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NorthWestern Energy Group Executive Compensation (FY25)

NWE · Executive and director compensation, fiscal 2023 to 2025
Data as of September 7, 2026Latest filing (8-K): May 5, 2026
214 figures on this page: 211 cited to the filing that reported them, 3 calculated from figures it prints. See the citations
Brian Bird was paid $5,016,745 in total compensation as President and Chief Executive Officer for fiscal 2025, and Bird's total moved 4.3% higher from the $4,811,089 reported for fiscal 2024. The company reported a chief executive pay ratio of 37:1 for fiscal 2025, against median employee compensation of $134,615. For fiscal 2025, shareholders backed the say-on-pay proposal with 98.0% of votes cast including abstentions in favor at the meeting held April 30, 2026. Companies named in the disclosed peer group include ALLETE, Inc., Avista Corporation, Black Hills Corporation, IDACORP, Inc. and MDU Resources Group Inc., among others.
Chief executive, fiscal 2025
◇
Brian Bird
Latest say-on-pay support
=
April 30, 2026
Chief executive pay ratio
◇
To the median employee
What changed from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025
The figures that moved, and by how much. Analysis of these figures is part of the Velarion platform.
Chief executive total compensation — Brian Bird: $4,811,089 → $5,016,745 (4.3% higher)
Say-on-pay support: 98.2% → 98.0% (0.2 points lower)
CEO pay ratio: 34:1 → 37:1 (8.8% higher)

Frequently asked questions

Answers drawn from the data on this page.
Who is NorthWestern Energy Group's chief executive and what were they paid?
Brian Bird was paid $5,016,745 in total compensation as President and Chief Executive Officer for fiscal 2025. Bird's total moved 4.3% higher from the $4,811,089 reported for fiscal 2024.
What was NorthWestern Energy Group's say-on-pay result?
For fiscal 2025, shareholders backed the say-on-pay proposal with 98.0% of votes cast including abstentions in favor at the meeting held April 30, 2026.
Which companies are in NorthWestern Energy Group's peer group?
Companies named in the disclosed peer group include ALLETE, Inc., Avista Corporation, Black Hills Corporation, IDACORP, Inc. and MDU Resources Group Inc., among others.
What is NorthWestern Energy Group's chief executive pay ratio?
The company reported a chief executive pay ratio of 37:1 for fiscal 2025, against median employee compensation of $134,615.

Executive compensation

Every element reported for each named executive officer, by fiscal year.
Fiscal 2023
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Brian Bird
President and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Crystal Lail
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
John Hines
Vice President – Supply / Montana Govt Affairs
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Shannon Heim
General Counsel and Vice President, Federal Gov't Affairs
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Bobbi Schroeppel
Vice President – Customer Care, Communications and HR
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Fiscal 2024
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Brian Bird
President and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Crystal Lail
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Shannon Heim
General Counsel and Vice President, Federal Gov't Affairs
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
John Hines
Vice President – Supply / Montana Govt Affairs
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Bobbi Schroeppel
Vice President – Customer Care, Communications and HR
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Fiscal 2025
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Brian Bird
President and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Crystal Lail
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Shannon Heim
General Counsel and Vice President, Federal Gov't Affairs
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
John Hines
Vice President – Supply / Montana Govt Affairs
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Bobbi Schroeppel
Vice President – Customer Care, Communications and HR
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. A negative change in pension value is shown but, as the company reports it, not included in the total.

Equity awards granted

Individual awards as disclosed: type, date, unit counts at each level, and grant date value.
Fiscal 2025
OfficerAwardGrant dateThreshold unitsTarget unitsUnits grantedMaximum unitsExercise priceGrant date fair value
Bobbi SchroeppelRSU◇——◇——◇
Bobbi SchroeppelPSU◇—◇—◇—◇
Brian BirdPSU◇—◇—◇—◇
Brian BirdRSU◇——◇——◇
Crystal LailRSU◇——◇——◇
Crystal LailPSU◇—◇—◇—◇
John HinesPSU◇—◇—◇—◇
John HinesRSU◇——◇——◇
Shannon HeimPSU◇—◇—◇—◇
Shannon HeimRSU◇——◇——◇
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. Threshold, target and maximum apply only to performance awards and are never shown for time-based or option awards.

Outstanding awards

Awards still held at fiscal year end.
As disclosed at fiscal 2025 year end
OfficerAwardUnvested unitsMarket value of unvested unitsExercise priceExpires
Shannon HeimRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Crystal LailRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
John HinesRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Bobbi SchroeppelRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Brian BirdRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.

Director compensation

What each non-employee director was paid.
Fiscal 2025
DirectorFees earned in cashStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Kent Larson
◇◇————◇
Sherina Maye Edwards
◇◇————◇
David Goodin
◇◇————◇
Brian Bird, Jeffrey Yingling, Linda Sullivan, Mahvash Yazdi, Britt Ide and Jan Horsfall served on the board in fiscal 2025 and received no compensation for board service. Executive directors are typically paid through their executive roles, shown above.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.

Director fee schedule

The standing retainers and premiums the board pays, as published.
Board cash retainer◇
Board equity retainer◇
Total board retainer◇
Board chair premium◇
Audit committee chair◇
Audit committee member◇
Compensation committee chair◇
Compensation committee member◇
Nominating and governance chair◇
Nominating and governance member◇
Equity is delivered as Stock (unrestricted shares).

Disclosed peer group

The companies this board named as its compensation comparison group. The list is disclosure; the comparison is analysis.
Fiscal 2025
  • ALLETE, Inc. ALE
  • Avista Corporation AVA
  • Black Hills Corporation BKH
  • IDACORP, Inc. IDA
  • MDU Resources Group Inc. MDU
  • MGE Energy Inc. MGEE
  • Northwest Natural Holding Co. NWN
  • OGE Energy Corp. OGE
  • ONE Gas Inc. OGS
  • Otter Tail Corporation OTTR
  • Portland General Electric Company POR
  • Spire Inc. SR
  • TXNM Energy, Inc. TXNM

Say-on-pay history

Shareholder support for the compensation program, by year.
YearMeetingSupportVotes forVotes againstAbstentions
2025April 30, 2026=◇◇◇
2024April 30, 2025=◇◇◇
2023April 26, 2024=◇◇◇

Chief executive pay ratio

As calculated and reported by the company.
Ratio
◇
Median employee compensation
◇
Chief executive total compensation
◇
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What this page does not include

Everything above is a fact NorthWestern Energy Group disclosed, and it is free. Everything below is our analysis of those facts, and it is not.
Peer benchmarking
Where NorthWestern Energy Group sits against its disclosed peers — percentile position by role and by pay element, and the ranking behind it. The disclosed peer group is free; comparisons across it are part of the Velarion platform.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500
Written compensation analysis
A read of the pay program as designed and as paid: incentive structure, goal rigor, the alignment between the committee's stated philosophy and what the numbers show.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500
Board and governance analysis
Committee composition, independence, director pay positioning, and the governance provisions read together rather than listed.
Board Governance Report — $1,200
Realizable pay
What the awards above are actually worth today against what they were valued at on grant, and what the gap says about the pay-for-performance link.
Velarion Intelligence
Adviser switching and vote outcomes
Two datasets covering compensation-adviser changes and what followed a contested vote. Both are part of the Velarion platform.
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Citations

Every figure on this page is cited to the document that reported it. Select any figure to see its citation.
214 figures on this page: 211 cited to the filing that reported them, 3 calculated from figures it prints.
211 cited to the filing
3 calculated from the filing

Documents cited

  1. 0001993004-26-000033
    Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
  2. 0001993004-26-000018
    2025 Summary Compensation Table · CEO Pay Ratio · DSU. T · Director Compensation · and 2 more sections
  3. 0001993004-25-000090
  4. 0001993004-25-000060
    2024 Summary Compensation Table · Summary Compensation Table
  5. 0001993004-24-000039
  6. 0001993004-24-000020
    2023 Summary Compensation Table · Summary Compensation Table
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This page is free to cite. Attribution we ask for:
Velarion, “NorthWestern Energy Group executive compensation, FY2023–FY2025.” https://intel.velarion.ai/comp/NWE (accessed 2026).
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Utilities rankings

Chief executive pay — UtilitiesCEO pay ratio — UtilitiesSay-on-pay support — Utilities

Peers NorthWestern Energy Group discloses

The companies named in NWE's own disclosed peer group.

Avista CorporationBlack Hills CorporationIDACORP, Inc.OGE Energy Corp.Otter Tail CorporationPortland General Electric CompanyTXNM Energy, Inc.

Terms on this page

Say-on-Pay VoteCEO Pay RatioMedian Employee CompensationAll companies
Cite this data
APA
Velarion Company Intelligence. (2026). Velarion database: executive and board compensation data (Version 2026Q3) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854
BibTeX
@misc{velarionData2026,
  author = {{Velarion Company Intelligence}},
  title = {Velarion database: executive and board compensation data},
  year = {2026},
  version = {2026Q3},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22283854},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854}
}
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