Guide to Standex’s Proxy StatementGUIDETO STANDEX’S PROXY STATEMENT

Invitation to 2019 Annual Meeting of ShareholdersINVITATIONTO 2021 ANNUAL MEETINGOF SHAREHOLDERS

Tuesday, October 22, 201926, 2021

9:00 a.m., local time

Standex International Corporation Corporate Headquarters

1123 Keewaydin Drive, Suite 300, Salem, New Hampshire 0307903079*

Dear Shareholder,

We cordially invite you to attend Standex’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders. We hope that you will join me, our Board of Directors, and other shareholders at the meeting. The attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement contain information about the business that will be conducted at the meeting. Following the meeting, I will present information on Standex’s operations and welcome any questions from shareholders.

Your vote is important to us! If you plan on attending the meeting, you may vote your shares in person. If you cannot vote in person, we urge you to vote via your proxy card, over the phone or on the Internet prior to the meeting. Detailed instructions on how to vote are found on page 56.73.

Thank you in advance for voting your shares, and thank you for your continued support of Standex.

Sincerely,

Notice of Annual Meeting of ShareholdersNOTICEOF ANNUAL MEETINGOF

SHAREHOLDERS

Item 1 The election of two directors to hold office for three-year terms ending on the date of the annual meeting in 2022; Item 2 An advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation;Item 3 Ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent auditor for FY 2020.

Our Board currently consists of seven directors; the election of Robin J. Davenport at the Annual Meeting would bring the board membership to eight. Prior to the 2020 annual meeting, the board had eight directors. At the 2020 annual meeting, Dr. Dan Hogan retired after 35 years of service. The Board had intended to recruit and nominate a successor to Dr. Hogan for election at the 2020 annual meeting. However, because of the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee were unable to conduct a robust interview process in order to nominate a successor for election at the 2020 annual meeting. Over the past year, the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee was able to engage in the recruitment process, and in April 2021, appointed Robin J. Davenport as a special advisor to the Board. She, along with the Class I directors, whose current terms are expiring, are being nominated for election to the Board.

We have three classes of directors, with each class being as equal in size as possible. The term of each class is three years and class terms expire on a rolling basis, so that one class of directors is elected each year. The current Class I directors are Charles H. Cannon, Jr., Jeffrey S. Edwards and B. Joanne Edwards. With the addition of Ms. Davenport, the number of Class I directors would be four, leaving only two Class II directors and two Class III directors (terms expiring at the 2023 and 2022 annual meetings, respectively). To keep the class size as equal as possible, as required by the NYSE listing standards, the Board has nominated Ms. Davenport, Mr. Edwards, and Ms. Edwards as Class I directors, with terms expiring at the 2024 annual meeting, and Mr. Cannon as a Class II director, with a term expiring at the 2023 annual meeting. This will enable each Class to be balanced and allow for orderly election cycles.

For the foregoing, the Board recommends that shareholders set the number of directors at eight, elect Ms. Davenport, Mr. Edwards, and Ms. Edwards as Class I directors for three-year terms, expiring at the 2024 annual meeting, and elect Mr. Cannon as a Class II director for a two-year term, expiring at the 2023 annual meeting.

BOARDOF DIRECTORS MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA

The Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believe that there are general qualifications that all directors must exhibit and other key qualifications and experiences that should be represented on the Board as a whole, but not necessarily by each individual director.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREDOF ALL DIRECTORS

The Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee require that each director be a recognized person of high integrity with a proven record of success in his or her field, and be able to devote the time and effort necessary to fulfill his or her responsibilities to the Company. Each director must demonstrate innovative thinking, familiarity with and respect for corporate governance requirements and practices, an appreciation of multiple global cultures and a commitment to sustainability and to dealing responsibly with social issues. In addition, potential director candidates are interviewed to assess intangible qualities, including the individual’s ability to engage in constructive deliberations, by asking difficult questions, working collaboratively, and respecting differing views of other Board members.

BOARD COMPOSITION & REFRESHMENT

The Board regularly reviews the skills, experience and background that it believes are desirable to be represented on the Board. On an annual basis, the Board reviews each director’s skills and assesses whether there are gaps that need to be filled. As a result, recruitment is an ongoing activity. A snapshot of our directors’ skills, including director nominees, is below, while the full skills matrix can be found under “Board Self-Assessment & Skills Matrix” of this Proxy Statement on page 34.

The Board aims to strike a balance between the experience that comes from long-term service on the Board with the new perspective that new Board members bring, while being sensitive to the benefits of gender and racial diversity. The Board also has a mandatory retirement policy, under which no director may stand for re-election if he or she has reached the age of 75. The election of Ms. Davenport would bring the refreshment to 6 directors, two of which are female and one of which is a racial minority, over the past 8 years. We believe this balanced approach creates a renewed perspective that is beneficial to shareholders. Please refer to “Identifying and Evaluating Candidates for Board Membership” on page 35 for further information.

SNAPSHOTOF 2021 DIRECTOR NOMINEESAND CONTINUING DIRECTORS

Compensation Program DesignDEMOGRAPHICS

SKILLS

2021 DIRECTOR NOMINEES

The following is biographical information for each director nominee and each continuing director. The information includes names, ages, principal occupations for at least the past five years, the year in which each director joined our Board and certain other information. The information is current as of September 10, 2021, except for each director’s age, which is current as ofOctober 26, 2021.

Class III Director NomineesCLASS I DIRECTORS - TERM EXPIRING 2024:

Required Vote & Recommendation

CLASS II DIRECTOR - TERM EXPIRING 2023:

REQUIRED VOTE & RECOMMENDATION

CONTINUING DIRECTORS

CLASS III DIRECTORS - TERM EXPIRING 2022:

CLASS II DIRECTORS - TERM EXPIRING 2023:

The Compensation Committee recommended, and our Board has approved, subject to shareholder approval, an amendment to and restatement of the 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan (“OIP”). This amended and restated OIP would increase the number of shares authorized for grants under the OIP by 400,000 to 900,000 shares of our Common Stock. This is the first time we have requested approval to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance under the OIP.

We are also seeking shareholder approval to amend Section 4(a) of the OIP regarding the method of determining the number of shares available for issuance under the OIP. This amended and restated OIP would require that for every share granted under an award under the OIP, the number of total shares available for issuance be reduced by 1.0. Currently, for awards that provide for a range of potential payouts, the OIP requires shares available for issuance be reduced by the maximum number of shares which may be paid under such awards. By amending Section 4(a), we believe this method of determining shares available for issuance is a more accurate reflection of our historic awards and payouts, which have generally been at or below target levels.

Our Board recommends that shareholders approve the amended and restated OIP because it will allow the Company to successfully attract and retain the best possible candidates. We previously believed that the initial 500,000 authorized shares would be sufficient to cover our anticipated needs for a period of 5 years. However, we now believe that the initial authorized shares will be sufficient for anticipated grants during FY 2022, but will likely not be sufficient for grants in FY 2023. For these reasons, the Board recommends that shareholders approve an amended and restated OIP to increase the number of Common Stock authorized for future awards to be granted under the OIP and to amend Section 4(a).

As of June 30, 2021, the number of shares of Common Stock that remained available for future grants was 46,791 using the current method of determining shares available for issuance, or 208,971 using the proposed method of determining shares available for issuance. If this proposal is approved, the combined 608,971 shares available under the OIP would represent approximately 5% of fully diluted Common Stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021. The Board believes that this number of shares represents a reasonable amount of potential equity dilution in light of the purposes of the OIP, as described below. If the amended and restated OIP is approved and we issue awards in amounts consistent with the three-year average burn rate described below, it is anticipated that the available shares will meet our needs for approximately 5 years. Assuming shareholders approve this proposal, we will file a Registration Statement on Form S-8 to register the additional Common Stock available for issuance.

SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL AWARD INFORMATION

The following table provides information regarding the grant of equity awards over the past three fiscal years. The information accounts for PSU awards at target rather than maximum.

OIP PLAN SUMMARY

The following is a brief description of the principal features of the OIP. This summary is qualified by reference to the full text of the OIP, which is included, as amended and restated, as Appendix A to this Proxy Statement, starting on page 78.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the OIP is to encourage and enable executives, employees, directors and others (as defined in the OIP) to acquire a proprietary interest in Standex. This enables Standex to:

ELIGIBILITY

The OIP authorizes the following types of awards to be made to any employee, officer, non-employee director, or Third Party Service Provider, as defined in the OIP, of the Company and its subsidiaries, as designated by the Compensation Committee. All awards will be evidenced by a written award agreement between the Company and the participant and will include such provisions and conditions as may be specified by the Compensation Committee.

TYPESOF AWARDS

STOCK OPTIONS

Stock options give the holder the right to purchase shares of common stock at a specified price during specified time periods. The exercise price of an option granted under the OIP may not be less than the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. Stock options granted under the OIP have a maximum term of 10 years. The OIP authorizes both incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options. Incentive stock options can only be granted to employees of the Company or its subsidiaries and have an annual fair market value limit of $100,000 per recipient. Stock options are not a part of the Company��s current compensation program.

RESTRICTED STOCKAND RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

Awards of Restricted Stock (“RSAs”) grant the recipient shares of common stock which are subject to certain vesting requirements. Restricted Stock Unit (“RSU”) awards grant the recipient the right to receive a certain number of common stock at vesting, subject to certain vesting requirements. Recipients of such awards do not have any voting rights until the vesting requirements are satisfied, unless the Compensation Committee determines otherwise. Vesting requirements include continued employment, achievement of pre-established goals or a combination of both. The Company currently grants time-based RSAs, which do have voting rights, and also grants RSUs as part of the Management Stock Purchase Plan, which do not have voting rights.

STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”) give the holder the right to receive, either in cash or common stock equivalent, the excess of the fair market value of one share of common stock on the date of exercise, over the exercise price of the SAR. The exercise price of the SAR may not be less than the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. SARs granted under the OIP have a maximum term of 10 years. SARs are not a part of the Company’s current compensation program.

UNRESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS

The Compensation Committee, in its discretion, may grant or sell to any eligible person shares of common stock free of restrictions. The sales price of such stock awards is determined by the Compensation Committee. The OIP allows the granting or selling of unrestricted stock awards as payment for past services or other valid consideration. Unrestricted stock awards cannot be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered.

PERFORMANCE AWARDS

Performance awards grant the recipient the right to receive, either in cash or shares of common stock, a payout upon the attainment of pre-established performance goals. The Company’s current compensation program includes performance share unit awards, as a component of long-term equity incentive compensation, and performance cash awards, as annual short-term incentive compensation.

SHARES

MAXIMUM NUMBEROF SHARES AVAILABLE

With the amendment, the maximum number of shares of Company common stock which may be allocated to awards, including SARs, is 900,000 shares.

SHARE POOLAND SHARE COUNTING

With the amendment, each share issued pursuant to an award under the OIP will reduce the number of shares available by one share. Shares subject to awards under the OIP that terminate or expire unexercised, or are canceled, terminated, forfeited or lapse for any reason, or are exchanged for an award that does not involve the issuance of shares and shares underlying awards that are ultimately settled in cash, will become available for future grants of awards under the OIP. Similarly, in the event that a maximum payout is not reached, the unearned shares originally subject to the award will be added back to the share reserve. The following shares do not return to the share pool and are not available for issuance under the OIP: (i) shares used to pay the exercise price or withholding taxes related to an outstanding stock option or SAR; (ii) shares that are not issued or delivered upon the exercise of an SAR; and (iii) shares repurchased by the Company on the open market with proceeds from the exercise of a stock option.

EXPECTED DURATIONOFTHE SHARE RESERVE

If this proposal is approved by our shareholders, we expect that the share reserve under the OIP will be sufficient for awards for approximately 5 years. Expectations regarding future share usage could be impacted by a number of factors such as award type mix; hiring and promotion activity at the executive level; the rate at which shares are returned to the OIP’s share pool upon expiration, forfeiture or cash settlement; the future performance of our stock price; the consequences of acquiring other companies; and other factors. While we believe that the assumptions are reasonable, future share usage may differ from current expectations.

ADJUSTMENTSTO SHARE RESERVE

The number of shares allocated to the OIP shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect any subsequent equity restructuring, such as stock dividends, stock splits, reverse stock splits and similar matters affecting the overall number of the Company’s outstanding shares. Similarly, in the event of any other change in corporate capitalization, the Compensation Committee has the authority to make equitable adjustments to prevent dilution or enlargement of any rights granted under the OIP.

ADMINISTRATION

The OIP is administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has the authority to:

Additionally, the Compensation Committee may, by resolution, authorize any officer of the Company to designate employees as award recipients and determine the amount of such awards. This delegation is limited by: (i) not allowing the authorized officer to grant an award to an officer (defined as a reporting person under Section 16 of the Exchange Act); (ii) requiring the resolution to include the total number and/or dollar value of awards the officer is allowed to grant; and (iii) requiring the officer to periodically report to the Compensation Committee regarding the nature and scope of awards granted by the officer. Lastly, the Compensation Committee may expressly delegate to one or more of its members or to one or more officers of the Company or its affiliates or to one or more agents or advisors its administrative duties or powers under the OIP.

TREATMENTOF AWARDSUPON CERTAIN EVENTS

TERMINATIONOF CONTINUOUS SERVICE

The applicable award agreement or special plan document governing an award will specify the treatment of such award upon the termination of a participant’s continuous service. Continuous service means the absence of any interruption or termination of service as an employee, officer or director; provided that the following will not be considered an interruption in service: (i) a participant transfers employment, without interruption, between the Company and an affiliate or between affiliates, (ii) in the case of a spin-off, sale or disposition transaction where the Compensation Committee determines that no interruption will result or (iii) the participant is granted an unpaid leave of absence authorized in writing by the Company that does not exceed 12 months. The OIP defines an affiliate as any parent company of Company and each subsidiary of the Company, as those terms are defined in Section 424 of the IRC.

CHANGEIN CONTROL

Unless otherwise provided in an award agreement or any special plan document or separate agreement with a participant governing an award, upon the occurrence of a change in control (“CIC”) of the Company in which awards are not assumed by the surviving entity or otherwise converted into a Replacement Award, as defined in the OIP, the following shall occur:

Unless otherwise provided in an award agreement or any special plan document or separate agreement with a participant governing an award, if there is a change in control of the Company and a qualifying Replacement Award is provided to the participant, the participant shall not receive any automatic vesting or acceleration of the Replaced Award, as defined in the OIP. However, if a participant’s employment is involuntarily terminated other than for cause after such a change in control, then a participant’s Replacement Award in the form of:

FORFEITURE EVENTS

Awards under the OIP will be subject to any compensation recoupment policy that the Company may adopt from time to time that is applicable to the participant, including the claw back policy. An award agreement may specify that an award will be reduced, canceled, forfeited or recouped upon certain events, including (i) termination of employment for cause; (ii) violation of material Company policies; (iii) breach of noncompetition, confidentiality or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the participant; (iv) other conduct by the participant that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company; and (v) a later determination that the vesting of, or amount realized from, a performance award was based on materially inaccurate financial statements or performance metric criteria, whether or not the participant caused or contributed to such inaccuracy. The Company will also seek to recover any granted awards as required by the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any other law or listing standards of the NYSE.

TERMINATION & AMENDMENT

The OIP became effective on October 23, 2018 and shall continue until October 23, 2028 unless earlier terminated by the Board or the Compensation Committee. The Board or the Compensation Committee may, at any time and from time to time, amend, modify or terminate the OIP, unless such an amendment or modification would require shareholder approval under applicable laws, regulations or the NYSE rules.

The Compensation Committee may amend, modify or terminate an outstanding award without the approval of the participant, provided however, (i) the value of such award may not be reduced or diminished without the participant’s consent; (ii) the original term of an option or SAR may not be extended without prior approval of the Company’s shareholders; (iii) subject to the anti-dilution provisions of the OIP, the exercise price of an option or base price of an SAR may not be reduced, directly or indirectly (such as an exchange of an “underwater” option or SAR for cash or for another award), without the prior approval of the Company’s shareholders; and (iv) no termination, amendment or modification of the OIP will adversely affect any award previously made under the OIP without the consent of the affected participant.

TAX CONSEQUENCESOF AWARDS

The following discussion is limited to a summary of the U.S. federal income tax provisions relating to the making, exercising and vesting of awards under the OIP and the subsequent sale of common stock acquired under the OIP. The tax consequences of awards may vary depending upon the particular circumstances, and it should be noted that the income tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof change frequently. Participants should rely upon their own tax advisors for advice concerning the specific tax consequences applicable to them, including the applicability and effect of state, local and foreign tax laws.

NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTIONS

There will be no federal income tax consequences to the optionee or to the Company upon the grant of a stock option under the OIP. When the optionee exercises a stock option, however, they will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the common stock received upon exercise over the exercise price, and the Company expects that it will be allowed a corresponding deduction. Any gain that the optionee realizes when the optionee later sells or disposes of the option shares will be short-term or long-term capital gain, depending on how long the shares were held.

STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

At the time the award is granted, a participant receiving a SAR will not recognize income, and the Company will not be allowed a tax deduction. When the participant exercises the SAR, the amount of cash and the fair market value of any shares of common stock received will be ordinary income to the participant and the Company expects that it will be allowed a corresponding income tax deduction at that time.

RESTRICTED STOCK

Generally, the participant will not recognize income and the Company will not be allowed a tax deduction, at the time a restricted stock award is granted, provided that the award is subject to restrictions on transfer and is subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. When the restrictions lapse, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the fair market value of the common stock as of that date (less any amount paid for the stock), and the Company will be allowed a corresponding income tax deduction at that time, subject to any applicable limitations under IRC Section 162(m). If the participant files an election under IRC Section 83(b) within 30 days after the date of grant of the restricted stock, they will recognize ordinary income as of the date of grant equal to the fair market value of the stock on that date (less any amount paid for the stock), and the Company will be allowed a corresponding income tax deduction at that time, subject to applicable IRC Section 162(m) limitations. Any future appreciation in the stock will be taxable to the participant at capital gains rates. However, if the stock is later forfeited, the participant will not be able to recover the tax previously paid pursuant to the election. To the extent unrestricted dividends are paid during the restricted period under the applicable award agreement, any such dividends will be taxable to the participant as ordinary income and will be deductible by the Company unless the participant has made an election under IRC Section 83(b), in which case the dividends will thereafter be taxable to the participant as dividends and will not be deductible by the Company.

STOCK UNITS

A participant will not recognize income, and the Company will not be allowed a tax deduction, at the time a stock unit award is granted. Stock unit awards are typically RSUs or PSUs. Upon receipt of shares of common stock (or the equivalent value in cash) in settlement of a stock unit award, a participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the fair market value of the common stock or other property as of that date, and the Company will be allowed a corresponding income tax deduction at that time, subject to any applicable limitations under IRC Section 162(m).

CASH-BASED AWARDS

A participant will not recognize income at the time a cash-based award is granted (for example, when the performance goals are established). Upon receipt of cash in settlement of the award, a participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the cash received. The Company will be allowed a corresponding income tax deduction at the time the award is accrued under GAAP, as long as the award is settled within 2 1/2 months of the end of the fiscal year and subject to any applicable limitations under IRC Section 162(m). Otherwise, the Company will be allowed a corresponding income tax deduction at the time the award is paid.

IRC SECTION 409A

If an award is subject to IRC Section 409A (which relates to nonqualified deferred compensation plans), and if the requirements of Section 409A are not met, the taxable events as described above could apply earlier than described, and could result in the imposition of additional taxes and penalties. All awards that comply with the terms of the OIP, however, are intended to be exempt from the application of Section 409A or meet the requirements of Section 409A in order to avoid such early taxation and penalties.

TAX WITHHOLDING

The Company has the right to deduct or withhold, or require a participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy the Company’s federal, state and local tax withholding obligations (including employment taxes) imposed by law with respect to any exercise, lapse of restriction or other taxable event arising as a result of an award under the OIP. The Compensation Committee may, at the time the award is granted or thereafter, require or permit that any such withholding requirement be satisfied, in whole or in part, by delivery of, or withholding from the award, shares having a fair market value on the date of withholding equal to the amount required to be withheld for tax purposes.

BENEFITSTO NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS & OTHERS

Because awards under the OIP are discretionary, benefits or amounts that may be received by or allocated to eligible participants are not presently determinable. No awards that are contingent upon obtaining shareholder approval of the amendment of the OIP have been made.

The following table shows all of the awards under the OIP for FY 2021:

Required VoteREQUIRED VOTE & RecommendationRECOMMENDATION

Approval of this proposal will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in person or represented by proxy. Abstentions will not count as votes cast on this proposal, so abstentions will have no effect on the outcome. Broker non-votes will not be considered to have voted on this proposal, so will have no effect on the outcome.

The Board recommends that you vote “FOR” the amendment to and restatement of the 2018 Standex Omnibus Incentive Plan.

At each annual meeting, the Board provides shareholders with the opportunity to cast an advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers. Please see the “Summary Compensation Table” starting on page 64 for full details. This proposal, commonly known as a “Say on Pay” proposal, gives our shareholders the opportunity to endorse or not endorse our executive compensation programs and policies and the total compensation paid to our named executive officers. This advisory vote does not address any specific element of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and our compensation philosophy, policies and practices, as detailed in the “Compensation Discussion & Analysis” starting on page 47.

Although this vote is non-binding, the Board values the opinions of the Company’s shareholders and will consider the outcome of the vote when making future compensation decisions for our named executive officers.

As described in more detail in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) section, we have designed our executive compensation programs to align the long-term interests of our executives with those of our shareholders, attract and retain talented individuals and reward current performance. A large portion of the compensation is tied to the Company’s performance and is paid in both performance and time-based equity. This closely aligns both the short-term and long-term interests of our executives with those of shareholders and drives the creation of shareholder value.

We encourage shareholders to review the CD&A, which describes our philosophy and business strategy underpinning the programs, the individual elements of the compensation programs and how our compensation plans are administered.

REQUIRED VOTE & RECOMMENDATION

Approval of this advisory proposal will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in person or represented by proxy. Abstentions will not count as votes cast on this proposal, so abstentions will have no effect on the outcome. Brokernon-votes will not be considered to have voted on this proposal, so will have no effect on the outcome.

The advisory vote on executive compensation isnon-binding, therefore, our Board will not be obligated to take any compensation actions or adjust our executive compensation programs or policies as a result of the vote. Notwithstanding, the resolution will be considered passed with the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting.

The Board recommends that you vote “FOR”“FOR” the followingnon-binding resolution:

RESOLVED, that the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of RegulationS-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED.

The Audit Committee has approved Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”) to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2022 fiscal year. Deloitte was appointed on August 26, 2020. The Company did not engage Deloitte at any time during the two years before the appointment for any accounting-related matter. In the time since Deloitte’s appointment, Deloitte’s reports on the Company’s financial statements did not contain any adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, nor was Deloitte’s opinion qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.

Grant Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”) had served as the Company’s independent auditors from 2014 until their replacement on August 26, 2020 as the result of a competitive process. During that time, there were no disagreements between the Company and Grant Thornton on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosures or auditing scope or procedure. Also, during that time, Grant Thornton’s report on the Company’s financial statements did not contain any adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, nor was it qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.

We are asking our shareholders to ratify the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm. Although shareholder ratification is not required, the Board is submitting the proposal because we value our shareholders’ views on the Company’s independent auditor and as a matter of good corporate practice. In the event that our shareholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee will investigate the reasons and consider selecting a different firm. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee may select a different independent auditor at any time during the year if it determines such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

A representative from Deloitte will be available at the Annual Meeting to, as requested, make a statement, speak with shareholders or respond to appropriate questions.

PRE-APPROVAL POLICY

All services performed in FY 2021 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with the Audit Committee’s charter. The pre-approval policy requires the independent auditor to submit an itemization of the services to be provided and fees to be incurred during the fiscal year. The Audit Committee approves the scope and timing of the external audit plan and focuses on any matters that may affect the scope of the audit or the independence of the independent auditor. In that regard, the Audit Committee receives certain representations from the independent auditor regarding its independence and the permissibility, under the applicable laws and regulations, of any services provided.

Once the initial audit plan has been approved, any requests for additional services or fees must be submitted to the Audit Committee for approval. These additional services may not commence until the Audit Committee reviews and approves the request.

These requests for approval are normally evaluated during regularly scheduled Audit Committee meetings. However, if a request is submitted between meeting times, the Chair of the Audit Committee may approve the request pursuant to a delegation of authority. For the Chair of the Audit Committee, the approval authority is limited to services valued at less than $100,000. Any requests for services exceeding $100,000 must be approved by the full Audit Committee. If the Chair has exercised their approval authority, they must disclose all approval determinations to the full Audit Committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Independent Auditor’s Fees

The following table summarizes the aggregate fees for Grant Thornton’s services incurred by the Company. The Audit Committeepre-approved all of these audit andnon-audit fees in accordance with thepre-approval policy described above.

* Amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

Relationship with Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee reviews all relationships between Grant Thorntonthe independent auditor and the Company, including the provision ofnon-audit services. Grant Thornton provides limitedDeloitte has provided non-audit services during FY 2021 related to the Company, which are made up of agreed upon procedures performed in Ireland in connection with a government grant.tax compliance and tax advisory services.

The Audit Committee considered the effect of Grant Thornton’sDeloitte’s non-audit services in assessing its independence. After discussion with Company management and Grant Thornton,Deloitte, the Audit Committee concluded that the provision of these services was permitted under the rules and regulations concerning auditor independence.

Required VoteINDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S FEES

The following table summarizes the aggregate fees for audit and non-audit services incurred by the Company. The Audit Committee pre-approved all of these audit and non-audit fees in accordance with the pre-approval policy described above. The fees for FY 2020 shown below were for Grant Thornton’s services, while the fees for FY 2021 were for Deloitte’s services.

REQUIRED VOTE & RecommendationRECOMMENDATION

Approval of this advisory proposal will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in person or represented by proxy. Abstentions will not count as votes cast on this proposal, so abstentions will have no effect on the outcome. Brokernon-votes will be considered as a vote “FOR” this proposal.

The Board recommends that you vote “FOR”“FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Grant ThorntonDeloitte & Touche LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 20202022 fiscal year.

The purpose of corporate governance is to ensure that we maximize shareholder value consistent with both applicable law and a business model of integrity, ethical practices and ethical practices. compliance with all applicable law.

As part of its duties to the Company, the Board monitors and oversees the proper safeguarding of the assets of the Company, the maintenance of appropriate financial and other internal controls and the Company’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, the Board monitors and oversees the governance practices of the CEO and senior management.

In order to serve the best interests of shareholders while carrying out its purpose, the Board has established internal guidelines — the Corporate Governance Guidelines — designed to promote effective oversight of the Company’s governance program and principles.

The Corporate Governance Guidelines set parameters forprinciples, beginning with the director recruiting process and the composition of Board committees. They also determine the formal review of the CEO, individual directors and the overall Board’s performance. These guidelines further establish targets for director equity ownership and age and retirement requirements. The guidelines also include delineated duties for the Lead Independent Director. The Board reviews these guidelines, the corporate laws of Delaware, the rules and listing standards of the NYSE and SEC regulations, as well as best practices recognized by governance authorities to benchmark the standards under which it operates.

Governance Dashboard

Key Governance Materials Certification of Incorporation Charter for each Board committee By-Laws Code of Business Conduct Corporate Governance Guidelines Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Managementitself. You can access these materials in the Governance section of our website at by going to ir.standex.com in the “Governance” section. and clicking on “Governance.” See page 6075 for instructions on receiving copies of these corporate governance materials. Governance Highlights 7 out of 8 of our directors are independent Regular executive sessions of independent directors Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance committees are comprised solely of independent directors Annual board and committee self-evaluations Risk oversight by the full board and committees 62.5% of the directors are new since 2013 Ongoing review of optimal Board composition Board members participate in our Company-wide compliance and ethics training programs Corporate Governance Guidelines Independent compensation cnsultant reports directly to the compensation committee Lead Independent Director Stock ownership guidelines for directors and executive officers Policy against hedging and pledging of Company stock Code of Conduct applies to directors and all employees Annual advisory approval of executive compensation Board and committees may engage outside advisors independently of management