Company: WTFCN
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-031671
Chunk: 2

Company: WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 2
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| ​ | Proposal No. 4 — Ratification of Ernst & Young LLP to Serve as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Fiscal Year 2025 | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ |  77 | ​ | ​ |
| ​ | Audit and Non-Audit Fees Paid                                                                                                                   | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ |  77 | ​ | ​ |
| ​ | Shareholder Proposals for the 2026 Annual Meeting                                                                                               | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ |  78 | ​ | ​ |
| ​ | Other Business                                                                                                                                  | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ |  79 | ​ | ​ |
| ​ | Annex A: 2025 Stock Incentive Plan                                                                                                              | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | A-1 | ​ | ​ |

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TABLE OF CONTENTS WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORPORATION 9700 West Higgins Road, Suite 800
Rosemont, Illinois 60018 PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2025 These proxy materials are furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors (the “Board” with individual members of the Board each being referred to herein as a “Director”) of Wintrust Financial Corporation, an Illinois corporation (“Wintrust” or the “Company”), of proxies to be used at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) and at any adjournment of such meeting. In accordance with rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), instead of mailing a printed copy of our proxy materials to each shareholder of record, we furnish proxy materials, which include this Proxy Statement (this “Proxy Statement”) and the accompanying proxy card, Notice of Annual Meeting, and Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, to our shareholders by making such materials available on the internet unless otherwise instructed by the shareholder. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) by mail and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for requesting such materials included in the Notice, which is first being mailed to shareholders on or about April 3, 2025. ABOUT THE MEETING When and where is the Annual Meeting? The Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, May