Velarion · Company Intelligence
Compensation Brief
Fiscal year 2026 · Filings through 2026-08-13

John Wiley & Sons (WLY)

CEO Matthew Kissner was paid $6,589 in 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.

$6,589
Matthew Kissner total, FY2026
1st
CEO pay percentile vs peers
—
CEO-to-median pay ratio
98.85%
Say-on-pay support, latest vote

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Companies that benchmark against WLY
5 companies name WLY as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses WLY 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 WLY 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
Matthew Kissner$900$0$4,237$0$1,273$82$96$6,589
President and CEO
Danielle McMahan4850829040510441,776
Chief People 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 FY2025→2026
Matthew Kissner$6,589———
Danielle McMahan1,776———

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

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

04

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2026

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Matthew KissnerPSU1,633—$40,789
CaridiPSU1,022—19,516
Danielle McMahanPSU647—12,116
WeberPSU271—6,792
CaridiRSU176—3,279
Matthew KissnerOption80,00035—
CaridiOption8,00035—
Danielle McMahanOption8,00035—
WeberOption8,00035—
05

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

The compensation program provides highly competitive total packages that attract, motivate, and reward transformative leaders based on individual qualifications and performance outcomes, with a strong emphasis on pay-for-performance alignment with shareholder interests.

CEO STI target (% of salary)—
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantFW Cook
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
06

Say-on-pay — recent advisory votes

Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20252025-09-2512,410,965143,82194,98098.85%Passed
20242024-09-2612,509,79275,12722,16799.4%Passed
20232023-09-2812,554,051204,31417,45998.4%Passed
20222022-09-2912,565,891157,1094,27298.77%Passed
20212021-09-3012,733,24486,9674,22699.32%Passed
20202020-09-2412,592,47884,70517,35999.33%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
20252025-09-2598.85%a
20242024-09-2699.4%b
20232023-09-2898.4%c

a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

c. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

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.

08

Director compensation — fiscal year 2026

DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Jesse C. WileyNot independent · Board Chair · Executive$365,000————$365,000
Raymond W. McDaniel JrIndependent · Audit · Executive (Chair)100,000130,000——96,106326,106
David C. DobsonIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Governance103,750130,000——42,361276,111
Katya D. AndresenIndependent · Executive68,750165,055——14,643248,448
William J. PesceIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Governance103,750130,000——14,467248,217
Karen N. MaddenIndependent · Audit100,000130,000——7,245237,245
Matthew S. KissnerEmployee director—————0
09

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$85,000
Annual equity retainer$130,000
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)30,000 / 20,000 / 17,500
Stock ownership guideline$5
09b

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2026
Cash retainers and fees$841,250
Equity awards (grant-date value)$685,055
All other compensation$174,822
Total cost of the board$1,701,127

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

10

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2026

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

10a

Peer reciprocity

Of the companies John Wiley & Sons names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.

Reciprocity shown where the peer's own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer's filing. A dash means the peer's current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including John Wiley & Sons.

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
1IAC Inc.2025Joseph Levin$273,077$0$0$0$17,601,042
2The New York Times Company2025Meredith Kopit Levien995,5775,848,37901,822,1188,862,362
3The E.W. Scripps Co.2025Adam Symson1,350,0003,945,07701,792,1257,239,619
4Stagwell Inc.2025Mark Penn1,260,0005,563,730007,221,971
5TEGNA Inc.2024Michael Steib392,3086,000,000006,977,504
6Thryv Holdings, Inc.2025Joseph Walsh1,060,9003,000,00001,157,4425,259,837
7Entravision Communications Corporation2025Michael Christenson500,0003,591,263004,098,934
8Informa2025Michael Connors900,0001,345,912003,924,363
9Scholastic Corporation2026Peter Warwick1,079,2311,374,978125,0161,101,8083,742,972
10Graham Holdings Company2026Matthew Malone462,769600,0040636,3081,809,120
11Lee Enterprises, Incorporated2025Kevin Mowbray830,753274,83229,16801,151,667
12John Wiley & Sons2026Matthew Kissner9004,23701,2736,589
—Gannett Co., Inc.——————not in coverage universe

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.

10c

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
John Wiley & Sonsnot disclosedPSU 60 · RSU 40not disclosedFW Cook
Entravision Communications Corporationnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Gannett Co., Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Graham Holdings Companynot disclosedRSU 50 · PSU 50not disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
IAC Inc.not disclosedRSU 100not disclosedCompensia, Inc.
Informanot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPay Governance
Lee Enterprises, Incorporatednot disclosedRSU 100not disclosedKorn Ferry
Scholastic Corporationnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPay Governance LLC
Stagwell Inc.0%PSU 79 · RSU 21NoNone
TEGNA Inc.not disclosedPSU 70 · RSU 30not disclosedMeridian
The E.W. Scripps Co.88.5%not disclosedNoKorn Ferry
The New York Times Company149%PSU 80 · RSU 20YesExequity
Thryv Holdings, Inc.100.0%not disclosedYes — Relative Total Shareholder Return (rTSR)Lyons Benenson

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.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at John Wiley & Sons in fiscal 2026?
As disclosed, Matthew Kissner, President and CEO, was the highest-paid executive at John Wiley & Sons in fiscal 2026 with total compensation of $6,589.
How does John Wiley & Sons's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
The filing shows that the chief executive's pay ranked in the 1st percentile of the disclosed peer group.
What is John Wiley & Sons's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
The CEO-to-median employee pay ratio is not disclosed in this filing.
How did shareholders vote on John Wiley & Sons's executive compensation?
Shareholders voted in support of the executive compensation proposal with 98.85% approval.
How much does John Wiley & Sons spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2026?
The company reported total board compensation of $1,701,127 for fiscal 2026.

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.

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, Matthew KissnerDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Summary Compensation Table . . . . . . . . . .” · page 63. As printed: 6,589. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c10 · span 1864139–1864146
2Section 01, Danielle McMahanDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Summary Compensation Table . . . . . . . . . .” · page 63. As printed: 1,776. Filing ↗machine: r13 · c10 · span 1924032–1924039
3Section 08, Jesse C. WileyDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 365,000. Filing ↗machine: span 1269452–1270043
4Section 08, Raymond W. McDaniel JrDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 326,106. Filing ↗machine: span 1255826–1256420
5Section 08, David C. DobsonDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 276,111. Filing ↗machine: span 1242176–1242768
6Section 08, Katya D. AndresenDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 248,448. Filing ↗machine: span 1232897–1233487
7Section 08, William J. PesceDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 248,217. Filing ↗machine: span 1260357–1260963
8Section 08, Karen N. MaddenDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 237,245. Filing ↗machine: span 1251268–1251859
9Section 08, Matthew S. KissnerDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗
10Section 06, 2025 voteForm 8-K2025-10-010000107140-25-000175Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.85% (votes for as printed: 12,410,965). Filing ↗
11Section 06, 2024 voteForm 8-K2024-09-270000107140-24-000193Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.4% (votes for as printed: 12,509,792). Filing ↗
12Section 06, 2023 voteForm 8-K2023-10-030000107140-23-000186Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.4% (votes for as printed: 12,554,051). Filing ↗
13Section 09b board cost (computed)Computed——Cash 841,250 + equity 685,055 + all other 174,822 = 1,701,127, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,701,127
14IAC Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-06-010001193125-26-251426CEO total compensation as printed in IAC Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 17,601,042. Filing ↗machine: t87 · r8 · c29 · span 1013325–1013335
15The New York Times Company, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-130000071691-26-000016CEO total compensation as printed in The New York Times Company's own proxy. As printed: 8,862,362. Filing ↗machine: t66 · r6 · c16 · span 862166–862175
16The E.W. Scripps Co., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-200001193125-26-116733CEO total compensation as printed in The E.W. Scripps Co.'s own proxy. As printed: 7,239,619. Filing ↗machine: t83 · r4 · c16 · span 1340909–1340918
17Stagwell Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-280001104659-26-050360CEO total compensation as printed in Stagwell Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 7,221,971. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c41 · span 348255–348264
18TEGNA Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2025-04-080001104659-25-033034CEO total compensation as printed in TEGNA Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,977,504. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c42 · span 1209718–1209727
19Thryv Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-300001556739-26-000029CEO total compensation as printed in Thryv Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,259,837. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c36 · span 694066–694075
20Entravision Communications Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-200001193125-26-164200CEO total compensation as printed in Entravision Communications Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 4,098,934. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c32 · span 692451–692460
21Informa, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-110001140361-26-008997CEO total compensation as printed in Informa's own proxy. As printed: 3,924,363. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c24 · span 304241–304250
22Scholastic Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-08-070001193125-26-340209CEO total compensation as printed in Scholastic Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 3,742,972. Filing ↗machine: span 567857–567866
23Graham Holdings Company, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-07-140001193125-26-302521CEO total compensation as printed in Graham Holdings Company's own proxy. As printed: 1,809,120. Filing ↗machine: span 1148738–1148747
24Lee Enterprises, Incorporated, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-050000058361-26-000024CEO total compensation as printed in Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's own proxy. As printed: 1,151,667. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c21 · span 422187–422197
25John Wiley & Sons (subject), Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-08-130000107140-26-000041CEO total compensation as printed in John Wiley & Sons's own proxy. As printed: 6,589. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c10 · span 1864139–1864146
26Section 10a, Scholastic Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-340209Scholastic Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include John Wiley & Sons. Filing ↗
27Section 10a, Graham Holdings Company reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-302521Graham Holdings Company's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include John Wiley & Sons. Filing ↗
28Section 10a, Entravision Communications Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-164200Entravision Communications Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include John Wiley & Sons. Filing ↗
29Section 10a, Stagwell Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001104659-25-039437Stagwell Inc. names John Wiley & Sons in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗
30Section 10a, The New York Times Company reciprocityDEF 14A—0000071691-26-000016The New York Times Company's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include John Wiley & Sons. Filing ↗
31Section 10a, Informa reciprocityDEF 14A—0001140361-24-013240Informa's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include John Wiley & Sons. Filing ↗
32Section 10a, Thryv Holdings, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001556739-26-000029Thryv Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include John Wiley & Sons. Filing ↗

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