Frank Wagner

Frank Wagner is a highly experienced compensation and total rewards expert who served as Vice President of Compensation at Google from May 2016 to April 2024.1 Key details about his career and expertise include:

Professional Experience

• Current Role: Vice President of Total Rewards at Cloudflare (since June 2024)1

• Google Career:

  • Vice President, Compensation (2016-2024)
  • Director, Compensation (2007-2016)
  • Managed an annual compensation spend of over $50 billion
  • Led the global compensation team as Google grew from 12,000 to 185,000 employees

• Previous Experience: Partner and Compensation Consultant at Hewitt Associates (1986-2007)1

Expertise and Achievements

• Recognized for innovative compensation designs and approaches at Google2

• Implemented major changes to Google's compensation structure, including:

  • Shifting from quarterly to annual compensation cycles
  • Changing from stock options to restricted stock units
  • Focusing on total compensation rather than individual elements

• Regularly communicated compensation strategies to large audiences at Google, including town halls and video conferences1

Education

• BS in Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley (Haas School of Business)
• MBA in Finance, University of California, Berkeley (Haas School of Business)1

Certifications

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) from WorldatWork (since 1989)1

Frank Wagner is known for his deep expertise in compensation strategy, ability to adapt to rapidly growing organizations, and effective communication of complex compensation topics to diverse audiences.