Company: LIN
Filing Date: 2025-04-30
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-060925
Chunk: 25

Company: LINDE PLC
Filing Date: 2025-04-30
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 25
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 earned in the upcoming year. A director chooses this deferred payment date when making a deferral election. Any deferred cash fees are converted into Linde deferred stock units ("DSUs") granted under the Linde plc 2021 Long Term Incentive Plan (“Equity Incentive Plan”), with each DSU representing the right to receive one Ordinary Share of Linde plc at the end of the deferral period. No other phantom investment options are available for deferred cash fees.

In addition, non-employee directors may elect to defer the payout of the annual director restricted stock unit (“RSU”) equity grant to a date later than the payout date that would otherwise occur after the RSU vests one year after the grant date. DSUs and RSUs are also credited with additional stock units whenever dividends are paid on the Company’s Ordinary Shares. Dividends are credited at the same rate as they are paid to all shareholders. Stock units provide directors the economic equivalent of owning the Company’s Ordinary Shares, except that the units may not be transferred or sold, and they do not provide any voting or other shareholder rights. DSUs and deferred RSUs are paid out solely in Company Ordinary Shares on the selected deferral payout dates.

2025 Director Compensation Program Amendment

In October 2024, the Nomination and Governance Committee reviewed and considered the updated 2024 F.W. Cook director compensation study. In order to continue to maintain the Director Compensation Program to be competitive with the peer group of benchmark companies, the Board amended the Director Compensation Program effective February 1, 2025 to: (1) increase the annual base retainer paid to all non-employee directors (except the Chairman of the Board) by $15,000 from $325,000 to $340,000 (payable 40% cash and 60% equity) and (2) increase the annual cash retainer paid to the Lead Independent Director by $10,000 from $35,000 to $45,000. The compensation of the Chairman of the Board and the additional cash compensation of all committee Chairs did not change.

| 22 | Linde plc |

Corporate Governance and Board Matters

Director Compensation

The table below shows the compensation of the Company’s non-management directors in 2024. 2024 Director Compensation Table

| Name                              |     | Fees Earned 
 or Paid     
 in Cash     
 ($)         |     |         |     | Stock  
 Awards 
 ($)(1) |     |         |     | Option 
 Awards 
 ($)