def14a
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. ___)
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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JASON P.
RHODE
President
and Chief Executive Officer
May 29, 2009
To our Stockholders:
I am pleased to invite you to attend the annual meeting of
stockholders of Cirrus Logic, Inc. to be held on Friday,
July 24, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. at Cirrus Logic, Inc.,
2901 Via Fortuna, Austin, Texas 78746.
Details regarding admission to the meeting and the business to
be conducted are more fully described in the accompanying Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement.
We are complying with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission rule that allows companies to furnish proxy materials
to shareholders using the Internet. As a result, we are mailing
to our stockholders a notice with instructions for accessing the
proxy materials and voting via the Internet instead of sending a
paper copy of this Proxy Statement and our 2009 Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
The notice also provides information on how shareholders may
obtain paper copies of our proxy materials if they so choose. We
believe this new rule will result in a reduction of the printing
and postage costs associated with distributing paper copies of
our proxy.
Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend
the annual meeting, I hope you will vote as soon as possible.
Although you may vote in person at the annual meeting, you may
also vote over the Internet, as well as by telephone, or by
mailing a proxy card. Voting over the Internet, by telephone or
by written proxy will ensure your representation at the annual
meeting if you do not attend in person. Please review the
instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability or the proxy
card regarding each of these voting options.
Cirrus Logic values the participation of its stockholders. Your
vote is an important part of our system of corporate governance
and I strongly encourage you to participate.
Sincerely,
Jason P. Rhode
President and Chief Executive Officer
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
A copy of the Annual Report on
Form 10-K,
which includes financial statements,
is included with this Proxy Statement.
You may receive copies of these documents at no charge upon
request directed to:
Cirrus Logic Investor Relations
2901 Via Fortuna, Austin, Texas 78746
telephone:
(512) 851-4125;
email: InvestorRelations@cirrus.com
These documents may also be accessed on our Web site at
www.cirrus.com.
Annual
Stockholders Meeting
July 24,
2009
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT
Notice
Cirrus Logic, Inc. (the Company) will hold its 2009
Annual Meeting of Stockholders as follows:
Friday, July 24, 2009
1:00 P.M. (Central Daylight Time)
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
2901 Via Fortuna
Austin, Texas 78746
At the meeting, stockholders will vote on the following matters:
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(i)
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the election of seven Company directors for one-year terms;
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(ii)
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the ratification of the appointment of Ernst &Young
LLP (Ernst & Young) as our independent
registered public accounting firm; and
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(iii)
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such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
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You can vote four different ways. You can vote by attending the
meeting, by telephone, by the Internet, or by proxy card. For
specific voting information, please see Questions and
Answers about the Proxy Materials, the Annual Meeting, and
Voting Procedures on page 2.
Stockholders of record at the close of business on May 27,
2009 (the Record Date), are entitled to vote. On
that day, approximately 65 million shares of the Company
common stock were outstanding. Each share entitles the holder to
one vote.
The Board of Directors of the Company (the Board)
asks you to vote in favor of each of the proposals. This proxy
statement provides you with detailed information about each
proposal. We are also using this proxy statement to discuss our
corporate governance and compensation practices and philosophies.
We encourage you to read this proxy statement carefully. In
addition, you may obtain information about the Company from the
Annual Report to Stockholders and from documents that we have
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
SEC).
PROXY
STATEMENT
2009
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held Friday, July 24, 2009
Cirrus
Logic, Inc.
2901 Via Fortuna
Austin, Texas 78746
www.cirrus.com
These proxy materials are furnished to you in connection with
the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors
(Board) of Cirrus Logic, Inc. for use at our 2009
Annual Meeting of Stockholders and any adjournments or
postponements of the meeting (the Annual Meeting).
The Annual Meeting will be held on July 24, 2009, at
1:00 p.m., central time, at our principal executive
offices, 2901 Via Fortuna, Austin, Texas 78746.
Beginning on or about June 3, 2009, Cirrus has made
available to you on the Internet or delivered paper copies of
these proxy materials to you by mail in connection with the
solicitation of proxies by the Board of Cirrus in connection
with the Annual Meeting.
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS,
THE ANNUAL MEETING, AND VOTING PROCEDURES
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Why am I receiving these materials? |
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Our Board is soliciting your proxy for the annual meeting of
stockholders to take place on July 24, 2009. As a
stockholder, you are invited to attend the meeting and are
entitled to and requested to vote on the proposals described in
this proxy statement. |
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What information is contained in these materials? |
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The information included in this proxy statement relates to the
proposals to be voted on at the meeting, the voting process, the
compensation of directors and our most highly paid executive
officers, and certain other required information. Our 2009
Annual Report to Stockholders on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009, is also included. |
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If you requested and received a paper copy of these materials by
mail or
e-mail, then
the proxy materials also include a proxy card or a voting
instruction card for the Annual Meeting. |
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Why did I receive a notice in the mail regarding the
Internet availability of the proxy materials instead of a paper
copy of the proxy materials? |
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We are complying with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (the SEC) rule that allows companies to
furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. As a result, we
are mailing to our stockholders a notice about the Internet
availability of the proxy materials instead of a paper copy of
the proxy materials. All stockholders receiving the notice will
have the ability to access the proxy materials over the Internet
and request to receive a copy of the proxy materials by mail or
e-mail. |
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How can I access the proxy materials over the
Internet? |
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Your notice about the Internet availability of the proxy
materials contains instructions regarding how to: |
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View our proxy materials for the Annual
Meeting on the Internet;
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Request a paper copy of our proxy materials
for the Annual Meeting; and
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Instruct us to send our future proxy materials
to you electronically by
e-mail.
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How may I obtain a paper copy of the proxy
materials? |
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Stockholders receiving a notice about the Internet availability
of the proxy materials will find instructions regarding how to
obtain a paper copy of the proxy materials in their notice. |
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What should I do if I receive more than one notice about
the Internet availability of the proxy materials or more than
one paper copy of the proxy materials? |
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It means your shares are registered differently or are in more
than one account. To vote all your shares by proxy, you must
vote for all notices you receive, or for all proxy cards and
voting instruction cards you received upon request. |
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What proposals will be voted on at the meeting? |
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There are two proposals scheduled to be voted on at the meeting: |
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the election of seven directors; and
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the ratification of the appointment of
Ernst & Young, as our independent registered public
accounting firm.
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What is Cirrus Logics voting recommendation? |
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Our Board recommends that you vote your shares FOR
each of the director nominees, and FOR the
ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young, as
our independent registered public accounting firm. |
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Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting? |
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Stockholders of record at the close of business on May 27,
2009 (the Record Date) are entitled to vote. |
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What shares owned by me can be voted? |
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All shares owned by you as of the close of business on the
Record Date may be voted by you. These shares include
(1) shares held directly in your name as the stockholder
of record, including shares purchased through the
Companys Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and (2) shares
held for you as the beneficial owner through a
stockbroker or bank. |
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What is the difference between holding shares as a
stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner? |
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Most stockholders of the Company hold their shares through a
stockbroker, bank or other nominee rather than directly in their
own name. As summarized below, there are some distinctions
between shares held of record and those owned beneficially. |
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Stockholder of Record
If your shares are registered directly in your name with the
Companys transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services,
you are considered, with respect to those shares, the
stockholder of record, and you have the right to vote by
proxy by following the instructions in the Notice of Internet
Availability of the proxy materials or to vote in person at the
meeting. |
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Beneficial Owner
If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a
bank or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial
owner of shares held in street name, and your broker
or nominee is considered, with respect to those shares, the
stockholder of record. As the beneficial owner, you have
the right to direct your broker or nominee how to vote and are
also invited to attend the meeting. However, since you are not
the stockholder of record, you may not vote these shares
at the meeting unless you obtain a signed proxy from your broker
or nominee giving you the right to vote the shares. |
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How can I vote my shares in person at the meeting? |
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Shares held directly in your name as the stockholder of
record may be voted in person at the annual meeting. If you
choose to do so, please bring the enclosed proxy card or proof
of identification. |
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Even if you currently plan to attend the annual meeting, we
recommend that you also submit your proxy so that your vote will
be counted if you later decide not to attend the meeting. Shares
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held in street name may be voted in person by you only if you
obtain a signed proxy from your broker or nominee giving you the
right to vote the shares. |
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How can I vote my shares without attending the
meeting? |
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Whether you hold shares directly as the stockholder of record
or beneficially in street name, you may direct your vote
without attending the meeting. You may vote by granting a proxy
or, for shares held in street name, by submitting voting
instructions to your broker or other nominee. In most instances,
you will be able to do this over the Internet, by telephone or
by mail. If you are the stockholder of record, please refer to
the summary instructions below and those included on your Notice
of Internet Availability of the proxy materials. If you hold
shares in street name, you should refer to the voting
instruction card included by your broker or nominee.
Stockholders who have requested and received a paper copy of a
proxy card or voting instruction card by mail may also vote over
the Internet by following the instructions on the proxy card or
voting instruction card. |
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BY INTERNET If you have Internet
access, you may vote by following the instructions on the Notice
of Internet Availability of the proxy materials. If you have
requested and received a paper copy of a proxy card or voting
instruction card, you may also vote over the Internet by
following the instructions on the proxy card or voting
instruction card. |
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BY TELEPHONE If you have requested and
received a paper copy of a proxy card or voting instruction
card, you may vote by telephone by following the instructions on
the proxy card. You will need to have the control number that
appears on your Notice of Internet Availability of the proxy
materials available when voting by telephone. |
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BY MAIL If you have requested and
received a paper copy of a proxy card or voting instruction card
by mail, you may submit a proxy by signing your proxy card and
mailing it in the enclosed, postage prepaid and addressed
envelope. If you sign but do not provide instructions, your
shares will be voted as described below in How Are Votes
Counted? |
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Can I revoke my proxy? |
A: |
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You may revoke your proxy instructions at any time prior to the
vote at the annual meeting. For shares held directly in your
name, you may revoke your proxy instructions by granting a new
proxy bearing a later date (that automatically revokes the
earlier proxy) or by attending the annual meeting and voting in
person. Attendance at the meeting will not cause your previously
granted proxy to be revoked unless you specifically request it
to be revoked. For shares held beneficially by you, you may
revoke your proxy instructions by submitting new voting
instructions to your broker or nominee. |
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What is the quorum requirement for the meeting? |
A: |
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The quorum requirement for holding the meeting and transacting
business is the presence, either in person or represented by
proxy, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares
entitled to be voted at the Annual Meeting. Both abstentions and
broker non-votes are counted as present for the purpose of
determining the presence of a quorum. |
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How are votes counted? |
A: |
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In the election of directors, you may vote FOR all
of the nominees or your vote may be WITHHELD with
respect to one or more of the nominees. For the proposal to
ratify the selection of Ernst & Young, you may vote
FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN. If
you ABSTAIN, it has the same effect as a vote
AGAINST. If you sign your proxy card with no further
instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the
recommendations of the Board (FOR all of the
Companys nominees to the Board and FOR the
ratification of Ernst & Young to serve as our
independent registered public accounting firm). |
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What is the voting requirement to approve each of the
proposals? |
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In the election of directors, the seven persons receiving the
highest number of FOR votes will be elected. All
other proposals require the affirmative FOR vote of
a majority of those shares |
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present and entitled to vote. If you are a beneficial owner and
do not provide your broker or nominee with voting instructions,
your shares may constitute broker non-votes, as described in
How are abstentions and broker non-votes counted?
below. In tabulating the voting results for any particular
proposal, shares that constitute broker non-votes are not
considered entitled to vote on that proposal. |
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How are abstentions and broker non-votes counted? |
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Abstentions are counted as present for purposes of determining
the shares present and entitled to vote. However, broker
non-votes are not counted as shares present and entitled to be
voted with respect to the matter on which the broker has
expressly not voted. Thus, broker non-votes will not affect the
outcome of any of the matters being voted upon at the meeting.
Generally, broker non-votes occur when shares held by a broker
for a beneficial owner are not voted with respect to a
particular proposal because the broker has not received voting
instructions from the beneficial owner and the broker lacks
discretionary voting power to vote the shares. |
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How can I obtain an admission ticket for the
meeting? |
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Two cut-out admission tickets are included on the back of this
proxy statement. A limited number of tickets are available for
additional joint owners. To request additional tickets, please
contact the Companys Corporate Secretary at our
headquarters. If you forget to bring an admission ticket, you
will be admitted to the meeting only if you are listed as a
stockholder of record as of the close of business on the
Record Date, and you bring proof of identification. If you hold
your shares through a broker or other nominee and fail to bring
an admission ticket, you will need to provide proof of ownership
by bringing either a copy of the Notice of Internet Availability
of the proxy materials or a copy of a brokerage statement
showing your share ownership as of the Record Date. |
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Where can I find the voting results of the meeting? |
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We will announce preliminary voting results at the meeting and
will publish final results no later than our quarterly report on
Form 10-Q
for the second fiscal quarter ending September 26, 2009. |
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What happens if additional proposals are presented at the
meeting? |
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Other than the proposals described in this proxy statement, we
do not expect any matters to be presented for a vote at the
annual meeting. If you grant a proxy, the persons named as proxy
holders, Scott Thomas, our Corporate Secretary, and Thurman
Case, our Chief Financial Officer, will have the discretion to
vote your shares on any additional matters properly presented
for a vote at the meeting. If for any unforeseen reason any of
our nominees is not available as a candidate for director, the
persons named as proxy holders will vote your shares for such
other candidate or candidates as may be nominated by the Board. |
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What classes of shares are entitled to be voted? |
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Each share of our common stock outstanding as of the Record Date
is entitled to one vote on each item being voted upon at the
annual meeting. On the Record Date, we had approximately
65 million shares of common stock outstanding. |
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Is cumulative voting permitted for the election of
directors? |
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No. |
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Who will count the votes? |
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A representative of Broadridge Investor Communications Solutions
will tabulate the votes. A representative of the Company will
act as the inspector of the election. |
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Is my vote confidential? |
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Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify
individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects
your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either
within the Company or to third parties except (1) as
necessary to meet applicable legal requirements, (2) to
allow for the tabulation of votes and certification of the vote,
or (3) to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation by our
Board. |
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Who will bear the cost of soliciting votes for the
meeting? |
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The Company will pay the entire cost of soliciting proxies to be
voted, along with the costs of preparing, assembling, printing,
mailing and distributing these proxy materials. If you choose to
access the proxy materials and/or submit your proxy over the
Internet or by telephone, however, you are responsible for
Internet access or telephone charges you may incur. In addition
to the mailing of these proxy materials, the solicitation of
proxies or votes may be made in person, by telephone or by
electronic communication by our directors, officers and
employees, who will not receive any additional compensation for
the solicitation activities. We will also reimburse brokerage
houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for forwarding proxy and
solicitation materials to our stockholders. |
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May I propose actions for consideration at next
years annual meeting of stockholders or nominate
individuals to serve as directors? |
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You may submit proposals for consideration at future stockholder
meetings. |
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Stockholder Proposals and Nominations: Any proposal that
a stockholder wishes to include in the Companys proxy
materials for the 2010 annual meeting of stockholders, in
accordance with the regulations of the SEC, must be received by
no later than February 4, 2010. The written proposal will
need to comply with the regulations of the SEC under
Rule 14a-8
regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in
company-sponsored proxy materials. Any proposal or nomination
for election of directors that a stockholder wishes to propose
for consideration at the 2010 annual meeting of stockholders,
whether or not the stockholder wishes to include such proposal
or nomination in our proxy statement under the applicable SEC
rules, must be submitted in accordance with our Bylaws, and must
be received at our principal executive offices no later than
February 4, 2010. Any such proposal or nomination must
comply with the procedures and contain the information set forth
in our Bylaws. Proposals and nominations should be addressed to:
Corporate Secretary, Cirrus Logic, Inc., 2901 Via Fortuna,
Austin, Texas 78746. |
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Copy of Bylaw Provisions: You may contact the
Companys Corporate Secretary at our headquarters for a
copy of the relevant Bylaw provisions regarding the requirements
for making stockholder proposals and nominating director
candidates. |
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
Board Meetings and Committees
During the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009, the Board held
8 meetings. All directors are expected to attend each meeting of
the Board and the committees on which he serves. No director
attended less than 75% of all of the meetings of the Board and
the committees on which he served. Directors are also expected
to attend the Companys annual meeting of stockholders
absent a valid reason. All of the directors attended the
Companys 2008 annual meeting of stockholders except for
Mr. Hackworth and Mr. Guzy.
We have three Board committees: Audit, Compensation, and
Governance and Nominating. Each member of the Audit,
Compensation, and Governance and Nominating Committees is
independent in accordance with the applicable Nasdaq listing
standards. Each committee has a written charter that has been
approved by the Board. The members of each committee are
identified in the following table and the function of each
committee is described below.
On occasion, the Board may appoint special committees or
designate directors to undertake special assignments on behalf
of the Board.
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Governance and
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Name of Director
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Independent
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Audit
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Compensation
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Nominating
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D. James Guzy
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Yes
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X
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X
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Michael L. Hackworth
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Yes
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Walden C. Rhines
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Yes
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X
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X
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Chair
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Jason P. Rhode
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No
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William D. Sherman
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Yes
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Chair
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X
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Robert H. Smith
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Yes
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Chair
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X
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X
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Suhas S. Patil
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No
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Number of Meetings
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Held in Fiscal Year
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7
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5
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3
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Ended March 28, 2009
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Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is currently composed of Messrs. Guzy,
Rhines and Smith. The responsibilities of the Committee include:
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selecting, retaining, compensating, overseeing, evaluating and,
where appropriate, terminating the Companys independent
auditors;
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resolving any disagreements between management and the
independent auditors regarding financial reporting;
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adopting and implementing pre-approval policies and procedures
for audit and non-audit services to be rendered by the
independent auditors;
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reviewing with management and the independent auditors the
financial information and the Managements Discussion and
Analysis proposed to be included in each of the Companys
Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q
prior to their filing;
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reviewing before release the unaudited interim financial results
in the Companys quarterly earnings release;
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reviewing with management and the independent auditors, at the
completion of the annual audit, the audited financial statements
and the Managements Discussion and Analysis proposed to be
included in the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K
prior to its filing and provide or review judgments about the
quality, not only the acceptability, of accounting principles,
and such other matters required to be discussed with the
independent auditors under generally accepted auditing standards.
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reviewing and approving, if appropriate, material changes to the
Companys auditing and accounting principles and practices
as suggested by the independent auditors or management;
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establishing procedures for (i) the receipt, retention, and
treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding
accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters,
and (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission by
employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable
accounting or auditing matters; and
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evaluating the professional competency of the financial staff
and the internal auditors, as well as the quality of their
performance in discharging their respective responsibilities.
|
7
The Board has determined that each of the members of the Audit
Committee is able to read and understand fundamental financial
statements and is independent under applicable Securities and
Exchange Commission rules and applicable Nasdaq listing
standards. The Board has determined that Robert H. Smith is an
audit committee financial expert as defined under
applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules.
For additional information relating to the Audit Committee, see
the Report of the Audit Committee of the Board on page 39
of this proxy statement and the Audit Committee Charter, which
is available under the Corporate Governance section of our
Investors page on our Web site at
www.cirrus.com.
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee is composed of three directors, each
of whom is independent under applicable Nasdaq listing
standards. The Committee reviews and approves salaries and other
matters relating to executive compensation, and administers the
Companys employee stock purchase plan and stock incentive
plans, including reviewing and granting stock incentive awards
to executive officers and other employees and reviewing and
approving policies and procedures for awarding grants under
these plans. The Compensation Committee also reviews and
recommends to the Board for approval various other Company
compensation plans, policies and matters, including any changes
to the compensation and benefits of the Companys
non-employee directors. For additional information relating to
the Compensation Committee, see the Compensation Committee
Charter, which is available under the Corporate Governance
section of our Investors page on our Web site at
www.cirrus.com.
Governance and Nominating Committee
The Governance and Nominating Committee is composed of four
directors, each of whom is independent under the applicable
Nasdaq listing standards. This Committee provides counsel to the
Board with respect to Board organization, membership and
function, as well as committee structure and membership. The
Committee is also responsible for defining the qualifications
for candidates for director positions, evaluating qualified
candidates, recommending candidates to the Board for election as
directors, and proposing a slate of directors for election by
stockholders at each annual meeting. For more information
relating to the Governance and Nominating Committee, see the
Governance and Nominating Committee Charter, which is available
under the Corporate Governance section of our
Investors page on our Web site at
www.cirrus.com.
The Governance and Nominating Committee annually reviews the
needs of the Board for various skills, experience, expected
contributions and other characteristics in determining the
director candidates to be nominated at the annual meeting. The
Governance and Nominating Committee will evaluate candidates for
directors proposed by directors, stockholders or management in
light of the Committees views of the current needs of the
Board for certain skills; the candidates background,
skills, experience, or other characteristics; and the expected
contributions and the qualification standards established from
time to time by the Governance and Nominating Committee. If the
Committee believes that the Board requires additional candidates
for nomination, the Committee may engage a third party search
firm to assist in identifying qualified candidates. All
directors and nominees will submit a completed form of
directors and officers questionnaire as part of the
nominating process. The process may also include interviews and
additional background and reference checks for non-incumbent
nominees, at the discretion of the Governance and Nominating
Committee. In making the determinations regarding nominations of
directors, the Governance and Nominating Committee may take into
account the benefits of diverse viewpoints as well as the
benefits of a constructive working relationship among directors.
The Governance and Nominating Committee believes that members of
the Board should possess certain basic personal and professional
qualities in order to properly discharge their fiduciary duties
to stockholders, provide effective oversight of the management
of the Company and monitor the Companys adherence to
principles of sound corporate governance. Therefore, the
Committee has
8
determined that nominees for election as director should have
the following qualifications: (i) possess the highest
personal and professional ethics, integrity and values;
(ii) be committed to representing the long-term interests
of the Companys stockholders; (iii) have an
inquisitive and objective perspective and mature judgment;
(iv) possess strong business and financial acumen and
judgment acquired through education, training or experience;
(v) possess experience at policy-making levels in business,
government, education or technology, and in areas that are
relevant to the Companys global business activities;
(vi) have experience in matters of corporate governance;
(vii) have experience in positions with a high degree of
responsibility in the companies or institutions with which they
are affiliated; and (viii) be prepared to devote
appropriate time and attention to the Board and Committee duties
required of a public company board member. Additionally, for
non-employee director candidates, the nominees should have
personal and business circumstances that permit them to serve on
one or more of the various Committees of the Board.
These are not meant to be the exclusive criteria, however, and
the Committee will also consider the contributions that a
candidate can be expected to make to the collective functioning
of the Board based upon the totality of the candidates
credentials, experience and expertise, the composition of the
Board at the time, and other relevant circumstances.
With regard to Mr. Carter and Mr. Dehne, new director
nominees recommended by the Governance and Nominating Committee
for election at the 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Mr. Carter was recommended by Mr. Hackworth, our
Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Dehne was recommended by
Dr. Rhode, our Chief Executive Officer.
Stockholders are able to recommend individuals to the Governance
and Nominating Committee for consideration as potential director
nominees by submitting their names, together with appropriate
biographical information and background materials and a
statement as to whether the stockholder or group of stockholders
making the recommendation has beneficially owned more than 5% of
the Companys common stock for at least one year as of the
date such recommendation is made. An eligible stockholder
wishing to recommend a candidate must submit the following not
less than 120 calendar days prior to the anniversary of the date
the proxy was released to the stockholders in connection with
the previous years annual meeting: (A) a
recommendation that identifies the candidate and provides
contact information; (B) the written consent of the
candidate to serve as a director of the Company, if elected; and
(C) documentation establishing that the stockholder making
the recommendation is an eligible stockholder Recommendations
should be submitted to:
Governance and Nominating Committee
c/o Corporate
Secretary
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
2901 Via Fortuna
Austin, Texas 78746
The Committee will consider stockholder-recommended candidates
pursuant to the Nominations Process outlined in the
Companys Corporate Governance Guidelines.
Stockholders also have the right under the Companys Bylaws
to nominate candidates for election as directors by following
the procedures, providing the information and conforming to the
submission deadlines specified in the Companys Bylaws.
Please see Questions and Answers about the Proxy
Materials, the Annual Meeting and Voting Procedures
May I propose actions for consideration at next years
annual meeting of stockholders or nominate individuals to serve
as directors?
Determination of Independence
The Board, which currently consists of seven directors, has
determined that five directors, as indicated in the table on
page 7, are independent as defined by the applicable Nasdaq
Stock Market, Inc. (the Nasdaq) listing standards.
Specifically, the Governance and Nominating Committee has
reviewed the independence of each director and determined that
Messrs. Guzy, Hackworth, Rhines, Sherman, and Smith qualify
as independent directors under this standard. In determining
that
9
Dr. Rhines qualified as an independent director, the Board
considered payments made to Mentor Graphics Corporation by the
Company pursuant to a license agreement, but determined that
these payments did not change his status as an independent
director.
In addition, the Governance and Nominating Committee has
determined that new director nominees, Mr. Carter and
Mr. Dehne, qualify as independent directors under the
applicable Nasdaq listing standards.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
On an annual basis, the Company reviews its corporate governance
practices in light of any changes to applicable law, the rules
of the SEC and the Nasdaq listing standards. On May 1,
2009, the Company modified its Corporate Governance Guidelines
to include a number of corporate governance changes that the
Company agreed to as part of a proposed settlement of derivative
lawsuits related to the Companys historic stock option
practices. A copy of the amended Corporate Governance Guidelines
is included as Exhibit A, and is available under the
Corporate Governance section of our Investors page
on our Web site at www.cirrus.com. Among other
matters, the Guidelines include the following:
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Two-thirds of the members of the Board must be independent
directors as defined in the Companys Corporate Governance
Guidelines.
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The positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) shall be held by separate individuals,
and the CEO shall be the only member of the Board who is an
executive officer of the Company.
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If the Chairman of the Board is not an independent director as
defined in Exhibit A to the Companys Corporate
Governance Guidelines, the Board will designate a lead
independent director.
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Directors shall retire at the age of 75.
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The Board will have an Audit, Compensation, and Governance and
Nominating Committee, each of which shall consist solely of
independent directors.
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The independent directors shall meet in executive session either
before or after each regularly scheduled Board meeting.
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In considering stockholder proposals and candidates recommended
by stockholders for the Board, the Governance and Nominating
Committee will follow the procedures outlined in the Corporate
Governance Guidelines.
|
Code of Conduct
The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct, applicable to all
employees, including the principal executive officer and senior
financial officers. A copy of the Code of Conduct is
incorporated as Exhibit 14 to the Companys Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
and is accessible at www.cirrus.com. The Code of
Conduct, as applied to the Companys senior financial
officers, constitutes the Companys code of
ethics within the meaning of Section 406 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and constitutes the Companys
code of conduct under the Nasdaq listing standards.
10
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS
Non-employee directors receive a combination of cash and
equity-based compensation. Directors who are employed by the
Company do not receive any compensation for their Board
activities. Independent directors may not receive consulting,
advisory or other compensatory fees from the Company in addition
to their Board compensation. The following table sets forth the
quarterly retainer payments paid to non-employee directors for
Board service during the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009.
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Director Compensation
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Quarterly Director Retainer
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$
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12,500
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Board Chairman Quarterly Retainer
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$
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3,750
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Audit Chair Quarterly Retainer
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$
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5,000
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Audit Committee Member Quarterly Retainer
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$
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2,000
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Compensation Committee Chair Quarterly Retainer
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$
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2,000
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Compensation Committee Member Quarterly Retainer
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$
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1,000
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Nominating and Governance Committee Chair Quarterly Retainer
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$
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1,500
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Nominating and Governance Committee Quarterly Retainer
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$
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750
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In addition, upon becoming a director, each non-employee
director receives an option to purchase 25,000 shares of
common stock of the Company at an exercise price equal to fair
market value on the date of grant, with 25% vesting after one
year and the remainder vesting ratably each month over the
following 36 months. Upon re-election to the Board, each
non-employee director receives a fully vested option grant to
purchase 10,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price
equal to fair market value on the date of grant. We also
reimburse directors for all reasonable out of pocket expenses
incurred for attending board and committee meetings.
On May 1, 2009, the independent directors of the Board
approved modifications to the retainer fees and equity
compensation for the non-employee directors based on the
recommendation by the Companys Compensation Committee,
which had analyzed the Companys director compensation
compared to the Companys Proxy Group (as defined below in
the section of this proxy statement entitled
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Benchmarking Information). In particular, the
independent directors of the Board approved the following
modifications:
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the Quarterly Director Retainer was reduced from $12,500 to
$11,250; and
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upon reelection to the Board, the number of fully vested options
to purchase shares of common stock at a strike price equal to
the fair market value on the date of grant that each
non-employee director will receive was increased from
10,000 shares to 25,000 shares.
|
In addition, on May 22, 2009, based on a similar analysis
of the Companys initial director grant upon election to
the Board compared to the Companys Proxy Group, the
independent directors determined that the each non-employee
director should receive an option to purchase 40,000 shares
of common stock of the Company (increased from an option to
purchase 25,000 shares of common stock) at an exercise
price equal to fair market value on the date of grant upon
becoming a director, with 25% vesting after one year and the
remainder vesting ratably each month over the following
36 months.
11
The following table sets forth the information regarding the
fees and compensation paid to our non-employee directors for
services as members of the Board or any committee of the Board
during fiscal year 2009.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION TABLE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009
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Fees
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Earned or
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Paid in
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Option
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Cash
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Stock
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Awards
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All Other
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(1)
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Awards
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(2)
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Compensation
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Total
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Name
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($)
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($)
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($)
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($)
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($)
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(a)
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(b)
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(c)
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(d)
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(g)
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(h)
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Michael L. Hackworth
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$
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65,000
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-
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$
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20,713
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(3)
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-
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$
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85,713
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D. James Guzy
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$
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61,000
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-
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$
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20,713
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(4)
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-
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$
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81,713
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Walden C. Rhines
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$
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71,000
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-
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$
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20,713
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(5)
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-
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$
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91,713
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William D. Sherman
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$
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65,000
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-
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$
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20,713
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(6)
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-
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$
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85,713
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Robert H. Smith
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$
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85,000
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-
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$
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20,713
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(7)
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-
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$
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105,713
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(1) |
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Represents fees paid in cash for services as a director during
the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009, including quarterly
retainer fees and committee chairmanship and membership retainer
fees. |
(2) |
|
On July 25, 2008, the date of the Companys 2008
annual meeting, a fully vested option grant to purchase
10,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price equal to
fair market value on the date of grant was awarded to each
non-employee director. The value disclosed is the grant date
fair value of the options calculated in accordance with SFAS
123R. |
(3) |
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At the end of fiscal year 2009, Mr. Hackworth had 80,000
options outstanding. |
(4) |
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At the end of fiscal year 2009, Mr. Guzy had 90,000 options
outstanding. |
(5) |
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At the end of fiscal year 2009, Dr. Rhines had 90,000
options outstanding. |
(6) |
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At the end of fiscal year 2009, Mr. Sherman had 95,000
options outstanding. |
(7) |
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At the end of fiscal year 2009, Mr. Smith had 85,000
options outstanding. |
12
PROPOSALS TO
BE VOTED ON
Proposal No. 1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
The Board has approved seven nominees for election to the Board
this year. Five of the nominees have served as a director since
the last annual meeting, including Mr. Hackworth,
Mr. Guzy, Dr. Rhode, Mr. Sherman and
Mr. Smith. Mr. Carter and Mr. Dehne have been
recommended by the Companys Governance and Nominating
Committee and nominated by the Board for election as directors.
Information regarding the business experience of each nominee is
provided below. All directors are elected annually to serve
until the next annual meeting and until their respective
successors are elected or until their earlier resignation or
removal. There are no family relationships among the
Companys executive officers and directors.
Vote Required
In the election of directors, the seven persons receiving the
highest number of FOR votes will be elected.
Information
About Nominees
MICHAEL L. HACKWORTH
Director since 1985
Mr. Hackworth, age 68, is currently Chairman of
the Board of the Company, a position he has held since July
1997. Between March 5, 2007 and May 16, 2007,
Mr. Hackworth was the Companys Acting President and
CEO. Mr. Hackworth continued to support Dr. Rhode as
an employee of the Company until July 27, 2007, and acted
as a consultant to the Company until September 30, 2007. He
served as President and CEO of the Company from January 1985 to
June 1998, and continued to serve as CEO until February 1999.
Between 2002 and May 2007, Mr. Hackworth was the Chief
Executive Officer of Tymphany Corporation, a provider of audio
transducers for loudspeakers. He also served as a director and
Chairman of the Board of Tymphany Corporation from 2002 until
October 2008. In addition, Mr. Hackworth is a director of
Virage Logic Corporation, a provider of semiconductor
intellectual property platforms and development tools, and
Epicor Software Corporation, a vendor of enterprise business
software products.
JOHN C. CARTER
New Director Nominee
Mr. Carter, age 54, is currently a Principal at
TCGen, which is a management consulting and advisory services
firm that Mr. Carter founded in 2002 and is located in
Menlo Park, California. Between November 2007 and January 2008,
Mr. Carter was an Executive in Residence at Vantage Point
Venture Partners in San Bruno, California, where he
assisted in the management of several portfolio companies.
Mr. Carter also served as Chief Technical Officer at
Klipsch Group in Indianapolis, Indiana, between February 2005
and October 2007. Prior to working at Klipsch Group, he was
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer at Aurora
Worldwide, Inc., a private equity investment and holding company
focused on the consumer audio market between April 2004 and
February 2005. Mr. Carter began his career as an engineer
at Bose Corporation in 1978, later becoming its Chief Engineer.
TIMOTHY R. DEHNE
New Director Nominee
Mr. Dehne, age 43, recently retired from
National Instruments Corporation, a supplier of measurement and
automation products used by engineers and scientists in a wide
range of industries. Mr. Dehne had been employed by
National Instruments since 1987. From 2002 until his retirement,
Mr. Dehne served as Senior Vice President,
Research & Development. Prior to his role as Senior
13
Vice President, Research & Development, Mr. Dehne
served in various executive positions in marketing and
engineering.
D. JAMES GUZY
Director since 1984
Mr. Guzy, age 73, has been Chairman of Arbor
Company, a limited partnership engaged in the electronics and
computer industry, since 1969. Mr. Guzy is also Chairman of
the Board of PLX Technology, Inc., a developer and supplier of
data transfer semiconductor devices, and a director at Alliance
Bernstein Core Mutual Fund. He is also Director Emeritus of
Novellus Systems, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of systems
used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Mr. Guzy
also served as a director of Intel Corporation, a semiconductor
chip maker, until May 20, 2008.
JASON P. RHODE
Director since May 2007
Dr. Rhode, age 39, was appointed as President
and CEO, and as a director of the Company in May 2007.
Dr. Rhode joined the Company in 1995 and served in various
engineering positions until he became Director of Marketing for
analog and mixed-signal products in November 2002. He was
appointed Vice President, General Manager, Mixed-Signal Audio
Products, in December 2004, a role he served in until his
appointment as President and CEO.
WILLIAM D. SHERMAN
Director since 2001
Mr. Sherman, age 66, is Senior Counsel in the
law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where he has
worked since 1987.
ROBERT H. SMITH
Director since 1990
Mr. Smith, age 72, retired in August 2002 from
the position of Executive Vice President of Administration of
Novellus Systems, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of systems
used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, where he also
served on the Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of
Directors of Epicor Software Corporation, an enterprise and
e-business
software solutions company; PLX Technology, Inc., a developer
and supplier of data transfer semiconductor devices; Virage
Logic Corporation, a provider of semiconductor intellectual
property platforms and development tools; and ON Semiconductor,
a supplier of power components and systems to designers of
computers, communications, consumer, and industrial systems.
The Board recommends a vote FOR the election to the Board of
each of the foregoing nominees.
14
Proposal No. 2
RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING
FIRM
The Audit Committee of the Board has appointed Ernst &
Young LLP (Ernst & Young) as the
Companys independent registered public accounting firm to
audit the Companys consolidated financial statements for
the fiscal year ending March 27, 2010. During fiscal year
ended March 28, 2009, Ernst & Young served as the
Companys independent registered public accounting firm and
also provided certain tax services.
Representatives of Ernst & Young attended all meetings
of the Audit Committee in fiscal year 2009. The Audit Committee
pre-approves and reviews all audit and non-audit services
provided by Ernst & Young. In considering the services
to be provided by Ernst & Young, the Audit Committee
considers whether the provision of non-audit services is
compatible with maintaining the independence of
Ernst & Young.
For additional information relating to the Audit Committee, see
the Report of the Audit Committee of the Board on page 39
of this proxy statement, as well as the Audit Committee Charter,
which is available under the Corporate Governance section of our
Investors page on our Web site at
www.cirrus.com.
A representative of Ernst & Young is expected to
attend the meeting and be available to respond to questions and,
if he or she desires, to make a statement.
The Board recommends a vote FOR the ratification of the
appointment of Ernst & Young as the Companys
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ending March 27, 2010.
If the appointment is not ratified, the Audit Committee will
consider this an indication to select other auditors for the
following fiscal year. Ratification of the appointment of
Ernst & Young as the Companys independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
March 27, 2010, requires the affirmative vote of a majority
of the shares of common stock present or represented by proxy
and entitled to vote at the meeting.
OTHER
MATTERS
The Company knows of no other matters that will be presented for
consideration at the annual meeting. If any other matters
properly come before the annual meeting, it is the intention of
the persons named in the enclosed form of Proxy to vote the
shares they represent as the Board may recommend. Discretionary
authority with respect to such other matters is granted by the
execution of the enclosed Proxy.
15
OWNERSHIP
OF SECURITIES
The following table sets forth certain information known to the
Company regarding the beneficial ownership of the Companys
common stock as of April 25, 2009 by (i) each person
known to the Company to be a beneficial owner of more than 5% of
the Companys common stock; (ii) each director and
nominee for director; (iii) each of the executive officers
named in the Summary Compensation Table of the Executive
Compensation section of this proxy statement; and (iv) all
current directors and executive officers of the Company as a
group. The Companys common stock is the only class of
voting securities issued by the Company. Unless otherwise
indicated in the footnotes, the beneficial owner has sole voting
and investment power with respect to the securities beneficially
owned, subject only to community property laws, if applicable.
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Shares
|
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Beneficially Owned
|
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Beneficial Owner
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Percent(1)
|
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5% or Greater Stockholders:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
FMR LLC(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
82 Devonshire Street
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boston, MA 02109
|
|
|
9,786,170
|
|
|
|
15.0
|
%
|
Mark Teo, Teren Handelman, Alpha Industries,
Inc.(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P.O. Box 808
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Lyndhurst, New Jersey 07071
|
|
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3,450,000
|
|
|
|
5.3
|
%
|
Barclays Global Investors UK Holdings
LTD(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 Churchill Place
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Canary Wharf
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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London X0 E14 5HP
|
|
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3,298,328
|
|
|
|
5.0
|
%
|
|
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|
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|
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|
Directors and Named Executive Officers:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jason P. Rhode, President and Chief Executive
Officer(5)
|
|
|
418,362
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Robert H. Smith,
Director(6)
|
|
|
321,000
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Gregory Scott Thomas, Vice President, General Counsel, and
Corporate
Secretary(7)
|
|
|
290,800
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
D. James Guzy,
Director(8)
|
|
|
252,782
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Michael L. Hackworth,
Director(9)
|
|
|
203,825
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Thurman K. Case, Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer(10)
|
|
|
163,030
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Walden C. Rhines,
Director(11)
|
|
|
116,000
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Scott A. Anderson, Senior Vice President and General Manager,
Mixed-Signal Audio
Products(12)
|
|
|
109,166
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Suhas S. Patil, Chairman Emeritus and
Director(13)
|
|
|
96,678
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
William D. Sherman,
Director(14)
|
|
|
95,405
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Timothy R. Turk, Vice President, Worldwide
Sales(15)
|
|
|
73,624
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
John C. Carter, Director Nominee
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Timothy R. Dehne, Director Nominee
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
All current directors and executive officers as a group
(15 persons)(16)
|
|
|
2,512,087
|
|
|
|
3.9
|
%
|
|
|
|
* |
|
Less than 1% of the outstanding common stock |
16
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Percentage ownership is based on 65,244,484 shares of
common stock issued and outstanding on April 25, 2009.
Shares of common stock, issuable under stock options that are
currently exercisable or will become exercisable within
60 days after April 25, 2009, are deemed outstanding
for computing the percentage of the person or group holding such
options, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the
percentage of any other person or group. |
|
(2) |
|
Based on information contained in a Form 13F filed by the
stockholder with the SEC on May 15, 2009. A
Schedule 13G/A filed by FMR LLC on February 17, 2009,
stated that at the that time, Fidelity Management &
Research Company (Fidelity), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of FMR LLC and an investment adviser registered under
Section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, was the
beneficial owner of 8,468,304 shares of the Common Stock
outstanding of Cirrus Logic Inc, as a result of acting as
investment adviser to various investment companies registered
under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The
ownership of one investment company, VIP ContraFund, amounted to
3,510,415 shares of the total stock outstanding. The
principal business office of VIP ContraFund is at 82 Devonshire
Street, Boston, MA 02109. The Schedule 13G/A further
explained that Edward C. Johnson 3d and FMR LLC, through its
control of Fidelity, and the funds each had sole power to
dispose of the shares owned by the Funds. Neither FMR LLC nor
Edward C. Johnson 3d had sole power to vote or direct the vote
of the shares owned directly by Fidelity. Fidelity carries out
the voting of shares under written guidelines established by the
Funds Boards of Trustees. |
|
(3) |
|
Based on information contained in a Schedule 13D filed by
the stockholder with the SEC on June 23, 2008. The filing
indicates that Mark Teo has sole voting and dispositive power
for 2,750,000 shares, with sole power to vote or direct the
vote, dispose of or direct the disposition of shares held in the
name of Alfred Teo, Annie Teo, Lambda Financial Service Corp.
and Great Eastern Acquisition Corp.; and that Teren Handelman
has sole voting and dispositive power for 700,000 shares
held in the name of MAAA Trust. |
|
(4) |
|
Based on information contained in a
Form 13F-HR
filed by the stockholder with the SEC on May 14, 2009. The
filing indicates that Barclays Global Investors, N.A. has sole
voting power as to 1,499,690 shares and no voting authority
as to 363,186 shares, and that Barclays Global
Fund Advisors has sole voting authority as to
1,435,452 shares. |
|
(5) |
|
Includes 411,050 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Dr. Rhode and 5,812 shares held directly. |
|
(6) |
|
Includes 85,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Smith and 236,000 shares held directly. |
|
(7) |
|
Includes 278,633 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Thomas and 12,167 shares held directly. |
|
(8) |
|
Includes 90,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Guzy, 30,000 shares held by Mr. Guzy
directly, and 132,782 shares held by Arbor Company, of
which Mr. Guzy is President. |
|
(9) |
|
Includes 80,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Hackworth, 7,588 shares held by
Mr. Hackworth directly, and 116,237 shares held by
Mr. Hackworth as Trustee UTD August 1, 1988. |
|
(10) |
|
Includes 160,908 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Case and 2,122 shares held directly. |
|
(11) |
|
Includes 90,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Dr. Rhines, 20,000 shares held by
Dr. Rhines directly, and 6,000 shares held by
Dr. Rhines spouse for which he claims beneficial
ownership. Dr. Rhines currently serves as a director but
will not stand for re-election to the Board at the 2009 Annual
Meeting. |
17
|
|
|
(12) |
|
Includes 79,166 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Anderson and 30,000 shares held directly. |
|
(13) |
|
Includes 26,278 shares held by Dr. Patil directly and
70,400 shares held by family members and trusts for the
benefit of family members. Dr. Patil does not have voting
or investment power over the shares held by family members and
trusts and disclaims beneficial ownership as to those shares.
Dr. Patil currently serves as a director but will not stand
for re-election to the Board at the 2009 Annual Meeting. |
|
(14) |
|
Includes 95,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Sherman and 405 shares held directly. |
|
(15) |
|
Includes 65,624 shares issuable upon exercise of options
held by Mr. Turk and 8,000 shares held directly. |
|
(16) |
|
Includes options held by all executive officers and directors to
purchase an aggregate of 1,761,979 shares of our Common
Stock that are exercisable within 60 days of April 25,
2009. |
18
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
Scott A. Anderson Senior Vice President and
General Manager, Mixed-Signal Audio Products
Mr. Anderson, age 55, was appointed Senior Vice
President and General Manager in October 2007. Prior to joining
the Company, Mr. Anderson served as the president and chief
operating officer of Freescale Semiconductor between March 2004
and February 2005, and as president and chief executive officer
of Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS)
between February 2003 and December 2003.
Jo-Dee M. Benson Vice President, Corporate
Marketing Communications and Human Resources
Ms. Benson, age 49, was appointed Vice President,
Corporate Marketing Communications and Human Resources in
February 2005. Previously, she had served as Vice President of
Corporate Communications since December 2000.
Gregory L. Brennan Vice President and General
Manager, Apex Precision Power
Mr. Brennan, age 47, was appointed Vice President
and General Manager, Apex Precision Power, in April 2008.
Between July 2007, when the Company acquired Apex
Microtechnology, and April 2008, Mr. Brennan served as
Director of Marketing, Industrial Products Division. Prior to
July 2007, Mr. Brennan had served as Vice President,
Marketing and Sales for Apex Microtechnology.
Thurman K. Case Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer and Principal Accounting Officer
Mr. Case, age 52, was appointed the Companys
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on February 14,
2007. He joined the Company in October 2000, and was appointed
Vice President, Treasurer, Financial Planning &
Analysis, in September 2004. Prior to being appointed to his
current position, Mr. Case also served as Vice President,
Finance between June 2002 and September 2004, and Director of
Finance between October 2000 and June 2002.
Will Cuellar Vice President of Supply Chain
Mr. Cuellar, age 48, was named Vice President of
Supply Chain in November 2008. As Vice President of Supply
Chain, Mr. Cuellar oversees the Companys worldwide
manufacturing operations. Between July 2008, when he joined the
Company, and November 2008, Mr. Cuellar was Director of
Operations. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Cuellar was
Director, Planning at Analog Devices, Inc.
Miroslav Dokic Vice President and General
Manager, DSP Business Unit
Dr. Dokic, age 46, was named Vice President and
General Manager of the DSP Business Unit in May 2007. Prior to
May 2007, Dr. Dokic served as director of DSP Firmware
Engineering and Advanced Technology Development in Cirrus
Logics Embedded Products Division since 1999.
Dr. Dokic joined the Company in 1995 and served in various
engineering roles prior to serving as director of DSP Firmware
Engineering and Advanced Technology Development.
Jason P. Rhode President and Chief Executive
Officer, and Director Nominee
Dr. Rhode, age 39, was appointed as President and
CEO of the Company in May 2007. Dr. Rhode joined the
Company in 1995 and served in various engineering positions
until he became Director of Marketing for analog and
mixed-signal products in November 2002. He was appointed Vice
President, General Manager, Mixed-Signal Audio Products, in
December 2004, a role he served in until his appointment as
President and CEO.
Thomas Stein Vice President and General Manager,
EXL Division
Mr. Stein, age 37, became Vice President and
General Manager of the Companys Energy, Exploration, and
Lighting (EXL) Division in September 2008. Prior to
September 2008, Mr. Stein held various leadership positions
in sales and marketing since joining the Company in 1995.
19
Gregory Scott Thomas Vice President, General
Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Mr. Thomas, age 43, was appointed Vice President,
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in December 2003. He
joined the Company in December 2000 as Vice President and
Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property.
Timothy R. Turk Vice President, Worldwide
Sales
Mr. Turk, age 52, was appointed Vice President,
Worldwide Sales in August 2007. Prior to joining Cirrus Logic,
Mr. Turk was Vice President of Sales at Avnera Corporation.
Mr. Turk also served 20 years in sales and operations
with Cypress Semiconductor, including as vice president of
Worldwide Sales and Sales Operations from 2004 through 2006.
20
COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The following discussion of executive compensation contains
descriptions of various employee benefit plans and
employmentrelated agreements. These descriptions are
qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text or
detailed descriptions of the plans and agreements that are filed
as exhibits to the Companys 2009 Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009.
General Philosophy
We provide the Companys executive officers with
compensation opportunities that are based upon their personal
performance, the financial performance of the Company and their
contribution to that performance, through a mix of salary,
equity, and non-equity incentive compensation. These
opportunities are designed to be competitive enough to attract
and retain highly skilled individuals, and to align
managements incentives with the long-term interests of our
stockholders.
We believe that payments under the compensation programs for our
executive officers should reflect the Companys performance
and the value created for the Companys stockholders. In
addition, the compensation programs should support the
short-term and long-term strategic goals and values of the
Company and should reward individual contribution to the
Companys success. We are engaged in a very competitive
industry, and the Companys success depends upon its
ability to attract and retain qualified executives through the
competitive compensation packages we offer to these individuals.
Use of a Compensation Consultant
To support the Compensation Committee in fulfilling its
duties, the Committee has hired consultants in the field of
executive compensation to assist with its design and evaluation
of CEO and executive officer compensation. During fiscal year
2009, the Compensation Committee retained the services of Mercer
Human Resource Consulting (Mercer), a market leader
for advice and analysis on executive compensation practices, to
assist with a comprehensive review of the CEOs and other
executive officers compensation. In addition to discussing
their review with our Compensation Committee, Mercer also
contacted members of senior management and employees in our
human resources and legal departments to obtain historical data
and insight into the Companys business strategy and
compensation practices. The Compensation Committee considered
Mercers recommendations, along with the recommendations of
Company management, in setting our executives fiscal year
2009 total overall compensation. Although Mercer provided
analysis and recommendations to the Compensation Committee,
Mercer did not decide or approve any compensation-related
actions. Mercer performed no other services for the Company in
fiscal year 2009. Additionally, the Committee has established
procedures to ensure that Mercers advice to the Committee
remains objective and is not influenced by the Companys
management. These procedures include: a direct reporting
relationship of the Mercer consultant to the Committee; a
provision in the Committees engagement letter with Mercer
specifying the information, data, and recommendations that can
and cannot be shared with management; and an annual update to
the Committee on Mercers financial relationship with the
Company, including a summary of the work performed for the
Company during the preceding 12 months.
Targeted Overall Compensation
The Compensation Committee annually reviews and
establishes each executive officers total compensation
package. The Committee considers a broad range of facts and
circumstances in setting executive compensation, including
Company performance, individual performance, external pay
practices of competitors and similarly situated companies, the
strategic importance of the executives position, as well
as internal pay equity and the executives time in the
position. The weight given to each of these factors by the
Committee may differ from year to year, and among the individual
executive officers. The Companys executive pay program is
heavily weighted toward performance-based compensation that
rewards achievement of short- and long-term corporate goals and
objectives of the Company. In setting target compensation for
the Companys executives, the Compensation
21
Committee sought to strike a balance between providing
compensation that is in-line with the compensation paid to
executives of peer companies, while ensuring that a significant
percentage of compensation was coupled to stock price
appreciation, as well as Company and individual performance.
Benchmarking Information
As part of the Committees annual compensation
review, the information provided by Mercer to the Committee was
based on several sources of compensation information, including
published survey data and information from public company
disclosures. Competitive information is obtained from published
survey data prepared by Radford Surveys, a leading provider of
compensation and benefits market data, and from the proxy
statements of peer companies. The Committee used Radford Survey
data, considering data specific to jobs with companies in the
semiconductor industry with revenues less than $1 billion
per year (the Survey Group).
In addition to the Survey Group, the Committee reviewed data
from the proxy statements of particular companies that are
considered comparable to the Company (the Proxy
Group). The Proxy Group generally consists of public
companies in the semiconductor industry that share similar
operating and financial characteristics with the Company. Those
characteristics include a companys revenue, location,
number of employees, one-year revenue growth, market cap,
correlation of stock price movement, inclusion as a peer in
published equity analyst reports, and similarity of business
model and product lines. In the spring of 2008, Mercer analyzed
our compensation peer group and recommended several changes.
After review of Mercers recommendations, the Committee
adopted the following group of 15 companies for its Proxy
Group: Actel Corp.; Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc.;
Applied Micro Circuits Corp.; Integrated Silicon Solutions,
Inc.; Micrel, Inc.; Microtune, Inc.; Monolithic Power Systems,
Inc.; Pericom Semiconductor Corp.; Power Integrations, Inc.;
Semtech Corp.; Silicon Image, Inc.; Silicon Laboratories, Inc.;
Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.; Standard Microsystems Corp.;
and Supertex, Inc. For purposes of the 2008 compensation review,
proxy data from Micrel, Inc. was excluded as they did not file a
proxy statement during their most recent fiscal year.
From the data derived from the Survey Group and the Proxy Group,
Mercer developed market composite data reflecting a 50/50 blend
of the data from each group (the Market Composite
Data). In some cases, the Committee made an adjustment
upward to the Market Composite Data for executives who perform
responsibilities in addition to the responsibilities associated
with the jobs included in the Survey Group. Compensation
recommendations for Company management are examined in light of
this information, with the intent of establishing competitive
compensation levels.
Elements of Compensation and Target Market Positioning
Each executive officers compensation package is
composed of the following elements: (i) base salary that is
competitive with the market and reflects individual performance,
(ii) annual non-equity performance awards tied to the
Companys achievement of performance goals,
(iii) long-term incentive awards designed to strengthen the
mutuality of interests among the executive officers and the
Companys stockholders, and (iv) post-employment
compensation.
In general, we have attempted to establish a strong relationship
between total cash compensation, our performance, and individual
executive performance by targeting base salaries at
approximately the
50th percentile
compared to the Market Composite Data, and by providing
additional incentive opportunities so that the target total cash
compensation (salary plus target annual cash incentive
compensation) approaches the
50th percentile
levels with the potential to earn in the
75th percentile
level for higher levels of performance. The Company also
provides additional long-term incentives in the form of stock
option grants so that an executives total direct
compensation is targeted at the
50th percentile
level (i.e., the size of the stock option grant is a function of
the difference between the
50th percentile
total direct compensation and the
50th percentile
total cash compensation). These percentages are intended as
guidelines for evaluating each executive officers
compensation, and are
22
not applied on a formulaic basis. The Compensation Committee
exercises discretion over each executive officers total
compensation package.
Executive officers are also eligible to receive certain
severance benefits upon termination of their employment other
than for cause. In addition, executive officers may also
participate in the Companys Employee Stock Purchase Plan
and receive 401(k) retirement, health and welfare benefits.
Executive Compensation
For the past several years, our Compensation Committee
has annually reviewed our executives compensation at a
regularly scheduled Committee meeting in February. Annual stock
option awards and any changes to an executives base salary
or annual incentive targets were typically made at this time.
However, in order to align the Committees review of our
executives annual option grants with the timing of our
annual review and grant of equity to our key employees that
occurs in October each year, the Committee reviewed and approved
awards of long-term equity incentives at the Committees
September 2007 meeting. In 2008, in order to align the review of
all aspects of an executives compensation at one meeting,
the Committee determined that any proposed changes to
compensation, in addition to awards of long-term equity awards,
should also be reviewed at a regularly scheduled Committee
meeting in September. The Committee intends to continue to
review any future proposed changes to compensation or annual
grants of long-term incentive awards for its executives in
September of each year.
Base Salary
The base salary for each executive officer is designed
to be commensurate with the salary levels for comparable
positions within a comparative group of companies, to reflect
each individuals personal performance during the year, to
take into consideration the individuals responsibilities
within the Company, and to be consistent with our internal
salary alignment. The relative weight given to each factor
varies with each executive and is within the discretion of the
Compensation Committee. In setting base salaries, the
Compensation Committee reviews (i) the Market Composite
Data; (ii) recommendations from Dr. Rhode, the
Companys CEO; and (iii) the executive officers
personal performance for the year. The Companys
performance and profitability may also be a factor in
determining the base salaries of executive officers.
On May 16, 2007, Dr. Jason P. Rhode was appointed by
the Board as President and CEO of the Company. In connection
with his appointment, the Companys Compensation Committee
approved an annual base salary of $335,000 per year. This annual
base salary was approximately at the
25th percentile
of the base salary levels of other chief executive officers at
the companies in the Market Composite Data. In setting his base
salary, the Company reviewed the Market Composite Data and
considered Dr. Rhodes level of prior experience in
General Manager positions, along with other factors including
his then current base salary of $235,000 per year. This salary
increase reflected the additional demands and responsibilities
of Dr. Rhode as he assumed the role of CEO, while also
recognizing our intended strategy of moving
Dr. Rhodes compensation over time towards the
50th percentile
of base salary levels of chief executive officers of comparable
companies based on his performance in his new role. At a meeting
on September 10, 2008, as part of its annual review of
executive compensation, the Compensation Committee approved an
increase in the annual base salary for Dr. Rhode to
$390,000. The Committee increased Dr. Rhodes base
salary in recognition of his performance and the
Committees previously stated intent to move
Dr. Rhodes salary over time towards the
50th percentile
of base salary levels of Chief Executive Officers of comparable
companies. After the increase, Dr. Rhodes base salary
was slightly below the
50th percentile
of base salary levels of CEOs in the Market Composite Data.
The Compensation Committee also reviewed the compensation of its
other executive officers at its meeting on September 10,
2008. Based on this review, the Committee concluded that the
base salary levels of our executive officers are generally
positioned competitively against the Market Composite Data, with
some executives at or above the market
75th percentile.
The Compensation Committee
23
increased Mr. Cases annual salary from $230,000 to
$245,000, in recognition of his performance and with the intent
to align, over time, his compensation with the compensation of
Chief Financial Officers in the Market Composite Data. In
addition, based on its review of the competitive salary
information, the officers personal performance over the
previous year, and the responsibilities of each executive
officer, the Compensation Committee increased on an aggregate
basis, the compensation of its executive officers, excluding our
CEO and CFO, by approximately 3% from the previous year. In
general, these increases were intended to reflect a cost of
living adjustment and to recognize the performance of certain
executive officers during the previous year.
Annual Performance Awards
Other than our Vice President, Worldwide Sales, who
participated in a sales commission plan, our executives
participated in the Companys 2007 Management and Key
Individual Contributor Incentive Plan (the Incentive
Plan). The Incentive Plan is designed to provide employees
who are in management or leadership positions in the Company, or
who are key individual contributors whose efforts potentially
have a material impact on the Companys performance, with
incentives to improve the Companys financial performance
through the achievement of semi-annual performance goals.
Pursuant to the Incentive Plan, participants (including the
Companys CEO, CFO, and the other currently employed Named
Executive Officers) are eligible for semi-annual cash bonus
payments. The Incentive Plan sets our CEOs target bonus
for a semi-annual period at 37.5% of his annual base salary, and
certain other executive officers target bonuses for a
semi-annual period, including our CFO and other named executive
officers, at 25% of their annual base salary. Payments are
determined based on the achievement of certain internal
performance goals for operating profit margin and revenue growth
set by the Companys Compensation Committee prior to the
commencement of each semi-annual period. For purposes of the
Incentive Plan, Operating Profit Margin is defined
as the Companys consolidated GAAP operating income
excluding Incentive Plan and other bonus accruals and any
non-recurring items such as gains on sales of assets not
otherwise included in revenue, losses on sales of assets,
restructuring charges, merger-related costs including
amortization or impairments of acquisition-related intangible
assets, deferred tax adjustments, asset write-offs, write-downs,
and impairment charges, and such other items as the Compensation
Committee may determine in its sole discretion.
These performance goals are designed to balance short-term and
long-term financial and strategic objectives for building
stockholder value, and are further based on a review of the
operating results of other peer companies. The Committee sets
these goals such that participants will achieve their target
bonuses when the Companys Operating Profit Margin and
revenue growth goals are achieved. In determining the amount of
a bonus payment for an individual participant, the Plan provides
that payments may exceed the target payouts when the
Companys financial performance exceeds the achievement of
the semi-annual performance goals. Payments under the Incentive
Plan may not exceed 250% of a participants target bonus
for any applicable payout period. The Incentive Plan further
provides that no payments may be made unless certain Operating
Profit Margin thresholds are met.
In the first half of fiscal year 2009, executive officers,
including our CEO, CFO, and other Named Executive Officers,
earned payments of approximately 17% of each individuals
target bonus. In the second half of fiscal year 2009, no
payments were made to the CEO or any executive officer under the
Incentive Plan because the Company did not achieve the required
10% Operating Profit Margin thresholds for that period.
The performance goals for the first six months of fiscal year
2010 were set by the Committee at its February 2009 meeting.
Bonuses will be paid to executives under the Incentive Plan in
the first six months of fiscal year 2010 if the Companys
Operating Profit Margin is greater than 7%.
If, in the event of a change of control of the Company, the
Incentive Plan is not assumed or replaced with a comparable plan
by the Companys successor, each participant under the
Incentive Plan will
24
receive a pro rata cash payment for their target bonus, based
upon the number of calendar days completed in the current
semi-annual period, multiplied by an Incentive Plan pay-out
percentage of 100%.
Instead of participating in the Incentive Plan during fiscal
year 2009, our Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Mr. Turk,
participated in a sales commission plan with a target commission
of $37,500 per quarter ($150,000 annual commission target).
Mr. Turks commission plan provided Mr. Turk
incentives to increase stockholder value through the achievement
of a combination of quarterly revenue, design win, and
individual and organization performance goals. Based upon
Mr. Turks and the Companys performance toward
these goals, Mr. Turk earned the following quarterly
commissions for fiscal year 2009:
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter
|
|
Commission
|
|
|
Q1FY09
|
|
$
|
31,050
|
|
Q2FY09
|
|
$
|
29,063
|
|
Q3FY09
|
|
$
|
20,888
|
|
Q4FY09
|
|
$
|
17,963
|
|
Long-Term Incentives
Generally, stock option grants are made annually by the
Compensation Committee to each of the Companys executive
officers. While other stock-based compensation vehicles have
been considered, we have selected the use of stock options
because of our belief that there is a near universal expectation
by employees in our industry that they will receive stock option
grants. Options also provide an effective compensation
opportunity for companies focused on growth. Each grant is
designed to align the interests of the executive officer with
those of the stockholders and provide each individual with a
significant incentive to manage the Company from the perspective
of an owner with an equity stake in the business. Each grant
allows the officer to acquire shares of the Companys
common stock at a fixed price per share (the market price on the
grant date) over a specified period of time (up to ten years).
Each option becomes exercisable in a series of installments over
a defined period, contingent upon the officers continued
employment with the Company. Accordingly, the option will
provide a return to the executive officer only if he or she
remains employed by the Company during the vesting period, and
then only if the market price of the shares appreciates over the
option term.
In September 2008, in conjunction with the Committees
annual review of executive compensation, the Committee requested
Mercer to develop recommendations for market competitive
long-term incentive grant guidelines for ongoing annual grants
for executives. To develop the recommended guidelines, Mercer
considered the following: competitive market data, the
Companys internal organizational tiers, the Companys
historical stock option grant history, and shareholder dilution.
Mercer also factored in the Companys efforts to target an
executives total direct compensation at the
50th percentile
of the Market Composite Data. Based on its analysis, Mercer
recommended target grant values stated as a multiple of each
executive officers base salary. In order to take into
account the volatility of the Companys share price in the
calculation of the recommended annual grant guideline, Mercer
used a Black Scholes adjusted share price at the date of grant
based on a three-month-average share price and a 49% Black
Scholes percentage. Based on its analysis, Mercer suggested
guidelines with the following ranges: 2.5 3.0 times
base salary for the CEO and 0.8 1.2 times base
salary for all other executive officers.
In addition to the suggested annual grant guidelines, the
Compensation Committee also takes into account the number and
current value of options held by the executive officer in order
to maintain an appropriate level of equity incentive for that
individual. The size of the option grant to each executive
officer is set by the Compensation Committee at a level that is
intended to create a meaningful opportunity for stock price
appreciation based upon the individuals position with the
25
Company, current performance, anticipated future contribution
based on that performance, and ability to affect corporate
and/or
business unit results.
Based on these recommended guidelines, and the other relevant
factors summarized above, the Compensation Committee approved
the award of options to the Companys executive officers in
conjunction with the Companys annual review of equity
awards for all employees in September 2008. The relevant weight
given to each of these factors varies from individual to
individual. These options were awarded on the Companys
Monthly Grant Date (as defined below) in October 2008.
Option Granting Practices and Timing
The Compensation Committee has implemented a process
whereby new employee equity grants and special stock grants are
granted and priced on the first Wednesday of each calendar month
(the Monthly Grant Date). The purpose of this
process is to minimize the administrative burdens that would be
created with multiple monthly grant dates and to ensure that all
required approvals are obtained on or before the Monthly Grant
Date. If the Monthly Grant Date occurs on a Company holiday, or
on other days that the Company or Nasdaq is closed for business,
the Monthly Grant Date will be the next regularly scheduled
business day. The Compensation Committee does not have any
program, plan or practice to time option grants to its
executives in coordination with the release of material
non-public information.
Post-Employment Compensation
On July 26, 2007, after a review of other
companies practices with respect to management severance
plans and after considering the recommendations of Mercer, the
Compensation Committee approved and adopted an Executive
Severance and Change of Control Plan (the 2007 Severance
Plan). As discussed on page 33 in the section of this
proxy statement entitled Potential Payments Upon
Termination or Change of Control, the 2007 Severance
Plan provides certain severance and other benefits to eligible
executive officers, including our CEO and named executive
officers (Eligible Executives), whose employment is
involuntarily terminated by the Company (other than for cause)
or whose employment terminates following a change of control of
the Company. The Plan became effective on October 1, 2007.
The 2007 Severance Plan provides that, in the event of an
Eligible Executives involuntary termination other than for
cause, an Eligible Executive will be eligible to receive:
(i) a continuation of base salary for a period of up to six
months (up to 12 months for the Companys CEO)
following termination, and (ii) payment in full of a
reasonable estimate of premiums for three months of continued
health care coverage.
The 2007 Severance Plan further provides that, if an Eligible
Executives employment is terminated either by the Company
without cause or by the Eligible Executive for good reason
within 12 months following a change in control, the
Eligible Executive will be eligible to receive (in lieu of the
benefits described above): (i) a lump sum payment equal to
twelve months salary, (ii) acceleration in full of
any unvested stock options or any other securities or similar
incentives that have been granted or issued to the Eligible
Executive as of the termination date, and (iii) payment in
full of a reasonable estimate of COBRA premiums for twelve
months. The Eligible Executive shall have six months from the
termination date to exercise any vested options.
The 2007 Severance Plan may not be amended or terminated without
the consent of any Eligible Executive during the one year prior
to or following the occurrence of a change in control, if such
amendment would be adverse to the interest of such Eligible
Executive. In order to receive severance payments under the 2007
Severance Plan, an Eligible Executive must execute a general
release of all claims against the Company. Additional details
and specific terms of the Severance Plan are set forth in the
section of this proxy entitled Potential Payments upon
Termination or Change in Control.
We continue to maintain a severance plan because we believe it
is consistent with the practices of peer companies and helps to
ensure that we are able to attract and retain top talent.
Further, we
26
believe that our plan provides a level of stability for our
executives during volatile business conditions that have
historically existed in our industry so that they remain focused
on their responsibilities and the long-term interests of the
Company during such times.
Other Benefits
All of our employees, including executive officers, are
eligible to participate in Cirrus Logics benefit programs,
including our 401(k) plan, medical, vision and dental plans, and
certain other standard employee benefit plans. The Cirrus Logic,
Inc. 401(k) Plan is a tax-qualified profit sharing and 401(k)
plan. Under the plan, we match 50% of up to the first 6% of an
employees pre-tax deferrals, up to the IRS compensation
limits.
Our CEO and other executive officers participate in the Cirrus
Logic benefit programs to the same extent as all other salaried
Cirrus Logic employees based in the United States. In addition
to the benefits that are generally available to all of our
salaried employees, we also reimburse up to $500 for an annual
physical examination for each of our executive officers to the
extent the physical examination is not covered under our
standard health care plans.
In addition, Mr. Turk received $92,898 during the 2009
fiscal year in relocation benefits associated with his
relocation from North Carolina to Austin, Texas.
Role of Executive Officers in Establishing Compensation
Our Human Resources and Legal departments support the
Compensation Committee in its work and in fulfilling various
functions in administering our compensation programs. This
support generally consists of assistance with providing Survey
Group data, proposals of potential ranges of various components
of compensation for executive officers based on the Survey Group
data, and information regarding available shares under the
Companys various equity incentive plans. Regular meetings
of our Compensation Committee are generally attended by our CEO,
Vice President of Human Resources, and our General Counsel.
Because each of the Companys executive officers (other
than the CEO) reports directly to the CEO, the Compensation
Committee relies upon input from the CEO and considers the
recommendations of the CEO in determining an executive
officers compensation. The Compensation Committee
considers and sets the compensation of the CEO when no members
of management are present.
Policy
With Respect to Internal Revenue Code
Section 162(m)
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code disallows a tax
deduction to publicly held companies for compensation paid to
the CEO and any of the three most highly compensated officers to
the extent that compensation exceeds $1,000,000 per covered
officer in any fiscal year. The limitation applies only to
compensation that is not considered to be performance-based.
Under the Treasury Regulations corresponding to
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, compensation
received through the exercise of an option will not be subject
to the $1,000,000 limit if it qualifies as qualified
performance-based compensation within the meaning of
Section 162(m). It is the Committees objective that,
so long as it is consistent with the Companys overall
business, compensation and retention objectives, the Company
will, to the extent reasonable, endeavor to keep executive
compensation deductible for federal income tax purposes.
Although our preference is to keep executive compensation
deductible for federal income tax purposes, our stockholders
have not approved our Incentive Plan, or the performance goals
under our Incentive Plan, Therefore, we expect that any payments
under the Incentive Plan will not qualify as
performance-based compensation under 162(m).
In fiscal year 2009, no portion of a tax deduction was
disallowed under Section 162(m).
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The Compensation Committee of the Board currently consists of
Messrs. Rhines, Sherman and Smith. None of these directors
was an officer or employee of the Company at any time during the
fiscal year ended March 28, 2009.
27
None of our executive officers have ever served as a member of
the board of directors or the compensation committee of another
entity that has or has had, at the time of his service or during
the same fiscal year, one or more executive officers serving as
a member of the Companys Board or Compensation Committee.
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE REPORT
We, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, have
reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis
(CD&A) required by the rules of the SEC and
contained within the Executive Compensation section of this
Proxy Statement with management of the Company. Based on such
review and discussion, we have recommended to the Board of
Directors that the CD&A be included as part of this proxy
filing.
Submitted by the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors:
William D. Sherman, Chairman
Walden C. Rhines
Robert H. Smith
28
SUMMARY
OF EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following table provides certain summary information
concerning the compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to
the following executive officers (Named Executive
Officers): the Companys CEO, CFO, and each of the
three other most highly compensated executive officers of the
Company for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009. The table
sets forth compensation for services rendered by the Named
Executive Officers for the fiscal years ended March 28,
2009; March 29, 2008; and March 31, 2007.
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All
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Option
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Non-Equity Incentive
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Other
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Name and Principal
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Salary
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Awards (2)
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Plan Compensation
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Compensation
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Total
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Position
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Year
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($)
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($)
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($)
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($)
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($)
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(a)
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(b)
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(c)
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(f)
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(g)
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(i)
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(j)
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Jason P. Rhode,(1)
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2009
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$
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364,192
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$
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1,017,245
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$
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25,170
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(3)
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$
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7,748
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(5)
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$
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1,414,355
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President and
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2008
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320,769
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603,266
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80,644
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(4)
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6,988
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(6)
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1,011,666
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Chief Executive Officer
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Thurman K. Case,
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2009
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$
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237,962
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$
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298,909
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$
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10,541
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(3)
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$
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8,177
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(7)
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$
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555,589
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Chief Financial
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2008
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230,000
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191,080
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68,138
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(4)
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6,635
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(8)
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495,853
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Officer,
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2007
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209,655
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100,220
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35,825
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(4)
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7,304
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(9)
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353,004
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Vice President of Finance and Treasurer
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Scott Anderson,
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2009
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$
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275,000
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$
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409,845
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$
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11,832
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(3)
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$
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4,020
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(10)
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$
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700,697
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Senior Vice President And General Manager, Mixed Signal Audio
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Gregory S. Thomas,
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2009
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$
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275,000
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$
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308,057
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$
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11,832
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(3)
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$
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7,500
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(11)
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$
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602,389
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Vice President,
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2008
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275,000
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170,671
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81,469
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(4)
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7,393
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(12)
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534,533
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General Counsel and
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2007
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266,353
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231,377
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98,417
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(4)
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7,247
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(13)
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603,393
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Corporate Secretary
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Timothy Turk,
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2009
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$
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251,673
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$
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353,531
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$
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110,101
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(14)
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$
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101,059
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(15)
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$
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816,364
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Vice President, Worldwide Sales
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(1) |
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Jason P. Rhode was appointed President and CEO on May 17,
2007. |
(2) |
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This column shows amounts that do not reflect compensation
actually received by the Named Executive Officer, but represent
the calculated compensation cost recognized by us in fiscal year
2009 for grants made in fiscal year 2009 and previous fiscal
years as determined pursuant to SFAS 123R (disregarding any
cancellations and forfeitures). The assumptions underlying the
calculation under SFAS 123R are discussed under
Note 12, Stockholders Equity, in our
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009. |
(3) |
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This amount was paid under the Companys 2007 Management
and Key Individual Contributor Incentive Plan, which is
described in further detail in the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis Annual Performance
Awards section of these proxy materials. |
(4) |
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This amount was paid under the Companys Variable
Compensation Plan. |
(5) |
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This amount includes $7,154 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $594 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Dr. Rhode. |
(6) |
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This amount includes $6,415 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $573 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Dr. Rhode. |
29
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(7) |
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This amount includes $7,004 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $1,173 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Case. |
(8) |
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This amount includes $5,504 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $1,132 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Case. |
(9) |
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This amount includes $6,290 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $1,014 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Case. |
(10) |
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This amount includes $2,580 in opt-out payments associated with
opting out of the Companys medical plan, and $1,440
associated with the value of insurance premiums paid with
respect to life insurance for the benefit of Mr. Anderson. |
(11) |
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This amount includes $6,900 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $600 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Thomas. |
(12) |
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This amount includes $6,793 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $600 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Thomas. |
(13) |
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This amount includes $6,668 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $579 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Thomas. |
(14) |
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Amount reflects sales commission payments made during fiscal
year 2009 for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008 and the
first three quarters of fiscal year 2009. |
(15) |
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This amount includes $6,905 in matched contributions under our
401(k) plan and $1,256 associated with the value of insurance
premiums paid with respect to life insurance for the benefit of
Mr. Turk. In addition, this amount includes $1,521 in
reimbursement for moving expenses and $91,377, which was paid as
a one-time payment in lieu of reimbursement for future housing
and other living expenses, including relocation expenses. |
30
Grants of
Plan-Based Awards
The following table sets forth certain information with respect
to grants of plan-based awards for the fiscal year ended
March 28, 2009 to the Named Executive Officers. All of the
stock options reflected in the table were granted under our 2006
Equity Incentive Plan. Each stock option has a maximum term of
ten years, subject to earlier termination if the optionees
services are terminated. Unless noted, the exercisability of
options vests with respect to 25% of the shares underlying the
option one year after the date of grant and with respect to the
remaining shares underlying the option thereafter in 36 equal
monthly installments. The exercise price of each stock option is
equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of
grant. The amounts reflected in the column Estimated
Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards set
forth potential payouts under the Companys 2007 Management
and Key Individual Contributor Incentive Plan, which is
described further at page 24.
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All Other
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Option
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Awards:
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Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity
|
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Number of
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Exercise or
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Incentive Plan Awards
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Securities
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Base Price
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Grant Date
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Underlying
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of Option
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Fair Value
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Grant
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Threshold
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Target
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Maximum
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Options
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Awards
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of Option
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Name
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Date(1)
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Approval
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($)
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($)
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($)
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(#)
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($/Sh)
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Awards (2)
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(a)
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(b)
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Date
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(c)
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(d)
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(e)
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(j)
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(k)
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(l)
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Jason P. Rhode,
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President and Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
10/1/2008
|
|
|
|
|
9/10/2008
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
(3)
|
|
|
$
|
292,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
731,250
|
|
|
|
|
265,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
$
|
770,868
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thurman K. Case,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer, and
Principal Accounting
Officer
|
|
|
|
10/1/2008
|
|
|
|
|
9/10/2008
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
(3)
|
|
|
$
|
122,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
306,250
|
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
$
|
145,468
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Anderson,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Vice President
And General Manager,
Mixed Signal Audio
|
|
|
|
10/1/2008
|
|
|
|
|
9/10/2008
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
(3)
|
|
|
$
|
137,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
343,750
|
|
|
|
|
68,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
$
|
197,836
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gregory S. Thomas,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President, General
Counsel and Corporate
Secretary
|
|
|
|
10/1/2008
|
|
|
|
|
9/10/2008
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
(3)
|
|
|
$
|
137,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
343,750
|
|
|
|
|
68,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
$
|
197,836
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Timothy Turk,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President,
Worldwide Sales
|
|
|
|
10/1/2008
|
|
|
|
|
9/10/2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
150,000
|
(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
68,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
$
|
197,836
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The Companys policy is to grant options on the first
Wednesday of the month (the Monthly Grant Date)
after the Companys Compensation Committee approves the
grant. If the Monthly Grant Date occurs on a Company holiday, or
on other days that the Company or Nasdaq is closed for business,
the Monthly Grant Date is the next regularly scheduled business
day when the Company and Nasdaq are open for business. |
(2) |
|
This amount represents the full grant date fair value of the
award computed in accordance with FAS 123R. The assumptions
underlying the calculation under SFAS 123R are discussed
under Note 12, Stockholders Equity, in our
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009. |
(3) |
|
Payments may be paid only if operating profit margin thresholds
are achieved pursuant to the Companys 2007 Management and
Key Individual Contributor Incentive Plan (as described further
at page 24). No bonuses may be paid under the plan if the
operating profit margin thresholds are not achieved. |
(4) |
|
Mr. Turk participates in the Companys Sales
Commission Plan. |
31
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table provides information concerning the
outstanding equity award holdings held by our Named Executive
Officers as of March 28, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awards:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Securities
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying
|
|
|
|
Securities
|
|
|
|
Securities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unexercised
|
|
|
|
Underlying
|
|
|
|
Underlying
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options
|
|
|
|
Unexercised
|
|
|
|
Unexercised
|
|
|
|
Option
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercisable
|
|
|
|
Options
|
|
|
|
Unearned
|
|
|
|
Exercise
|
|
|
|
Option
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
|
|
Unexercisable
|
|
|
|
Options
|
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
|
Expiration
|
|
Name
|
|
|
(#)
|
|
|
|
(#)
|
|
|
|
(#)
|
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
|
Date
|
|
(a)
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
|
(d)
|
|
|
|
(e)
|
|
|
|
(f)
|
|
Jason P. Rhode,
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
00
|
|
|
|
$
|
3.87
|
|
|
|
|
8/7/2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President and Chief
|
|
|
|
90,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
4.58
|
|
|
|
|
3/2/2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.16
|
|
|
|
|
10/6/2014
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
265,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
|
10/1/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
6.97
|
|
|
|
|
10/24/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,250
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
7.13
|
|
|
|
|
6/3/2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
142,187
|
|
|
|
|
182,813
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
7.87
|
|
|
|
|
6/6/2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60,000
|
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
8.06
|
|
|
|
|
3/1/2016
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,750
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
9.00
|
|
|
|
|
8/4/2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,400
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14.33
|
|
|
|
|
2/21/2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,400
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
15.30
|
|
|
|
|
8/15/2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
16.69
|
|
|
|
|
4/3/2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
17.15
|
|
|
|
|
4/3/2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
32.56
|
|
|
|
|
10/3/2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thurman K. Case,
|
|
|
|
27,159
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
3.40
|
|
|
|
|
6/23/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President,
|
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
4.58
|
|
|
|
|
3/2/2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chief Financial
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
|
10/1/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Officer, and
|
|
|
|
26,562
|
|
|
|
|
48,438
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
6.51
|
|
|
|
|
10/3/2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
|
|
|
|
22,500
|
|
|
|
|
7,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
8.06
|
|
|
|
|
3/1/2016
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounting Officer
|
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
8.17
|
|
|
|
|
4/7/2014
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,999
|
|
|
|
|
25,001
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
8.41
|
|
|
|
|
3/7/2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Anderson,
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
68,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
|
10/1/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Vice
|
|
|
|
66,666
|
|
|
|
|
133,334
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.67
|
|
|
|
|
11/7/2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President and
General Manager,
Mixed Signal Audio
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gregory S. Thomas,
|
|
|
|
22,383
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
3.40
|
|
|
|
|
6/23/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President,
|
|
|
|
60,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
4.58
|
|
|
|
|
3/2/2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
General Counsel and
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
68,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
|
10/1/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate Secretary
|
|
|
|
26,562
|
|
|
|
|
48,438
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
6.51
|
|
|
|
|
10/3/2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
7.53
|
|
|
|
|
12/18/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60,000
|
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
8.06
|
|
|
|
|
3/1/2016
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Timothy Turk,
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
68,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5.25
|
|
|
|
|
10/1/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President,
|
|
|
|
56,249
|
|
|
|
|
93,751
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
6.71
|
|
|
|
|
9/5/2017
|
|
Worldwide Sales
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32
(1) Unless otherwise noted, all options vest over four
years, with a one-year cliff vesting for 25% of the options and
1/36 of the remaining options on a monthly basis over the
following three years.
(2) Options granted on June 23, 2003 vested over four
years, with a six-month cliff vesting for 20% of the options, a
12-month
cliff vesting for 20% of the options, and 1/36 of the remaining
options vesting on a monthly basis over the following three
years.
Options
Exercised and Stock Vested
During fiscal year 2009, no options were exercised and no
restricted stock vested by our Named Executive Officers.
Potential
Payments upon Termination or Change of Control
On July 26, 2007, our Compensation Committee approved and
adopted an Executive Severance and Change of Control Plan (the
2007 Severance Plan) providing certain benefits to
individuals employed by the Company and its subsidiaries at the
level of Chief Executive Officer and Vice President or above and
reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer
(Eligible Executives) in the event that an executive
is involuntarily terminated other than for cause or whose
employment terminates following a change of control of the
Company. The Plan became effective on October 1, 2007.
The 2007 Severance Plan provides that, in the event of an
Eligible Executives involuntary termination other than for
cause, an Eligible Executive will be eligible to
receive: (i) a continuation of base salary for a period of
up to 6 months (up to 12 months for the Companys
Chief Executive Officer) following termination, and
(ii) payment in full of a reasonable estimate of COBRA
premiums for three (3) months.
The 2007 Severance Plan further provides that, if an Eligible
Executives employment is terminated either by the Company
without cause or by the Eligible Executive for
good reason within 12 months following a
change in control, the Eligible Executive will be
eligible to receive: (i) a lump sum payment equal to twelve
(12) months salary, (ii) acceleration in full of
any unvested stock options or any other securities or similar
incentives that have been granted or issued to the Eligible
Executive as of the termination date, and (iii) payment in
full of a reasonable estimate of COBRA premiums for twelve
(12) months. The Eligible Executive shall have six months
from the termination date to exercise any vested options.
For purposes of the 2007 Severance Plan, the term
cause means (i) gross negligence or willful
misconduct in the performance of an executive officers
duties; (ii) a material and willful violation of any
federal or state law that if made public would injure the
business or reputation of the Company; (iii) a refusal or
willful failure to comply with any specific lawful direction or
order of the Company or the material policies and procedures of
the Company including but not limited to the Companys Code
of Conduct and the Companys Insider Trading Policy as well
as any
33
obligations concerning proprietary rights and confidential
information of the Company; (iv) a conviction (including a
plea of nolo contendere ) of a felony, or of a
misdemeanor that would have a material adverse effect on the
Companys goodwill if the executive officer were to
continue to be retained as an employee of the Company; or
(v) a substantial and continuing willful refusal to perform
duties ordinarily performed by an employee in the same position
and having similar duties as the executive officer. The term
good reason means: (i) without the executive
officers express written consent, a material reduction of
the executive officers duties, authority, or
responsibilities relative to the executives duties,
authority, or responsibilities as in effect immediately prior to
such reduction; (ii) a material reduction by the Company in
the base salary of an executive officer as in effect immediately
prior to such reduction; or (iii) the relocation of an
executive officers principal work location to a facility
or a location more than fifty (50) miles from executive
officers then present principal work location. Good
reason shall not exist unless the executive officer
provides written notice of the circumstances alleged to give
rise to good reason within thirty (30) days of their
occurrence and we (or our successor) fails to cure such
circumstances within thirty (30) days.
For purposes of the 2007 Severance Plan, the term change
of control means the occurrence of one of more of the
following with respect to the Company: (i) the acquisition
by any person (or related group of persons), whether by tender
or exchange offer made directly to the Companys
stockholders, open market purchases or any other transaction or
series of transactions, of stock of the Company that, together
with stock of the Company held by such person or group,
constitutes more than fifty percent (50%) of the total fair
market value or total voting power of the then outstanding stock
of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of the
members of the Companys Board of Directors; (ii) a
merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the
surviving entity, except for a transaction in which both
(A) securities representing more than fifty percent (50%)
of the total combined voting power of the surviving entity are
beneficially owned (within the meaning of
Rule 13d-3
promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), directly
or indirectly, immediately after such merger or consolidation by
persons who beneficially owned common stock immediately prior to
such merger or consolidation and (B) the members of the
Board of Directors immediately prior to the transaction (the
Existing Board) constitute a majority of the Board
of Directors immediately after such merger or consolidation;
(iii) any reverse merger in which the Company is the
surviving entity but in which either (A) persons who
beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, Common Stock
immediately prior to such reverse merger do not retain
immediately after such reverse merger direct or indirect
beneficial ownership of securities representing more than fifty
percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the
Companys outstanding securities or (B) the members of
the Existing Board do not constitute a majority of the Board of
Directors immediately after such reverse merger; or
(iv) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Company (other than a
sale, transfer or other disposition to one or more subsidiaries
of the Company).
The 2007 Severance Plan may not be amended or terminated without
the consent of any Eligible Executive during the one year prior
to or following the occurrence of a change in control, if such
amendment would be adverse to the interest of such Eligible
Executive. If any payment or benefit under the 2007 Severance
Plan would be a parachute payment (within the meaning of
Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code) and would
therefore result in the imposition of an excise tax, an Eligible
Executives payments and benefits will not exceed the
amount that produces the greatest after-tax benefit to the
executive.
In order to receive severance payments under the 2007 Severance
Plan, an Eligible Executive must execute a release of all claims
against the Company.
In addition, under the Companys 2007 Management and Key
Individual Contributors Incentive Plan (the Incentive
Plan), as described further in the Compensation Discussion
and Analysis of this proxy, a participant must be continuously
employed through the last day of the applicable plan cycle and
through the date that cash bonuses under the Incentive Plan for
such plan cycle are actually paid. However, participants whose
employment terminates under certain circumstances (such as
34
without cause or due to death or
disability) during a plan cycle will be eligible to
receive a pro rata cash bonus payment based on the number of
days the participant was employed during that plan cycle and our
actual performance during the plan cycle. The pro rata bonus
amount will be paid to the terminated participant on or before
the 15th
day of the third month after the later of (i) the last day
of the calendar year in which the termination occurred or
(ii) the last day of our taxable year in which the
termination occurred. In addition, if a change of control occurs
and our successor does not assume the Incentive Plan, each
participant will receive a pro rata cash bonus payment based on
the number of calendar days completed in the current plan cycle
multiplied by an incentive plan pay-out percentage of 1.0. Any
such payment will be made in a lump sum in cash within ten
(10) days of the change of control.
For purposes of the Incentive Plan, the term cause
means (i) gross negligence or willful misconduct in the
performance of a participants duties to us after one
written warning detailing the concerns and offering the
participant opportunities to cure, (ii) material and
willful violation of any federal or state law,
(iii) commission of any act of fraud with respect to us,
(iv) conviction of a felony or any crime causing material
harm to our standing and reputation, or (v) intentional and
improper disclosure of our confidential or proprietary
information. The term disability means total and
permanent disability as defined in accordance with our long-term
disability plan.
For purposes of the Incentive Plan, the term change in
control means (i) the sale, lease, conveyance or
other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets to
any person, entity or group of persons acting in concert,
(ii) any person (as defined in Section 13(d) and 14(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) becoming the
beneficial owner (as defined in
Rule 13d-3
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), directly or
indirectly, of our securities representing 50% or more of the
total voting power represented by our then outstanding voting
securities, or (iii) a merger or consolidation of us with
any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation that
would result in our voting securities outstanding immediately
prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining
outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the
surviving entity or party outstanding immediately after such
merger or consolidation).
The discussion and tables below disclose the amount of
compensation
and/or other
benefits due to the Named Executive Officers in the event of
their termination or employment
and/or in
the event we undergo a change in control. The amounts disclosed
assume that such termination
and/or the
occurrence of such change of control was effective as of
March 28, 2009. The amounts below have been calculated
using numerous other assumptions that we believe to be
reasonable and include amounts earned through March 28,
2009 and estimates to the amounts that would be paid out to the
Named Executive Officers upon their respective terminations
and/or upon
the occurrence of a change of control. The actual amounts to be
paid out are dependent on various factors, which may or may not
exist at the time a Named Executive Officer is actually
terminated
and/or a
change of control actually occurs. Therefore, such amounts and
disclosures should be considered forward looking
statements.
We maintain a severance plan because we believe it helps to
ensure that we are able to attract and retain top talent.
Further, we believe that our plan provides a level of stability
for our executives during volatile business conditions that have
historically existed in our industry so that they remain focused
on their responsibilities and the long-term interests of the
Company during such times.
35
The estimated amount of compensation payable to each of our
Named Executive Officers pursuant to the 2007 Severance Plan in
the event of involuntary termination other than for cause is set
forth in the table below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash Bonus
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
under
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Health Benefits
|
|
|
|
Incentive Plan
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
|
Salary Continuation
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Jason P. Rhode, President and
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
$
|
390,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,412
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
|
$
|
391,412
|
|
Thurman K. Case,
Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer, and
Principal Accounting Officer
|
|
|
$
|
122,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,953
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
|
$
|
127,453
|
|
Scott Anderson, Senior Vice
President and General
Manager, Mixed-Signal Audio
Division
|
|
|
$
|
137,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
|
$
|
137,500
|
|
Gregory S. Thomas, Vice
President, General Counsel
and Corporate Secretary
|
|
|
$
|
137,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,533
|
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
|
$
|
142,033
|
|
Tim Turk, Vice President,
Worldwide Sales
|
|
|
$
|
127,500
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,953
|
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
132,453
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
The valuation of healthcare benefits is based on an estimate of
the COBRA payments required for the
3-month
period payable by the Company.
|
|
(2)
|
No bonus was payable under the Incentive Plan for the
semi-annual period ending March 28, 2009 because we did not
achieve the required 10% Operating Profit Margin thresholds for
that period. Mr. Turk did not participate in the Incentive
Plan.
|
36
The estimated amount of compensation payable to each of our
currently-employed Named Executive Officers pursuant to the 2007
Severance Plan in the event of termination following a change of
control, other than for cause, is set forth in the table below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accelerated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vesting
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash Bonus
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of
|
|
|
|
Health
|
|
|
|
Under
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
|
Unvested Options
|
|
|
|
Benefits
|
|
|
|
Incentive Plan
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
|
Continuation
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
(3)
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Jason P. Rhode, President and
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
$
|
390,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
805,708
|
|
|
|
$
|
5,647
|
|
|
|
$
|
146,250
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,347,605
|
|
Thurman K. Case,
Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer, and Principal
Accounting Officer
|
|
|
$
|
245,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
196,672
|
|
|
|
$
|
19,814
|
|
|
|
$
|
61,250
|
|
|
|
$
|
522,736
|
|
Scott Anderson, Senior Vice
President and General
Manager, Mixed-Signal Audio
Division
|
|
|
$
|
275,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
289,706
|
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
68,750
|
|
|
|
$
|
633,456
|
|
Gregory S. Thomas, Vice
President, General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary
|
|
|
$
|
275,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
216,364
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,130
|
|
|
|
$
|
68,750
|
|
|
|
$
|
578,244
|
|
Tim Turk, Vice President,
Worldwide Sales
|
|
|
$
|
255,000
|
|
|
|
$
|
259,172
|
|
|
|
$
|
19,814
|
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
533,986
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
The valuation of accelerated vesting is based on the estimated
value that would have been realized based on the difference
between the exercise price of the options that were subject to
accelerated vesting and the closing price of our common stock on
March 28, 2009.
|
|
(2)
|
The valuation of healthcare benefits is based on an estimate of
the COBRA payments required for the
12-month
period payable by the Company.
|
|
(3)
|
Mr. Turk did not participate in the Incentive Plan.
|
37
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table provides information about the
Companys common stock that may be issued upon the exercise
of options, warrants and rights under all of the Companys
existing equity compensation plans as of March 28, 2009,
including the Companys 1989 Employee Stock Purchase Plan,
the 1990 Directors Stock Option Plan, the 1996 Stock
Plan, the 2002 Stock Option Plan, the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan,
the LuxSonor Semiconductors, Inc. 1995 Stock Option Plan, the
ShareWave, Inc. 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan, the Stream
Machine Company 1996 Stock Plan, and the Stream Machine Company
non-statutory stock option grants made outside of a plan (in
thousands, except per share amounts):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(A)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(C)
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
(B)
|
|
|
Number of securities
|
|
|
|
Securities to be
|
|
|
Weighted-average
|
|
|
remaining available for
|
|
|
|
issued upon exercise
|
|
|
exercise price of
|
|
|
future issuance under equity
|
|
|
|
of outstanding
|
|
|
outstanding
|
|
|
compensation plans (except
|
|
|
|
options, warrants,
|
|
|
options, warrants,
|
|
|
securities reflected in
|
|
|
|
and rights
|
|
|
and rights
|
|
|
column (A))
|
|
|
Equity compensation plans
approved by security holders (1)
|
|
|
6,519
|
|
|
$
|
8.04
|
|
|
|
12,883
|
(2)
|
Equity compensation plans not
approved by security holders (3)
|
|
|
2,544
|
|
|
$
|
5.96
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
9,063
|
|
|
$
|
7.45
|
|
|
|
12,883
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
The Companys stockholders have approved the Companys
1989 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, the 1990 Directors
Stock Option Plan, and the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan. The
following plans were assumed by the Company at the time of
acquisition, and Cirrus Logic stockholder approval was not
required for these plans or their respective outstanding grants,
as they were approved by the acquired companies
stockholders: the LuxSonor Semiconductors, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan, the ShareWave, Inc. 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive
Plan, the Stream Machine Company 1996 Stock Plan, and the Stream
Machine Company non-statutory stock option grants made outside
of a plan.
|
|
(2)
|
In addition to shares available for issuance under our 2006
Stock Incentive Plan, the number reported includes
58,338 shares available for grant under the
1990 Directors Stock Option Plan, which was suspended
following the stockholders approval of the 2006 Equity
Incentive Plan, and 778,685 shares available for issuance
under the Companys 1989 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The
1989 Employee Stock Purchase Plan expired on May 26, 2009,
and the 1990 Directors Stock Option Plan is set to
expire on January 16, 2010. In addition, our Board
discontinued all future grants under the option plans we assumed
in connection with our past acquisitions, including the LuxSonor
Semiconductors, Inc. 1995 Stock Option Plan, the ShareWave, Inc.
1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan, and the Stream Machine
Company 1996 Stock Plan, so shares under these plans have not
been included in the total.
|
|
(3)
|
In August 2002, the Board approved the 2002 Stock Option Plan,
which permits awards of fair market value stock options to
non-executive employees. As of July 2006, when our stockholders
approved the adoption of the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, we
canceled all remaining options available for grant under the
2002 Stock Option plan.
|
As of March 28, 2009, the Company was granting equity
awards only under the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan.
38
REPORT OF
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Audit Committee is comprised solely of independent
directors, as defined by the applicable Nasdaq listing standards
and rules of the SEC, and it operates under a written charter
adopted by the Board, which is available under the Corporate
Governance section of our Investors page on our Web
site at www.cirrus.com. The composition of the
Audit Committee, the attributes of its members, and the
responsibilities of the Audit Committee, as reflected in its
charter, are intended to comply with applicable requirements for
corporate audit committees. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 added
provisions to federal law to strengthen the authority of, and
increase the responsibility of, corporate audit committees. In
2004, Nasdaq also adopted, and the SEC approved, additional
rules concerning audit committee structure, membership,
authority and responsibility. The Audit Committee amended and
restated its charter in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and
the Nasdaq listing standards, and continues to review and assess
the adequacy of its charter on an annual basis, and will revise
it to comply with other new rules and regulations as they are
adopted.
As described more fully in its charter, the primary focus of the
Audit Committee is to assist the Board in its general oversight
of the Companys financial reporting, internal control and
audit functions. Management is responsible for the preparation,
presentation and integrity of the Companys financial
statements, accounting and financial reporting principles,
internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance
with accounting standards, applicable laws and regulations. The
Companys independent registered public accounting firm,
Ernst & Young, is responsible for performing an
independent audit of the consolidated financial statements in
accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board.
In accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Nasdaq listing
standards, the Audit Committee has ultimate authority and
responsibility to select, compensate, evaluate and, when
appropriate, replace the Companys independent registered
public accounting firm.
The Audit Committee serves an oversight role for the Board in
which it provides advice, counsel and direction to management
and the auditors on the basis of the information it receives,
discussions with management and the auditors, and the experience
of the Audit Committees members in business, financial and
accounting matters. The Audit Committee members are not
professional auditors, and their functions are not intended to
duplicate or to certify the activities of management and the
independent auditors, nor can the Audit Committee certify that
the independent auditors are independent under
applicable rules.
In this context, the Audit Committee has met and held
discussions with management and Ernst & Young.
Management represented to the Audit Committee that the audited
financial statements of the Company contained in the
Companys Annual Report to Stockholders for the year ended
March 28, 2009, were prepared in accordance with
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and the
Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the consolidated
financial statements with management and the independent
auditors. The Audit Committee discussed with Ernst &
Young matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing
Standards No. 61, Communication with Audit
Committees and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
The Audit Committee has received and reviewed the written
disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young required
by the applicable requirements for the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board regarding the independent accountants
communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence,
and the Audit Committee discussed with Ernst & Young
the firms independence. In addition, the Audit Committee
has considered whether the provision of non-audit services is
compatible with maintaining Ernst & Youngs
independence.
Based upon the Audit Committees discussions with
management and the independent auditors, and the Audit
Committees review of the representations of management,
and the report of the independent auditors to the Audit
Committee, the Audit Committee recommended that the Board
39
include the audited consolidated financial statements in the
Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended March 28, 2009, as filed with the SEC.
Submitted by the Audit Committee of the Board:
Robert H. Smith, Chairman
D. James Guzy
Walden C. Rhines
AUDIT AND
NON-AUDIT FEES AND SERVICES
Audit and
Related Fees
The following table shows the fees paid or accrued by the
Company for the audit and other services provided by
Ernst & Young, for fiscal years 2009 and 2008.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Audit Fees
|
|
$
|
402,500
|
|
|
$
|
545,201
|
|
Audit-Related Fees
|
|
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
1,624
|
|
Tax Fees
|
|
|
13,750
|
|
|
|
101,895
|
|
All Other Fees
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
|
$
|
418,250
|
|
|
$
|
648,720
|
|
Audit Fees. Audit services consisted of the audit of
the Companys consolidated financial statements and of
managements assessment and the operating effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting, included in its
annual report on
Form 10-K,
the review of the Companys financial statements included
in its quarterly reports on
Form 10-Q,
and statutory audits required internationally. The Audit Fees
for fiscal year 2008 included $22,000 in fees associated with
the Companys filing of an amended Annual Report on
Form 10-K/A
for the fiscal year ended March 25, 2006, and an amended
quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q/A
for the quarter ended June 24, 2006.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services generally
include fees for accounting consultations and registration
statements filed with the SEC.
Tax Fees. Tax services include tax compliance
services, technical tax advice, administrative fees, as well as
certain expatriate services.
All Other Fees. There were no other fees during
fiscal year 2009 or 2008.
Pre-Approval
Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee has adopted a policy for the pre-approval of
audit, audit-related and non-audit services provided by the
Companys independent registered public accounting firm.
For audit and audit-related services, the independent auditor
will provide the Audit Committee with an engagement letter and
estimated budget for formal acceptance and approval at the
beginning of the fiscal year. A list of non-audit services and
estimated budget for such services for the upcoming fiscal year
shall be submitted to the Audit Committee by Company management
for pre-approval. To ensure prompt handling of unexpected
non-budgeted non-audit related services, the Audit Committee has
delegated to its Chair the authority to amend or modify the list
of approved permissible non-audit services and fees if the cost
of the service is less than $100,000. Any such unexpected
services for which the cost is more than $100,000 shall be
approved by the Audit Committee. If the Chair takes any action,
the Chair will report such action to the Audit Committee at the
next Audit Committee meeting.
40
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Indemnification and Insurance. Our bylaws require us
to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest
extent permitted by Delaware law. We have entered into
indemnification agreements with all of our directors and
executive officers and have purchased directors and
officers liability insurance.
Procedures for Review, Approval, and Ratification of Related
Party Transactions. The Board recognizes that related
party transactions can present conflicts of interest and
questions as to whether transactions are in the best interests
of Cirrus Logic. Accordingly, the Board has documented and
implemented certain procedures for the review, approval, or
ratification of related party transactions. Pursuant to these
procedures, the Audit Committee must review, approve or ratify
any transactions with related persons. When it is impractical to
wait for a scheduled Audit Committee meeting, a proposed
related-party transaction may be submitted to the Audit
Committee Chair for approval and then subsequently reported to
the Committee at the next Committee meeting.
This procedure seeks to ensure that Company decisions are based
on the merits of the transaction and the interests of the
Company and its stockholders. It is the Companys
preference to avoid related party transactions but where, in the
course of business, transactions with related parties are
unavoidable, this procedure sets forth a methodology that is
designed to ensure all such transactions are at arms length and
on terms comparable to those provided to other unrelated
entities in the marketplace.
SECTION 16(a)
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
requires the Companys executive officers and directors and
persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the
Companys equity securities to file an initial report of
ownership on Form 3 and changes in ownership on Form 4
or 5 with the SEC. Executive officers, directors and greater
than ten percent stockholders are also required by the federal
securities rules to furnish the Company with copies of all
Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based solely on a review of copies of the Forms 3, 4 and 5
received by the Company or representations from certain
reporting persons, the Company believes that, during the fiscal
year 2009, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable
to its officers, directors and 10% stockholders were met in a
timely manner, except in the following instances: (1) one
Form 4 filing by Timothy Turk, an executive officer of the
Company, was made one day late, and (2) one Form 4
filing by Gerald Gray, a former executive officer of the
Company, was made one day late.
HOUSEHOLDING
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted rules that
permit companies and intermediaries (such as brokers) to
implement a delivery procedure called householding.
Under this procedure, multiple shareholders who reside at the
same address may receive a single copy of our annual report and
proxy materials, including the Notice of Internet Availability
of Proxy materials, unless the affected shareholder has provided
contrary instructions. This procedure reduces printing costs and
postage fees.
This year, we expect that a number of brokers with account
holders who beneficially own our common stock will be
householding our annual report and proxy materials,
including the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy
Materials. A single Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy
Materials and, if applicable, a single set of annual report and
other proxy materials will be delivered to multiple shareholders
sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been
received from the affected shareholders. Once you have received
notice from your broker that it will be householding
communications to your address, householding will
continue until you are notified otherwise or until you revoke
your consent. Shareholders may revoke their consent at any time
by contacting Broadridge ICS, either by calling toll-free
(800) 542-1061,
or by writing to Broadridge ICS, Householding Department, 51
Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York, 11717.
41
COMMUNICATING
WITH US
Communicating
with the Board
If you would like to contact the Board, including a committee of
the Board, you may write to the following address:
Board of Directors
c/o Corporate
Secretary
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
2901 Via Fortuna
Austin, Texas 78746
The Corporate Secretary or chair of the Governance and
Nominating Committee, as appropriate, reviews all correspondence
addressed to the Board and regularly forwards to the Board a
summary of all such correspondence that, in the opinion of the
Corporate Secretary or chair of the Governance and Nominating
Committee, deals with the functions of the Board or the Board
Committees. Directors may at any time review a log of all
correspondence received by the Company that is addressed to the
Board or individual Board members. Concerns relating to
accounting, internal controls or auditing issues will be
immediately brought to the attention of the chair of the Audit
Committee.
Other
Communications
If you would like to receive information about the Company, you
may use one of these convenient methods:
|
|
1.
|
To have information such as our latest Annual Report on
Form 10-K
or Form 10-Q
mailed to you, please call our Investor Relations Department at
(512) 851-4125.
|
|
2.
|
To view our home page on the Internet, use our Web site address:
www.cirrus.com. Our home page provides you access
to product, marketing and financial data, job listings, and an
on-line version of this proxy statement, our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
and other filings with the SEC.
|
If you would like to write to us, please send your
correspondence to the following address:
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
Attention: Investor Relations
2901 Via Fortuna
Austin, TX 78746
If you would like to inquire about stock transfer requirements,
lost certificates and change of stockholder address, please
contact our transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services, at
(781) 575-2879
or by email to shareholder@computershare.com. You may also visit
their Web site at www.computershare.com for
step-by-step
transfer instructions.
If you would like to report any inappropriate, illegal or
criminal conduct by any employee, agent or representative of the
Company, any violation of the Companys Code of Conduct, or
any complaint or concern regarding accounting, internal
accounting controls or auditing matters, you may file an
anonymous and confidential report by contacting EthicsPoint, an
independent reporting system provider, by telephone at
1-866-384-4277 (1-866-ETHICSP), or through its website at
www.ethicspoint.com.
42
ANNUAL
REPORT
On June 1, 2009, we filed with the SEC an Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009. The Annual Report
on
Form 10-K
has been provided concurrently with this proxy Statement to all
stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual
Meeting.
Stockholders may also obtain a copy of the Annual Report on
Form 10-K
and any of our other SEC reports, free of charge, (1) from
the SECs website at www.sec.gov, (2) from our
website at www.cirrus.com, or (3) by writing to
Investor Relations, Cirrus Logic, Inc., 2901 Via Fortuna,
Austin, TX 78746. The Annual Report on
Form 10-K
is not incorporated into this proxy statement and is not
considered proxy solicitation material.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jason P. Rhode
President and Chief Executive Officer
Austin, Texas
March 29, 2009
43
Exhibit A
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
I.
Director Qualifications
General
The Board of Directors (the Board) of Cirrus Logic,
Inc. (the Company) will have at least two-thirds
(2/3rds) of its directors who meet the criteria for independence
required by the applicable listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock
Market, Inc. (the NASDAQ), other applicable laws and
regulations, and the standards set forth in Exhibit A to
these Guidelines (the Independent Directors). The
Nominating and Governance Committee (the Governance
Committee) will review, on an annual basis, the requisite
skills and characteristics of all Board members, taking into
consideration skills and experience in the context of the needs
of the Board. Nominees for directorship will be selected and
considered by the Governance Committee in accordance with its
charter. An invitation to join the Board should be extended on
behalf of the Board by the Chair of the Governance Committee and
the Chair of the Board. The Chief Executive Officer shall be the
only member of the Board who is an executive officer of the
Company.
Size of Board
Subject to the Companys Certificate of Incorporation and
By-Laws, the Board shall be limited to seven or fewer members,
except during certain periods, such as director transitions and
the integration of acquisitions.
Service on Other Boards
Due to the commitment of time required to adequately fulfill the
responsibilities of Board membership, no director may serve on
more than five other public company boards. Directors should
advise the Chairman of the Board and the Chair of the Governance
Committee in advance of accepting an invitation to serve on
another company board.
Board Evaluation Process
The Governance Committee will oversee an annual self-assessment
of the Boards performance as well as the performance of
each committee of the Board.
Annual Review for Re-Election
The Governance Committee will review each directors
continuation on the Board every year. This will allow each
director the opportunity to conveniently confirm his or her
desire to continue as a member of the Board.
Directors Who Change Their Present Job Responsibility
It is not necessary that directors leave the Board when they
retire or change from the position they held when they joined
the Board. A director should, however, offer to resign to
provide an opportunity for the Board, via the Governance
Committee, to review the continued appropriateness of Board
membership under the circumstances.
Retirement Policy
Board members will retire at the first stockholders
meeting in which directors will be elected following the
directors 75th birthday.
II.
Director Responsibilities
General
The basic responsibility of each director is to exercise his or
her business judgment to act in what he or she reasonably
believes to be in the best interest of the Company and its
stockholders. In discharging this obligation, directors should
be entitled to rely on the honesty and integrity of the
A-1
Companys executive officers and its outside advisors and
auditors. The directors shall also be entitled to have the
Company purchase reasonable directors liability insurance
on their behalf, and to receive the benefits of indemnification
to the fullest extent permitted by law and the Companys
Certificate of Incorporation, By-Laws and any indemnification
agreements.
Selection of Chairman of the Board
The Board is free to select its Chairman in the manner and upon
the criteria that it deems best for the Company at the time of
selection, except that the Chief Executive Officer shall not be
eligible to be selected as Chairman of the Board. The Chairman
of the Board will:
|
|
|
|
a)
|
Seek input from all directors as to the preparation of the
agendas for Company board and Committee meetings;
|
|
|
b)
|
Advise the Board as to the quality, quantity, and timeliness of
the flow of information from the Companys management that
is necessary for the Independent Directors to effectively and
responsibly perform their duties; and
|
|
|
c)
|
Assist the Companys officers in assuring compliance with
and implementation of all applicable corporate and securities
laws and be principally responsible for revisions to the
Companys governance guidelines for compliance and
implement of same.
|
Lead Independent Director
In the event that the Chairman of the Board is not an
Independent Director, the Independent Directors will designate
an Independent Director to be the Lead Independent
Director. The Lead Independent Director shall coordinate
the activities of the other Independent Directors and perform
various other duties. Service of the Lead Independent Director
shall not exceed five (5) years.
Attendance at Board Meetings
Directors are expected to attend Board meetings and meetings of
committees on which they serve, and to spend the time needed and
meet as frequently as necessary to properly discharge their
responsibilities. Information and data that are important to the
Boards understanding of the business to be conducted at a
Board or committee meeting generally should be distributed in
writing to the directors before the meeting, and directors
should review these materials in advance of the meeting.
Sensitive subject matters may be discussed at the meeting
without written materials being distributed in advance or at the
meeting.
Attendance at Annual Meeting
Directors are expected to attend the Companys annual
meeting absent extraordinary circumstances. To facilitate
attendance and reduce travel costs, the annual meeting should be
scheduled to occur around the same time as a periodic meeting of
the Board.
Content of Board Meetings
The Chairman of the Board will establish the agenda for each
Board meeting. Each Board member is free to suggest the
inclusion of items on the agenda. Each Board member is free to
raise at any Board meeting subjects that are not on the agenda
for that meeting. The Board will review the Companys
long-term strategic plans and the principal issues that the
Company will face in the future during at least one Board
meeting each year.
Executive Session
The Companys independent directors who satisfy the
independence requirements of the NASD will usually meet in
executive session during each regularly scheduled Board meeting.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
Board members are required to accurately and completely disclose
to the Board (or any applicable committee) all financial
interest or personal interest that he or she has in any contract
or transaction
A-2
that is being considered by the Board (or any committee) for
approval. Disclosed conflicts of interest shall be included in
the minutes of the meeting.
Board Interaction with Investors, Press, Customers, etc.
The Board believes that the management speaks for the Company
when dealing with the media, investors, rating agencies,
stockholders, customers, regulators and other similar
constituencies.
III.
Board Committees
General
The Board will have at all times an Audit Committee, a
Compensation Committee and a Governance Committee. All of the
members of these committees will meet the criteria for
independence required by applicable listing standards of the
NASDAQ and other applicable laws and regulations. Committee
members will be appointed by the Board upon recommendation of
the Governance Committee with consideration of the desires of
individual directors. It is the belief of the Board that
consideration should be given to rotating committee members
periodically. It is expected that each committee Chair will have
had previous service on the applicable committee.
Charters
Each committee will have its own charter, which is approved by
the Board. The charters will establish the purposes, goals and
responsibilities of the committees, as well as qualifications
for committee membership, procedures for committee member
appointment and removal, committee structure, operations and
reporting to the Board.
Schedule and Timing of Meetings
The Chair of each committee, in consultation with the committee
members, will determine the frequency and length of the
committee meetings consistent with any requirements set forth in
the committees charter. The Chair of each committee, in
consultation with the appropriate members of the committee and
management, will develop the committees agenda. At the
beginning of the year, each committee will establish a schedule
of agenda subjects to be discussed during the year (to the
degree these can be foreseen). The schedule for each committee
will be furnished to all directors. Board members are welcome to
attend any Committee meeting, whether they are a member of the
committee or not.
Additional Committees
The Board may, from time to time, establish or maintain
additional committees as deemed necessary or appropriate.
IV.
Director Access To Officers and Employees
Directors have full and free access to officers and employees of
the Company. Any meetings or contacts that a director wishes to
initiate may be arranged through the Chief Executive Officer or
the Secretary or directly by the director. The directors will
use their judgment to ensure that any such contact is not
disruptive to the business operations of the Company and will,
to the extent deemed appropriate by the director, inform the
Chief Executive Officer that such communications are taking
place.
V.
Director Compensation
General
The Board believes that director compensation should include
components that are designed to align the interests of the
directors with the interests of stockholders and that the
aggregate value of director compensation and perquisites should
generally be at or near the median level of director
compensation at peer companies. The form and amount of director
compensation will be
A-3
recommended to the Board by the Compensation Committee in
accordance with the policies and principles set forth in its
charter.
Charitable Contributions
Charitable contributions by the Company exceeding $10,000 in any
calendar year to an organization in which an independent
director is affiliated shall be subject to the approval of the
Compensation Committee, which shall consider the impact of any
such contributions on the applicable directors
independence.
VI.
Continuing Director Education
The Board believes that it is appropriate for directors, at
their discretion, to attend continuing director education
programs related to their duties as directors. Upon approval by
the Chair of the Governance Committee, the Company will
reimburse reasonable continuing education and travel expenses
incurred by a director in attending such programs. The Company
will provide a reasonable budget to each member of the Board for
the purpose of attending director education programs of the
directors choosing.
VII.
Management Evaluation, Compensation Review and Succession
Planning
Review of CEO and Executive Officers
The Board of Directors will review the Chief Executive
Officers, the Chief Financial Officers, and the
Chief Legal Officers (or General Counsel) performance on
an annual basis.
Compensation Review
At least once every three years, the Compensation Committee
shall select and retain an independent consultant to conduct a
comparative study of the Companys executive compensation
polices, practices, and procedures (including specifically with
respect to options) relative to other public companies and
prepare and submit to the Compensation Committee a report and
recommendations.
Succession Planning
The Board of Directors will evaluate and nominate potential
successors to the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive
Officer may make available his or her recommendations and
evaluations of potential successors, along with a review of any
development plans recommended for such individuals.
VIII.
Option Granting Procedures
In addition to the standard controls and procedures with respect
to the Companys stock option granting procedures, The
Company shall require the following:
|
|
|
|
a)
|
All stock option grants to directors and executive officers of
the Company subject to the requirements of Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, shall be disclosed by or on
behalf of the director or executive officer within two business
days of such grants;
|
|
|
b)
|
All grants of options to executive officers and directors shall
be made only at a meeting of the Companys Board or
Compensation Committee and not by unanimous written consent. The
Companys General Counsel
and/or
Corporate Counsel shall attend any and all meetings where
options are granted; and
|
|
|
c)
|
Stock options granted to all officers, directors and employees
shall be granted on predetermined dates. In setting these
predetermined dates, the Company will not have any program, plan
or practice to time option grants in coordination with the
release of material non-public information. The Company shall
complete all grant documentation required to approve the option
grants and circulate that information to those approving the
grants prior to the predetermined grant dates.
|
A-4
IX.
Director Nominations Process
Annual Review
The Governance Committee will review annually the needs of the
Board for various skills, experience, expected contributions and
other characteristics in determining the director candidates to
be nominated for election at the annual meeting of stockholders.
The Governance Committee will evaluate candidates for directors
proposed by directors, stockholders or management in light of
the committees views of the current needs of the Board for
certain skills, experience or other characteristics, the
candidates background, skills, experience, other
characteristics and expected contributions and the qualification
standards established from time to time by the Governance
Committee. If the committee believes that the Board requires
additional candidates for nomination, the Committee may engage a
third party search firm to assist in identifying qualified
candidates. All directors and nominees will submit a completed
form of directors and officers questionnaire as part
of the nominating process. The process may also include
interviews and additional background and reference checks for
non-incumbent nominees, at the discretion of the Governance
Committee. In making the determinations regarding nominations of
directors, the Governance Committee may take into account the
benefits of diverse viewpoints as well as the benefits of a
constructive working relationship among directors.
Nominations Process
In considering candidates recommended by stockholders for the
Companys Board, the Governance Committee shall follow the
following process:
|
|
|
|
a)
|
The Governance Committee shall consider all candidates as
recommended by a stockholder (or group of stockholders) who own
at least 5% of the Companys outstanding common stock and
who have held such shares for at least one year (an
Eligible Stockholder);
|
|
|
b)
|
An Eligible Stockholder wishing to recommend a candidate must
submit the following not less than 120 calendar days prior to
the anniversary of the date the proxy was released to the
shareholders in connection with the previous years annual
meeting: (A) a recommendation that identifies the candidate
and provides contact information; (B) the written consent
of the candidate to serve as a director of the Company, if
elected; and (C) documentation establishing that the
shareholder making the recommendation is an Eligible Stockholder;
|
|
|
c)
|
Upon timely receipt of the required documents, the Corporate
Secretary will determine if the shareholder submitting the
recommendation is an Eligible Stockholder based on such
documents. The Corporate Secretary will inform the stockholder
of his or her determination;
|
|
|
d)
|
If the candidate is to be evaluated by the Governance Committee,
the Corporate Secretary will request a resume, a completed
director and officer questionnaire, a completed statement
regarding conflicts of interest, and a waiver of liability for
background check from the candidate. To evaluate the candidate
and consider such candidate for nomination by the Board, such
documents must be received from the candidate before the first
day of March preceding the annual meeting; and
|
|
|
e)
|
If, in the exercise of its business judgment, the Governance
Committee determines not to nominate the Eligible
Stockholders initial candidate, the Governance Committee
will inform the Eligible Stockholder of its decision and provide
the stockholder the opportunity to submit one alternate
candidate; provided, however, the Committee shall not be
obligated to consider a candidate if the Committee does not
receive within 30 calendar days of its notice of determination:
(A) the written consent of the candidate to serve as a
director of the Company, if elected; and (B) the documents
required above. The Governance Committee will, in the exercise
of its business judgment, determine whether to nominate the
alternate candidate for election to the Board.
|
A-5
X.
Shareholder Proposals
All shareholder proposals that are required to be included in
the Companys proxy statement shall be evaluated by a
committee of at least three Independent Directors. Such
committee shall determine, with the assistance of outside
advisors, if necessary, whether the shareholder proposal is in
the best interest of the Company. The committee shall recommend
to the Board for or against such shareholder proposal and the
reasons for such recommendation. The Board shall publish the
recommendation for or against such proposal and the reason for
such recommendation in a proxy statement.
XI.
Communications with the Board of Directors
The Corporate Secretary, or the Chair of the Governance
Committee, as appropriate, shall review correspondence addressed
to the Board and regularly forward to the Board a summary of all
such correspondence and copies of all correspondence that, in
the opinion of the Corporate Secretary
and/or the
Chair of the Governance Committee, deals with the functions of
the Board or committees thereof. Directors may at any time
review a log of all correspondence received by the Company that
is addressed to the Board of Directors or individual members
thereof. Concerns relating to accounting, internal controls, or
auditing issues will be immediately brought to the attention of
the Audit Committee Chair.
A-6
Exhibit A
Cirrus Logic Director Independence Standards
Cirrus Logic, Inc. provides that the following requirements
should be met in order for a director to be considered
independent:
|
|
|
|
a)
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The director has not been employed by the Company or any of its
affiliates (defined as any individual or business entity that
owns at least 5% of the securities of the Company having
ordinary voting power) at any time during the preceding three
years;
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b)
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The director has not received, during the current calendar year
or any of the three immediately preceding calendar years,
remuneration, directly or indirectly, other than de minimus
remuneration, as a result of service as, or compensation paid to
an entity affiliated with the individual who serves as
(1) an advisor, consultant, or legal counsel to the Company
or to a member of the Companys senior management; or
(2) a significant customer or supplier of the Company;
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c)
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The director has no personal services contract with the Company;
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d)
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The director is not employed and compensated by a not-for-profit
entity that receives from the Company significant contributions
that are required to be disclosed in the Companys proxy
statement;
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e)
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The director is not a member of the immediate family of any
person who fails to satisfy the Companys Director
Independence Standards, except that with respect to employment
with the Company or its affiliates, employment of immediate
family members will not negate independence unless such
employment is in an executive officer or director position;
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f)
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The director has no interest in any investment that the director
jointly acquired in conjunction with the Company;
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g)
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During the current fiscal year or any of the three immediately
preceding fiscal years, a company of which the director is an
executive officer or an employee has not had any business
relationship with the Company for which the Company has been
required to make disclosure under
Regulation S-K
of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),
other than for service as a director or for which relationship
no more than de minimus remuneration was received in any
one such year; provided, however, that the need to disclose any
relationship that existed prior to a director joining the Board
shall not in and of itself render the director
non-independent; and
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h)
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The director shall not be employed by a public company at which
an executive officer of the Company serves as a director.
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i)
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A director is deemed to have received remuneration (other than
remuneration as a director including remuneration provided to a
non-executive Chairman of the Board, Committee Chairman, or Lead
Independent Director), directly or indirectly, if remuneration,
other than de minimus remuneration, was paid by the
Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates, to any entity in which
the director has beneficial ownership interest of 5% or more, or
to an entity by which the director is employed or
self-employed
other than as a director.
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Remuneration is deemed de minimus remuneration if such
remuneration is $50,000 or less in any calendar year, or if such
remuneration is paid to an entity, it (1) did not for the
calendar year exceed 5% of the gross revenues of the entity, or
$200,000, whichever is more; and (2) did not directly
result in a material increase in the compensation received by
the director from that entity.
A-7
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Annual Meeting of
Stockholders
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Annual Meeting of
Stockholders
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Cirrus Logic, Inc.
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Cirrus Logic, Inc.
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2901 Via Fortuna
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2901 Via Fortuna
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Austin, Texas 78746
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Austin, Texas 78746
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July 24, 2009
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July 24, 2009
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1:00 P.M.
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1:00 P.M.
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ADMIT ONE
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ADMIT ONE
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VOTE BY INTERNET (Worldwide) -
www.proxyvote.com
Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of
information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have
your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your
records and to create an CIRRUS LOGIC, INC. electronic voting instruction form.
2901 VIA FORTUNAELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE STOCKHOLDER
COMMUNICATIONSAUSTIN, TX 78746 If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by Cirrus Logic, Inc. in mailing
proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual
reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please
follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you
agree to receive or access stockholder communications electronically in future years.
VOTE BY PHONE (U.S. and Canada only) -
1-800-690-6903
Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit
your voting instructions up until 11:59
P.M. Eastern Time the day before the
cut-off date or meeting date. Have your
proxy card in hand when you call and then
follow the instructions.
VOTE BY MAIL
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and
return it in the postage-paid envelope we
have provided or return it to Cirrus
Logic, Inc., c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes
Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: M15317-P80827 KEEP THIS PORTION FOR
YOUR RECORDS
DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.
CIRRUS LOGIC, INC. For Withhold For All To withhold authority to vote for any individual All All
Except nominee(s), mark For All Except and write the
THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below.
CONTRARY DIRECTION IS INDICATED, IT WILL BE VOTED
FOR THE ELECTION OF THE DIRECTORS AND FOR 0 0 0 PROPOSAL 2.
Vote On Directors
1. Election of Directors
The Board of Directors recommends a
vote FOR the listed nominees.
Nominees:
(01) Michael L. Hackworth (05) Jason
P. Rhode (02) John C. Carter (06)
William D. Sherman (03) Timothy R.
Dehne (07) Robert H. Smith (04) D.
James Guzy
Vote On Proposal
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the following proposal: For Against Abstain
2. Ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Companys independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending 0 0 0 March 27, 2010.
In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may
properly come before the meeting.
This proxy is revocable at any time before it is exercised.
For address changes and/or comments, please check this box
and write them on 0 the back where indicated.
Please sign exactly as name(s) appear(s) on this
proxy card. Joint owners should each sign. When
signing as attorney, executor, administrator,
corporate officer, trustee, guardian, or custodian,
please give full title.
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX]Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date |
Vote by Telephone (U.S. and Canada only) Vote by Internet (Worldwide)
Its fast, convenient, and immediate!
Its fast, convenient, and your vote is immediately Call Toll-Free on a Touchtone Phone
confirmed and posted.
1-800-690-6903
Follow these 3 easy steps: Follow these 3 easy steps:
1. Read the accompanying Proxy 1. Read the accompanying Proxy
Statement/Prospectus and Proxy Card. Statement/Prospectus and Proxy Card.
2. Call the toll-free number at 2. Go to the Website at 1-800-690-6903.
http://www.proxyvote.com.
3.Follow the recorded instructions. 3. Follow the instructions provided.
Your vote is important! Your vote is important!
Call 1-800-690-6903 anytime! Go to http://www.proxyvote.com anytime!
Do not return your Proxy Card if you are voting by Telephone or Internet
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:
Combined document containing the Annual Report on Form 10-K and Proxy Statement is available at
www.proxyvote.com.
M15318-P80827
PROXY
CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PROXY FOR 2009 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
The undersigned stockholder of CIRRUS LOGIC, INC., a Delaware corporation, hereby acknowledges
receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement, each dated May 29,
2009, and the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009, and
hereby appoints Thurman Case and Scott Thomas, and each of them, proxies and attorneys-in-fact,
with full power to each of substitution, on behalf and in the name of the undersigned, to represent
the undersigned at the 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of CIRRUS LOGIC, INC., to be held on
July 24, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. local time at Cirrus Logic, Inc., 2901 Via Fortuna, Austin, TX 78746,
and at any adjournment or adjournments thereof, and to vote all shares of Common Stock that the
undersigned would be entitled to vote, if then and there personally present, on the matters set
forth on the reverse side.
Address Changes/Comments:
(If you noted any Address Changes/Comments above, please mark corresponding box on the reverse
side.)
SEE REVERSESEE REVERSE
CONTINUED AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE |