Company: ACHV
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-059297
Chunk: 41

Company: ACHIEVE LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 41
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 do not have any formal policies for allocating compensation among salary, annual cash incentive awards and long-term incentive equity grants, short- and

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long-term compensation or among cash and non-cash compensation. Instead, our Compensation Committee and our Board of Directors exercise judgment to establish a total compensation program for each NEO that is a mix of current, short- and long-term incentive compensation, and cash and non-cash compensation, that our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors believe is appropriate to achieve the goals of our executive compensation program and our corporate objectives. In setting the elements of compensation, our Compensation Committee considers prior compensation paid and amounts realizable from prior stock-based awards, as well as other benefits provided by the Company. Our 2024 executive compensation program was designed to motivate our executive officers to achieve key business goals and objectives by linking their performance and the Company’s performance to the compensation our executive officers receive. As such, we intend for a significant portion of the total compensation of our executive officers to be based on measures that support our Company goals and objectives over both the long and short term. To strengthen this link, we define clear and measurable quantitative objectives that are designed to foster achievement of results and returns to stockholders. Our Compensation Committee undertakes to maintain an overall compensation structure designed to attract, retain and motivate management and employees by providing appropriate incentives based on individual contribution and performance and avoiding undue emphasis on short-term market value. Our Compensation Committee engages the services of Aon to assist with ensuring that the goals of the compensation program are met and is consistent with the compensation of companies that are similar in size, stage of development and complexity as our Company. Each compensation element is discussed in more detail below and in the 2024 Summary Compensation Table and 2024 Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End Table below. Annual Base Salary Base salaries for executive officers are reviewed annually in connection with our annual performance review process, and adjusted from time to time to realign salaries with market levels for similar positions at peer companies after taking into account individual responsibilities, performance, experience and other factors. Our Compensation Committee reviews competitive market data prepared by Aon when determining base salaries of its NEOs. Base salaries are targeted to approximately the 50 th percentile range of comparable peer companies in aggregate. Salary increases are recommended to, and approved at the discretion of, the Board of Directors. The following table shows the annual base salaries for 2023 and 2024 for our named executive officers:

| Name               |     | 2023 Base Salary ($) |         |     |