COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS
Members of the Board who are not Schneider associates (“Non-Employee Directors”) receive compensation for their service. As a Schneider associate, Mr. Rourke, our CEO, does not receive compensation for his service as a member of the Board. Biennially, the Compensation Committee reviews the total compensation of our Non-Employee Directors and each element of our Non-Employee Director compensation program. As part of this process, the Compensation Committee evaluates market data provided by its independent compensation consultant, FW Cook, and makes a recommendation to the Board. The Board determines the form and amount of Non-Employee Director compensation after reviewing the Compensation Committee’s recommendation. The compensation of our Non-Employee Directors did not change for 2021. We use a combination of cash and stock-based awards to attract and retain qualified candidates to serve on the Board. In setting director compensation, we consider the significant amount of time that directors expend to fulfill their duties, the skill level required of the members of the Board and competitive practices among peer companies.
Cash Retainers. Our Non-Employee Directors receive an annual cash retainer of $85,000. In 2021, the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Godfrey, received an additional cash retainer of $100,000; the Chair of the Audit Committee, Mr. Giertz, received an additional cash Committee Chair retainer of $25,000; the Chair of the Compensation Committee, Mr. Grubbs, received an additional cash Committee Chair retainer of $15,000; and the Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee, Mr. Welch, received an additional cash Committee Chair retainer of $10,000. In addition, in 2021, Mr. Swainson and Mr. Welch each received additional Committee Member retainers of $5,000 for their service as members of the Audit Committee. All retainers are paid in quarterly installments.
In October 2021, the Board approved increases in both the annual cash retainer paid to all directors and the additional cash retainers paid to the Chairs of the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committees. Effective January 2022, the annual cash retainer paid to all directors will increase to $95,000 and the additional cash retainers for the Chairs of the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committees will increase to $20,000 and $15,000, respectively.
Equity-Based Awards. A substantial portion of each Non-Employee Director’s annual retainer is in the form of an equity award. Non-Employee Directors are granted restricted stock units (“RSUs”) on the date of each annual meeting of shareholders (each, an “Annual Director Award”). All Annual Director Awards vest on the earlier of one-year from the date of grant or the date of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders the following year, subject to continued service on the Board through the vesting date. For 2021, the value of the annual equity award granted to all Non-Employee directors was $145,000. The number of RSUs underlying each Annual Director Award was determined by dividing $145,000 by the per share closing price of Schneider’s common stock on the date of grant.
In October 2021, the Board approved increases in the amount of the Annual Director Award granted to all Non-Employee directors. Effective on the date of the 2022 Annual Meeting, the value of the Annual Director Award will increase to $155,000.
A Non-Employee Director who is newly appointed to the Board other than in connection with an annual meeting of shareholders may receive a prorated grant of RSUs upon appointment. If granted, the number of RSUs subject to such prorated award will be determined in the same manner as described above for Annual Director Awards, but the award will be pro-rated based on the portion of the period that has passed since the last annual meeting.