Company: FRME
Filing Date: 2025-04-01
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000712534-25-000077
Chunk: 29

Company: FIRST MERCHANTS CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-01
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 29
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 with its Corporate Compensation Policy, the Compensation and Human Resources Committee determines executive compensation annually, after considering the Company’s short and long-term strategic goals, whether the Company’s existing compensation programs have supported its efforts to attract, retain and motivate high-performing, qualified leaders, and the Company’s compensation programs compared with those of peer institutions, with the aim of arriving at an appropriate mix of salary, benefits and incentives that will ultimately lead to a superior return on shareholders’ investment.

26 First Merchants Corporation 2025 Proxy Statement

The Committee sets the base salaries of senior management employees, the participants and the metrics, targets and ranges for payouts under the Senior Management Incentive Compensation Program (the non-equity incentive compensation plan that covers the senior management employees), the participants and the amounts and mix of equity-based compensation under the Long-term Equity Incentive Plan (the equity incentive compensation that covers the senior management employees), and the other elements of the senior management employees’ compensation. In setting the compensation of employees other than the CEO, the Committee relies on the recommendations of the CEO. The Committee has delegated to the Company’s CEO or, where appropriate, to other executive officers, or senior management employees, much of the authority to approve the compensation and benefits to be paid to the other officers and employees of the Company and FMB.

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee makes recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation of the non-employee directors and, after receiving the Committee’s recommendations, the Board determines the amount and form of this compensation. The executive officers of the Company do not have a role in determining or recommending the amount or form of non-employee director compensation.

While the Committee reviews and approves FMC’s non-equity incentive compensation plans, equity-based compensation plans and deferred compensation plans, the responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the plans has been delegated to the Company’s Director of Human Resources, with oversight from the CEO. From time to time, these executives provide information to the Committee and make recommendations, on their own initiative or as requested by the Committee, concerning existing and proposed compensation policies and programs for executives and other employees of the Company and FMB.

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee has the authority to directly select, engage and terminate such counsel, consultants (including compensation consultants), and other experts as it deems necessary or appropriate to assist it in carrying out its responsibilities. For the purpose of setting 2024 compensation, the Committee directly engaged Aon's Human Capital Solutions practice, a part of Aon, plc ( "Aon" ),