Company: WTFCN
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-031671
Chunk: 51

Company: WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 51
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, including executive and director compensation, community investment and philanthropy, environmental considerations and workforce initiatives. Compensation Philosophy and Objectives The philosophy underlying our executive compensation program is to promote a pay-for-performance environment and remain competitive with market practices in order to attract and retain key talent, which we believe will support the long-term success of the Company and build value for our shareholders.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS The compensation elements included in the pay of our NEOs are reflective of different pay objectives. Base salaries are intended to pay executives competitively relative to market peers and individual performance. Relevant performance factors that influence base pay include leadership, innovation, employee development initiatives, strategic contributions, maintaining effective company systems and infrastructure, customer service and talent management. Variable compensation (short-term and long-term incentives) is tied to financial measures (such as pre-tax net income, net interest margin, net overhead ratio, core loan and deposit growth, credit quality, and earnings per share) as well as the achievement of specific business objectives (including satisfactory regulatory exams), employee retention, and increased shareholder value. It is also the Committee’s philosophy to provide retirement and health and welfare benefits to all employees on a non-discriminatory basis. We do not provide supplemental retirement benefits to our executives. The Committee has set forth the following objectives for its executive compensation program: • Attract first-rate entrepreneurial talent that reflects our structure. We believe that our unique organizational design and structure are a significant part of our value proposition. Consequently, we need to hire leaders who will thrive within our matrixed organizational structure which allows the capacity to act in equal measure autonomously at times and in collaboration at times, while driving growth and managing risk. • Focus on performance-based compensation. Our compensation program is designed to support performance and achievement at every level of the organization, from the individual to the bank, subsidiary and Company. It is also designed to drive performance across both short-term and long-term horizons. • A significant portion of total compensation should be in the form of long-term incentives. Our compensation program includes incentives designed to align management and shareholder interests over a multi-year performance and vesting period. This longer-term horizon also helps promote retention and therefore business continuity. • Long-term incentive compensation should balance growth and risk. Our longer-term rewards are structured to help mitigate excessive risk-taking since leaders are rewarded for creating sustained value for the Company and its shareholders. • Long-term incentive compensation should be highly correlated with returns. The prescribed performance goals under our long-term incentive compensation program are designed to be challenging, and at or