UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.     )

 

 

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¨ Preliminary Proxy Statement
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x Definitive Proxy Statement
¨ Definitive Additional Materials
¨ Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section240.14a-12

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

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PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.LOGO

1633 Broadway, Suite 1801

New York, New York 10019

LOGO


LOGO

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.

1633 Broadway,

Suite 1801

New York, New York 10019

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

to be held on May 19, 2016

Dear Stockholder:

You are invited to attend the 2016 annual meetingNotice of stockholders2017 Annual Meeting of Paramount Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation, which will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2016, at 12:00 p.m., local time, at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. The annual meeting will be held for the following purposes:Stockholders

 

1.
Date:Thursday, May 18, 2017
Time:12:00 p.m., Eastern Time
Place:745 Fifth Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York
Record Date:You may vote if you were a stockholder of record as of the close of business on March 20, 2017.
Items of Business:        

1.  To elect the nine director nominees named in the proxy statement, each to serve on our Board of Directors until our next annual meeting of stockholdersfor a one-year term and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified;qualified.

  

2.

To hold an advisory vote on named executive compensation;officer compensation.

  

3.

To hold an advisory vote on whether an advisory vote on executive compensation should be held every one, two or three years; and

4.To ratify the Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2017.

In addition, stockholders may be asked to consider and vote upon any other matters that may properly be brought before the annual meeting and at any adjournments or postponements thereof.

Any action may be taken on the foregoing matters at the annual meeting on the date specified above, or on any date or dates to which the annual meeting may be adjourned, or to which the annual meeting may be postponed.

Our Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 21, 2016 as the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the annual meeting and at any adjournments or postponements thereof.

We make proxy materials available to our stockholders on the internet. You can access proxy materials athttp://www.proxyvote.com. You also may authorize your proxy via the internet or by telephone by following the instructions on that website. In order to authorize your proxy via the internet or by telephone you must have the stockholder identification number that appears on the enclosed Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. You also may request a paper or an e-mail copy of our proxy materials and a paper proxy card by following the instructions included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

By Order of our Board of Directors,

LOGO4.  To consider and act upon any other matters that are properly brought before the annual meeting and at any adjournments or postponements thereof.

Gage Johnson

Senior Vice President, General CounselProxy Voting:If you do not plan to attend the meeting and Secretary

vote your shares of common stock in person, we urge you to vote your shares as instructed in the proxy statement. If you received a copy of the proxy card by mail, you may sign, date and mail the proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided.
If your shares of common stock are held by a broker, bank or other nominee, please follow the instructions you receive from your broker, bank or other nominee to have your shares of common stock voted.
Any proxy may be revoked at any time prior to its exercise at the annual meeting.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for

the StockholderStockholders Meeting to be Held on May 19, 2016.

This18, 2017.The proxy statement and our 20152016 Annual Report to Stockholders

stockholders are available athttp://www.proxyvote.comwww.proxyvote.com.

New York, New YorkBy Order of our Board of Directors,

LOGO

Gage Johnson

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

April 7, 2016


Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting, please carefully read the proxy statement and other proxy materials and complete a proxy for your shares as soon as possible. You may authorize your proxy via the internet or by telephone by following the instructions on the website indicated in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials that you received in the mail. You also may request a paper or an e-mail copy of our proxy materials and a paper proxy card at any time. If you attend the annual meeting, you may vote in person if you wish, even if you previously have submitted your proxy. However, please note that if your shares are held of record by a bank, broker or other nominee and you wish to vote in person at the annual meeting, you must obtain a proxy issued in your name from such bank, broker or other nominee.2017


TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

   Page 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

   12 

Who is entitled to vote at the annual meeting?

   12 

What is the purpose of the annual meeting?

   12 

What constitutes a quorum?

   12 

What vote is required to approve each proposal?

   2 

Can I change my vote after I submit my proxy card?

   23 

How do I vote?

   23 

How is my vote counted?

   34 

How does the Board recommend that I vote on each of the proposals?

   34 

What other information should I review before voting?

   4 

Who is soliciting my proxy?

   4 

Why didn’t I automatically receive a paper copy of the proxy statement, proxy card and annual report?

   4 

How can I change how I receive proxy materials in the future?

   45 

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

   56 

Information Regarding the Director Nominees

   57 

Biographical Information Regarding Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors

   811 

Director Independence

   1013 

Lead Independent Director

   1013 

The Board and its Committees

   1013 

Director Compensation

   1215 

PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

14

PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF STOCKHOLDER ADVISORY VOTES ON THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

15

PROPOSAL 4: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

   16 
PROPOSAL 3: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM17

Fee Disclosure

   1617 

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures of our Audit Committee

   17

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

18 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERSAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

   19 
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS20

Corporate Governance ProfileHighlights

   1920 

Corporate Governance Guidelines

   1920 

Director Independence

   1920 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

   2021 

Audit Committee Financial Expert

   2021 

Communications with the Board

   2021 

Audit Committee Complaint Procedures

   2021 

Director Attendance at Annual Meetings

   2122 

Identification of Director Candidates

   2122 

Executive Sessions of Non-Management Directors

   2223 

Annual Elections; Majority Voting

   2223 

Board Leadership Structure

   2223 

Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policy

   2324 

Minimum Share Ownership Guidelines for Executive Officers and Directors

   2324 

Risk Oversight

   2325 

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     i


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

i


   Page 

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

   2526 

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

   2526 

Compensation Committee Report

   3641 

Summary Compensation Table

   3742 

20152016 Grants of Plan-Based Awards

   39

2015 Performance Program

3944 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 20152016

   4045 

20152016 Option Exercises and Stock Vested

   4147 

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

   4147 

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

   4248 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

   4652 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

   4753 

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

   5056 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

   5157 

Management Agreements

   5157 

Note Payable

   5157 

1633 Broadway Lease

   5157

Mannheim Trust

57 

Hamburg Trust HTC Consulting GmbH

   51

Other

5257 

Review and Approval of Future Transactions with Related Persons

   5258 

OTHER MATTERS

   5359 

Solicitation of Proxies

   5359 

Stockholder Proposals

   5359 

Attendance at the Meeting

   5359 

Householding of Proxy Materials

   5460 

Other Matters

   5460 

ii    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


PROXY STATEMENT

 

ii


PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.

1633 Broadway, Suite 1801,

New York, New York 10019

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR OUR 2016 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS to be held on May 19, 2016

These proxy materials are being made available in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Paramount Group, Inc., a Maryland corporation, for use at our 20162017 annual meeting of stockholders to be held on Thursday, May 19, 2016,18, 2017, at 12:00 p.m., local time, at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335745 Fifth Avenue, of the Americas,9th Floor, New York, New York or at any postponement or adjournment of the annual meeting. References in this proxy statement to “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours” and the “Company” refer to Paramount Group, Inc., unless the context otherwise requires. This proxy statement and a form of proxy have been made available to our stockholders on the internet and the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials has been mailed to stockholders on or about April 7, 2016.2017.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     1


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

Who is entitled to vote at the annual meeting?

Holders of record of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, at the close of business on March 21, 2016,20, 2017, the record date for the annual meeting, are entitled to receive notice of the annual meeting and to vote at the annual meeting. If you are a holder of record of our common stock as of the record date, you may vote the shares that you held on the record date even if you sell such shares after the record date. Each outstanding share as of the record date entitles its holder to cast one vote for each matter to be voted upon and, with respect to the election of directors, one vote for each director to be elected. Stockholders do not have the right to cumulate voting for the election of directors.

What is the purpose of the annual meeting?

At the annual meeting, you will be asked to vote on the following proposals:

 

Proposal 1: the election of the nine director nominees named in this proxy statement to serve on our Board until our next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

Proposal 1: the election of the nine director nominees named in this proxy statement to serve on our Board until our next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

 

Proposal 2: the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation paid to our named executive officers, as described in this proxy statement;

Proposal 2: the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation paid to our named executive officers, as described in this proxy statement;

 

Proposal 3: the recommendation, on a non-binding advisory basis, of whether an advisory vote on executive compensation should be held every one, two or three years; and

Proposal 4: the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

Proposal 3: the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017.

You also may be asked to consider and act upon any other matters that may properly be brought before the annual meeting and at any adjournments or postponements thereof.

What constitutes a quorum?

The presence, in person or by proxy, of holders of a majority of the total number of outstanding shares entitled to vote at the annual meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business at the annual meeting. As of March 21, 2016,20, 2017, there were 213,036,508231,379,915 shares outstanding and entitled to vote at the annual meeting.

Each share of common stock outstanding on the record date is entitled to one vote on each matter properly submitted at the annual meeting and, with respect to the election of directors, one vote for each director to be elected. Abstentions and “broker non-votes” (i.e., shares represented at the meeting held by brokers, as to which instructions have not been received from the beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote such shares and with respect to which,on a particular matter, the broker does not have discretionary voting power to vote such shares) will be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present for the transaction of business at the annual meeting.

What vote is required to approve each proposal?

In respect of Proposal 1, a director is elected if he or she receives more votes for his or her election than votes against his or her election. Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, any director who fails to be elected by a majority vote in an uncontested election is required to tender his or her resignation to the Board, subject to acceptance. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is required to make a recommendation to the Board with respect to the resignation. The Board is required to take action with respect to this recommendation and to disclose its decision and, if applicable, the Board’s reasons for rejecting the tendered resignation. The policy is described more fully below under the caption “Corporate Governance Matters—Annual Elections; Majority Voting.” Abstentions and broker non-votes with respect to Proposal 1 will have no effect on the election of directors.

2    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

A majority of all of the votes cast with respect to the proposal is required for approval of each of Proposals 2 3 and 4.3. In respect of Proposals 2 3 and 4,3, abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the votes for these proposals. In respect ofThe vote for Proposal 3, in the event that no option receives a majority of the votes cast, we will consider the option that receives the most votes to be the option selected by stockholders. In either case, the votes for Proposals 2 and 3 areis advisory and not binding on the Board or the Company in any way.

Can I change my vote after I submit my proxy card?

If you cast a vote by proxy, you may revoke it at any time before it is voted by:

 

filing a written notice revoking the proxy with our Secretary at our address;

 

properly submitting to us a proxy with a later date; or

 

appearing in person and voting by ballot at the annual meeting.

If you attend the annual meeting, you may vote in person whether or not you previously have given a proxy, but your presence (without further action) at the annual meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy. Unless you have received a legal proxy to vote the shares, if you hold your shares through a bank, broker or other nominee, that is, in “street name,” only that bank, broker or other nominee can revoke your proxy on your behalf.

You may revoke a proxy for shares held by a bank, broker or other nominee by submitting new voting instructions to the bank, broker or other nominee or, if you have obtained a legal proxy from the bank, broker or other nominee giving you the right to vote the shares at the annual meeting, by attending the annual meeting and voting in person.

How do I vote?

Voting in Person at the Annual Meeting. If you hold your shares in your own name as a holder of record with our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., and attend the annual meeting, you may vote in person at the annual meeting. If your shares are held by a bank, broker or other nominee, that is, in “street name,” and you wish to vote in person at the annual meeting, you will need to obtain a “legal proxy” from the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares of record.

Voting by ProxyProxy.. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials was sent directly to you by us. In that case, you may instruct the proxy holders named in the proxy card how to vote your shares of common stock in one of the following ways:

Vote onlineonline.. You can access proxy materials and vote atwww.proxyvote.com. To vote online, you must have a stockholder identification number provided in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

Vote by telephone. If you received printed materials, you also have the option to vote by telephone by following the “Vote by Phone” instructions on the proxy card.

Vote by regular mail. If you received printed materials and would like to vote by mail, then please mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it promptly in the postage-paid envelope provided.

If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials was forwarded to you by that organization. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to instruct that organization on how to vote the shares held in your account. You should instruct your broker or nominee how to vote your shares by following the voting instructions provided by your broker or nominee. If you request printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you will receive a vote instruction form for this purpose.

Even if you plan to attend the annual meeting, we recommend that you submit a proxy to vote your shares in advance so that your vote will be counted if you later are unable to attend the annual meeting.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     3


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

How is my vote counted?

If you authorize your proxy to vote your shares electronically via the internet or by telephone, or, if you received a proxy card by mail and you properly marked, signed, dated and returned it, the shares that the proxy represents will be voted in the manner specified on the proxy. If no specification is made, your shares will be voted “for” the election of the nominees for the directors named in this proxy statement, “for” advisory approval of the compensation of our named executive officers, “for” a one-year frequency of submitting the compensation of our named executive officers to the stockholders for approval, and “for” ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2017. It is not anticipated that any matters other than those set forth in this proxy statement will be presented at the annual meeting. If other matters are presented, proxies will be voted in accordance with the discretion of the proxy holders.

How does the Board recommend that I vote on each of the proposals?

The Board recommends that you vote:

 

FOR Proposal 1: the election of Albert Behler, Thomas Armbrust, Martin Bussmann, Dan Emmett, Lizanne Galbreath, Karin Klein, Peter Linneman, David O’Connor and Katharina Otto-Bernstein as directors to serve on our Board until our next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

FOR Proposal 1: the election of Albert Behler, Thomas Armbrust, Martin Bussmann, Dan Emmett, Lizanne Galbreath, Karin Klein, Peter Linneman, David O’Connor and Katharina Otto-Bernstein as directors to serve on our Board until our next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

 

FOR Proposal 2: the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation paid to our named executive officers, as described in this proxy statement;

FOR Proposal 2: the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation paid to our named executive officers, as described in this proxy statement;

 

FOR EVERY YEAR (“1 YEAR” on the proxy card) in respect of Proposal 3: the recommendation, on a non-binding advisory basis, of whether an advisory vote on executive compensation should be held every one, two or three years; and

FOR Proposal 4: the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

FOR Proposal 3: the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017.

What other information should I review before voting?

Our 20152016 annual report, including our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015,2016, is being made available to you along with this proxy statement.You may obtain, free of charge, copies of our 20152016 annual report and our Annual Report onForm10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015,2016, which contains additional information about the Company, on our website atwww.paramount-group.com or by directing your request in writing to Paramount Group, Inc., 1633 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Investor Relations. The 20152016 annual report and the Annual Report onForm10-K, however, are not part of the proxy solicitation materials, and the information found on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this proxy statement or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Who is soliciting my proxy?

This solicitation of proxies is made by and on behalf of the BoardBoard.. We will pay the cost of the solicitation of proxies. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by mail, our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies personally or by telephone. No arrangements or contracts have been made with any solicitors as of the date of this proxy statement, although we reserve the right to engage solicitors if we deem them necessary. Such solicitations may be made by mail, telephone, facsimile, e-mail or personal interviews.

Why didn’t I automatically receive a paper copy of the proxy statement, proxy card and annual report?

Pursuant to rules adopted by the SEC, we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials via the internet. Accordingly, rather than paper copies of our proxy materials, we are sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to our stockholders.

4    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

How can I change how I receive proxy materials in the future?

The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials includes instructions on how to access our proxy materials over the internet atwww.proxyvote.com and how to request a printed set of the proxy materials by mail or an electronic set of materials by e-mail.

Instead of receiving a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials in the mail, stockholders may elect to receive future proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by e-mail on an ongoing basis. Choosing to receive future proxy materials by e-mail will save the Company the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will reduce the environmental impact of the annual meeting. If you choose to receive future proxy materialsproxymaterials by e-mail, you will receive an e-mail next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting site. You can change your election by sending a blank e-mail with the 12-digit16-digit control number on your proxy card tosendmaterial@proxyvote.com, via the internet atwww.proxyvote.com or by telephone at (800) 579-1639. Your election to receive future proxy materials by e-mail will remain in effect until you terminate it.

No person is authorized on our behalf to give any information or to make any representations with respect to the proposals other than the information and the representations contained in this proxy statement, and, if given or made, such information and/or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized.PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     5


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Board currently consists of nine members. As previously announced, on March 23, 2016, we increased the size of the Board from seven to nine members and appointed Martin Bussmann and Karin Klein to the Board as directors. Each member of the Board is serving for a term of one year and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Their term expires at each annual meeting of stockholders. Our charter and bylaws provide that a majority of the entire Board may at any time increase or decrease the number of directors. However, the number of directors may never be less than the minimum number required by the Maryland General Corporation Law which is one and, unless our bylaws are amended, more than nine.

At the 20162017 annual meeting, all of the directors will be elected to serve until the 20172018 annual meeting and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The Board, upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, has nominated Albert Behler, Thomas Armbrust, Martin Bussmann, Dan Emmett, Lizanne Galbreath, Karin Klein, Peter Linneman, David O’Connor and Katharina Otto-Bernstein to serve as directors. Each of these nominees is a current director of the Company. The Board anticipates that each nominee will serve, if elected, as a director. However, if any nominee is unable to accept election, proxies voted in favor of such nominee will be voted for the election of such other person or persons as the Board may select.

Our bylaws provide for majority voting in uncontested director elections. Pursuant to our bylaws, in an uncontested election a director is elected if he or she receives more votes for his or her election than votes against his or her election. Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, any director who fails to be elected by a majority vote in an uncontested election is required to tender his or her resignation to our Board, subject to acceptance. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will make a recommendation to our Board on whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. Our Board will then act on our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s recommendation and publicly disclose its decision and the rationale behind it within 90 days from the date of the certification of election results. If the resignation is not accepted, the director will continue to serve until the next annual meeting and until the director’s successor is duly elected and qualified. The director who tenders his or her resignation will not participate in our Board’s decision.

We will treat broker non-votes as shares that are present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, will have no effect on this proposal.

The Board unanimously recommends that you vote FOR each of its director nominees.

6    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Information Regarding the Director Nominees

The following table and biographical descriptions set forth certain information with respect to each nominee for election as a director at the 20162017 annual meeting, based upon information furnished by each director. The biographical information includes the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the conclusion by our Board that such person should serve as a director.

 

Name

  Age  

Position

Albert Behler

  6465  Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President

Thomas Armbrust

  6364  Director

Martin Bussmann

  6465  Director

Dan Emmett

  7677  Director

Lizanne Galbreath

  5859  Director

Karin Klein

  4344  Director

Peter Linneman

  6566  Director

David O’Connor

  53Director

 Katharina Otto-Bernstein

  52  Director

Board Diversity

Director

Katharina Otto-BernsteinLOGO

LOGO

Summary of Select Director Core Competencies

LOGO

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     7


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Albert Behler  51 Director

Albert Behler

Mr. Behler 64, has been our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President since 2014. Mr. Behler joined our management company in October 1991 as President and Chief Executive Officer, where he oversaw all of the acquisitions and dispositions that produced our current portfolio of assets. Prior to joining our management company, Mr. Behler held various leadership positions in theat Thyssen, entities, a German multinational conglomerate that he joined in 1973. He ran Thyssen Saudia Company, Ltd as Managing Director and was President of Thyssen Rheinstahl in Atlanta, Georgia from 1985 to 1991. In his positions with the Thyssen, entities, Mr. Behler was responsible for, among other duties, the acquisition, financing, development and disposition of more than ten million square feet of commercial real estate in various countries. Mr. Behler’s board and association memberships presently include serving as a member of theThe Real Estate Roundtable, Washington, D.C.; a member of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York; a member of the Urban Land Institute;Institute, where he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance; a member of the American Council on Germany’s Business Advisory Committee; a member of the Board of Citymeals-on-Wheels; and a member of the Board of Trustees at The Arthur F. Burns Fellowship.of Citymeals-on-Wheels. Mr. Behler is also a former member of the Executive Committee of Greenprint Foundation and a former Chairman of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE). Mr. Behler studied law at the University of Cologne and graduated from Georgia State University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Thomas Armbrust

Thomas Armbrust

Mr. Armbrust 63, has been a member of our Board since 2014. Mr. Armbrust has been the Managing Director of CURA Vermögensverwaltung, a real estate management firm, since 1992. From 1985 to 1992, Mr. Armbrust was Vice President Tax, Accounting, Reporting and M&A of Gruner & Jahr Publishing Group, Hamburg. Prior to that, Mr. Armbrust held various other finance positions since 1977. Mr. Armbrust serves as a member of the supervisory board of Deutsche EuroShop AG, a public German real estate stock company, as a member of the supervisory board of Otto Versand, an international retailer, and as chairman of the supervisory board of ECE Projektmanagement, an international shopping center manager and developer. Mr. Armbrust also serves as a director of certain of the entities comprising our predecessor entities and their affiliates. Mr. Armbrust studied national economics and received his Masters of Economics from the University of Mainz. Mr. Armbrust was selected to serve on our Board based on his extensive experience in the real estate industry, his background in finance and his extensive knowledge of the Company.

Martin Bussmann

Martin Bussmann

Dr. Bussmann 64, has been a member of our Board since March 2016. Dr. Bussmann has been a Trustee of the Mannheim Trust in New York since 1998, responsible for the investment and management of its assets in real estate, private equity and financial investments in public equity and fixed income. He also serves as director or manager of a number of the Mannheim Trust portfolio companies, including Mannheim Holdings LLC.LLC and Mannheim Real Estate LLC and their subsidiaries. He was a board member of the private Cellwar Holding AG in Switzerland and since its reorganization is President of Rhodanie Investment AG. From 1998 to 2005, he was Co-Trustee of the Marico Trust in New York, and from 1995 to 1998 he was manager of Margna SA/Margna Holding SA, a Luxembourg company that invested in European blue chip stocks. Prior to these positions, from 1980 until 1994, Dr. Bussmann spent 15 years in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries in Germany and the United States, at Knoll AG, Abbott Laboratories, BASF AG and BASF Corporation. Dr. Bussmann received his Dr. juris utriusque degree from Heidelberg University and in 1977 was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School. Dr. Bussmann was selected to serve on our Board based on his extensive experience in industries other than real estate, his background in finance and his senior leadership background.

Dan Emmett8    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Dan Emmett

Mr. Emmett 76, has been a member of our Board since 2014. Mr. Emmett has served as the chairman of the board of directors of Douglas Emmett, Inc., a publicly-traded high-quality office and multifamily property REIT,

since its inception in 2006. Mr. Emmett co-founded the predecessors of Douglas Emmett, Inc. in 1971 and 1991. Mr. Emmett received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard University. Mr. Emmett was selected to serve on our Board based on his extensive experience in the real estate industry as well as his senior leadership background.

Lizanne Galbreath

Lizanne Galbreath

Ms. Galbreath 58, has been a member of our Board since 2014. Ms. Galbreath has been the Managing Partner of Galbreath & Company, a real estate investment firm, since 1999. From April 1997 to 1999, Ms. Galbreath was Managing Director of LaSalle Partners/Jones Lang LaSalle, a publicly-traded real estate services and investment management firm, where she also served as a director. From 1984 to 1997, Ms. Galbreath served as a Managing Director, then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, of The Galbreath Company, the predecessor entity of Galbreath & Company. Ms. Galbreath has also been a member of the board of directors of ILG, Inc., a leading provider of professionally delivered vacation experiences, since May 2016. She was director of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a publicly-traded hotel and leisure company, since 2005.from 2005 to September 2016. Ms. Galbreath is also a past Chair of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business Real Estate Advisory Board, a past member of the board of Grosvenor Americas, and a past trustee of the Urban Land Institute. Ms. Galbreath received a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. Ms. Galbreath was selected to serve on our Board based on her extensive experience in the real estate industry as well as her senior leadership background.

Karin Klein

Karin Klein

Ms. Klein 43, has been a member of our Board since March 2016. Ms. Klein has been a partner of Bloomberg Beta, a venture capital fund which invests in technology companies that make work better, since 2013. Prior to launching Bloomberg Beta, Ms. Klein led new initiatives at Bloomberg L.P. from 2010 to 2013. Before joining Bloomberg L.P., from 2000 to 2010, Ms. Klein served in various roles at SoftBank Group Corp., a Japanese multinational telecommunications and internet company, including as a vice president and director of corporate development. Previously, she also held investing and operating roles at several investment companies and co-founded a children’s education business. Ms. Klein is a member of the board of trustees of Harvey Mudd College. Ms. Klein graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Klein was selected to serve on our Board based on her extensive experience outside the real estate industry, particularly in technology-related industries, and her senior leadership background.

Peter LinnemanPARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     9


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Peter Linneman

Dr. Linneman 65, has been a member of our Board since 2014. From 1979 to 2011, Dr. Linneman was a Professor of Real Estate, Finance and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and is currently an Emeritus Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate there. Dr. Linneman is also currently a principal of Linneman Associates, a real estate advisory firm, and a principal of American Land Funds, a private equity firm. Dr. Linneman has served on over 20 public and private company boards, including serving as Chairman of the Board of Rockefeller Center Properties, Inc., a REIT, as a member on the board of trustees of Equity Commonwealth (formerly known as CommonWealth REIT), a publicly-traded REIT, and as a member of the board of directors of Equity One, Inc.,Regency Centers Corporation, a publicly-traded REIT. Dr. Linneman is also currently serving as an independent director of Atrium European Real Estate Ltd., where his term will expire April 25, 2017, and AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc., a publicly-traded REIT. Dr. Linneman previously served as a director of Equity One, Inc., prior to its merger with Regency Centers Corporation, Bedford Property Investors, Inc. and JER Investors Trust, Inc., a finance company that acquires real estate debt securities and loans. Dr. Linneman holds both Masters and Doctorate degrees in economics from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ashland University. Dr. Linneman was selected to serve on our Board based on his experience over many years in financial and business advisory services and investment activity and his experience as a member of numerous public and private boards, including many real estate companies.

David O’Connor

David O’Connor

Mr. O’Connor 52, has been a member of our Board since 2014. Mr. O’Connor is a private investor and Managing Partner of High Rise Capital Partners, LLC, and was the co-founder and senior Managing Partner of High Rise Capital Management, L.P., a New York-based real estate securities hedge fund manager that operated from 2001 to 2011. From 1994 to 2000, he was a principal, co-portfolio manager and investment committee member of European Investors, Inc., a real estate securities investment advisory firm. Mr. O’Connor serves in various positions at real estate investment firms. He is a member of the boards of Prologis, Inc., a publicly-traded REIT focused on industrial logistics and real estate globally; Regency Centers Corporation, a publicly-traded REIT that specializes in neighborhood shopping centers; and is the Non-Executive Co-Chairman of HighBrook Investment Management, LP, a real estate private equity firm. He also serves on the executive committee of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. O’Connor received a Master of Science in real estate from New York University and a Bachelor of Science from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, where he serves as a Trustee. Mr. O’Connor was selected to serve on our Board based on his extensive investment management experience in the real estate industry.

Katharina Otto-Bernstein

Katharina Otto-Bernstein

Ms. Otto-Bernstein 51, has been a member of our Board since 2014. Ms. Otto-Bernstein is an award winning writer and film maker, who began her career as a journalist. Currently, she is the President of Film Manufacturers Inc., an international production company specializing in the development, production and co-production of high quality fiction and non-fiction motion pictures, as well as selected works for stage and print, a position which she has held since 1992. Ms. Otto-Bernstein is also a principal owner of ECE Projektmanagement, an international shopping center manager and developer, and a member of the board of directors of CURA Vermögensverwaltung, a real estate management firm. Ms. Otto-Bernstein is a member of the Dean’s Council of the Columbia University School of the Arts and was awarded the Columbia University Alumni Medal of Achievement in 2009. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Opera and of the International Council of the Guggenheim Museum and served for ten years on the board of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Ms. Otto-Bernstein received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College in philosophy and political science and a Masters of Fine Arts in film from Columbia University. Ms. Otto-Bernstein was selected to serve on our Board based on her significant ownership interest in the Company and experience in the real estate industry.

10    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Biographical Information Regarding Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors

As of the date of this proxy statement, our executive officers who are not directors are as follows:

 

Name

  Age  

Position

Wilbur Paes

  3839  Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Jolanta Bott

  6465  Executive Vice President, Operations and Human Resources

Theodore Koltis

  4748  Executive Vice President, Leasing

Daniel Lauer

  5354  Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer

Ralph DiRuggieroD. Ruggiero

  6566  Senior Vice President, Property Management

Gage Johnson

  5455  Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Vito Messina

  5354  Senior Vice President, Asset Management

Wilbur Paes

Wilbur Paes

Mr. Paes 38, has been our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since March 2016. Before being appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Mr. Paes was our Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer since 2014. Prior to joining our executive management team in 2014, Mr. Paes spent over 11 years at Vornado Realty Trust, a publicly traded REIT, where he held a myriad of

positions in accounting and finance, most recently as Senior Vice President of SEC Reporting. Prior to that, Mr. Paes worked for the international public accounting firms of KPMG LLP and Arthur Andersen LLP, where he served some of the firms’ largest real estate clients. Mr. Paes graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Information Systems. He is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in the State of New York, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Jolanta Bott

Jolanta Bott

Ms. Bott 64, has been our Executive Vice President, Operations and Human Resources since 2014. Ms. Bott previously served as a Senior Vice President with our management company since June 2002, responsible for all human resource matters. Prior to that, Ms. Bott held various other management positions at our management company since July 1979. Prior to joining our management company, Ms. Bott held a position in marketing and public relations at the European American Bank, where she reported directly to the Vice Chairman. Ms. Bott studied Art, Business and Psychology in Europe, Africa and Latin America, and is fluent in several languages.

Theodore Koltis

Theodore Koltis

Mr. Koltis 47, has been our Executive Vice President, Leasing since 2014. Mr. Koltis joined our management company in December 2010 as Senior Vice President of Leasing, responsible for the leasing of our management company’s portfolio in New York, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Prior to joining our management company, since September 2002, Mr. Koltis served as a Managing Director at Tishman Speyer Properties, a real estate building and operating company, where he was responsible for leasing in New York, including Rockefeller Center, The Chrysler Building, 666 Fifth Avenue and The MetLife Building. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer Properties in 2002, Mr. Koltis worked at CB Richard Ellis, a publicly-traded commercial real estate services and investment firm, in the consulting group and at Tishman Realty and Construction in their real estate consulting group specializing in tenant advisory. He is a member of both the Real Estate Board of New York and the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York. Mr. Koltis graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science and received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia University.

Daniel LauerPARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     11


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Daniel Lauer

Mr. Lauer 53, has been our Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer since 2014. Mr. Lauer previously served as a Vice President of Acquisitions at our management company since 2002 and Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Business Development since February 2013, overseeing the acquisition and disposition process, including due diligence and the closing of numerous transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Lauer held various other management positions at our management company since 1989. From 1985 to 1989, Mr. Lauer served in the accounting department of Turner Construction Company, a general builder and construction management firm, where he was responsible for financial reporting and budgeting for the New Jersey regional office. Mr. Lauer is a Member of the Urban Land Institute and the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Lauer graduated from Fairfield University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and from Rutgers University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Ralph DiRuggiero

Ralph DiRuggiero

Mr. DiRuggiero 65, has been our Senior Vice President, Property Management since 2014. Mr. DiRuggiero joined our management company in May 2001 as Vice President of Property Management where he was directly involved in all aspects of property management and security for the entire portfolio. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. DiRuggiero was Senior Vice President of Property Management and Regional Director at the Trammell Crow Company, a real estate development, investment and operations company. From 1989 to 1999, Mr. DiRuggiero served in various management roles with Jones Lang LaSalle, a publicly-traded professional

services and investment management company specializing in real estate, and its affiliates and predecessors, most recently as Executive Vice President. Mr. DiRuggiero graduated from the University of Scranton with a Bachelor of Science degree and from The City University of New York (Baruch College) with a Master’s degree in Public Administration.

Gage Johnson

Gage Johnson

Mr. Johnson 54, has been our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since 2014. Mr. Johnson joined our management company in May 2009 as General Counsel. Previously, since 2005, Mr. Johnson was General Counsel of Citi Property Investors, the global real estate investment management arm of Citigroup, where he was a Managing Director responsible for virtually all legal aspects of real estate investments throughout the United States, Europe and Asia in all property sectors. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Johnson was an Executive Director in the Law Department at Morgan Stanley Real Estate, the investment firm’s real estate unit. From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Johnson served in various roles at Lend Lease Real Estate, part of a publicly-traded property group specializing in project management and construction, real estate investment and development, most recently as General Counsel. Prior to joining Lend Lease Real Estate, Mr. Johnson was an attorney with the law firm of Paul Hastings LLP in Washington, D.C. He was formerly the Vice Chairman, Treasurer, and member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of The National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. Mr. Johnson graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs and from the University of Virginia School of Law with a Juris Doctorate.

Vito Messina

Vito Messina

Mr. Messina 53, has been our Senior Vice President, Asset Management since 2014. Mr. Messina joined our management company in July 2002 as Vice President of Controlling and assumed responsibility for accounting, property financing, financial accounting and financial reporting for its portfolio of properties. In July 2013 he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Asset Management where he has been responsible for overseeing the asset management function for our management company’s property portfolio. Previously, since 1994, Mr. Messina was Assistant Corporate Controller and later Vice President and Corporate Operations Controller at Devon Properties, Inc., an apartment and commercial property management services company. From 1986 to 1994, Mr. Messina provided audit and consulting services at Deloitte

12    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

& Touche LLP to real estate clients. Mr. Messina graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting. Mr. Messina is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Director Independence

Our Board has determined that each of the following, constituting a majority of our Board, is an “independent director” as defined by the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) rules: Martin Bussmann, Dan Emmett, Lizanne Galbreath, Karin Klein, Peter Linneman and David O’Connor. Our independent directors will meet regularly in executive sessions without the presence of our officers and non-independent directors.

Lead Independent Director

To facilitate the role of the independent directors, the Board has determined that it is appropriate for the independent directors to appoint one independent director to serve as Lead Independent Director. The Lead Independent Director is currently Peter Linneman. See “Corporate Governance Matters—Board Leadership Structure.”

The Board and its Committees

The Board has four standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and an Investment and Finance Committee. The Audit Committee,

Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are composed exclusively of independent directors, in accordance with the NYSE listing standards. The principal functions of each committee are briefly described below. The current charters for each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are available on our website atwww.paramount-group.com under the “Investors—Corporate Governance” section. Further, we will provide a copy of these charters free of charge to each stockholder upon written request. Requests for copies should be addressed to Gage Johnson, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, at Paramount Group, Inc., 1633 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, New York 10019. From time to time, the Board also may create additional committees for such purposes as the Board may determine.

The Board held six meetings during fiscal year 2015,2016, and all directors attended 75% or more of the board of directors meetings and meetings of the committees on which they served during the periods they served.

Audit CommitteeCommittee.. Our Audit Committee consists of Dan Emmett (chair), Peter Linneman and Lizanne Galbreath,Martin Bussmann, each of whom is an independent director. The Board has determined that Dr. Linneman qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined by the applicable SEC regulations and NYSE corporate governance listing standards and that each of the Audit Committee members is “financially literate” as that term is defined by the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. The Board has also determined that Dr. Linneman’s simultaneous service on the audit committees of fourthree other public companies would not impair his ability to serve on our Audit Committee. We have adopted an Audit Committee charter, which details the principal functions of the Audit Committee, including oversight related to:

 

our accounting and financial reporting processes;

 

the integrity of our consolidated financial statements;

 

our systems of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;

 

our compliance with financial, legal and regulatory requirements;

 

the performance of our internal audit function; and

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.  |  2017 Proxy Statement     13


PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

our overall risk assessment and management.

The Audit Committee is also responsible for engaging an independent registered public accounting firm, reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm the plans and results of the audit engagement, approving professional services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm, including all audit and non-audit services, reviewing the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm, considering the range of audit and non-audit fees and reviewing the adequacy of our internal accounting controls. The Audit Committee also prepares the Audit Committee Report required by SEC regulations to be included in this proxy statement. Our Audit Committee held eightfive meetings during fiscal year 2015.2016. Additional information regarding the functions performed by our Audit Committee is set forth in the Audit Committee Report.

Compensation CommitteeCommittee.. Our The Compensation Committee consists of Lizanne Galbreath (chair), Karin Klein and David O’Connor, and Dan Emmett, each of whom is an independent director. We have adopted a Compensation Committee charter, which details the principal functions of the Compensation Committee, including:

 

reviewing and approving the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

 

reviewing and approving the compensation of other senior officers;

 

reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

implementing and administering our incentive compensation and equity-based plans;

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

OurThe Compensation Committee held six13 meetings during fiscal year 2015.2016.

Nominating and Corporate Governance CommitteeCommittee.. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of Peter Linneman (chair), David O’Connor and Dan Emmett,Lizanne Galbreath, each of whom is an independent director. We have adopted a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee charter, which details the principal functions of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, including:

 

identifying and recommending to the Board qualified candidates for election as directors and recommending nominees for election as directors at the annual meeting of stockholders;

 

developing and recommending to the Board corporate governance guidelines and implementing and monitoring such guidelines;

 

reviewing and making recommendations on matters involving the general operation of the Board, including board size and composition, and committee composition and structure;

 

recommending to the Board nominees for each committee of the Board;

 

annually facilitating the assessment of the Board’s performance, as required by applicable laws, regulations and the NYSE corporate governance listing standards; and

 

annually reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding revisions to the Corporate Governance Guidelines and the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held threefour meetings during fiscal year 2015.2016.

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PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Investment and Finance CommitteeCommittee.. Our Investment and Finance Committee consists of Albert Behler (chair) and Thomas Armbrust. If Mr. Armbrust is unavailable, Dan Emmett would serve in his place. This committee is responsible for approving certain material acquisitions, dispositions and other investment and financing decisions of the Company. Our Investment and Finance Committee held fourfive meetings during fiscal year 2015.2016.

Director Compensation

The Board has established a compensation program for our non-employee directors. Under this program, we pay the following fees to our nonemployee directors on a quarterly basis, in cash:

 

an annual retainer of $40,000;

 

an additional annual retainer of $50,000 to our lead director (currently Peter Linneman);

 

an additional annual retainer of $15,000 to each chair of a committee;committee chair; and

 

an additional annual retainer of $5,000 to each member of a committee.committee member.

We will also reimburse each of our directors for his or her travel expenses incurred in connection with his or her attendance at full Board and committee meetings. No additional compensation is received by the members of our Investment and Finance Committee. Directors of the Company who are also employees receive no additional compensation for their services as directors.

In order to encourage our non-employee directors to acquire a significant equity stake in us and to align our non-employee directors and stockholders, at each annual stockholder meeting we will grant each of our non-employee directors LTIP units or shares of restricted common stock under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan with a value of $100,000 which will vest upon the earlier of the anniversary of the date of grant or the next annual stockholder meeting.

Directors of the Company who are also employees receive no additional compensation for their services as directors.

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation paid to our non-employee directors during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015:2016:

 

Name(1)

  Fees
Earned or
Paid in
Cash
($)
   Stock
Awards(2)
($)
   Total
($)
   

Fees Earned
or

Paid in Cash

($)

   

Stock Awards

($)

   

Total

($)

 

Thomas Armbrust

  $40,000    $99,996    $139,996    $40,000   $100,000   $140,000 

Martin Bussmann

   45,000    95,000    140,000 

Dan Emmett

   65,000     89,996     154,996     55,000    95,000    150,000 

Lizanne Galbreath

   60,000     89,996     149,996     60,000    95,000    155,000 

Karin Klein

   45,000    95,000    140,000 

Peter Linneman

   110,000     89,996     199,996     110,000    95,000    205,000 

David O’Connor

   50,000     89,996     139,996     50,000    95,000    145,000 

Katharina Otto-Bernstein

   40,000     89,996     129,996     40,000    95,000    135,000 

 

(1)This table does not include Karin Klein and Martin Bussmann, who were appointed to the Board on March 23, 2016.
(2)On May 21, 201519, 2016 we granted 5,2196,317 LTIP units to each of Messrs. Bussmann, Emmett, Linneman and O’Connor and Mmes. Galbreath, Klein and Otto-Bernstein, and 5,2196,317 shares of restricted stock to Mr. Armbrust, under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan. Such awards will vest if they remain on our Board until the 20162017 annual stockholder meeting. Amounts shown reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of LTIP units or shares of restricted stock issued to each director as determined pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 “Compensation—“Compensation—Stock Compensation” (“ASC Topic 718”), disregarding the estimate of forfeitures. The assumptions we used for calculating the grant date fair values are set forth in note 18Note 20 to our combined consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.2016.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.  |  2017 Proxy Statement     15


PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF

OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Section 14A(a)(1) of the Exchange Act generally requires each public company to include in its proxy statement a separate resolution subject to a non-binding stockholder vote to approve the compensation of the company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in its proxy statement pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, not less frequently than once every three years. This is commonly known as, and is referred to herein as, a “say-on-pay” proposal or resolution.

At the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders which was held on May 19, 2016, our stockholders voted on, among other matters, a proposal regarding the frequency of holding a non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers. A majority of the votes cast on the frequency proposal were cast in favor of holding a non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers every year, which was consistent with the recommendation of the Board. The Board considered the voting results with respect to the frequency proposal as well as other factors, and currently intends for the Company to hold a non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers every year until the next required advisory vote on the frequency of holding the non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers.

Accordingly, pursuant to Section 14A(a)(1) of the Exchange Act, the Company is providing stockholders with the opportunity to approve the following non-binding, advisory resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in this proxy statement pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED.”

The Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR this resolution.

We are asking our stockholders to indicate their support for our named executive officers’ compensation as described in this proxy statement. This vote is not limited to any specific item of compensation, but rather addresses the overall compensation of our named executive officers and our philosophy, policies and practices relating to their compensation as described in this proxy statement pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K.

The say-on-pay resolution is advisory, and therefore will not have any binding legal effect on the Company or the Compensation Committee. However, the Compensation Committee does value the opinions of our stockholders and intends to take the results of the vote on this proposal into account in its future decisions regarding the compensation of our named executive officers.

16    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


PROPOSAL 3: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING  FIRM

PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF STOCKHOLDER ADVISORY VOTES ON THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Section 14A(a)(2) of the Exchange Act enables our stockholders to vote on a non-binding advisory basis on how frequently we will submit “say-on-pay” proposals, similar to Proposal 2, to our stockholders in the future. Our stockholders have the following three alternatives to choose from: (1) every year (“1 YEAR” on the proxy card), (2) every two years (“2 YEARS” on the proxy card) or (3) every three years (“3 YEARS” on the proxy card). In addition, our stockholders may choose to abstain from voting on this proposal.

Our Board believes that, of the three choices, submitting a non-binding, advisory say-on-pay resolution to stockholders every year is preferable. Annual votes will provide the Company with clearer feedback regarding the compensation of our named executive officers. The primary focus of the disclosure of the compensation of our named executive officers required to be included in the Company’s proxy statements is compensation granted in or for the prior fiscal year. Additionally, the Compensation Committee re-evaluates the compensation of our named executive officers each year. An annual say-on-pay resolution will match the annual focus of this proxy statement disclosure and provide the Company with the clearest and most timely feedback of the three options. This feedback may then be considered by the Compensation Committee in its next annual decision-making process. Additionally, the administrative process of submitting a non-binding, advisory say-on-pay resolution to stockholders on an annual basis is not expected to impose any substantial additional costs on the Company.

The votes that are the subject of this proposal are all non-binding, advisory votes, and therefore will not have any binding legal effect on the Company or our Board. However, our Board does intend to take the results of the vote on this proposal into account in its decision regarding the frequency with which the Company submits say-on-pay proposals in the future.

The Board unanimously recommends a vote for EVERY YEAR (“1 YEAR” on the proxy card) as the frequency for future non-binding advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers.

PROPOSAL 4: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT

REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee of the Board has appointed the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2017. Stockholder ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP is not required by law, the NYSE or the Company’s organizational documents. However, as a matter of good corporate governance, the Board has elected to submit the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP to the stockholders for ratification at the 20162017 annual meeting. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may select a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time if the Audit Committee believes that such a change would be in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders. If stockholders do not ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP, the Audit Committee will take that fact into consideration, together with such other factors it deems relevant, in determining its next selection of an independent registered public accounting firm. Deloitte & Touche LLP has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since our formation in 2014 and is considered by our management to be well-qualified. Deloitte & Touche LLP has advised us that neither it nor any member thereof has any financial interest, direct or indirect, in the Company or any of our subsidiaries in any capacity.

A representative of Deloitte & Touche LLP will be present at the annual meeting, will be given the opportunity to make a statement at the annual meeting if he or she so desires and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

A majority of all of the votes cast with respect to this proposal is required for the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2017. Abstentions do not constitute a vote “for” or “against” and will not be counted as “votes cast.” Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal.

Fee Disclosure

The following is a summary of the fees billed by Deloitte & Touche LLP for professional services rendered to us for the fiscal years ended December 31, 20152016 and for the period from November 24, 2014 to December 31, 2015:

 

  2015   2014   2016   2015 

Audit Fees

  $1,160,000    $750,000    $1,259,800   $1,160,000 

Audit Related Fees

   1,030,500     1,003,500  

Audit-Related Fees

   1,102,785    1,030,500 

Tax Fees

   25,000     —       10,438    25,000 

All Other Fees

   846,000     —       81,500    846,000 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

Total

  $3,061,500    $1,753,500    $2,454,323   $3,061,500 
  

 

   

 

 

Audit Fees

“Audit Fees” include fees associated with professional services rendered for the audit of the financial statements and services that are normally provided by Deloitte & Touche LLP in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements. For example, audit fees include fees for professional services rendered in connection with quarterly and annual reports, and the issuance of consents by Deloitte & Touche LLP to be named in our registration statements and to the use of their audit report in the registration statements.

Audit-Related Fees

“Audit-Related Fees” refers to fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     17


PROPOSAL 3: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Tax Fees

“Tax Fees” refers to fees and related expenses for professional services for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.

All Other Fees

“All Other Fees” refers to fees and related expenses for products and services other than services described above.

Our Audit Committee considers whether the provision by Deloitte & Touche LLP of any services that would be required to be described under “All Other Fees” would be compatible with maintaining Deloitte  & Touche LLP’s independence from both management and the Company.

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures of our Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit services and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm, except for anyde minimis non-audit services. Non-audit services are consideredde minimis if: (i) the aggregate amount of all such non-audit services constitutes not more than five percent of the total amount of revenues we paid to our independent registered public accounting firm during the fiscal year in which they are provided; (ii) we did not recognize such services at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and (iii) such services are promptly brought to our Audit Committee’s or any of its members’ attention and approved by our Audit Committee or any of its members who has authority to give such approval prior to the completion of the audit. None of the fees reflected above were incurred as a result of non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to thisde minimis exception. Our Audit Committee may delegate to one or more of its members who is an independent director the authority to grant pre-approvals.

The Board unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of

Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2016.2017.

18    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any of our previous or future filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that might incorporate this proxy statement or future filing with the SEC, in whole or in part, the following report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any such filing.

The undersigned members of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Paramount Group, Inc. submit this report in connection with the committee’s review of the financial reports for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20152016 as follows:

 

1.the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements of Paramount Group, Inc. for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015;2016;

 

2.the Audit Committee has discussed with representatives of Deloitte & Touche LLP the matters required to be discussed with them by Auditing Standard No. 16,1301, “Communications with Audit Committees,” as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; and

 

3.the Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding Deloitte & Touche LLP’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with Deloitte & Touche LLP its independence.

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report onForm10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20152016 for filing with the SEC.

Submitted by our Audit Committee

Dan Emmett (Chairman)

Peter Linneman

Lizanne GalbreathMartin Bussmann

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     19


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

We are committed to operating our business under strong and accountable corporate governance practices. You are encouraged to visit the “Investors—Corporate Governance” section of our website atwww.paramount-group.com to view or to obtain copies of our committee charters, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Corporate Governance Guidelines and stockholder communication policy. The information found on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this proxy statement or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC. You also may obtain, free of charge, a copy of the respective charters of our committees, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Corporate Governance Guidelines and stockholder communication policy by directing your request in writing to Paramount Group, Inc., 1633 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Investor Relations. Additional information relating to the corporate governance of the Company also is included in other sections of this proxy statement.

Corporate Governance ProfileHighlights

We have structured our corporate governance in a manner we believe closely aligns our interests with those of our stockholders. Notable features of our corporate governance structure include the following:

our Board is not staggered, meaning that each of our directors is subject to re-election annually;

we provide for majority voting in uncontested director elections;

a majority of our directors are independent for purposes of the NYSE’s corporate governance listing standards and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act;

at least one of our directors qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC;

we have opted out of the business combination and control share acquisition provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and we may not opt in without stockholder approval;

we do not have a shareholder rights plan and, in the future, we do not intend to adopt a shareholder rights plan unless our stockholders approve in advance the adoption of a plan or, if adopted by our Board, we then submit the shareholder rights plan to our stockholders for a ratification vote within 12 months of adoption or the plan will terminate; and

we have entered into a stockholders agreement, which is described in more detail under “Certain Relationship and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement,” pursuant to which Maren Otto, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Alexander Otto have specified director nomination rights.

Annual Election of All DirectorsAnti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policies
6 of 9 Directors are IndependentClawback Policy
Majority Voting for DirectorsMinimum Share Ownership Guidelines for Directors and Executive Officers
Lead Independent DirectorNo Shareholder Rights Plan
Executive Sessions without ManagementBoard and Committee Risk Oversight
Annual Board and Committee Self EvaluationsCode of Business Conduct and Ethics for Directors and Employees

Corporate Governance Guidelines

The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that address significant issues of corporate governance and set forth procedures by which the Board carries out its responsibilities. Among the areas addressed by the Corporate Governance Guidelines are director qualification standards, director responsibilities, Board structure, director access to management and independent advisors, director compensation, director orientation and continuing education, management succession, annual performance evaluation of the Board and committees, related person transaction approval and disclosure policy, and stockholder rights plan. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things, assessing and periodically reviewing the adequacy of the Corporate Governance Guidelines and will recommend, as appropriate, proposed changes to the Board.

Director Independence

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a majority of our directors serving on the Board and all directors serving on the Board committees must be independent as required by the listing standards of the NYSE

and the applicable rules promulgated by the SEC. In addition, the Company has adopted additional director independence standards for the Board to consider in making its determinations with respect to the independence of directors. The Board has determined affirmatively, based upon its review of all relevant facts and circumstances and after considering all applicable relationships of which the Board had knowledge, between or among the directors and the Company or our management (some of such relationships are described in the section of this proxy statement entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions”), that each of the following directors and director nominees has no direct or indirect material relationship with us and is independent under the listing standards of the NYSE: Martin Bussmann, Dan Emmett, Lizanne Galbreath, Karin Klein, Peter Linneman and David O’Connor.

20    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our Board has established a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our officers, directors and employees. Among other matters, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:

 

honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships;

 

full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in our SEC reports and other public communications;

 

compliance with laws, rules and regulations;

 

prompt internal reporting of violations of the code to appropriate persons identified in the code; and

 

accountability for adherence to the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Any waiver of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for our directors or officers may be made only by our Board or our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and will be promptly disclosed as required by law or NYSE regulations. We intend to disclose on our website any amendment to, or waiver of, any provisions of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors and executive officers that would otherwise be required to be disclosed under the rules of the SEC or the NYSE.

Audit Committee Financial Expert

The Board has determined that Peter Linneman qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in Item 401(h) of SECRegulationS-K.

Communications with the Board

We have a process by which stockholders and other interested parties may communicate with the non-employee directors, both individually and as a group, through the Board’s Lead Independent Director. In cases where stockholders or other interested parties wish to communicate directly with non-employee directors, messages can be sent in writing or by email to: Peter Linneman, Lead Independent Director, Paramount Group, Inc., c/o Issuer Direct Corporation (“IDC”) using the following link:https://irdirect.net/PGRE/whistleblower_iframe/, or any other link to or toll-free number of a third party reporting service approved by the Lead Independent Director from time to time and posted on our website or otherwise appropriately disseminated. IDC acts as agent for the Lead Independent Director in facilitating direct communications to him and any other non-employee directors he requests. Any such communications may be made anonymously.

Audit Committee Complaint Procedures

Our Audit Committee has established procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal controls, or auditing matters and (ii) the confidential,

anonymous submission by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. If you wish to contact our Audit Committee to report complaints or concerns relating to the financial reporting of the Company, you may do so in writing to the Chairperson of our Audit Committee, c/o IDC using the following link:https://irdirect.net/PGRE/whistleblower_iframe/, or the toll-free number provided in the link, or any other link to or toll-free number of a third party reporting service approved by the Chairperson of the Audit Committee from time to time and posted on our website or otherwise appropriately disseminated. Any such communications may be made anonymously.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     21


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Director Attendance at Annual Meetings

We encourage each member of the Board to attend each annual meeting of stockholders. All of our directors serving at that time attended the annual meeting of stockholders held on May 21, 2015.19, 2016.

Identification of Director Candidates

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board in identifying and reviewing director candidates to determine whether they qualify for membership on the Board and recommends director nominees to the Board to be considered for election at our annual meeting of stockholders. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has adopted a written policy on the criteria and process of identifying and reviewing director candidates.

At a minimum, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee must be satisfied that each director candidate (i) has experience at a strategic or policymaking level in a business, legal, accounting, government, non-profit or academic organization of high standing, (ii) is highly accomplished in his or her respective field, (iii) is well regarded in the community and shall have a reputation for the highest ethical and moral standards and (iv) has sufficient time and availability to devote to the affairs of the Company, particularly in light of the number of boards on which the nominee may serve.

In addition to the minimum qualifications for each nominee set forth above, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee must recommend that the Board select persons for nomination to help ensure that (i) a majority of the Board will be “independent” in accordance with the standards established pursuant to Section 303A of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, (ii) each of its Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees will be comprised entirely of independent directors and (iii) at least one member of the Audit Committee will have accounting or related financial management expertise.

Finally, in addition to any other standards the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may deem appropriate from time to time for the overall structure and composition of the Board, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may, but is not required to, consider (i) whether the nominee has direct experience in the real estate industry, particularly in the office real estate industry, or in the markets in which the Company operates, and (ii) whether the nominee, if elected, assists in achieving a mix of Board members that represents a diversity of background and experience.

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may consider director candidates recommended by our stockholders. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will apply the same standards in considering candidates submitted by stockholders as it does in evaluating candidates submitted by members of the Board. Any recommendations by stockholders are to follow the procedures outlined under “Stockholder Proposals” in this proxy statement and should provide the reasons supporting a candidate’s recommendation, the candidate’s qualifications and the candidate’s written consent to being considered as a director nominee.

As previously disclosed, we have entered into a stockholders agreement with Maren Otto, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Alexander Otto providing these members of the Otto family with the right, collectively, to designate up to three director nominees to our Board. The number of director nominees that these members of the Otto family will have the right to designate may be reduced in the future based on reductions in the percentage of our total outstanding common stock owned by these individuals, their lineal descendants or entities they own or control collectively. Albert Behler, Thomas Armbrust and Katharina Otto-Bernstein have been designated for nomination to our Board pursuant to the stockholders agreement.

22    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Executive Sessions of Non-Management Directors

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines require the non-management directors serving on the Board to meet at regularly scheduled executive sessions without management participation and to hold an executive session at least once each year with only independent directors present. In accordance with such requirement, our non-management directors and/or our independent directors meet in executive sessions from time to time on such a basis. The executive sessions are chaired by our Lead Independent Director.

Annual Elections; Majority Voting

Each of our directors will be elected by our stockholders to serve until our next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. Our bylaws provide for majority voting in uncontested director elections. Pursuant to our bylaws, in a contested election, directors are elected by a plurality of all of the votes cast in the election of directors, and in an uncontested election, a director is elected if he or she receives more votes for his or her election than votes against his or her election. Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, any director who fails to be elected by a majority vote in an uncontested election is required to tender his or her resignation to our Board, subject to acceptance. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will make a recommendation to our Board on whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. Our Board will then act on our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s recommendation and publicly disclose its decision and the rationale behind it within 90 days from the date of the certification of election results. If the resignation is not accepted, the director will continue to serve until the next annual meeting and until the director’s successor is duly elected and qualifies. The director who tenders his or her resignation will not participate in our Board’s decision.

Board Leadership Structure

As noted above, our Board currently is comprised of six independent and three non-independent directors. Albert Behler, our Chief Executive Officer and President, serves as Chairman of the Board. Our Board believes that the Company and our stockholders are best served by having Mr. Behler serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Behler’s over 2425 years of experience leading the Company and its predecessor and significant ownership interest in the Company uniquely qualify him to serve as both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In addition, our Board believes that Mr. Behler’s combined role as an executive officer and the Chairman of our Board promotes unified leadership and direction for our Board and executive management, and it allows for a single, clear focus for the chain of command to execute our strategic initiatives and business plans.

The Board has appointed Peter Linneman, one of the independent directors, as Lead Independent Director. We believe that the number of independent, experienced directors that make up our Board, along with the independent oversight of our Lead Independent Director, benefits the Company and its stockholders.

We recognize that different board leadership structures may be appropriate for companies in different situations, and that no one structure is suitable for all companies. Our current Board leadership structure is optimal for us because it demonstrates to our employees and other stakeholders that the Company is under strong leadership. In our judgment, the Company, like many companies, has been well-served by this leadership structure.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     23


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

The Lead Independent Director has the following responsibilities:

 

presiding at all meetings of the Board at which the Chairman is not present, including executive sessions of independent directors;

 

serving as liaison between the Chairman and the independent directors;

 

approving information sent to our Board;

approving Board meeting agendas;

 

approving Board meeting schedules to assure that there is sufficient time for discussion of all agenda items; and

 

if requested by major stockholders, ensuring that he or she is available for consultation and direct communication.

Our Lead Independent Director also has the authority to call meetings of the independent directors.

We believe that the Lead Independent Director is an integral part of the Board’s structure that promotes strong, independent oversight of our management and affairs.

Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policy

None of our executives have engaged in any hedging transactions with respect to our stock and none of our executives have engaged in any pledging transactions with respect to our stock except as noted in “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.” Under our policies no executive or director may buy or sell puts, calls, other derivative securities of the Company or any derivative securities that provide the economic equivalent of ownership of any of the Company’s securities or an opportunity, direct or indirect, to profit from any change in the value of the Company’s securities or engage in any other hedging transaction with respect to the Company’s securities, at any time unless such transaction has been approved by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

We also have an anti-pledging policy whereby, no executive or director may pledge Company securities as collateral for a loan (or modify an existing pledge) unless the pledge has been approved by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Minimum Share Ownership Guidelines for Executive Officers and Directors

We have adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines that require each executive officer to maintain a minimum number of shares of our common stock (including operating partnership units and LTIP units) having a value equal to or greater than a multiple (six times, in the case of our Chief Executive Officer, and three times, in the case of all other Section 16 executive officers) of such executive officer’s base salary. Each executive officer must achieve the minimum equity investment within five years from the later of the date of the adoption of the policy (for executive officers in place at that time) and the date of such officer’s appointment (for subsequently appointed executive officers), and until such time as the executive officer achieves such minimum, he or she must retain 50 percent of the value of any vested award, net of taxes.

We have adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines that require our independent directors to hold a number of shares of our common stock (including operating partnership units and LTIP units) having a market value equal to or greater than five times the portion of the annual base retainer which is eligible to be paid in cash. Each independent director must achieve the minimum equity investment within five years from the later of the date of the adoption of the policy (for directors in place at that time) and the date of such director’s election to our Board (for subsequently appointed directors) to attain compliance with the stock ownership requirements.

24    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Risk Oversight

Our Board is responsible for overseeing the Company’s risk management process. The Board focuses on the Company’s general risk management strategy and the most significant risks facing the Company, and ensures that appropriate risk mitigation strategies are implemented by management. The Board also is apprised of particular risk management matters in connection with its general oversight and approval of corporate matters.

The Board has delegated to the Audit Committee oversight of the Company’s risk management process. Among its duties, the Audit Committee reviews with management (a) the Company policies with respect to risk assessment and management of risks that may be material to the Company, (b) the Company’s system of internal controls over financial reporting and (c) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Our other Board committees also consider and address risk as they perform their respective committee responsibilities. All committees report to the full Board as appropriate, including when a matter rises to the level of a material or enterprise level risk.

In addition, ourthe Compensation Committee considers the risks to the Company’s stockholders and to achievement of our goals that may be inherent in the Company’s compensation program.

The Company’s management is responsible for day-to-day risk management, including the primary monitoring and testing function for companywide policies and procedures, and management of the day-to-day oversight of the risk management strategy for the ongoing business of the Company. This oversight includes identifying, evaluating and addressing potential risks that may exist at the enterprise, strategic, financial, operational and compliance and reporting levels.

We believe the division of risk management responsibilities described above is an effective approach for addressing the risks facing the Company and that our Board leadership structure supports this approach.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     25


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Throughout this proxy statement, the following individuals who served as our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer during 20152016 and the other three most highly-compensated executive officers as of the end of 2015,2016, as determined in accordance with applicable SEC rules, are collectively referred to as our “namednamed executive officers”:officers (“NEOs”). The table below lists our NEOs for 2016.

 

Executive

  

Title

Albert Behler

  Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Michael Walsh  Wilbur Paes(1)

  Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer(1)

Jolanta Bott

  Executive Vice President, Operations and Human Resources

Theodore Koltis

  Executive Vice President, Leasing

Wilbur Paes  Daniel Lauer

  Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer(2)

David Spence

Former Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer

  Michael Walsh(2)

Former Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer(3)

(1)Mr. Walsh’s employment commenced on March 26, 2015 and ended on March 2, 2016.
(2)(1)On March 3, 2016, Mr. Paes was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.
(3)(2)Mr. Spence’s employment ended onWalsh served as our Chief Financial Officer until March 25, 2015.2, 2016. See “Executive Compensation—Separation Agreement with Michael Walsh” for details.

Executive Summary

Executive Compensation Philosophy

Our executive compensation program is designed to incentivize the creation of long-term shareholder value by aligning the compensation structure for executives with the achievement of our business strategies and to maximize total shareholder return over the long-term.long term. In order to meet our objectives, our executive compensation program includes several elements designed to:

 

 

Attract and Retain Highly Talented ExecutivesExecutives:: We provide fixed base salaries that reflect the highly competitive marketmarkets in which we operate, changes in responsibilities and merit increases;

 

 

Pay for PerformancePerformance:: We seek to align the interests of our executives with our long-term shareholders by tying the vast majority of theirnon-salary compensation to performance basedperformance-based incentives, through:through a:

 

An AnnualShort-term Incentive Cash BonusCompensation (cash bonus) program designed to motivate our executives through a strong emphasis on performance, with the flexibility to reward financial, operational and individual performance; and

 

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation program to create an appropriate link between compensation and the creation of shareholder value, including multi-year performance-based awards tied to absolute and relative total shareholder returns; andreturns.

 

 

Create a Balanced Approach: OurThe Compensation Committee recognizes that our unique portfolio of highly coveted assets is among the most concentrated in the industry, both in terms of the number of markets in which we operate, as well as in the unusually high value per asset that we own. As such, in order to mitigate some of the potential volatility which can arise through concentration, the Compensation Committee believes that an executive compensation program with a greater number of elements (but with less value in each) will:

 

Reduce the volatility of annual compensation, resulting in potentially higher employee retention;

 

Potentially mitigate the risk that any individual element may receive inordinate focus and encourage excessively risky behaviors; and

Promote a long-term view by connecting executives’ eventual realized compensation to the decisions that they make, as the majority of their annual compensation vests over a period of four years.

26    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2015 Business Highlights2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Best Practices

  WHAT WE DOWHAT WE DON’T DO
A significant portion of our executive officers’ total compensation opportunity is based on performance (i.e., not guaranteed) and salaries comprise a modest portion of each executive officer’s total compensation opportunity.×We do not provide taxgross-up payments to any of our executive officers.
We established a formulaic short-term incentive bonus program based on rigorous goals for management.×We do not provide “single-trigger” change in control cash severance payments.
We align our executive officers with our long-term investors by awarding a significant percentage of their equity compensation in the form of multi-year, performance-based equity awards that use relative Total Shareholder Returns as the main metric.×We do not guarantee annual salary increases or minimum cash bonuses.
We enhance executive officer retention with time-based, multi-year vesting equity incentive awards granted for prior-year performance.×We do not allow for repricing of stock options.
We have a clawback policy.×We do not allow hedging or pledging of our stock.
We have minimum stock ownership guidelines for our executives and directors.
We engage an independent compensation consultant to advise the Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of independent directors.

RECENT CHANGES TO COMPENSATION PROGRAM
No increase in base salaries (since 2014).
Established an annual “formulaic” short-term incentive compensation program (cash bonus) based on the achievement of key financial and operational objectives.
Reduced long-term equity compensation of our NEOs by 9.4%, while increasing the amount tied to performance (70% for our CEO and 60% for all other NEOs).
Increased the focus on “relative total shareholder returns” within our multi-year performance program.
Revised the mix of total compensation, with a greater focus on equity compensation (85.5% for our CEO and 80.7% for all other NEOs).

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     27


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

2016 Say-on-Pay Vote

At our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, a non-binding, advisory resolution approving the compensation paid to our NEOs, as disclosed in our 2016 proxy statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussions, was approved by our stockholders, with approximately 97% of the votes cast having been voted in favor of the proposal to approve such resolution. The Compensation Committee has considered the results of this vote and, as a result of the high percentage of votes cast in favor of this resolution, the Committee viewed these results as an indication of stockholders’ overall satisfaction with the manner in which we compensated our NEOs for 2015.

Elements of Our Compensation Program

The compensation provided to our NEOs typically consists of base salary, short-term incentive compensation (cash bonus) and long-term incentive compensation (equity awards). We benchmark our compensation against a peer group of 13 publicly traded real estate investment trusts which we believe are similar to us in terms of asset focus (i.e. office), market capitalization and/or other relevant factors (see “Peer Group Benchmarking”). We use the peer group benchmarking as a starting point and as an indicator of compensation trends in the market. The final compensation for our NEOs is ultimately determined by the Compensation Committee based on the peer group benchmarking data as well as the corporate and each NEO’s individual performance and their roles within the organization. The following charts illustrate the mix of compensation elements for our CEO and other NEOs for 2016.

LOGO

LOGO

*   Includes Ms. Bott and Messrs. Paes, Koltis and Lauer

(1)Consists of 70% performance-based equity awards and 30% time-based equity awards (excluding cash bonuses exchanged for equity in connection with our bonus exchange program).
(2)Consists of 60% performance based equity awards and 40% time-based equity awards (excluding cash bonuses exchanged for equity in connection with our bonus exchange program).

28    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Base Salary

The base salary payable to each NEO provides a fixed component of compensation that reflects the executive’s position and responsibilities. Base salaries are reviewed annually by the Compensation Committee and may be adjusted to better match competitive market levels or to recognize an executive’s professional growth, development and increased responsibility. Below are the details of the Base Salaries for each of our NEOs.

   

Base Salary(1)

 
   Executive  2017   2016   2015 

  Albert Behler

  $1,100,000   $1,100,000   $1,100,000 

  Wilbur Paes

   525,000    525,000    450,000 

  Jolanta Bott

   475,000    475,000    475,000 

  Theodore Koltis

   700,000    700,000    700,000 

  Daniel Lauer

   400,000    400,000    n/a 
(1)The base salaries of our NEOs were established at the time of our initial public offering in November 2014 and have not been increased since, except for Mr. Paes’ salary, which was increased on March 3, 2016, in connection with his promotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

Short-Term Incentive Compensation

In 2016, the Compensation Committee adopted a new Short Term Incentive (“STI”) compensation program for our NEOs, based on the achievement of (i) key annual quantitative financial and operational goals (“Corporate Objectives”) and (ii) qualitative individual performance goals (“Individual Objectives”), as assessed by the Compensation Committee. For our CEO, 75% of his STI compensation opportunity is based on the achievement of Corporate Objectives and the remaining 25% is based on Individual Objectives. For our other NEOs, 60% (40% in the case of Mr. Koltis) of their STI compensation opportunity is based on the achievement of Corporate Objectives and the remaining 40% (60% in the case of Mr. Koltis) is based on Individual Objectives.

The STI compensation program is designed to encourage outstanding individual and Company performance by motivating the NEOs to achieve key Corporate and Individual Objectives by rewarding performance measured against those objectives. The STI compensation program results in awards being paid 100% in cash, however in an effort to further align the interests of our NEOs with that of our stockholders, each NEO has the opportunity to exchange all or a portion of his or her STI compensation for equity, pursuant to our “Bonus Exchange Program” as more fully described below.

The STI compensation program is intended to cover annual performance periods. Awards under the STI compensation program are typically paid in the first quarter of the following year after the Compensation Committee assesses the actual results of the Corporate and Individual Objectives against the objectives that were set forth at the beginning of the prior year. Awards under the STI compensation program are expressed as a percentage of base salary at target levels, although based on the degree of outperformance or underperformance, varying degrees of awards may be earned. To the extent performance falls between two levels, linear interpolation will apply. In the event that the Company’s actual performance does not meet the threshold requirement, no awards are earned, and to the extent the Company’s actual performance for the performance period is above the maximum requirement, the earned awards are capped at the maximum bonus opportunity for each NEO.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     29


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The table below sets forth the Corporate Objectives, their weightings and the respective results pursuant to the 2016 STI compensation program.

  Metric  Weighting   Threshold   Target   Maximum   Actual
Results
 

  Core FFO Per Share

   40.0  $0.80   $0.82   $0.84   $0.84 

  Square Footage of Leases Signed

   10.0   400,000    550,000    700,000    734,238 

  Same-Store Leased Percentage

   10.0   92.5   94.0   95.5   92.9

  Mark-to-Market on Signed Leases

   10.0   5.0   10.0   15.0   3.6

  G&A(1)

   7.5  $49.0M   $48.0M   $47.0M   $48.6M 

  Balance Sheet Management(2)

   22.5   (2   (2   (2   (2
(1)Excluding the impact of Corporate Objective bonus amounts achieved above target levels, themark-to-market adjustments of our deferred compensation plan and other“one-time” items approved by the Compensation Committee.
(2)Included various components, including (i) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio of 2.25x, (ii) liquidity of over $1.0 billion, and (iii) increasing the Company’s weighted average debt maturities to over 4.25 years, the actual results for all of which exceeded the “maximum” range.

The table below sets forth the STI compensation that was awarded to each of our NEOs pursuant to the achievement of the Corporate Objectives.

   

% of Total

STI Compensation
Opportunity

    
            Corporate Objective Component        

Actual

Payout

 
  Name   Threshold   Target   Maximum   

  Albert Behler

   75 $618,750   $1,237,500   $1,856,250   $1,489,125 

  Wilbur Paes

   60  236,250    393,750    551,250    449,925 

  Jolanta Bott

   60  142,500    285,000    427,500    342,950 

  Theodore Koltis

   40  210,000    280,000    350,000    294,467 

  Daniel Lauer

   60  120,000    180,000    240,000    198,400 

30    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The table below sets forth the Individual Objectives that were established for each of our NEOs.

Executive2016 Individual Objectives

Albert Behler

-

Executing the Company’s overall strategic and business plans

-

Motivating the executive and senior management team to achieve superior results

-

Increasing investor outreach

Wilbur Paes

-

Effectively managing and overseeing the Company’s Finance functions

-

Communicating and interacting with the analyst and investor community

-

Successfully completing a Chart of Account conversion

Jolanta Bott

-

Maintaining and improving the morale of personnel across the Company

-

Effectively managing space needs for the Company

-

Successfully implementing a new Payroll and Benefits system

Theodore Koltis

-

Effectively managing the Company’s leasing function

-

Increasing leased occupancy of the Company’s Washington, D.C. portfolio to over 95.0%

-

Coordinating with Asset Management to look for value creation opportunities within the portfolio

Daniel Lauer

-

Leading the acquisition department in various aspects, including raising fund capital

-

Strategically pursuing value add acquisition opportunities by recycling capital

-

Effectively leveraging various departments in the underwriting process

The table below sets forth the STI compensation that was awarded to each of our NEOs pursuant to the achievement of the Individual Objectives as assessed by the Compensation Committee.

   

% of Total

STI
Compensation

Opportunity

        
          Individual Objective Component      

Actual

Payout

 
  Name   Threshold   Target   Maximum   

  Albert Behler

   25 $206,250   $412,500   $618,750   $460,875 

  Wilbur Paes

   40  157,500    262,500    367,500    365,075 

  Jolanta Bott

   40  95,000    190,000    285,000    207,050 

  Theodore Koltis

   60  315,000    420,000    525,000    455,533 

  Daniel Lauer

   40  80,000    120,000    160,000    151,600 

The table below sets forth thetotalSTI compensation that was awarded in the first quarter of 2017 for 2016 performance to each of our NEOs pursuant to the Compensation Committee’s assessment of the Corporate Objectives and each NEO’s Individual Objectives.

        Total STI Compensation Opportunity        

Actual

Payout

 
  Name  Threshold   Target   Maximum   

  Albert Behler

  $825,000   $1,650,000   $2,475,000   $1,950,000 

  Wilbur Paes

   393,750    656,250    918,750    815,000 

  Jolanta Bott

   237,500    475,000    712,500    550,000 

  Theodore Koltis

   525,000    700,000    875,000    750,000 

  Daniel Lauer

   200,000    300,000    400,000    350,000 

The table above excludes deferred compensation bonuses aggregating $900,000, which were awarded to three of our NEOs, in relation to their base salaries, as follows: Mr. Behler—$471,429; Mr. Paes—$225,000; and Ms. Bott—$203,571.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     31


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Bonus Exchange Program

In order to encourage our NEOs to increase their equity holdings, the Compensation Committee approved a bonus exchange program whereby our NEOs can elect to exchange all or a portion of his or her STI compensation (which is typically paid in the first quarter of the following year) for (i) fully vested options or fully vested LTIP units of our operating partnership, with a value equal to the cash bonus exchanged, or (ii) options or LTIP units, each subject to three-year vesting (40%, 40% and 20%), with a value equal to 125% of the cash bonus exchanged. Below are the details of the 2016 Bonus Exchange Program.

Bonus Exchange
   ExecutiveGrant Date  Fair Value
of Options in Lieu of
Cash Bonus
Grant Date  Fair Value
of LTIP Units in Lieu
of Cash Bonus

  Albert Behler

$2,437,500(1)$

  Wilbur Paes

509,375(2)

  Jolanta Bott

  Theodore Koltis

  Daniel Lauer

(1)Mr. Behler exchanged his entire 2016 STI bonus of $1,950,000 and received an option to acquire 606,344 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $16.81, subject to vesting over three years.
(2)Mr. Paes exchanged 50.0% of his 2016 STI bonus, or $407,500, and received 31,897 LTIP units, subject to vesting over three years.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

The Compensation Committee believes that a substantial portion of each NEO’s annual compensation should be in the form of long-term equity (“LTE”). LTE incentive awards encourage management to create stockholder value over the long term, because the value of the equity awards is directly attributable to changes in the price of our common stock over time. In addition, LTE incentive awards are an effective tool for management retention because full vesting of the awards generally requires continued employment for multiple years. LTE incentive awards are granted in the form of LTIP units, representing a class of partnership interests in our operating partnership and are comprised of both performance-based LTIP units (70.0% for our CEO and 60.0% for all other NEOs) and time-based LTIP units (30.0% for our CEO and 40% for all other NEOs).

2017 Performance Program

On January 30, 2017, the Compensation Committee approved the 2017 Performance Program, a multi-year performance-based LTE compensation program. The purpose of the 2017 Performance Program is to further align the interests of our stockholders with that of management by encouraging our senior officers to create stockholder value in a “pay for performance” structure. Under the 2017 Performance Program, participants may earn awards in the form of LTIP units of our operating partnership based on our Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) over a three-year performance measurement period beginning on January 1, 2017 and continuing through December 31, 2019, on both an absolute basis and relative basis. 25.0% of the award is earned if we outperform a predetermined absolute TSR and the remaining 75.0% is earned if we outperform a predetermined relative TSR. Specifically, participants begin to earn awards under the 2017 Performance Program if our TSR for the performance measurement period equals or exceeds 18.0% on an absolute basis and is in the 30th percentile of the performance of the SNL Office REIT Index constituents on a relative basis, and awards will be fully earned if our TSR for the performance measurement period equals or exceeds 30.0% on an absolute basis and exceeds the 80th

32    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

percentile of the performance of the SNL Office REIT Index constituents on a relative basis. Participants will not earn any awards under the 2017 Performance Program if our TSR during the performance measurement period does not meet either of these minimum thresholds. The number of LTIP units that are earned if performance is above the minimum thresholds, but below the maximum thresholds, will be determined based on linear interpolation between the percentages earned at the minimum and maximum thresholds. During 2015,the performance measurement period, participants will receive per unit distributions equal to one-tenth of the per share dividends otherwise payable to our common stockholders with respect to their LTIP units. If the LTIP units are ultimately earned based on the achievement of the designated performance objectives, participants will receive cash or additional LTIP units based on the additional amount the participants would have received if per unit distributions during the performance measurement periods for the earned LTIP units had equaled per share dividends paid to our common stockholders less the amount of distributions participants actually received during the performance measurement period. If the designated performance objectives are achieved, awards earned under the 2017 Performance Program will also be subject to vesting based on continued employment with us through December 31, 2020, with 50.0% of each award vesting following the conclusion of the performance measurement period, and the remaining 50.0% vesting on December 31, 2020. Our NEOs are required to hold earned awards for an additional year following vesting (i.e., December 31, 2021).

Below are the details of the annual LTE incentive awards that were awarded to each of our NEOs in the first quarter of 2017 for 2016 performance.

   Long Term Equity Incentive Awards 
   Executive  Grant Date  Fair
Value of
Performance-
Based  LTIP
Units
(1)
   

Grant Date Fair
Value of Time-

Based LTIP

Units(2)

   Total  Grant
Date Fair Value
of Long Term
Equity Awards
   %  Change
over 2015
 

  Albert Behler

  $4,550,000   $1,852,500   $6,402,500    -5.8

  Wilbur Paes

   870,000    551,000    1,421,000    -5.3

  Jolanta Bott

   720,000    456,000    1,176,000    -21.6

  Theodore Koltis

   720,000    456,000    1,176,000    -21.6

  Daniel Lauer

   720,000    456,000    1,176,000    n/a 
(1)Pursuant to the 2017 Performance Program, the following LTIP units were granted to our NEOs: Mr. Behler, 481,420 LTIP units; Mr. Paes, 92,052 LTIP units; Ms. Bott, 76,182 LTIP units; Mr. Koltis, 76,182 LTIP units; and Mr. Lauer 76,182 LTIP units.
(2)The time-based LTIP units vest ratably over four years, subject to continued employment.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     33


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

2016 Total Direct Compensation

Under the rules and regulations of the SEC, each year the “Summary Compensation Table” must disclose the salary paid during that year, the annual cash incentive earned for that year and the equity-based, long-term incentive awards granted during that year. As noted above, because the equity-based pay we achievedaward in the following:first quarter of each year (similar to the cash bonus awarded in the first quarter of each year) represents compensation for prior year performance, the SEC’s approach prevents us from showing together all the pay—salary, annual cash incentive and equity-based awards—earned for performance in any one calendar year. In order to provide our stockholders with the aggregate amount of compensationearnedby each NEO for a given calendar year, we are including below a supplemental “Total Direct Compensation Table.” We believe the “Total Direct Compensation Table” enables a more meaningful annual compensation presentation than the “Summary Compensation Table” presented later in this proxy statement because it consists of (i) the actual salary paid for the year, (ii) the annual incentives and deferred bonuses awarded for the year and (iii) the annual grant date fair value of equity grants awarded for service and performance for the year, irrespective of when such amounts ultimately were granted, paid and/or vested. This table illustrates one of the analyses undertaken by the Compensation Committee in determining each element of our NEO compensation for the particular year in light of each executive’s performance during the year.

Total Direct Compensation Table

The Total Direct Compensation earned by our NEOs for 2016 is set forth in the table below. We have omitted Mr. Walsh from the “Total Direct Compensation Table” because his employment ended in March of 2016.

   Executive Year  Salary  

STI
Compensation

  Deferred
Bonus
  Grant Date
Fair Value of
Options or
LTIP Units in
lieu of Cash
Incentive
(1)
  

Grant Date
Fair Value of

Performance-
Based LTIP
Units
(2)

  

Grant Date
Fair Value of
Time-Based
LTIP Units

  Total Direct
Compensation
 

  Albert Behler

  2016  $1,100,000  $  $471,429  $2,437,500  $4,550,000  $1,852,500  $10,411,429 
  2015   1,100,000      455,172   812,500   4,080,000   2,720,000   9,167,672 

  Wilbur Paes

  2016   512,500   407,500   225,000   509,375   870,000   551,000   3,075,375 
  2015   450,000   200,000         900,000   600,000   2,150,000 

  Jolanta Bott

  2016   475,000   550,000   203,571      720,000   456,000   2,404,571 
  2015   475,000   150,000   196,552      900,000   600,000   2,321,552 

  Theodore Koltis

  2016   700,000   750,000         720,000   456,000   2,626,000 
  2015   700,000   464,000      145,000   900,000   600,000   2,809,000 

  Daniel Lauer

  2016   400,000   350,000         720,000   456,000   1,926,000 
(1)See “Bonus Exchange Program” on page 32 for additional details.
(2)See “2017 Performance Program” on page 32 for additional details, including the terms of our 2017 Performance Program. The terms of our 2016 Performance Program are set forth in Note 20 to our combined consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

34    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Aligning CEO Pay for Performance

The Compensation Committee believes that TSR should drive actual pay earned; accordingly, a significant portion of what our CEO earns over time is driven by our TSR over that same period. By awarding a significant portion of our CEO’s total compensation in the form of multi-year long-term performance­based equity awards, there is a strong alignment of the actual pay earned by our CEO with the returns of that of our stockholders. To that end the Compensation Committee implemented the following changes in 2016 with respect to the compensation of our CEO:

 

Significantly exceeded our leasing goal of 1.0 million square feet by leasing approximately 1.4 million square feet bringing our portfolio leased percentage to 95.3% at year end, up 140 basis points from the prior year;No increase in base salary;

 

Achieved very strong positive mark-to-marketsEstablished a rigorous “formulaic” short-term incentive compensation (cash bonus) program based on key strategic financial and operational objectives, with 75% of 16.0%the cash bonus based on a GAAP basisthe achievement of these objectives and 15.6%the remaining 25% based on a cash basis;qualitative individual goals;

 

Completed a $1.0 billion refinancing of 1633 BroadwayReduced total long-term equity compensation by 5.8%, with an increase in December 2015, well ahead of the December 2016 maturity of the prior $926.3 million loan, contributingamount tied to the reduction of our weighted average interest cost by nearly 100 basis points from the prior year;performance (70% this year vs. 60% last year); and

 

EnhancedRevised the valuemix of total compensation, with 85.5% in long-term equity and only 14.5% in cash.

Pay for Performance in Practice

The table below demonstrates the strong alignment between CEO pay and our pay-for-performance philosophy as well as the “actual” compensation earned or expected to be earned by our CEO in connection with the performance-based long-term equity awards that were granted to him.

  Performance Period  Grant Date
Fair Value of
Award
   PGRE  TSR
Relative
to SNL
Office
REIT
Index
(1)
  

Estimated

Payout(1)

 

  April 2015—March 2018

  $1,982,500    -19.2  0.0

  March 2016—February 2019

   4,080,000    -12.1  0.0
(1)Based on performance measured as of December 31, 2016.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     35


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

CEO Compensation - Reported vs. Realized Pay

   Reported Pay   Realized Pay 
Compensation Element  Per Summary
Compensation
Table
   Actual
Compensation
Earned
 

Salary

  $1,100,000   $1,100,000 

Bonus

   471,429    471,429 

Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation

   1,950,000    1,950,000 

Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan Compensation:

    

Stock Awards - Time Based

   2,720,000    2,720,000 

Stock Awards - Performance Based

   4,080,000    -   (1) 

Option Awards

   162,500    50,184 (2) 

All Other Compensation

   142,355    142,355 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total 2016 Compensation

  $10,626,284   $6,433,968 
(1)Assuming performance for the three-year performance measurement period applicable to these awards continued at the same annualized rate as we experienced from the beginning of the performance period through December 31, 2016.
(2)Based on the difference between the December 31, 2016 closing stock price of our common stock and the strike price of options received.

The following chart illustrates the disparity between our CEO’s Total Compensation as reported in the Summary Compensation Table on page 42 and the compensation actually realized by our CEO.

LOGO

36    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Peer Group Benchmarking

In developing our executive compensation programs, the Compensation Committee commissioned a

peer group compensation benchmarking analysis to ensure that our programs are competitive with those of other publicly traded REITs, including taking into account the cost of attracting and retaining talented executives in the New York City marketplace. The Compensation Committee developed an appropriate peer group for our Company with the advice of FPL Associates LP (“FPL”), an independent compensation consultant. In establishing an appropriate peer group, the Compensation Committee not only focused on publicly traded REITs relative to our size, but also included publicly traded REITs in the office sector that compete in high-barrier high-cost markets like New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, markets in which we operate and compete for talent. For instance, the Compensation Committee included companies like Boston Properties, Inc., SL Green Realty Corp. and Vornado Realty Trust in our peer group, notwithstanding their larger relative size, because these companies are office REITs that operate in the very markets we operate in and compete with us for talent and deal flow and like us, two of these companies are headquartered in New York City. Based on these factors, the Compensation Committee selected the following 13 publicly traded REITs focused on the office sector as members of our portfolio by purchasingpeer group:

  Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

Douglas Emmett, Inc.Kilroy Realty Corporation
  Boston Properties, Inc.Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.
  Columbia Property Trust, Inc.Gramercy Property Trust, Inc.SL Green Realty Corp.
  Corporate Office Properties TrustHighwoods Properties, Inc.Vornado Realty Trust
Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.

After our peer group was established, FPL provided market data and practices of the remaining 35.8% of 31 West 52nd Street that we did not previously own, giving us the ability to recapture the best space in the building to unlock a significant mark-to-market opportunity that would not otherwise have been available to uspeer group for the next 10 years.Compensation Committee to consider, as well as executive compensation trends and developments. Specifically, FPL provided information regarding the design and levels of compensation paid by our peers and overall counsel to determine the appropriate incentive design for our Company. Such compensation data for peers was analyzed by the Compensation Committee with the assistance of FPL.

For purposes of determining our overall level of executive compensation (i.e.base salary, annual incentive cash bonus and long-term equity incentive compensation), the Compensation Committee reviews both total compensation and mix of compensation components paid by our peer group to executives in comparable positions. However, an executive’s target compensation is not mechanically set to be a particular percentage of the peer group. The Compensation Committee also takes into account the executive’s role and experience, as compared to our peers’ executives, and other factors, such as experience, retention and responsibility. In addition, the Compensation Committee believes that ultimately the decision as to appropriate target compensation for a particular executive should be made based on the full review of individual and his role within the organization, Company performance as well as market data.

The Compensation Committee evaluates the members of our peer group each year to ensure that they continue to be appropriate and to determine whether other companies should be added.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     37


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Roles of ourthe Compensation Committee, Compensation Consultant and Management

Total Direct Compensation CommitteeTable

OurThe Total Direct Compensation earned by our NEOs for 2016 is set forth in the table below. We have omitted Mr. Walsh from the “Total Direct Compensation Table” because his employment ended in March of 2016.

   Executive Year  Salary  

STI
Compensation

  Deferred
Bonus
  Grant Date
Fair Value of
Options or
LTIP Units in
lieu of Cash
Incentive
(1)
  

Grant Date
Fair Value of

Performance-
Based LTIP
Units
(2)

  

Grant Date
Fair Value of
Time-Based
LTIP Units

  Total Direct
Compensation
 

  Albert Behler

  2016  $1,100,000  $  $471,429  $2,437,500  $4,550,000  $1,852,500  $10,411,429 
  2015   1,100,000      455,172   812,500   4,080,000   2,720,000   9,167,672 

  Wilbur Paes

  2016   512,500   407,500   225,000   509,375   870,000   551,000   3,075,375 
  2015   450,000   200,000         900,000   600,000   2,150,000 

  Jolanta Bott

  2016   475,000   550,000   203,571      720,000   456,000   2,404,571 
  2015   475,000   150,000   196,552      900,000   600,000   2,321,552 

  Theodore Koltis

  2016   700,000   750,000         720,000   456,000   2,626,000 
  2015   700,000   464,000      145,000   900,000   600,000   2,809,000 

  Daniel Lauer

  2016   400,000   350,000         720,000   456,000   1,926,000 
(1)See “Bonus Exchange Program” on page 32 for additional details.
(2)See “2017 Performance Program” on page 32 for additional details, including the terms of our 2017 Performance Program. The terms of our 2016 Performance Program are set forth in Note 20 to our combined consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

34    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Aligning CEO Pay for Performance

The Compensation Committee believes that TSR should drive actual pay earned; accordingly, a significant portion of what our CEO earns over time is comprised entirelydriven by our TSR over that same period. By awarding a significant portion of independent directors. Ourour CEO’s total compensation in the form of multi-year long-term performance­based equity awards, there is a strong alignment of the actual pay earned by our CEO with the returns of that of our stockholders. To that end the Compensation Committee has overall responsibility for monitoringimplemented the performance of our executives and evaluating and approving our executive compensation plans, policies and programs. In addition, our Compensation Committee oversees and administers our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.

Our Compensation Committee, after taking into account recommendations from our independent compensation consultant, determines all components of our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation. With respect to the other named executive officers, our Compensation Committee seeks input from our Chief Executive Officerfollowing changes in addition to our independent compensation consultant, and then reviews and grants final approval of all components of our other named executive officers’ compensation as well.

Compensation Consultant

Our Compensation Committee initially engaged FTI Consulting (“FTI”), an outside compensation consultant, to provide guidance2016 with respect to the development and implementationcompensation of our CEO:

No increase in base salary;

Established a rigorous “formulaic” short-term incentive compensation programs. FTI provided(cash bonus) program based on key strategic financial and operational objectives, with 75% of the cash bonus based on the achievement of these objectives and the remaining 25% based on qualitative individual goals;

Reduced total long-term equity compensation by 5.8%, with an increase in the amount tied to performance (70% this year vs. 60% last year); and

Revised the mix of total compensation, with 85.5% in long-term equity and only 14.5% in cash.

Pay for Performance in Practice

The table below demonstrates the strong alignment between CEO pay and our Compensation Committee with advice concerningpay-for-performance philosophy as well as the types and levels of“actual” compensation earned or expected to be paidearned by our CEO in connection with the performance-based long-term equity awards that were granted to him.

  Performance Period  Grant Date
Fair Value of
Award
   PGRE  TSR
Relative
to SNL
Office
REIT
Index
(1)
  

Estimated

Payout(1)

 

  April 2015—March 2018

  $1,982,500    -19.2  0.0

  March 2016—February 2019

   4,080,000    -12.1  0.0
(1)Based on performance measured as of December 31, 2016.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     35


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

CEO Compensation - Reported vs. Realized Pay

   Reported Pay   Realized Pay 
Compensation Element  Per Summary
Compensation
Table
   Actual
Compensation
Earned
 

Salary

  $1,100,000   $1,100,000 

Bonus

   471,429    471,429 

Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation

   1,950,000    1,950,000 

Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan Compensation:

    

Stock Awards - Time Based

   2,720,000    2,720,000 

Stock Awards - Performance Based

   4,080,000    -   (1) 

Option Awards

   162,500    50,184 (2) 

All Other Compensation

   142,355    142,355 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total 2016 Compensation

  $10,626,284   $6,433,968 
(1)Assuming performance for the three-year performance measurement period applicable to these awards continued at the same annualized rate as we experienced from the beginning of the performance period through December 31, 2016.
(2)Based on the difference between the December 31, 2016 closing stock price of our common stock and the strike price of options received.

The following chart illustrates the disparity between our named executive officers. FTI also guided ourCEO’s Total Compensation Committeeas reported in the design of our 2015-2018 performance-based equity grants. In the fall of 2015, in part due to a change in personnel at our compensation consultant, ourSummary Compensation Committee selected FPL Associates LP (“FPL”), to serve as its independent compensation consultant instead of FTI.

Our Compensation Committee performs an annual assessment ofTable on page 42 and the compensation consultant’s independence to determine whether the consultant is independent. Our Compensation Committee has determined that both FTI and FPL are independent, and that their work has not raised any conflict of interests. During 2015, neither FTI nor FPL provided services toactually realized by our Company other than the aforementioned services to our Compensation Committee.

CEO.

LOGO

36    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|Management2017 Proxy Statement

Our Chief Executive Officer attends Compensation Committee meetings, as appropriate, provides information as to the individual performance of the other executive officers and makes annual recommendations to our Compensation Committee of appropriate compensation levels for all executive officers other than himself. Nonetheless, all components of our executive officers’ compensation must be approved by our Compensation Committee in its sole discretion.


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Peer Group Benchmarking

In developing our executive compensation programs, ourthe Compensation Committee commissionscommissioned a

peer group compensation benchmarking analysis to ensure that our programs are competitive with those of other publicly traded REITs. OurREITs, including taking into account the cost of attracting and retaining talented executives in the New York City marketplace. The Compensation Committee developed an appropriate peer group for our Company with the advice of FPL comprisedAssociates LP (“FPL”), an independent compensation consultant. In establishing an appropriate peer group, the Compensation Committee not only focused on publicly traded REITs relative to our size, but also included publicly traded REITs in the office sector that compete in high-barrier high-cost markets like New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, markets in which we operate and compete for talent. For instance, the Compensation Committee included companies like Boston Properties, Inc., SL Green Realty Corp. and Vornado Realty Trust in our peer group, notwithstanding their larger relative size, because these companies are office REITs that operate in the very markets we operate in and compete with us for talent and deal flow and like us, two of these companies are headquartered in New York City. Based on these factors, the Compensation Committee selected the following 13 publicly traded REITs focused on the office sector. Thesector as members of our peer group are:group:

 

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

Boston Properties, Inc.

Corporate Office Properties Trust

Douglas Emmett, Inc.

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Equity Commonwealth

Highwoods Properties, Inc.

Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.

Kilroy Realty Corporation

Lexington Realty Trust

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.

SL Green Realty Corp.

Vornado Realty Trust

  Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

Douglas Emmett, Inc.Kilroy Realty Corporation
  Boston Properties, Inc.Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.
  Columbia Property Trust, Inc.Gramercy Property Trust, Inc.SL Green Realty Corp.
  Corporate Office Properties TrustHighwoods Properties, Inc.Vornado Realty Trust
Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.

After our peer group was established, FPL provided market data and practices of the peer group for ourthe Compensation Committee to consider, as well as executive compensation trends and developments. Specifically, FPL provided information regarding the design and levels of compensation paid by our peers and overall counsel to determine the appropriate incentive design for our Company. Such compensation data for peers was analyzed by ourthe Compensation Committee with the assistance of FPL.

For purposes of determining our overall level of executive compensation (i.e.base salary, annual incentive cash bonus and long-term equity incentive compensation), ourthe Compensation Committee reviews both total compensation and mix of compensation components paid by our peer group to executives in comparable positions. However, an executive’s target compensation is not mechanically set to be a particular percentage of the peer group. OurThe Compensation Committee also takes into account the executive’s role and experience, as compared to our peers’ executives, and other factors, such as experience, retention and responsibility. In addition, ourthe Compensation Committee believes that ultimately the decision as to appropriate target compensation for a particular executive should be made based on the full review of individual and his role within the organization, Company performance as well as market data.

OurThe Compensation Committee will evaluateevaluates the members of our peer group each year to ensure that they continue to be appropriate and to determine whether other companies should be added.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|Compensation Best Practices2017 Proxy Statement     37

Our executive compensation program incorporates the following best practices, such as:


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

WHAT WE DO

WHAT WE DON’T DO

A significant portion of our executives’ total compensation opportunity is based on performance.We do not provide tax gross-up payments to any executive.
We have adopted clawback, anti-pledging and anti-hedging policies.We do not provide single trigger change in control cash severance payments.
We have adopted robust stock ownership guidelines.We do not allow repricing of stock options without stockholder approval.
Our Compensation Committee retains and meets regularly with an independent compensation consultant to advise on executive compensation.We do not guarantee annual salary increases or minimum cash bonuses.

Elements of Our Compensation Program

The compensation provided to our named executive officers typically consists of base salary, annual incentive cash bonus, deferred cash bonuses, long-term equity incentive compensation and other perquisites and benefits, each of which is described in more detail below. The following charts illustrate the mix of compensation elements (base salary, annual incentive cash bonus, deferred cash bonus, performance-based LTIP units and time-based LTIP units) for our Chief Executive Officer and other named executive officers.

 

LOGO

LOGO

*“Other NEOs” comprise Ms. Bott and Messrs. Koltis and Paes.

Base Salary

The base salary payable to each named executive officer provides a fixed componentRoles of compensation that reflects the executive’s position and responsibilities. Base salaries are reviewed annually by our Compensation Committee, Compensation Consultant and may be adjusted to better match competitive market levels or to recognize an executive’s professional growth, development and increased responsibility. Below are the details of the 2015 Base Salaries for each of our named executive officers.

   Base Salary 

Executive

  2015   2014       %
Change
 

Albert Behler

  $1,100,000    $1,100,000     0.0

Michael Walsh(1)

  $600,000     n/a     n/a  

Jolanta Bott

  $475,000    $475,000     0.0

Theodore Koltis

  $700,000    $700,000     0.0

Wilbur Paes

  $450,000    $450,000     0.0

(1)Mr. Walsh’s employment commenced on March 26, 2015.

Annual Incentive Cash BonusManagement

Annual Incentive Cash Bonuses are designed to reward each named executive officer for strong financial, operational and individual performance. In connection with our initial public offering, our executive team, including our named executive officers, accepted reduced target incentive cash bonuses for 2015; however, our Compensation Committee retained discretion to approve such reduced incentive cash bonuses. In connection with this decision, our Compensation Committee took into account our total stockholder return compared to our peer group (54th percentile from IPO date through end of 2015; 46th percentile in 2015) and our excellent leasing results. Below are the details of the 2015 Cash Bonuses for each of our named executive officers.

   Cash Bonus(1) 

Executive

  2015  2014(2)       %
Change
 

Albert Behler

  $650,000(3)  $1,250,000     -48.0

Michael Walsh

  $230,000(3)   n/a     n/a  

Jolanta Bott

  $150,000   $160,000     -6.3

Theodore Koltis

  $580,000(3)  $600,000     -3.3

Wilbur Paes(4)

  $200,000   $150,000     33.3

(1)Excludes deferred compensation bonuses aggregating $900,000, which were awarded to three of our named executive officers, in relation to their base salaries, as follows: Mr. Behler—$455,172; Mr. Walsh—$248,276; and Ms. Bott—$196,552.
(2)75.0% of the amounts in this column were paid by our predecessor.
(3)Messrs. Behler, Walsh and Koltis elected to exchange all or a portion of their 2015 cash bonus for equity, pursuant to our Bonus Exchange Program, as more fully described below.
(4)Mr. Paes was hired in August 2014; accordingly, his 2014 bonus was pro-rated based on a target of $400,000.

Bonus Exchange Program

In order to encourage our named executive officers to increase their equity holdings, our Compensation Committee approved a bonus exchange program whereby our named executive officers could elect to convert all or a portion of their 2015 annual incentive cash bonuses (which was paid in the first quarter of 2016) into (i) fully vested options or fully vested LTIP units of our operating partnership, with a value equal to the cash bonus

exchanged, or (ii) options or LTIP units, each subject to three-year vesting (40%, 40% and 20%), with a value equal to 125% of the cash bonus exchanged. Below are the details of the 2015 Bonus Exchange Program.

Bonus Exchange

Executive

Grant Date Fair
Value of Options
in Lieu of

Cash Bonus
Grant Date Fair
Value of LTIP
Units in Lieu of
Cash Bonus

Albert Behler

$812,500(1)$—  

Michael Walsh

$—  $287,500(2)

Jolanta Bott

$—  $—  

Theodore Koltis

$—  $145,000(3)

Wilbur Paes

$—  $—  

(1)Mr. Behler exchanged his entire 2015 incentive cash bonus of $650,000 and received an option to acquire 238,971 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $14.94, subject to vesting over three years.
(2)Mr. Walsh exchanged his entire 2015 incentive cash bonus of $230,000 and received 19,244 LTIP units, subject to vesting over three years.
(3)Mr. Koltis exchanged 20.0% of his 2015 incentive cash bonus, or $116,000, and received 9,706 LTIP units, subject to vesting over three years.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

Our Compensation Committee believes that a substantial portion of each named executive officer’s annual compensation should be in the form of long-term equity incentive compensation. Equity incentive awards encourage management to create stockholder value over the long term, because the value of the equity awards is directly attributable to changes in the price of our common stock over time. In addition, equity awards are an effective tool for management retention because full vesting of the awards generally requires continued employment for multiple years. Long-term equity incentive compensation is granted in the form of LTIP units, representing a class of partnership interests in our operating partnership and which are comprised of both performance-based LTIP units (60.0%) and time-based LTIP units (40.0%). These long-term equity awards were approved by our Compensation Committee for 2015 performance and granted on March 18, 2016. Below are the details of the annual long-term equity incentive awards that were granted to each of our named executive officers.

   Long-Term Equity Awards 

Executive

  Grant Date Fair
Value of
Performance-
Based LTIP
Units(1)
   Grant Date Fair
Value of Time-
Based LTIP
Units(2)
   Total Grant
Date Fair Value
of Long Term
Equity Awards
 

Albert Behler

  $4,080,000    $2,720,000    $6,800,000  

Michael Walsh

  $—      $—      $—    

Jolanta Bott

  $900,000    $600,000    $1,500,000  

Theodore Koltis

  $900,000    $600,000    $1,500,000  

Wilbur Paes

  $900,000    $600,000    $1,500,000  

(1)

In early March 2016, our Compensation Committee approved the 2016 Performance Program, a multi-year performance-based equity compensation program. The purpose of the 2016 Performance Program is to further align the interests of our stockholders with that of management by encouraging our senior officers to create stockholder value in a “pay for performance” structure. Under the 2016 Performance Program, participants may earn awards in the form of LTIP units of our operating partnership based on our total return to stockholders (“TRS”) over a three-year performance measurement period beginning on March 18, 2016 and continuing through March 17, 2019, on both an absolute basis and relative basis. 25.0% of the award is earned if we outperform a predetermined absolute TRS and the remaining 75.0% is earned if we outperform

a predetermined relative TRS. Specifically, participants begin to earn awards under the 2016 Performance Program if our TRS for the performance measurement period equals or exceeds 21.0% on an absolute basis and is within 250 basis points of the performance of the SNL Office REIT Index on a relative basis, and awards will be fully earned if our TRS for the performance measurement period equals or exceeds 36.0% on an absolute basis and exceeds the performance of the SNL Office REIT Index by 400 basis points on a relative basis. Participants will not earn any awards under the 2016 Performance Program if our TRS during the performance measurement period does not meet either of these minimum thresholds. The number of LTIP units that are earned if performance is above the minimum thresholds, but below the maximum thresholds, will be determined based on linear interpolation between the percentages earned at the minimum and maximum thresholds. During the performance measurement period, participants will receive per unit distributions equal to one-tenth of the per share dividends otherwise payable to our common stockholders with respect to their LTIP units. If the LTIP units are ultimately earned based on the achievement of the designated performance objectives, participants will receive cash or additional LTIP units based on the additional amount the participants would have received if per unit distributions during the performance measurement periods for the earned LTIP units had equaled per share dividends paid to our common stockholders less the amount of distributions participants actually received during the performance measurement period. If the designated performance objectives are achieved, awards earned under the 2016 Performance Program will also be subject to vesting based on continued employment with us through March 17, 2020, with 50.0% of each award vesting following the conclusion of the performance measurement period, and the remaining 50.0% vesting on March 17, 2020. Pursuant to the 2016 Performance Program, the following LTIP units were granted to our named executive officers: Mr. Behler, 512,312 LTIP units; Ms. Bott, 113,011 LTIP units; Mr. Koltis, 113,011 LTIP units; and Mr. Paes, 113,011 LTIP units. Mr. Walsh’s employment ended prior to the approval of our 2016 Performance Program, and he was not granted any LTIP units thereunder.
(2)The time-based LTIP units vest ratably over four years, subject to continued employment.

2015 Total Direct Compensation

Under the rules and regulations of the SEC, each year the “Summary Compensation Table” must disclose the salary paid during that year, the annual cash incentive earned for that year and the equity-based, long-term incentive awards granted during that year, which for us represents the equity-based, long-term incentive award earned for theprior year. As discussed above, because the equity-based pay we award in the first quarter of each year (similar to the cash bonus paid in the first quarter of each year) was earned in the prior year, the SEC’s approach prevents us from showing together all the pay—salary, annual cash incentive and equity-based pay—earned for performance in any one calendar year. In order to provide our stockholders with the aggregate amount of compensationearned by each named executive officer for a given calendar year, we are including below a supplemental “Total Direct Compensation Table.” We believe the “Total Direct Compensation Table” enables a more meaningful annual compensation presentation than the “Summary Compensation Table” presented later in this proxy statement. The “Total Direct Compensation Table” consists of (i) the actual salary paid for the year, (ii) the annual incentives and deferred bonuses awarded for the year and (iii) the annual grant date fair value of equity grants awarded for service and performance for the year, irrespective of when such amounts ultimately were granted, paid and/or vested. This table illustrates one of the analyses undertaken by our Compensation Committee in determining each element of our named executive officers’ compensation for the particular year in light of each executive’s performance during the year.

The principal differences between the “Total Direct Compensation Table” presented below and the “Summary Compensation Table,” presented later in this proxy statement, is that the “Total Direct Compensation Table” achieves an “apples to apples” presentation of both cash and equity-based incentives by showing the value of equity awards in the year to which such grants relate, rather than the year in which such grants were made, as reflected in the “Summary Compensation Table.” Other companies may calculate Total Direct Compensation differently than we do.

Total Direct Compensation Table

The Total Direct Compensation earned by our named executive officersNEOs for 20152016 is set forth in the table below. We have omitted Mr. SpenceWalsh from the “Total Direct Compensation Table” because his employment ended in March of 2015.2016.

 

Executive

 Year  Salary  Incentive
Cash
Bonus
  Deferred
Cash
Bonus
  Grant
Date Fair
Value of
Options or
LTIP
Units in
lieu of
Cash
Incentive
  Grant Date
Fair Value
of Time-
Based LTIP
Units
  Grant Date
Fair Value of
At-Risk
Multi Year
Performance-
Based LTIP
Units(1)
  Total Direct
Compensation
 

Albert Behler

  2015   $1,100,000   $—     $455,172   $812,500   $2,720,000   $4,080,000   $9,167,672  

Michael Walsh(2)

  2015   $461,918   $—     $248,276   $287,500   $—     $—     $997,694  

Jolanta Bott

  2015   $475,000   $150,000   $196,552   $—     $600,000   $900,000   $2,321,552  

Theodore Koltis

  2015   $700,000   $464,000   $—     $145,000   $600,000   $900,000   $2,809,000  

Wilbur Paes

  2015   $450,000   $200,000   $—     $—     $600,000   $900,000   $2,150,000  

   Executive Year  Salary  

STI
Compensation

  Deferred
Bonus
  Grant Date
Fair Value of
Options or
LTIP Units in
lieu of Cash
Incentive
(1)
  

Grant Date
Fair Value of

Performance-
Based LTIP
Units
(2)

  

Grant Date
Fair Value of
Time-Based
LTIP Units

  Total Direct
Compensation
 

  Albert Behler

  2016  $1,100,000  $  $471,429  $2,437,500  $4,550,000  $1,852,500  $10,411,429 
  2015   1,100,000      455,172   812,500   4,080,000   2,720,000   9,167,672 

  Wilbur Paes

  2016   512,500   407,500   225,000   509,375   870,000   551,000   3,075,375 
  2015   450,000   200,000         900,000   600,000   2,150,000 

  Jolanta Bott

  2016   475,000   550,000   203,571      720,000   456,000   2,404,571 
  2015   475,000   150,000   196,552      900,000   600,000   2,321,552 

  Theodore Koltis

  2016   700,000   750,000         720,000   456,000   2,626,000 
  2015   700,000   464,000      145,000   900,000   600,000   2,809,000 

  Daniel Lauer

  2016   400,000   350,000         720,000   456,000   1,926,000 
(1)RepresentsSee “Bonus Exchange Program” on page 32 for additional details.
(2)See “2017 Performance Program” on page 32 for additional details, including the grant date fair valueterms of each named executive officer’s allocation in theour 2017 Performance Program. The terms of our 2016 Performance Program which was approved byare set forth in Note 20 to our Compensation Committeecombined consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on March 4, 2016, effective March 18,form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. Pursuant

34    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Aligning CEO Pay for Performance

The Compensation Committee believes that TSR should drive actual pay earned; accordingly, a significant portion of what our CEO earns over time is driven by our TSR over that same period. By awarding a significant portion of our CEO’s total compensation in the form of multi-year long-term performance­based equity awards, there is a strong alignment of the actual pay earned by our CEO with the returns of that of our stockholders. To that end the Compensation Committee implemented the following changes in 2016 with respect to the compensation of our CEO:

No increase in base salary;

Established a rigorous “formulaic” short-term incentive compensation (cash bonus) program based on key strategic financial and operational objectives, with 75% of the cash bonus based on the achievement of these objectives and the remaining 25% based on qualitative individual goals;

Reduced total long-term equity compensation by 5.8%, with an increase in the amount tied to performance (70% this year vs. 60% last year); and

Revised the mix of total compensation, with 85.5% in long-term equity and only 14.5% in cash.

Pay for Performance in Practice

The table below demonstrates the strong alignment between CEO pay and our pay-for-performance philosophy as well as the “actual” compensation earned or expected to be earned by our CEO in connection with the performance-based long-term equity awards that were granted to him.

  Performance Period  Grant Date
Fair Value of
Award
   PGRE  TSR
Relative
to SNL
Office
REIT
Index
(1)
  

Estimated

Payout(1)

 

  April 2015—March 2018

  $1,982,500    -19.2  0.0

  March 2016—February 2019

   4,080,000    -12.1  0.0
(1)Based on performance measured as of December 31, 2016.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     35


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

CEO Compensation - Reported vs. Realized Pay

   Reported Pay   Realized Pay 
Compensation Element  Per Summary
Compensation
Table
   Actual
Compensation
Earned
 

Salary

  $1,100,000   $1,100,000 

Bonus

   471,429    471,429 

Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation

   1,950,000    1,950,000 

Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan Compensation:

    

Stock Awards - Time Based

   2,720,000    2,720,000 

Stock Awards - Performance Based

   4,080,000    -   (1) 

Option Awards

   162,500    50,184 (2) 

All Other Compensation

   142,355    142,355 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total 2016 Compensation

  $10,626,284   $6,433,968 
(1)Assuming performance for the 2016 Performance Program, participants may earn equity compensation awards if and only if certain absolute and/or relative TRS objectives are achieved during a three-year performance measurement period andapplicable to these awards are subject to one year of additional time-based vesting aftercontinued at the endsame annualized rate as we experienced from the beginning of the performance measurement period. See “Elements of Our Compensation Program—Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation” above for additional details on our 2016 Performance Program.period through December 31, 2016.
(2)Mr. Walsh’s employment commenced March 26, 2015Based on the difference between the December 31, 2016 closing stock price of our common stock and ended on March 2, 2016. His annualized base salary for 2015 was $600,000.the strike price of options received.

The following chart illustrates the disparity between our CEO’s Total Compensation as reported in the Summary Compensation Table on page 42 and the compensation actually realized by our CEO.

LOGO

36    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2016 Base Salary2017 Proxy Statement

Our


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Peer Group Benchmarking

In developing our executive compensation programs, the Compensation Committee reviewscommissioned a

peer group compensation benchmarking analysis to ensure that our programs are competitive with those of other publicly traded REITs, including taking into account the base salary payablecost of attracting and retaining talented executives in the New York City marketplace. The Compensation Committee developed an appropriate peer group for our Company with the advice of FPL Associates LP (“FPL”), an independent compensation consultant. In establishing an appropriate peer group, the Compensation Committee not only focused on publicly traded REITs relative to each named executive officer annuallyour size, but also included publicly traded REITs in the office sector that compete in high-barrier high-cost markets like New York City, Washington, D.C. and makes adjustments to better match competitive market levels or to recognize an executive’s professional growth, developmentSan Francisco, markets in which we operate and increased responsibility. Belowcompete for talent. For instance, the Compensation Committee included companies like Boston Properties, Inc., SL Green Realty Corp. and Vornado Realty Trust in our peer group, notwithstanding their larger relative size, because these companies are office REITs that operate in the detailsvery markets we operate in and compete with us for talent and deal flow and like us, two of these companies are headquartered in New York City. Based on these factors, the 2016 Base Salaries for eachCompensation Committee selected the following 13 publicly traded REITs focused on the office sector as members of our named executive officers.peer group:

   Base Salary 

Executive

  2016   2015       %
Change
 

Albert Behler

  $1,100,000    $1,100,000     0.0

Wilbur Paes(1)

  $525,000    $450,000     16.7

Jolanta Bott

  $475,000    $475,000     0.0

Theodore Koltis

  $700,000    $700,000     0.0

 

(1)Mr. Paes’s base salary was increased to $525,000 effective March 3, 2016, in connection with his promotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

  Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

Douglas Emmett, Inc.Kilroy Realty Corporation
  Boston Properties, Inc.Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.
  Columbia Property Trust, Inc.Gramercy Property Trust, Inc.SL Green Realty Corp.
  Corporate Office Properties TrustHighwoods Properties, Inc.Vornado Realty Trust
Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.

2016 Annual Incentive Cash Bonus

OurAfter our peer group was established, FPL provided market data and practices of the peer group for the Compensation Committee has approved a newto consider, as well as executive compensation trends and developments. Specifically, FPL provided information regarding the design and levels of compensation paid by our peers and overall counsel to determine the appropriate incentive design for our Company. Such compensation data for peers was analyzed by the Compensation Committee with the assistance of FPL.

For purposes of determining our overall level of executive compensation (i.e.base salary, annual incentive cash bonus program for 2016. This program includesand long-term equity incentive compensation), the Compensation Committee reviews both corporatetotal compensation and individual objective components. The corporate objectives include the following objective performance criteria: Core FFO per share, annual square footagemix of leases signed, same-store leasedcompensation components paid by our peer group to executives in comparable positions. However, an executive’s target compensation is not mechanically set to be a particular percentage mark-to-market on signed leases for second generation space, weighted average debt maturity, fixed

charge coverage ratio, liquidity and general and administrative expenses. Below are the details of the allocation between corporatepeer group. The Compensation Committee also takes into account the executive’s role and experience, as compared to our peers’ executives, and other factors, such as experience, retention and responsibility. In addition, the Compensation Committee believes that ultimately the decision as to appropriate target compensation for a particular executive should be made based on the full review of individual objective components for eachand his role within the organization, Company performance as well as market data.

The Compensation Committee evaluates the members of our named executive officers.peer group each year to ensure that they continue to be appropriate and to determine whether other companies should be added.

 

   Incentive Cash Bonus 

Executive

  Corporate
Objectives
  Individual
Objectives
 

Albert Behler

   75.0  25.0

Wilbur Paes

   60.0  40.0

Jolanta Bott

   60.0  40.0

Theodore Koltis

   40.0  60.0

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     37


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Roles of the Compensation Committee, Compensation Consultant and Management

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee is comprised entirely of independent directors. The Compensation Committee has overall responsibility for monitoring the performance of our executives and evaluating and approving our executive compensation plans, policies and programs. In addition, our Compensation Committee oversees and administers our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.

The Compensation Committee, after taking into account recommendations from our independent compensation consultant, determines all components of our CEO’s compensation. With respect to the other NEOs, the Compensation Committee seeks input from our CEO, in addition to our independent compensation consultant, and then reviews and grants final approval of all components of our other NEOs’ compensation as well.

Compensation Consultant

The Compensation Committee has engaged FPL, an outside compensation consultant, to provide guidance with respect to the development and implementation of our compensation programs. FPL provided our Compensation Committee with advice concerning the types and levels of compensation to be paid to our NEOs. FPL also approvedguided the followingCompensation Committee in the design of our 2016 and 2017 performance-based equity programs.

The Compensation Committee performs an annual assessment of the compensation consultant’s independence to determine whether the consultant is independent. The Compensation Committee has determined that FPL is independent, and that their work has not raised any conflict of interests. During 2016, FPL did not provide any services to our Company other than the aforementioned services to the Compensation Committee.

Management

Our CEO attends Compensation Committee meetings, as appropriate, provides information as to the individual bonus ranges as a percentageperformance of base salary for threshold, targetthe other NEOs and maximum performancemakes annual recommendations to the Compensation Committee of appropriate compensation levels for eachall NEOs other than himself. Nonetheless, all components of our named executive officers.officers’ compensation must be approved by the Compensation Committee in its sole discretion and the Compensation Committee regularly meets in executive session without our CEO or any members of management.

       Cash Bonus Ranges—(%)  Cash Bonus Ranges—($) 

Executive

  2016 Base
Salary
   Threshold  Target  Maximum  Threshold   Target   Maximum 

Albert Behler

  $1,100,000     75.0  150.0  225.0 $825,000    $1,650,000    $2,475,000  

Wilbur Paes

  $525,000     75.0  125.0  175.0 $393,750    $656,250    $918,750  

Jolanta Bott

  $475,000     50.0  100.0  150.0 $237,500    $475,000    $712,500  

Theodore Koltis

  $700,000     75.0  100.0  125.0 $525,000    $700,000    $875,000  

Other Compensation Policies and Practices

Employment Agreements and Executive Severance Plan

We have employment agreements with Messrs. Behler Walsh and Paes and Ms. Bott. We have also adopted an Executive Severance Plan in which Mr.Messrs. Koltis is aand Lauer are covered participant.participants. (See “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control below.)Control” below). These agreements and the Executive Severance Plan provide a certain level of severance in the event of a termination by us without cause or by the executives for good reason. In return, each executive agrees to certain restrictive covenants, including non-competition andnon-solicitation covenants during their employment with us and for a limited period after termination of employment. We believe that these agreements and the Executive Severance Plan are fair to the executives and to our stockholders and, because the severance benefits are agreed to in advance, avoid the need for protracted negotiations in the event of termination of employment.

Other Elements of Compensation

Employee BenefitsBenefits.. Our full-time employees, including our named executive officers,NEOs, are eligible to participate in health and welfare benefit plans, such as medical, dental, life and long-term disability insurance.

38    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

401(k) PlanPlan.. We have a 401(k) Savings/Retirement Plan (“401(k) Plan”) that covers eligible employees, including our named executive officers.NEOs. Our 401(k) Plan permits eligible employees to contribute up to 25.0% of their pre-tax compensation and/or up to 25.0% of their after-tax compensation as a Roth contribution, subject to certain limitations imposed by the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). The employees’ elective deferrals are immediately vested and non-forfeitable upon contribution to the 401(k) Plan. Our 401(k) Plan includes a matching contribution, subject to Code limitations, equal to 100.0% of the first 6.0% and 50.0% of the next 6.0% of the participant’s compensation.

Deferred Compensation PlanPlan.. In connection with our formation transactions, we assumed a deferred compensation plan that had been maintained by our predecessor in which Mr. Behler and Ms. Bott had participated. Mr. WalshPaes also became a participant when he joined us in 2015.2016. Under this deferred compensation plan, deferred bonuses were awarded to participants, and participants were permitted to defer a portion of their

income on a pre-tax basis and receive a tax-deferred return on these deferrals based on the performance of specific investments selected by the participants. In connection with this plan, our predecessor set aside assets in a rabbi trust held by an independent trustee and the trustee is directed to make similar or identical investments as those selected by each participant in order to generally match its liabilities to the participants under the deferred compensation plan with equivalent assets and thereby limit market risk. We also acquired these investments from our predecessor in connection with our formation transactions. All amounts deferred under this deferred compensation plan will be paid to a participant upon his or her attainment of Social Security retirement age. In the future, we may permit one or more of our executive officers to elect to defer a portion of his or her compensation pursuant to this deferred compensation plan or make additional awards to our executive officers of deferred compensation pursuant to this deferred compensation plan.

Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits.We reimburse Mr. Behler for his club memberships up to $20,000 each year and provide him with life insurance coverage of $5.0 million and long-term disability insurance coverage of at least 60.0% of the sum of Mr. Behler’s base salary and target bonus, in effect from time to time. Mr. Behler also has personal use of a Company-leased car as well as limousine service. We provide Ms. Bott and Mr. Paes with an annual car allowance of $9,600 and free parking. We also reimburse Ms. Bott the cost of her automobile insurance.

Clawback Policy

We have adopted a formal clawback policy, which allows us to recoup compensation paid to an officer covered by the policy if the related financial results are subsequently restated as described below. The policy covers all of our current and former named executive officersNEOs as well as certain other specified officers. Pursuant to this policy, if we are required to prepare an accounting restatement due to material non-compliance with any financial reporting requirement, then ourthe Compensation Committee may require an employee covered by the policy to repay or forfeit to the Company “excess compensation.” Excess compensation includes annual cash bonus and long termlong-term incentive compensation in any form (including options and LTIP units, whether time-based or performance-based) received by that employee during the three-year period preceding the publication of the restated financial statements that ourthe Compensation Committee determines was in excess of the amount that such employee would have received if such compensation had been determined based on the financial results reported in the restated financial statements. In making its determination to recoup compensation from an officer, the Compensation Committee may take into account any factors it deems reasonable, including any determination whether the officer engaged in fraud, willful misconduct or committed acts or omissions which materially contributed to the events that led to the restatement.

OurThe Compensation Committee intends to periodically review this clawback policy and, as appropriate, conform it to any applicable final rules adopted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     39


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policies

None of our executives have engaged in any hedging transactions with respect to our stock and none of our executives have engaged in any pledging transactions with respect to our stock except as noted in “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.” Under our policies, no executive or director may buy or sell puts, calls, other derivative securities of the Company or any derivative securities that provide the economic equivalent of ownership of any of the Company’s securities or an opportunity, director or indirect, to profit from any change in the value of the Company’s securities or engage in any other hedging transaction with respect to the Company’s securities, at any time unless such transaction has been approved by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

We also have an anti-pledging policy whereby no executive or director may pledge Company securities as collateral for a loan (or modify an existing pledge) unless the pledge has been approved by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Minimum Share Ownership Guidelines for Executive Officers and Directors

We have adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines that require each executive officer to maintain a minimum number of shares of our common stock (including operating partnership units and LTIP units) having a value equal to or greater than a multiple (six times, in the case of our Chief Executive Officer,CEO, and three times, in the case of all other Section 16 executive officers) of such executive officer’s base salary. Each executive officer must achieve the minimum equity investment within five years from the later of the date of the adoption of the policy (for executive officers in place at that time) and the date of such officer’s appointment (for subsequently appointed executive officers), and until such time as the executive officer achieves such minimum, he or she must retain 50 percent of the value of any vested award, net of taxes.

We have adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines that require our independent directors to hold a number of shares of our common stock (including operating partnership units and LTIP units) having a market value equal to or greater than five times the portion of the annual base retainer which is eligible to be paid in cash. Each independent director must achieve the minimum equity investment within five years from the later of the date of the adoption of the policy (for directors in place at that time) and the date of such director’s election to our Board (for subsequently appointed directors) to attain compliance with the stock ownership requirements.

Tax Gross-Up Payments

We do not provide any “golden parachute” tax gross-up payments to our named executive officers.NEOs. Under the employment agreements with certain of our named executive officers,NEOs, if any payments or benefits to be paid or provided to the executive would be subject to “golden parachute” excise taxes under Section 280G of the Code, the executive’s payments and benefits under his or her employment agreement will be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid such excise taxes, but only if such a reduction of pay or benefits would result in a greater net after-tax receipt for the executive.

Tax Considerations

Deductibility of Executive CompensationCompensation.. Under Section 162(m) of the Code, a publicly held corporation may not deduct compensation of more than $1 million paid to any “covered employee” in any year unless the compensation qualifies as “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m). We expect Section 162(m) to have limited impact on the Company for a number of reasons. First, as a newly public company, certain compensation payable by us to our executive officers during a transition period that may extend until the annual meeting of stockholders that occurs in the fourth calendar year after our initial public offering may be exempt from the cap on deduction imposed by Section 162(m) under a special transition rule provided by the regulations promulgated

40    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

under Section 162(m). Second, based on our interpretation of certain private letter rulings, it is our position that compensation payable to our executive officers that is attributable to services for our operating partnership is not subject to Section 162(m) as our operating partnership is not a “publicly held corporation” within the meaning of Section 162(m). As a result, and based on the level of cash compensation expected to be payable to our executive officers, the possible loss of a U.S. federal tax deduction would not be expected to have a material impact on us. Accordingly, we do not expect Section 162(m) to have a significant impact on ourthe Compensation Committee’s compensation decisions for our executive officers.

Section 409A of the CodeCode.. Section 409A of the Code requires that “nonqualified deferred compensation” be deferred and paid under plans or arrangements that satisfy the requirements of the statute with respect to the timing of deferral elections, timing of payments and certain other matters. Failure to satisfy these requirements can expose employees and other service providers to accelerated income tax liabilities, penalty taxes and interest on their vested compensation under such plans. Accordingly, as a general matter, it is our intention to design and administer our compensation and benefits plans and arrangements for all of our employees and other service providers, including our named executive officers,NEOs, so that they are either exempt from, or satisfy the requirements of, Section 409A.

Accounting Standards

OurThe Compensation Committee will regularly consider the accounting implications of significant compensation decisions, especially in connection with decisions that relate to our equity plans and programs. As accounting standards change, we may revise certain programs to appropriately align accounting expenses of our equity awards with our overall executive compensation philosophy and objectives. ASC Topic 718 requires us to recognize an expense for the fair value of equity-based compensation awards. Grants of equity awards under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan will be accounted for under ASC Topic 718.

Risk Considerations in Our Compensation Programs

OurThe Compensation Committee has discussed the concept of risk as it relates to our compensation programs with management and FPL, and ourthe Compensation Committee does not believe the goals, or the underlying philosophy, of our compensation programs encourage excessive or inappropriate risk taking.

We structure the compensation to our executive officers to consist of both fixed and variable compensation. The fixed portion (base salary) of compensation is designed to provide a base level of income regardless of our financial or share price performance. The variable portion of compensation (annual cash incentive(STI and long-term equity)LTE) is designed to encourage and reward both short- and long-term financial, operational and individual performance, with appropriate caps on the maximum amount of annual cash incentive compensation and shares and/or units that can be earned. We have also put in place various policies (anti-hedging and pledging and clawback policies and stock ownership guidelines) that address and mitigate compensation-related risks.

Separation Agreement with Michael Walsh

Pursuant to the Separation Agreement, as required by the terms of Mr. Walsh’s employment agreement, Mr. Walsh received a single lump sum payment in the amount of $1,019,265 less applicable tax-related deductions and withholdings. In addition, Mr. Walsh’s outstanding unvested time-based option and LTIP units were fully vested and the period in which he may exercise his option was extended to two years following his termination. His performance-based LTIP units remain outstanding and may be earned on a pro-rata basis based on our performance through the end of the three-year performance period.

Mr. Walsh has agreed to provide transition consulting services to the Company for up to three months after the effective date of his Separation Agreement.

Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement with Mr. Walsh, Mr. Walsh will remain subject to certain restrictive covenants, including a non-competition covenant during the consulting period and non-solicitation and non-interference covenants for 12 months after March 2, 2016.

Compensation Committee Report

OurThe Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K, and, based on such review and discussions, ourthe Compensation Committee recommended to our Board of Directors that our Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

Submitted by ourthe Compensation Committee

Lizanne Galbreath (Chair)

Dan EmmettKarin Klein

David O’Connor

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     41


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation paid to our named executive officers:NEOs:

 

Name and Principal Position

   Year    

 

Salary

($)

  

  

  

 

Bonus

($)

  

  

  
 

 

Stock
Awards(1)

($)

  
  

  

  
 

 

Option
Awards(1)

($)

  
  

  

  

 

 

All Other

Compensation(2)

($)

  

  

  

  

 

Total

($)

  

  

Albert Behler

   2015    1,100,000(3)   1,105,172(3)(4)   1,982,500    —      153,596    4,341,268  

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President

   2014    114,521    426,293    48,450,005(7)   1,695,000    2,178    50,687,997  

Michael Walsh

   2015    461,918(8)   478,276(3)(4)   2,107,140    444,000    1,132    3,492,466  

Executive Vice President,

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

        

Jolanta Bott

   2015    475,000    346,552(3)   396,500    —      35,233    1,253,285  

Executive Vice President, Operations and Human Resources

   2014    49,452(5)   89,137(6)   3,704,998(7)   339,000    2,322    4,184,909  

Theodore Koltis

   2015    700,000    580,000(4)   475,800    —      25,298    1,781,098  

Executive Vice President, Leasing

        

Wilbur Paes

   2015    450,000    200,000    436,150    444,000    12,536    1,542,686  

Senior Vice President,

Chief Accounting Officer

        

David Spence

   2015    145,385    —      —      —      1,399,248(9)   1,544,633  

Former Chief

Financial Officer

   2014    62,466(5)   117,069(6)   4,750,012(7)   339,000    1,962    5,270,509  

  Name and Principal Position Year  

Salary

$

  

Bonus

$

  

Non-Equity

Incentive

Plan
Compensation

$

  

Stock
Awards
(1)

$

  

Option
Awards
(1)

$

  All Other
Compensation
(2)
$
  

Total

$

 

  Albert Behler

  2016   1,100,000   471,429(3)   1,950,000(4)   6,800,000   162,500(4)   142,355   10,626,284 

    Chairman, Chief Executive

    Officer and President

  2015   1,100,000   1,105,172(4)(5)      1,982,500      153,596   4,341,268 
  2014   114,521(6)   426,293(7)      48,450,005(8)   1,695,000   2,178   50,687,997 

  Wilbur Paes

  2016   512,500   225,000(3)   815,000(4)   3,487,500(9)      28,072   5,068,072 

    Executive Vice President,

    Chief Financial Officer and

    Treasurer

  2015   450,000   200,000      436,150   444,000   12,536   1,542,686 
                        
        

  Jolanta Bott

  2016   475,000   203,571(3)   550,000   1,500,000      39,933   2,768,504 

    Executive Vice President,

    Operations and Human

    Resources

  2015   475,000   346,552(5)      396,500      35,233   1,253,285 
  2014   49,452(6)   89,137(7)      3,704,998(8)   339,000   2,322   4,184,909 
        

  Theodore Koltis

  2016   700,000      750,000   1,529,000(4)      21,348   3,000,348 

    Executive Vice President,

    Leasing

  2015   700,000   580,000(4)      475,800      25,298   1,781,098 
                        

  Daniel Lauer

  2016   400,000      350,000   1,500,000      20,936   2,270,936 

    Executive Vice President,

    Chief Investment Officer

                        
                        

  Michael Walsh

  2016   115,385               1,121,723(10)   1,237,108 

    Former Chief Financial

    Officer

  2015   461,918   478,276(4)(5)      2,107,140   444,000   1,132   3,492,466 
(1)Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of stock awards, performance-based awards and option awards granted, calculated in accordance with ASC Topic 718, disregarding the estimate for forfeitures. The assumptions we used for calculating the grant date fair values are set forth in note 18Note 20 to our combined consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. The grant date fair value for awards under our 2015 Performance Plan is based upon the probable outcome.2016. Assuming that maximum performance is achieved under our 20152016 Performance Plan, the value at the grant date of the awards made underto our 2015 Performance Plan during 2015NEOs at the date of grant would each have been as follows: Mr. Behler—$4,450,410;Behler- $8,145,761; Mr. Walsh—$1,068,098;Paes - $1,796,875; Ms. Bott—$890,082;Bott - $1,796,875; Mr. Koltis—$1,068,098Koltis - $1,796,875 and Mr. Paes—$979,090,Lauer - $1,796,875, respectively. The actual grant date fair value of these awards are set forth below under “2016 Grants of Plan Based Awards.”

(2)The table below showssets forth the components of “All Other Compensation” for 2015, which includes life2016, other than cash severance and executive disability insurance premiumsconsulting fees paid by us, our 401(k) matching contributions for individuals who made 401(k) contributions, car allowances provided to Mr. Paes and Ms. Bott, personal use of company-leased car and limousine service by Mr. Behler and reimbursement of Mr. Behler’s club memberships.Walsh, which are discussed in footnote (10) below.

 

Executive

 Life Insurance /
Executive Long-
Term Disability
Insurance

($)
  401(k)
Company Match
($)
  Car Allowance
/ Car / Car
Insurance

($)
  Parking
($)
  Club
Membership
($)
  Total
($)
 

Albert Behler

  71,415    18,000    44,181    —      20,000    153,596  

Michael Walsh

  1,132    —      —      —      —      1,132  

Jolanta Bott

  2,936    19,950    12,347    —  (a)   —      35,233  

Theodore Koltis

  8,348    16,950    —      —      —      25,298  

Wilbur Paes

  2,936    —      9,600    —  (a)   —      12,536  

David Spence

  1,180    16,907    —      —      —      17,787  

   Executive 

Life Insurance/

Executive Long-Term
Disability Insurance

$

  

401(k)
Company Match

$

  

Car Allowance/
Car/Car Insurance

$

  

Parking

$

  Club
Membership
$
  

Total

$

 

  Albert Behler

  71,409   18,000   32,946      20,000   142,355 

  Wilbur Paes

  2,936   15,536   9,600   (a)      28,072 

  Jolanta Bott

  3,245   24,000   12,688   (a)      39,933 

  Theodore Koltis

  3,348   18,000            21,348 

  Daniel Lauer

  2,936   18,000            20,936 

  Michael Walsh

  382   2,076            2,458 
 (a)Ms. Bott and Mr. Paes received free parking at the Company’s premises, but the Company did not incur incremental cost in connection therewith.

42    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

(3)Amounts includerepresent deferred bonuses awarded under our deferred compensation plan of $455,172, $248,276 and $196,552, to Messrs. Behler and Walsh and Ms. Bott, respectively.plan.
(4)Under the Bonus Exchange Program, our named executive officersOur NEOs may elect to receiveexchange all or a portion of their cash bonus in (i) fully vested stock options or LTIP units with a value equalSTI compensation for equity pursuant to the cash bonus exchanged, or (ii) options or LTIP units subject to a three-year vesting schedule (40%, 40% and 20%), with a value equal to 125% of the cash bonus exchanged.our Bonus Exchange Program (see page 32 for details). The following table shows the actual cash bonuses (but not any deferred bonuses), awarded to the named executive officersNEOs pursuant to our STI compensation program that participated in the Bonus Exchange Program, including the amount exchanged, the value of the equity awards in excess of the bonus awardpremium received on exchange and the exchanged equity value. Pursuant to SEC rules, the amount of the actual bonuses awarded is reported in the above Summary Compensation Table under the “Bonus” column, but the incremental value (25% premium) of the equity awards will be25% premium on exchange is disclosed in the following year under the column “Stock Awards” or “Option Awards” column,, whichever is applicable, in the Summary Compensation Table of our 2017 proxy.applicable.

Bonus Exchange Program

Executive

  Year   Annual Incentive
Cash Bonus ($)
   Amount
Exchanged  ($)
   25% Premium
on Exchange  ($)
   Exchange
Equity Value  ($)
 

Albert Behler

   2015     650,000     650,000     162,500     812,500  

Michael Walsh

   2015     230,000     230,000     57,500     287,500  

Theodore Koltis

   2015     580,000     116,000     29,000     145,000  

   Executive  Year   

STI
Compensation

$

   Amount
Exchanged
$
   

25% Premium on
Exchange

$

   

Exchange
Equity Value

$

 

  Albert Behler

   2016    1,950,000    1,950,000    487,500    2,437,500 
   2015    650,000    650,000    162,500    812,500 

  Wilbur Paes

   2016    815,000    407,500    101,875    509,375 

  Theodore Koltis

   2015    580,000    116,000    29,000    145,000 

  Michael Walsh

   2015    230,000    230,000    57,500    287,500 
(5)Amounts include deferred bonuses awarded under our deferred compensation plan of $455,172, $248,276 and $196,552 to Messrs. Behler, Walsh and Ms. Bott, respectively.
(6)Represents actual base salary paid for 2014 commencing with the completion of our initial public offering on November 24, 2014.
(6)(7)Represents 25% of the bonus for 2014 paid by us. Our predecessor paid 75% of the bonus for 2014. Amounts include deferred bonuses awarded under our deferred compensation plan of $113,793 $62,069 and $49,137, for Messrs.Mr. Behler and Spence and Ms. Bott, respectively.
(7)(8)Represents one-time founders’ grants that were approved by the Company’s then-current board of directors and made in connection with the Company’s initial public offering. These grants were fully disclosed in the prospectus circulated in connection with the initial public offering.
(8)(9)Includes LTIP units granted to Mr. Walsh commencedPaes in connection with his employment onpromotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in March 26, 2015. His 2015 annualized base salary was $600,000.2016, with a grant date fair value of $1,987,500.
(9)(10)Includes cash severance of $1,381,461$1,019,265 paid to Mr. SpenceWalsh in connection with his resignation.resignation, and $100,000 of consulting fees. See ”Executive Compensation—Separation Agreement with Michael Walsh” for details.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     43


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

20152016 Grants of Plan-Based Awards

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to each grant of an award made to a named executive officerour NEOs in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.2016.

 

        Estimated Future
Payouts Under

Equity Incentive Plan
Awards
  All  Other
Stock

Awards;
Number

of Shares of
Stock or
Units

(#)
  All Other
Option

Awards;
Number

of Securities
Underlying
Options

(#)
  Exercise
or Base

Price of
Option
Awards

($/Share)
  Grant
Date
Fair
Value of
Stock and
Option
Awards

($)
 

Executive

 Grant
Date
  Approval
Date
  Threshold
(#)
  Maximum
(#)
     

AlbertBehler

  04/01/15    04/01/15    58,313(1)   233,250(1)   —      —      —      1,982,500  

MichaelWalsh

  04/01/15    04/01/15    13,995(1)   55,980(1)   —      —      —      475,800  
  04/01/15    04/01/15    —      —      90,000(2)   —      —      1,631,340  
  04/01/15    04/01/15    —      —      —      100,000    19.08    444,000  

JolantaBott

  04/01/15    04/01/15    11,663(1)   46,650(1)   —      —      —      396,500  

TheodoreKoltis

  04/01/15    04/01/15    13,995(1)   55,980(1)   —      —      —      475,800  

WilburPaes

  04/01/15    04/01/15    12,829(1)   51,315(1)   —      —      —      436,150  
  04/01/15    04/01/15    —      —      —      100,000    19.08    444,000  

        

 

 

Estimated Future Payouts Under
Non Equity Incentive Plan Awards

     

 

 

Estimated Future Payouts Under
Equity Incentive Plan Awards

  

All Other
Stock
Awards;
Number
of
Shares
of Stock
or Units
(#)

  

All Other
Option
Awards;
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)

  

Exercise
or Base
Price of
Option
Awards
($/Share)

  

Grant Date
Fair Value
of Stock
and
Option
Awards

($)

 
Executive 

Grant

Date

  Approval
Date
  Threshold
($)
  Target
($)
  Maximum
($)
     Threshold(1)
(#)
  Target(1)
(#)
  Maximum(1)
(#)
     

Albert Behler

  2/23/2016   2/23/2016   —     —     —      —      —     —     238,971(2)   14.94(2)   812,500 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      —      —     171,070(3)   —     —     2,720,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      128,078   320,195   512,312   —     —     —     4,080,000 
  n/a   n/a   825,000   1,650,000   2,475,000    —      —     —     —     —     —   

Wilbur Paes

  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      —      —     37,736(3)   —     —     600,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      28,253   70,632   113,011   —     —     —     900,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      —      —     125,000(4)   —     —     1,987,500 
  n/a   n/a   393,750   656,250   918,750    —      —     —     —     —     —   

Jolanta Bott

  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      —      —     37,736(3)   —     —     600,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      28,253   70,632   113,011   —     —     —     900,000 
  n/a   n/a   237,500   475,000   712,500    —      —     —     —     —     —   

Theodore Koltis

  2/23/2016   2/23/2016   —     —     —      —      —     9,706(5)   —     —     145,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      —      —     37,736(3)   —     —     600,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      28,253   70,632   113,011   —     —     —     900,000 
  n/a   n/a   525,000   700,000   875,000    —      —     —     —     —     —   

Daniel Lauer

  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      —      —     37,736(3)   —     —     600,000 
  3/18/2016   3/18/2016   —     —     —      28,253   70,632   113,011   —     —     —     900,000 
  n/a   n/a   200,000   300,000   400,000    —      —     —     —     —     —   

Michael Walsh

  2/23/2016   2/23/2016   —     —     —         —         —     19,244(6)   —     —     287,500 
(1)The information in these columns represents awards made under our 20152016 Performance Program (which have not been earned). The terms of our 20152016 Performance Program, including the vesting terms, are described below under “2015 Performance Program.”set forth in Note 20 to our combined consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.
(2)The award grantRepresents 100.0% of LTIP units entitles the holderMr. Behler’s 2015 incentive cash bonus of $650,000, which was exchanged for an option to receive distributions from our operating partnership that are equivalent to the dividends and distributions that would be made with respect to the number ofacquire 238,971 shares of our common stock underlying theat an exercise price of $14.94, subject to vesting over three years based on continued employment.
(3)Represents LTIP unit award. This award, togetherunits granted for 2015 performance to executive officers and employees under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, with the option25.0% vesting on each of March 18, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 subject to acquire 100,000 shares of our common stock, werecontinued employment.
(4)Represents LTIP units granted to Mr. Walsh as initial equity awards underPaes in connection with his employment agreement.promotion to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in March 2016, with 25.0% vesting on each of March 18, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, subject to continued employment.
(5)Represents 20.0% of Mr. Koltis’s 2015 incentive cash bonus, or $116,000, which was exchanged for 9,706 LTIP units, subject to vesting over three years based on continued employment.
(6)Represents 100.0% of Mr. Walsh’s 2015 incentive cash bonus of $230,000, which was exchanged for 19,244 LTIP units that vested on March 2, 2016. See “Executive Compensation—Separation Agreement with Michael Walsh” for details.

2015 Performance Program44    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement

On April 1, 2015, our Compensation Committee approved the 2015 Performance Program, a multi-year performance-based equity compensation program. The purpose of the 2015 Performance Program was to further align the interests of our stockholders with that of management by encouraging our senior officers to create stockholder value in a “pay for performance” structure. Under the 2015 Performance Program, participants may earn awards in the form of LTIP units of our operating partnership based on our TRS over a three-year performance measurement period beginning on April 1, 2015 and continuing through March 31, 2018, on both an absolute basis and relative basis. 50% of the award is earned if we outperform a predetermined absolute TRS and the remaining 50% is earned if we outperform a predetermined relative TRS. Specifically, participants begin to earn awards under the 2015 Performance Program if our TRS for the performance measurement period equals or exceeds 21% on an absolute basis and exceeds the performance of the SNL Office REIT Index by 100 basis points on a relative basis, and awards will be fully earned if our TRS for the performance measurement period equals or exceeds 40% on an absolute basis and exceeds the performance of the SNL Office REIT Index by 700 basis points on a relative basis. Participants will not earn any awards under the 2015 Performance Program if our TRS during the performance measurement period does not meet these minimum thresholds. The number of LTIP units that are earned if performance is above the minimum thresholds, but below the maximum thresholds, will be determined based on linear interpolation between the percentages earned at the minimum and maximum thresholds. During the performance measurement period, participants will receive per unit distributions equal to one-tenth of the per share dividends otherwise payable to our common stockholders with respect to their LTIP units. If the LTIP units are ultimately earned based on the achievement of the designated performance objectives, participants will receive cash or additional LTIP units based on the amount the participants would have received if per unit distributions during the performance measurement period for the earned LTIP units had equaled per share dividends paid to our common stockholders less the amount of distributions participants actually received


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

during the performance measurement period. If the designated performance objectives are achieved, awards earned under the 2015 Performance Program will also be subject to vesting based on continued employment with us through April 1, 2020, with 50% of each award vesting following the conclusion of the performance period, and 25% vesting on each of April 1, 2019 and April 1, 2020.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 20152016

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to all outstanding equity awards held by each named executive officerour NEOs as of December 31, 2015.2016.

 

  Option Awards  Stock Awards 

Executive

 Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
  Option
Exercise
Price
($)
  Option
Expiration
Date
  Number of
Shares or Units
of Stock That
Have Not
Vested (#)
  Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock
That
Have Not
Vested
($)(1)
  Equity
Incentive

Plan  Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares, Units
or Other
Awards That

Have Not
Vested

(#)(2)
  Equity
Incentive

Plan
Awards:

Market or
Payout

Value of
Unearned

Shares,
Units or

Other
Awards
That

Have Not
Vested

($)(2)
 

AlbertBehler

  100,000    400,000(3)   17.50    11/17/24    —      —      —      —    
  —      —      —      —      228,571(4)   4,137,135    —      —    
  —      —      —      —      —      —      58,313    1,055,465  

MichaelWalsh

  —      100,000(5)   19.08    03/31/25    —      —      —      —    
  —      —      —      —      90,000(6)   1,629,000    —      —    
  —      —      —      —      —      —      13,995    253,310  

JolantaBott

  20,000    80,000(3)   17.50    11/17/24    —       —      —    
  —      —      —      —      64,000(4)   1,158,400    —      —    
  —      —      —      —      —      —      11,663    211,100  

TheodoreKoltis

  20,000    80,000(3)   17.50    11/17/24    —      —      —      —    
  —      —      —      —      45,714(4)   827,423    —      —    
  —      —      —      —      —      —      13,995    253,310  

WilburPaes

  —      100,000(5)   19.08    03/31/25    —      —      —      —    
  —      —      —      —      13,714(4)   248,223    —      —    
  —      —      —      —      —      —      12,829    232,205  

DavidSpence

  100,000    —      17.50    11/17/24    —      —      —      —    

                               Option Awards                                                                     Stock Awards                                  
   Executive Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
  Option
Price
($)
  Option
Expiration
Date
     Number
of
Shares
or Units
of Stock
That
Have
Not
Vested
(#)
  

Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested

($)(1)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number
of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Awards
That Have
Not
Vested
(#)
(2)
  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Awards
That Have
Not Vested
($)
(2)
 

  Albert Behler

  200,000   300,000(3)   17.50   11/17/2024              
     238,971(6)   14.94   2/23/2026              
               171,429(4)   2,741,150       
               171,070(8)   2,735,409       
                     186,391   2,980,392 

  Wilbur Paes

  20,000   80,000(5)   19.08   3/31/2025              
               10,286(4)   164,473       
               37,736(8)   603,399       
               125,000(9)   1,998,750       
                     41,082   656,901 

  Jolanta Bott

  40,000   60,000(3)   17.50   11/17/2024              
               48,000(4)   767,520       
               37,736(8)   603,399       
                     39,916   638,257 

  Theodore Koltis

  40,000   60,000(3)   17.50   11/17/2024              
               34,286(4)   548,233       
               9,706(7)   155,199       
               37,736(8)   603,399       
                     42,248   675,546 

  Daniel Lauer

  40,000   60,000(3)   17.50   11/17/2024              
               48,000(4)   767,520       
               37,736(8)   603,399       
                     42,248   675,546 

  Michael Walsh

  100,000      19.08   3/2/2018             13,995   223,780 
(1)Based on a price of $18.10$15.99 per unit, which was the closing price on the NYSE of one share of our common stock on December 31, 2015.2016. Assumes that the value of LTIP units on a per unit basis is equal to the per share value of our common stock.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     45


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

(2)The number and market or payout value of equity incentive plan awards is based on the amount that the named executive officersNEOs would have earned under our 2015 and 2016 Performance Program,Programs, if the threshold performance goals were achieved. The terms ofRepresents outstanding awards under our 2015 and 2016 Performance Programs. Awards under our 2015 Performance Program includingare earned based on our TSR over a three-year performance period ending March 31, 2018, with 50% of any award earned vesting upon the conclusion of the performance measurement period, and the remaining 50.0% vesting terms,in substantially equal installments on April 1, 2019 and 2020, subject to continued employment. Awards under our 2016 Performance Program are described aboveearned based on our TSR over a three-year performance period ending March 17, 2019, with 50% of any award earned vesting upon the conclusion of the performance measurement period, and the remaining 50.0% vesting on March 17, 2020, subject to continued employment. Assuming performance for the three-year performance period applicable to these awards continued at the same annualized rate as we experienced from the beginning of each performance period through December 31, 2016, the NEOs would not have earned any of these awards. Accordingly, in accordance with SEC rules, the number and market or payout value of equity incentive plan awards is based on the awards that the NEOs would have earned under “—our 2015 Grants of Plan-Based Awards.”and 2016 Performance Programs, if the threshold performance goals were achieved, as follows:

   

2015 Performance
Program at Threshold

(#)

   

2016 Performance
Program at Threshold

(#)

 

Albert Behler

   58,313    128,078 

Wilbur Paes

   12,829    28,253 

Jolanta Bott

   11,663    28,253 

Theodore Koltis

   13,995    28,253 

Daniel Lauer

   13,995    28,253 

Michael Walsh

   13,995     
(3)Reflects the unvested portion of stock options granted on November 18, 2014 to executive officers and employees under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan in connection with our initial public offering, with 20.0% vestingwhich vest in substantially equal installments on each of November 18, 2015, 2016,24, 2017, 2018 and 2019, subject to continued employment.
(4)Reflects the unvested portion of LTIP units granted on November 24, 2014 to executive officers and employees under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan in connection with our initial public offering, with 20.0% vestingwhich vest in substantially equal installments on each of November 24, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, subject to continued employment.
(5)Reflects the unvested portion of stock options granted on April 1, 2015, under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, with 20.0% vestingwhich vest in substantially equal installments on each of April 1, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, subject to continued employment.

(6)Reflects stock options granted on February 23, 2016 in connection with our bonus exchange program, with 40.0% vesting on each of February 23, 2017 and 2018, and the remaining 20.0% vesting on February 23, 2019, subject to continued employment.
(7)Reflects LTIP units granted on April 1, 2015 underFebruary 23, 2016 in connection with our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan,bonus exchange program, with 22,50040.0% vesting on each of February 23, 2017 and 2018, and the remaining 20.0% vesting on February 23, 2019, subject to continued employment.
(8)Reflects LTIP units granted on March 18, 2016, with 25.0% vesting on April 1, 2016, 22,500each of March 18, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 subject to continued employment.
(9)Reflects LTIP units granted to Mr. Paes on March 18, 2016 in connection with his employment agreement, with 25.0% vesting on April 1,each of March 18, 2017, 15,000 LTIP units vesting on April 1, 2018, 15,000 LTIP units vesting on April 1, 2019 and 15,000 LTIP units vesting on April 1, 2020, subject to continued employment.

46    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

20152016 Option Exercises and Stock Vested

The following table sets forth the aggregate number of options to purchase shares of our common stock that was exercised by our named executive officersNEOs in 20152016 and the aggregate number of shares of common stock and LTIP units that vested in 2015.2016. The value realized on exercise is the product of (i) the closing price on the New York Stock Exchange of a share of common stock on the date of exercise minus the exercise price, multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of common stock underlying exercised options. The value realized on vesting is the product of (i) the closing price on the New York Stock Exchange of a share of common stock on the vesting date (or, if there were no reported sales on such date, the most recent previous date on which there were reported sales), multiplied by (ii) the number of shares/LTIP units vesting.

 

Executive

  Number of
Shares

Acquired on
Exercise

(#)
   Value
Realized

on  Exercise
($)
   Number
of Shares

Acquired
on Vesting

(#)
   Value
Realized

on Vesting
($)
   

Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise

(#)

   

Value Realized
on Exercise

($)

   Number of Shares
Acquired on Vesting
(#)
   

Value Realized
on Vesting

($)

 

Albert Behler

   —       —       57,143     1,041,145             57,143    894,288 

Michael Walsh

   —       —       —       —    

Wilbur Paes

           3,429    53,664 

Jolanta Bott

   —       —       16,000     291,520             16,000    250,400 

Theodore Koltis

   —       —       11,429     208,236             11,429    178,864 

Wilbur Paes

   —       —       3,429     62,476  

David Spence

   —       —       100,000     1,885,000  

Daniel Lauer

           16,000    250,400 

Michael Walsh

           109,244    1,731,517 

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

Under our deferred compensation plan, deferred bonuses were awarded to Messrs. Behler and SpenceWalsh and Ms. Bott in 2015.2016. Deferred bonuses are credited with earnings or losses based upon the investment returns of assets in the rabbi trust managed by the trustee.

The table below summarizes the annual rates of return for the year ended December 31, 20152016 for the assets in the rabbi trust:

 

Name of Fund

  2015 Rate of
Return (%)
   

Name of Fund

  2015 Rate of
Return (%)
   2016 Rate  of
Return (%)
 Name of Fund  2016 Rate  of
Return (%)
 

Money Market Fund

   0.13    Investment Grade Taxable   2.24     0.34  Investment Grade Taxable   1.86 

US Large Cap Fund

   1.50    Investment Grade Tax Exempt   0.93     1.59  Investment Grade Tax Exempt   1.04 

US Mid Cap Fund

   1.44    International Developed Bonds   1.94     1.32  International Developed Bonds   2.00 

US Small Cap Fund

   1.14    REIT Fund   2.36     1.10  REIT Fund   2.47 

International Developed Fund

   0.38    Commodities   0.00     0.57  Commodities   0.00 

Emerging Markets Fund

   0.22         0.67     

Benefits under the deferred compensation plan are generally paid upon attainment of Social Security retirement age.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     47


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following table shows deferred bonuses granted to our named executive officersNEOs under the deferred compensation plan during the year ended December 31, 2015,2016, the earnings (losses) and withdrawals/distributions during the year, and the aggregate account balance of each named executive officerNEO under the deferred compensation plan as of December 31, 2015.2016.

 

Name

  Registrant
Contributions
in 2015
($)(1)
   Aggregate
Earnings
in 2015
($)
   Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
($)
   Aggregate
Balance at
12/31/2015

($)
 

Albert Behler

   113,793     162,782     —       22,135,804  

Jolanta Bott

   49,137     31,472     —       3,821,711  

David Spence

   62,069     23,262     —       2,989,711  

   Executive  

Recent
Contributions
in 2016

($)(1)

   

Aggregate
Earnings in
2016

($)

   Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
($)
   Aggregate
Balance at
12/31/2016
($)
 

  Albert Behler

   455,172    680,424        23,471,400(2) 

  Jolanta Bott

   196,552    120,755        4,139,019(2) 

  Michael Walsh

   248,276    5,044        253,320 
(1)All of the amounts reported in the contributions column are also included in the Summary Compensation Table as bonus for 2014.2015.
(2)Amounts include contributions made by plan participants, and our predecessor company. The cumulative contributions made by the Company since the completion of our initial public offering in November 2014 are as follows: Mr. Behler—$568,965 and Ms. Bott—$245,689.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

Employment Agreements

Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreements with Messrs. Behler and WalshPaes, and Ms. Bott, upon the termination of the executive’s employment by us without “cause” (as defined in the applicable employment agreement) or by the executive for “good reason” (as defined in the applicable employment agreement), subject to the executive signing a separation agreement and mutual release, the executive will be entitled to the following severance payments and benefits:

 

a lump sum cash payment equal to the sum of the executive’s earned but unpaid base salary, earned but unpaid annual cash incentive bonus, unpaid expense reimbursement and accrued but unused vacation time to the date of termination;

 

a lump sum cash payment equal to a multiple of (x) the executive’s then-current annual base salary, plus (y) the average of the annual cash incentive bonuses earned by the executive with respect to the three most recent fiscal years ending on or before the date of termination (but not less than $1,250,000 for Mr. Behler)Behler and $750,000 for Mr. Paes); the multiple is two for Mr. Behler and one for Mr. WalshPaes and Ms. Bott or, in the event such termination occurs in connection with or within two years after a change in control (as defined in the applicable employment agreement), three for Mr. Behler and two for Mr. WalshPaes and Ms. Bott;

 

a prorated portion of the annual bonus for the year of termination, calculated based on the executive’s target bonus for such year;

 

a lump sum cash payment equal to a multiple of annual premium payable by us for the executive’s health and dental insurance; the multiple is two for Mr. Behler and one for Mr. WalshPaes and Ms. Bott; or, in the event such termination occurs in connection with or within two years after a change in control, two2 for Mr. Behler and 1.5 for Mr. WalshPaes and Ms. Bott; and

 

accelerated vesting of all equity grants subject to only time-based vesting based on continued employment, with the vesting of equity grants with performance vesting only accelerated to the extent provided by the applicable award agreement.

None of the employment agreements provide for any tax gross ups and, in the event the executive becomeswould become subject to the Section 280G golden parachutean excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code imposed on parachute payments (within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code), the amounts payable as described above would be reduced to the level so that the excise tax will not apply, but only if such reduction would

48    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

result in a greater after-tax amount to the executive. Each employment agreement provides that, upon a change in control, we will set aside funds in a rabbi trust in an amount sufficient to pay the severance payments due in the event of the termination of the executive in connection with or within two years after a change in control of our company either by us without “cause” or by the executive for “good reason,” provided that the

executive will only be entitled to these funds in the event the executive’s employment is actually terminated in connection with or within two years after a change in control of our company either by us without “cause” or by the executive for “good reason.”

All of the cash severance payments described above are to be made as lump sum payments within 30 days after the date of termination of employment. However, to the extent necessary to avoid the imposition of an additional tax under Section 409A of the Code, severance pay and benefits will be delayed until six months and one day after termination during which time the payments will accrue interest at the short-term applicable federal rate.

Each employment agreement also provides that in the event the executive’s employment is terminated on account of his or her death or disability, the executive or his or her beneficiary in the case of death will receive the following payments:

 

a lump sum cash payment equal to the sum of the executive’s earned but unpaid base salary, earned but unpaid annual cash incentive bonus, unpaid expense reimbursement and accrued but unused vacation time to the date of termination;

 

a prorated portion of the annual bonus payable for the year of such termination, calculated based on actual achievement of applicable performance metrics for the applicable year; and

 

accelerated vesting of all equity grants subject to only time-based vesting based on continued employment, with the vesting of equity grants with performance vesting only accelerated to the extent provided by the applicable award agreement.

Under the employment agreement, eachEach executive is subject to certain restrictive covenants pursuant to their employment agreements, including non-competition and non-solicitation covenants during their employment with us and for six months after termination of employment, for Mr. Behler and Ms. Bott, or for 12 months after termination of employment, for Mr. Walsh.employment.

Executive Severance Plan

We have adopted an Executive Severance Plan for the benefit of certain specified executive officers who are not parties to an employment agreement, including Mr. Koltis.Messrs. Koltis and Lauer. In the event a participating officer is terminated by us without cause, subject to the officer signing a separation agreement and release with restrictive covenants, including non-competition and non-solicitation covenants for six months after termination of employment, this plan will provide severance benefits in the amount of the sum of the officer’s base salary, most recent cash bonus and an amount equal to the annual premium payable by us for the officer’s health and dental insurance.

As of December 31, 2015, we did not have an employment or severance agreement with Mr. Paes.

The following tables set forth the amounts that would have been paid to our continuing named executive officersNEOs in the event of a termination by us without “cause” or by the executive for “good reason” other than in connection with a change in control; upon death or disability; upon a change in control without termination and upon a termination by us without “cause” or by the executive for “good reason” in connection with a change in control occurring, in each case, as of December 31, 2015.2016. The amounts in the tables below exclude payments that would be made for (i) accrued salary and vacation pay; (ii) distribution of plan balances under our 401(k) plan; (iii) life insurance proceeds in the event of death; and (iv) disability insurance payouts in the event of disability to the extent they have been earned prior to the termination of employment or are provided on a non-discriminatory basis to salaried employees upon termination of employment.

 

Executive

  Without Cause /
For Good
Reason
  Death /
Disability
   Change in
Control

(No Termination)
   Change in
Control

(Termination
Without Cause /
For Good
Reason)
 

Albert Behler

       

Bonus

  $650,000   $650,000    $—      $650,000  

Cash Severance

   4,700,000    —       —       7,050,000  

Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   4,137,153    4,137,153     4,137,153     4,137,153  

Vesting of Stock Options(2)

   240,000    240,000     240,000     240,000  

Performance Awards(3)

   145,440    145,440     —       145,440  

Benefits(4)

   57,268    —       —       57,268  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total(5)

  $9,928,861   $5,172,593    $4,377,153    $12,279,861  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Michael Walsh

       

Bonus

  $230,000   $230,000    $—      $230,000  

Cash Severance

   830,000    —       —       1,660,000  

Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   1,629,000    1,629,000     1,629,000     1,629,000  

Vesting of Stock Options(2)

   —      —       —       —    

Performance Awards(3)

   34,906    34,906     —       34,906  

Benefits(4)

   19,838    —       —       29,757  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total(5)

  $2,743,744   $1,893,906    $1,629,000    $3,583,663  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Jolanta Bott

       

Bonus

  $150,000   $150,000    $—      $150,000  

Cash Severance

   630,000    —       —       1,260,000  

Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   1,158,400    1,158,400     1,158,400     1,158,400  

Vesting of Stock Options(2)

   48,000    48,000     48,000     48,000  

Performance Awards(3)

   29,088    29,088     —       29,088  

Benefits(4)

   13,994    —       —       20,991  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total(5)

  $2,029,482   $1,385,488    $1,206,400    $2,666,479  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Theodore Koltis

       

Bonus

  $580,000(7)  $—      $—      $580,000(7) 

Cash Severance

   700,000(7)   —       —       700,000(7) 

Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   827,442    827,442     827,442     827,442  

Vesting of Stock Options(2)

   48,000    48,000     48,000     48,000  

Performance Awards(3)

   34,906    34,906     —       34,906  

Benefits(4)

   44,860    —       —       44,860  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total(6)

  $2,235,208   $910,348    $875,442    $2,235,208  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Wilbur Paes

       

Bonus

  $—     $—      $—      $—    

Cash Severance

   —      —       —       —    

Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   248,242    248,242     248,242     248,242  

Vesting of Stock Options(2)

   —      —       —       —    

Performance Awards(3)

   31,997    31,997     —       31,997  

Benefits(4)

   —      —       —       —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $280,239   $280,239    $248,242    $280,239  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     49


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

   Executive  Without Cause/
For Good Reason
   Death/Disability   Change in
Control (No
Termination)
   Change in
Control
(Termination
Without
Cause/For Good
Reason)
 

  Albert Behler

        

  Bonus

  $1,650,000   $1,650,000   $   $1,650,000 

  Cash Severance

   4,700,000            7,050,000 

  Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   5,476,559    5,476,559    5,476,559    5,476,559 

  Vesting of Stock Options(2)

   250,920    250,920    250,920    250,920 

  Performance Awards(3)

                

  Benefits(4)

   62,406            62,406 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Total(5)

  $12,139,885   $7,377,479   $5,727,479   $14,489,885 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Wilbur Paes

        

  Bonus

  $656,250   $656,250   $   $656,250 

  Cash Severance

   1,275,000          2,550,000 

  Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   2,766,622    2,766,622    2,766,622    2,766,622 

  Vesting of Stock Options(2)

                

  Performance Awards(3)

                

  Benefits(4)

   36,803            36,803 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Total(5)

  $4,734,675   $3,422,872   $2,766,622   $6,028,077 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Jolanta Bott

        

  Bonus

  $475,000   $475,000   $   $475,000 

  Cash Severance

   626,667            1,253,333 

  Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   1,370,919    1,370,919    1,370,919    1,370,919 

  Vesting of Stock Options(2)

                

  Performance Awards(3)

                

  Benefits(4)

   15,247            22,871 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Total(5)

  $2,487,833   $1,845,919   $1,370,919   $3,122,123 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Theodore Koltis

        

  Bonus

  $580,000   $   $   $580,000(7) 

  Cash Severance

   700,000            700,000(7) 

  Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   1,306,831    1,306,831    1,306,831    1,306,831 

  Vesting of Stock Options(2)

                

  Performance Awards(3)

                

  Benefits(4)

   48,888            48,888 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Total(6)

  $2,635,719   $1,306,831   $1,306,831   $2,635,719 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Daniel Lauer

        

  Bonus

  $130,000   $   $   $130,000(7) 

  Cash Severance

   400,000            400,000(7) 

  Vesting of LTIP Units(1)

   1,370,919    1,370,919    1,370,919    1,370,919 

  Vesting of Stock Options(2)

                

  Performance Awards(3)

                

  Benefits(4)

   36,803            36,803 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  Total(5)

  $1,937,722   $1,370,919   $1,370,919   $1,937,722 
(1)

For all of the executives, outstanding equity awards with time-based vesting fully vest upon a change in control, the executive’s termination upon death or disability, or termination by us

50    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

without cause or by the executive for good reason. As of December 31, 2015,2016, Messrs. Behler, Walsh,Paes, Koltis and PaesLauer and Ms. Bott held unvested time-based LTIP units as follows: Mr. Behler—228,571342,499 LTIP units; Mr. Walsh—90,000Paes—173,022 LTIP units; Ms. Bott—64,00085,736 LTIP units; Mr. Koltis—45,71481,728 LTIP units; and Mr. Paes—13,714Lauer—85,736 LTIP units. For purposes of the tables above, the value of the equity awards that vest are based on the value of unvested awards set forth in the “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 2015”2016” table above.
(2)All of the executives’ outstanding stock options fully vest upon a change in control, the executive’s termination upon death or disability, termination by us without cause or by the executive for good reason. Assumes that the per share value of the stock options that vest equals (i) $15.99 per share, which was the closing price on the NYSE of one share of our common stock on December 31, 2016, less (ii) the exercise price per share of such stock options. Information regarding unvested stock options held by our named executive officersNEOs as of December 31, 20152016 is contained in the “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 2015”2016” table above.
(3)UnderIn accordance with the 2015terms of our Performance Program,Programs, in the event of a change in control during the performance period, the performance period will be shortened to end on the date of the change in control and the executives’ awards will be based on performance through that date, with further proration if the change in control occurs during the first year of the performance period. Any LTIP units earned upon a change in control will remain subject to time-based vesting through April 1, 2020 but will be fully vested in the event of termination by us without cause or by the executive for good reason within 18 months following the change in control. Based on our TSR performance from the beginning of the respective performance period through December 31, 2016, all outstanding awards under our 2015 and 2016 Performance Programs would have been forfeited in the event of a change in control as of December 31, 2016. If an executive’s employment is terminated before the end of a performance period as a result of death or disability, or is terminated by us without cause or by the executive for good reason, the executive’s award will be calculated as of the end of the performance period in the same manner as if such termination had not occurred, but prorated based on the number of days in the performance period during which such executive was employed by us. Any LTIP units so earned will be fully vested. No amounts are included in the event of such a termination, because the executive only would have been entitled to vesting to the extent that the awards were earned based on the achievement of the performance-based vesting criteria through the end of the performance period.

If an executive’s employment is terminated before the end of a performance period as a result of death or disability, or is terminated by us without cause or by the executive for good reason, the executive’s award will be calculated as of the end of the performance period in the same manner as if such termination had not occurred, but prorated based on the number of days in the performance period during which such executive was employed by us. Any LTIP units so earned will be fully vested. For purposes of this table, we have prepared the calculations on the basis that the performance period had ended on December 31, 2015.

(4)Benefits payment includes a lump sum cash payment equal to a multiple of annual premium payable by us for the executive’s health and dental insurance; the multiple is two for Mr. Behler and one for Mr. Walsh,Messrs. Paes, Koltis and Lauer and Ms. Bott and Mr. Koltis;Bott; or, in the event such termination occurs in connection with or within two years after a change in control, two for Mr. Behler, 1.5 for Mr. WalshPaes and Ms. Bott, and one for Mr. Koltis.Messrs. Koltis and Lauer.
(5)In the event the executive becomeswould become subject to the Section 280G golden parachutean excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code imposed on parachute payments (within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code), the amounts payable as described above would be reduced to the level so that the excise tax will not apply, but only if such reduction would result in a greater after-tax amount to the executive.
(6)Payments under the Executive Severance Plan are subject to Mr.Messrs. Koltis and Lauer signing a separation agreement and release with restrictive covenants, including non-competition and non-solicitation covenants for six months after termination of employment.
(7)These payments will only be made under the Executive Severance Plan if Mr.Messrs. Koltis isand Lauer are terminated by us without cause.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     51


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Separation Agreement with David SpenceMichael Walsh

Pursuant to the Separation Agreement, as required by the terms of Mr. Spence’sWalsh’s employment agreement, Mr. SpenceWalsh received a single lump sum payment in the amount of $1,381,461,$1,019,265 less applicable tax-related deductions and withholdings. In addition, Mr. Spence’sWalsh’s outstanding unvested optionstime-based option and LTIP units were fully vested and the period in which he may exercise his option was extended to two years following his termination. His performance-based LTIP units remain outstanding and a pro-rata portion of the LTIP units may be earned based on our performance through the end of the three-year performance period.

Mr. Walsh agreed to provide transition consulting services to the Company for up to three months after the effective 30 days after March 25, 2015.

Thedate of his Separation Agreement, also provided that effective for the three-month period starting seven-days after March 25, 2015, Mr. Spence would provide consulting services at reasonable times as requested by the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. The Companypursuant to which he was paid Mr. Spence $33,333 per month for the consulting period$100,000 in consulting fees.cash.

Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement with Mr. Spence,Walsh, Mr. SpenceWalsh was subject to certain restrictive covenants, including a non-competition covenant during the consulting period and non-solicitation and non-interference covenants for six months afteruntil March 25, 2015.2, 2017.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During 2015,2016, the following directors, all of whom are independent directors, served on our Compensation Committee:Committee for at least part of the year: Lizanne Galbreath, Dan Emmett, Karin Klein and David O’Connor. None of our executive officers serve as a member of a board of directors or compensation committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function, of any other entity that has one or more of its executive officers serving as a member of our Board or Compensation Committee.

52    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table presents information regarding the beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock and units in our operating partnership as of February 1, 2016,2017, with respect to:

 

each of our directors;

 

each of our named executive officers;NEOs;

 

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock or the outstanding shares of our common stock and units in our operating partnership; and

 

all of our directors and executive officers as a group.

Beneficial ownership of shares and units is determined under rules of the SEC and generally includes any shares or units, as applicable, over which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment power. Except as noted by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe based on the information provided to us that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our common stock and units in our operating partnership shown as beneficially owned by them. Shares of our common stock and units in our operating partnership that a person has the right to acquire within 60 days of February 1, 20162017 are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned by the person having the right to acquire such shares or units for purposes of the table below, but are not deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of beneficial ownership for any other person.

As of February 1, 2016,2017, there were 212,112,137230,738,716 shares of our common stock outstanding and 51,660,08834,272,297 units of our operating partnership outstanding, consisting of 50,658,28032,196,546 common operating partnership units and 1,001,8082,075,751 LTIP units (excluding 891,0153,309,971 unvested performance-based LTIP units granted to the Company’s executive officers and employees pursuant to the 2015our Performance Plan,Plans, which may be earned based on the achievement of the designated performance objectives).

Unless otherwise indicated, all shares and units are owned directly. Except as indicated in the footnotes to the table below, the business address of the stockholders listed below is the address of our principal executive office, 1633 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, NY 10019.

   Common Stock  Common Stock and Units 

Name of Beneficial Owner

  Number of
Shares Beneficially
Owned(1)
   Percentage of
All Shares(2)
  Number of
Shares and Units
Beneficially Owned(1)
   Percent of All
Shares and
Units(2)
 

5% Stockholders:

       

The Otto Family Group(3)

   33,115,587     15.6  33,126,520     12.6

The Vanguard Group(4)

   23,090,065     10.9    23,090,065     8.8  

Alexander Otto(5)

   14,145,495     6.7    14,145,495     5.4  

Katharina Otto-Bernstein(16)

   11,831,489     5.6    11,842,422     4.5  

Vanguard Specialized Funds–Vanguard REIT Index Fund(6)

   11,441,630     5.4    11,441,630     4.3  

Executive Officers and Directors:

       

Albert Behler(7)

   211,812     *    5,137,937     2.0  

Wilbur Paes(8)

   30,000     *    75,714     *  

Jolanta Bott(9)

   27,214     *    332,692     *  

Theodore Koltis(10)

   20,000     *    206,192     *  

Thomas Armbrust(11)

   139,504     *    139,504     *  

Martin Bussmann

   —       *    —       *  

Dan Emmett(12)

   57,142     *    68,075     *  

Lizanne Galbreath(13)

   15,625     *    26,558     *  

Karin Klein

   —       *    —       *  

Peter Linneman(14)

   30,000     *    48,451     *  

David O’Connor(15)

   14,285     *    25,218     *  

Katharina Otto-Bernstein(16)

   11,831,489     5.6    11,842,422     4.5  

All directors and executive officers as a group (16 persons)

   12,431,499     5.9    18,753,508     7.1  

 

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     53


SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

                  Common Stock                                  Common Stock and Units                 
   Executive Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
(1)
  Percentage  of
All Shares
(2)
     Number of
Shares and
Units
Beneficially
Owned
(1)
  Percentage of
All Shares and
Units
(2)
 

  5% Stockholders

     

      The Otto Family Group(3)

  33,415,587   14.5   33,432,837   12.6

      The Vanguard Group(4)

  26,626,852   11.5   26,626,852   10.0

      Alexander Otto(5)

  14,145,495   6.1   14,145,495   5.3

  Vanguard Specialized Funds—Vanguard REIT Index Fund(6)

  13,331,750   5.8   13,331,750   5.0

      Katharina Otto-Bernstein(19)

  12,131,489   5.3   12,148,739   4.6

  Executive Officers and Directors

     

      Albert Behler(7)

  407,400   *    5,620,598   2.1

      Wilbur Paes(8)

  50,000   *    324,851   * 

      Jolanta Bott(9)

  47,214   *    418,983   * 

      Theodore Koltis(10)

  40,000   *    302,189   * 

      Daniel Lauer(11)

  47,214   *    397,422   * 

      Thomas Armbrust(12)

  145,821   *    145,821   * 

      Martin Bussmann(13)

     *    6,317   * 

      Dan Emmett(14)

  57,142   *    74,392   * 

      Lizanne Galbreath(15)

  15,625   *    32,875   * 

      Karin Klein(16)

     *    6,317   * 

      Peter Linneman(17)

  30,000   *    54,768   * 

      David O’Connor(18)

  46,285   *    63,535   * 

      Katharina Otto-Bernstein(19)

  12,131,489   5.3   12,148,739   4.6

  All directors and executive officers as a group (16 persons)(20)

  13,065,404   5.7      20,205,649   7.6
*(*)Represents less than 1.0%
(1)“Number of shares beneficially owned” includes shares of common stock that may be acquired by exercising stock options within 60 days of February 1, 20162017 but does not include shares of common stock that may be acquired by redeeming common units in the operating partnership. “Number of shares and units beneficially owned” includes all shares included in the column titled “Number of shares beneficially owned” plus shares of common stock that may be acquired by redeeming common units in the operating partnership assuming that (i) all outstanding common units in the operating partnership are immediately redeemable/exchangeable, (ii) all outstanding LTIP units have vested in full and have been converted into an equal number of common units in the operating partnership (excluding unvested performance-based LTIP units granted to the Company’s executive officers and employees pursuant to the 2015our Performance Plan,Plans, which may be earned based on the achievement of designated performance objectives) and (iii) all common units in the operating partnership have been exchanged for shares of common stock.
(2)

As of February 1, 2016, 212,112,1372017, 230,738,716 shares of common stock, 50,658,28032,196,546 common units in the operating partnership and 1,001,8082,075,751 LTIP units were outstanding (excluding 891,0153,309,971 unvested performance-based LTIP units granted to the Company’s executive officers and employees pursuant to the 2015our Performance Plan,Plans, which may be earned based on the achievement of designated performance objectives). To compute the percentage of outstanding shares of common stock held

54    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

by each person and unless otherwise noted, any share of common stock which such person has the right to acquire pursuant to the exercise of stock options exercisable within 60 days of February 1, 20162017 is deemed to be outstanding, but is not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The percentage of outstanding shares of common stock and units held by each person is calculated in the same manner as the percentage of outstanding shares of common stock, except that in performing this calculation we assume that: (i) all outstanding LTIP units held by all persons have vested in full and have been converted into an equal number of common units in the operating partnership, and (ii) all common units in the operating partnership held by all persons, other than us, have been exchanged for shares of common stock.

(3)Based on information provided on a Schedule 13D jointly filed with the SEC on December 4, 2014 by AROSA Vermögensverwaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H., a German limited liability company (“AROSA”), Alexander Otto, the sole shareholder of AROSA, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Maren Otto. Represents the shares beneficially owned by Maren Otto and her two children, Alexander Otto and Katharina Otto-Bernstein. Maren Otto has sole voting and sole dispositive power over 7,138,603 of these shares of common stock. For the number of these shares beneficially owned by each of Alexander Otto and Katharina Otto-Bernstein refer to footnotes (5) and (16)(19), respectively. The address for AROSA, Maren Otto and Katharina Otto-Bernstein is c/o CURA Vermögensverwaltung, G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Werner-Otto-Straße 1-7, D-22179 Hamburg, Germany and the address for Alexander Otto is c/o ECE Projektmanagement G.m.b.H & Co. KG, Heegbarg 30, 22391 Hamburg, Germany.
(4)Based on information provided on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 11, 201613, 2017 by The Vanguard Group. The Vanguard Group reported shared voting power with respect to 116,000175,093 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to 239,089272,224 shares. The address for The Vanguard Group is 100 Vanguard Boulevard, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
(5)Based on information provided on a Schedule 13D jointly filed with the SEC on December 4, 2014 by AROSA, Alexander Otto, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Maren Otto. Includes 13,656,206 shares of common stock held directly by Alexander Otto and 489,289 shares of common stock held by AROSA, an entity wholly-owned by Alexander Otto. Alexander Otto has sole voting and sole dispositive power over each of these shares of common stock. The address for Alexander Otto is c/o ECE Projektmanagement G.m.b.H & Co. KG, Heegbarg 30, 22391 Hamburg, Germany and the address for AROSA is c/o CURA Vermögensverwaltung, G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Werner-Otto-Straße 1-7, D-22179 Hamburg, Germany.
(6)Based on information provided on a Schedule 13G13G/A filed with the SEC on February 9, 201613, 2017 by Vanguard Specialized Funds—Vanguard REIT Index Fund. Vanguard Specialized Funds—Vanguard REIT Index Fund reported sole voting power with respect to all 11,441,63013,331,750 shares and sole and shared dispositive power with respect to none of the shares. The address for Vanguard Specialized Funds—Vanguard REIT Index Fund is 100 Vanguard Boulevard, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
(7)Includes 100,000295,588 shares of common stock underlying exercisable stock options. Also includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 2,011,839 common units (of which 401,245 common units are held by entities that are wholly owned by Albert Behler) and 2,914,2863,201,359 LTIP units (of which 228,571458,502 LTIP units are subject to vesting). 111,812 of the shares of common stock and 592,480 of the common units are pledged as collateral in connection with notes granted to CNBB-RDF Holdings, LP (“CNBB-RDF Holdings”), an entity controlled by members of the Otto family, relating to previously granted interests in our predecessor.
(8)Includes 20,00040,000 shares of common stock underlying exercisable stock options. Also includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 45,714274,851 LTIP units (of which 13,714239,423 LTIP units are subject to vesting).
(9)

Includes 20,00040,000 shares of common stock underlying exercisable stock options. Also includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 82,621 common units and 222,857289,148 LTIP units (of which 64,000114,291 LTIP units are subject to vesting). 7,214 of the shares of

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     55


SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

common stock and 31,831 of the common units are pledged as collateral in connection with notes granted to CNBB-RDF Holdings relating to previously granted interests in our predecessor.
(10)Includes 20,00040,000 shares of common stock underlying exercisable stock options. Also includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 3,335 common units and 182,857258,854 LTIP units (of which 45,714110,283 LTIP units are subject to vesting). 3,335 of the common units are pledged as collateral in connection with notes granted to CNBB-RDF Holdings relating to previously granted interests in our predecessor.
(11)Includes 10,93340,000 shares of restrictedcommon stock (of which 5,219 shares are subject to vesting).
(12)Includes,underlying exercisable stock options. Also includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 10,93361,060 common units and 289,148 LTIP units (of which 5,219114,291 LTIP units are subject to vesting). 7,214 of the shares of common stock and 25,164 of the common units are pledged as collateral in connection with the notes granted toCNBB-RDF Holdings relating to previously granted interests in our predecessor.
(12)Includes 17,250 shares of restricted stock (of which 6,317 shares are subject to vesting).
(13)Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 10,9336,317 LTIP units (of which 5,219 LTIP units are subject to vesting).vesting.

(14)Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 10,93317,250 LTIP units (of which 5,2196,317 LTIP units are subject to vesting).
(15)Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 17,250 LTIP units (of which 6,317 LTIP units are subject to vesting).
(16)Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 6,317 LTIP units which are subject to vesting.
(17)Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 17,250 LTIP units (of which 6,317 LTIP units are subject to vesting) and 7,518 common units held jointly by Peter Linneman and his spouse, with respect to which Dr. Linneman has shared voting and dispositive power.
(15)(18)Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 10,93317,250 LTIP units (of which 5,2196,317 LTIP units are subject to vesting).
(16)(19)Based in part on information provided on a Schedule 13D jointly filed with the SEC on December 4, 2014 by AROSA, Alexander Otto, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Maren Otto. Katharina Otto-Bernstein will have sole voting and sole dispositive power over each of these shares of common stock. Includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 10,93317,250 LTIP units (of which 5,2196,317 LTIP units are subject to vesting). The address for Katharina Otto-Bernstein is c/o CURA Vermögensverwaltung, G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Werner-Otto-Straße 1-7,D-22179 Hamburg, Germany.
(20)Includes 495,588 shares of common stock underlying exercisable stock options and 17,250 shares of restricted stock (of which 6,317 shares are subject to vesting). Also includes, only under the “Number of Shares and Units Beneficially Owned” column, 2,273,058 common units and 4,867,187 LTIP units (of which 1,185,096 LTIP units are subject to vesting). 133,454 common stock and 687,975 common units are pledged as collateral in connection with notes granted to CNBB-RDF Holdings relating to previously granted interests in our predecessor.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC and the NYSE. Officers, directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms that they file. To our knowledge, based solely on review of the copies of such reports and any amendments thereto furnished to us during or with respect to our most recent fiscal year, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our executive officers, directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities were satisfied.

56    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Management Agreements

In connection with the formation transactions, we assumed certain management agreements of our predecessor pursuant to which we provide property management, leasing, reporting or other services for certain properties or business entities owned by members of the Otto family, including the Commercial National Bank Building, which is 100% indirectly owned by Maren Otto, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Alexander Otto. Pursuant to the Commercial National Bank Building property management agreement, we receive (i) property management fees of 3.0% of the property’s annual gross revenue; (ii) construction service fees of 3.0% of certain costs, tenant improvements and tenant allowances; and (iii) disposition fees of 0.50% of the gross consideration paid in connection with a disposition of the property. During 2015,2016, we received fees of $776,000$795,000 pursuant to these agreements, including $482,000$501,000 from the agreement relating to property management and leasing for the Commercial National Bank Building. The property management agreement automatically renews for annual terms unless terminated by either party by giving three months written notice to the other before the end of any calendar year. The other management agreements automatically renew for annual terms unless terminated by either party by giving thirty days written notice to the other before the end of any calendar year.

Note Payable

Prior to the completion of the formation transactions, in lieu of certain cash distributions, certain of the entities comprising our predecessor distributed a $24,500,000 note, which is payable to CNBB-RDF Holdings, which is an entity owned by Maren Otto, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Alexander Otto, and a $2,799,000 note, which is payable to a different entity owned by members of the Otto family. The notes, which were distributed in lieu of certain cash distributions prior to the completion of the formation transactions, bear interest at a fixed rate of 0.50% and mature three years from the date of distribution. From January 1, 20152016 through December 31, 20152016 we paid $136,000 inrecognized $139,000 of interest in connection with the notes.

1633 Broadway Lease

Our predecessor leased 3,330 square feet of space in 1633 Broadway to CNBB-RDF Holdings at an annual base rent of $57.00 per square foot, with five months of free rent and no tenant improvement allowance. The term of the lease extends through 2019. We believe that the terms of this lease, at the time it was signed, were at least as favorable to us as the terms we could have obtained from a third party in an arm’s length transaction for the lease of this space. For the year ended December 31, 2016, we recognized $225,000 of rental income from this lease.

Mannheim Trust

Dr. Martin Bussmann (a member of our Board of Directors) is also a trustee and a director of Mannheim Trust, a subsidiary of which leases 6,790 square feet at 712 Fifth Avenue, our 50.0% owned unconsolidated joint venture. The Mannheim Trust is for the benefit of his children. For the year ended December 31, 2016, we recognized $416,000 for our share of rental income from this lease. On December 5, 2016, we renewed our lease agreement with Mannheim Trust for 5,593 square feet, which expires in April 2023.

Hamburg Trust HTC Consulting GmbH

We have engaged Hamburg Trust HTC Consulting GmbH (“HTC”), a licensed broker in Germany, to supervise selling efforts for our private equity real estate funds (or investments in feeder vehicles for these funds) to investors in Germany, including an ongoing engagement to distribute securitized notes of a feeder vehicle for Paramount Group Real Estate Fund VIII, LP (“Fund VIII”), a private equity real estate fund that we control.Germany. Pursuant to this engagement, which was begun by our predecessor, we have agreed to pay HTC for the costs it incurred to sell investments in this feeder vehicle and other funds, which primarily consist of commissions paid to third party agents, and other incremental costs incurred by HTC as a result of the engagement, plus, in each case, a mark-up of 10%.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     57


CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

HTC is 100% owned by Albert Behler, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. We paid or accrued $349,000$625,000 for the fees and expense reimbursements due to HTC for the services it provided during 2015. The fees and expense reimbursements for 2015 include payments made pursuant to this engagement in connection with the sales of investments in the feeder vehicle for Fund VIII. Any future engagement of HTC by us will be subject to the approval of a majority of disinterested directors.

Other

During 2015, certain of the private equity real estate funds that we control received an aggregate of $5,482,000 (of which our share was $121,000) from CNBB-RDF Holdings for the reimbursement of certain costs and expenses incurred when these funds were controlled by our predecessor.2016.

Review and Approval of Future Transactions with Related Persons

Our Board has adopted a Related Person Transaction Approval and Disclosure Policy, included as part of our Corporate Governance Guidelines, for the review, approval or ratification of any related person transaction. This policy provides that all related person transactions, other than a transaction for which an obligation to disclose under Item 404 ofRegulationS-K (or any successor provision) arises solely from the fact that a beneficial owner, other than members of the Otto family, Wilhelm von Finck and entities controlled directly or indirectly by such individuals, of more than 5% of a class of our voting securities (or an immediate family member of any such beneficial owner) has an interest in the transaction, must be reviewed and approved by a majority of the disinterested directors on our Board in advance of us or any of our subsidiaries entering into the transaction; provided that, if we or any of our subsidiaries enter into a transaction without recognizing that such transaction constitutes a related person transaction, the approval requirement will be satisfied if such transaction is ratified by a majority of the disinterested directors on the Board promptly after we recognize that such transaction constituted a related person transaction. Disinterested directors are directors that do not have a personal financial interest in the transaction that is adverse to our financial interest or that of our stockholders. The term “related person transaction” refers to a transaction required to be disclosed by us pursuant to Item 404 ofRegulationS-K (or any successor provision) promulgated by the SEC. This policy was followed for all of the applicable related person transactions described above, other than the lease renewal with Mannheim Trust, which was ratified by a majority of the disinterested directors promptly after being entered into by the Company.

58    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


OTHER MATTERS

OTHER MATTERS

Solicitation of Proxies

We will pay the cost of solicitation of proxies. Our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies personally, by telephone, via the internet or by mail without additional compensation for such activities. We also will request persons, firms and corporations holding shares in their names or in the names of their nominees, which are beneficially owned by others, to send a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to and obtain proxies from such beneficial owners. We will reimburse such holders for their reasonable expenses. No arrangements or contracts have been made with any solicitors as of the date of this proxy statement, although we reserve the right to engage solicitors if we deem them necessary.

Stockholder Proposals

Stockholders who, in accordance with theRule14a-8 under the Exchange Act, wish to present proposals for inclusion in the proxy materials to be distributed by us in connection with our 20172018 annual meeting must submit their proposals to our Corporate Secretary on or before December 8, 2016.2017.

Apart from the SEC’sRule14a-8 that addresses the inclusion of stockholder proposals in our proxy materials, under our bylaws, certain procedures are provided that a stockholder must follow to nominate persons for election as directors or to introduce an item of business at an annual meeting of stockholders. These procedures provide that nominations for director nominees and/or an item of business to be introduced at an annual meeting of stockholders must be timely submitted in writing to Gage Johnson, Secretary, at Paramount Group, Inc., 1633 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, New York 10019. To be considered timely, we must receive the notice of your intention to introduce a nomination or proposed item of business at our annual meeting:

 

 

not earlier than the 150th day nor later than 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting; or

 

 

not earlier than the 150th day prior to the date of the annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the later of the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting, as originally convened, or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made, in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting.

Assuming that our 20172018 annual meeting is not advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the 20162017 annual meeting, we must receive notice of your intention to introduce a nomination or other item of business at the 20172018 annual meeting after November 8, 20162017 and no later than 5:00 p.m., New York time, on December 8, 2016.2017.

Attendance at the Meeting

All stockholders of record of shares of common stock at the close of business on the record date, or their designated proxies, are authorized to attend the annual meeting. If you are not a stockholder of record but hold shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, you should provide proof of beneficial ownership as of the record date, such as an account statement reflecting your stock ownership as of the record date, a copy of the voting instruction card provided by your broker, bank or other nominee, or other similar evidence of ownership. If you do not have proof of ownership, you may not be admitted to the annual meeting. Each stockholder and proxy may be asked to present a valid government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, before being admitted. Cameras, recording devices and other electronic devices will not be permitted, and attendees may be subject to security inspections and other security precautions.

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement     59


OTHER MATTERS

Householding of Proxy Materials

If you and other residents at your mailing address own shares of common stock in street name, your broker, bank or other nominee may have sent you a notice that your household will receive only one Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, annual report and/or proxy statement, as applicable. This procedure, known as “householding,” is intended to reduce the volume of duplicate information stockholders receive and also reduce our printing and postage costs. Under applicable law, if you consented or were deemed to have consented, your broker, bank or other nominee may send one copy of the applicable proxy materials to your address for all residents that own shares of common stock in street name. If you wish to revoke your consent to householding, you must contact your broker, bank or other nominee. If you are receiving multiple copies of our proxy materials, you may be able to request householding by contacting your broker, bank or other nominee.

If you wish to request extra copies free of charge of our proxy materials, please send your request in writing to Paramount Group, Inc., 1633 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Investor Relations or by telephone at(212) 237-3100.

Other Matters

The Board does not know of any matters other than those described in this proxy statement that will be presented for action at the annual meeting. If other matters are presented, proxies will be voted in accordance with the discretion of the proxy holders.

By Order of our Board of Directors

By Order of our Board of Directors

LOGO

Gage Johnson

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

LOGO

Gage Johnson
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

New York, New York

April 7, 2016

2017

60    PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.|2017 Proxy Statement


 

 

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.

1633 BROADWAY, SUITE 1801

NEW YORK, NY 10019

VOTE BY INTERNET -www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M., Eastern Time, on May 18, 2016.17, 2017. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M., Eastern Time, on May 18, 2016.17, 2017. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.

 

 

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:

E05170-P72751E19485-P89287                     KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS
  DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.

 

 PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.

 

  The Board of Directors recommends you vote
FOR all nominees listed:
      
 1.   Election of Directors    
    Nominees:   For Against Abstain
  

1a.    Albert Behler

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1b.   Thomas Armbrust

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1c.    Martin Bussmann

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1d.   Dan Emmett

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1e.    Lizanne Galbreath

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1f.    Karin Klein

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1g.   Peter Linneman

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1h.   David O’Connor

  ¨ ¨ ¨
  

1i.    Katharina Otto-Bernstein

  ¨ ¨ ¨
 Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.
              
             
             
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal:proposals: For Against Abstain

2.    Approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of our named executive officer compensation.

  ¨ ¨¨
The Board of Directors recommends you vote 1 YEAR on the following proposal:1 Year2 Years3 YearsAbstain

3.    Recommendation, by a non-binding advisory vote, on the frequency of named executive officer compensation votes.

¨      ¨¨¨
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal:ForAgainstAbstain

4.3.    Ratification of the Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2017.

  ¨ ¨ ¨
NOTE:The proxies are also authorized to vote in their discretion on such other matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.   
The undersigned hereby acknowledge(s) receipt of a copy of the Notice of the 20162017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Stockholders, and revoke(s) any proxy or proxies heretofore given with respect to the 20162017 Annual Meeting.   
 

 

    
                
  Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date        Signature (Joint Owners) Date        

V.1.1


Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:

The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com.

Do not mail your proxy card if you vote by telephone or Internet.

 

 

E05171-P72751E19486-P89287

 

  

 

PARAMOUNT GROUP, INC.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

To be Held on May 19, 201618, 2017

This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors

 

The undersigned hereby appoint(s) Albert Behler and Wilbur Paes, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorize(s) them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of common stock of Paramount Group, Inc. held of record by the undersigned on March 21, 2016,20, 2017, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 12:00 p.m., EDT on May 19, 2016,18, 2017, at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335745 Fifth Avenue, of the Americas,9th Floor, New York, New York, and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted "For"“For” all nominees for director, "For"“For” the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of our named executive officer compensation, for the "1 Year" frequency of a non-binding advisory vote to approve our named executive officer compensation, and "For"“For” the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2017.

 

Continued and to be signed on reverse side

 

  

V.1.1