Executive compensation intelligence, built from real market conversations.
We conduct confidential primary research with senior professionals in genuinely comparable roles—helping C&B leaders, independent reward advisers and private equity teams make better-informed compensation decisions.
Paris · Brussels · Europe- Base salary Index 86–121
- Target bonus 20–45% of base
- Total cash Index 90–136
Sample size, sources, definitions and recency are stated in every study.
When the role is specific, the benchmark must be specific too.
Established salary surveys are essential. They become less decisive when a role is new, responsibilities vary sharply, the peer group is narrow or the company is privately held.
We add targeted primary research to answer what the existing data cannot.
Comparable scope, not titles
Reporting line, team, geography, scale, decision authority and business impact—weighed before two roles are called comparable.
The complete package
Base, annual incentives, long-term rewards, equity, pension and benefits, including the structure behind each component.
The market required to hire
Beyond current pay, what senior professionals would require to consider a move.
Built for high-stakes compensation questions.
A complete view of executive reward and role context.
Base compensation
Fixed salary and relevant contractual context.
Annual incentives
Target, maximum and actual payout where available.
Long-term rewards
LTI, equity, management packages and vesting structure.
Benefits and allowances
Pension, insurance, company car, mobility and other material benefits.
Role scope
Reporting line, team, geography, P&L, functional breadth and organisational complexity.
Mobility expectations
The package and conditions required to consider a move.
The questionnaire is defined per assignment. We collect only what the agreed business question requires.
From a compensation question to decision-ready evidence.
Every study states its sample, sources, recency, definitions and limitations. Statistics appear only where the sample supports a meaningful, non-attributable conclusion.
Decision-ready, not data-heavy.
Not a pile of observations, but a clear, defensible view of the relevant market and what it implies.
- Role and comparator-group definition
- Methodology and sample overview
- Compensation distributions and ranges where supported
- Analysis of base, STI, LTI, equity and material benefits
- Role-scope and organisational context
- Current compensation versus mobility expectations
- Key findings, risks and decision implications
- Executive presentation and discussion
- Optional secure interactive dashboard
Useful market intelligence without exposing individuals.
Participants are informed of the purpose of the research. Individual names and attributable records are never disclosed to the client, findings are aggregated, and granular views are withheld when a sample is too small to protect confidentiality.
No individual record reaches the client.
Access to raw research material is restricted.
Methodology and permitted use are defined per assignment.
Research-led. Technology-enhanced.
Technology accelerates the work. It does not invent the evidence.
We use purpose-built technology to structure briefs, organise research, normalise observations and make findings easier to explore. Every conclusion stays grounded in collected evidence and is reviewed by an experienced researcher.
AI supports classification and analysis; it is never used as a substitute for primary compensation data.
Executive research is our core discipline.
Lakeside was founded in Brussels in 2019. Thomas has worked in external executive research since 2006 and, across more than 300 senior-level sourcing assignments, has built deep experience in defining complex talent markets and holding informed, confidential conversations across Europe.
On compensation assignments we focus on the primary research, working directly with a client's C&B team or alongside an independent reward adviser.
20 years in executive research
Paris and Brussels
Cross-industry reach
Human research, proprietary technology
Have a role your current benchmarks cannot answer confidently?
Tell us the role, peer group, geography and decision you need to make. We will assess whether targeted primary research can provide a meaningful answer.
Confidential introductory conversation · No obligation