UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                             Filed by a party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

 

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

 

 

 

 

 

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Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

 

 

 

Princeton South Corporate Park

500 Charles Ewing Boulevard

Ewing, New Jersey 08628

 

MEETING DATE: May 3, 2018

 

 

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CHURCH & DWIGHT CO., INC.

 

 

 

Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held Thursday, May 3, 2018.

The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will be held at Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Princeton South Corporate Park, 500 Charles Ewing Boulevard, Ewing, New Jersey 08628 on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 12:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, to consider and take action on the following:

All stockholders are cordially invited to attend, although only those stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 6, 2018 will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the meeting or any adjournments thereof.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you expect to attend the meeting, we urge you to vote by submitting your proxy. You may vote your proxy four different ways: by mail, via the Internet, by telephone, or in person at the meeting. Please refer to detailed instructions included herein or with the Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials.

 

Ewing, New Jersey

March 23, 2018

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON MAY 3, 2018: The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and 2017 Annual Report to Stockholders are available at: https://materials.proxyvote.com/171340.

 

 

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights important information you will find in this proxy statement. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider. You should read the complete proxy statement and our 2017 Annual Report before voting.

In this proxy statement, the words “Church & Dwight,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” “ours,” and “us” and similar terms refer to Church & Dwight Co., Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

2018 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

 

VOTING MATTERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDATIONS

 

Matthew T. Farrell, Ravichandra K. Saligram, Robert K. Shearer and Laurie J. Yoler are the nominees to serve as members of the Company’s Board of Directors (“Board” or “Board of Directors”) until our 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Detailed information about all of our directors’ and director nominee’s backgrounds and areas of expertise can be found beginning on page 7.

 

 

⁽¹⁾ If elected to the Board, Ms. Yoler will be appointed to the Compensation & Organization and Governance & Nominating committees.

 

 

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

We strive to maintain effective corporate governance practices and policies. We believe that the following practices and policies contribute to our strong governance profile:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CHURCH & DWIGHT CO., INC.

Princeton South Corporate Park, 500 Charles Ewing Boulevard, Ewing, New Jersey 08628

(609) 806-1200

PROXY STATEMENT

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board for use at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on May 3, 2018 and at any adjournments thereof.

Who Can Vote

Each holder of record of our common stock at the close of business on March 6, 2018 is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. At the close of business on March 6, 2018, there were 244,126,653 shares of our common stock outstanding.

Distribution of Proxy Solicitation and Other Required Annual Meeting Materials

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has adopted rules that allow us to mail a notice to our stockholders advising that our proxy statement, annual report to stockholders, electronic proxy card, and related materials are available for viewing, free of charge, on the Internet. These rules give us the opportunity to serve you more efficiently by making the proxy materials available quickly online and reducing costs associated with printing and postage. Stockholders may access these materials and vote over the Internet or by telephone or request delivery of a full set of materials by mail or email. We have elected to utilize this process for the Annual Meeting. We began mailing the required notice, called a Notice Regarding Availability of Proxy Materials (“Notice”), to stockholders on or about March 23, 2018. The proxy materials have been posted on the Internet, at https://materials.proxyvote.com/171340. If you received a Notice by mail, you will not receive a paper or email copy of the proxy materials unless you request one in the manner set forth in the Notice.

How You Can Vote

You may vote by any of the following methods:

If you vote by telephone or via the Internet, please have your Notice or proxy card available. The control number appearing on your Notice or proxy card is necessary to process your vote. A telephone or Internet vote authorizes the named proxies in the same manner as if you marked, signed, and returned a proxy card by mail.

How You May Revoke or Change Your Vote

You have the power to change or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the Annual Meeting as follows:

 

 

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Required Vote

You are entitled to cast one vote for each share of common stock you own on March 6, 2018, the record date. The presence, in person or by proxy, of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast at the Annual Meeting constitutes a quorum. Abstentions and broker “non-votes” are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. A broker “non-vote” occurs when a broker does not vote on a particular proposal because the broker does not have discretionary voting power with respect to the proposal and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner.

Our by-laws provide for majority voting in uncontested director elections. As a result, at the Annual Meeting, directors will be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast (in person or by proxy) in an uncontested election. For this purpose, a majority of the votes cast means that the number of shares voted “for” a director nominee must exceed the number of votes cast “against” that nominee. Abstentions and broker “non-votes” are not counted as votes for or against a nominee. If you “abstain” from voting with respect to director nominees, your shares will be counted for purposes of a quorum, but will have no effect on the election of the nominees. All of our director nominees, except for Ms. Yoler, are currently serving on our Board of Directors. If a nominee who is currently serving as a director is not re-elected, Delaware law provides that the director would continue to serve on our Board of Directors as a “holdover director.” Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines (“Corporate Governance Guidelines”), each incumbent director nominee submits, prior to the Annual Meeting, a contingent resignation that our Board of Directors may accept if stockholders do not re-elect the director. If a director is not re-elected by our stockholders, the Governance & Nominating Committee would make a recommendation to our Board of Directors on whether to accept or reject the resignation of that director, or whether to take other action. Our Board of Directors would act on the resignation, taking into account the Governance & Nominating Committee’s recommendation, and publicly disclose its decision and the rationale behind it within 90 days from the date that the election results are certified.

Our proposal to amend and restate our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“Certificate of Incorporation”) for purposes of allowing the annual election of directors and eliminating or updating certain outdated provisions requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds or more of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote at the 2018 Annual Meeting (meaning that of the outstanding shares of common stock, two-thirds of them must be voted “for” the proposal for it to be approved).  Brokers will not have discretionary voting authority to vote on this proposal, and abstentions and broker “non-votes” will have the same effect as a vote against this proposal.  Any other matters that may be acted upon at the Annual Meeting will be determined by the affirmative vote of the majority of votes represented at the meeting (in person or by proxy) and entitled to vote on the matter. An abstention will have the same effect as a vote against with respect to the advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers and the ratification of our independent registered public accounting firm for 2018. Brokers will not have discretionary authority to vote on the election of our directors or the advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers, and a broker “non-vote” is not counted for purposes of voting on these matters.

How Shares Will be Voted

Stockholders of record.    If you are a stockholder of record and you:

 

 

 

 

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then the proxy holders will vote your shares FOR the election of the nominees described in this proxy statement, FOR the compensation of our named executive officers, FOR the amendment and restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to provide for the annual election of all directors and eliminate or update certain outdated provisions, and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2018.

Beneficial owners.    If you hold shares in street name (in the name of a broker or other nominee), you must give instructions to your bank or broker on how you would like your shares to be voted. Under applicable New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) rules, your bank or broker has discretion to vote on “routine” matters, such as the ratification of the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm, but does not have discretion to vote on “non-routine” matters, such as the election of directors, the proposal to approve the compensation of our named executive officers, or the proposal to amend and restate our Certificate of Incorporation. Thus, if a bank or broker holds your shares and you do not instruct the bank or broker how to vote on the election of directors, on the proposal related to the advisory vote on compensation of our named executive officers, or on the proposal to amend and restate our Certificate of Incorporation, no votes will be cast on your behalf.

Savings and Profit Sharing Plan participants.    If you participate in the Church & Dwight Co., Inc. Savings and Profit Sharing Plan for Salaried Employees or the Church & Dwight Co., Inc. Savings and Profit Sharing Plan for Hourly Employees (the “Plans”), you may have voting rights regarding shares of our common stock credited to your account in the Plans. In order to permit the trustee to tally and vote the shares held in the Plans (“Plan Shares”), your instructions, whether by Internet, by telephone, or by proxy card, must be submitted on or prior to April 30, 2018. If you do not instruct the trustee how to vote, your Plan Shares will be voted by the trustee in the same proportion that it votes Plan Shares for those accounts in the Plans for which it did receive timely voting instructions. The proportional voting policy is detailed under the terms of the Plans and the associated trust agreements.

Other matters.    Our Board of Directors is not aware of any matters that will be brought before the Annual Meeting other than those described in this proxy statement. However, if any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named on the enclosed proxy card will vote in their discretion on such matters.

Who can attend the Annual Meeting

Only stockholders as of the record date, March 6, 2018, or duly appointed proxies, may attend the Annual Meeting. No guests will be allowed to attend the Annual Meeting.

What do I need to attend the Annual Meeting and when should I arrive

The Annual Meeting will be held at Church & Dwight’s Headquarters, 500 Charles Ewing Boulevard, Ewing, New Jersey 08628. Admission to the Annual Meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

In order to be admitted to the Annual Meeting, you should:

 

 

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Any holder of a proxy from a stockholder must present a properly executed legal proxy and a copy of the proof of ownership.

If you do not provide photo identification and comply with the other procedures outlined above for attending the Annual Meeting in person, you will not be admitted to the Annual Meeting.

Costs of Solicitation

Solicitation of proxies on our behalf may be made by our directors or employees by mail, in person, and by telephone. Directors and employees will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. We have retained D.F. King & Co., Inc. (“D.F. King”) to aid in the solicitation of proxies for a fee estimated not to exceed $7,500 plus out-of-pocket expenses. We will pay all costs of the solicitation, and will indemnify D.F. King against liabilities relating to or arising from their proxy solicitation services conducted on our behalf, other than those resulting from D.F. King’s willful misconduct or gross negligence. We also will reimburse banks, brokerage houses, and other custodians, nominees, and fiduciaries for forwarding Notices and proxy materials to beneficial owners.

 

 

 

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PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides for the division of our Board of Directors into three classes, with the directors in each class serving for a term of three years. Our Board of Directors currently consists of ten members, with two classes consisting of three members and one class consisting of four members. After the election of the Directors nominated at the Annual Meeting, the class whose term ends in 2021 will consist of four members. After 14 years of dedicated service, T. Rosie Albright has informed the Board that she will retire from the Board at the end of her current term in May 2018, and will therefore not stand for re-election at the Annual Meeting. Ms. Albright’s board service will end on the date of the Annual Meeting, upon the election and qualification of her successor.

At the Annual Meeting, four directors will be elected to serve until the 2021 Annual Meeting, in each case, until their successors are elected and qualified. Our Board of Directors has nominated Matthew T. Farrell, Ravichandra K. Saligram, and Robert K.  Shearer, all of whom currently serve as members of our Board of Directors, and Laurie J. Yoler, a new director nominee, whose Board service would commence upon her election at the Annual Meeting. All nominees have agreed to be named in this proxy statement and to serve if elected.

In considering individuals to recommend for nomination as directors, the Governance & Nominating Committee seeks persons who collectively possess the range of attributes described below under “Corporate Governance—Governance & Nominating Committee.” The Governance & Nominating Committee and our Board of Directors believe that the nominees listed below and the directors continuing in office collectively possess these attributes, which, together with their respective experience described in the biographical summaries below, make each nominee or director, as applicable, well qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.

We do not anticipate that any of the nominees will become unavailable to serve as a director for any reason. However, if they become unavailable, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy will vote for any substitute nominee designated by our Board of Directors, unless our Board of Directors determines to reduce the number of directors in the relevant class.

Your Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR all of the following nominees.

Information concerning the nominees and continuing members of our Board of Directors is provided below:

Standing for Election for Term Expiring in 2021

 

Professional Experience

Mr. Farrell has been our President and Chief Executive Officer since January 2016. From November 2014 to December 2015, he was our Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, prior to which he served as our Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer since May 2007. From September 2006 through May 2007, he was our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Farrell was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Alpharma Inc. from April 2002 through August 2006. From July 2000 through April 2002, he served as Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications at Ingersoll-Rand Ltd. From November 1994 through June 2000, he held various senior financial positions at AlliedSignal Inc.

 

 

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Other Boards and Appointments

Mr. Farrell currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Lydall, Inc., a supplier of engineered thermal, acoustical, and filtration products.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Farrell’s intimate knowledge of our Company, gained through over 11 years of executive service as our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Financial Officer, combined with his nearly four years of experience as the Chief Financial Officer of a pharmaceutical company and many years of experience in other finance and investor relations roles at large multinational companies enable him to provide important insights and leadership to us and our Board of Directors regarding our operations, including marketing, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, finance and capital structure, performance management, business analytics, compliance, risk management, public company reporting and governance, and investor relations.

 

Professional Experience

Mr. Saligram has been the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated, the world’s largest industrial equipment auctioneer, since July 2014. From November 2010 through November 2013, he served as the Chief Executive Officer, President, and a member of the Board of Directors of OfficeMax Incorporated, a company engaged in business-to-business and retail office products distribution. From 2003 through November 2010, he served in executive management positions with ARAMARK Corporation, a global food services company, including Executive Vice President, President, ARAMARK International, and Chief Globalization Officer, and Senior Vice President of ARAMARK Corporation. From 1994 through 2002, Mr. Saligram served in various capacities for the InterContinental Hotels Group, a global hospitality company, including as President of Brands & Franchise, North America, Chief Marketing Officer & Managing Director, Global Strategy, President, International and President, Asia Pacific. Earlier in his career, Mr. Saligram held various general and brand management positions with S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. in the United States and overseas.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Saligram’s extensive experience building businesses and brands in the industrial products, office products distribution, consumer packaged goods, hospitality, and consumer and managed services industries and leadership over operational teams in a large number of countries, enable him to provide our Board of Directors with a valuable global perspective on governance and control matters, as well as on strategic planning and risk assessment.

 

 

 

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Professional Experience

Mr. Shearer retired in March 2015, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of VF Corporation, a global lifestyle apparel company where he served in that capacity since May 2005. He also served VF Corporation in several other capacities since 1986, including Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer from July 1998 to May 2005. Earlier in his career, Mr. Shearer held a senior audit position with Ernst & Young LLP.

Other Boards and Appointments

From May 2015 through April 2016, Mr. Shearer served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Fresh Market, Inc., a specialty grocery retailer.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Shearer’s recent role as Chief Financial Officer of VF Corporation, coupled with his 12 years of experience in public accounting, enables him to provide our Board of Directors and the Audit Committee with important insights on a range of financial and internal control matters, as well as on matters relating to capital structure, information systems, risk management, public reporting and investor relations. In addition, his participation in VF Corporation expansion initiatives, including a number of acquisitions and growth in international markets, enables him to provide important insights on international operations, business combination opportunities, and strategic planning.

 

Professional Experience

Ms. Yoler was the Senior Vice President, Business Development of Qualcomm, Inc. and President, Qualcomm Labs, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, Inc., from March 2013 to January 2016, driving internal innovation and exploring opportunities for new businesses, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, investments, and divestitures.  From February 2006 to March 2013, Ms. Yoler was a partner and Managing Director at GrowthPoint Technology Partners, a Silicon Valley

 

 

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based investment bank.  From September 2004 to July 2005, Ms. Yoler served as Chief Development Officer of Intellectual Ventures LLC, a private equity firm.  From March 2001 to September 2004 and March 2003 to September 2004, Ms. Yoler was Vice President, Business Development and Marketing at Packet Design LLC and Precision I/O, respectively, early stage technology firms.  Prior to that, Ms. Yoler was an integral part of the development and launch of many new innovations and products in her roles at Visa International, Sun Microsystems, Accenture PLC and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Since January 2016, Ms. Yoler has continued to serve as a board member and advisor in the technology industry, and currently serves as a member of the boards of directors of two privately held technology companies.

Other Boards and Appointments

From 2003 to 2008, Ms. Yoler was a founding member and an advisory member of the Board of Directors of Tesla Motors, Inc., a company that designs, develops, manufactures and sells electric vehicles and advanced electric vehicle powertrain components. Ms. Yoler served on Tesla’s Advisory Board from 2008 until 2013.

Director Qualifications

Ms. Yoler’s extensive experience in the technology industry, spanning strategy, product, corporate development, global sales, mergers and acquisitions and business development, enables her to provide valuable insights into a wide variety of matters relating to marketing, business development, international operations and technology.

 

 

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Continuing Directors

Current Term Expires in 2020

Professional Experience

Mr. Craigie has been our Chairman since 2007. From May 2007 to January 2016, he was our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. From July 2004 through May 2007, he was our President and Chief Executive Officer. From December 1998 through September 2003, he was President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Spalding Sports Worldwide and its successor, Top-Flite Golf Co. From 1983 to November 1998, Mr. Craigie held various senior management positions with Kraft Foods Inc. Prior to entering private industry, he served for six years as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Other Boards and Appointments

Mr. Craigie currently serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., a casual dining company, Newell Brands, a leading global consumer goods company, and the Gettysburg Foundation, a non-profit foundation involved with restoring the Gettysburg battlefields and is an Advisory Board member of Cove Hill Partners, LLC. From 2006 to 2014, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Meredith Corporation, a media and marketing company and from 2013 to 2018, Mr. Craigie was a member of the Board of Directors of TerraVia Holdings, Inc., a renewable oil and bioproducts company.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Craigie’s intimate knowledge of our Company, gained through over ten years of service as our Chief Executive Officer, enables him to provide important insights regarding our operations, including finance, marketing, strategic planning, and senior management personnel matters. In addition, his leadership in connection with several of our acquisitions and dispositions, together with his stewardship over the sale of several businesses at Spalding Sports Worldwide, underscore his strong ability to evaluate business combination and disposition opportunities. Mr. Craigie’s experience as a member of other public company boards and their committees enables him to provide valuable insights into our corporate governance and risk management.

 

 

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Professional Experience

Mr. LeBlanc retired in 2003 as President and Chief Executive Officer of Handy & Harman, a diversified industrial manufacturer, and as Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of Handy & Harman’s parent company, WHX Corporation, where he had been employed since 1996.

Other Boards and Appointments

From 2008 to 2013, Mr. LeBlanc was a member of the Board of Directors of Joliet Equipment Corporation, an industrial motor and motor repair company. From December 2003 to December 2006, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Opinion Research Corporation, a demographic, health, and market research company. From 2006 to 2011, he was a member of the Board of Advisors of Jetera, Inc., a precision media company.

Director Qualifications

Mr. LeBlanc’s experience as a chief executive officer of an industrial manufacturer and background in the global chemical industry enable him to share important insights with our Board of Directors on a variety of matters involving our Specialty Products Division, the raw materials and processes used in our production facilities, and our operations generally, including marketing, information technology, capital structure and business integration. In addition, his experience as a member of the boards of directors of several public and private companies enables him to provide an informed perspective on interaction with executive management and on executive compensation and corporate governance matters.

 

 

 

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Professional Experience

Ms. Vergis has served as an Executive Advisor for private equity firms since January 2013, where she identifies and evaluates healthcare investment opportunities. From January 2011 to August 2012, she was the Chief Executive Officer of OraPharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to oral health, where she led that company’s successful turnaround and its subsequent sale. From 2004 to 2009, Ms. Vergis served as President of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, McNeil Pediatrics and Ortho-McNeil Neurologics. From 1988 to 2004, she served in various positions of increasing responsibility in executive leadership, research and development, new product development, sales, and marketing with Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries.

Other Boards and Appointments

Ms. Vergis is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Impax Laboratories, a technology-based specialty and generic pharmaceutical company and MedDay Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that develops drugs for nervous system disorders. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of OraPharma, Inc., and Lumara Health, a specialty branded pharmaceutical company with a primary focus on women’s healthcare.

Director Qualifications

Ms. Vergis’ more than 25 years of pharmaceutical leadership experience, together with her extensive background in research and development, new product development (including products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), sales, and marketing, combined with her focus in the areas of oral health and women’s health, enable her to provide important perspectives to our Board of Directors on a range of matters relating to our operations.

 

 

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Current Term Expires in 2019

 

Professional Experience

Mr. Irwin has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Welch Foods Inc., a global processor and marketer of juices and jams, since February 2009. Mr. Irwin was President of Cadbury Adams North America LLC, the North American confectionery business unit of Cadbury Schweppes plc. (“Cadbury Schweppes”), from June 2007 through November 2008. From April 2003 through June 2007, Mr. Irwin was President of Cadbury Adams USA LLC, the United States confectionery business unit of Cadbury Schweppes. Mr. Irwin served as President of Mott’s Inc., a business unit of Cadbury Schweppes, from May 2000 through April 2003. From 1980 through 1999, Mr. Irwin served in various capacities for The Procter & Gamble Company.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Irwin’s more than 30 years of experience in the consumer products industry, including his service in executive capacities at large multinational public companies that market products in the same categories as some of our products, enables him to provide valuable insights into a wide variety of matters relating to our operations. These matters include, among others, strategic planning, risk assessment, and international operations.

 

Professional Experience

Mr. Price has been the Vice President, Global Sales, Marketing Solutions of LinkedIn Corporation (a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation) since October 2013. From June 2011 through October 2013, he was President of Dstillery, Inc., a

 

 

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marketing technology company formerly known as Media6Degrees, LLC. From June 2004 through June 2011, he served in various capacities at Google, Inc., a provider of Internet-related products and services, the last of which was Vice President, Agency Sales and Partnerships, Worldwide. From July 2000 through June 2004, Mr. Price served as Sales Director of Wenner Media, LLC, a company engaged in the publication of magazines and production of radio and television programs, where he was principally responsible for revenue generation and strategic partnerships.

Other Boards and Appointments

Mr. Price was a member of the Board of Directors of Dstillery, Inc. from September 2013 until September 2014.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Price’s extensive experience as a senior executive in companies specializing in digital marketing, advertising, and social networks enables him to provide valuable perspectives on our marketing initiatives and strategies, including the use of social media and digital technology to reach new consumers.

 

Professional Experience

Mr. Winkleblack retired in June 2013 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the HJ Heinz Company, a global packaged food manufacturer, where he had been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since January 2002. From 1999 through 2001, Mr. Winkleblack was Acting Chief Operating Officer, Perform.com, and Chief Executive Officer, Freeride.com, at Indigo Capital. Earlier in his career, Mr. Winkleblack held senior finance positions at the C. Dean Metropoulos Group, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, AlliedSignal, Inc., and PepsiCo, Inc. Mr. Winkleblack also provides financial and capital markets consulting services to Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers, an industrial auctioneer, where he serves as the Senior Advisor to its CEO, Ravichandra K. Saligram, who also serves on our Board of Directors.

Other Boards and Appointments

Mr. Winkleblack currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Performance Food Group, a company specializing in the distribution of food and food-related products to customers throughout the United States, and The Wendy’s Company, a global quick service restaurant company. From 2013 to 2015, he was a member of the Board of Directors of RTI International Metals, Inc., an NYSE-listed company specializing in advanced titanium products for the aerospace, defense and medical device markets.

Director Qualifications

Mr. Winkleblack’s substantial executive experience across a broad range of industries enables him to provide our Board of Directors with knowledgeable perspectives on strategic planning, international operations, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, his nearly twelve years of experience as the Chief Financial Officer of a large, multinational, consumer goods company enables him to bring important perspectives to our Board of Directors on performance management, business analytics, finance and capital structure, compliance, risk management, public company reporting, and investor relations.

 

 

 

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND OTHER BOARD MATTERS

BOARD COMPOSITION

Our Board of Directors is currently comprised of T. Rosie Albright, James R. Craigie, Matthew T. Farrell, Bradley C. Irwin, Robert D. LeBlanc, Penry W. Price, Ravichandra K. Saligram, Robert K. Shearer, Janet S. Vergis, and Arthur B. Winkleblack.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE GUIDELINES AND OTHER CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, including guidelines for the determination of director independence, the responsibilities and duties of our Board of Directors, director access to management and independent advisors, director compensation, the committees of our Board of Directors, and other matters relating to our corporate governance, are available on the “Investors” page of our website, www.churchdwight.com. Also available on the “Investors” page are other corporate governance documents, including our Code of Conduct (“Code of Conduct”) and the Charters of the Audit Committee, Compensation & Organization Committee, and Governance & Nominating Committee.

Our website is not part of this proxy statement; references to our website address in this proxy statement are intended to be inactive textual references only.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS INDEPENDENCE

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a majority of our Board of Directors shall consist of independent directors who meet the criteria for independence required by the NYSE listing standards. A director will be considered independent if our Board of Directors affirmatively determines that the director has no material relationship with us (directly, or as a partner, stockholder, or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us). In assessing the materiality of a relationship, our Board of Directors considers all relevant facts and circumstances. In addition to the independence standards established by the NYSE, we have adopted categorical standards under the Corporate Governance Guidelines designed to assist our Board of Directors in assessing independence. Under these standards, none of the following relationships necessarily disqualifies a director or nominee from being considered “independent”:

Our Board of Directors reviewed and analyzed the independence of each director and each nominee for director in January 2018 (February 2018, with respect to Ms. Yoler) to determine whether any particular relationship or transaction involving any director, or any director’s affiliates or immediate family members, was inconsistent with a determination that the director is independent for purposes of serving on our Board of Directors and its committees. During this review, our Board examined transactions and relationships between directors or their affiliates and family members and Church & Dwight. As a result of this review, in January 2018 and in February 2018, our Board affirmatively determined that each of T. Rosie Albright, Bradley C. Irwin, Robert D. LeBlanc, Penry W. Price, Ravichandra K. Saligram, Robert K. Shearer, Janet S. Vergis, Arthur B. Winkleblack and new director nominee, Laurie J. Yoler, is independent within the meaning of the NYSE listing standards and under the categorical standards described in the Corporate Governance Guidelines.

Our Board of Directors has further determined that each of the members of the Audit Committee, Compensation & Organization Committee, and Governance & Nominating Committee is independent within the meaning of the NYSE listing standards, and that the members of the Audit Committee and the Compensation & Organization Committee meet the additional independence requirements of the NYSE listing standards applicable to audit committee members and compensation committee members, respectively.

 

 

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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

None of the directors who served on the Compensation & Organization Committee in fiscal year 2017 has ever served as one of our officers or employees. In addition, none of the directors who served on the Compensation & Organization Committee had any relationship with us or any of our subsidiaries during fiscal year 2017 pursuant to which disclosure would be required under applicable rules and regulations of the SEC pertaining to the disclosure of transactions with related persons. During fiscal year 2017, none of our executive officers served as a member of the compensation committee (or other committee performing similar functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors), of any other entity of which an executive officer of such other entity served on our Board of Directors or the Compensation & Organization Committee.

EXECUTIVE SESSIONS OF INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS

Our Board of Directors meets in regularly scheduled executive sessions without any members of our management, including the CEO or the non-independent Chairman of the Board, present. The Lead Director, currently Mr. LeBlanc, is responsible for chairing the executive sessions of our Board of Directors.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS RISK OVERSIGHT

Our Board of Directors, acting principally through the Audit Committee, is actively involved in the oversight of the significant risks affecting our business. Our Board of Directors’ and the Audit Committee’s risk oversight activities are focused on management’s risk assessment and management processes, as well as on our ethics and compliance program.

Our Internal Audit department administers a vigorous risk assessment effort every other year, in collaboration with all of our directors and executive officers. This process is designed to identify and rank the most significant risks that affect our Company, including consideration of a large number of risks associated with companies in the consumer products industry. The assessed risks encompass, among others, economic, industry, enterprise, operational, compliance, sustainability and financial risks. Our President and Chief Executive Officer assigns an executive officer to lead the management of each of those risks identified as among the most significant. As part of the risk management process, our Internal Audit department annually prepares an Internal Audit project plan under which it reviews activities directed to mitigate business and financial related risks. This plan is subject to Audit Committee approval.

Our Director, Internal Audit (“Internal Audit Director”) meets quarterly with our executive officers to assess any changes in the magnitude of identified risks, as well as the status of mitigation activities with regard to the most significant risks. Our Internal Audit Director reports directly to the Audit Committee and advises the Audit Committee on a quarterly basis regarding management’s risk assessment process and the progress of mitigation activities designed to facilitate the maintenance of risk within acceptable levels. The Audit Committee, in turn, reports to our Board of Directors with regard to these matters on a quarterly basis.

Our General Counsel leads our ethics and compliance risk oversight program through the Compliance Council, which is comprised of various functional representatives and compliance subject matter experts. The Compliance Council meets regularly to review the health of the program, opportunities for improvement, and the status of execution against agreed program priorities. Our General Counsel also meets regularly with the Audit Committee, either alone or together with subject matter experts from the Compliance Council, to review the health of our compliance and ethics program, its priorities, and the status of execution against those priorities. Annually, our General Counsel provides a comprehensive review of the compliance and ethics program to our Board of Directors, and supplements this review, from time to time, as requested by our Board of Directors or as appropriate with respect to specific compliance risk areas or issues.

 

 

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In addition to the efforts of our Board of Directors and the Audit Committee to address risk oversight, the Compensation & Organization Committee annually reviews our compensation policies and practices to confirm that such compensation policies and practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our Company. As a result of its most recent review in 2017, the Compensation & Organization Committee concluded that our incentive compensation policies and practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us for the following reasons:

Our Board of Directors believes that our compensation system, our division of risk oversight responsibilities, and our Board of Directors’ leadership structure comprise and support the most effective risk management approach.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

The Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that our Board of Directors may determine from time to time what leadership structure works best for our Company, including whether the same individual should serve both as Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). In addition, the guidelines provide that if the same individual serves as Chairman of our Board of Directors and CEO, or the Chairman is otherwise not independent, our Board of Directors shall have an independent Lead Director.

Since January 2016, when Mr. Farrell was elected as President and CEO and Mr. Craigie retired as our CEO but continued as non-executive Chairman, the Board has split the Chairman and CEO roles. The Board determined that it would be in the best interest of the Company to split the roles of Chairman and CEO upon Mr. Craigie’s retirement, as CEO, to provide for continuity of Board leadership and strategic oversight by retaining Mr. Craigie, who served as President and CEO from 2004 to 2007 and as Chairman and CEO from 2007 to 2016. This allows Mr. Farrell to focus on business matters in his role as President and CEO. As CEO, Mr. Farrell reports to the Board and, as a director, attends all Board meetings.

We also believe it is important to provide effective leadership and representation for our independent directors. Therefore, our Board of Directors has selected Mr. LeBlanc, who has served on our Board of Directors since 1998, from among our independent directors to serve as Lead Director, a role he has held since 2010. The Lead Director presides over executive sessions and has the authority to call executive sessions. The Lead Director also consults with the entire Board of Directors and with our President and CEO and our Secretary on Board of Directors meeting agendas. In addition, the Lead Director acts as a contact person to facilitate communications between employees, stockholders, and others with the independent directors.

 

 

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We believe that the presence of a Lead Director enhances the ability of our Board of Directors to provide independent oversight and supplements the following corporate governance practices, which also facilitate independent oversight:

COMMUNICATION WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

While management has primary responsibility for stockholder engagement, our Board of Directors is regularly informed about management’s stockholder engagement efforts as part of its oversight role and is committed to enhancing stockholder value and to considering requests from our stockholders that will help us achieve this goal. Our stockholder engagement practices and controls, which are designed to support our commitment to constructive communications between our stockholders and the independent directors, include the ability of our stockholders to attend the Annual Meeting, an annual advisory vote on executive compensation (“say-on-pay”), the ability to submit stockholder proposals and recommend candidates for election to our Board, and the ability to communicate directly with our Board of Directors.

Our Lead Director acts as a contact person to facilitate communications between employees, stockholders and others with the independent directors. The Lead Director, who is currently also Chair of the Governance & Nominating Committee, is responsible for ensuring that stockholder requests, recommendations, and proposals regarding governance-related matters are evaluated by that Committee, the Compensation & Organization Committee, or Audit Committee, as appropriate, and then by our Board of Directors based on the applicable Committee’s recommendation.

Any person who wishes to communicate with our Board of Directors, including the Lead Director or the independent directors as a group, may direct a written communication to our Board of Directors, the Lead Director, or the independent directors, at: Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Princeton South Corporate Park, 500 Charles Ewing Boulevard, Ewing, New Jersey 08628, Attention: Secretary. Such correspondence (other than solicitations) will be logged in and forwarded to the Lead Director.

 

 

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES

Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board has four standing committees as set forth in the table below. During 2017, each incumbent director attended at least 75 percent of the aggregate number of meetings held by our Board and all Board committees on which such director served. If elected, Ms. Yoler would be nominated to serve on the Governance & Nominating  Committee and the Compensation & Organization Committee.

 

 

Although we do not have a formal policy requiring attendance of directors at our Annual Meetings, we expect all directors to attend the Annual Meeting absent exceptional circumstances. All incumbent directors attended the 2017 Annual Meeting.

Audit Committee.    Under its Charter, the Audit Committee, among other responsibilities, (i) has sole authority to retain, set compensation and retention terms for, terminate, and oversee and evaluate the activities of, our independent registered public accounting firm; (ii) reviews and approves in advance the performance of all audit and permitted non-audit services, subject to the pre-approval policy discussed below under “Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services”; (iii) reviews and discusses with management and our independent registered public accounting firm the annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements and certain other disclosures included in our filings with the SEC; (iv) reviews and discusses with management earnings press releases prior to their release; (v) discusses with management, internal audit personnel, and our independent registered public accounting firm, our risk assessment and risk management policies, including our major financial risk exposures and the security of the Company’s computerized information systems; (vi) oversees the internal audit function; (vii) discusses with management, internal audit personnel, and our independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy and effectiveness of our financial reporting processes, internal control over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures; and (viii) oversees the adoption, periodic review, and oversight of policies and procedures regarding business conduct and oversees our compliance and ethics program.

Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Mr. Shearer and Mr. Winkleblack is an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of SEC regulations.

The Audit Committee has established procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters and the receipt of confidential, anonymous submissions by our employees with respect to concerns regarding potential violations of our compliance and ethics program, including questionable accounting or auditing matters. Such complaints and submissions may be made by writing to the following address: Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Princeton South Corporate Park, 500 Charles Ewing Boulevard, Ewing, New Jersey 08628, Attention: Secretary. Complaints may also be made via the Internet at www.churchdwight.ethicspoint.com, or by calling our toll-free hotline. The Audit Committee regularly receives reports regarding potential violations of our compliance and ethics program and oversees certain investigations relating thereto. The number for calls placed within the United States and Canada is (855) 384-9879. The numbers for calls placed in other countries may be found on the Internet at www.churchdwight.ethicspoint.com. Such correspondence will be logged in and forwarded to the Chair of the Audit Committee or his/her designated delegates, who provide the Audit Committee with regular reports.

 

 

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Compensation & Organization Committee.    Under its Charter, the Compensation & Organization Committee is responsible for approving the specific salary, bonuses, stock awards, and other compensation for our elected officers, which includes our named executive officers identified in the Summary Compensation Table on page 47. The Compensation & Organization Committee also, among other responsibilities, (i) oversees the design of our executive compensation programs, policies, and practices; (ii) reviews and approves the adoption, termination, and amendment of, and administers, our incentive and equity compensation plans; (iii) reviews and approves annually corporate goals and objectives as they relate to CEO and other executive officer compensation and establishes their respective compensation; (iv) evaluates whether our compensation policies and practices for our executive officers and other employees create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us; (v) collaborates with the Governance & Nominating Committee, regarding recommendations to our Board of Directors concerning executive officer succession; (vi)  collaborates with the Governance & Nominating Committee, regarding recommendations to our Board of Directors concerning non-employee director compensation; and (vii) recommends to the Board the development, selection, retention, and dismissal of elected officers.

In considering executive compensation, the Compensation & Organization Committee considers the executive compensation recommendations as well as the comparative public company data provided by independent compensation consultants engaged directly by the Compensation & Organization Committee.  During the first portion of 2017 the Compensation & Organization Committee utilized Steven Hall & Partners (“Steven Hall”) as its independent compensation consultant.  Beginning in September, 2017, Semler Brossy Consulting Group, LLC (“Semler Brossy”) replaced Steven Hall as the Compensation & Organization Committee independent compensation consultant. Neither Steven Hall nor Semler Brossy provide any other services to us. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” for additional information regarding the services provided by Steven Hall and Semler Brossy and information considered by the Compensation & Organization Committee. The Compensation & Organization Committee also takes into account statistical data and recommendations of our CEO. However, our CEO does not make recommendations regarding his own compensation.

Governance & Nominating Committee.    Under its Charter, the Governance & Nominating Committee, among other responsibilities, (i) develops and periodically reviews, and recommends to our Board of Directors, criteria for the selection of new directors to serve on our Board of Directors; (ii) identifies individuals qualified to become Board of Directors members consistent with our Board of Directors’ criteria for selecting new directors set forth in the Corporate Governance Guidelines; (iii) recommends to our Board of Directors nominees for the class of directors to be elected at the next annual meeting of stockholders and, where applicable, to fill vacancies; (iv) considers and makes recommendations to our Board of Directors on questions of independence and possible conflicts of interest of members of our Board of Directors and executive officers in accordance with the Corporate Governance Guidelines; (v) in collaboration with the Compensation & Organization Committee, makes recommendations to our Board of Directors concerning executive officer succession; (vi) oversees Board of Directors and committee evaluations; (vii) makes recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding corporate governance matters; and (viii) in consultation with the Compensation & Organization Committee, periodically reviews and makes recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the compensation of our non-employee directors, and the principles upon which such compensation is determined. In 2017, the Governance & Nominating Committee also began to oversee our sustainability program.

The Governance & Nominating Committee recommends to our Board of Directors candidates for nomination to our Board of Directors. When considering individuals to recommend for nomination as directors, the Governance & Nominating Committee seeks persons with diverse backgrounds who possess the following characteristics: integrity, education, commitment to our Board of Directors, business judgment, business experience, accounting and financial expertise, diversity, reputation, civic and community relationships, high performance standards, and the ability to act on behalf of stockholders.

As highlighted in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board values diversity and recognizes the importance of having unique and complementary backgrounds and perspectives in the board room.  The Board endeavors to include diverse skills, professional experience, perspectives, age, race, ethnicity, gender and cultural backgrounds that reflect our consumer and investor base, and to guide the Company in a way that reflects the best interests of all of our stockholders.  Although the Board does not establish specific goals with respect to diversity, the Board’s overall diversity is a significant consideration in the Director nomination process. The Governance & Nominating Committee reviews the Director nominees (including any stockholder nominees) and ascertains whether, as a whole, they meet the Corporate Governance Guidelines in this regard. For this year’s election, the Board has nominated four individuals who bring valuable diversity to the Board. Their collective experience covers a wide range of roles, geographies, and industries. Of these four Director nominees one is a woman and one is ethnically diverse. The Board

 

 

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also believes that tenure diversity should be considered in order to achieve an appropriate balance between the detailed Company knowledge and wisdom that comes with many years of service and the fresh perspective of newer Board members. We believe that our current Board has an appropriate balance of experienced and new Directors, with tenure of the current Directors averaging nine years.  The Governance & Nominating Committee balances these considerations when assessing the composition of our Board of Directors. The Governance & Nominating Committee may engage the services of third party search firms to assist in identifying and assessing the qualifications of director candidates.

The Governance & Nominating Committee will consider recommendations for director candidates from stockholders. Stockholder recommendations of candidates should be submitted in writing to: Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Princeton South Corporate Park, 500 Charles Ewing Boulevard, Ewing, New Jersey 08628, Attention: Secretary. In order to enable consideration of a candidate in connection with the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a stockholder must submit the following information by November 23, 2018: (i) the name of the candidate and information about the candidate that would be required to be included in a proxy statement under the rules of the SEC; (ii) information about the relationship between the candidate and the recommending stockholder; and (iii) the written consent of the candidate to be named in the proxy statement and to serve as a director if elected. In considering any candidate proposed by a stockholder, the Governance & Nominating Committee will reach a conclusion as to whether to recommend such candidate to our Board of Directors based on the criteria described above. The Governance & Nominating Committee may seek additional information regarding the candidate. After full consideration, the stockholder recommending the candidate will be notified of the decision of the Governance & Nominating Committee (and of our Board of Directors, if the candidate is recommended to our Board of Directors for consideration). The Governance & Nominating Committee will consider all potential candidates in the same manner regardless of the source of the recommendation.

Executive Committee.    The Executive Committee may exercise the authority of our Board of Directors, except as specifically reserved by Delaware law to our Board of Directors or as our Board of Directors otherwise provides.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Our Board of Directors recognizes that one of its most important duties is to ensure excellence and continuity in our senior leadership by overseeing the development of executive talent and planning for the effective succession of the Chairman of our Board of Directors and our CEO and other senior members of executive management. Our succession planning process was evidenced in January 2016 when Matthew T. Farrell, our former Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, succeeded Mr. Craigie as our President and CEO; Richard A. Dierker, our former Vice President, Corporate Finance, succeeded Mr. Farrell as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Britta B. Bomhard, our former General Manager, Europe, was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.  Most recently, our succession planning process was evidenced in March 2018, when Louis H. Tursi, Jr., our Executive Vice President, North America Sales, communicated his intention to retire in the first quarter of 2018, allowing us sufficient time to evaluate internal and external candidates to succeed him.

Our CEO and other senior executive succession planning process includes identifying external candidates and identifying and developing potential internal candidates on an ongoing basis. The criteria used when assessing the qualifications of potential CEO successors are included on a position specification developed by our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors is committed to being prepared for a planned or unplanned change in our leadership in order to ensure our stability.

In continuation of this process, the Governance & Nominating Committee, in collaboration with the Compensation & Organization Committee, agrees upon and recommends to the Board a succession plan for our CEO and other senior members of executive management in the ordinary course of business and in emergency situations. Through this process, our Board of Directors receives from our CEO and the head of Global Human Resources qualitative evaluations of, and recommendations concerning, potential successors to our CEO and our other senior executives, along with a review of any development plans recommended for such individuals. At least once annually, our Board of Directors reviews our succession plans. Succession planning is also regularly discussed in executive sessions of our Board of Directors and in committee meetings, as applicable. Our directors become familiar with internal potential successors for key leadership positions through various means, including a comprehensive annual talent and succession review, Board of Directors and committee meeting presentations, and less formal interactions throughout the course of the year.

Additionally, our Board of Directors, with support and recommendations from the Governance & Nominating Committee, oversees the succession of its members. To this end, at least once a year, in connection with its annual evaluation of our Board of Directors, its committees, and individual directors, our Board of Directors evaluates each

 

 

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director’s performance, relative strengths against a set of criteria, including those set forth in the Corporate Governance Guidelines, and future plans, including any retirement objectives. As part of that evaluation, our Board of Directors identifies areas of overall strength and weakness with respect to its composition. Our Board of Directors considers whether individual directors possess the personal characteristics identified above under the caption “Corporate Governance—Board of Directors Meeting and Board of Directors Committees—Governance & Nominating Committee,” and whether our Board of Directors as a whole possesses all of the following core competencies: accounting and finance, management experience with mergers and acquisitions, risk management, industry knowledge, knowledge of technology and cybersecurity, marketing, digital marketing and social media, international markets, strategic vision, compensation, and corporate governance, among others.  

CODE OF CONDUCT

We have adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to all employees and directors of Church & Dwight and our worldwide subsidiaries. Among other things, the Code of Conduct is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships, promote full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosures in periodic reports we are required to file, promote compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules, and regulations and promote a harassment-free work environment. The Code of Conduct requires the prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code of Conduct and contains provisions regarding accountability for adherence to the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is available on the “Investors” page of our website at www.churchdwight.com. We are committed to satisfying the disclosure requirements regarding any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the Code of Conduct, including the conduct of an executive officer or member of our Board, by making disclosures concerning such matters available on the “Investors” page of our website. See “Corporate Governance and Other Board Matters—Board of Directors Meetings and Committees—Audit Committee” for a summary of our procedures for the submission, receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints with respect to concerns regarding potential violations of our compliance and ethics program.

We have also adopted Global Operating Guiding Principles as part of our Responsible Sourcing Program. The Global Operating Guiding Principles reflect our commitment to internationally recognize human rights and social standards in our supply chain, and apply to all our employees and suppliers and are available on the “Responsibility” page on our website.

SUSTAINABILITY

Our Governance & Nominating Committee oversees our sustainability program.  We place a high priority on operating in a responsible and respectful manner. Our global sustainability platform focuses on doing what’s right in conducting our business to ensure that we preserve the environment for future generations and provide a safe and healthy working environment for colleagues while promoting the continued success of our commercial enterprise. Our global sustainability platform is derived directly from our organizational values and is a key component of our leadership strategy. At the core of our sustainability efforts are six pillars:

We believe that sustainable operations are both financially beneficial and critical to the health of the communities in which we operate.  Each year we publish a Sustainability Report that highlights the intersection of our business and corporate responsibility commitments by reporting our financial, environmental, social, and governance performance.  For more information regarding the Company’s sustainability initiatives please see the “Responsibility” page on our website.

 

 

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COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS

In 2017, our directors’ fees, other than the CEO, consisted of the following:

 

We pay fees to our directors in accordance with the Compensation Plan for Directors (as amended and restated, the “Compensation Plan for Directors”). Any fees payable to our directors under this plan may be deferred in accordance with our Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors, provided that a timely election is made by the director seeking such deferral. We also provide annual stock option awards to our directors under the Amended and Restated Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan (the “Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan”). All of these arrangements are described below.

Compensation Plan for Directors.    Our Compensation Plan for Directors became effective as of January 1, 2015, and provides for the payment of fee-based compensation (i.e., an annual retainer and any special assignment meeting fees) and annual equity grants to our directors, other than the CEO. Special assignment meeting fees are paid in consideration for attendance at meetings with respect to certain non-scheduled activities and projects requested by the Board. No special assignment meeting fees were paid in fiscal year 2017. The annual retainer amount is pro-rated for any director with less than a full year of service.

The Compensation Plan for Directors provides that all fee-based compensation payable to a director annually be paid either 100% in shares of our common stock (the default method of payment), or 50% cash and 50% in shares of our common stock if specifically elected by a director. For 2017, our directors made their election for how to receive their fee-based compensation in December of 2016. To determine the number of shares a director is entitled to receive under the plan, the annual retainer or special assignment meeting fee amount (as applicable) is divided by the closing price of a share of our common stock as reported on the NYSE on the applicable payment date.  

Annual Equity Grants for Directors.    The Compensation Plan for Directors provides that, unless otherwise established by our Board of Directors, equity grants to our non-employee directors will be made annually on the same date each year on which we make annual equity grants to our employees (which date occurs on the Monday falling most closely to the midpoint between the dates of our first and second quarter earnings releases). A new director will receive his or her initial equity grant on the date such individual commences service with us as a director. In 2017, as in prior years, the annual equity grants were comprised of stock option awards. All shares underlying the stock options granted to non-employee directors vest in full on the third anniversary of the grant date, subject to the director’s continued service on our Board of Directors. Upon any cessation of service due to death or disability, the stock options (to the extent unvested) continue to vest and all unexercised options remain outstanding until the third anniversary of such death or disability (or earlier until expiration of the option term). For any director who retires after serving on our Board of Directors for at least six years, the stock options (to the extent unvested) continue to vest and all unexercised options remain outstanding for the remainder of the option term. Stock options to our non-employee directors are granted under the Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan with a ten-year term. No non-employee director may receive more than one equity grant in any calendar year.

 

 

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Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors.    The Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors provides an opportunity for our directors to defer payment of all or a portion of their respective director fees into a notional account until after termination of service. A director electing to defer payment must decide whether to receive the deferred payment in a lump sum or in annual installments over a period of up to ten years. A director must make any of the foregoing elections prior to the beginning of the calendar year for which the deferred fees are earned. Also, newly elected directors may make such election within 30 days of becoming a director. A director’s election is deemed to remain in effect with respect to the following year unless the director revokes or changes such election prior to the commencement of such following year. Following a termination of service, the director generally receives a number of shares of our common stock in accordance with his or her timely filed election, either in a lump sum or in annual installments over a period of up to 10 years, equal to the number of notional shares then outstanding in the director’s deferred compensation account under the plan. On a change in control, any and all deferred accounts (including any account being paid in installments) will be immediately distributed. The number of notional shares represented by amounts in a participating director’s account is set forth in the table captioned “Securities Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” on page 28.

 

Compensation Changes.    On November 1, 2017, the Governance & Nominating Committee, in consultation with the Compensation & Organization Committee, reviewed the compensation of our non-employee directors. As part of their review, the Committees consulted with Semler Brossy, the independent compensation consultant retained by the Compensation & Organization Committee. As part of its analysis of the compensation of our non-employee directors, Semler Brossy examined how the total compensation and each element of our non-employee director compensation program compared to the director compensation programs of our Peer Group identified and discussed in more detail on pages 35 and 36. The Governance & Nominating Committee targets the total compensation paid to our non-employee directors at a level that approximates the 50th percentile of the compensation paid to non-employee directors of the Peer Group. Based on its analysis, Semler Brossy concluded that the total compensation paid to our non-employee directors was below the median of the director compensation of the Peer Group. Based upon its review, the Governance & Nominating Committee recommended to the Board that the annual equity grant be increased from $120,000 to $130,000 effective January 1, 2018 to bring the total compensation paid to our non-employee directors closer to the median of the total compensation paid to directors of the Peer Group. In addition, on November 1, 2017, based on the recommendation of the Governance & Nominating Committee, the Board amended the Compensation Plan for Directors, effective as of January 1, 2018, to provide each director with the choice of receiving 100-percent of his/her fee-based compensation in cash if that director has fully satisfied the Company’s Stock Ownership Guidelines for Directors. The default method of payment will continue to be 100% in shares of our common stock, and directors will continue to have the option to receive payment of their fee-based compensation 50% in cash and 50% in shares of our common stock. Such elections will be made in December of each year for continuing directors, and newly elected directors may make this election within 30 days of becoming a director.

The following table provides information regarding compensation for our non-employee directors in 2017.

2017 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE

 

 

 

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STOCK OWNERSHIP GUIDELINES FOR DIRECTORS

Our non-employee directors are expected to have a level of equity ownership in the Company in order to ensure that their interests are aligned with the interests of our stockholders. It is expected that each non-employee director will have, within five years from the date on which they join the Board, a number of shares having a value at least five times the standard annual retainer (which is the annual retainer received by any director who is not a committee chair, the Lead Director or the Chairman). The annual retainer was $110,000 for 2017 and the dollar value of shares required to be held by our directors who have served five or more years was $550,000 as of December 31, 2017. The calculation of ownership includes shares owned by the director (or members of his or her immediate family residing in the same household), notional shares held for the account of the director in the Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors, and shares held in a trust for which a director has shared voting or investment power. Until a non-employee director satisfies his or her stock ownership requirement, the director will be required to hold 50 percent of all shares of our common stock received upon the exercise of stock options, grants of stock, or upon lapse of the restrictions on restricted stock (in each case, net of any shares utilized to pay for the exercise price of an option and/or to satisfy tax withholding obligations). All of our non-employee directors who have been in their position for five years or more own enough shares to satisfy our guidelines.

In 2018, the Board adjusted the Stock Ownership Guidelines for Directors to include 60 percent of the in-the-money value of vested and unvested stock options to encourage non-employee directors to retain stock options over an extended period of time to reinforce further long-term alignment with stockholder interests.

OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Listed below are the names, ages and positions held by each of our executive officers and our Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer.

 

All executive officers serve at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Mr. Katz serves at the discretion of our CEO.

Biographical information for Mr. Farrell appears under “Standing for Election for Term Expiring in 2021” on page 7.

 

 

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Ms. Bomhard has been our Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer since January 2016, prior to which she served as General Manager, Europe since 2013. From 2005 to 2013, Ms. Bomhard served in a variety of Marketing and General Management assignments at Energizer. Prior to Energizer, Ms. Bomhard worked for Wella AG and GlaxoSmithKline in their marketing organizations.

Mr. Cugine has been our Executive Vice President, International and Global New Products Innovation since January 2016. From June 2014 to December 2015, he was Executive Vice President, and President, International Consumer Products, from July 2013 to June 2014, he was Executive Vice President, Global New Products Innovation, and President, International Consumer Products and, from May 2007 through June 2013, he served as our Executive Vice President, Global New Products Innovation. From October 2000 through May 2007, Mr. Cugine served in a variety of management positions at the Company.  Prior to that Mr. Cugine served in several capacities with FMC Corporation, including as Director of Human Resources for the Alkali, Peroxide, and Oxidant Chemical Divisions.

Mr. de Maynadier has been our Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary since December 2011. He served in a number of capacities for Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. and its predecessor, Hillenbrand Industries, Inc., from January 2002 through December 2010, including Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Previously, Mr. de Maynadier served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for CombiMatrix Corporation; as President and Chief Executive Officer of SDI Investments, LLC, a spin-off of Sterling Diagnostic Imaging, Inc.; and as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Sterling Diagnostic Imaging, Inc. Earlier in his career, Mr. de Maynadier was a corporate and securities Partner at the law firm Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.

Mr. Dierker has been our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since January 2016, prior to which he served as Vice President, Corporate Finance since 2012. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Dierker led Supply Chain Finance as the Company’s Operations Controller. From 2008 to 2009, he held a senior financial management position at Alpharma, Inc., a leading international specialty pharmaceutical company. Prior to 2008, he held financial and business development management positions for Ingersoll-Rand Ltd, a major diversified industrial manufacturer.

Mr. Katz has been our Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer since May 2007. From January 2003 through May 2007, Mr. Katz was our Controller, and from April 1993 through December 2002, he was our Assistant Controller. Mr. Katz has been employed by us in various positions since 1986.

Mr. Linares has been our Executive Vice President, Global Research & Development since June 2017. From 2012 to 2017, he served as Chief Technology Officer for Sun Products Corporation responsible for innovation, product and packaging development, engineering, regulatory affairs, project management, and quality assurance. He also served as the Corporate Innovation Captain for company-wide strategy. Prior to Sun Products Corporation, Mr. Linares was the Senior Vice President of Global R&D, Quality and Regulatory, at Alberto Culver.  Earlier in his career Mr. Linares gained significant R&D product development and innovation experience at Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble.

Mr. Spann has been our Executive Vice President, Global Operations since May 2017.  He served in a number of capacities for Colgate-Palmolive Company from 1984 through 2017. His career there included assignments in Australia and Europe.  His last role at Colgate was Vice President, Global Engineering where he led significant improvements in product and process development.   Prior to that he was Vice President, Global Supply Chain for three different Colgate businesses; Personal Care, Home Care, and Toothbrush where he had responsibility for operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. Mr. Spann started his career at Colgate-Palmolive Company as an Industrial Engineer and held positions of increasing responsibility in production management prior to his executive roles.

Mr. Tursi has been our Executive Vice President, North America Sales since January 2016. From June 2014 to December 2015, he was Executive Vice President, North America Sales and Retail Customer Marketing, and was Executive Vice President, North America Sales from May 2007 to June 2014. From July 2004 through May 2007, he was our Vice President, Domestic Consumer Sales. Prior to joining us, Mr. Tursi served as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Service of Spalding Sports Worldwide and its successor, Top-Flite Golf Co. from 1999 through 2004.

Ms. Zagorski has been our Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources since January 2017. From January 2011 to January 2017, Ms. Zagorski was Senior Vice President, Human Resources for the North American affiliate of BASF Corporation where she was responsible for the North American and Central American human resources functions, and from September 2007 to January 2011, Ms. Zagorski was Vice President Talent Development and Strategy at BASF Corporation. Prior to BASF Corporation, Ms. Zagorski held senior level global human resources positions at Mars, Incorporated, and Honeywell International, Inc. and previously worked in management consulting at KPMG.

 

 

 

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SECURITIES OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth information concerning ownership of our common stock as of March 6, 2018 (unless otherwise noted), by (i) each stockholder that has indicated in public filings that the stockholder beneficially owns more than five percent of our common stock; (ii) each director and nominee for director; (iii) each current executive officer named in the Summary Compensation Table on pages 47; and (iv) all directors and executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise noted, each person listed below, either alone or together with members of such person’s family sharing the same household, had sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares listed next to such person’s name. None of the shares held by directors and executive officers included in the table are pledged as security.

 

 

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

The Code of Conduct includes our policy regarding the review and approval of related person transactions. In accordance with the Code of Conduct, all related person transactions that meet the minimum threshold for disclosure in the proxy statement under the relevant SEC rules must be reported to and approved by the Audit Committee.

RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

There were no disclosable related person transactions during 2017.

 

 

 

 

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors in its oversight of the integrity of Church & Dwight’s financial statements, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and the performance of the internal audit function. Management has primary responsibility for preparing the financial statements and for the financial reporting process. In addition, management has the responsibility to assess the effectiveness of Church & Dwight’s internal control over financial reporting. Deloitte & Touche LLP, Church & Dwight’s independent registered public accounting firm, is responsible for (i) expressing an opinion on the conformity of Church & Dwight’s audited financial statements to generally accepted accounting principles and on whether the financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial position and results of operations of Church & Dwight, and (ii) expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of Church & Dwight’s internal control over financial reporting.

In this context, the Audit Committee hereby reports as follows:

Based on the review and discussion referred to in paragraphs (1) through (3) above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in Church & Dwight’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert K. Shearer, Chair

Bradley C. Irwin

Penry W. Price

Janet S. Vergis

 

 

 

 

 

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FEES PAID TO INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Fees related to the 2017 and 2016 fiscal years payable to our independent registered public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP, the member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., and their respective affiliates are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

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PRE-APPROVAL OF AUDIT AND PERMISSIBLE NON-AUDIT SERVICES

The Audit Committee pre-approved all audit and non-audit services provided by Deloitte & Touche LLP during 2017 in accordance with our policy described below.

The Audit Committee pre-approves all permitted non-audit services to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, the Audit Committee has delegated to Mr. Shearer, as Chair of the Audit Committee, authority to pre-approve permitted non-audit services, provided that any such pre-approved non-audit services are reported to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

 

 

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION

In this Compensation Discussion and Analysis, we address the compensation paid or awarded for 2017 to our executive officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table that follows this discussion. We sometimes refer to these executive officers as our “named executive officers,” as such term is used in Item 402 of Regulation S-K.

2017 COMPENSATION

COMPENSATION OBJECTIVES

We focus on the following objectives in making compensation determinations:

The principal components of 2017 compensation that we paid to our named executive officers designed to meet these objectives are as follows:

 

 

 

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DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION

In making executive compensation decisions for 2017, the Compensation & Organization Committee, or the “Committee,” referenced data provided by Steven Hall to compare the compensation of our named executive officers to the compensation of executives of other similar-sized companies with generally corresponding responsibilities. The Committee referenced data from a group of companies (the “Peer Group”) and survey data from non-durable goods and consumer products companies to assist in decisions regarding the base pay, Annual Incentive Plan targets and long-term incentives. In providing comparative data regarding compensation of executives of the Peer Group, Steven Hall aged the data to January 1, 2017 using an update factor of three percent per annum.  

 

 

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The Peer Group is a group of consumer packaged goods companies that have revenues in the range of approximately 50 – 200% of our revenues. Within this classification, the Committee referenced companies with similar distribution channels and with a significant focus on brand recognition. Prior to setting our 2017 compensation, the Committee reduced the Peer Group from 19 companies to 12 companies to eliminate companies the Committee believed were not aligned with the foregoing criteria. The change in the Peer Group reflects the removal of prior peer companies that have been reorganized or acquired and changes made to ensure that the Peer Group aligns more closely with the companies that we compete against. We believe there is a strong likelihood that the skills of our named executive officers are transferable among the companies in the revised Peer Group, so we would expect to compete with these companies for executive officer talent. For 2017, our Peer Group consisted of the following:

 

 

The Committee primarily utilizes data with respect to the Peer Group for our CEO and CFO.  With respect to our other named executive officers, the Committee primarily uses survey data in determining compensation.  The Committee also references Peer Group data in determining their compensation when there is a meaningful level of relevant data for those positions.  When determining the compensation paid to Ms. Zagorski and Mr. Linares, each of whom joined the Company in 2017, the Committee also considered the market for executive officers in Global Human Resources and Global Research & Development, respectively, their skills and experience, responsibilities required in their respective roles and their respective compensation from their prior employers.  The Committee approved the following for each of Ms. Zagorski and Mr. Linares:

 

 

In determining a 2017 competitive market guideline with respect to total direct compensation, namely base salary, Annual Incentive Plan targets and long-term incentives, the Committee referenced a level that approximates the 50th percentile of the Peer Group, or the survey companies, as applicable. However, the Committee did not follow this guideline rigidly, and departed from this general guideline, as described below. In addition, because a majority of our compensation is performance-based, actual cash compensation paid to our named executive officers could further vary from that paid to executive officers in the Peer Group or the survey companies, based on achievement of performance targets.

 

 

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MIX OF PAY

On average, approximately 83% of the CEO’s target compensation and 62% of the other named executive officers’ target compensation is variable, based on Company and individual performance. Variable compensation consists of the target Annual Incentive Plan payout and the target value of stock options granted. The percentages below are calculated by dividing each compensation element by target total compensation, which consists of base salary plus variable compensation.

 

SALARIES

In 2017, the CFO and Mr. Tursi each received base salary increases of approximately 3%, which was consistent with market increases for this period.  Based on marketplace comparisons, our CEO did not receive a base salary increase.  Ms. Zagorski and Mr. Linares each began employment with the Company in 2017, and their salaries were approved by the Compensation & Organization Committee at the time they were hired.

Compensation of each of our named executive officers is set forth on the “2017 Summary Compensation Table” on pages 47.

ANNUAL INCENTIVE PLAN

The principal objective of the Annual Incentive Plan is to align executive and stockholder interests by providing an incentive to our named executive officers to achieve annual performance goals that also support long-term stockholder return. The performance goals are established each year to reflect specific objectives set in our annual budget. The Committee also considers competitive factors, including competitive market data for total cash compensation, which includes salary and annual incentive bonus, in determining the amount of annual incentive award opportunities for our named executive officers.

As noted above, in structuring total direct compensation for our named executive officers, we have referenced the median level of direct compensation of the Peer Group and survey data. This median has influenced our incentive compensation target award levels, although we have from time to time set target payouts above the median level when we believed that our planned performance was well ahead of our Peer Group targets.

The Committee uses a numerical performance rating system with a range from 0.0 to 2.0 to determine the payout amounts under the Annual Incentive Plan. A rating of 1.0 normally represents the target achievement level for plan performance with payout based on each participant’s annual incentive compensation award target percentage of his or her annual base salary. The target award for 2017 was set at a 1.0 rating and is consistent with our guideline described in the preceding paragraph in setting total direct compensation at the median level when our planned performance is in line with competitive levels.  Actual payouts to our named executive officers can vary significantly based on actual Company performance. The following table indicates the percentage of salary payable at a 1.0 rating for each of our named executive officers:

 

 

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Named Executive Officers

Annual Incentive Plan Target Payouts

 

 

As described above, in 2017 the Committee referenced competitive compensation data provided by Steven Hall in setting the percentage levels. Messrs. Farrell’s and Dierker’s percentages reflect their respective responsibilities during 2017 as CEO and CFO. For the other named executive officers, the Committee set the percentage at 50 percent, which the Committee believes is a competitive rate and unifies the commitment of the named executive officers towards achievement of our annual performance goals.

The 2017 corporate performance metrics, their weightings and a description of the rationale for each measure are as follows:

 

 

 

 

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The Committee has discretion to adjust the corporate results used to compute performance based on external circumstances or unanticipated business conditions that are not within the reasonable control of our management or that do not generally reflect or directly relate to our day-to-day operations in the ordinary course, to the extent permitted by Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, as was in effect at the time the 2017 corporate performance metrics were established.

The following table indicates, with respect to each corporate performance measure, the threshold level of 2017 performance for which a payout could be made, the target performance level, the maximum performance level, and the actual performance and performance ratings. To the extent applicable, the amounts and percentages reflect the positive and negative adjustments approved by the Committee to eliminate the effect of foreign exchange rates that differed from budgeted amounts, the unplanned acquisitions of Water Pik, Inc. and Agro Biosciences, Inc., cash contribution for the settlement of our UK Pension Plan, the impairment charge related to the sale of our Brazilian chemical business, accounts receivable factoring beyond budgeted amounts, tax benefits associated with the Natronx impairment charge, the deferred compensation payment to the former CEO, litigation settlement in the absence of a planned payment, and the adjustment of the Company’s deferred tax balance under the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (the “Tax Legislation”).

2017 Annual Incentive Plan Performance Ranges, Actual Performance and Performance Ratings

(in millions, except gross margin percentage and per share data)

 

The corporate performance rating for 2017 was equal to the weighted average number of these factors, or 1.00. Based on that performance rating, our named executive officers received award payments under the Annual Incentive Plan for 2017 as shown in the table below:

Named Executive Officers

2017 Annual Incentive Plan Payouts

 

 

 

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LONG-TERM INCENTIVES—STOCK OPTIONS

In 2017, the Committee continued to utilize options on our common stock as our principal form of long-term compensation. The number of shares underlying options granted to our named executive officers is calculated by designating an amount equal to a percentage of the named executive officer’s salary, and dividing that amount by the grant date fair value of the share underlying the option, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Stock options granted in 2017:

In addition, as has been the case since 2007, our stock options granted in 2017 include provisions enabling a three-year post-termination vesting and exercise period. The provisions apply if (i) the option holder’s employment terminates due to retirement, as defined in the grant agreement, or is terminated by us without cause; (ii) the option holder is at least 55 years old and has completed at least five years of service with us; (iii) the sum of the option holder’s age and years of service is at least 65; and (iv) pursuant to our request, the option holder has signed a waiver and release agreement. We believe that these provisions enable us to attract and retain seasoned executives who have considerable experience. Moreover, we believe these post-termination provisions offset the effect of the three-year cliff vesting provisions of our stock options, which we believe are less favorable than vesting provisions used by many of the Peer Group. Many of those companies provide for incremental vesting of stock options during the vesting period, while our options do not vest until they have been held for three years. We believe our vesting provisions encourage our employees to maintain employment with us for an extended period of time and to align their interests with longer-term Company performance.

The Committee believes that stock options provide a strong incentive to increase stockholder value, because the value of the stock options is directly dependent on the market performance of our common stock following the date of grant.

Under our long-term incentive program, the Committee grants stock options to each of our named executive officers on an annual basis, based on a percentage of the executive officer’s salary. In connection with our 2017 grants, the Committee used the following percentages of salary for our named executive officers:

Named Executive Officers

Stock Option Grants as Percent of Salary

 

In determining the number of shares underlying options for each of our named executive officers, the Committee divided the dollar value to be received by each officer by the grant date fair value of one stock option to determine the number of stock options to be granted to the executive officer and rounded the resulting number of shares to the nearest 10 shares. The grant date fair value of the stock options is calculated in accordance with ASC Topic 718. The number of shares underlying stock options granted to our named executive officers are set forth below in the “2017 Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table under the column heading, “All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options.” For additional information regarding stock option terms, see the narrative accompanying the “2017 Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table.

 

 

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The Committee has, from time to time, considered the structure of our long-term incentive compensation, which continues to consist entirely of stock options. The Committee continues to believe that stock options are the most effective and appropriate form of long-term incentive compensation for the Company to use at this time. On an ongoing basis, it reviews with management and our Board the advisability of adopting alternative forms of long-term incentive compensation that are tied to, and provide incentives for, the long-term increase in stockholder value.

RESTRICTED STOCK

On January 4, 2017, the Board granted shares of restricted stock to Mr. Tursi with a grant date value of $1,000,000. The shares of restricted stock will vest 100 percent on the second anniversary of the grant, contingent upon Mr. Tursi’s continued employment with us and were granted to encourage Mr. Tursi’s retention.

PERQUISITES AND CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

We provide very limited perquisites to our executive officers. Our executives may receive a comprehensive physical examination through a provider selected by the executive from among three providers that we have approved. We believe it is in our best interest to ensure that our executives’ health is monitored so that any health-related issues pertaining to an executive can be identified and addressed promptly. The average cost to us for providing this benefit in 2017 is approximately $2,700 per executive.

Except as noted above, we currently do not have programs for providing personal benefit perquisites to executive officers. From time to time the Company makes donations to non-profit organizations or educational institutions as requested by our executive officers and directors. The aggregate amount of all such donations with respect to named executive officers was $19,000 in 2017.

2018 COMPENSATION DECISIONS

The Compensation & Organization Committee approved the 2018 salary increases in the table below based on the market rate and each named executive officer’s performance. In addition, the Compensation & Organization Committee approved the increase of the percent of salary measurement for stock option grants for Mr. Farrell under the Company’s long term incentive program from 385 percent to 425 percent and for Mr. Dierker from 133 percent to 165 percent.

2018 Base Salary

 

 

STOCK OPTION GRANT PRACTICES

The Compensation & Organization Committee makes annual stock option grants to executive officers and other employees effective on the Monday falling most closely to the midpoint between the dates of the Company’s first and second quarter earnings releases. A grant to a new employee is effective on the date the employee commences employment with us, and special grants made to employees at times other than the time of the annual grant are effective on the first trading day of the month following approval of the grant. The per share exercise price of stock options is equal to the closing price of a share of our common stock on the date of grant. We believe that our stock option grant practices are appropriate and eliminate any questions regarding “timing” of grants in anticipation of material events, since grants become effective in accordance with a long-standing schedule.

 

 

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The Compensation & Organization Committee delegates to our CEO and the head of Global Human Resources the ability to approve a specific number of stock option grants for employees who are not executive officers. The grants may be made at times other than the time of annual grant and are utilized for new hires and for performance recognition purposes. The Compensation & Organization Committee approved options to purchase 197,990 shares for these purposes in 2017. The timing and pricing of the option grants in 2017 conformed to the Compensation & Organization Committee practices described in the preceding paragraph.

We do not permit repricing of options without prior stockholder approval.

STOCK OWNERSHIP, TRADING GUIDELINES AND SHORT SALE, HEDGING AND PLEDGING POLICIES

Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines

In order to further align the interests of executive officers with the interests of our stockholders, we maintain stock ownership guidelines for our executive officers. The guidelines specify that each executive officer must hold equity in the Company’s stock equal to a multiple of each executive’s salary.

The stock ownership guidelines applicable to each of our named executive officers at the end of 2017 are shown in the following table:

 

 

The calculation of ownership includes shares acquired and held upon stock option exercises, the value of any vested or unvested stock or restricted stock, stock held in the Company’s Profit Sharing Plan, stock held in the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan, share equivalents held in the Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, shares held in trust, and any other shares held outright. In 2018, the Board adjusted the stock ownership guidelines to include 60 percent of the in-the-money value of vested and unvested stock options to encourage executives to retain stock options over an extended period of time to reinforce further long-term alignment with stockholder interests.

Executives are generally expected to achieve the guidelines within five years from the date on which they become subject to our stock ownership guidelines. If an executive is ever below their ownership requirements under our guidelines, they must hold 50 percent of the net, after-tax value of any equity received from the Company’s ongoing compensation programs. As of December 31, 2017, all of our executive officers who have been in their position for five years were in compliance with our stock ownership guidelines.

Trading, Short Sale, Hedging and Pledging

Additionally, our insider trading guidelines prohibit our executive officers and directors from (i) buying or selling the Company’s securities while in possession of material, non-public information relating to us, (ii) engaging in short sales of our securities, (iii) buying or selling puts or calls or other derivative securities on our securities, (iv) entering into hedging or monetizing transactions or similar arrangements with respect to our securities, and (v) holding our securities in a margin account or pledging our securities as collateral for a loan.

ONGOING AND POST-EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

We have plans and agreements addressing compensation for our named executive officers that accrue value as the executive officers continue to work for us, provide special benefits upon certain types of termination events, or provide retirement benefits. These plans and agreements were designed to be part of a competitive compensation package, in some cases not only for executive officers, but for other employees as well.

 

 

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SAVINGS AND PROFIT SHARING PLAN FOR SALARIED EMPLOYEES

This plan, which we sometimes refer to below as the “savings and profit sharing plan,” is a tax-qualified defined contribution plan available to all of our domestic salaried employees. All of our named executive officers participate in the plan. Under the plan, an employee may contribute, subject to Internal Revenue Code limitations, up to a maximum of 70 percent of his or her eligible compensation (approximately 15 percent for highly compensated employees in 2017), which includes salary and payments under the Annual Incentive Plan, on a pre-tax basis or as Roth contributions. We provide a matching contribution equal to 100% of the first five percent of eligible compensation that an employee contributes in any year. In addition, the plan provides a profit-sharing feature under which we make an annual contribution to the account of each employee based on our performance in the preceding year. The performance measures and results used to calculate the annual contribution level are identical to the Company-wide measures described above under “2017 Compensation—Annual Incentive Plan.” Achievement of the target performance rating would have resulted in a contribution of five percent of a participant’s base salary and Annual Incentive Plan payments made in 2017. Based on 2017 performance results, the Compensation & Organization Committee approved a contribution equal to 5.0 percent of a participant’s eligible compensation in 2017. Amounts credited to an employee’s account in the plan may be invested among a number of funds, including a Company stock fund. A participant’s account is adjusted to reflect the rate of return, positive or negative, on the investments. Employee contributions and compensation on which our profit sharing contributions may be based cannot exceed limits under the Internal Revenue Code (the eligible compensation limit was $270,000 in 2017).

EXECUTIVE DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN

The Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (“EDCP”) and its predecessors collectively have been in effect for over 20 years. The plan is a nonqualified deferred compensation plan that provides potential tax benefits for executive officers. Under the EDCP as currently in effect, an executive officer can defer up to 85 percent of his or her salary and up to 85 percent of amounts paid to the executive officer under the Annual Incentive Plan. In addition, an executive can make a separate deferral, which we refer to below as the “Excess Compensation Deferral,” of up to five percent of compensation that exceeds Internal Revenue Code limits on eligible contributions under the savings and profit sharing plan. We provide a contribution equal to (i) 100 percent of the Excess Contribution Deferral; (ii) five percent of other salary and Annual Incentive Plan deferrals; and (iii) the profit sharing contributions we would have made to the participant’s account under the savings and profit sharing plan were it not for the Internal Revenue Code limit on the amount of eligible compensation under that plan and the participant’s deferrals into the EDCP.

Amounts deferred under the EDCP generally are not subject to federal, and in many cases state, income taxes until they are distributed. An executive officer can choose to have his or her contributions allocated to one or more of several notional investments, including a notional investment in our common stock. A participant may not initially allocate more than 50 percent of his or her contributions to our common stock, although the participant can increase the notional common stock amount through intra-plan transfers of notional investments previously made. A participant’s account is adjusted to reflect the deemed rate of return, positive or negative, on the notional investments. An executive officer may choose to receive a payout following retirement, either in a lump sum or in annual installments, in accordance with the terms of the EDCP. The EDCP also includes provisions for payment upon termination (pre-retirement) death or disability. See the “2017 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation” table and accompanying narrative for additional information.

CHANGE IN CONTROL AND SEVERANCE AGREEMENTS

We have adopted change in control and severance agreements for our executive officers because we believe that these agreements can create management stability during a period of uncertainty. Absent such agreements, there is an increased risk that executive officers may be encouraged to seek other employment opportunities if they became concerned about their employment security following a change in control. We also believe that the agreements provide financial security to an executive officer in the event of an involuntary termination of the executive officer without cause following a change in control by providing a meaningful payment to the executive officer. The agreements also provide clear statements of the rights of the executive officers and protect against a change in employment and other terms by an acquirer that would be unfavorable to the executive officer. We also provide severance benefits to our executive officers, although at a lower level, for certain types of employment terminations that do not follow a change in control. We believe these obligations provide a competitive benefit that enhances our ability to hire and retain capable executive officers.

 

 

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The change in control and severance agreements provide for payments and other benefits if an executive officer’s employment is terminated without cause, or if an executive officer terminates employment for “good reason,” within two years following a change in control. These provisions require what is sometimes called a “double trigger,” namely both a change in control and a specified termination event, before payment is made. The agreements also provide for lesser payments if these types of terminations occur outside of the context of a change in control. In March 2010, we and the participating executives amended the agreements to eliminate the tax gross-up provisions. In the event that payments to be made to an executive under the change in control and severance agreements in connection with a change in control would result in the imposition of the excise tax under Internal Revenue Code Section 4999, the payments will be reduced to the highest amount that could be paid without triggering the excise tax if, following the reduction, the executive would retain a greater amount of net after-tax payments than if no reduction were made. If no reduction is made, the executive officer will pay any applicable excise tax.

In January 2016, our Board approved amendments to our change in control agreements to provide for, among other things, (i) a change in the “cause” definition so that, as modified, “cause” means an executive officer’s dishonesty, fraud, willful misconduct or refusal to follow or comply with the lawful direction of the Company (other than due to illness or incapacity), provided that such refusal is not based on the officer’s good faith compliance with applicable legal or ethical standards, (ii) a clarification that a change in control must actually occur in order for any change in control benefits to be paid, (iii) changes to the post-termination group medical and life insurance coverage provisions involving the calculation of premium payments, and (iv) clarification that any receipt of severance benefits be subject to the officer’s continued compliance with his or her restrictive covenant obligations under the agreement. For Mr. Farrell, in recognition of his new role as President and CEO, the amendments also (i) increased his change in control severance from two to three times base salary plus target bonus, (ii) extended his healthcare benefits from 24 to 36 months, (iii) increased his non-change in control severance from one to two times base salary, and (iv) extended his healthcare benefits from 12 to 24 months. The length of Mr. Farrell’s non-competition and non-solicitation periods was also increased to correspond with the increases in the severance periods.

See “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” on pages 54-57 for further information regarding benefits under the change in control and severance agreements.

TAX CONSIDERATIONS

Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m) limits the deductibility of executive compensation paid by publicly held companies to certain of their executive officers to $1,000,000 per year, but has historically contained an exception for performance-based compensation. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Legislation was enacted. The Tax Legislation eliminates the exception for performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018.  We have traditionally structured certain portions of our executive compensation program in a manner intended to preserve deductibility for federal income tax purposes under this provision. Nevertheless, our Compensation Committee believes that stockholder interests are best served if the Company’s flexibility in awarding compensation is not restricted, even though some compensation awards may result in non-deductible compensation expenses.  As a result, our Compensation Committee has approved salaries and other awards for executive officers that were not fully deductible because of Section 162(m) and, in light of the repeal of the performance-based compensation exception to Section 162(m), expects in the future to approve compensation to current and former executive officers that is not deductible for income tax purposes.

SAY-ON-PAY VOTE

At the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we asked our stockholders to vote to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to our named executive officers, commonly referred to as a say-on-pay vote. Our stockholders overwhelmingly approved compensation to our named executive officers, with over 94 percent of votes cast in favor of our say-on-pay resolution. We value this positive endorsement by our stockholders of our executive compensation policies. As we evaluated our compensation practices in fiscal 2017, we were mindful of the strong support our stockholders expressed for our pay-for-performance philosophy. As a result, the Compensation & Organization Committee continued our general approach to executive compensation for 2017. We believe our programs are effectively designed, are working well, and are aligned with the interests of our stockholders. The Compensation & Organization Committee will continue to seek and consider stockholder feedback in the future.

 

 

 

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ROLE OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS IN DETERMINING EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION FOR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

In connection with 2017 compensation for executive officers, Mr. Farrell, aided by our human resources department, provided statistical data and recommendations to the Compensation & Organization Committee. Mr. Farrell did not make recommendations as to his own compensation. While the Compensation & Organization Committee utilized this information, and valued Mr. Farrell’s observations with regard to compensation for our other executive officers, the ultimate decisions regarding executive compensation were made by the Compensation & Organization Committee.

ROLE OF THE COMPENSATION & ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE IN EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

As set forth in the Charter of the Compensation & Organization Committee, one of the Compensation & Organization Committee’s purposes is to administer our executive compensation program. It is the Compensation & Organization Committee’s responsibility to oversee the design of executive compensation programs, policies, and practices; to determine the types and amounts of compensation for executive officers; and to review and approve the adoption, termination, and amendment of, and to administer, our incentive compensation and stock option plans. All compensation for our executive officers ultimately must be approved by the Compensation & Organization Committee. Our human resources department supports the Compensation & Organization Committee’s work, and in some cases, acts under delegated authority to administer compensation programs. In addition, as described above, in September 2017, the Compensation & Organization Committee began to directly engage Semler Brossy, an outside independent compensation consulting firm, to assist in its review of compensation for executive officers.  Steven Hall served as the outside independent compensation consulting firm prior to that time.

 

 

 

 

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COMPENSATION & ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Compensation & Organization Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. Based on its review and discussions, the Compensation & Organization Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and, through incorporation by reference, in Church & Dwight’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

Respectfully submitted,

Arthur B. Winkleblack, Chair

T. Rosie Albright

Bradley C. Irwin

Penry W. Price

 

 

 

 

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2017 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation for 2017, 2016, and 2015 of our President and CEO, our Executive Vice President and CFO, and each of the persons who were the next three most highly paid executive officers in 2017. We sometimes refer to these persons as our “named executive officers,” as defined in Item 402 of Regulation S-K.

 

 

 

 

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2017 GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS

The following table provides information regarding plan-based awards granted to our named executive officers in 2017.