partners. He and his legal team were responsible for legal matters related to the Company’s acquisition of Oritani. Mr. Janis and his team also developed strategies intended to reduce the Company's litigation exposure.
Robert J. Bardusch
Mr. Bardusch was primarily responsible for developing and implementing the Company’s technology roadmap and associated operational enhancements. The Committee believes that Mr. Bardusch’s efforts to develop the roadmap have been outstanding although the implementation of certain initiatives lagged original projections. Mr. Bardusch has overseen the implementation of multiple employee engagement initiatives and enhanced employee mobility and collaboration platforms. He also upgraded the Company's Project Management capabilities and strengthened succession within operations and loan servicing. On the customer side, Mr. Bardusch has overseen the Company’s partnership with Fintech companies and developed products utilizing customer facing technologies. Lastly, Mr. Bardusch assisted the Company’s efforts to transform its branches through workspace and technology enhancements.
Key Compensation Decisions and Actions
Summary
The Committee increased Mr. Robbins’ total direct compensation by $540,000 ($3,550,000 in 2019 vs. $3,010,000 in 2018), or approximately 17.9%, from last year. Mr. Robbins also earned $250,000, or approximately 7.6%, more than his target total direct compensation of $3,300,000. More specifically, the Committee made the following compensation determinations with respect to Mr. Robbins:
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Increased his non-equity incentive award to $1,000,000 for 2019 from $660,000 in 2018 (or 111% of target in 2019); and
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Increased his total equity award to $1,650,000 from $1,500,000 for 2018 (or 110% of target in 2019).
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The Committee believes that, as President and CEO, Mr. Robbins’ compensation, more than any other NEO, should reflect the overall performance of the Company rather than individual achievements. The Committee believes that the compensation determination that it made reflects the Company’s financial performance in 2019. The meaningful increase in Mr. Robbins’ compensation was due to (i) the Company's performance against its goals as set forth in the scorecard, (ii) the Company's improvement in TSR in 2019, (iii) the positive transformation the Company made in 2019 and continues to make, (iv) the improvement in financial results in 2019 compared to 2018, and (v) the continued ramp up of his compensation to median levels.
Mr. Iadanza earned $1,850,000 in 2019 total direct compensation, consisting of $600,000 in base salary, a
$330,000 non-equity incentive award, and a total equity award of $920,000. The total direct compensation paid for 2019 represents a 7.2% increase from 2018 and an 8.8% increase over target compensation. In particular, Mr. Iadanza’s non-equity award was 110% of target and his equity award was 115% of target. Mr. Iadanza’s compensation reflects his excellent performance against the scorecard, and his key role in increasing the loan and deposit growth of the Company in 2019.
Mr. Hagedorn succeeded Mr. Eskow as CFO in July 2019. He was awarded a base salary of $590,000 and a pro-rated non-equity award of $125,000. His equity award for 2019 was $725,000 and Mr. Hagedorn also received a sign on grant of time vested restricted stock units equal to $300,000.
In 2019, Mr. Eskow announced his retirement as CFO and transition to a Senior Advisor of the Company. Mr. Eskow earned $1,558,750 in direct compensation for 2019, which was a 3.6% increase from 2018 and in line with his 2019 target direct compensation.
Mr. Janis' total direct compensation was $1,446,750, an increase of 1.8% from 2018 and in line with his 2019 target direct compensation.
Mr. Bardusch was awarded $1,457,000 in total direct compensation for 2019 consisting of $475,000 in base salary, a $182,000 non-equity incentive award and a $800,000 equity award that includes a special, one time, grant of $200,000 in restricted stock units which vest at the end of a three year period dependent on the achievement by Mr. Bardusch of certain specified goals related to the Company future operating model. Mr. Bardusch’s total direct compensation represents an increase of 29.5% from 2018 or an 11.7% increase excluding the one-time grant.
Salaries
Mr. Robbins' base salary will increase to $1,000,000 for 2020 from $900,000 in 2019. None of the other NEOs received an increase in base salary in 2020.
Non-Equity Incentive Awards
The non-equity incentive award of $1,000,000 for Mr. Robbins was higher than last year’s award and his target 2019 award by $340,000 and $100,000, respectively. The Committee recognized Mr. Robbins' extraordinary contribution to the Company's success in 2019 by awarding him 111% of his 2019 non-equity award target.
Mr. Iadanza's non-equity award was 110% of his 2019 target, recognizing his accomplishments in driving loan and deposit growth for the Company. Mr. Hagedorn was awarded a pro-rated $125,000 non-equity award. The other NEOs were each granted non-equity awards in amounts that were at 100% of