Companies Middlesex Water
Middlesex Water (MSEX): executive pay, fiscal 2025
Free brief. Every figure links to the company’s own filing.
Velarion Intel: free for 3 days, no card →Email me Middlesex Water’s executive pay brief as a PDF
You get it on this page the moment you ask, and a copy by email. Every figure is cited to its filing.
After the PDF, up to three short notes on the deeper reports for this company. Reply “unsubscribe” to any of them, any time.
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
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 officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadine Leslie | $754,000 | $0 | $678,000 | $0 | $427,525 | $0 | $46,499 | $1,906,024 |
| Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Mohammed Zerhouni | 587,600 | 0 | 200,000 | 0 | 199,905 | 0 | 37,191 | 1,024,696 |
| Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | ||||||||
| Gregory Sorensen | 494,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165,098 | 0 | 37,416 | 696,514 |
| Vice President, Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Jay Kooper | 386,227 | — | 103,000 | 0 | 63,960 | 0 | 33,056 | 586,243 |
| Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||||||
| Georgia Simpson | 318,210 | — | 72,000 | 0 | 52,696 | 0 | 24,682 | 467,588 |
| 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 officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadine Leslie | $1,906,024 | $1,677,576 | — | ↑ +228,448 |
| Mohammed Zerhouni | 1,024,696 | 868,194 | — | ↑ +156,502 |
| Gregory Sorensen | 696,514 | 120,000 | — | ↑ +576,514 |
| Jay Kooper | 586,243 | 515,996 | 459,690 | ↑ +70,247 |
| Georgia Simpson | 467,588 | 407,673 | 375,819 | ↑ +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 consultant | Aon |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadine Leslie | RSU | 2025-04-01 | — | — | 6,677 | — | — |
| Gregory Sorensen | RSA | — | — | — | — | — | 259,350 |
| Nadine Leslie | RSU | 2025-03-01 | — | — | 4,987 | — | 250,000 |
| Georgia Simpson | RSU | 2025-04-01 | — | — | 1,123 | — | — |
| Jay Kooper | RSU | 2025-04-01 | — | — | 1,607 | — | — |
| Mohammed Zerhouni | RSU | 2025-04-01 | — | — | 3,120 | — | — |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadine Leslie | $250,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
% 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
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Zerhouni | RSU | 3,120 | — | $158,933 |
| Georgia Simpson | RSU | 4,183 | — | 213,082 |
| Jay Kooper | RSU | 4,853 | — | 247,212 |
| Nadine Leslie | RSU | 6,677 | — | 340,126 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven M. KleinIndependent · Audit | $88,000 | $45,000 | — | — | — | $133,000 |
| Amy B. MansueIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Compensation · Risk | 81,667 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 126,667 |
| Joshua Bershad, M.DIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Audit | 81,000 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 126,000 |
| Kim C. HanemannIndependent · Enterprise Risk | 80,000 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 125,000 |
| Walter G. ReinhardIndependent · Nominating/Governance · Pension · Corporate Governance · Nominating | 78,333 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 123,333 |
| Ann L. NobleIndependent · Corporate Governance and Nominating | 78,000 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 123,000 |
| James F. Cosgrove JrIndependent · Compensation · Pension (Chair) | 77,000 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 122,000 |
| Vaughn L. McKoyIndependent · Nominating/Governance · Risk · Pension | 75,000 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 120,000 |
| Dennis W. DollIndependent · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY | 30,000 | 45,000 | — | — | — | 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
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| 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
- ARTESIAN RESOURCES CORPARTNAFY2025
- Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.CWCOFY2025
- RGC RESOURCES INCRGCOFY2025
- YORK WATER COYORWFY2025
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.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Water Service Group | 2025 | Martin Kropelnicki | $1,080,688 | $1,950,119 | $0 | $1,524,915 | $6,875,256 |
| 2 | American States Water Company | 2025 | Robert Sprowls | 974,327 | 1,991,967 | 0 | 892,125 | 5,028,665 |
| 3 | Chesapeake Utilities Corporation | 2025 | Jeffry Householder | 872,385 | 2,420,566 | 0 | 1,097,863 | 4,531,322 |
| 4 | Northwest Natural Holding Company | 2025 | Justin Palfreyman | 812,500 | 1,726,208 | 0 | 726,406 | 3,695,467 |
| 5 | MGE Energy, Inc. | 2025 | Jeffrey Keebler | 795,833 | 1,402,881 | 0 | 865,920 | 3,613,508 |
| 6 | Altus Power, Inc. | 2023 | Lars Norell | 550,000 | 2,944,134 | 0 | 0 | 3,494,134 |
| 7 | Unitil Corporation | 2025 | Thomas Meissner Jr. | 744,066 | 751,842 | 0 | 662,591 | 3,189,116 |
| 8 | Middlesex Water | 2025 | Nadine Leslie | 754,000 | 678,000 | 0 | 427,525 | 1,906,024 |
| 9 | Genie Energy Ltd. | 2025 | Michael Stein | 450,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,371,250 |
| 10 | Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. | 2025 | Frederick McTaggart | 562,275 | 281,138 | 0 | 359,153 | 1,222,966 |
| 11 | RGC Resources, Inc. | 2025 | Paul Nester | 467,084 | 288,225 | 0 | 184,866 | 1,014,851 |
| 12 | Global Water Resources, Inc. | 2025 | Ron Fleming | 385,000 | 259,252 | 0 | 156,352 | 819,403 |
| 13 | Artesian Resources Corporation | 2025 | Nicholle Taylor | 516,204 | 34,980 | 0 | 0 | 687,374 |
| 14 | Montauk Renewables, Inc. | 2025 | Sean McClain | 454,713 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 671,702 |
| 15 | The York Water Company | 2025 | Joseph Hand | 412,175 | 100,074 | — | 43,960 | 572,275 |
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
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex Water | not disclosed | Restricted Stock 100 | not disclosed | Aon |
| Altus Power, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | No | Pearl Meyer |
| American States Water Company | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer |
| Artesian Resources Corporation | not disclosed | Restricted Stock 100 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer & Partners |
| California Water Service Group | 141%% | Performance-Based RSUs 75 · Time-Based RSAs 25 | No | Meridian Compensation Partners |
| Chesapeake Utilities Corporation | not disclosed | PSU 100 | not disclosed | FW Cook |
| Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. |
| Genie Energy Ltd. | not disclosed | Restricted Stock 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Global Water Resources, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 50 · Cash 50 | not disclosed | FW Cook |
| MGE Energy, Inc. | 135.3% | PSU 50 · RSU 50 | Yes — Relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR) | FW Cook |
| Montauk Renewables, Inc. | not disclosed | Options 100 | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Northwest Natural Holding Company | 138.8% | PSA 65 · RSU 35 | No | Pay Governance |
| RGC Resources, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| The York Water Company | not disclosed | Restricted Stock 100 | not disclosed | Herbein + Company, Inc. |
| Unitil Corporation | 137% | PSU 50 · RSU 50 | No | Willis 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 year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-19 | 13,250,940 | 982,607 | 63,689 | 93.1% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-20 | 11,303,565 | 1,780,684 | 102,589 | 86.39% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-05-21 | 9,111,623 | 3,764,447 | 91,297 | 70.76% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-05-23 | 11,042,344 | 816,870 | 72,215 | 93.11% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-05-23 | 11,869,742 | 589,392 | 71,626 | 95.27% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-05-25 | 11,535,743 | 483,906 | 83,022 | 95.97% | 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 year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-19 | 93.1%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-20 | 86.39%b |
| 2024 | 2024-05-21 | 70.76%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 ↗