Tenet Ex-Director Lashes Out on CEO Pay

Still, the Tenet Shareholder Committee expressed clear regret at Nakasone's departure.

"It was reported that other board members found Mr. Nakasone 'disruptive,'" committee spokesman Paul Brickman told TheStreet.com on Monday. "In our view, Tenet needed many more disruptive board members and far fewer who were willing to go along with a corporate culture that produced disastrous outcomes for Tenet patients and shareholders."

Tenet's stock, pressured for more than a year over allegations of corporate wrongdoing, inched up 4 cents to $11.29 on Monday.

Alarm Bells

Prudential analyst David Shove already voiced concerns after Tenet filed its proxy statement last week.

Shove believes that Tenet is losing valuable directors just when the company needs them most. He says that Nakasone brought strong retail marketing experience to the boardroom table. He believes that Lawrence Biondi and Sanford Cloud -- both of whom are leaving their posts in May -- offered a crucial not-for-profit perspective. And he is convinced that Monica Lozano, who may step down next year, deserves some credit for Tenet's ability to resolve legal issues with the company's uninsured Hispanic patients.

"Despite Tenet management's proclamation of a better, investor-friendly board of directors, we believe the 2004 proxy and new board departures point to the opposite," wrote Shove, who has recommended selling the company's stock for some time. "For a company in the midst of turmoil, we believe the board of directorship developments are unwelcome news and point to choppy waters ahead."

In the meantime, Shove is already puzzled over the company's executive compensation policy. He points out that both ousted CEO Jeffrey Barbakow and his replacement collected generous pay packages during a year when the company itself suffered greatly. He was particularly "startled" by the rewards -- including big stock-related grants and a $1.2 million relocation check -- picked up by the current CEO.

« Previous Page

1 2 3

Next Page »