; bankruptcy distributions; claims processing; share repurchases and other equity
event transaction services.
Peter worked at Bankers Trust for 11 years prior to joining Mellon in 1999, first as the managing director
of their International Corporate Trust and American Depositary Receipts businesses and more recently
assuming responsibility for Product Management and Development for the same division.
Peter has spoken globally on the topic of International Equity Processing services and contributed to
numerous articles on the subject.