Velarion · Company Intelligence
Compensation Brief
Fiscal year 2026 · Filings through 2026-07-20

Skillsoft (SKIL)

Fiscal year 2026 executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.

$12,425,228
Ronald Hovsepian total, FY2026
CEO pay percentile vs peers
CEO-to-median pay ratio
86.27%
Say-on-pay support, latest vote
Companies that benchmark against SKIL
3 companies name SKIL as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses SKIL 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 SKIL in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.

01

Summary Compensation Table — fiscal year 2026

Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Ronald Hovsepian$772,500$0$5,049,701$0$6,579,375$0$23,652$12,425,228
Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer
John Frederick485,606200,0001,328,8500281,250012,8412,308,547
Chief Financial Officer
Matthew Glitzer515,0000785,2500386,178013,9161,700,344
Chief Revenue 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 officerFY2026 totalFY2025 totalFY2024 totalΔ FY20252026
Ronald Hovsepian$12,425,228$14,248,107−1,822,879
John Frederick2,308,547
Matthew Glitzer1,700,344

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

02

Equity transactions since the proxy statement was filed

Every insider equity transaction reported on Form 4 after the 2026 proxy statement — acquisitions, dispositions, exercises, and withholdings — and therefore not reflected in any table in that document.

InsiderRoleTransaction dateCodeSharesPriceValueSecuritySource
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-05-16A12,000$0$0Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-06-01A4,00000CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-06-01D4,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-06-01D1,17489,239CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-12A27,0006163,350CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-12A23,0006139,380CommonForm 4 ↗
Ronald W. KislingChief Financial Officer2026-06-12A75,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Peter SchmittDirector2026-06-25A12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Karen G. MillsDirector2026-06-25A12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Peter SchmittDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Karen G. MillsDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Michael S. KleinDirector2026-06-25A12,43000CommonForm 4 ↗
Arthur GillilandDirector2026-06-25D6,25000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-25A12,43000CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Helena B. FoulkesDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Arthur GillilandDirector2026-06-25A6,25000CommonForm 4 ↗
Helena B. FoulkesDirector2026-06-25A12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Michael S. KleinDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Karen G. MillsDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Michael S. KleinDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Arthur GillilandDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Helena B. FoulkesDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Peter SchmittDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Keith C. SwiniarskiChief Accounting Officer2026-07-01D15271,009CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-07-01D4,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-07-01A4,00000CommonForm 4 ↗
Keith C. SwiniarskiChief Accounting Officer2026-07-01A62500CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-07-01D1,17477,795CommonForm 4 ↗
Dividend-equivalent accruals2026-07-016251 insider, 1 accrual row
Ronald W. HovsepianDirector2026-07-16A31,25000CommonForm 4 ↗
Ronald W. HovsepianDirector2026-07-16D31,25000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗

Transaction codes per Form 4: A acquisition · S open-market sale · F tax withholding · M option exercise · G gift. Value = shares × price as reported. Dividend-equivalent and fractional-share accrual rows (derivative Class A, under $10,000 and under 2,000 shares) are aggregated per date; every row appears in full below.

View all 33 transactions
InsiderRoleTransaction dateCodeSharesPriceValueSecuritySource
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-05-16A12,000$0$0Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-06-01A4,00000CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-06-01D4,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-06-01D1,17489,239CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-12A27,0006163,350CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-12A23,0006139,380CommonForm 4 ↗
Ronald W. KislingChief Financial Officer2026-06-12A75,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Peter SchmittDirector2026-06-25A12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Karen G. MillsDirector2026-06-25A12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Peter SchmittDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Karen G. MillsDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Michael S. KleinDirector2026-06-25A12,43000CommonForm 4 ↗
Arthur GillilandDirector2026-06-25D6,25000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-25A12,43000CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Helena B. FoulkesDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Arthur GillilandDirector2026-06-25A6,25000CommonForm 4 ↗
Helena B. FoulkesDirector2026-06-25A12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Michael S. KleinDirector2026-06-25D12,43000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Karen G. MillsDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Michael S. KleinDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Arthur GillilandDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Jim FrankolaDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Helena B. FoulkesDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Peter SchmittDirector2026-06-30A17,50000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Keith C. SwiniarskiChief Accounting Officer2026-07-01D15271,009CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-07-01D4,00000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-07-01A4,00000CommonForm 4 ↗
Keith C. SwiniarskiChief Accounting Officer2026-07-01A62500CommonForm 4 ↗
Scott SemelInterim CLO & General Counsel2026-07-01D1,17477,795CommonForm 4 ↗
Keith C. SwiniarskiChief Accounting Officer2026-07-01D62500Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
Ronald W. HovsepianDirector2026-07-16A31,25000CommonForm 4 ↗
Ronald W. HovsepianDirector2026-07-16D31,25000Derivative, Class A CommonForm 4 ↗
03

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2026

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
Matthew GlitzerPRSU$785,250
Ronald HovsepianPRSU5,049,701
John FrederickPRSU1,328,850
03b

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Grant-level vehicle detail not disclosed.

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

04

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2026

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Ronald HovsepianRSU35,000$316,750
Matthew GlitzerPSU3,58232,417
John FrederickRSU2,81325,458
Matthew GlitzerPSU22,500203,625
Matthew GlitzerRSU22,500203,625
John FrederickRSU15,000135,750
John FrederickRSU17,500158,375
John FrederickPSU15,000135,750
John FrederickPSU17,500158,375
Ronald HovsepianRSU90,093815,342
Ronald HovsepianPSU135,1391,223,008
Matthew GlitzerRSU45,000407,250
Ronald HovsepianPSU20,000181,000
Matthew GlitzerRSU9,37684,853
05

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

Our compensation policies and philosophies are designed to: attract, retain, and motivate senior management leaders who can advance our mission and strategy and ultimately, create and maintain our long-term equity value; attract and retain leaders capable of executing a strategic transformation and operational turnaround; align pay with performance and shareholder/investor outcomes over time; remain market aligned for companies of similar size, complexity, and stage; retain leaders who engage in a collaborative approach and possess the ability to execute our business strategy in an industry characterized by competitiveness and growth; reward senior management in a manner aligned with our financial performance; and align senior management's interests with our equity owners long-term interests through equity participation and ownership.

CEO STI target (% of salary)
CEO LTI target (% of salary)
Independent consultantAon's Human Capital Solutions Practice, a division of Aon plc
Clawback policyTrue
Anti-hedgingTrue
Anti-pledgingTrue
06

Say-on-pay — recent advisory votes

Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-06-255,491,157868,4275,73786.27%Passed
20252025-07-174,056,5151,575,69459372.02%Passed
20252025-07-174,056,5151,575,69459372.02%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
20262026-06-2586.27%a
20252025-07-1772.02%b
20252025-07-1772.02%c

a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “An abstention will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" Proposal No.”.

b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “An abstention will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" Proposal No. 2.”.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes (described below) will have no effect on this 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.

07

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)
CEO total compensation
Median employee compensation
08

Director compensation — fiscal year 2026

DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Helena B. FoulkesIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating and Governance$67,500$191,795$0$0$0$259,295
Jim FrankolaIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit (Chair) · Compensation · Nominating and Governance (Chair)63,543191,795000255,338
Lawrence H. SummersIndependent · Nominating and Governance (Chair) · Departed during FY51,493191,795000243,288
Karen G. MillsIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Governance50,167191,795000241,962
Michael S. KleinNot independent25,000191,795000216,795
Peter SchmittNot independent25,000191,795000216,795
Ronald W. HovsepianEmployee director · Board Chair00000
Arthur GillilandIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Partial-year service · Newly elected000000
Paul PeakeIndependent · Compensation · Nominating and Governance000000
Fahd BegIndependent · Nominating and Governance · Departed during FY000000
Denis NikolaevNot independent · Partial-year service000000
09

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$50,000
Annual equity retainer$200,000
Per board meeting fee
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)
Stock ownership guideline
09b

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2026
Cash retainers and fees$282,703
Equity awards (grant-date value)$1,150,770
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$1,433,473

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

10b

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
1Skillsoft2026Ronald Hovsepian$772,500$5,049,701$0$6,579,375$12,425,228

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.

11

Source register

Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

#SupportsDocumentFiledAccessionLocation in document
1Section 01, Ronald HovsepianDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Fiscal 2026 Summary Compensation Table” · page 43. As printed: 12,425,228. Filing ↗machine: span 661835–661845
2Section 01, John FrederickDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Fiscal 2026 Summary Compensation Table” · page 43. As printed: 2,308,547. Filing ↗machine: span 675158–675167
3Section 01, Matthew GlitzerDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Fiscal 2026 Summary Compensation Table” · page 43. As printed: 1,700,344. Filing ↗machine: span 685044–685053
4Section 03, Matthew Glitzer PRSUDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION &” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t112 · r9 · c12 · span 683661–683668
5Section 03, Ronald Hovsepian PRSUDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION &” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t112 · r2 · c12 · span 660448–660457
6Section 03, John Frederick PRSUDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION &” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t112 · r6 · c12 · span 673773–673782
7Section 07, pay ratio10-K2026-04-070001437749-26-011602Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: —. Filing ↗
8Section 08, Helena B. FoulkesDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 259,295. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r2 · c11 · span 439646–439653
9Section 08, Jim FrankolaDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 255,338. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r3 · c11 · span 442758–442765
10Section 08, Lawrence H. SummersDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 243,288. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r11 · c11 · span 467600–467607
11Section 08, Karen G. MillsDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 241,962. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r6 · c11 · span 452086–452093
12Section 08, Michael S. KleinDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 216,795. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r5 · c11 · span 448972–448979
13Section 08, Peter SchmittDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 216,795. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r9 · c11 · span 461390–461397
14Section 08, Ronald W. HovsepianDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗
15Section 08, Arthur GillilandDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r4 · c11 · span 445855–445857
16Section 08, Paul PeakeDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗
17Section 08, Fahd BegDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r10 · c11 · span 464480–464482
18Section 08, Denis NikolaevDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r7 · c11 · span 455182–455184
19Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-05-16Form 42026-05-190002099505-26-000012Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
20Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030002099505-26-000014Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
21Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030002099505-26-000014Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
22Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030002099505-26-000014Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
23Section 02, Jim Frankola 2026-06-12Form 42026-06-160001183231-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
24Section 02, Jim Frankola 2026-06-12Form 42026-06-160001183231-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
25Section 02, Ronald W. Kisling 2026-06-12Form 42026-06-160001228622-26-000006Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
26Section 02, Peter Schmitt 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001860986-26-000002Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
27Section 02, Karen G. Mills 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001181770-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
28Section 02, Peter Schmitt 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001860986-26-000002Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
29Section 02, Karen G. Mills 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001181770-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
30Section 02, Michael S. Klein 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001327392-26-000002Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
31Section 02, Arthur Gilliland 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001721978-26-000008Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
32Section 02, Jim Frankola 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001183231-26-000006Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
33Section 02, Jim Frankola 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001183231-26-000006Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
34Section 02, Helena B. Foulkes 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001429996-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
35Section 02, Arthur Gilliland 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001721978-26-000008Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
36Section 02, Helena B. Foulkes 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001429996-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
37Section 02, Michael S. Klein 2026-06-25Form 42026-06-260001327392-26-000002Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
38Section 02, Karen G. Mills 2026-06-30Form 42026-07-020001181770-26-000006Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
39Section 02, Michael S. Klein 2026-06-30Form 42026-07-020001327392-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
40Section 02, Arthur Gilliland 2026-06-30Form 42026-07-020001721978-26-000010Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
41Section 02, Jim Frankola 2026-06-30Form 42026-07-020001183231-26-000008Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
42Section 02, Helena B. Foulkes 2026-06-30Form 42026-07-020001429996-26-000006Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
43Section 02, Peter Schmitt 2026-06-30Form 42026-07-020001860986-26-000004Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
44Section 02, Keith C. Swiniarski 2026-07-01Form 42026-07-020002073281-26-000008Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
45Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-07-01Form 42026-07-020002099505-26-000016Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
46Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-07-01Form 42026-07-020002099505-26-000016Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
47Section 02, Keith C. Swiniarski 2026-07-01Form 42026-07-020002073281-26-000008Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
48Section 02, Scott Semel 2026-07-01Form 42026-07-020002099505-26-000016Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
49Section 02, Keith C. Swiniarski 2026-07-01Form 42026-07-020002073281-26-000008Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
50Section 02, Ronald W. Hovsepian 2026-07-16Form 42026-07-200001091482-26-000010Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
51Section 02, Ronald W. Hovsepian 2026-07-16Form 42026-07-200001091482-26-000010Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
52Section 06, 2026 voteForm 8-K2026-06-300001437749-26-022146Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 86.27% (votes for as printed: 5,491,157). Filing ↗
53Section 06, 2025 voteForm 8-K2025-07-180001437749-25-023016Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 72.02%. Filing ↗
54Section 06, 2025 voteForm 8-K2025-07-180001437749-25-023016Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 72.02%. Filing ↗
55Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed)ComputedcomputedΔ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1)
56Section 09b board cost (computed)ComputedcomputedCash 282,703 + equity 1,150,770 + all other 0 = 1,433,473, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,433,473
57Skillsoft (subject), Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-05-080001437749-26-015925CEO total compensation as printed in Skillsoft's own proxy. As printed: 12,425,228. Filing ↗machine: span 661835–661845