Company: STAA
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-058174
Chunk: 4

Company: STAAR SURGICAL CO
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 4
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 |     | •In 2024, the Compensation Committee conducted a search for a new compensation consultant; following the search, the Committee engaged Semler Brossy to assist with benchmarking and structuring market-based compensation packages to attract and retain our executives                     
 •We previously adopted stock ownership guidelines and a clawback policy, and in 2024, we updated our insider trading policy, which implements processes and procedures designed to prevent insider trading violations and prohibits hedging and speculative transactions in STAAR securities |
| Pay for Performance                                                                     |     | •In 2024, we structured our executive compensation program to include long-term incentive awards comprised of stock options (with a reduced allocation as compared to 2023), restricted stock units (RSUs), and performance stock units (PSUs)                                               
 •Given macroeconomic and other factors that impacted our business and industry in 2024, our results fell short of our performance goals; as a result, our annual bonus plan was funded at 0% for executives, and the PSUs granted in 2024 did not vest and were forfeited                    |

Recent Developments

| In February 2025, Mr. Farrell was appointed CEO, and in March 2025, we right-sized and realigned our leadership structure to better address market needs |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Leadership Realignment                                                                                                                                   |     | •In February 2025, Mr. Farrell, who has served as a member of the STAAR Board since 2016, was appointed CEO to succeed Thomas Frinzi                                                                                                                                       
 •In March 2025, Warren Foust was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer; Magda Michna, PhD was promoted to Chief Development Officer; Nathaniel Sisitsky, Esq. was promoted to Chief Legal Officer; and Keith Holliday, PhD retired as Chief Technology Officer 
 •In March 2025, Deborah Andrews, a former CFO of STAAR, was appointed Interim CFO to succeed Patrick Williams, and STAAR announced that it would be initiating a search for a permanent CFO                                                                                |

| 2025 Proxy Statement | – 2 – |

PROPOSA L NO. 1 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS Proposal No. 1 is for the election of six directors nominated for re-election to the Board. Each of Arthur C. Butcher, Stephen C. Farrell, Wei Jiang, Louis E. Silverman, Elizabeth Yeu, M.D., and Lilian Y. Zhou currently serve as directors, and each has been nominated for