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Companies Middlesex Water

Middlesex Water (MSEX): executive pay, fiscal 2025

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CEO total pay$1,906,024CEO Nadine Leslie · source
Say-on-pay support93.1%Latest vote · source
CEO vs. named peers50th pct.Of 28 peer CEOs
CEO pay ratio23.78:1To the median employee · source

CEO pay, last three years

  • $1,677,576FY2024
  • $1,906,024FY2025

CEO total pay was $1,906,024 in fiscal 2025, up from $1,677,576 in fiscal 2024.

FY2025: salary $754,000 · bonus $0 · stock awards $678,000 · option awards $0

Executives and directors

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at Middlesex Water in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Nadine Leslie (Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at Middlesex Water in fiscal 2025, with total compensation of $1,906,024.
How does Middlesex Water's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, Nadine Leslie's total compensation ranked at the 50th percentile of Middlesex Water's disclosed peer group.
What is Middlesex Water's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, Middlesex Water's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 23.78:1.
How did shareholders vote on Middlesex Water's executive compensation?
As disclosed, 93.1% of shareholders supported Middlesex Water's executive compensation in the latest say-on-pay vote.
How much does Middlesex Water spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Middlesex Water reported total board compensation of $1,074,000 for fiscal 2025.

Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.

Full detail

Every table from the filing. Open any section.

Summary compensation table
Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Nadine Leslie$754,000$0$678,000$0$427,525$0$46,499$1,906,024
Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer
Mohammed Zerhouni587,6000200,0000199,905037,1911,024,696
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Gregory Sorensen494,000000165,098037,416696,514
Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Jay Kooper386,227—103,000063,960033,056586,243
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Georgia Simpson318,210—72,000052,696024,682467,588
Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Technology Officer

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Nadine Leslie$1,906,024$1,677,576—↑ +228,448
Mohammed Zerhouni1,024,696868,194—↑ +156,502
Gregory Sorensen696,514120,000—↑ +576,514
Jay Kooper586,243515,996459,690↑ +70,247
Georgia Simpson467,588407,673375,819↑ +59,915

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

The Company's executive compensation program reflects a pay-for-performance philosophy designed to link pay to performance over short-term and long-term horizons, align executive interests with those of shareholders and customers, and attract, motivate, and retain executive talent through market-competitive compensation and equity.

CEO STI target (% of salary)—
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantAon
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
Nadine LeslieRSU2025-04-01——6,677——
Gregory SorensenRSA—————259,350
Nadine LeslieRSU2025-03-01——4,987—250,000
Georgia SimpsonRSU2025-04-01——1,123——
Jay KooperRSU2025-04-01——1,607——
Mohammed ZerhouniRSU2025-04-01——3,120——

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Named executive officerTime-vested (RSU)Performance-vested (PSU)Options / SARs% performance-vested
Nadine Leslie$250,000$0$00.0%

% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Mohammed ZerhouniRSU3,120—$158,933
Georgia SimpsonRSU4,183—213,082
Jay KooperRSU4,853—247,212
Nadine LeslieRSU6,677—340,126
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Steven M. KleinIndependent · Audit$88,000$45,000———$133,000
Amy B. MansueIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Compensation · Risk81,66745,000———126,667
Joshua Bershad, M.DIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Audit81,00045,000———126,000
Kim C. HanemannIndependent · Enterprise Risk80,00045,000———125,000
Walter G. ReinhardIndependent · Nominating/Governance · Pension · Corporate Governance · Nominating78,33345,000———123,333
Ann L. NobleIndependent · Corporate Governance and Nominating78,00045,000———123,000
James F. Cosgrove JrIndependent · Compensation · Pension (Chair)77,00045,000———122,000
Vaughn L. McKoyIndependent · Nominating/Governance · Risk · Pension75,00045,000———120,000
Dennis W. DollIndependent · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY30,00045,000———75,000

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$60,000
Annual equity retainer$45,000
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)18,000 / 15,000 / 12,000
Stock ownership guideline$3

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$669,000
Equity awards (grant-date value)$405,000
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$1,074,000

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

Peer group, and who names Middlesex Water as a peer

Companies that benchmark against MSEX

3 companies name MSEX as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses MSEX in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named MSEX in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025

The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.

Peer reciprocity

The companies Middlesex Water names as compensation peers that name it back in their own disclosed peer groups.

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1California Water Service Group2025Martin Kropelnicki$1,080,688$1,950,119$0$1,524,915$6,875,256
2American States Water Company2025Robert Sprowls974,3271,991,9670892,1255,028,665
3Chesapeake Utilities Corporation2025Jeffry Householder872,3852,420,56601,097,8634,531,322
4Northwest Natural Holding Company2025Justin Palfreyman812,5001,726,2080726,4063,695,467
5MGE Energy, Inc.2025Jeffrey Keebler795,8331,402,8810865,9203,613,508
6Altus Power, Inc.2023Lars Norell550,0002,944,134003,494,134
7Unitil Corporation2025Thomas Meissner Jr.744,066751,8420662,5913,189,116
8Middlesex Water2025Nadine Leslie754,000678,0000427,5251,906,024
9Genie Energy Ltd.2025Michael Stein450,0000001,371,250
10Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.2025Frederick McTaggart562,275281,1380359,1531,222,966
11RGC Resources, Inc.2025Paul Nester467,084288,2250184,8661,014,851
12Global Water Resources, Inc.2025Ron Fleming385,000259,2520156,352819,403
13Artesian Resources Corporation2025Nicholle Taylor516,20434,98000687,374
14Montauk Renewables, Inc.2025Sean McClain454,713000671,702
15The York Water Company2025Joseph Hand412,175100,074—43,960572,275

Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
Middlesex Waternot disclosedRestricted Stock 100not disclosedAon
Altus Power, Inc.not disclosednot disclosedNoPearl Meyer
American States Water Companynot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPearl Meyer
Artesian Resources Corporationnot disclosedRestricted Stock 100not disclosedPearl Meyer & Partners
California Water Service Group141%%Performance-Based RSUs 75 · Time-Based RSAs 25NoMeridian Compensation Partners
Chesapeake Utilities Corporationnot disclosedPSU 100not disclosedFW Cook
Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Genie Energy Ltd.not disclosedRestricted Stock 100not disclosednot disclosed
Global Water Resources, Inc.not disclosedRSU 50 · Cash 50not disclosedFW Cook
MGE Energy, Inc.135.3%PSU 50 · RSU 50Yes — Relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR)FW Cook
Montauk Renewables, Inc.not disclosedOptions 100not disclosednot disclosed
Northwest Natural Holding Company138.8%PSA 65 · RSU 35NoPay Governance
RGC Resources, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
The York Water Companynot disclosedRestricted Stock 100not disclosedHerbein + Company, Inc.
Unitil Corporation137%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoWillis Towers

Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.

Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-05-1913,250,940982,60763,68993.1%Passed
20252025-05-2011,303,5651,780,684102,58986.39%Passed
20242024-05-219,111,6233,764,44791,29770.76%Passed
20232023-05-2311,042,344816,87072,21593.11%Passed
20222022-05-2311,869,742589,39271,62695.27%Passed
20212021-05-2511,535,743483,90683,02295.97%Passed

Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.

Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation

Meeting yearMeeting dateApproval — company’s computation
20262026-05-1993.1%a
20252025-05-2086.39%b
20242024-05-2170.76%c

a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “In addition, under New Jersey corporation law, abstentions are not counted as votes cast on a proposal.”.

Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)23.78 : 1
CEO total compensation$1,906,024
Median employee compensation$80,119
Insider trades since the proxy

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

Sources (46 citations)

Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

  • Section 01, Nadine Leslie. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 51. As printed: 1,906,024. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Mohammed Zerhouni. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 51. As printed: 1,024,696. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Gregory Sorensen. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 51. As printed: 696,514. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Jay Kooper. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 51. As printed: 586,243. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Georgia Simpson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 51. As printed: 467,588. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Nadine Leslie RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Gregory Sorensen RSA. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Nadine Leslie RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Georgia Simpson RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Jay Kooper RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Mohammed Zerhouni RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 23.78 : 1. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Steven M. Klein. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 133,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Amy B. Mansue. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 126,667. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Joshua Bershad, M.D. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 126,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Kim C. Hanemann. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 125,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Walter G. Reinhard. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 123,333. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Ann L. Noble. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 123,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, James F. Cosgrove Jr. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 122,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Vaughn L. McKoy. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 120,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Dennis W. Doll. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 75,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-05-20. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 93.1% (votes for as printed: 13,250,940). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-05-22. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 86.39% (votes for as printed: 11,303,565). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-05-22. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 70.76% (votes for as printed: 9,111,623). View filing ↗
  • Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
  • Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
  • Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 669,000 + equity 405,000 + all other 0 = 1,074,000, summed across the director compensation table rows.
  • California Water Service Group, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-08. CEO total compensation as printed in California Water Service Group's own proxy. As printed: 6,875,256. View filing ↗
  • American States Water Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-03. CEO total compensation as printed in American States Water Company's own proxy. As printed: 5,028,665. View filing ↗
  • Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-25. CEO total compensation as printed in Chesapeake Utilities Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 4,531,322. View filing ↗
  • Northwest Natural Holding Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Northwest Natural Holding Company's own proxy. As printed: 3,695,467. View filing ↗
  • MGE Energy, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-02. CEO total compensation as printed in MGE Energy, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,613,508. View filing ↗
  • Altus Power, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2024-04-11. CEO total compensation as printed in Altus Power, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,494,134. View filing ↗
  • Unitil Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-27. CEO total compensation as printed in Unitil Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 3,189,116. View filing ↗
  • Middlesex Water (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-06. CEO total compensation as printed in Middlesex Water's own proxy. As printed: 1,906,024. View filing ↗
  • Genie Energy Ltd., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-05-01. CEO total compensation as printed in Genie Energy Ltd.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,371,250. View filing ↗
  • Consolidated Water Co. Ltd., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,222,966. View filing ↗
  • RGC Resources, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-09. CEO total compensation as printed in RGC Resources, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,014,851. View filing ↗
  • Global Water Resources, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-31. CEO total compensation as printed in Global Water Resources, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 819,403. View filing ↗
  • Artesian Resources Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. 10-K, filed 2026-03-16. CEO total compensation as printed in Artesian Resources Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 687,374. View filing ↗
  • Montauk Renewables, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Montauk Renewables, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 671,702. View filing ↗
  • The York Water Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-20. CEO total compensation as printed in The York Water Company's own proxy. As printed: 572,275. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, RGC Resources, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. RGC Resources, Inc. names Middlesex Water in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. names Middlesex Water in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, The York Water Company reciprocity. DEF 14A. The York Water Company names Middlesex Water in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Artesian Resources Corporation reciprocity. DEF 14A. Artesian Resources Corporation names Middlesex Water in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
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