STRYKER

2016 Proxy Statement

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Table of Contents 38 PROPOSAL 3 — APPROVAL OF THE 2011 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN, AS AMENDED AND RESTATED General We are asking our shareholders to approve the 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended and restated (which we refer to as the 2011 Plan) in order to re-approve the material terms of the performance goals that relate to awards granted under the 2011 Plan that are intended to qualify as "performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. This will allow us to retain flexibility to deduct for federal income tax purposes the gains attributable to certain awards under the 2011 Plan which, when added to the compensation payable by us to certain executive officers in any single year, exceeds $1 million. Other than an amendment in July 2011 that clarifies the delegation authority of the Compensation Committee and under what scenarios awards can be made when granting authority has been delegated and the amendment to include a limit on compensation payable under the 2011 Plan to our non-employee directors described below under "Limits on Director Compensation," the terms of the 2011 Plan are identical to the terms of the plan that shareholders approved on April 26, 2011. We are not asking for approval of additional shares under the 2011 Plan or to extend the term of the 2011 Plan. Background for Proposal 162(m) Re-approval of Performance Goals: Section 162(m) of the Code, or Section 162(m), places a limit of $1 million on the amount that we may deduct for federal income tax purposes in any one taxable year for compensation paid to each of our "covered employees." Our covered employees include our Chief Executive Officer and each of our other three most highly-paid executive officers, other than our Chief Financial Officer. There is, however, an exception to this limit for compensation earned pursuant to certain performance-based awards, or "performance-based compensation." A performance-based award made under the 2011 Plan is eligible for this exception provided certain Section 162(m) requirements are met. One of these requirements relates to shareholder approval (and, in certain cases, re-approval) of the material terms of the performance goals underlying the performance-based award. The material terms of the performance goals under the 2011 Plan consist of (1) the class of individuals eligible to receive awards under the 2011 Plan, (2) the types of performance criteria on which payouts or vesting for performance awards are based and (3) the maximum number of shares that can be provided during a specified period to any employee for awards under the 2011 Plan. The performance goals in the 2011 Plan were originally approved by shareholders at the time of its adoption in 2011, with 93% of the vote. Section 162(m) requires re-approval of those performance goals after five years if the compensation committee has retained discretion to vary the targets under the performance goals from year to year. Our Compensation Committee has retained discretion to vary the targets under the performance goals from year to year. Accordingly, we are seeking re-approval of the performance goals included in the 2011 Plan in order to preserve our ability to deduct compensation earned by certain executives pursuant to any performance-based award that may be made in the future under the 2011 Plan. Because of the fact-based nature of the performance-based compensation exception under Section 162(m) and the limited availability of formal guidance thereunder, we cannot guarantee that any awards under the 2011 Plan intended to qualify for exemption under Section 162(m) will actually receive this treatment. However, the 2011 Plan is structured with the intention that our Compensation Committee will have the discretion to make awards under the 2011 Plan that would qualify as "performance-based compensation" and be fully deductible if shareholder approval is obtained of the material terms of the performance goals under the 2011 Plan. Subject to the requirements of Section 162(m), if the 2011 Plan is not approved by shareholders, we will not make any further grants that are intended to qualify as "performance-based compensation" under the 2011 Plan to our "covered employees" as defined in Section 162(m), or their successors, until such time, if any, as shareholder approval of a subsequent similar proposal is obtained. Limits on Director Compensation: As described in "Compensation of Directors" on page 33, our non-employee directors currently receive compensation in the form of stock option grants, restricted stock unit grants and cash fees. We are asking our shareholders to approve the 2011 Plan, which will limit the grant-date fair value of equity grants that can be made to individual non-employee directors under the 2011 Plan to $500,000 per calendar year and limit the total value of cash compensation that can be paid to individual non- employee directors in any calendar year to $400,000. We believe this amendment is appropriate in order to ensure that the compensation that our non-employee directors receive is within limits that our shareholders have had an opportunity to review and approve. If the 2011 Plan is not approved by shareholders, the proposed limits on director compensation contained in the 2011 Plan will not be effective, but directors would continue to be eligible to receive equity-based compensation under the 2011 Plan or a successor equity compensation plan, as well as cash compensation for their service as directors. 2011 Plan Description Awards and Eligibility: The 2011 Plan provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock awards, other stock unit awards and other rights, interests and options relating to shares of Common Stock. All employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (approximately 27,000 people) and non-employee directors (currently eight people) are eligible to participate in the 2011 Plan. The persons to whom awards will be granted and the terms thereof are determined by the Compensation Committee, except that the Board of Directors makes awards to the non-employee directors and the Compensation Committee, as permitted by the 2011 Plan, delegated to the Chief Executive Officer the authority to make awards to employees subject to an annual limit of 20,000 shares per employee and 300,000 shares in the aggregate. References to the Compensation Committee in this description shall include the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer as applicable. The bases on which individuals receive actual awards will depend on a number of factors,

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