Company: ACIW
Filing Date: 2025-04-21
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001193125-25-086263
Chunk: 27

Company: ACI WORLDWIDE, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-04-21
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 27
---
 in payments • Served as a Director of AST Trust Company (2013-2021) |

OUR BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” EACH OF THE EIGHT NOMINEES

| 24 |

<div align='center'>Director Compensation</div>

Compensation for our independent directors consists of a cash retainer fee based on Board and committee service and an annual equity award based on Board service. Our Board believes that providing a meaningful portion of compensation in the form of equity creates a direct linkage with company performance and stockholder interests.

The Corporate Governance Committee annually reviews the total compensation of our independent directors and each element of our independent director compensation program. Based on its review, the Corporate Governance Committee makes a recommendation to the Board. The Board then determines the form and amount of independent director compensation after reviewing the recommendation.

As part of its annual review, the Corporate Governance Committee asks its independent compensation consulting firm, Compensia, Inc., to provide an assessment of the competitiveness of the Board’s compensation program. In order to assess the competitiveness of the Board compensation program, Compensia used the market data of our peer group, which is the group of companies used for our executive compensation review (see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Peer Group” below). The assessment reviews all elements of director compensation (e.g., annual retainers, equity compensation, committee member compensation, committee chair additional compensation and non-executive chairman compensation). In addition, the assessment evaluates the director compensation program design to provide the Corporate Governance Committee an understanding of how the program design compares to both best and market practices.

Retainer Fees

Each independent director receives a $68,000 base annual retainer fee. The Board chair receives an additional $100,000 annual retainer. The Chair of the Audit Committee receives an additional $30,000, the Chair of the Compensation Committee receives an additional $20,000, and the Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee receives an additional $15,000 annual retainer. Annual retainer fees are paid on a quarterly basis.

Equity-Based Compensation

Our independent directors are granted an annual equity award with a target grant date fair value of $250,000. Such grants are made at the discretion of our Board based on the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Committee. Director equity awards generally vest on the earliest to occur of (i) the date that is one year following the date of grant, (ii) the day immediately prior to the date of the next annual meeting of our stockholders occurring following the date of grant