Donald Gough

It used to be that the first thing on Donald Gough’s mind upon waking in the morning was about washing his face and shaving to get a clean fresh start on the day before working the “to do” list. These days, however, his first thought is invariably, “Where’s a cup of coffee?” With his own company to manage, a university board of trustees to chair, another national board involvement, and membership on two local organization boards, it isn’t any wonder.

Gough is the president of Gough Management Company in New Castle, N.H. As an advisor and counsel to CEOs and Board Compensation Committees, he works with clients at manufacturing and financial and professional service companies to resolve human resource issues and problems. It’s a job which requires integrity, as well as other foundational Christian values.

“Primarily, I consult with companies on how to pay people. I focus on executive compensation, providing an indication to corporate boards of what’s a fair value to pay a CEO and other executives, how to deliver that value through the various pay elements (i.e., salary, annual and long-term incentives, and benefits), what performance variables should be involved, and the relationship between pay and performance,” says Gough. “So notions of fairness, being just, and applying reason are all associated with the ethics and values of being a Christian.”

In his consulting, Gough has worked with public and private companies, as well as not-for-profits and associations. In addition to pay programs, he has designed performance management and succession planning systems and helped an insurance company develop a new business strategy.

For several insurance and reinsurance companies, Gough has designed management compensation programs that focus on increases in economic value and other attributes of organizational success, as well as issues of executive stock ownership and awards. He has served several health insurance companies, including those going through transition with a new CEO or a merger.

For a high-tech manufacturing company, Gough resolved issues between the board and management on performance goal-setting and compensation levels for executives.  Similar issues between the board and management have been resolved for commercial/retail banks.

In addition to his career, Gough places a priority on civic involvement. He is the current chair of Eastern University’s board of trustees, having served on the board for over 20 years, and has served as a director on the board of the National Alliance for Autism Research for the past ten years. He was on his church’s board that oversees the “business” of the church for three years, serving as the chair for the last two years, as well as chair of a strategic planning review prior to board service.

“I’m involved with Eastern’s board because I believe they are well positioned to train young minds to have a positive impact on the world,” says Gough. “If I can help Eastern be successful, this Christ-centered community can turn out successful alumni who in turn can have a positive impact on the world. Eastern University is an institution striving for excellence which fulfills its mission by producing quality graduates for service to the world. It strives to fulfill its motto – the whole gospel for the whole world.”

Gough is a husband, father, business owner, board chair and many other things—but what he most wants to be known for has less to do with what he does than with who he is as a person.
“I would hope to be known as someone who genuinely cares about other people and attempts to help,” says Gough. “That’s what I’m wired to do. One of my faults is that I’ll attempt to solve a problem that I was never asked to solve! My innate instincts are to try to understand where an individual is, do an analysis and offer a solution. That gets me in trouble sometimes. But ultimately, I hope people will say about me that I simply do the best I can.”