Use these links to rapidly review the document
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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. )
Filed by the Registrant ý | ||
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o |
||
Check the appropriate box: |
||
o |
Preliminary Proxy Statement |
|
o |
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
|
ý |
Definitive Proxy Statement |
|
o |
Definitive Additional Materials |
|
o |
Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
Adobe Systems Incorporated |
||||
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) |
||||
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant) |
||||
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box): | ||||
ý |
No fee required. |
|||
o |
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
|||
(1) | Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
|||
(2) | Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: |
|||
(3) | Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): |
|||
(4) | Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
|||
(5) | Total fee paid: |
|||
o |
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
|||
o |
Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
|||
(1) |
Amount Previously Paid: |
|||
(2) | Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
|||
(3) | Filing Party: |
|||
(4) | Date Filed: |
Adobe Systems Incorporated
345 Park Avenue
San Jose, California 95110-2704
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held April 9, 2008
Dear Stockholders:
You are cordially invited to attend our 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. local time at our East Tower building located at 321 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110. We are holding the meeting to:
If you owned our common stock at the close of business on February 11, 2008, you may attend and vote at the meeting. A list of stockholders eligible to vote at the meeting will be available for review during our regular business hours at our headquarters in San Jose, California for the ten days prior to the meeting for any purpose related to the meeting.
We are pleased to take advantage of new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. As a result, we are mailing to most of our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice") instead of a paper copy of this proxy statement and our 2007 Annual Report. The Notice contains instructions on how to access those documents over the Internet. The Notice also contains instructions on how to request a paper copy of our proxy materials, including this proxy statement, our 2007 Annual Report and a form of proxy card or voting instruction card. All stockholders who do not receive a Notice will receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail. We believe that this new process will allow us to provide our stockholders with the information they need in a timelier manner, while reducing the environmental impact and lowering the costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials.
Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, I hope that you will vote as soon as possible. You may vote your shares via a toll-free telephone number or over the Internet. If you received a paper copy of a proxy card or voting instruction card by mail, you may submit your proxy card or voting instruction card for the meeting by completing, signing, dating and returning your proxy card or voting instruction card in the envelope provided. Any stockholder attending the meeting may vote in person, even if you have already returned a proxy card or voting instruction card.
Sincerely, | ||
Karen Cottle Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary |
February 27,
2008
San Jose, California
Proxy Statement
for the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
To Be Held April 9, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
PROXY STATEMENT
INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING
Our Board of Directors is soliciting proxies for our 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. local time at our East Tower building located at 321 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110. Our principal executive offices are located at 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, and our telephone number is (408) 536-6000.
The proxy materials, including this proxy statement, proxy card or voting instruction card and our 2007 Annual Report are being distributed and made available on or about February 27, 2008. This proxy statement contains important information for you to consider when deciding how to vote on the matters brought before the meeting. Please read it carefully.
In accordance with rules and regulations recently adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials to our stockholders by providing access to such documents on the Internet. Accordingly, a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice") will be mailed to our stockholders of record and beneficial owners on or about February 27, 2008. Stockholders will have the ability to access the proxy materials on a website referred to in the Notice or request a printed set of the proxy materials be sent to them, by following the instructions in the Notice.
The Notice will also provide instructions on how to inform us to send future proxy materials to you electronically by email or in printed form by mail. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by email, you will receive an email next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting site. Your election to receive proxy materials by email or printed form by mail will remain in effect until you terminate it.
Choosing to receive future proxy materials by email will allow us to provide you with the information you need in a timelier manner, will save us the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will conserve natural resources.
We will bear the expense of soliciting proxies. In addition to these proxy materials, our directors and employees (who will receive no compensation in addition to their regular salaries) may solicit proxies in person, by telephone or email. We have also retained Innisfree M&A Incorporated to help us solicit proxies from brokers, bank nominees and other institutional owners. We expect to pay Innisfree a fee of $12,500 for its services and will reimburse Innisfree for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, estimated at $2,500. We will reimburse banks, brokers and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for reasonable charges and expenses incurred in forwarding soliciting materials to their clients.
Q: | Who may vote at the meeting? | |||
A: |
Our Board set February 11, 2008, as the record date for the meeting. If you owned our common stock at the close of business on February 11, 2008, you may attend and vote at the meeting. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on all matters to be voted on. As of February 11, 2008, there were 551,018,166 shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting. |
1
Q: |
What is the quorum requirement for the meeting? |
|||
A: |
A majority of our outstanding shares as of the record date must be present at the meeting in order to hold the meeting and conduct business. This is called a quorum. |
|||
Your shares will be counted as present at the meeting if you: |
||||
|
are present and entitled to vote in person at the meeting; or |
|||
|
have properly submitted a proxy card or voter instruction card, or voted by telephone or by the Internet. |
|||
If you abstain from voting on any or all proposals, your shares are still counted as present and entitled to vote. |
||||
Each proposal identifies the votes needed to approve or ratify the proposed action. |
||||
Q: |
What proposals will be voted on at the meeting? |
|||
A: |
There are three proposals scheduled to be voted on at the meeting: |
|||
|
Election of the six Class I members of our Board; |
|||
|
Approval of the amendment and restatement of the Adobe Systems Incorporated 2003 Equity Incentive Plan; and |
|||
|
Ratification of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm. |
|||
We will also consider any other business that properly comes before the meeting. As of the record date, we are not aware of any other matters to be submitted for consideration at the meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the meeting, the persons named in the enclosed proxy card or voter instruction card will vote the shares they represent using their best judgment. |
||||
Q: |
Why did I receive a Notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials this year instead of a full set of proxy materials? |
|||
A: |
We are pleased to take advantage of new SEC rules that allow companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we have sent to most of our stockholders of record and beneficial owners a Notice regarding Internet availability of proxy materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet or to request a paper copy may be found in the Notice. In addition, stockholders may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis. A stockholder's election to receive proxy materials by mail or email will remain in effect until the stockholder terminates it. |
|||
Q: |
Why didn't I receive a Notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials? |
|||
A: |
We are providing stockholders who have previously requested to receive paper copies of the proxy materials with paper copies of the proxy materials instead of a Notice. If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by us in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via email or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions provided in your Notice, or if you received a printed version of the proxy materials by mail, by following the instructions provided with your proxy materials and on your proxy card or voting instruction card, to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access stockholder communications electronically in future years. Alternatively, you can go to https://www.icsdelivery.com/adobe/index.html and enroll for online delivery of annual meeting and proxy voting materials. |
2
Q: |
Can I vote my shares by filling out and returning the Notice? |
|||
A: |
No. The Notice will, however, provide instructions on how to vote by Internet, by telephone, by requesting and returning a paper proxy card, or by submitting a ballot in person at the meeting. |
|||
Q: |
How may I vote my shares in person at the meeting? |
|||
A: |
If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services LLC, you are considered, with respect to those shares, the shareowner of record. As the shareowner of record, you have the right to vote in person at the meeting. If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by another nominee or trustee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name. As the beneficial owner, you are also invited to attend the meeting. Since a beneficial owner is not the shareowner of record, you may not vote these shares in person at the meeting unless you obtain a "legal proxy" from your broker, nominee, or trustee that holds your shares, giving you the right to vote the shares at the meeting. |
|||
Q: |
How can I vote my shares without attending the meeting? |
|||
A: |
Whether you hold shares directly as a registered shareowner of record or beneficially in street name, you may vote without attending the meeting. You may vote by granting a proxy or, for shares held in street name, by submitting voting instructions to your stockbroker, trustee or nominee. In most cases, you will be able to do this by telephone, by using the Internet or by mail if you request to receive a printed set of the proxy materials by mail. |
|||
By Telephone or Internet - If you have telephone or Internet access, you may submit your proxy by following the instructions provided in the Notice, or if you received a printed version of the proxy materials by mail, by following the instructions provided with your proxy materials and on your proxy card or voting instruction card. |
||||
By Mail - If you request printed proxy materials, you may submit your proxy by mail by signing your proxy card or, for shares held in street name, by following the voting instructions included by your stockbroker, trustee or nominee, and mailing it in the enclosed, postage-paid envelope. If you provide specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted as you have instructed. |
||||
Q: |
How can I revoke my proxy and change my vote after I return my proxy card? |
|||
A: |
You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time before the final vote at the meeting. You may do this by signing and submitting a new proxy card with a later date; or voting by telephone or by using the Internet, both of which must be completed by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 8, 2008 (your latest telephone or Internet proxy is counted); or by attending the meeting and voting in person. Attending the meeting alone will not revoke your proxy unless you specifically request your proxy to be revoked. If you hold shares through a bank or brokerage firm, you must contact that bank or firm directly to revoke any prior voting instructions. |
|||
Q: |
Where can I find the voting results of the meeting? |
|||
A: |
The preliminary voting results will be announced at the meeting. The final results will be published in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of fiscal year 2008. |
3
PROPOSAL 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
We currently have 12 members on our Board, which is divided into two classes (Class I and Class II) with alternating two-year terms. Mr. Chizen, a current Class I director, is not seeking re-election to the Board, and his term will expire immediately following the meeting. In accordance with our Bylaws, the Board has elected to reduce the size of the Board from 12 to 11 members effective immediately following the meeting pursuant to a resolution adopted by the Board. Proxy holders will vote for the six Class I nominees listed below to serve until our 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until such director's successor has been elected and qualified, or until such director's death, resignation or removal. The members of our Board who are Class II directors will be considered for nomination for election in 2009.
Each of the nominees listed below is currently a director of Adobe. Shantanu Narayen was appointed to our Board in December 2007. All other Class I nominees have previously been elected by our stockholders. There are no family relationships among our directors or executive officers. If any nominee is unable or declines to serve as a director, the Board may designate another nominee to fill the vacancy and the proxy will be voted for that nominee.
Vote Required and Board Recommendation
Unless otherwise instructed, the proxies received will be voted for the nominees named below to serve as directors.
As part of our continuing efforts to enhance our corporate governance procedures, our Board recently amended our Bylaws to require that each director be elected by the majority of votes cast with respect to such director in uncontested elections. Any nominee for director, in an uncontested election, who receives a greater number of votes "AGAINST" his or her election than votes "FOR" such election shall promptly tender his or her resignation to the Board, and the Board, after taking into consideration the recommendation of the Nominating and Governance Committee, will determine whether to accept the director's resignation. The election of directors pursuant to this proposal is an uncontested election, and, therefore, the majority vote standard will apply. Abstentions will not affect the election of directors. In tabulating the voting results for the election of directors, only "FOR" and "AGAINST" votes are counted.
THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" ALL NOMINEES
4
Our Board of Directors
The following tables set forth the name and age of each nominee and each director of Adobe whose term of office will continue after the meeting, the principal occupation of each during the past five years, and the year each began serving as a director of Adobe:
Nominees for Election as Class I Directors for a Term Expiring in 2010 |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name |
Principal Occupation During Last Five Years |
Age |
Director Since |
|||
Edward W. Barnholt | Mr. Barnholt served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Agilent Technologies, Inc., a measurement company, from March 1999 to March 2005 and as its Chairman of the Board from November 2002 until his retirement in March 2005. From 1990 to 1999, Mr. Barnholt served in several executive positions at the Hewlett-Packard Company, a computer and electronics company, including serving as Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Measurements Organization. Mr. Barnholt currently serves on the Board of Directors of eBay Inc. and as Chairman of the Board of KLA-Tencor Corporation. Mr. Barnholt holds a B.S. and a M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. | 64 | 2005 | |||
Michael R. Cannon |
Mr. Cannon currently serves as President, Global Operations for Dell Inc., a computer systems manufacturer and services provider. Prior to joining Dell in February 2007, Mr. Cannon was the President and Chief Executive Officer, and served on the Board of Directors, of Solectron Corporation, an electronic manufacturing services company, which he joined in January 2003. From July 1996 until joining Solectron, Mr. Cannon served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Maxtor Corporation, a disk drive manufacturer. During this time, Mr. Cannon also served on Maxtor's Board of Directors. He served on the Board of Directors of Seagate Technology, which acquired Maxtor in May 2006, until February 2007 when he resigned. Mr. Cannon studied mechanical engineering at Michigan State University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. |
55 |
2003 |
5
James E. Daley |
Mr. Daley has been an independent consultant since his retirement in July 2003 from Electronic Data Systems, or EDS, an information technology service company. Mr. Daley served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of EDS from March 1999 to February 2003, and as its Executive Vice President of Client Solutions, Global Sales and Marketing from February 2003 to July 2003. From 1963 until his retirement in 1998, Mr. Daley was with Price Waterhouse, L.L.P., an accounting firm, where he served as Co-ChairmanOperations and Vice-ChairmanInternational from 1988 to 1998. Mr. Daley currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, a mutual insurance company. Mr. Daley holds a B.B.A. from Ohio University. |
66 |
2001 |
|||
Charles M. Geschke |
Dr. Geschke was a founder of Adobe and has served as our Chairman of the Board since September 1997, sharing that office with John E. Warnock. He was our Chief Operating Officer from December 1986 until July 1994 and our President from April 1989 until his retirement in April 2000. Dr. Geschke holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University. |
68 |
1983 |
|||
Shantanu Narayen |
Mr. Narayen currently serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined Adobe in January 1998 as Vice President and General Manager of our engineering technology group. In January 1999, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Worldwide Products, and in March 2001 he was promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Product Marketing and Development. In January 2005, Mr. Narayen was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer, and in December 2007, he was appointed our Chief Executive Officer and joined our Board of Directors. Mr. Narayen serves on the Board of Directors of Metavante Technologies, Inc. Mr. Narayen holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Osmania University in India, a master's degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University and a master's degree in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business. |
44 |
2007 |
6
Delbert W. Yocam |
Mr. Yocam has been an independent consultant since his retirement as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Borland Software Corporation, a software delivery optimization company, where he served from December 1996 through April 1999. Prior to joining Borland, Mr. Yocam held positions at Tektronix, Inc., a provider of test, measurement and monitoring solutions and services, and Apple, Inc., a hardware and software company. Mr. Yocam holds an M.B.A. from California State University, Long Beach, and a B.A. in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. |
64 |
1991 |
Incumbent Class II Directors with a Term Expiring in 2009 |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name |
Principal Occupation During Last Five Years |
Age |
Director Since |
|||
Robert K. Burgess | Mr. Burgess served as Executive Chairman of Macromedia, Inc., a provider of Internet and multimedia software, from January 2005 until his retirement in December 2005. From November 1996 to January 2005, Mr. Burgess served as Chief Executive Officer of Macromedia. He also served on the Board of Directors of Macromedia from November 1996 and as Chairman of the Board from July 1998 until December 2005, when Macromedia was acquired by Adobe. Prior to joining Macromedia, Mr. Burgess held key executive positions at Silicon Graphics, Inc., a graphics and computing company, and served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Alias Research, Inc., a 3D software company. Mr. Burgess holds a B.Com. from McMaster University. | 50 | 2005 | |||
Carol Mills |
Ms. Mills has been an independent consultant since February 2006. Ms. Mills served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Infrastructure Products Group, of Juniper Networks, Inc., a provider of networking and security solutions, from November 2004 until February 2006. Prior to joining Juniper Networks, Ms. Mills was an independent consultant from 2002 until November 2004. Ms. Mills was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Acta Technology, Inc., a private data integration company that was acquired by Business Objects in late 2002. Prior to joining Acta in July 1998, Ms. Mills held several executive positions at the Hewlett-Packard Company. Ms. Mills currently serves on the Board of Directors of Tekelec. Ms. Mills holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics from Smith College. |
54 |
1998 |
7
Colleen M. Pouliot |
Ms. Pouliot has been engaged in the private practice of law since her retirement from Adobe in April 2002. Ms. Pouliot served as Senior Vice President, Special Projects, for Adobe's Chief Executive Officer from December 2001 to April 2002. From December 1997 to December 2001, Ms. Pouliot was our Senior Vice President and General Counsel. She joined Adobe in July 1988 as Associate General Counsel and became Corporate Secretary in April 1989. In December 1990, she was promoted to General Counsel. In December 1992, she was promoted to Vice President; and in December 1997, she was promoted to Senior Vice President. Ms. Pouliot holds a J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a B.S. in Economics from Santa Clara University. |
49 |
2001 |
|||
Robert Sedgewick |
Dr. Sedgewick has been a Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University since 1985, where he was the founding Chairman of the Department of Computer Science. He is the author of numerous research papers and a widely used series of textbooks on algorithms. Dr. Sedgewick holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University. |
61 |
1990 |
|||
John E. Warnock |
Dr. Warnock was a founder of Adobe and has been our Chairman of the Board since April 1989. Since September 1997, he has shared the position of Chairman with Charles M. Geschke. Dr. Warnock served as our Chief Executive Officer from 1982 through December 2000. From December 2000 until his retirement in March 2001, Dr. Warnock served as our Chief Technical Officer. Dr. Warnock currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Salon Media Group, Inc. Dr. Warnock holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah. |
67 |
1983 |
Independence of Directors
As required by the NASDAQ Global Select Market's ("NASDAQ") listing standards, a majority of the members of our Board must qualify as "independent," as affirmatively determined by our Board. Our Board consults with our legal counsel to ensure that its determinations are consistent with all relevant securities and other laws and regulations regarding the definition of "independent," including those set forth in the applicable NASDAQ listing standards.
In determining Mr. Cannon's independence, the Board considered Mr. Cannon's position as President, Global Operations for Dell. In fiscal year 2007, Adobe purchased computer and related equipment from Dell and also licensed Adobe software for resale as part of Dell's product offerings.
In determining Dr. Geschke's independence, the Board considered Dr. Geschke's son's partnership interest in the law firm of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. In fiscal year 2007, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP acted as our legal counsel in various matters.
8
Adobe considers each of these business relationships at arms-length and in the ordinary course of business. Mr. Cannon and Dr. Geschke's son do not have a material direct or indirect interest in any of such business relationships.
In determining Dr. Warnock's independence, the Board considered Dr. Warnock's son's employment at Adobe as a project manager.
Consistent with these considerations, after review of all relevant transactions and relationships between each director, any of his or her family members, and Adobe, our executive officers and our independent registered public accounting firm, the Board has affirmatively determined that a majority of our Board is comprised of independent directors. Our independent directors include: Mr. Barnholt, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Cannon, Mr. Daley, Dr. Geschke, Ms. Mills, Ms. Pouliot, Dr. Sedgewick, Dr. Warnock and Mr. Yocam.
Committees of the Board
The Audit Committee's role includes the oversight of our financial, accounting and reporting processes; our system of internal accounting and financial controls; and our compliance with related legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee oversees the appointment, engagement, termination and services of our independent registered public accounting firm, including conducting a review of its independence; reviewing and approving the planned scope of our annual audit; overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm's audit work; reviewing and pre-approving any audit and non-audit services that may be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm; reviewing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy of our internal financial and disclosure controls; reviewing our critical accounting policies and the application of accounting principles; and monitoring the rotation of partners of our independent registered public accounting firm on our audit engagement team as required by law. The Audit Committee establishes procedures, as required under applicable law, for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. The Audit Committee's role also includes meeting to review our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and our independent registered public accounting firm. See "Report of the Audit Committee" contained in this proxy statement.
Each member of the Audit Committee meets the independence criteria prescribed by applicable law and the rules of the SEC for audit committee membership and is an "independent director" within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing standards. Each Audit Committee member meets the NASDAQ's financial literacy requirements, and the Board has further determined that Messrs. Daley and Yocam (i) are "audit committee financial experts" as such term is defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC, and (ii) also meet the NASDAQ's professional experience requirements. The Audit Committee acts pursuant to a written charter, which complies with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules of the SEC and NASDAQ, a copy of which can be found on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html.
The Executive Compensation Committee sets and administers the policies governing the annual compensation of our executive officers, including cash and non-cash compensation and equity compensation programs and, effective after fiscal year 2008 compensation was set, the Executive Compensation Committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the Board concerning Board and Committee compensation. The Executive Compensation Committee also reviews and approves equity-based compensation grants to our non-officer employees and consultants, other than stock option grants to our non-officer employees, which are approved by a Management Committee appointed by the Board consisting of our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Human
9
Resources. The Executive Compensation Committee is also responsible for oversight of our overall compensation plans and benefit programs. The members of the Executive Compensation Committee are all independent directors within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing standards, and at least two of the members are "non-employee directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and "outside directors" for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The Executive Compensation Committee acts pursuant to a written charter, a copy of which can be found on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html.
The Nominating and Governance Committee's primary purpose is to evaluate candidates for membership on our Board and make recommendations to our Board regarding candidates; make recommendations with respect to the composition of our Board and its Committees; review and make recommendations regarding the functioning of our Board as an entity; recommend corporate governance principles applicable to Adobe; and manage periodic evaluations of the performance of the Board and its Committees. The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews and approves all related-party transactions between Adobe, our executive officers and directors, beneficial owners of five percent or greater of our securities, and all other related persons as specified under Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC. The Nominating and Governance Committee also assists our Board in reviewing and assessing management development and succession planning for executive officers. The Nominating and Governance Committee made recommendations concerning Board and Committee compensation through fiscal year 2008. The members of our Nominating and Governance Committee are all independent directors within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing standards. The Nominating and Governance Committee operates pursuant to a written charter, a copy of which can be found on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html.
In carrying out its function to nominate candidates for election to our Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers the mix of skills, experience, character, commitment, and diversity of background, all in the context of the requirements of our Board at that point in time. The Nominating and Governance Committee believes that each candidate should be an individual who has demonstrated integrity and ethics in such candidate's personal and professional life, has an understanding of elements relevant to the success of a publicly-traded company and has established a record of professional accomplishment in such candidate's chosen field. Each candidate should be prepared to participate fully in Board activities, including attendance at, and active participation in, meetings of the Board, and not have other personal or professional commitments that would, in the Nominating and Governance Committee's judgment, interfere with or limit such candidate's ability to do so. Each candidate should also be prepared to represent the best interests of all of our stockholders and not just one particular constituency. Additionally, in determining whether to recommend a director for re-election, the Nominating and Governance Committee also considers the director's past attendance at Board and Committee meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities of our Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee has no stated specific, minimum qualifications that must be met by a candidate for a position on our Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee does, however, believe it appropriate for at least one member of our Board to meet the criteria for an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by SEC rules, and that a majority of the members of our Board meet the definition of "independent director" within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing standards.
The Nominating and Governance Committee's methods for identifying candidates for election to our Board include the solicitation of ideas for possible candidates from a number of sources, including from members of our Board, our executives, individuals personally known to the members of our Board and through other research. The Nominating and Governance Committee may also, from time to time, retain for a fee one or more third-party search firms to identify suitable candidates.
10
Any of our stockholders may nominate one or more persons for election as a director of Adobe at an annual meeting of stockholders if the stockholder complies with the notice, information and consent provisions contained in our Bylaws. In addition, the notice must include any other information required pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act. In order for the director nomination to be timely for our 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a stockholder's notice to our Secretary must be delivered to our principal executive offices no later than October 30, 2008. Our Bylaws specify additional requirements if stockholders wish to nominate directors at special meetings of stockholders.
The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider all candidates identified through the processes described above, and will evaluate each candidate, including incumbents, based on the same criteria.
Meetings of the Board and Committees
During fiscal year 2007, our Board held eight meetings, and its three standing CommitteesAudit Committee, Executive Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Governance Committeecollectively held 27 meetings. Each director attended at least 75% of the meetings (held during the period that such director served) of the Board and the Committees on which such director served in fiscal year 2007. Members of our Board are encouraged to attend our annual meetings of stockholders. All of our Board members attended our 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
The following table sets forth the three standing Committees of our Board, the members of each Committee, and the number of meetings held by our Board and the Committees during fiscal year 2007:
Name |
Board |
Audit |
Executive Compensation |
Nominating and Governance |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr. Barnholt | X | X | Chair(1) | |||||
Mr. Burgess | X | |||||||
Mr. Cannon | X | X(2) | X | |||||
Mr. Chizen | X | |||||||
Mr. Daley | X | Chair | X | |||||
Dr. Geschke | Chair | |||||||
Ms. Mills | X | Chair(3) | X(4) | |||||
Ms. Pouliot | X | X(5) | X(5) | |||||
Dr. Sedgewick | X | X | X | |||||
Dr. Warnock | Chair | |||||||
Mr. Yocam | X | X | X | |||||
Number of meetings held in fiscal year 2007 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 3 |
11
Communications with the Board
Any stockholder who desires to contact our Board, or specific members of our Board, may do so electronically by sending an email to the following address: directors@adobe.com. Alternatively, a stockholder can contact our Board, or specific members of our Board, by writing to: Stockholder Communications, Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110-2704 USA.
PROPOSAL 2
APPROVAL OF
THE AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE
ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED 2003 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
In January 2008, the Executive Compensation Committee of our Board approved amendments to our Adobe Systems Incorporated 2003 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2003 Plan"), subject to approval by our stockholders (the "2003 Amended Plan"). Our Board believes that the amendments included in the 2003 Amended Plan are an integral part of Adobe's long-term compensation philosophy, and our stockholders are being asked to approve the 2003 Amended Plan.
General 2003 Plan Information
Our 2003 Plan was originally adopted by our Board in January 2003 and approved by our stockholders in April 2003 as a successor plan to our 1994 Stock Option Plan and our 1999 Equity Incentive Plan. Our Board, with stockholder approval, has subsequently amended the 2003 Plan from time to time. As of February 11, 2008, an aggregate of 30,308,781 shares of our common stock remained available for future grants under the 2003 Plan.
Key Amendments to the 2003 Plan
Our Board believes the 2003 Amended Plan is important to Adobe's success in enhancing our ability to attract and retain talented people and inspire them to build long-term value for our stockholders. See "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" contained in this proxy statement for more information regarding our compensation strategy. In addition to recent updates to the 2003 Plan as approved by our Board for clarity, ease of administration, and compliance with developments in applicable laws (such as Section 409A of the Code), we have made, and submit for your consideration, the following changes to the 2003 Plan:
12
and (ii) by two and four-tenths shares for each share granted pursuant to all other types of awards awarded under the 2003 Amended Plan.
Vote Required and Board Recommendation
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting will be required to approve the 2003 Amended Plan. Neither abstentions nor broker non-votes will have any effect on the outcome of this proposal.
THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THIS PROPOSAL
Summary of the 2003 Amended Plan Terms
The following summary of the 2003 Amended Plan is qualified in its entirety by the specific language of the 2003 Amended Plan, a copy of which was filed with the SEC with this proxy statement. This summary notes the key differences between the 2003 Plan and the 2003 Amended Plan.
General
The 2003 Amended Plan advances the interests of Adobe and its affiliates and stockholders by providing equity-based incentives that are necessary in today's competitive labor market to attract, reward and retain employees, consultants, directors and other advisors upon whose judgment and contributions we depend on for our success. The 2003 Amended Plan allows us to achieve these purposes by providing for grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock purchase rights, stock bonuses, restricted stock units, performance shares, and performance units.
Eligibility
Under the 2003 Amended Plan, we may grant awards to employees (including executive officers), consultants, and individuals who serve as members of our Board or any parent or subsidiary corporation or other affiliated entity of Adobe. While under applicable tax law we may grant incentive stock options only to employees, we may grant nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock bonuses, stock purchase rights, restricted stock units, and performance awards to any eligible participant. As of February 11, 2008, we had a total of 7,117 employees and consultants and 10 non-employee directors who would be eligible to be granted awards from the 2003 Amended Plan.
Shares Subject to Plan
Adobe proposes an increase in the available share reserve under the 2003 Plan by 15,000,000 shares of our common stock, as well as including 785,000 shares of our common stock that, as of February 11, 2008, remained available for future grants under our currently existing Director Plan. If such increase is approved by our stockholders, the cumulative aggregate share authorization under our 2003 Amended Plan will increase from 172,474,620 (the "Existing Share Reserve") to 188,259,620 shares (the "Amended Share Reserve"). As of February 11, 2008, 56,893,922 shares had been issued from the Existing Share Reserve, awards covering 33,904,948 shares were outstanding under the Existing Share Reserve and 30,308,781 shares remained available to be made subject to future awards under the Existing Share Reserve.
Pursuant to the proposed amendments, the Amended Share Reserve will be reduced:
13
If any award granted under the 2003 Amended Plan expires, lapses or otherwise terminates for any reason without having been exercised or settled in full, or if shares subject to forfeiture or repurchase upon failure to vest at termination are so forfeited or repurchased, any such shares will again become available for issuance under the 2003 Amended Plan in proportion to the number of shares by which the reserve was originally reduced at the time of grant or issuance, as described above. Shares will not be treated as having been issued under the 2003 Amended Plan and will therefore not reduce the number of shares available for grant to the extent an award is settled in cash (other than cash-settled stock appreciation rights). Shares will be treated as having been issued under the 2003 Amended Plan to the extent such shares are withheld in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations or the payment of the award's exercise or purchase price.
Appropriate adjustments will be made to the Amended Share Reserve, to the other numerical limits described in the 2003 Amended Plan (such as the limit on the number of shares that may be issued as incentive stock options and the limit on the number of shares that may be awarded to any one person in any fiscal year for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code) and to outstanding awards in the event of any change in our common stock through merger, consolidation, reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares or similar change in our capital structure, or if we make a distribution in a form other than common stock (excluding normal cash dividends) that has a material effect on the fair market value of our common stock.
Administration
The 2003 Amended Plan is administered by two Committees duly appointed by the Board, specifically, the Executive Compensation Committee and the Management Committee. The Management Committee, currently consisting of our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Human Resources, is authorized by the Board to grant stock options to eligible employees who are not executive officers, directors or consultants. The Executive Compensation Committee, which consists of at least two directors who are "non-employee directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and "outside directors" for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code, is authorized to grant all types of awards to all eligible participants, including to employees, executive officers, directors and consultants. For purposes of this summary of the terms of the 2003 Amended Plan, the term "Committee" refers to either such duly appointed Committee or the Board, unless the context or applicable law requires otherwise.
Subject to the provisions of the 2003 Amended Plan and the authority delegated to it by the Board, the Committee determines, in its discretion, the persons to whom and the times at which awards are granted, the types and sizes of such awards, and all of their terms and conditions. The Committee may, subject to certain limitations required by Section 162(m) and the express language in the 2003 Amended Plan that prohibits a reduction in the exercise price of outstanding awards without stockholder approval, amend, modify, extend, cancel or renew any award, waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any award, and accelerate, continue, extend or defer the vesting of any award. The Committee may establish rules and policies for administration of the 2003 Amended Plan and adopt one or more forms of agreement to evidence awards made under the 2003 Amended Plan. The Committee interprets the 2003 Amended Plan and any agreement used under the 2003 Amended Plan, and all determinations of the Committee will be final and binding on all persons having an interest in
14
the 2003 Amended Plan or any award issued under the 2003 Amended Plan. The 2003 Amended Plan provides, subject to certain limitations, for indemnification by Adobe of any officer, employee or director against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred in connection with any legal action arising from such person's action or failure to act in administering the 2003 Amended Plan.
Repricing Prohibition
The 2003 Amended Plan expressly provides that, without the approval of a majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy at a meeting of our stockholders, the Committee may not provide for either the cancellation of options or stock appreciation rights outstanding under the 2003 Amended Plan in exchange for the grant of a new award at a lower exercise price or the amendment of outstanding options or stock appreciation rights to reduce the exercise price.
Stock Options
The Committee may grant nonstatutory stock options, incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code or any combination of these. Subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any change in our capital structure, we may not grant to any one employee in any fiscal year options which, together with Freestanding SARs (as defined below) granted that year, cover in the aggregate more than 4,000,000 shares. Subject to adjustment as provided in the 2003 Amended Plan, in no event shall more than 188,259,620 shares of our common stock be available for issuance pursuant to the exercise of incentive stock options granted under the 2003 Amended Plan.
Each option granted under the 2003 Amended Plan must be evidenced by a written agreement between us and the optionee specifying the number of shares subject to the option and the other terms and conditions of the option, consistent with the requirements of the 2003 Amended Plan. The exercise price of each option may not be less than the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant (except in connection with the assumption or substitution for another option in a manner qualifying under Sections 409A and 424(a) of the Code). However, any incentive stock option granted to a person who at the time of grant owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock or of any parent or subsidiary corporation of Adobe (a "Ten Percent Stockholder") must have an exercise price equal to at least 110% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant.
The 2003 Amended Plan provides that the option exercise price may be paid in cash, by check, or in cash equivalent; by means of a broker-assisted cashless exercise; by means of a "net exercise" arrangement; by tender of shares of common stock owned by the optionee having a fair market value not less than the exercise price; by such other lawful consideration as approved by the Committee, or by any combination of these. Nevertheless, the Committee may restrict the forms of payment permitted in connection with any option grant. No option may be exercised unless the optionee has made adequate provision for federal, state, local and foreign taxes, if any, relating to the exercise of the option, including, if permitted or required by us, through the optionee's surrender of a portion of the option shares to Adobe.
Options become vested and exercisable at such times or upon such events and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria or restrictions as specified by the Committee. In general, employee stock options vest in monthly installments over a period of four years after the date of grant, except for new-hire grants, which vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and then monthly vesting thereafter for the following three years. Options granted to our directors generally vest 25% each year on the day immediately preceding our annual stockholder meeting over a four year period.
The maximum term of any option granted under the 2003 Amended Plan is ten years. Options granted to our directors generally expire ten years from the date of grant; however, most options granted to our employees will expire not later than seven years from the date of grant and in no event
15
will the term of an incentive stock option granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder exceed five years. Subject to the term of the option, an option generally will remain exercisable for three months following the optionee's termination of service, except that if service terminates as a result of an employee optionee's normal retirement, death or disability, the option generally will remain exercisable for twelve months, or if service is terminated for cause, the option will terminate immediately. The Committee, in its discretion, may provide different post-termination exercise periods, but in any event the option must be exercised no later than the original expiration of its term.
Stock options are not assignable or transferable by the optionee other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in its discretion, and as set forth in the option award agreement, an option is assignable or transferable subject to the applicable limitations described in the General Instructions to Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933 (which includes transfers to family members, family trusts or pursuant to domestic relations orders, but excludes transfers of options for consideration).
Stock Appreciation Rights
The Committee may grant stock appreciation rights either in tandem with a related option (a "Tandem SAR") or independently of any option (a "Freestanding SAR"). A Tandem SAR requires the option holder to elect between the exercise of the underlying option for shares of common stock or the surrender of the option and the exercise of the related stock appreciation right. A Tandem SAR is exercisable only at the time and only to the extent that the related stock option is exercisable, while a Freestanding SAR is exercisable at such times or upon such events and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria or restrictions as specified by the Committee. The exercise price of each SAR may not be less than the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant. Subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any change in our capital structure, we may not grant to any one employee in any fiscal year Freestanding SARs which, together with options granted that year, cover in the aggregate more than 4,000,000 shares.
Upon the exercise of any stock appreciation right, the participant is entitled to receive an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the underlying shares of common stock as to which the right is exercised over the aggregate exercise price for such shares. At the Committee's discretion, we may make payment of this stock price appreciation in cash or in shares of common stock whose fair market value on the exercise date equals the payment amount. We may make payment in a lump sum or we may defer payment in accordance with the terms of the participant's award agreement. The maximum term of any stock appreciation right granted under the 2003 Amended Plan is eight years.
Stock Awards
Stock awards may be granted under the 2003 Amended Plan in the form of a stock bonus, a stock purchase right or a restricted stock unit. The purchase price for shares issuable under each stock purchase right (and, if applicable, each restricted stock unit) will be established by the Committee in its discretion and may be paid in cash, by check, in cash equivalent or by such other lawful consideration as approved by the Committee. No monetary payment is required for receipt of shares pursuant to a stock bonus, the consideration for which is services rendered by the participant, except that the participant must furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered having a value not less than the par value of the shares acquired, to the extent required by law.
Stock awards may be granted by the Committee subject to such restrictions for such periods as determined by the Committee and set forth in a written agreement between Adobe and the participant, and neither the award nor the shares acquired pursuant to the award may be sold or otherwise transferred or pledged until the restrictions lapse or are terminated. Restrictions may lapse in full or in installments on the basis of the participant's continued service or other factors, such as the attainment
16
of performance goals (see discussion of permitted performance goals under "Performance Awards" below) established by the Committee. Typically, new hire and annual restricted stock unit grants for our employees and directors will vest 25% each year on the anniversary of the grant date over a four year period. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a participant will forfeit any shares acquired (and any rights to acquire shares) under a stock award as to which the restrictions have not lapsed prior to the participant's termination of service. Participants holding restricted stock will have the right to vote the shares and to receive all dividends and other distributions, except that any dividends or other distributions in shares will be subject to the same restrictions on transferability as the original award. Participants holding restricted stock units will not have the right to vote the shares until such shares have been issued and the Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide that dividend equivalents will not be paid or provide for either current or deferred payment of dividend equivalents. Subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any change in our capital structure, we may not grant to any one employee in any fiscal year stock awards for more than 200,000 shares subject to restrictions based on the attainment of performance goals.
Performance Awards
The Committee may grant performance awards subject to such conditions and the attainment of such performance goals over such periods as the Committee determines in writing and sets forth in a written agreement between Adobe and the participant. These awards may be designated as performance shares or performance units. Performance shares and performance units are unfunded bookkeeping entries generally having initial values, equal to the fair market value determined on the grant date of one share of common stock and $100 per unit, respectively. Performance awards will specify a predetermined amount of performance shares or performance units that may be earned by the participant to the extent that one or more predetermined performance goals are attained within a predetermined performance period. We may settle performance awards to the extent earned in cash, shares of our common stock (including shares of restricted stock) or any combination thereof. Subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any change in our capital structure, for each of our full fiscal years contained within the applicable performance period, we may not grant performance shares to any one employee that could result in the employee receiving more than 200,000 shares of common stock, or performance units to any one employee that could result in the employee receiving more than $2,500,000. No participant may be granted more than one performance award for the same performance period.
Generally, prior to the beginning of the applicable performance period or such later date as permitted under applicable law (such as Section 162(m) of the Code if deductibility under Section 162(m) is desired with respect to a specific award), the Committee will establish one or more performance goals applicable to the award. These goals will be based on the attainment of specified levels with respect to one or more measures of the business or financial performance of Adobe, its affiliates and/or such division or business unit as determined by the Committee. As provided under the 2003 Amended Plan, the Committee, in its discretion, may base performance goals on one or more of the following measures: growth in revenue; growth in market price of our common stock; operating margin; gross margin; operating income; pre-tax profit; earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation; earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization; net income; total return on shares of our common stock relative to the increase in an appropriate index selected by the Committee; earnings per share; return on stockholder equity; return on net assets; expenses; return on capital; economic value added; market share; operating cash flow; cash flow, as indicated by book earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; cash flow per share; customer satisfaction; implementation or completion of projects or processes; improvement in or attainment of working capital levels; stockholders' equity; and other measures of performance selected by the Committee. The target levels with respect to these performance measures may be expressed on an absolute basis or relative to a standard specified by the Committee. At the time the Committee establishes the applicable
17
performance goals, the degree of attainment of performance measures may, according to criteria established by the Committee, be adjusted for changes in accounting standards, restructuring charges, and similar extraordinary items as outlined in the 2003 Amended Plan.
Following completion of the applicable performance period, the Committee will certify the extent to which the applicable performance goals have been attained and the resulting value to be paid to the participant. If deductibility of the compensation is desired, the Committee retains the discretion to eliminate or reduce, but not increase, the amount that would otherwise be payable on the basis of the performance goals attained to a participant who is a "covered employee" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. The Committee may otherwise make positive or negative adjustments to performance award payments to participants to reflect the participant's individual job performance or other factors determined by the Committee. The Committee may provide for performance award payments in lump sums or installments. The Committee may also provide for the payment of dividend equivalents with respect to cash dividends paid on the common stock subject to the performance award. Generally, performance awards may not be sold or transferred other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
For fiscal year 2007, our performance shares that have been issued upon attainment of performance objectives vested 25% on the later of the certification by our Executive Compensation Committee of the achievement of the performance goals and the one-year anniversary of the grant date. The remaining 75% of the unvested units are subject to time-based annual vesting over the next three years.
Change of Control
For awards granted prior to January 24, 2008, a "Change of Control" under the 2003 Plan means any of the following events (or series of related events) in which Adobe's stockholders, immediately prior to the event, do not retain, immediately after the event, direct or indirect beneficial ownership of more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of Adobe or the entity to which Adobe's assets were transferred: (i) the direct or indirect sale or exchange by the stockholders of all or substantially all of voting stock of Adobe; (ii) a merger or consolidation in which Adobe is a party; (iii) the sale, exchange, or transfer of all or substantially all of Adobe's assets; or (iv) a liquidation or dissolution of Adobe. If a Change of Control occurs, the surviving, continuing, successor or purchasing entity or its parent may, without the consent of any participant, either assume all outstanding options, restricted stock units and stock appreciation rights or substitute substantially equivalent options, restricted stock units or rights for its stock. If the outstanding options, restricted stock units and stock appreciation rights are not assumed or replaced, then all unexercised and unvested portions of such outstanding awards will become immediately exercisable and vested in full. Any stock options, restricted stock units or stock appreciation rights which are not assumed in connection with a Change of Control or exercised prior to the Change of Control will terminate effective as of the time of the Change of Control.
For awards granted on or after January 24, 2008, a "Change of Control" means a change of control of Adobe of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act, whether or not Adobe is then subject to such reporting requirement; provided, however, that a Change of Control shall be deemed to have occurred if:
(i) any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, association, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity or person, or any syndicate or group deemed to be a person under Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, is or becomes the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly,
18
of securities of Adobe representing 30% or more of the combined voting power of Adobe's then outstanding securities entitled to vote in the election of directors of Adobe;
(ii) during any period of two (2) consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constituted the Board and any new directors, whose election by the Board or nomination for election by Adobe's stockholders was approved by a vote of at least three-fourths (3/4ths) of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority thereof;
(iii) there occurs a reorganization, merger, consolidation or other corporate transaction involving Adobe (a "Transaction"), in each case with respect to which the stockholders of Adobe immediately prior to such Transaction do not, immediately after the Transaction, own securities representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of Adobe, a parent of Adobe or other corporation resulting from such Transaction (counting, for this purpose, only those securities held by Adobe's stockholders immediately after the Transaction that were received in exchange for, or represent their continuing ownership of, securities of Adobe held by them immediately prior to the Transaction);
(iv) all or substantially all of the assets of Adobe are sold, liquidated or distributed; or
(v) there is a "Change of Control" or a "change in the effective control" of Adobe within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
As with awards granted prior to January 24, 2008, if a Change of Control occurs, the surviving, continuing, successor or purchasing entity or its parent may, without the consent of any participant, either assume Adobe's rights and obligations under outstanding awards or substitute substantially equivalent equity awards. If the acquiring entity refuses to do so, then all unexercised and unvested portions of outstanding awards will become immediately exercisable and vested in full. Any awards which are not assumed or replaced in connection with a Change of Control or exercised prior to the Change of Control will terminate effective as of the time of the Change of Control. Pursuant to the 2003 Amended Plan, and consistent with the existing terms of the Director Plan, equity awards granted to directors will fully accelerate upon a Change of Control.
The Committee has provided, and may provide in the future, additional benefits upon a Change of Control or other similar transactions. For example, some of our executive officers are covered by the terms of separate severance plans or our Executive Severance Plan in the Event of a Change of Control (see "Change of Control" contained in this proxy statement for more information), which provide for certain acceleration benefits applicable to equity compensation awards in the event of a Change of Control.
Termination or Amendment
The 2003 Amended Plan will continue in effect until the first to occur of (i) its termination by the Committee, or (ii) the date on which all shares available for issuance under the 2003 Amended Plan have been issued and all restrictions on such shares under the terms of the 2003 Amended Plan and the agreements evidencing awards granted under the 2003 Amended Plan have lapsed. However, no incentive stock option may be granted under the 2003 Amended Plan after January 24, 2018.
The Committee may terminate or amend the 2003 Amended Plan at any time, provided that without stockholder approval the 2003 Amended Plan cannot be amended to increase the share reserve, change the class of persons eligible to receive incentive stock options or effect any other change that would require stockholder approval under any applicable law. No termination or amendment may affect any outstanding award unless expressly provided by the Committee, and, in any
19
event, may not adversely affect an outstanding award without the consent of the participant unless necessary to comply with any applicable law.
Summary of Federal Income Tax Consequences of the 2003 Amended Plan
The following summary is intended only as a general guide to the current U.S. federal income tax consequences of participation in the 2003 Amended Plan and does not attempt to describe all possible federal or other tax consequences of such participation or tax consequences based on particular circumstances. Furthermore, the tax consequences are complex and subject to change, and a taxpayer's particular situation may be such that some variation of the described rules is applicable.
Incentive Stock Options
A participant recognizes no taxable ordinary income as a result of the grant or exercise of an incentive stock option qualifying under Section 422 of the Code. However, the exercise of an incentive stock option may increase the participant's alternative minimum tax liability, if any.
If a participant holds stock acquired through exercise of an incentive stock option for more than two years from the date on which the option was granted and more than one year after the date the option was exercised for those shares, any gain or loss on a disposition of those shares (a "qualifying disposition") will be a long-term capital gain or loss. Upon such a qualifying disposition, we will not be entitled to any income tax deduction.
Generally, if the participant disposes of the stock before the expiration of either of those holding periods (a "disqualifying disposition"), then at the time of disposition the participant will realize taxable ordinary income equal to the lesser of (i) the excess of the stock's fair market value on the date of exercise over the exercise price, or (ii) the participant's actual gain, if any, on the purchase and sale. The participant's additional gain or any loss upon the disqualifying disposition will be a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term depending on whether the stock was held for more than one year. To the extent the participant recognizes ordinary income by reason of a disqualifying disposition, generally we will be entitled (subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code, and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to a corresponding income tax deduction in the tax year in which the disqualifying disposition occurs.
Nonstatutory Stock Options
Options not designated or qualifying as incentive stock options are nonstatutory stock options having no special tax status. A participant generally recognizes no taxable ordinary income as the result of the grant of such an option. Upon exercise of a nonstatutory stock option, the participant normally recognizes ordinary income in the amount of the difference between the option exercise price and the fair market value of the shares on the date of purchase. Generally, we will be entitled (subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code, and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to an income tax deduction in the tax year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.
Upon the disposition of stock acquired by the exercise of a nonstatutory stock option, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value on the exercise date, will be taxed as capital gain or loss.
Stock Appreciation Rights
A participant recognizes no taxable ordinary income upon the receipt of a stock appreciation right. Upon the exercise of a stock appreciation right, the participant will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the underlying shares of common stock on the
20
exercise date over the exercise price. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant in connection with the exercise of the stock appreciation right, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
Stock Bonuses and Stock Purchase Rights
A participant acquiring restricted stock generally will recognize ordinary income equal to the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the "determination date" (as defined below) and the participant's purchase price, if any. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. The "determination date" is the date on which the participant acquires the shares unless they are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and are not transferable, in which case the determination date is the earlier of (i) the date on which the shares become transferable, or (ii) the date on which the shares are no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. If the determination date is after the date on which the participant acquires the shares, the participant may elect, pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code, to have the date of acquisition be the determination date by filing an election with the Internal Revenue Service no later than 30 days after the date the shares are acquired. Upon the sale of shares acquired pursuant to a restricted stock award, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value on the determination date, will be taxed as capital gain or loss. Such gain or loss will be long-term or short-term depending on whether the stock was held for more than one year. We will be entitled (subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code, and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to a corresponding income tax deduction in the year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.
Restricted Stock Units
No taxable income is recognized upon receipt of a restricted stock unit award. In general, the participant will recognize ordinary income in the year in which the shares subject to that unit vest and are actually issued to the participant in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares on the date of issuance. We will be entitled (subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code, and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to an income tax deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant at the time the shares are issued. In general, the deduction will be allowed for the taxable year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.
Performance Awards
A participant generally will recognize no income upon the grant of a performance share or a performance unit award. Upon the settlement of such awards, participants normally will recognize ordinary income in the year of receipt in an amount equal to the cash received and the fair market value of any unrestricted shares received. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. If the participant receives shares of restricted stock, the participant generally will be taxed in the same manner as described above in "Stock Bonuses and Stock Purchase Rights." Upon the sale of any shares received, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value on the "determination date," will be taxed as capital gain or loss. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant on the determination date, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
21
Potential Limitation on Deductions
Section 162(m) of the Code denies a deduction to any publicly-held corporation for compensation paid to certain "covered employees" in a taxable year to the extent that compensation to each covered employee exceeds $1 million. It is possible that compensation attributable to awards granted under the 2003 Amended Plan, when combined with all other types of compensation received by a covered employee from us, may cause this limitation to be exceeded in any particular year. However, certain kinds of compensation, including qualified "performance-based compensation," are disregarded for purposes of the deduction limitation.
In accordance with Treasury Regulations issued under Section 162(m) of the Code, compensation attributable to stock options and stock appreciation rights will qualify as performance-based compensation if: (i) such awards are granted by a compensation committee comprised solely of "outside directors," (ii) the plan contains a per-employee limitation on the number of shares for which such awards may be granted during a specified period, (iii) the terms of the plan, including the per-employee limitation on grant size, are approved by the stockholders, and (iv) the exercise or strike price of the award is no less than the fair market value of the stock on the date of grant. It is intended that the Executive Compensation Committee may grant options and stock appreciation rights under the 2003 Amended Plan that qualify as performance-based compensation that is exempt from the $1 million deduction limitation.
Compensation attributable to stock bonus awards, stock purchase rights, restricted stock unit awards, and performance awards will qualify as performance-based compensation, provided that: (i) the award is granted by a compensation committee comprised solely of "outside directors," (ii) the award is granted (or vests) based upon the achievement of an objective performance goal established in writing by the compensation committee while the outcome is substantially uncertain, (iii) the compensation committee certifies in writing prior to the grant (or vesting, as applicable) of the award that the performance goal has been satisfied, and (iv) prior to the issuance, stockholders have approved the material terms of the plan (including the class of employees eligible for awards, the business criteria on which the performance goals may be based, and the maximum amount, or formula used to calculate the amount, payable upon attainment of performance goals). It is intended that the Executive Compensation Committee may grant performance awards under the 2003 Amended Plan that qualify as performance-based compensation that is exempt from the $1 million deduction limitation.
Grants to Certain Persons
We cannot currently determine the benefits or number of shares subject to awards that may be granted in the future to our executive officers, employees and directors under the 2003 Amended Plan, although we did award our annual equity grants for fiscal year 2008 on January 24, 2008 to our executive officers under the 2003 Plan. On February 11, 2008, the closing price of our common stock on NASDAQ was $33.84 per share.
The following table sets forth information with respect to grants made in fiscal year 2008 to date under the 2003 Plan to each of our Named Executive Officers, our current executive officers as a
22
group, and all employees and consultants (excluding our current executive officers and Named Executive Officers) as a group.
|
|
|
Performance Shares(1) |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name |
Options (#) |
Restricted Stock Units (#) |
Threshold (#) |
Target (#) |
Maximum (#) |
|||||
Bruce Chizen(2) | | | | | | |||||
Shantanu Narayen(3) | 871,000 | 64,000 | 32,680 | 86,000 | 172,000 | |||||
Mark Garrett | 120,000 | | 14,820 | 39,000 | 78,000 | |||||
Karen Cottle | 94,000 | | 11,400 | 30,000 | 60,000 | |||||
Matthew Thompson | 94,000 | | 11,400 | 30,000 | 60,000 | |||||
Current executive officers as a group (7 persons) | 1,392,000 | 64,000 | 96,267 | 253,333 | 506,666 | |||||
All current employees and consultants, excluding our current executive officers and Named Executive Officers (552 persons) | 3,284,483 | 0 | 249,094 | 655,511 | 1,311,022 |
Since its inception, no awards have been granted under the 2003 Plan to any (i) non-employee director, (ii) nominee for election as a non-employee director, or (iii) any associate of a non-employee director, nominee or executive officer, and no other person has been granted five percent or more of the total amount of awards granted under the 2003 Plan.
The following table sets forth information with respect to currently proposed option grants to be made under the 2003 Amended Plan to our non-employee directors, individually and as a group, if this Proposal 2 is approved by our stockholders.
Name |
Options To Be Granted (#) |
||
---|---|---|---|
Charles M. Geschke | 25,000 | ||
John E. Warnock | 25,000 | ||
Edward W. Barnholt | 25,000 | ||
Robert K. Burgess | 25,000 | ||
Michael R. Cannon | 25,000 | ||
James E. Daley | 25,000 | ||
Carol Mills | 25,000 | ||
Colleen M. Pouliot | 25,000 | ||
Robert Sedgewick | 25,000 | ||
Delbert W. Yocam | 25,000 | ||
All non-employee directors as a group (10 persons) | 250,000 |
23
PROPOSAL 3
RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Audit Committee selected KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2008, and urges you to vote for ratification of KPMG's appointment. KPMG has audited our financial statements since fiscal year 1983. Although we are not required to seek your approval of this appointment, we believe it is good corporate governance to do so. No determination has been made as to what action our Audit Committee and our Board would take if you fail to ratify the appointment. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee retains discretion to appoint a new independent registered public accounting firm if the Audit Committee concludes such a change would be in the best interests of Adobe and our stockholders.
We expect representatives of KPMG to be present at the meeting and available to respond to appropriate questions by stockholders. Additionally, the representatives of KPMG will have the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire.
Vote Required and Board Recommendation
Stockholder ratification of KPMG as our independent registered public accounting firm requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Abstentions will have the same effect as a negative vote.
THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THIS PROPOSAL
24
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
During fiscal years 2007 and 2006, we retained KPMG to provide services in the following categories and amounts:
Fee Category |
2007 |
2006 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audit Fees | $ | 3,277,913 | $ | 3,972,300 | |||
Audit-Related Fees | | | |||||
Tax Fees | 235,899 | 318,100 | |||||
All Other Fees | 25,000 | 81,500 | |||||
Total | $ | 3,538,812 | $ | 4,371,900 |
Audit fees include the audit of Adobe's annual financial statements, review of financial statements included in each of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and services that are normally provided by KPMG in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years. Audit fees in fiscal year 2007 were lower than in fiscal year 2006 because fiscal year 2006 audit fees included fees associated with our acquisition of Macromedia, Inc.
Audit-related fees consist of fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements.
Tax fees consist of fees for professional services for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. This category includes fees related to the preparation and review of federal, state and international tax returns and assistance with tax audits.
All other fees include assurance services not related to the audit or review of our financial statements. Fiscal year 2006 additionally includes fees for information testing services.
The Audit Committee determined that the rendering of non-audit services by KPMG is compatible with maintaining the independence of KPMG.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Services Performed by Our Independent Registered Public Accountants
It is the policy of our Audit Committee to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by KPMG. Our Audit Committee pre-approves services by authorizing specific projects within the categories outlined above, subject to the budget for each category. Our Audit Committee's charter delegates to a subcommittee when appropriate, or to one or more members of the Audit Committee, the authority to address any requests for pre-approval of services between Audit Committee meetings, and the subcommittee or such member or members must report any pre-approval decisions to our Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
All services related to audit fees, audit-related fees, tax fees and all other fees provided by KPMG during fiscal years 2007 and 2006 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with the pre-approval policy described above.
For more information on KPMG, please see "Report of the Audit Committee" contained in this proxy statement.
25
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE*
The Audit Committee's role includes the oversight of our financial, accounting and reporting processes; our system of internal accounting and financial controls; and our compliance with related legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee oversees the appointment, engagement, termination and services of our independent registered public accounting firm, including conducting a review of its independence; reviewing and approving the planned scope of our annual audit; overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm's audit work; reviewing and pre-approving any audit and non-audit services that may be performed by it; reviewing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy of our internal financial and disclosure controls; reviewing our critical accounting policies and the application of accounting principles; and monitoring the rotation of partners of our independent registered public accounting firm on our audit engagement team as required by law. The Audit Committee establishes procedures, as required under applicable law, for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. The Audit Committee's role also includes meeting to review our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee held 13 meetings during fiscal year 2007.
Each member of the Audit Committee meets the independence criteria prescribed by applicable law and the rules of the SEC for audit committee membership and is an "independent director" within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing standards. Each Audit Committee member meets the NASDAQ's financial literacy requirements, and the Board has further determined that Messrs. Daley and Yocam (i) are "audit committee financial experts" as such term is defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC, and (ii) also meet the NASDAQ's professional experience requirements. The Audit Committee acts pursuant to a written charter, which complies with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules of the SEC and NASDAQ, a copy of which can be found on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html.
We have reviewed and discussed with management and KPMG our audited financial statements. We discussed with KPMG and Adobe's internal auditors the overall scope and plans of their audits. We met with KPMG, with and without management present, to discuss results of their examinations, their evaluation of Adobe's internal controls, and the overall quality of Adobe's financial reporting.
We have reviewed and discussed with KPMG matters required to be discussed pursuant to Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended (Communication with Audit Committees). We have received from KPMG a formal written statement describing the relationships between KPMG and Adobe that might bear on KPMG's independence consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees). We have discussed with KPMG matters relating to its independence, including a review of both audit and non-audit fees, and considered the compatibility of non-audit services with KPMG's independence.
Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above and our review of Adobe's audited financial statements for fiscal year 2007, we recommended to the Board that Adobe's audited financial statements be included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007, for filing with the SEC.
Respectfully submitted,
AUDIT
COMMITTEE
James E. Daley, Chair
Robert Sedgewick
Delbert W. Yocam
26
Corporate Governance Guidelines
We believe in sound corporate governance practices and have adopted formal Corporate Governance Guidelines to enhance our effectiveness. Our Board adopted these Corporate Governance Guidelines in order to ensure that it has the necessary authority and practices in place to review and evaluate our business operations as needed and to make decisions that are independent of our management. The Corporate Governance Guidelines are also intended to align the interests of directors and management with those of our stockholders. The Corporate Governance Guidelines set forth the practices our Board follows with respect to Board and Committee composition and selection, Board meetings and senior management and Chief Executive Officer performance evaluation and succession planning. A copy of our Corporate Governance Guidelines is available on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html.
Code of Ethics
We adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Controller, Treasurer and certain other finance executives, which is a "code of ethics" as defined by applicable SEC rules. The Code of Ethics is publicly available on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html. If we make any amendments to the Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative, or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waivers, including implicit waivers, from a provision of this Code of Ethics to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Controller, Treasurer or certain other finance executives, we will disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver, its effective date, and to whom it applies, on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html or in a current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. There were no waivers of the Code of Ethics during fiscal year 2007.
Code of Business Conduct
We have also adopted a Code of Business Conduct applicable to all officers, directors and employees of Adobe as required by applicable NASDAQ listing standards. The Code of Business Conduct includes an enforcement mechanism, and any waivers for directors or executive officers must be approved by our Board and disclosed in a Form 8-K within four days. This Code of Business Conduct is publicly available on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html. There were no waivers of the Code of Business Conduct for any of our directors or officers during fiscal year 2007.
27
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of February 11, 2008 by each entity or person who is known to beneficially own 5% or more of our common stock, each of our directors, each Named Executive Officer identified in the "Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Year 2007" contained in this proxy statement and all of our directors and current executive officers as a group.
Name of Beneficial Owner(1) |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2) |
Percent of Class |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AXA Financial, Inc. and certain affiliated entities 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10104 |
32,384,388(3) | 5.88 | % | ||
PRIMECAP Management Company 225 South Lake Avenue, No. 400 Pasadena, CA 91101 |
32,638,159(4) |
5.92 |
% |
||
Bruce Chizen |
2,706,884(5) |
* |
|||
Shantanu Narayen |
900,136(6) |
* |
|||
Mark Garrett |
90,491(7) |
* |
|||
Karen Cottle |
140,064(8) |
* |
|||
Matthew Thompson |
87,487(9) |
* |
|||
Edward W. Barnholt |
61,250(10) |
* |
|||
Robert K. Burgess |
194,720(11) |
* |
|||
Michael R. Cannon |
58,750(12) |
* |
|||
James E. Daley |
156,750(13) |
* |
|||
Charles M. Geschke |
1,054,606(14) |
* |
|||
Carol Mills |
98,750(15) |
* |
|||
Colleen M. Pouliot |
66,250(16) |
* |
|||
Robert Sedgewick |
247,950(17) |
* |
|||
John E. Warnock |
1,705,256(18) |
* |
|||
Delbert W. Yocam |
48,750(19) |
* |
|||
All directors and current executive officers as a group (18 persons) |
7,928,491(20) |
1.44 |
% |
28
551,018,166 shares outstanding on February 11, 2008, adjusted as required by rules promulgated by the SEC.
29
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors, and any person or entity who own more than ten percent of a registered class of our common stock or other equity securities, to file with the SEC certain reports of ownership and changes in ownership of our securities. Executive officers, directors and stockholders who hold more than ten percent of our outstanding common stock are required by the SEC to furnish us with copies of all required forms filed under Section 16(a). We prepare Section 16(a) forms on behalf of our executive officers and directors based on the information provided by them.
Based solely on review of this information and written representations from these persons that no other reports were required, we believe that, during fiscal year 2007, no reporting person failed to file the forms required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act on a timely basis.
30
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Overview
Adobe's vision is to revolutionize how the world engages with ideas and information. In order to support our product and technical innovation with strong execution, Adobe strives to provide a work environment that fosters innovation, collaboration and high levels of individual and organizational performance. Our executive compensation program plays a fundamental role in creating this environment by rewarding our executives for the strong execution of our business objectives.
The primary objectives of our executive compensation programs are:
To achieve these objectives, Adobe uses a mix of compensation elements, including:
Our executive compensation philosophy in fiscal year 2007 was to target approximately the 60th percentile of our peer company group for target performance for both cash and equity compensation, to enable Adobe to attract, retain and motivate our executive team.
Role of Our Executive Compensation Committee, Management and External Compensation Consultants
The Executive Compensation Committee is responsible for developing, reviewing and approving Adobe's executive compensation program. Our Board has determined that each of the directors serving on our Executive Compensation Committee is independent within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing standards. Our Executive Compensation Committee oversees our executive compensation programs pursuant to a written charter, a copy of which is available on our website at www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/corpgovern.html.
The Executive Compensation Committee reviews Adobe's compensation philosophy and program throughout the year, implementing (or recommending to the Board, as appropriate) changes needed to keep our compensation program aligned with our business objectives. In addition, the Executive Compensation Committee conducts an annual review of Adobe's overall compensation strategy, including salary adjustments and the design of the short-term and long-term compensation packages, as each relates to our executive officers. As part of this review, the Executive Compensation Committee solicits input from management (primarily our Chief Executive Officer and members of our human resources, legal and finance groups) and the Executive Compensation Committee's independent executive compensation consultants, the Semler Brossy Consulting Group ("Semler Brossy").
The Executive Compensation Committee recognizes that executive compensation consultants can play an important and valuable role in the executive compensation process. In April 2006, the Executive Compensation Committee selected Semler Brossy to advise it on executive compensation matters, including advice on structuring performance bonus programs, establishing long-term incentive
31
plans and benchmarking executive compensation levels. Semler Brossy is engaged directly by the Executive Compensation Committee, although Adobe pays the cost for these services. Semler Brossy does not provide any other services to Adobe.
At the direction of the Executive Compensation Committee, Semler Brossy, working with Adobe management, compiled information regarding current and historical pay practices from a peer group of companies that are similar in size, industry and business focus. In addition, our Chief Executive Officer reviewed these reports for our executive officers (other than with respect to his own compensation) and based on those reports, as well as his determination of the individual level of performance of these executive officers, made his recommendations for fiscal year 2007 target compensation levels (including adjustments to base salary) directly to the Executive Compensation Committee. No executive officer participated directly in recommending or establishing the amount of any component of his or her own compensation package. Specifically, the Executive Compensation Committee met in executive session with Semler Brossy to discuss the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer for fiscal year 2007. In addition, on several occasions throughout the year, the Chair of the Executive Compensation Committee met individually with Semler Brossy without the presence of management.
Comparative Framework
Adobe reviews relevant market and industry practices in order to maintain competitive compensation packages. We strive to balance our need to compete for talent with the need to maintain a reasonable and responsible cost structure and better align our executive officers' interests with our stockholders' interests.
In order to compare Adobe's executive compensation program with market practices, in fiscal year 2007, the Executive Compensation Committee reviewed compensation data compiled by Semler Brossy and Adobe management which was drawn from individual company proxy filings and survey data published by Radford and International Pay Analysis Systems with respect to Adobe's peer group companies. In determining our fiscal year 2007 peer group, Semler Brossy and Adobe's management recommended, and the Executive Compensation Committee approved, a list of companies which compete for talent within Adobe's labor markets and which are primarily high-technology companies with one or more computer software or technology businesses. The majority of our peers are comparable in size with respect to revenues, market capitalization, and/or employee population.
For fiscal year 2007, our compensation peer group consisted of the following 21 companies:
Autodesk, Inc. | DST Systems, Inc. | Network Appliance, Inc. | ||
BEA Systems, Inc. | eBay Inc. | Oracle Corporation | ||
BMC Software, Inc. | Electronic Arts Inc. | Sabre Holdings Corporation | ||
Business Objects, S.A. | Google Inc. | Symantec Corporation | ||
CA, Inc. | Intuit Inc. | Synopsys, Inc. | ||
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | McAfee, Inc. | VeriSign, Inc. | ||
Compuware Corporation | Microsoft Corporation | Yahoo! Inc. |
The Executive Compensation Committee uses peer data as a reference to help ensure the competitiveness of Adobe's compensation structure. In general, we strive to position both our cash and equity compensation near the 60th percentile of our peer companies for target performance, and to provide both cash and equity executive compensation opportunities that meet or exceed the 75th percentile for strong performance above target levels. The Executive Compensation Committee uses this approach to attract and retain talent that is capable of developing and executing superior strategies in a competitive market. However, in any given year, the Executive Compensation Committee may set the actual individual compensation components or total target cash and equity compensation
32
for an individual executive officer above or below this range based on factors such as experience, performance achieved, specific skills or competencies, retention, the desired pay mix (e.g., emphasizing short- or long-term results), and our operating plan. In addition, the Executive Compensation Committee may review, when appropriate, the number of outstanding equity awards held by the executive officers and the gains realized or realizable from previous equity grants to our executive officers, as this information helps determine the level of incentive that may be needed to induce executive officers to remain with Adobe and work to achieve success. For fiscal year 2007, the Executive Compensation Committee set the annual base salaries and targeted incentive cash and equity compensation opportunities for our Named Executive Officers as compared to our peer group at approximately the 60th percentile for target performance, and near or above the 75th percentile for strong performance.
In setting the mix between the different elements of executive compensation, we generally weight total target compensation more heavily toward incentive compensation, which comprises both cash and equity. Base salary and cash incentives are intended to reward short-term objectives, while equity incentives, comprising both time-based vesting and performance-based criteria, are intended to reward long-term objectives. Total compensation opportunity levels vary for each Named Executive Officer listed in the "Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Year 2007" of this proxy statement based on job, level of responsibility and market practices. For fiscal year 2007, the weightings for all of our executive officers were approximately:
|
Fiscal Year 2007 Compensation Mix (%) |
|
---|---|---|
Base salary | 10 - 25 | |
Incentives (cash and equity) | 75 - 90 | |
Perquisites/Benefits | < 1 |
In setting the mix between cash and equity, the total cash compensation opportunity (base salary and cash-based incentive payments) is generally set at or slightly less than the total equity compensation opportunity based on the value at the date of grant. For fiscal year 2007, the mix was set in the following approximate ranges for our Named Executive Officers:
|
Fiscal Year 2007 Cash and Equity Mix (%) |
|
---|---|---|
Total cash | 25 - 40 | |
Total equity | 60 - 75 |
Our allocations reflect our belief that a significant portion of an executive officer's compensation should be performance-based. Performance goals are selected to provide significant upside for strong performance, as well as downside exposure for underperformance. Through the use of stock options, a significant portion of potential compensation is tied directly to stock price appreciation, further aligning the interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders. Through our use of performance shares, which are subject to performance- and time-based vesting conditions, we can focus executives on near-term goals while also providing a meaningful retention incentive. In addition, by providing a meaningful short-term cash incentive opportunity, we believe we can further focus the efforts of our executive officers on short-term goals, the achievement of which may not be directly reflected in stock price appreciation. For purposes of determining the annual compensation opportunity for fiscal year 2007, incentive compensation was assumed to be earned at target levels, stock options were valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and performance shares were valued based on the underlying value of our common stock on the grant date. Since incentive cash and equity awards have
33
both upside opportunities and downside risk, the target percentages set at the beginning of a fiscal year may not reflect the percentage of compensation actually earned.
Elements of Compensation
Base Pay
For fiscal year 2007, using the criteria discussed above, the Executive Compensation Committee maintained Messrs. Chizen's and Narayen's base salary at the fiscal year 2006 level primarily based on compensation at peer companies. The Executive Compensation Committee determined that their existing base salaries should continue to be targeted at approximately the 60th percentile of our peer companies.
For fiscal year 2007, the Executive Compensation Committee approved an increase of 7% to Ms. Cottle's base salary, based largely on comparisons of base salaries at peer companies. This increase raised her base salary to the 60th percentile for our peer companies.
Messrs. Garrett and Thompson were hired during fiscal year 2007 and each received a compensation package based on the salary specific to their positions. Their initial base salaries were targeted at approximately the 60th percentile for comparable positions at our peer companies. Messrs. Garrett and Thompson were also paid a sign-on bonus of $100,000 and $250,000, respectively, in recognition of the equity and/or cash compensation that each forfeited at their prior positions as a result of their job transitions. The Executive Compensation Committee felt that the sign-on bonuses represented an appropriate level of compensation necessary to attract these high-quality candidates to our management team.
Cash Incentives
Annual Cash Bonus Plan
In fiscal year 2006, our Executive Compensation Committee and stockholders approved our Executive Cash Performance Bonus Plan (the "Executive Bonus Plan") so that bonuses paid under the plan to covered employees may qualify as deductible "performance-based compensation" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. The Executive Bonus Plan will continue until the earlier of (i) the date the Executive Compensation Committee terminates the plan, and (ii) the last day of the plan year ending in 2010, unless the plan is re-approved by our Executive Compensation Committee and our stockholders prior to such date. The payment of bonuses under the Executive Bonus Plan is contingent upon the achievement of pre-determined performance goals, which are generally set annually. The objectives of the plan are to:
The target cash bonus opportunity makes up a greater portion of an executive officer's potential total compensation and total target cash compensation as the executive's level of responsibility increases. The target incentive is expressed as a percentage of base salary. For fiscal year 2007, the target opportunities, as a percentage of base salary, are shown in a chart set forth in this summary, along with actual achievements.
Once our Board approves Adobe's operating plan for an upcoming year, the Executive Compensation Committee adopts a threshold performance level that must be achieved in order for any bonuses to be earned under the Executive Bonus Plan. For fiscal year 2007, the minimum threshold measure was achievement of 90% of Adobe's revenue target under the operating plan calculated in
34
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). In addition, the Executive Compensation Committee established a funding matrix to be used once the minimum threshold measure was achieved. The funding matrix was based on the percentage achievement of the targets for (i) Adjusted Revenue (used in this discussion and the 2007 Performance Share Program discussion to mean GAAP revenue plus shippable backlog) and (ii) EBP Adjusted Non-GAAP Operating Profit (used in this discussion of the Executive Bonus Plan to mean Non-GAAP operating profit plus shippable backlog and excluding profit sharing, quarterly incentive plan payments and annual incentive plan payments (including the Executive Bonus Plan); Adobe's Non-GAAP operating profit excludes the stock-based compensation impact of Statements of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004) ("SFAS 123R"), "Share Based Payment," amortization of Macromedia, Inc. stock-based compensation, restructuring and other charges, amortization of purchased intangibles and incomplete technology, investment gains and losses and the related tax impacts of these items, the net impact of the R&D tax benefit and the income tax effect of the non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments from the provision for income taxes) targets compared to our operating plan. In order for the Executive Bonus Plan to be funded in fiscal year 2007, we had to achieve more than 95% of our Adjusted Revenue target and more than 95% of our Adjusted EBP Non-GAAP Operating Profit for fiscal year 2007. The maximum funding under the Executive Bonus Plan for fiscal year 2007 required achievement of at least 107% of Adjusted Revenue and 106.3% or more of Adjusted EBP Non-GAAP Operating Profit as compared against operating plan targets, with the exact percentage of one of the metrics required to achieve a maximum award dependent on the percentage achievement of the other metric.
If the initial threshold measure was achieved, and more than 95% Adjusted Revenue and more than 95% Adjusted EBP Non-GAAP Operating Profit as compared against operating plan targets were achieved, the minimum funding of 36% would be achieved. If the maximum funding was achieved, each executive could earn a bonus under the Executive Bonus Plan of not more than 300% of his or her target incentive. The amount actually earned, after determining funding, was determined based on the executive's individual results percentage, as described below.
As a result of meeting the annual funding goals for the fiscal year 2007 Executive Bonus Plan and after applying each executive's individual results percentage, the Named Executive Officers received the following 2007 annual incentive bonus payments:
Name |
Salary ($) |
Target Incentive (%)(1) |
Target Bonus ($) |
Unit Multiplier (%) |
Individual Achievement (%) |
Bonus Payment ($) |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen | 925,000 | 125 | 1,156,250 | 200 | 100 | 2,312,500 | ||||||
Shantanu Narayen | 600,000 | 110 | 660,000 | 200 | 100 | 1,320,000 | ||||||
Mark Garrett(2) | 392,483 | 85 | 333,611 | 200 | 100 | 667,222 | ||||||
Karen Cottle(3) | 423,333 | 60 | 254,000 | 200 | 100 | 508,000 | ||||||
Matthew Thompson(4) | 389,583 | 85 | 331,146 | 200 | 100 | 662,292 |
35
In fiscal year 2007, as further described below, Adobe achieved the initial threshold measure and achieved Adjusted Revenue and Adjusted EBP Non-GAAP Operating Profit significantly in excess of 100% of the targets. Therefore, the incentive bonus for each executive was calculated as follows:
Target Bonus ($) |
X |
Unit Multiplier (%) |
X |
Individual Results (%) |
= |
Bonus Payment |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Base salary times applicable target incentive |
Derived from aggregating the target bonus of all participants in the Executive Bonus Plan multiplied by the funding level determined under the funding matrix, and allocating a portion of the funding level to each business or functional unit of Adobe based on that unit's relative contribution to Adobe's success, and then dividing the allocated funding level by the aggregate target bonuses of participants working within each such unit |
Based on each executive officer's achievement of individual goals tied to the corporate operating plan and strategic objectives; could not exceed 150% |
The allocation of the funding level and each executive's individual results percentage was determined by the Executive Compensation Committee with respect to the bonus awarded to our Chief Executive Officer; by the Executive Compensation Committee and our Chief Executive Officer with respect to the bonus awarded to our President and Chief Operating Officer; and by the Executive Compensation Committee, our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer for all other executive officers, as described below.
In fiscal year 2007, achievement of our corporate goals against the revenue target and operating profit yielded a funding level of 200% because our financial performance significantly exceeded the annual performance goals set by the Executive Compensation Committee. These results reflect, in large part, the successful shipment of Adobe Creative Suite 3, and its positive market reception, as well as our continued focus on expense management. In comparison, in fiscal year 2006, we only achieved 72% of corporate performance goal targets based upon a similar matrix (and we note that payouts under the 2006 plan began at an achievement of only 90% Adjusted Revenue and 90% Adjusted EBP Non-GAAP Operating Profit under the 2006 operating plan, compared with more than 95% and 95%, respectively, in 2007, and that the initial performance threshold of revenue set in our operating plan was higher than the threshold of revenue set in our 2006 operating plan), with similarly set corporate results goals based on the 2006 operating plan. The Executive Compensation Committee believed, at the time the goals were set for fiscal year 2007, and with the increase in the threshold for the funding matrix to 95%, that the performance goals were achievable but only with significant effort; and in fact due to the significant efforts of our management team, our actual performance for fiscal year 2007 considerably surpassed those targets. Comparing Adobe's fiscal years 2007 and 2006 reported GAAP results, our revenue grew by $583 million, or 23%, and our operating profit grew by $306 million, or 56%, highlighting our outstanding performance in fiscal year 2007.
36
The unit multiplier and individual achievement for Mr. Chizen was determined by the Executive Compensation Committee after discussions with the Board. They assessed the relative contribution of Mr. Chizen to Adobe's overall success and reviewed his individual goals to determine achievement against the goals, including his contributions towards exceeding Adobe's financial targets and the success of Creative Suite 3.
The unit multiplier and individual achievement for Mr. Narayen was recommended by our Chief Executive Officer. Our Chief Executive Officer assessed the relative contribution of Mr. Narayen to Adobe's overall success and reviewed his individual goals to determine his achievement against the goals, including his contributions towards exceeding Adobe's financial targets and the success of Creative Suite 3. After discussions with our Board, the Executive Compensation Committee reviewed the recommendation submitted by our Chief Executive Officer and approved Mr. Narayen's final performance achievement consistent with the Chief Executive Officer's recommendation.
The unit multipliers and individual achievements for Messrs. Garrett and Thompson and Ms. Cottle were recommended by our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer. They assessed the relative contribution of each Named Executive Officer to Adobe's overall success and reviewed their individual goals to determine each executive's achievement against the goals, including each of their contributions towards exceeding Adobe's financial targets, as well as meeting expense and organizational objectives. The Executive Compensation Committee considered and approved the final performance achievements of these executive officers consistent with the recommendations submitted by our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer.
For fiscal year 2008, Adobe adopted an annual cash bonus plan under the Executive Bonus Plan that will operate in substantially the same fashion using the same general performance criteria as the plan for fiscal year 2007. Maximum bonuses for fiscal year 2008 are capped at 200% of each executive's target bonus.
Discretionary Annual Bonus Pool
Adobe also has an annual bonus pool of $60,000 approved by our Executive Compensation Committee that may be awarded by our Chief Executive Officer to other executive officers as special recognition bonuses. No bonuses were awarded in fiscal year 2007 from this bonus pool.
Equity Incentives
The equity incentive component of our executive compensation program consists of grants of (i) annual stock options, restricted stock units and performance shares, and (ii) new-hire stock options, restricted stock units and performance shares. We use equity compensation to motivate and reward strong performance and retain valued executives, as equity compensation typically vests over a period of four years after the date of grant. New-hire equity grants also act as a means to attract qualified candidates. Adobe strongly believes that equity awards serve to align the interests of its executives with those of its stockholders. By having up to 75% of the executive officer's target compensation at risk through equity compensation, executives are motivated to align themselves with our stockholders when taking actions that will benefit us in the long-term.
The Executive Compensation Committee, with input from our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer (other than with respect to their own compensation), determined the level of equity compensation opportunity based upon competitive data and each executive officers' relative position, responsibilities, performance over the previous fiscal year, and anticipated future performance and responsibilities. Once equity levels have been determined, the Executive Compensation Committee, with input from our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer, as applicable (other than with respect to their own compensation), determined the mix of equity awards to achieve the desired level of equity compensation and the desired
37
performance and retention objectives. As noted above for cash incentive compensation, Adobe believes that the target equity compensation opportunity should make up a greater portion of an executive's potential total compensation as the executive's level of responsibility increases. In addition, for all executive grants, the Executive Compensation Committee reviews the data compiled by Semler Brossy and management on equity grants at peer companies and, as noted above, targets new annual equity awards at approximately the 60th percentile of peer company grants of new annual equity award compensation for target performance. Our Chief Executive Officer makes recommendations for each executive officer (other than himself) and the Executive Compensation Committee determines the final equity compensation package; the Executive Compensation Committee determined the Chief Executive Officer's equity compensation package without his direct participation.
For fiscal year 2007, the Executive Compensation Committee approved an equity mix of approximately 75% stock options and 25% performance shares for our executive officers. The value for stock options was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and the value for performance shares was based on the underlying value of our common stock. As noted below, executives do not pay any purchase price for performance shares, meaning the awards have value even if our stock price does not rise, and therefore performance shares have a greater value at the time of grant than options. However, performance shares also require that Adobe perform in order for the shares to be earned by the executive, providing an incentive for the executives to ensure that Adobe performs well. The decision by the Executive Compensation Committee to approve an equity mix of options (which are tied to stock performance) and performance shares (which are tied to company performance) exemplifies the fundamental belief by the Executive Compensation Committee that performance should continue to be a significant factor in our overall equity compensation program. We recognize, however, that considerable reliance on performance-based compensation results in a greater potential risk of loss of compensation to the executive, and, accordingly, the achievement of target for our performance-based shares generally results in somewhat higher achievement than for our peer group companies, which do not rely as heavily on performance-based compensation.
Stock Option Grants
Stock options were granted with an exercise price that was equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the grant date. As a result, the executives will only be able to realize value if our common stock price rises and our stockholders also realize value. Stock options also function as a retention incentive for our executives, as the stock options vest in monthly installments over a period of four years after the date of grant, except for new-hire grants, which vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and then monthly vesting thereafter for the following three years. In fiscal year 2007, we granted options to our Named Executive Officers, aligned with approximately the 60th percentile of our peer group, as follows:
Name |
Options Granted (#) |
||
---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen | 350,000 | ||
Shantanu Narayen | 225,000 | ||
Mark Garrett | 275,000 | (1) | |
Karen Cottle | 70,000 | ||
Matthew Thompson | 250,000 | (1) |
38
2007 Performance Share Program
As discussed below, we began granting performance share awards in fiscal year 2006, and in fiscal year 2007 the Executive Compensation Committee continued to grant performance share awards as part of its fundamental belief that performance should continue to be a significant factor in our overall equity compensation program. Currently, performance share awards are in the form of stock-settled restricted stock units. The performance share awards granted in fiscal year 2007 are subject to the terms of our 2007 Performance Share Program, and any shares earned under the awards are issued pursuant to the terms of our 2003 Equity Incentive Plan or our 1994 Performance and Restricted Stock Plan. The size of the 2007 awards was determined based on a one-year performance cycle. 25% of the units subject to the awards vest on the later of the certification by the Executive Compensation Committee of the achievement of the performance goals and the one-year anniversary of the grant date. The remaining 75% of the unvested units are subject to time-based annual vesting over three years (subject to acceleration of vesting upon an involuntary termination and/or change of control pursuant to the terms of Adobe's change of control plans and individual agreements, as applicable).
Taking into consideration information provided by Semler Brossy and management, the Executive Compensation Committee determined the threshold, target and maximum number of shares subject to each performance share award for our executive officers based on the competitive data that it reviewed and the individual's historical performance and expected future contributions. Each executive officer was granted an award for the maximum number of shares that the executive officer could earn based on the achievement of the pre-established performance metrics. As an initial performance threshold, the 2007 Performance Share Program required that Adobe achieve GAAP revenue of at least 90% of our operating plan for fiscal year 2007 before any executive officer earned shares pursuant to the award. If this initial performance hurdle was not achieved, the entire award would be forfeited.
If the initial performance threshold was achieved, the actual number of shares earned was determined based on the achievement of two metricsAdjusted Revenue and Adjusted PS Non-GAAP Operating Profit (used in this discussion of the 2007 Performance Share Program to mean Non-GAAP operating profit plus shippable backlog)(with revenue achievement valued more highly) at fiscal year end. If Adobe achieved more than 95% of its targeted Adjusted Revenue and more than 95% of its targeted Adjusted PS Non-GAAP Operating Profit under its operating plan for fiscal year 2007, the threshold award, equal to 46% of target award, would be earned, and the excess units would be forfeited. The maximum award that could be earned by an executive was 200% of the target amount; this level of payout required achievement of 106% or more of the Board-approved Adjusted Revenue and 104.2% or more of the Board-approved Adjusted PS Non-GAAP Operating Profit target, with the exact percentage of one of the metrics required to achieve a 200% award dependent on the percentage achievement of the other metric. The same GAAP revenue and Adjusted Revenue metrics, and similar adjusted Non-GAAP operating profit metrics (adjusted for both plans to include shippable backlog and also adjusted in the case of the Executive Bonus Plan to remove the effects of cash bonus and profit sharing plans), are used as targets for both our equity and cash incentive plans because of their importance to Adobe as a metric of financial health and as goals expected to provide value to our stockholders. However, the awards for achieving these targets are weighted more heavily towards equity, which the Executive Compensation Committee believes better aligns the executives' interests with our stockholders' interests.
On each vesting date, the shares of common stock subject to the performance share award that have vested are issued to the executive from Adobe's applicable stock plan. No purchase price is paid for the shares. As a result, the stock has value even if the stock price does not increase. For this reason, performance share awards typically include fewer shares than stock options and therefore do not create as much potential dilution for stockholders.
39
As discussed above with respect to our Executive Bonus Plan, the Executive Compensation Committee believed, at the time the goals were set for fiscal year 2007, that the performance goals were achievable but only with significant effort; and in fact due to the significant efforts of our management team, our actual performance for fiscal year 2007 considerably surpassed those targets. Comparing Adobe's fiscal years 2007 and 2006 reported GAAP results, our revenue grew by $583 million, or 23%, and our operating profit grew by $306 million, or 56%, highlighting our outstanding performance in fiscal year 2007. Therefore, in fiscal year 2007, Adobe achieved the initial threshold measure for the performance share awards and significantly exceeded the Adjusted Revenue and Adjusted PS Non-GAAP Operating Profit targets, yielding a funding level of 200% (the maximum amount) for the 2007 Performance Share Program based on the annual performance goals set by the Executive Compensation Committee. The Named Executive Officers therefore achieved the following awards pursuant to the 2007 Performance Share Program:
Name |
2007 Performance Shares Target Grant Amount (#) |
2007 Performance Shares Maximum Grant Amount(1) (#) |
2007 Performance Shares Achieved(2) (#) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen | 35,000 | 70,000 | 70,000 | |||
Shantanu Narayen | 25,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | |||
Mark Garrett(3) | 7,500 | 15,000 | 15,000 | |||
Karen Cottle | 7,778 | 15,556 | 15,556 | |||
Matthew Thompson(3) | 7,500 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
For fiscal year 2008, Adobe adopted the 2008 Performance Share Program which will operate in substantially the same fashion using the same general performance criteria as the plan for fiscal year 2007, except that Adobe must achieve more than 95% of its Adjusted Revenue target and more than 90% of its Adjusted PS Non-GAAP Operating Profit target under its operating plan for fiscal year 2008 for the threshold award to be earned. Maximum awards for fiscal year 2008 are capped at 200% of each executive's target award.
2006 Performance Share Program
In fiscal year 2006, we adopted the 2006 Performance Share Program to motivate our new leadership team as a result of our acquisition of Macromedia, Inc., to achieve key integration milestones and create stockholder value, and to retain key executives. Our executive officers were granted performance share awards under the 2006 Performance Share Program and any shares earned under the awards were issued pursuant to the terms of our 2003 Plan or our 1994 Performance and Restricted Stock Plan.
Shares were earned under the 2006 Performance Share Program if certain performance metrics over fiscal years 2006 and 2007 were achieved. The performance share awards were structured as stock-settled restricted stock units. The 2006 Program required that Adobe achieve, in the aggregate, at least 90% of the Board-approved adjusted Non-GAAP operating profit targets (adjusted only to include the stock-based compensation impact of SFAS 123R and related tax impact, due to plan requirements) for
40
the fiscal years 2006 and 2007 as a minimum threshold before the executive officers earned any performance shares under the program. Once this threshold was achieved, the award was determined based on specific integration-related metrics related to strategic product revenue growth as well as product development and shipment targets for Adobe AIR, Creative Suite 3 and Acrobat 8. The maximum award was subject to adjustment based on additional performance considerations as determined by the Executive Compensation Committee (with input from our Chief Executive Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer), as implemented through the use of a "modifier" for each metric. The actual award earned could not exceed 150% of the target award. Shipments of Creative Suite 3 and Acrobat 8 were extremely successful and exceeded expectations, which resulted in strong fiscal outcomes warranting above-target achievements. The actual aggregate performance level of the modifiers achieved under the 2006 Performance Share Program was approximately 105% of target. Our Named Executive Officers therefore achieved the following awards:
Name |
2006 Performance Shares Target Grant Amount (#) |
2006 Performance Shares Maximum Grant Amount (#) |
2006 Performance Shares Achieved(1) (#) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen | 55,000 | 82,500 | 57,607 | |||
Shantanu Narayen | 28,000 | 42,000 | 29,327 | |||
Mark Garrett(2) | 12,500 | 18,750 | 13,092 | |||
Karen Cottle | 14,000 | 21,000 | 14,663 | |||
Matthew Thompson(2) | 12,500 | 18,750 | 13,092 |
Granting Guidelines for Equity Compensation
In early fiscal year 2007, Adobe adopted written equity grant guidelines setting forth our grant practices and procedures for all equity grants. Pursuant to these guidelines, the effective grant date for our annual equity awards granted to our employees, including executive officers, is January 24th of each year, or the first trading day thereafter, unless such other date is approved in advance by the Executive Compensation Committee. In addition, the effective grant date for executive officer new hire option grants is the 15th day of the month following the executive officer's hire date, or the first trading day thereafter. The effective grant date for non-executive officer new hire option grants is the 15th day of the month following the month of the employee's hire date, or the first trading day thereafter. The effective grant date for executive officer new hire restricted stock unit and performance share grants is the executive officer's hire date, and grants of restricted stock units and performance shares for non-executive officer new hires are granted quarterly in connection with the next scheduled meeting of the Executive Compensation Committee. Because the date of the grants is pre-established, as noted above, the timing of the release of material nonpublic information does not affect the grant dates for equity awards. Further, Adobe does not time the release of material nonpublic information based on equity award grant dates.
Our Executive Compensation Committee approves all grants made to our executive officers, as well as all restricted stock unit and performance share grants, at an in-person or telephonic meeting on or before the grant date. Our Board delegated to a Management Committee, consisting of our Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President, Human Resources, the authority to approve individual stock option grants to all non-executive officers and employees in accordance with the grant guidelines described above.
41
All stock option grants are granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date (or, in accordance with the terms of our approved equity plans, the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date prior to the grant date, if a grant is made on a non-trading day).
Ownership Guidelines and Policies
Stock Ownership Guidelines
As part of our overall corporate governance and compensation practices, in 2003, our Board adopted the following stock ownership guidelines for our executive officers, which the Executive Compensation Committee reviews annually. These guidelines were designed to align our executive officers' interests with our stockholders' long-term interests by promoting long-term share ownership by executives. The Board reviews the guidelines annually. As of November 30, 2007, each of our Named Executive Officers was in compliance with the applicable guidelines.
In addition, our Board placed additional requirements on an option granted to Mr. Chizen in 2004. Mr. Chizen was required to hold 40% of the net shares acquired from that option (after deducting shares sold to cover the exercise price and taxes, and excluding shares acquired through Adobe's Employee Stock Purchase Plan) for two years unless, following sale of such shares, the total number of shares held by him equaled or exceeded 150,000 shares.
For purposes of these guidelines, an "acquired share" includes shares of vested restricted stock, performance shares, performance share units and shares issued from the exercise of vested options. "Net shares acquired" means acquired shares remaining after deducting acquired shares sold to cover the exercise price and withheld taxes. Shares that count toward the minimum share ownership include shares owned outright or beneficially owned and shares issued from the exercise of vested options, as well as vested shares or units deferred into our nonqualified deferred compensation plan (the "Deferred Compensation Plan").
Hedging Policy
Adobe's policies do not permit any employees, including our executive officers, to "hedge" ownership by engaging in short sales or trading in any derivatives involving Adobe securities.
42
Retirement and Deferred Compensation Benefits
We do not provide our executive officers with a defined benefit pension plan or any supplemental executive retirement plans, nor do we provide our executive officers with retiree health benefits. Adobe employees, including the Named Executive Officers, may participate in Adobe's 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, which provides for a matching contribution by Adobe of 50% of the first 6% of the employee's earnings up to an aggregate matching contribution of $6,750 in fiscal year 2007 and of $6,900 in fiscal year 2008. Adobe makes a matching contribution to help attract and retain employees and to provide an additional incentive for our employees to save for their retirement in a tax-favored manner.
Adobe also maintains a Deferred Compensation Plan for senior management. The Deferred Compensation Plan was adopted to give certain employees, including our executive officers, the ability to defer receipt of income to a later date, which may be an attractive tax planning opportunity. Adobe offers this plan to remain attractive to current and potential executives in a highly competitive market for executive talent. Adobe generally does not contribute to the Deferred Compensation Plan on behalf of the participants, and therefore, Adobe's cost to maintain the Deferred Compensation Plan is limited to administration expenses, which are minimal. For additional details, see the "Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table for Fiscal Year 2007" contained in this proxy statement.
Perquisites and Additional Benefits and Programs
We provide limited perquisites to our executive officers. In considering potential perquisites, the Executive Compensation Committee reviews the cost to Adobe as compared to the perceived value to Adobe. We offer our executives an annual physical paid for by us. We believe that the good health of our executives is important to our business.
In addition, we maintain a limited membership in a Marquis Jet Card Program. Adobe's policy related to the program allows participating executives (our Chief Executive Officer and for part of fiscal year 2007, our President and Chief Operating Officer) the use of a private plane for business travel; other executives and employees may accompany a participating executive for business purposes only. In addition, our policy allows family members to accompany a participating executive during business travel, if all related personal costs for the family members are paid for by the executive. This policy was adopted to allow for efficient travel by the participating executives, which we believe is consistent with the market standard, including allowing family to travel with the executive if all costs for the family members are paid by the executive. No family members have accompanied our executives on the aircraft to date.
We also provide the following benefits to our executive officers, on the same terms and conditions as provided to all other eligible employees:
We believe these benefits to be consistent with benefits provided by companies with which we compete for employees.
43
Severance and Change of Control Compensation
Except in limited circumstances, such as when an employment agreement that provides for severance is assumed as part of a corporate transaction or as part of an executive transition plan, Adobe does not enter into employment agreements providing for severance benefits with its employees, except with respect to a change of control. Each of our executive officers is employed "at will."
Each of our executive officers are, or could be, eligible participants in our Executive Severance Plan in the Event of a Change of Control (the "Executive Severance Plan"), which provides for severance payments to our executive officers upon involuntary termination in connection with a qualifying change of control. Our Executive Compensation Committee believes that change of control vesting and severance benefits, if structured appropriately, serve to minimize the distraction caused by a potential transaction and reduce the risk that an executive officer departs Adobe before an acquisition is consummated. We believe that a pre-existing plan will allow our executive officers to focus on continuing normal business operations and on the success of a potential business combination, rather than focusing on seeking alternative employment. We further believe that our Executive Severance Plan ensures stability and will enable our executive officers to maintain a balanced perspective in making overall business decisions during a potentially uncertain period. Severance payments and benefits under the Executive Severance Plan are provided only upon qualifying terminations in connection with a change of control so that an acquirer that wishes to retain Adobe's management team during a transition period or over the long-term will have an opportunity to do so.
In addition, Adobe had previously entered into separate Retention Agreements with Messrs. Chizen and Narayen. These agreements also provide for severance payments and benefits in connection with a qualifying change of control. Messrs. Chizen and Narayen could only receive benefits under our Executive Severance Plan if they waived all benefits of their respective Retention Agreements. The level of severance payments and benefits in these Retention Agreements was based on the position level of the employee at the time of the agreement; the benefits were established based on the consideration by our Board of a number of factors, including the likely length of time for that level of employee to secure an appropriate new position and the likelihood that such employee would lose his job (or his level would change) in connection with a change of control.
Mr. Chizen and Adobe agreed to terminate Mr. Chizen's existing Retention Agreement in November 2007 in light of his resignation as our Chief Executive Officer, and we entered into a new agreement with Mr. Chizen, which includes limited severance benefits derived from his current compensation as a strategic advisor to Adobe. An amendment to Mr. Narayen's Retention Agreement in February 2008 was approved by the Executive Compensation Committee as a result of his new position as our Chief Executive Officer.
These arrangements do not provide for gross-ups of excise tax values under Section 4999 of the Code. Rather, for Messrs. Chizen and Narayen, in fiscal year 2007, the benefits would be reduced to the maximum amount to which excise tax would not apply, as further described in "Potential Payments upon Termination and/or Change of Control" contained in this proxy statement. For other executive officers, and for Mr. Narayen since the amendment to his Retention Agreement in 2008, benefits would be reduced if doing so would result in a better after-tax economic position for the executive.
In each case, these change of control arrangements are designed to be competitive with pay practices at our peer companies. Our Executive Compensation Committee periodically reviews the terms and conditions of Adobe's change of control arrangements and will make adjustments when and to the extent deemed appropriate.
Additional details regarding our Executive Severance Plan and the individual Retention Agreements with Messrs. Chizen and Narayen, including estimates of amounts payable in specified circumstances, are disclosed in the section entitled "Change of Control" contained in this proxy statement.
44
Tax Deductibility
Section 162(m) of the Code generally disallows a tax deduction to public corporations for compensation greater than $1 million paid for any fiscal year to the corporation's Chief Executive Officer and the three other most highly compensated executive officers as of the end of any fiscal year. However, certain forms of performance-based compensation are excluded from the $1 million deduction limit if certain requirements are met. The Executive Compensation Committee considers the impact of Section 162(m) when designing Adobe's compensation programs and has structured Adobe's annual Executive Bonus Plan, stock plans and performance share programs so that awards may be granted under these plans and programs in a manner that complies with the requirements imposed by Section 162(m). However, tax deductibility is not the sole factor used by the Executive Compensation Committee in setting compensation. Corporate objectives may not necessarily align with the requirements for full deductibility under Section 162(m). Accordingly, Adobe may grant awards and/or enter into compensation arrangements under which payments are not deductible under Section 162(m) when the Executive Compensation Committee determines that such non-deductible arrangements are otherwise in the best interests of Adobe's stockholders.
To qualify as performance-based compensation, the amount of compensation must depend on the executive officer's performance against pre-determined performance goals established by a committee that consists solely of at least two "outside" directors who have never been employed by Adobe or its subsidiaries. All three members of the Executive Compensation Committee during fiscal year 2007 qualified as outside directors; at the beginning of fiscal year 2008, Colleen Pouliot became a member of the Executive Compensation Committee. Although Ms. Pouliot is an independent director under SEC and the applicable NASDAQ listing standards, she does not qualify as an outside director under Section 162(m) because she was an officer of Adobe from 1990 to 2001 and continued as an employee of Adobe through a portion of fiscal year 2002. For this reason, she does not vote on any Section 162(m)-related matters.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT*
The Executive Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" contained in this proxy statement. Based on this review and discussion, the Executive Compensation Committee recommended to our Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and in our 2007 Annual Report filed with the SEC on January 24, 2008.
Respectfully submitted,
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
Carol
Mills, Chair
Edward Barnholt
Michael Cannon
Colleen Pouliot
45
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007
The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and three other most highly compensated executive officers during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007. We refer to these officers throughout this proxy statement as our "Named Executive Officers."
Name and Principal Position |
Year |
Salary ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Stock Awards(1) ($) |
Option Awards(2) ($) |
Non- Equity Incentive Plan Compen- sation(3) ($) |
All Other Compen- sation(4) ($) |
Total ($) |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer(5) |
2007 | 925,000 | | 1,375,012 | 4,254,591 | 2,312,500 | 7,440 | 8,874,543 | ||||||||
Shantanu Narayen(6) President and Chief Operating Officer |
2007 |
600,000 |
|
760,488 |
2,980,509 |
1,320,000 |
8,990 |
5,669,987 |
||||||||
Mark Garrett(7) Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
2007 |
392,483 |
100,000 |
(8) |
384,391 |
659,675 |
667,222 |
390 |
2,204,161 |
|||||||
Karen Cottle(9) Senior Vice President General Counsel |
2007 |
423,333 |
|
340,477 |
959,101 |
508,000 |
7,890 |
2,238,801 |
||||||||
Matthew Thompson(10) Senior Vice President, WW Sales and Field Operations |
2007 |
389,583 |
250,000 |
(11) |
467,039 |
679,679 |
662,292 |
7,140 |
2,455,733 |
46
Name |
401(k) Company Match ($) |
Life Insurance ($) |
Patent Award ($) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen | 6,750 | 690 | | |||
Shantanu Narayen | 6,750 | 240 | 2,000 | |||
Mark Garrett | | 390 | | |||
Karen Cottle | 6,750 | 1,140 | | |||
Matthew Thompson | 6,750 | 390 | |
None of our Named Executive Officers have entered into a written employment agreement with Adobe, except that on November 9, 2007, we executed an agreement with Mr. Chizen, effective as of December 1, 2007 (the beginning of our 2008 fiscal year), pursuant to which Mr. Chizen will serve as a strategic advisor to Adobe and the Board until November 28, 2008. Mr. Chizen will receive as salary an amount equal to 50% of his former base salary and will be eligible to earn a target award for fiscal year 2008 under the Executive Bonus Plan equal to 75% of his new base salary.
The material terms of our executives' annual compensation, including base salaries, the Executive Bonus Plan, the performance share programs and our option granting policies are described in our "Compensation Discussion and Analysis."
47
GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007
The following table shows all plan-based awards granted to our Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007. The equity awards granted in fiscal year 2007 identified in the table below are also reported in the table "Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End for Fiscal Year 2008." For additional information regarding the non-equity incentive plan awards and the equity incentive plan awards, please reference the cash incentives and equity incentives sections of our "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" contained in this proxy statement.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options (#) |
|
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(1) |
Estimated Possible Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards(2) |
Exercise or Base Price of Option Awards ($/Share) |
||||||||||||||
Name |
Grant Date |
Threshold ($) |
Target ($) |
Maximum ($) |
Threshold (#) |
Target (#) |
Maximum (#) |
|||||||||||
Bruce Chizen(3) | 01/24/07 02/02/06 |
416,250 | 1,156,250 | 3,468,750 | 16,100 0 |
35,000 55,000 |
70,000 82,500 |
350,000 | 39.69 | |||||||||
Shantanu Narayen |
01/24/07 02/02/06 |
237,600 |
660,000 |
1,980,000 |
11,500 0 |
25,000 28,000 |
50,000 42,000 |
225,000 |
39.69 |
|||||||||
Mark Garrett |
02/15/07 02/07/07 02/07/07 |
120,100 |
333,611 |
1,000,833 |
3,450 0 |
7,500 12,500 |
15,000 18,750 |
275,000 |
(4) |
39.25 |
||||||||
Karen Cottle |
01/24/07 02/02/06 |
91,440 |
254,000 |
762,000 |
3,579 0 |
7,778 14,000 |
15,556 21,000 |
70,000 |
39.69 |
|||||||||
Matthew Thompson |
01/24/07 01/16/07 01/01/07 |
119,213 |
331,146 |
993,438 |
3,450 0 |
7,500 12,500 |
15,000 18,750 |
250,000 |
(4) |
40.05 |
As discussed in greater detail in "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" contained in this proxy statement, the non-equity incentive awards are granted pursuant to our annual Executive Bonus Plan, with amounts earned based on the achievement of certain financial targets as well as individual performance goals. Cash bonuses are fully vested when earned.
As discussed in greater detail in "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" contained in this proxy statement, the equity incentive awards are granted in the form of stock-settled restricted stock units under our 2006 Performance Share Plan and our 2007 Performance Share Plan. The number of shares actually earned under the 2007 Performance Share Program was determined pursuant to a performance matrix based on achievement of Adjusted Revenue and Adjusted PS Non-GAAP Operating Profit
48
targets at the end of the performance period (the first 25% of the shares earned fully vest at the certification date or the first anniversary of the grant date, if later). The remaining 75% of the shares earned are then subject to annual time-based vesting over three years from the first anniversary. The number of shares actually earned under the 2006 Performance Share Plan was determined based on the level of achievement of operating income targets as well as additional metrics, including revenue and non-revenue targets. Shares earned were then fully vested upon certification after the end of fiscal year 2007 (the end of the two-year performance period). Adobe did not pay dividends on its common stock during fiscal year 2007.
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR END FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007
The following table sets forth information regarding outstanding equity awards as of fiscal year 2007 year end for each of the Named Executive Officers. Values in this table are calculated based on the closing market price of our common stock as reported on NASDAQ on November 30, 2007, which was $42.14.
|
|
|
|
|
Stock Awards |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Option Awards |
|||||||||||
|
|
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(1) ($) |
||||||||||
Name |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable |
Option Exercise Price ($) |
Option Expiration Date |
Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(1) (#) |
|||||||
Bruce Chizen | 756,000 500,000 57,632 6,000 280,350 900,000 318,750 106,250 72,916 |
106,250 318,750 277,084 |
(2) (3) (5) |
27.83 32.16 13.84 13.48 13.24 21.78 32.42 39.39 39.69 |
03/31/2008 11/29/2008 03/02/2009 11/02/2009 11/12/2009 05/19/2011 05/24/2012 02/02/2013 01/24/2014 |
57,607 70,000 |
(4) (6) |
2,427,559 2,949,800 |
||||
Shantanu Narayen |
15,358 344,408 150,000 50,000 46,874 |
33,334 50,000 150,000 178,126 |
(7) (2) (3) (5) |
13.24 29.12 32.42 39.39 39.69 |
11/12/2009 01/14/2012 05/24/2012 02/02/2013 01/24/2014 |
29,327 50,000 |
(4) (6) |
1,235,840 2,107,000 |
||||
Mark Garrett |
|
275,000 |
(8) |
39.25 |
02/15/2014 |
13,092 15,000 |
(4) (6) |
551,697 632,100 |
||||
Karen Cottle |
13,751 22,500 14,582 |
27,500 67,500 55,418 |
(2) (3) (5) |
32.42 39.39 39.69 |
05/24/2012 02/02/2013 01/24/2014 |
14,663 15,556 |
(4) (6) |
617,899 655,530 |
||||
Matthew Thompson |
|
250,000 |
(9) |
40.05 |
01/16/2014 |
13,092 15,000 |
(4) (6) |
551,697 632,100 |
49
OPTION EXERCISES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007
The following table sets forth information regarding each exercise of stock options during fiscal year 2007 for each of the Named Executive Officers on an aggregated basis. Values in this table are calculated based on the difference between the market price of our common stock at exercise and the exercise price of the options. No restricted stock units or performance shares vested during fiscal year 2007.
|
Option Awards |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name |
Number of Shares Acquired on Exercise (#) |
Value Realized on Exercise ($) |
||
Bruce Chizen | 1,719,000 | 29,612,434 | ||
Shantanu Narayen | 700,000 | 10,065,833 | ||
Mark Garrett | | | ||
Karen Cottle | 135,416 | 2,141,704 | ||
Matthew Thompson | | |
50
NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007
The following table sets forth annual executive and company contributions under our Deferred Compensation Plan, as well as each Named Executive Officer's withdrawals, earnings and fiscal-year end balances in the Deferred Compensation Plan:
Name |
Executive Contributions in Last Fiscal Year ($) |
Registrant Contributions in Last Fiscal Year ($) |
Aggregate Earnings in Last Fiscal Year ($) |
Aggregate Withdrawals/ Distributions ($) |
Aggregate Balance at Last Fiscal Year End ($) |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen | 635,937 | (1) | 0 | 23,722 | (2) | 0 | 659,659 | |||
Shantanu Narayen | | | | | | |||||
Mark Garrett | | | | | | |||||
Karen Cottle | | | | | | |||||
Matthew Thompson | | | | | |
Eligible employees, including each of the Named Executive Officers, and directors may elect to defer the receipt of a portion of the cash and equity compensation they would otherwise have received when earned under the terms of our Deferred Compensation Plan. Amounts deferred under the Deferred Compensation Plan are deemed invested in the investment funds selected by the executive from the various funds available under the Deferred Compensation Plan. The funds in the Deferred Compensation Plan are the same funds as available under the Adobe 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, except that the individually directed brokerage account feature and the Retirement Savings Trust are not available funds under the Deferred Compensation Plan. Participants can make changes in the allocations of their deferred compensation among these funds in generally the same manner and on generally the same terms as under our 401(k) Plan. Deferrals are adjusted for earnings and losses in the deemed investments. Adobe does not contribute to the Deferred Compensation Plan on behalf of employees, or match the deferrals made by executives, with the exception of situations where an election to defer under the Deferred Compensation Plan would prevent a participant from receiving the full 401(k) match described earlier. In those situations, Adobe makes a contribution to the Deferred Compensation Plan equal to the foregone 401(k) match. As a result, amounts payable under the Deferred Compensation Plan generally are entirely determined by participant contributions and fund elections.
Participants in the Deferred Compensation Plan may elect to contribute 1% to 75% of their base salary and 1% to 100% of other specified compensation, including commissions and bonuses. Participants may also contribute 100% per vesting tranche of their restricted stock unit and performance share grants. Participants elect the payment of benefits to begin on a specified date at least three years in the future in the form of a lump sum or annual installments of five, ten or fifteen years. Upon termination of a participant's employment with Adobe, the participant will receive a distribution in the form of a lump sum payment. All distributions are made in cash, except that deferred restricted stock units and performance shares are settled in stock.
51
Adobe entered into individual retention agreements with Messrs. Chizen and Narayen, which provide for severance payments and benefits upon a change of control. All of our Named Executive Officers (except Mr. Chizen, since December 1, 2007) are eligible to receive severance payments and benefits upon a change of control pursuant to the terms of our Executive Severance Plan, which expires in December 2011, although Mr. Narayen would need to waive all benefits under his Retention Agreement to receive any benefits under the Executive Severance Plan.
Pursuant to the individual retention agreements and the terms of our Executive Severance Plan, a change of control is generally defined as one of the following:
Individual Agreements
Effective December 16, 2000, Adobe entered into a Retention Agreement with Mr. Chizen with no expiration date. Pursuant to this agreement, if Adobe (or any successor) terminates his employment without cause or as a result of his disability, or if Mr. Chizen resigned for any reason, in any case within a 24 month period following a change of control, Mr. Chizen would be eligible to receive a payment of 24 months of salary and bonus plus one month of salary and bonus per year of service up to 12 months. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Chizen and his eligible dependents would be eligible to receive all of the existing insurance benefits applicable to him immediately prior to his termination, on the same terms and conditions for an amount of time based on his number of years of service with Adobe. In addition, Mr. Chizen would be eligible to receive full vesting of all option and restricted stock unit awards upon a change of control; performance share awards would be governed by the terms of the applicable plan and award, as described below. In accordance with the terms of Mr. Chizen's Retention Agreement, in the event that it is determined that any amount payable would constitute an excess parachute payment within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, the aggregate amount of all such payment benefits would be reduced to the amount which maximizes the aggregate present value of payments without causing any payment to be nondeductible by Adobe under Section 280G.
On November 9, 2007, Adobe entered into an agreement with Mr. Chizen pursuant to which he agreed that in lieu of such rights, in the event Adobe (or any successor entity) terminates his employment on or after December 1, 2007 and prior to November 28, 2008 in connection with a change of control (as defined in our 2003 Plan), Adobe will pay Mr. Chizen a lump sum payment equal to the sum of the salary payments that he would have been paid, and the premiums for health and life insurance that would have been paid on his behalf, under the transition agreement, between the effective date of the termination and November 28, 2008, plus his target award for 2008 under the Executive Bonus Plan (calculated as if 100% performance was achieved). In addition, his then
52
outstanding equity awards will become immediately vested as to the number of shares that would have vested under those awards in the ordinary course through November 28, 2008; performance share awards would also be governed by the terms of the applicable plan and award, as described below.
Effective January 12, 1998, Adobe entered into a Retention Agreement with Mr. Narayen. Pursuant to this agreement, if Adobe (or any successor) terminates Mr. Narayen's employment without cause or as a result of his disability, or if Mr. Narayen resigns for good reason (each an "Involuntary Termination"), in any case within a 24 month period following a change of control, Mr. Narayen would be eligible to receive a payment of 24 months of salary and bonus plus one month of salary and bonus per year of service up to 12 months. Mr. Narayen and his eligible dependents would be eligible to receive continued insurance benefits for an amount of time based on his number of years of service with Adobe. In addition, upon an Involuntary Termination, Mr. Narayen would receive full vesting of all option and restricted stock unit awards; performance share awards would be governed by the terms of the applicable plan and award, as described below. In accordance with the terms of Mr. Narayen's Retention Agreement, in the event that it were determined that any amount payable would constitute an excess parachute payment within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, the aggregate amount of all such payment benefits would be reduced to the amount which maximizes the aggregate present value of payments without causing any payment to be nondeductible by Adobe under Section 280G.
Based on his new position as our Chief Executive Officer, effective February 11, 2008, Adobe entered into the First Amendment to the Retention Agreement (the "Amendment") with Mr. Narayen. The Amendment clarifies that Mr. Narayen's and his dependents' rights to insurance benefits are provided pursuant to COBRA for a period of time based on 24 months plus the number of years of service with Adobe or the date Mr. Narayen is covered under another employer's health plan, up to the maximum number of months he is eligible for COBRA. In addition, under the terms of the Amendment, all outstanding equity awards will accelerate in full upon a change of control. Furthermore, the Amendment provides that, in the event that any amount under the amended Retention Agreement would constitute an excess parachute payment within the meaning of Section 280G, the amounts payable will not exceed the amount which produces the greatest after-tax benefit to Mr. Narayen. Finally, all of the benefits of the Retention Agreement and Amendment are conditioned upon Mr. Narayen's signing a release of claims. The Retention Agreement and Amendment have no expiration date.
Executive Change of Control Plan
Pursuant to the Executive Severance Plan, provided they sign a release of claims, Messrs. Garrett and Thompson and Ms. Cottle are each entitled to severance benefits if he or she is terminated by Adobe without cause or as a result of disability, or if he or she resigns for good reason, in either case within two years following the transaction. Under the Executive Severance Plan, Messrs. Garrett and Thompson and Ms. Cottle would be eligible to receive a payment of 24 months of salary and bonus plus one month of salary and bonus per year of service up to 12 months. Adobe would also pay COBRA premiums for the eligible executive and covered dependents for a period of time based on 24 months plus the number of years of service with Adobe or the date the executives are covered under another employer's health plan, up to the maximum number of months he or she is eligible for COBRA. In addition, the executive officers would receive full vesting of all option, restricted stock unit and performance share awards. For Messrs. Garrett and Thompson and Ms. Cottle, in the event that any amount under the Executive Severance Plan would constitute an excess parachute payment within the meaning of Section 280G, the amounts payable will not exceed the amount which produces the greatest after-tax benefit to the participant. The Executive Severance Plan expires in December 2011.
53
Performance Programs
Pursuant to our 2006 and 2007 Performance Share Programs, in the event of a change of control prior to the end of the performance period, there is an automatic crediting to the executive of a prorated (based on time elapsed during the performance period) amount of the target share award. Under our 2006 Performance Share Program, the executive would be fully vested in such prorated award upon a change of control. Under our 2007 Performance Share Program, the executive would be credited with one year of vesting in such prorated award upon a change of control. Our 2007 Performance Share Program also provides, in the event of a change of control after the end of the performance period, each participant is entitled to one additional year of vesting for the previously determined award. The Executive Severance Plan, which provides for additional acceleration, would most likely apply, however.
On a termination of service as a result of death or disability prior to the date of certification of performance under our 2006 and 2007 Performance Share Programs, the executive would be credited with an award equal to a number of shares prorated for the number of months of service provided during the performance period prior to the termination. Under the 2006 Performance Share Program, the executive would become vested in all of the shares under the prorated award. Under the 2007 Performance Share Program, the executive would become vested in the number of shares that would vest on the next vesting date.
54
Potential Payments upon Termination and/or a Change of Control
The table below outlines the potential payments and benefits payable to each Named Executive Officer in the event of termination and/or a change of control ("COC") as if such COC and/or termination event had occurred on November 30, 2007:
Triggering Event |
Accrued Vacation Pay ($) |
Bonus(1) ($) |
Lump Sum Severance ($) |
Accelerated Stock Options ($) |
Accelerated Performance Awards(2) ($) |
Cont. Health Insurance Coverage (present value)(3) ($) |
Other Cont. Insurance Coverage (present value)(3) ($) |
Total(4) ($) |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Chizen Death/Disability Resignation/Termination for Cause Resignation for Good Reason/Involuntary Termination without Cause Involuntary Termination/Resignation upon COC COC Only (continued employment) |
10,851 10,851 10,851 10,851 10,851 |
0 0 0 1,156,250 0 |
0 0 0 6,243,750 0 |
1,758,453 0 0 2,588,167 2,588,167 |
2,686,425 0 0 2,686,425 2,686,425 |
0 0 0 66,276 0 |
0 0 0 19,842 0 |
4,455,729 10,851 10,851 12,771,561 5,285,443 |
|||||||||
Shantanu Narayen Death/Disability Resignation/Termination for Cause Resignation for Good Reason/Involuntary Termination without Cause Involuntary Termination upon COC COC Only (continued employment) |
6,254 6,254 6,254 6,254 6,254 |
0 0 0 660,000 0 |
0 0 0 3,465,000 0 |
1,298,604 0 0 1,769,073 0 |
1,443,295 0 0 1,443,295 1,443,295 |
0 0 0 60,551 0 |
0 0 0 12,672 0 |
2,748,153 6,254 6,254 7,416,845 1,449,549 |
|||||||||
Mark Garrett Death/Disability Resignation/Termination for Cause Resignation for Good Reason/Involuntary Termination without Cause Involuntary Termination upon COC COC Only (continued employment) |
0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 403,750 0 |
0 0 0 1,463,917 0 |
(5) |
347,703 0 0 794,750 0 |
605,762 0 0 605,762 605,762 |
0 0 0 32,146 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
953,465 0 0 3,300,325 605,762 |
(5) |
|||||||
Karen Cottle Death/Disability Resignation/Termination for Cause Resignation for Good Reason/Involuntary Termination without Cause Involuntary Termination upon COC COC Only (continued employment) |
3,292 3,292 3,292 3,292 3,292 |
0 0 0 256,800 0 |
0 0 0 1,654,933 0 |
418,456 0 0 588,696 0 |
671,901 0 0 671,901 671,901 |
0 0 0 19,706 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
1,093,649 3,292 3,292 3,195,328 675,193 |
|||||||||
Matthew Thompson Death/Disability Resignation/Termination for Cause Resignation for Good Reason/Involuntary Termination without Cause Involuntary Termination upon COC COC Only (continued employment) |
0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 361,250 0 |
0 0 0 1,572,500 0 |
239,479 0 0 522,500 0 |
605,762 0 0 605,762 605,762 |
0 0 0 32,146 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
845,241 0 0 3,094,158 605,762 |
55
The following table sets forth the total compensation received by each of Adobe's non-employee directors during fiscal year 2007:
Name |
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)(1) |
Option Awards ($)(2)(3)(4) |
Total ($) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charles M. Geschke | 35,000 | 293,040 | 328,040 | |||
John E. Warnock | 35,000 | 293,040 | 328,040 | |||
Edward W. Barnholt | 50,834 | 182,882 | 233,716 | |||
Robert K. Burgess | 35,000 | 235,896 | 270,896 | |||
Michael R. Cannon | 50,000 | 259,928 | 309,928 | |||
James E. Daley | 70,000 | 295,566 | 365,566 | |||
Carol Mills | 54,166 | 295,566 | 349,732 | |||
Colleen M. Pouliot | 35,000 | 293,040 | 328,040 | |||
Robert Sedgewick | 55,000 | 295,566 | 350,566 | |||
Delbert W. Yocam | 55,000 | 295,566 | 350,566 |
Name |
Annual Board Retainers ($) |
Audit Committee Fees ($) |
Executive Compensation Committee Fees ($) |
Nominating and Governance Committee Fees ($) |
Total ($) |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dr. Geschke | 35,000 | | | | 35,000 | |||||
Dr. Warnock | 35,000 | | | | 35,000 | |||||
Mr. Barnholt | 35,000 | | 7,500 | 8,334 | 50,834 | |||||
Mr. Burgess | 35,000 | | | | 35,000 | |||||
Mr. Cannon | 35,000 | | 10,000 | 5,000 | 50,000 | |||||
Mr. Daley | 35,000 | 30,000 | | 5,000 | 70,000 | |||||
Ms. Mills | 35,000 | | 12,500 | 6,666 | 54,166 | |||||
Ms. Pouliot | 35,000 | | | | 35,000 | |||||
Dr. Sedgewick | 35,000 | 15,000 | | 5,000 | 55,000 | |||||
Mr. Yocam | 35,000 | 15,000 | | 5,000 | 55,000 |
56
in the calculation of this amount are included in Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of our 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K at Note 11, "Stock Based Compensation."
Name |
Aggregate Shares Subject to Outstanding Options (#) |
|
---|---|---|
Dr. Geschke | 470,000 | |
Dr. Warnock | 390,000 | |
Mr. Barnholt | 75,000 | |
Mr. Burgess | 75,001 | |
Mr. Cannon | 95,000 | |
Mr. Daley | 180,000 | |
Ms. Mills | 125,000 | |
Ms. Pouliot | 80,000 | |
Dr. Sedgewick | 230,000 | |
Mr. Yocam | 75,000 |
Compensation Philosophy
The general policy of our Board is that compensation for independent directors should be a mix of cash and equity-based compensation. Adobe does not compensate its management directors for Board service in addition to their regular employee compensation. For fiscal years 2007 and 2008, the Nominating and Governance Committee evaluated the appropriate level and form of compensation for independent directors and recommended changes to the Board when appropriate. Going forward, the Executive Compensation Committee will make such compensation evaluations and recommendations annually. The Board reviews the Committee's recommendations and then determines the amount of director compensation.
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash
In fiscal year 2007, each non-employee director received an annual retainer of $35,000 plus annual retainers for each Committee on which he or she served (with Committee fees prorated for partial years of service), as follows:
Committee |
Chair |
Members |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audit | $ | 30,000 | $ | 15,000 | ||
Executive Compensation | 15,000 | 7,500 | ||||
Nominating and Governance | 10,000 | 5,000 |
Equity Awards
Through fiscal year 2007, each non-employee director was automatically granted an annual stock option under our Director Plan to purchase 25,000 shares of our common stock at a price per share equal to the closing price of our common stock on the grant date as reported on NASDAQ. These options were granted on the day after our annual meeting of stockholders. The closing price of our common stock for the fiscal year 2007 grant was $42.61 (the closing price of our common stock on the day prior to the non-trading day grant date, as provided in the Director Plan). New non-employee directors joining the Board automatically receive an option to purchase 50,000 shares of our common
57
stock under the Director Plan on the day they become a director, but do not receive an annual grant for their initial annual meeting as a director.
For fiscal year 2008, the Board has approved equity compensation for directors, subject to stockholder approval of the amendments to our 2003 Plan, as described in Proposal 2 set forth herein, as follows: (i) an initial grant of restricted stock units in an amount valued at $150,000 upon initial appointment to the Board, which will vest 25% each year on the anniversary of the grant date over a four year period, (ii) an annual option grant to purchase 25,000 shares of our common stock, which will vest 25% each year on the day immediately preceding our annual stockholder meeting over a four year period. If the stockholders do not approve the amendments, the prior stock option grants for new directors under the Director Plan will continue.
Options granted prior to March 28, 2006 under the Director Plan vest and are exercisable at a rate of 25% on the day immediately preceding each of the first and second annual meetings following the date of grant and the remaining 50% on the day immediately preceding the third annual meeting following the date of grant. Options granted subsequent to March 28, 2006 under the Director Plan vest and are exercisable at a rate of 25% on the day immediately preceding each of the first through fourth annual meetings following the grant date.
Holders of options granted under the Director Plan may only exercise the options once they vest. Options are generally no longer exercisable three months after termination of director status (except in the case of termination due to death or disability). In the event of a change of control, any unvested portion of an option shall become fully vested and exercisable 30 days prior to the transaction resulting in a change of control. If the option is not assumed or substituted by the acquiring company, it will terminate to the extent it is not exercised on or before the date of such a transaction.
Deferred Compensation Plan
Our Deferred Compensation Plan allows non-employee directors to defer from 5% up to 100% of their cash compensation and invest such amounts in the same funds as generally available in Adobe's 401(k) Plan. Deferred Compensation Plan participants must elect irrevocably to receive the deferred funds on a specified date at least three years in the future in the form of a lump sum or annual installments over five, ten or fifteen years. Ms. Mills and Messrs. Cannon and Daley participated in the Deferred Compensation Plan with respect to 100% of their retainer and Committee fees paid in fiscal year 2007.
Expenses
We do not pay meeting fees. We do reimburse our directors for their travel and related expenses in connection with attending Board and Committee meetings, as well as costs and expenses incurred in attending director education programs and other Adobe-related seminars and conferences.
Other Benefits
Non-employee directors are offered an opportunity to purchase certain Adobe health, dental, and vision insurance at COBRA rates while serving as a Board member.
Stock Ownership Guidelines
We have adopted stock ownership guidelines for members of our Board. Under these guidelines, each non-employee director should hold 25% of the net shares acquired from Adobe for two years unless, following the sale of such shares, the total number of shares held exceeds 5,000 shares. An "acquired share" includes shares of vested restricted stock and shares issued from the exercise of vested options. "Net shares acquired" means shares remaining after deducting shares sold to cover the
58
exercise price and withheld taxes. Shares that count toward the minimum share ownership include shares owned outright or beneficially owned and shares issued from the exercise of vested options, and would also include restricted stock units deferred into our Plan (if directors become eligible to receive restricted stock units). As of November 30, 2007, each director was in compliance with the guidelines.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS
AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
The members of our Executive Compensation Committee for fiscal year 2007 were Messrs. Cannon and Barnholt and Ms. Mills. There are no members of this Executive Compensation Committee who were officers or employees of Adobe or any of our subsidiaries during the fiscal year, were formerly officers of Adobe, or had any relationship otherwise requiring disclosure hereunder. None of our executive officers served as a director or as a member of the compensation committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity that has an executive officer serving as a director or as a member of our Board's Compensation Committee during fiscal year 2007. At the beginning of fiscal year 2008, Ms. Pouliot became a member of our Executive Compensation Committee. Ms. Pouliot was an officer of Adobe from 1990 to 2001 and continued as an employee of Adobe through a portion of fiscal year 2002.
TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS
Review, Approval or Ratification with Related Persons
Adobe's Code of Business Conduct requires that all employees and directors avoid conflicts of interests that interfere with the performance of their duties or are not in the best interests of Adobe.
In addition, pursuant to its written charter, the Nominating and Governance Committee reviews and approves all related-party transactions between Adobe, our executive officers and directors, beneficial owners of five percent or greater of our securities, and all other related persons as specified under Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC after examining each such transaction for potential conflicts of interests and other improprieties. The Nominating and Governance Committee has not adopted any specific written procedures for conducting such reviews and considers each transaction in light of the specific facts and circumstances presented.
Transactions with Related Persons
Since the beginning of fiscal year 2007, there have not been any transactions, nor are there any currently proposed transactions, in which Adobe was or is to be a participant, the amount involved exceeded $120,000, and any related person had or will have a material direct or indirect interest.
HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS
We have adopted a procedure approved by the SEC known as "householding." This procedure allows multiple stockholders residing at the same address the convenience of receiving a single copy of our Notice, annual report on Form 10-K and proxy materials, as applicable. This allows us to save money by reducing the number of documents we must print and mail, and helps protect the environment as well.
Householding is available to both registered stockholders (i.e., those stockholders with certificates registered in their name) and streetname holders (i.e., those stockholders who hold their shares through a brokerage).
59
Registered Stockholders
If you are a registered stockholder and have consented to our mailing of proxy materials and other stockholder information only to one account in your household, as identified by you, we will deliver or mail a single copy of our Notice, annual report on Form 10-K and proxy materials, as applicable, for all registered stockholders residing at the same address. Your consent will be perpetual unless you revoke it, which you may do at any time by calling Broadridge at 1-800-542-1061 (toll free). If you revoke your consent, we will begin sending you individual copies of future mailings of these documents within 30 days after we receive your revocation notice. If you received a householded mailing this year, and you would like to receive additional copies of our Notice, annual report on form 10-K and proxy materials, as applicable, mailed to you, please submit your request to Broadridge who will promptly deliver the requested copy.
Registered stockholders who have not consented to householding will continue to receive copies of Notice, annual reports on Form 10-K and proxy materials, as applicable for each registered stockholder residing at the same address. As a registered stockholder, you may elect to participate in householding and receive only a single copy of annual reports or proxy statements for all registered stockholders residing at the same address by contacting Broadridge as outlined above.
Streetname Holders
Stockholders who hold their shares through a brokerage may elect to participate in householding or revoke their consent to participate in householding by contacting their respective brokers.
Accompanying this proxy statement is our Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007. The Annual Report contains audited financial statements covering our fiscal years ended November 30, 2007, December 1, 2006 and December 2, 2005. Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007, as filed with the SEC, are available free of charge on our website at www.adobe.com or you can request a copy free of charge by calling 408-536-4700 or sending an e-mail to adobe@kpcorp.com. Please include your contact information with the request.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS TO BE PRESENTED AT NEXT ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholder proposals may be included in our proxy materials for an annual meeting so long as they are provided to us on a timely basis and satisfy the other conditions set forth in applicable SEC rules. For a stockholder proposal to be included in our proxy materials for the annual meeting to be held in 2009, we must receive the proposal at our principal executive offices, addressed to the Secretary, not later than October 30, 2008. In addition, stockholder business that is not intended for inclusion in our proxy materials may be brought before the annual meeting so long as we receive notice of the proposal in compliance with the requirements set forth in our Bylaws, addressed to the Secretary at our principal executive offices, not later than October 30, 2008.
Karen Cottle Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary |
February 27,
2008
San Jose, California
60
Appendix A
ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
AMENDED AND RESTATED
2003 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
A-1
A-2
A-3
A-4
A-5
A-6
A-7
A-8
A-9
A-10
Options shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock covered thereby, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. No Option or purported Option shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a fully executed Award Agreement. Award Agreements evidencing Options may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
A-11
A-12
SARs shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. No SAR or purported SAR shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a fully executed Award Agreement. Award Agreements evidencing SARs may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
A-13
Stock Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying whether the Award is a Stock Bonus, a Stock Purchase Right or a Restricted Stock Unit, and the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. No Stock Award or purported Stock Award shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a fully executed Award Agreement. Award Agreements evidencing Stock Awards may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
A-14
A-15
Performance Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. No Performance Award or purported Performance Award shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a fully executed Award Agreement. Award Agreements evidencing Performance Awards may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
A-16
A-17
A-18
A-19
A-20
A-21
A-22
A-23
A-24
The Committee may terminate or amend the Plan at any time. However, without the approval of the Companys stockholders, there shall be (a) no increase in the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan (except by operation of the provisions of Section 4.2), (b) no change in the class of persons eligible to receive Incentive Stock Options, and (c) no other amendment of the Plan that would require approval of the Companys stockholders under any applicable law, regulation or rule. No termination or amendment of the Plan shall affect any then outstanding Award unless expressly provided by the Committee. In any event, no termination or amendment of the Plan may adversely affect any then outstanding Award without the consent of the Participant, unless such termination or amendment is necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation or rule.
A-25
A-26
Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that the Committee determines that any Award is, or may reasonably be, subject to Section 409A and related Department of Treasury guidance (including such Department of Treasury guidance issued from time to time), the Committee may, without the Participants consent, adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Committee determines are necessary or appropriate to (A) exempt the Award from Section 409A and/or preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided with respect to the Award, or (B) comply with the requirements of Section 409A and related Department of Treasury guidance.
In addition, and except as otherwise set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, if the Company determines that any Award granted under this Plan constitutes, or may reasonably constitute, deferred compensation under Section 409A and the Participant is a specified employee of the Company at the relevant date, as such term is defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i), then any payment or benefit resulting from such Award will be delayed until the earliest date following the Participants separation from service with the Participating Company Group within the meaning of Section 409A on which the Company can provide such payment or benefit to the Participant without the Participants incurrence of any additional tax or interest pursuant to Section 409A, with all payments or benefits due thereafter occurring in accordance with the original schedule. In addition, this Plan and the benefits to be provided hereunder are intended to comply in all respects with the applicable provisions of Section 409A.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates shall be responsible for, or required to reimburse or otherwise make any Participant whole for, any tax or penalty imposed on, or losses incurred by, any Participant that
A-27
arises in connection with the potential or actual application of Section 409A to any Award granted hereunder.
A-28
345 PARK AVENUE SAN JOSE, CA 95110-2704 |
|
NOW YOU CAN VOTE SHARES BY TELEPHONE OR INTERNET! QUICK * EASY * IMMEDIATE * AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY * 7 DAYS A WEEK
The Company encourages you to take advantage of the new and convenient ways to vote the shares. If voting by proxy, you may vote by mail, or choose one of the two other methods described below. Your telephone or Internet vote authorizes the named proxies to vote the shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed, and returned your proxy card. To vote by telephone, the Internet or mail, read the accompanying proxy statement, then follow these easy steps:
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 the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.
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 the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. 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 STOCKHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by Adobe Systems Incorporated 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 stockholder communications electronically in future years.
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 Adobe Systems Incorporated, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. |
TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: |
ADOBE1 |
KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS |
||
|
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. |
DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY |
||
ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
Vote on Directors |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
1. |
|
Election of the six (6) Class I directors proposed in the accompanying Proxy Statement to serve for a two-year term. (The Board recommends a vote for all nominees.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
For |
Against |
Abstain |
Vote on Proposals |
|
For |
|
Against |
|
Abstain |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
1a) |
Edward W. Barnholt |
o |
o |
o |
2. |
Approval of the amendment and restatement of the Adobe Systems Incorporated 2003 Equity Incentive Plan. (The Board recommends a vote for this proposal.)
|
|
o |
|
o |
|
o |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
1c) |
James E. Daley |
o |
o |
o |
3. |
Ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending on November 28, 2008. (The Board recommends a vote for this proposal.)
|
|
o |
|
o |
|
o |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
1e) |
Shantanu Narayen |
o |
o |
o |
4. |
Transacting of such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) on the stock certificate. If shares of stock stand of record in the names of two or more persons, or in the name of husband and wife, whether as joint tenants or otherwise, both or all of such persons should sign the proxy card. If shares of stock are held of record by a corporation, the proxy card should be executed by the President or Vice President and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary, and the corporate seal should be affixed thereto. Executors or administrators or other fiduciaries who execute the proxy card for a deceased stockholder should give their full title. Please date the proxy card.
|
|
|
|
|
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] |
Date |
|
Signature (Joint Owners) |
Date |
PROXY
ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
PROXY FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY.
The undersigned hereby appoints John E. Warnock and Shantanu Narayen, and each of them, with full power of substitution, to represent the undersigned and to vote all of the shares of stock in Adobe Systems Incorporated the Company) which the undersigned is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, to be held at the Companys headquarters, 321 Park Avenue, East Tower, San Jose, California 95110-2704 on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. local time and at any adjournment or postponement thereof: (1) as hereinafter specified upon the proposals listed below and as more particularly described in the Companys Proxy Statement, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and (2) in their discretion upon such other matters as may properly come before the meeting.
The shares represented hereby shall be voted as specified. If no specification is made, such shares shall be voted FOR proposals 1, 2 and 3. Whether or not you are able to attend the meeting, you are urged to sign and mail the proxy card in the return envelope so that the stock may be represented at the meeting.
IF YOU ELECT TO VOTE BY MAIL, PLEASE MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY CARD
PROMPTLY
USING THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE
(CONTINUED AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE)