Company: WTFCN
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-031671
Chunk: 50

Company: WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 50
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 • grew our assets by 77%, 29% and 15% over the last five-, three- and one-year periods, respectively, and our loans (excluding loans held for sale) by 79%, 38% and 14% over the same five-, three- and one-year periods, respectively; and • acquired Macatawa Bank, expanding the franchise to west Michigan.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Highlights of our Executive Compensation Philosophy, Program and Practices Philosophy and Culture of Achievement and Accountability The Committee has responsibility for developing, implementing and monitoring our executive officer compensation program and policies as well as determination and oversight of the Company’s executive compensation philosophy. The Committee sets the compensation for all of our NEOs and reviews compensation for all executive officers of the Company. In administering the Company’s executive compensation program, the Committee is mindful of our unique operating structure, culture and history as well as the growth strategy of our Company and its businesses. As a Company with growth oriented and entrepreneurial operations, we are cognizant that to attract and retain the managerial talent deemed necessary to operate and grow our businesses, we often have to compensate our executives with a view to the scope and complexity of the business we expect them to manage, rather than the size of the business they currently manage. Our executive compensation philosophy and programs are designed to attract and retain management capable of leading the organization in its efforts to create the infrastructure to meet its growth objectives while still managing risk. The Committee believes executives’ total direct compensation should be heavily weighted toward incentive compensation rather than through fixed components such as base salary and benefits. This philosophy is intended to maintain a pay-for-performance framework within defined risk parameters that drives shareholder value by aligning shareholder and NEO interests. Our Short-Term Incentive Program, or STIP, and Long-Term Incentive Plan, or LTIP, are designed to provide that a significant percentage of our executives’ total compensation is linked to performance and the interests of our shareholders. Our Pay-for-Performance Focus Reinforcing pay for performance is an important underpinning of our executive compensation framework. For 2024, target incentive compensation for our CEO was approximately 81% of total target compensation, and approximately 65% on average for our other NEOs (excluding Mr. Wehmer). A majority of incentive compensation for our CEO and the other NEOs (excluding Mr. Wehmer) is performance based, as reflected by our short-term incentive and long-term incentive elements where the ultimate value of the awards is based on our achievement of business