The Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee acts pursuant to its charter and is
authorized and directed, among other things, to: (1) review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluate the Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of those goals and
objectives (including the Chief Executive Officer’s performance in fostering a culture of ethics and integrity), and, either as a committee or together with the other independent directors (as directed by the Board), determine and approve the
Chief Executive Officer’s compensation level based on this evaluation; (2) review the performance of, make recommendations (where appropriate) with respect to, and approve the total compensation for the executive officers of the Company other
than the CEO, including any proposed severance arrangements or change in control and similar agreements/provisions, and any amendments, supplements, or waivers to the foregoing agreements; (3) oversee the Company’s overall compensation
structure, policies, and programs for executive officers and employees, including assessing the incentives and risks arising from or related to the Company’s compensation programs and plans, and assessing whether the incentives and risks are
appropriate; (4) review and approve the Company’s incentive compensation and equity-based plans and approve changes to such plans, in each case subject, where appropriate, to stockholder or Board approval, and review and approve issuances of
equity securities to employees of the Company; (5) review and recommend to the Board annual retainer and meeting fees for non-employee members of the Board and committees of the Board, fix the terms and awards of stock compensation for such
members of the Board and determine the terms, if any, upon which such fees may be deferred; (6) produce a compensation committee report on executive officer compensation as required by the SEC, after the committee reviews and discusses with
management the Company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis, or “CD&A,” and consider whether to recommend that it be included in the Company’s proxy statement or Annual Report; and (7) consider and recommend to the Board the frequency of
the Company’s advisory vote on executive compensation.
The members of the Compensation Committee are Ms. Rawlinson,
Chair, Mses. Decker, Romanow, and Schneider and Mr. Sorte. The Board has determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are “independent” as defined by the NYSE’s listing standards. In addition, the Compensation Committee consists of
“non-employee directors,” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act and “outside directors,” within the meaning of regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the
Internal Revenue Code. The Compensation Committee held three meetings during fiscal 2023.
Compensation Committee Processes and Procedures
The Compensation Committee meets as often as necessary to carry
out its responsibilities. The agenda for each meeting is usually developed by the Chair of the Compensation Committee, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer does not participate in and is not present
during any deliberations or determinations of the Compensation Committee regarding her compensation or individual performance objectives. The charter of the Compensation Committee grants the Compensation Committee sole authority, at the expense
of the Company, to retain or to obtain advice from a compensation consultant, legal counsel, or other adviser to assist in the execution of the Compensation Committee’s responsibilities. The Compensation Committee is directly responsible for
the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of any consultant or adviser retained and has authority to approve the fees and other retention terms. The Compensation Committee expects that it will seek advice from independent
compensation consultants as it deems necessary on a periodic basis, but not necessarily annually, in order to determine that the Company’s compensation programs remain appropriate and consistent with industry practices. Prior to the retention
of any compensation consultant, legal counsel, or any other external adviser, the Compensation Committee will assess the independence of such adviser from management, taking into consideration all factors relevant to such adviser’s
independence, including factors specified in the NYSE listing standards.
During fiscal 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Aon's Human
Capital Solutions Practice, a division of Aon plc. (“Aon”), a multinational, multi-services insurance and consulting firm as its independent compensation consultant. Aon was retained by the Compensation Committee to review the Company’s
executive and Board compensation programs, including an analysis relating to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and a compensation program risk assessment.
In fiscal 2023, Aon was paid approximately $133,000 for these
executive compensation consulting services provided to the Compensation Committee. During fiscal 2023, Aon and its affiliates provided insurance services, health benefits, valuation services, and a pharmacy coalition membership. The decision to
engage Aon and its affiliates for these additional services was made by management as part of the Company’s existing relationship with Aon concerning these services, and was not approved, or required to be approved, by the Compensation
Committee or the Board. Professional fees for the foregoing additional services in fiscal 2023 were approximately $634,000, or 0.005% of Aon's approximately $12.5 billion corporate revenues. The individuals at Aon that advise the Compensation
Committee on executive compensation matters have no involvement in the other services provided to the Company by Aon and its affiliates, and the individuals at Aon advising the Compensation Committee report directly to, and are overseen by, the
Compensation Committee. These individuals have no other relationship with the Company or