interim Executive Chairman of the Board terminated on May 15, 2019 in connection with the appointment of Mr. Abulaban as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Upon the termination of his employment, Mr. McQuay received accrued compensation and benefits through his termination date and reimbursement of outstanding but unreimbursed expenses and his employment agreement was terminated.
Employment Agreement with Majdi B. Abulaban, President and Chief Executive Officer
On April 1, 2019, the Company announced the appointment of Majdi B. Abulaban, as its President and Chief Executive Officer. The Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Abulaban, effective May 15, 2019, and Mr. Abulaban was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company, effective that same date.
The employment agreement is subject to an initialtwo-year term, withone-year automatic renewals thereafter. The employment agreement provides Mr. Abulaban with an initial annual base salary of $800,000 and eligibility to receive annual cash performance bonuses with target and maximum opportunities of 125% and 250% of his annual base salary, respectively, subject to a minimum amount for the 2019 fiscal year of $625,000. In addition, Mr. Abulaban is eligible to receive severance payments and benefits upon certain terminations of his employment with the Company pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement as discussed in the “2019 Executive Compensation Components—Severance / Termination / Change in Control Benefits” section of this Amendment No. 1.
In connection with the commencement of Mr. Abulaban’s employment with the Company, Mr. Abulaban received the following equity awards pursuant to the Company’s 2019 Inducement Grant Plan (the “2019 Inducement Plan”): (i) the Inducement Award consisting of (A) 666,667 PRSUs at target, vesting in three approximately equal installments to the extent that the performance metrics are satisfied during each of three performance periods and (B) 333,333 time-based RSUs, vesting in approximately equal installments on February 28, 2020, 2021 and 2022; (ii) a regular 2019-2021 PRSU grant, with the target number of PRSUs to be equal to 316,832 which will vest to the extent that the performance metrics are satisfied; and (iii) a regular 2019 time-based RSU grant, with the number of RSUs to be equal to 158,416 vesting in approximately equal installments on February 28, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Inducement Award is intended to replace certain equity awards that were forfeited by Mr. Abulaban upon his resignation from his former employer. The PRSU awards may be earned at up to 200% of target depending on the level of achievement of the performance metrics.
Retention Agreements
As a result of changes in leadership and the desire to retain key executives, the Company entered into a Retention Bonus Agreement with each of Mr. Masanovich and Ms. Finnorn on August 8, 2019 and with Mr. Kakar on December 13, 2019 (the “Retention Bonus Agreements”). Pursuant to the terms of their respective Retention Bonus Agreement, Mr. Masanovich received a retention award consisting of a cash award of $583,495 payable August 8, 2021 and a grant of 35,000 time-based RSUs with a vesting date of August 8, 2021, Ms. Finnorn received a retention award consisting of a cash award of $118,650 payable August 8, 2021 and a grant of 20,000 time-based RSUs with a vesting date of August 8, 2021, and Mr. Kakar received a retention award consisting of a cash award of $216,300 payable October 1, 2021 and a grant of 20,000 time-based RSUs with a vesting date of October 1, 2021. Messrs. Masanovich and Kakar, and Ms. Finnorn are required to be employed at the time of vesting to receive the retention awards, except that the Company is required to pay the full amount of the cash award and the time-based RSUs become fully vested if the Company terminates the employment of Mr. Masanovich, Mr. Kakar, or Ms. Finnorn, as applicable, other than for cause.
Compensation Governance
Philosophy
The Compensation and Benefits Committee believes that Superior’s NEOs should be paid in a manner that attracts, motivates and retains the best-available talent and rewards them for driving successful results. This philosophy is achieved through the base salary, AIPP and LTIP being targeted at the 50th percentile of the benchmark for each position, with adjustments made to reflect the relative skills, experience and past performance of the NEOs and their respective roles and responsibilities within the organization, and judgments about the extent to which the NEOs can impact the company-wide performance and creation of stockholder value. Within this overall philosophy, the Compensation and Benefits Committee’s ongoing objectives are:
| • | | To offer a total compensation program that is flexible to adapt to evolving regulatory requirements and changing economic and social conditions, and takes into consideration the compensation practices of our peer companies identified based on an objective set of criteria; |
| • | | To provide annual variable cash incentive awards based on Superior’s satisfaction of financial and, to a lesser degree,non-financial objectives; and |
| • | | To align the financial interests of executive officers with those of stockholders by providing appropriate long-term, equity-based incentives and retention awards. |
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