UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
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Definitive Proxy
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Turtle Beach Corporation
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TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION
11011 Via Frontera, Suite A/B
San Diego, California 92127
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To be Held on June 19, 2020
Dear
Stockholder:
You are cordially
invited to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the
“Annual Meeting”) of Turtle Beach Corporation (the
“Company”) to be held at 9:00 a.m. local time on Friday,
June 19, 2020, at our headquarters located at 11011 Via Frontera,
Suite A/B San Diego, California 92127 for the following
purposes:
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A vote to elect five
members to the Board of Directors to serve until the next Annual
Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are elected and
are qualified;
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A vote to ratify the
appointment of BDO USA, LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020;
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An advisory vote on
the compensation of our named executive officers; and
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To transact such other
business that is properly presented at the Annual Meeting and any
adjournments or postponements thereof.
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We intend to hold our
Annual Meeting in person, however, we are sensitive to the public
health and travel concerns our stockholders may have and
recommendations that public health officials, federal, state and
local governments may issue or impose in light of the evolving
coronavirus (“COVID-19”) situation. In the event it is not
possible or advisable to hold our Annual Meeting in person, we will
announce alternative arrangements for the meeting as promptly as
practicable, which may include holding the meeting solely by means
of remote communication (i.e., a virtual-only meeting). Details on
how to participate will be posted on our website at
https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ and filed with the SEC as
additional proxy material. We encourage attendees to review
guidance from public health authorities on this issue, and to check
our website prior to the Annual Meeting if you plan to
attend.
Additional details
regarding the meeting, the business to be conducted, and
information about the Company that you should consider when you
vote your shares are described in our Proxy Statement. You may vote
if you were a record owner of Turtle Beach Corporation common stock
at the close of business on April 20, 2020.
All
stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting.
Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, it is
important that your shares be represented at the Annual Meeting,
regardless of the number of shares you may hold. Even though you
may plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, please promptly
vote using one of the following methods: by telephone, by calling
the toll-free telephone number printed on your proxy card; on the
Internet, by accessing the website address printed on your proxy
card; or by completing, signing and returning the enclosed proxy
card in the enclosed postage-prepaid return envelope. Voting by any
of these methods will not prevent you from attending the Annual
Meeting. You may change or revoke your proxy at any time before it
is voted. Your vote is extremely important, and we appreciate you
taking the time to vote promptly.
A Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Material will be first sent or made available
to our stockholders on or about April 29, 2020.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR
THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON
JUNE 19, 2020.
This Proxy Statement and the other proxy materials also are
available online at www.proxyvote.com
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BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
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Juergen Stark
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Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and President
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April 29, 2020
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Page
As
used in this Proxy Statement, references to “Turtle Beach,” the
“Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar references refer to Turtle
Beach Corporation.
TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION
11011 Via Frontera, Suite A/B
San Diego, California 92127
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD JUNE 19, 2020
Why
did I receive a notice regarding the availability of proxy
materials on the Internet?
Pursuant to rules
adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), we have elected to provide access to our proxy
materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we have sent you a Notice
of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”)
because the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Turtle Beach
Corporation (also referred to as “we,” “us,”
“Turtle Beach” and the “Company”) is soliciting your
proxy to vote at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the
“Annual Meeting”), including any adjournments or
postponements of the Annual Meeting. All stockholders will have the
ability to access the proxy materials on the website referred to in
the Notice or may request to receive a printed set of the proxy
materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over
the Internet or to request a printed copy may be found in the
Notice.
We intend to mail the
Notice on or about April 29, 2020 to all stockholders of record
entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
How
do I attend the Annual Meeting in person?
The Annual Meeting
will be held on Friday, June 19, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. local time at
our headquarters located at 11011 Via Frontera, Suite A/B San
Diego, California 92127. Information on how to vote in person at
the Annual Meeting is discussed below. We intend to hold our Annual
Meeting in person; however, we are sensitive to the public health
and travel concerns our stockholders may have and recommendations
that public health officials, federal, state and local governments
may issue or impose in light of the evolving coronavirus
(“COVID-19”) situation. In the event it is not possible or
advisable to hold our Annual Meeting in person, we will announce
alternative arrangements for the Annual Meeting as promptly as
practicable, which may include holding the Annual Meeting solely by
means of remote communication (i.e., a virtual-only meeting).
Details on how to participate will be posted on our website at
https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ and
filed with the SEC as additional proxy material. We encourage
attendees to review guidance from public health authorities on this
issue, and to check our website prior to the Annual Meeting if you
plan to attend.
Who
can vote?
Only stockholders of
record as of the close of business on April 20, 2020, the
(“Record Date”), are entitled to vote. On that day,
approximately 14,572,756 shares of our common stock, par value
$0.001 (the “Common Stock”) were outstanding and eligible to
vote, and there were approximately 956 record holders. Each share
is entitled to one vote on each matter presented at the Annual
Meeting. The actual number of shares of Common Stock outstanding
and eligible to vote on the Record Date will be reported in the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will report the results
of the Annual Meeting.
What is the quorum requirement?
A quorum of
stockholders is necessary to hold a valid meeting. A quorum will be
present if stockholders holding at least a majority of the
outstanding shares entitled to vote are present at the Annual
Meeting in person or represented by proxy. Thus, the holders of
approximately 7,286,378 shares must be present in person or
represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting to have a quorum. Your
shares will be counted towards the quorum only if you submit a
valid proxy (or one is submitted on your behalf by your broker,
bank or other nominee) or if you are present in person at the
Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted
towards the quorum requirement. If there is no quorum, either the
Chairman of the Annual Meeting or the holders of a majority of
shares present at the Annual Meeting in person or represented by
proxy may adjourn the Annual Meeting to another date.
What am I voting on?
There are three
matters scheduled for a vote:
Item 1: The election of
five members to the Board to serve until the next annual meeting of
stockholders and until their successors are elected and are
qualified.
Item 2: The ratification
of the appointment of BDO USA, LLP as our independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2020.
Item 3: An advisory vote
on the compensation of our named executive officers (“Named
Executive Officers”).
What if another matter is properly brought before the Annual
Meeting?
The Board knows of no
other matters that will be presented for consideration at the
Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before
the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the
accompanying proxy to vote on those matters in accordance with
their best judgment.
How
do I vote?
Your vote is very important. Your
shares can only be voted at the Annual Meeting if you are present
in person or represented by proxy. Whether or not you plan to
attend the Annual Meeting, you are encouraged to vote by proxy to
ensure that your shares will be represented. Stockholders can
choose among the following methods to vote:
Via the Internet —
Stockholders can vote by voting their shares via the Internet as
instructed on the website identified in the Notice. The Internet
procedures are designed to authenticate a stockholder’s identity to
allow stockholders to vote their shares and confirm that their
instructions have been properly recorded. Internet voting for
stockholders of record is available 24 hours a day and will close
at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 18, 2020.
By Telephone — The Notice
includes a toll-free number you can call to request printed copies
of proxy materials. Telephone voting for stockholders of record is
available 24 hours a day and will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern
Time, on June 18, 2020.
By Mail — Stockholders who
receive a paper proxy card may elect to vote by mail by completing,
signing and dating their proxy card and mailing it in the
pre-addressed envelope that accompanies the delivery of a paper
proxy card. Proxy cards submitted by mail must be received prior to
the Annual Meeting in order for your shares to be voted.
Stockholders who hold shares beneficially in “street name” (held in
the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record) may vote by
mail by requesting a paper proxy card according to the instructions
contained in the Notice, and then completing, signing and dating
the proxy card provided by the brokers or other agents and mailing
it in the pre-addressed envelope provided.
At the Annual Meeting —
Shares held in your name as the stockholder of record may be voted
by you in person at the Annual Meeting. Shares held beneficially in
“street name” may be voted by you in person at the Annual Meeting
only if you obtain a legal proxy from the broker or other agent
that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares and
you bring such proxy to the Annual Meeting.
If your shares are
held in “street name,” you will receive instructions from the
holder of record. You must follow the instructions of the holder of
record in order for your shares to be voted. Telephone and Internet
voting also will be offered to stockholders owning shares through
certain banks and brokers. If your shares are not registered in
your
own name and you plan
to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting, you should
contact your broker or agent to obtain a legal proxy or broker’s
proxy card and bring it to the Annual Meeting in order to
vote.
If you vote via the
Internet, by telephone or by mailing a proxy card, we will vote
your shares as you direct. For the election of directors (Item 1),
you may specify whether your shares should be voted for all, some
or none of the nominees for director listed. With respect to the
ratification of our audit committee’s (the “Audit
Committee”) appointment of BDO USA, LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm (Item 2) and the approval of the
compensation of our Named Executive Officers (Item 3), you may vote
“for” or “against” the ratification or approval, or you may abstain
from voting on the ratification or approval.
How
does the Board recommend I vote?
The Board unanimously
recommends the following votes:
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FOR each of the Board’s nominees for
election to the Board to serve until the annual meeting of
stockholders in 2021 and until their successors are duly elected
and qualified (Item 1);
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FOR the ratification of the Audit
Committee’s appointment of BDO USA, LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending
December 31, 2020 (Item 2); and
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FOR advisory approval of the
compensation of our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this
Proxy Statement (Item 3).
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Can
I change my vote after submitting my proxy? What if I return a
proxy card or otherwise vote but do not make specific
choices?
You may revoke or
change a previously delivered proxy at any time before the Annual
Meeting by delivering another proxy with a later date, by voting
again via the Internet or by telephone, or by delivering written
notice of revocation of your proxy to the Secretary of the Company
at the Company’s principal executive offices before the beginning
of the Annual Meeting. You may also revoke your proxy by attending
the Annual Meeting and voting in person, although attendance at the
Annual Meeting will not, in and of itself, revoke a valid proxy
that was previously delivered. If you hold shares through a bank or
brokerage firm, you must contact that bank or brokerage firm to
revoke any prior voting instructions. You may also vote in person
at the Annual Meeting if you obtain a legal proxy as described
above. Unless properly revoked, properly executed and delivered
proxies that are received before the Annual Meeting’s adjournment
will be voted in accordance with the directions provided. If no
directions are provided on such properly executed and delivered
proxy, those shares will be voted by one of the individuals named
as a proxy on your proxy card as recommended by the Board, as
stated in this Proxy Statement and in the Notice, specifically (1)
in favor of our nominees for directors, (2) in favor of the
ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2020, and (3) in favor of the advisory approval of executive
compensation for our Named Executive Officers. If you wish to give
a proxy to someone other than those named on the proxy card, you
should cross out those names and insert the name(s) of not more
than three people to whom you wish to give your proxy.
How
many votes are needed to approve each proposal? How are votes
counted? What are broker non-votes?
The Annual Meeting
will be held if a quorum is represented at the Annual Meeting in
person or by proxy.
If you are a
stockholder whose shares are not registered in your name and you do
not vote, then your bank, broker or other holder of record may
still represent your shares at the Annual Meeting for purposes of
obtaining a quorum. Broker non-votes occur when a beneficial owner
of shares held in “street name” does not give instructions to the
broker or nominee holding the shares as to how to vote on matters
deemed “non-routine.” Generally, if shares are held in “street
name,” the beneficial owner of the shares is entitled to give
voting instructions to the broker or nominee holding the shares. If
the beneficial owner does not provide voting instructions, the
broker or nominee can still vote the shares with respect to matters
that are considered to be “routine,” but not with respect to
“non-routine” matters. Under the rules and interpretations of
Nasdaq, “non-routine” matters are matters that may
substantially
affect the rights or
privileges of stockholders, such as mergers, stockholder proposals,
elections of directors (even if not contested) and executive
compensation, as well as the advisory stockholder votes on
executive compensation. Because the ratification of BDO USA, LLP as
the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is
considered a “routine” matter, brokers or nominees can vote shares
for which they did not receive instructions with respect to that
proposal.
Therefore, you must
vote your shares if you want them to be counted in the votes for
election of directors (Item 1) or the advisory approval of Named
Executive Officer compensation (Item 3). However, your broker may
vote your shares in its discretion on routine matters such as the
ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm (Item 2).
Because each director
nominee is elected by the affirmative vote of the holders of a
plurality of the shares of Common Stock voted, abstentions and
broker non-votes will have no effect on the election of directors
(Item 1). The ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, LLP as
the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm (Item
2) and the advisory approval of Named Executive Officer
compensation (Item 3) require the affirmative vote of a majority of
the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at
the Annual Meeting. Because abstentions will be included in
tabulations of the votes entitled to vote for purposes of
determining whether Item 1 or Item 3 has been approved, abstentions
have the same effect as negative votes. Broker non-votes will have
no effect on the outcome of the votes for Item 2.
Who
will count the vote?
The votes will be
tabulated by Joe Azevedo, the Company’s Senior Director of
Financial Planning & Analysis, the inspector of elections
appointed by the Board for the Annual Meeting.
Where can I find the results of the Annual Meeting?
We intend to announce
preliminary voting results at the Annual Meeting and publish final
results in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four (4) business
days of the Annual Meeting.
Who
is soliciting this proxy?
Solicitation of
proxies is made on behalf of the Board. The cost of soliciting
proxies, including preparing, assembling and mailing the Notice,
Proxy Statement, form of proxy and other soliciting materials, as
well as the cost of forwarding such material to the beneficial
owners of stock, will be paid by us, except for some costs
associated with individual stockholders’ use of the Internet or
telephone, and postage. In addition to the solicitation by
electronic communications and/or by mail, directors, officers,
regular employees and others may also, but without compensation
other than their regular compensation, solicit proxies personally
or by telephone or other means of electronic communication. We may
reimburse brokers and others holding stock in their names or in the
names of nominees for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in
sending proxy materials to principals and beneficial owners.
What if I can’t attend the Annual Meeting?
If you are unable to
attend the Annual Meeting in person and you intend to vote, you may
vote your shares by proxy, via the Internet, by telephone or by
mail by the applicable deadline.
Who
can help answer your questions?
If you have questions
about the Annual Meeting or would like additional copies of this
Proxy Statement, requests should be directed as described
below:
Turtle Beach Corporation
c/o Gateway Investor Relations
4685 MacArthur Court, Suite 400
Newport Beach, California 92660
Attn: Cody Slach
Phone: (949) 574-3860
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for
the Stockholder Meeting to be Held on June 19, 2020.
The Proxy Statement
and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2019 are both available free of charge at https://corp.turtlebeach.com/. We will
provide without charge to each person to whom this Proxy Statement
has been delivered (whether by mail or through the Internet), upon
request, up to two additional copies of our Annual Report,
including the consolidated financial statements and financial
statement schedules.
We make available free
of charge through our website https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ our
Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, the
Proxy Statement and certain other forms and reports filed or
furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after such documents
are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The
information on our website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a
part of this Proxy Statement or incorporated into any other filings
we make with the SEC.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
In accordance with the
Nevada Revised Statutes and the Company’s Articles of
Incorporation, as amended, and our bylaws, as amended (the
“Bylaws”), the Board has oversight of the affairs of the
Company. Although the Company’s non-management directors are not
involved in the day-to-day operating details, they are kept
informed of the Company’s business through reports and materials
provided to them regularly, as well as by operating, financial and
other reports presented by the officers of the Company at meetings
of the Board and committees of the Board.
Board Leadership Structure. The Board
is responsible for the control and direction of the Company. The
Board represents the shareholders and its primary purpose is to
build long-term shareholder value. Our Chairman of the Board is
selected by the Board and as of January 2020 is our Chief Executive
Officer (“CEO”), Juergen Stark, who manages the business and
affairs of the Company and presides over the meetings of the Board.
The Board believes that this leadership structure improves the
Board’s ability to focus on key policy and operational issues and
helps the Company operate in the long-term interests of
shareholders. In addition, the independent directors on the Board
appointed a lead independent director, William E. Keitel, to
oversee matters on behalf of the independent directors. Mr. Keitel
has served as lead independent director since Mr. Stark became the
Chairman in January 2020. The
guidance and direction provided by the lead independent director
reinforces the Board’s independent oversight of management and
contribute to communication among members of the
Board.
The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight. The
Board as a whole has responsibility for the general oversight of
risk, and the Board’s committees address and report to the Board on
any individual risk areas within their purview. Topics related to
risk and risk management are regularly discussed at Board and Board
committee meetings. The Company’s senior management, consultants,
and advisors make presentations to committees and the full Board as
to the areas of principal risk, as well as on the processes that
the Company has in place to identify, assess and report such
risks.
The Board committees
report to the Board on their consideration of any risks within
their respective areas of focus. The Audit Committee primarily
oversees risks relating to or arising from financial and disclosure
controls and procedures, and accounting and other financial
matters. The Company’s Chief Financial Officer reports to the Audit
Committee on such risks and related risk management, and the
Company’s independent auditors regularly provide reports at Audit
Committee meetings. The Compensation Committee has considered
whether the Company’s compensation policies and practices create
risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect
on its business or operations. The Compliance and Governance
Committee reviews any risks that come within its area of
responsibility (for example, risks related to corporate
governance).
Independence. Our Common Stock is
currently listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol
“HEAR,” and therefore, our determination of the independence of
directors is made using the definition of “independent director”
contained in the Nasdaq listing standards. On the basis of
information solicited from each director, the Board has determined
that each of L. Gregory Ballard, William E. Keitel, Kelly Thompson
and Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D. is an independent director within the
meaning of Nasdaq listing standards. In making its determinations
regarding director independence, the Board considered, among other
things:
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any material
relationships with the Company, its subsidiaries or its management,
aside from such director’s service as a director;
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transactions between
the Company, on the one hand, and the directors and their
respective affiliates, on the other hand;
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transactions outside
the ordinary course of business between the Company and companies
at which some of its directors are or have been executive officers
or significant stakeholders, and the amount of any such
transactions with these companies; and
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relationships among
the directors with respect to common involvement with for-profit
and non-profit organizations.
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Conflicts of Interest and Corporate Governance
Matters. Under our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
(“Code of Conduct”), no employee may serve as a director of
any outside business concern, other than on behalf of the Company,
without the written approval of the Company. In addition, no
director may serve as a director of a company that engages in the
business of providing audio products such as headsets, speakers,
sound-bars or other commercial audio products, or gaming
accessories. The charter of the Compliance and Governance Committee
empowers the Compliance and Governance Committee to review the
Company’s corporate governance principles at least once a year, as
recommended by the Compliance and Governance Committee and adopted
by the Board. There are no pre-determined limitations on the number
of other boards of directors on which the directors of the Company
may serve; however, the Board expects individual directors to use
judgment in accepting other directorships and to allow sufficient
time and attention to Company matters. There are no set term limits
for directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
The Company is committed to ethical business practices. Our Code of
Conduct applies to all of the Company’s employees, officers and
directors and our Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Employees
applies to the Company’s principal executive officer, principal
financial officer and principal accounting officer within the
meaning of the SEC regulations adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002, as amended, as well as certain other senior financial
employees. The Company’s Code of Conduct can be found on the
Company’s website at https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ under the
heading “Investors Relations—Corporate Governance—Code of Ethics.”
Please note that none of the information on the Company’s website
is incorporated by reference in this Proxy Statement.
Communications with the Board of
Directors. If you would like to communicate with the
Company’s directors, please send a letter to the following address:
Turtle Beach Corporation c/o Corporate Secretary, 11011 Via
Frontera, Suite A/B, San Diego, California 92127. The Company’s
Corporate Secretary will review each such communication and forward
a copy to the Board.
Meetings of the Board of Directors and
Stockholders. It is the policy of the Board to meet at least
quarterly. The Board held thirteen (13) meetings in 2019. In 2019,
the Board also held regular executive sessions where non-management
directors met without management participation. Each incumbent
director attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board and the
committees on which he or she served in 2019. Directors are
encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Each of
our directors attended our annual meeting of stockholders in 2019
either in person or telephonically.
Committees of the Board of Directors.
The Board currently has three standing committees: an Audit
Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Compliance and Governance
Committee.
Audit Committee — The Audit Committee
operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, which is
available on the Company’s website at https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ under
the heading “Corporate Governance—Audit Committee Charter.” The
Audit Committee’s primary purpose is to assist the Board in the
oversight of the integrity of its accounting and financial
reporting process, the audits of the Company’s financial statements
and its compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The
functions of the Audit Committee include, among other things: (i)
hiring the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm
to conduct the annual audit of the Company’s consolidated financial
statements and monitoring its independence and performance; (ii)
reviewing and approving the planned scope of the annual audit and
the results of the annual audit; (iii) pre-approving all audit
services and permissible non-audit services provided by the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm; (iv)
reviewing the significant accounting and reporting principles to
understand their impact on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements; (v) reviewing the Company’s internal financial,
operating and accounting controls with management and the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm; (vi) reviewing with
management and the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm, as appropriate, the Company’s financial reports,
earnings announcements and its compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements; (vii) establishing procedures for the treatment of
complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal
accounting controls or auditing matters and confidential
submissions by the Company’s employees of concerns regarding
questionable accounting or auditing matters; (viii) reviewing and
approving related-party transactions; and (ix) reviewing and
evaluating the Audit Committee charter.
In so doing, it is the responsibility of the Audit Committee
to maintain free and open communication among the Audit Committee,
the independent registered public accounting firm, the internal
audit function and Company management. In discharging its oversight
role, the Audit Committee is empowered to investigate any matter
brought to its attention with full access to all books, records,
facilities and personnel of the Company and the power to retain at
the expense of the Company independent outside counsel or other
experts or advisers as it deems necessary to carry out its duties.
In addition, the Committee periodically meets in executive session
without management present. A detailed list of the Audit
Committee’s functions is included in its charter, a copy of which
can be found on the Company’s website. The Company maintains a
policy that the Audit Committee review certain transactions in
which the Company and its directors, executive officers or their
immediate family members are participants to determine whether a
related person has a direct or indirect material interest. The
Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and, if appropriate,
approving or ratifying any such related party transaction. See the
“Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” section of
this Proxy Statement.
The current members of
the Audit Committee are Mr. Keitel, Mr. Ballard and Dr. Wolfe. Mr.
Keitel serves as the Chair of this committee. The Board has
determined that each member of the Audit Committee is “financially
literate” and “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq
listing standards and the applicable rules under the Exchange Act.
In addition, the Board has determined that Mr. Keitel is an “audit
committee financial expert” as that term is defined in Item
407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act. The Audit
Committee held six (6) meetings in 2019.
Compensation Committee — The
Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by
the Board, which is available on the Company’s website at
https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ under
the heading “Corporate Governance—Compensation Committee Charter.”
The primary purpose of the Compensation Committee is to assist the
Board in exercising its responsibilities relating to compensation
of the Company’s executive officers, directors and employees and to
administer the Company’s equity compensation and other benefit
plans including the 2013 Stock Based Incentive Compensation Plan,
as amended from time to time.
In carrying out these
responsibilities, the Compensation Committee reviews all components
of executive officer and employee compensation for consistency with
its compensation philosophy, as in effect from time to time. The
functions of the Compensation Committee include, among other things
(i) designing and implementing competitive compensation policies to
attract and retain key personnel; (ii) reviewing and formulating
policy and determining the compensation of the Company’s executive
officers and employees; (iii) reviewing and recommending to the
Board the compensation of the directors; (iv) administering the
Company’s equity incentive plan and granting equity awards to
employees and directors under this plan; (v) engaging compensation
consultants or other advisors it deems appropriate to assist with
its duties; and (vi) reviewing and evaluating the Compensation
Committee’s charter.
The Compensation
Committee makes all decisions regarding the CEO’s compensation.
Decisions regarding the compensation of other Named Executive
Officers are made by the Compensation Committee in consultation
with, and upon the recommendation of, the CEO. In this regard, the
CEO provides the Compensation Committee evaluations of business
goals and objectives and executive performance and recommendations
regarding salary levels, equity grants and other incentive awards.
The Compensation Committee’s charter authorizes the Compensation
Committee, in its sole discretion, to retain and terminate
consultants to assist it in the performance of its duties,
including the evaluation of compensation for the Named Executive
Officers. The Compensation Committee has sole authority to approve
the fees and other retention terms of any such consultant.
Pursuant to its
authority under its charter to retain compensation consultants, the
Compensation Committee engaged Compensia, Inc.
(“Compensia”), an executive compensation consulting firm, to
act as its independent advisor with respect to 2019 compensation
decisions. All services provided by Compensia to the Compensation
Committee are conducted under the direction and authority of the
Compensation Committee, and all work performed by Compensia must be
pre-approved by the Compensation Committee. Compensia does not
provide any other services to the Company and does not own any
shares of the Company’s stock. There are no personal or business
relationships between the Compensia consultants and any executive
of the Company. In addition, there are no personal relationships
between the Compensia consultants and any member of the
Compensation Committee. Compensia maintains a detailed conflict of
interest policy in order to ensure that the compensation committees
for which it works receive conflict-free advice.
The current members of
the Compensation Committee are Messrs. Ballard and Keitel, and Mr.
Ballard serves as the Chair of the committee. The Board has
determined that Messrs. Keitel and Ballard are “independent” as
defined in the applicable Nasdaq listing standards, non-employee
directors under SEC Rule 16b-3 and outside directors under Section
162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The
Compensation Committee met two (2) times in 2019.
Compliance and Governance Committee —
The Compliance and Governance Committee replaced the Company’s
former Nominating and Governance Committee. As discussed further
below under “Election of Directors” the nominating function of the
former Nominating and Governance Committee has been transferred to
the independent members of Board. The Compliance and Governance
Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board,
which is available on the Company’s website at https://corp.turtlebeach.com/ under
the heading “Corporate Governance—Compliance and Governance
Committee Charter.” The primary purpose of the Compliance and
Governance Committee is to assist the Board in promoting the best
interest of the Company and its stockholders through the
implementation of sound corporate governance principles and
practices. The functions of the Compliance and Governance Committee
include, among other things: (i) developing and recommending to the
Board an annual self-evaluation process for the Board and
overseeing the annual self-evaluation process; (ii) developing, as
appropriate, a set of corporate governance principles, and
reviewing and recommending to the Board any changes to such
principles; and (iii) reviewing and evaluating the Compliance and
Governance Committee’s charter.
The current members of
the Compliance and Governance Committee are Dr. Wolfe and Ms.
Thompson, and Dr. Wolfe serves as the Chair of the committee. The
Board has determined that Dr. Wolfe and Ms. Thompson are
“independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq listing standards
and the applicable rules under the Exchange Act. The Compliance and
Governance Committee met two (2) times in 2019.
SUBMISSION OF STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS
Under the rules of the
SEC, stockholders wishing to have a proposal included in the
Company’s Proxy Statement for the annual meeting of stockholders to
be held in 2021 must submit the proposal so that the Secretary of
the Company receives it no later than December 30, 2020. The SEC
rules set forth standards as to what stockholder proposals are
required to be included in a proxy statement. In addition, under
the Bylaws certain procedures must be followed for a stockholder to
nominate persons as directors or to introduce a proposal at an
annual meeting of stockholders that will not be included in our
proxy statement. A stockholder wishing to make a nomination for
election to the Board or to have a proposal presented at an annual
meeting of stockholders that is not included in our proxy statement
must submit written notice of such nomination or proposal so that
the Secretary of the Company receives it no later than April 20,
2021 but no earlier than March 21, 2021, which is sixty (60) days
and ninety (90) days prior to the one year anniversary of the date
the Annual Meeting, respectively. However, in the event that the
Company does not hold an annual meeting of stockholders in a given
year or if the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is
changed by more than thirty (30) days from the date of the
preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders, notice by the
stockholder must be delivered not earlier than the close of
business on the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such annual meeting
and not later than the close of business on the later of the
sixtieth (60th) day prior to such annual meeting or, in the event
public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first
made by the Company fewer than seventy (70) days prior to the date
of such annual meeting, the close of business on the tenth (10th)
day following the day on which public announcement of the date of
such meeting is first made by the Company.
ITEM 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Bylaws provide
that the Company’s business shall be managed by a Board ranging
from one to twelve members. The number of directors may be
increased or decreased from time to time by resolution of the
Board. Directors are generally elected at the annual meeting of the
stockholders and each director elected shall hold office until a
successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her death,
resignation or removal.
The Board is currently
comprised of five members. The independent directors of the Board
identify and recommend director candidates to serve on the Board.
Director candidates are then nominated for election by the Board.
Stockholders are also entitled to nominate director candidates for
election in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Bylaws
(see “Submission of Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations”
above).
In identifying and
recommending director candidates to serve on the Board, the
independent directors of the Board consider the qualifications and
composition of the Board as a whole, taking into account the
totality of experience, skills and other qualifications or
attributes that the individual nominees collectively bring to the
Board and striving to maintain diversity of representation among
its members. The independent directors also consider each
individual’s experience, skills and other qualifications and
attributes to determine that individual’s suitability and
desirability for service on the Company’s Board. All director
candidates should possess high personal and professional ethics,
integrity and values, and should have sufficient time available to
devote to service on the Board and Board committees. The
characteristics which the independent directors consider include,
but are not limited to, an individual’s: (i) personal integrity and
professional ethical standards along with the willingness to
express independent thought; (ii) commitment to representing the
long-term interests of the Company’s stockholders; (iii) practical
wisdom and mature judgment; (iv) objectivity; (v) professional
knowledge and business expertise; and (vi) broad industry
knowledge. While the Board does not have a formal policy with
regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director
nominees, it values diverse viewpoints, backgrounds, and
experiences.
At the Annual Meeting,
five directors are to be elected. All nominees have consented to
being named as nominees for directors of the Company and have
agreed to serve if elected. If some or all of the nominees should
become unavailable to serve at the time of the Annual Meeting, the
shares represented by proxy will be voted for any remaining
nominee(s) and any substitute nominee(s) designated by the Board.
In no event, however, will the shares represented by proxy be voted
for more than five nominees. Director elections are determined by a
plurality of the votes cast.
Set forth below is
information regarding each nominee for director, including the
specific experience, qualifications, skills or attributes that led
to the conclusion that such nominee should serve as a director of
the Company.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Title
|
Juergen Stark
|
|
53
|
|
Chief Executive
Officer, President and Chairman
|
William E.
Keitel
|
|
67
|
|
Lead Independent
Director
|
L. Gregory
Ballard
|
|
66
|
|
Independent
Director
|
Kelly Thompson
|
|
50
|
|
Independent
Director
|
Andrew Wolfe,
Ph.D.
|
|
57
|
|
Independent
Director
|
Nominees for Directors.
Juergen Stark. Mr. Stark is our Chief
Executive Officer and President, as well as Chairman of the Board
since January 2020, and has served as Chief Executive Officer of
the Company since September 2012. Before joining Turtle Beach, Mr.
Stark spent over eight years in senior management positions with
Motorola, Inc. and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. with
responsibilities for hardware and software businesses in the
consumer, enterprise, and government sectors. From January 2011 to
June 2012, Mr. Stark served as Chief Operating Officer of Motorola
Mobility after having previously served as Senior Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer, Mobile Devices, for Motorola from
August 2010 until the spinoff of Motorola Mobility in January 2011.
Prior to that, Mr. Stark served in various senior management
positions with Motorola and, prior to joining Motorola, as Chief
Executive Officer of Centerpost Corporation, a technology company
he co-founded. Prior to that, Mr. Stark was a partner with McKinsey
& Co. Mr. Stark has served as a member of the Board since
September 2012. Mr. Stark received his B.S. in Aerospace
Engineering from the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. from
Harvard Business School.
Mr. Stark’s perspective and business experience in consumer
and enterprise hardware and software businesses, as well as the
depth of his operating and senior management experience, provide
him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a
director.
L. Gregory Ballard. Mr. Ballard was
appointed as a member of the Board in April 2017. He currently
serves as general partner of Eleven Ventures, an operationally
focused, seed venture investment fund. Prior to joining Eleven
Ventures, Mr. Ballard served as Senior Vice President of Mobile,
Social and Emerging Platforms for Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment since April 2013, and Senior Vice President, Digital
Games since October 2010, in each case until 2016. From May 2010 to
September 2010, Mr. Ballard served as Chief Executive Officer of
Transpera, Inc., a mobile video advertising network. From October
2003 through December 2009, Mr. Ballard served as President &
Chief Executive Officer of Glu Mobile Inc., a publisher of mobile
video games. Prior to joining Glu Mobile, Mr. Ballard served in a
variety of senior management and consultancy roles for Virgin USA,
Inc., SONICblue Incorporated, a manufacturer of ReplayTV digital
video recorders and Rio digital music players, MyFamily.com, Inc.
(later Ancestry.com), a subscription-based Internet family tree and
genealogy service; 3dfx Interactive, Inc., an advanced graphics
chip manufacturer; Warner Custom Music Corp., a division of Time
Warner, Inc.; Capcom Entertainment, Inc., a developer and publisher
of video games; and Digital Pictures, Inc., a video game developer
and publisher. Mr. Ballard has previously served on the boards of
DTS Inc., Glu Mobile Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc., Imagine Games
Network and THQ Inc. He also served on the Audit and Compliance and
Corporate Governance Committees of DTS Inc. and the Compensation
Committee of Pinnacle Systems, Inc. Mr. Ballard holds a B.A. degree
in Political Science from the University of Redlands and a J.D.
from Harvard Law School.
Mr. Ballard’s
perspective and experience as an executive, investor and
entrepreneur with various technology companies qualifies him to
serve as a director.
William E. Keitel. Mr. Keitel has
served as a member of the Board since January 2014 and became our
lead independent director in January 2020. Prior to joining our
Board, Mr. Keitel served as special advisor to QUALCOMM
Incorporated from March 2013 to November 2013, as QUALCOMM’s
Executive Vice President from December 2003 to March 2013, and as
its Chief Financial Officer from February 2002 to March 2013. Since
November 2013, Mr. Keitel has been pursuing personal interests
including various not-for-profit ventures. Mr. Keitel also served
as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller of QUALCOMM from
May 1999 to February 2002. Mr. Keitel holds a B.A. degree in
Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and an
M.B.A. from Arizona State University.
Mr. Keitel’s many
years of senior executive experience with technology companies
qualifies him to serve as a director.
Kelly A. Thompson. Ms. Thompson was
appointed as a member of the Board in August 2019. Ms. Thompson
also serves on the Board of Excelerate Brands, a privately backed
company that acquires, incubates and grows digitally native fashion
eCommerce brands with a strong consumer connection. She previously
was COO of samsclub.com and a member of Sam’s Club Leadership
Committee with responsibility for a multi-billion-dollar omni
P&L as well as the “Digital” strategic work stream. Prior to
samsclub.com, Ms. Thompson was SVP, Global Category Development for
Walmart eCommerce and SVP Merchandising, Planning and Marketplace
for Walmart.com. Additionally, she spent 10 years in key
merchandising leadership roles at Gap, Inc. Ms. Thompson holds a
B.S. in Animal Physiology & Neuroscience from University of
California, San Diego.
Ms. Thompson brings a
wealth of retail, merchandising, and eCommerce expertise to the
Board which qualifies her to serve as a director.
Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D. Dr. Wolfe has
served on the Board since February 2012. He founded Wolfe
Consulting in 2002 and serves as a technology and intellectual
property consultant in the consumer electronics, computer, and
semiconductor industries. He works with Fortune Global 500
corporations and technology startups in developing product
strategy, new product technology, and intellectual property
strategy. He also serves as an expert for intellectual property and
other technology-related litigation matters. Dr. Wolfe was Chief
Technology Officer for SONICblue Incorporated (formerly S3
Incorporated) from 1999 to 2002 and also served as Senior Vice
President of Business Development from 2001 to 2002. He served as a
Consulting Professor at Stanford University from 1999 to 2002 and
an Assistant Professor at Princeton University from 1991 to 1997
and currently lectures at Santa Clara University. Dr. Wolfe
obtained a B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
from The Johns Hopkins University in 1985, and a M.S. in Electrical
and Computer Engineering in 1987 and a Ph.D. in Computer
Engineering in 1992 from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Wolfe is
also a named inventor on over 80 patents.
Dr. Wolfe’s extensive intellectual property and licensing
experience qualifies him to serve as a director.
The Board unanimously recommends a
vote FOR each of the listed nominees.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The following table
sets forth the names, current ages and titles of the Company’s
current executive officers. The Company only has two executive
officers.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Title
|
Executive Officers:
|
|
|
|
|
Juergen Stark
|
|
53
|
|
Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and President
|
John T. Hanson
|
|
63
|
|
Chief Financial
Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
|
Executive Officers.
Juergen Stark is described as a
director nominee above.
John T. Hanson. Mr. Hanson is our
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary and has served as
Chief Financial Officer of the Company since September 2013. Before
joining Turtle Beach, Mr. Hanson served as Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer of Dialogic, Inc., a global
telecommunications network appliance and software business, from
September 2011 to June 2013. From June 2013 to September 2013 and
from April 2011 to September 2011, Mr. Hanson pursued personal
interests. From April 2008 to April 2011, Mr. Hanson served as
Chief Financial Officer for OneCommunications Corp., a local
exchange carrier located in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Hanson has
also previously served as the Chief Financial Officer for Worldport
Communications, Inc., Millennium Rail, Inc., and Wace USA, Inc.,
and in other senior financial positions with Motorola, Inc. and
Ameritech, Inc. Mr. Hanson has a B.A. in Commerce with an
accounting major from DePaul University and an M.B.A. from the
Northwestern University J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Business.
He is a CPA (inactive) in Illinois and was previously an adjunct
professor at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT
The following table
sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial
ownership of our Common Stock as of the Record Date for (i) each
person who is known by the Company to own beneficially more than 5%
of the Common Stock, (ii) each of the Company’s current directors
and executive officers, and (iii) all of the Company’s current
directors and executive officers as a group. Other than as set
forth below, we are not aware of any other stockholder who may be
deemed a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our Common
Stock.
Beneficial ownership
is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. In computing
the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the
percentage ownership of that person, shares of Common Stock subject
to options or warrants held by that person that are currently
exercisable or will become exercisable within sixty (60) days after
April 29, 2020 are deemed outstanding, while such shares are not
deemed outstanding for purposes of computing percentage ownership
of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes
below, we believe that the persons and entities named in the table
have sole voting or investment power with respect to all shares
beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where
applicable.
Unless otherwise
indicated, the principal address of each of the persons below is
c/o Turtle Beach Corporation, 11011 Via Frontera, Suite A/B, San
Diego, California 92127.
Executive Officers and Directors
|
|
Number of Shares
Beneficially
Owned(1)
|
|
Percentage of
Outstanding
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
|
|
Juergen Stark(3)
|
|
880,162
|
|
5.7
|
%
|
John T.
Hanson(4)
|
|
71,722
|
|
*
|
|
William E.
Keitel(5)
|
|
117,051
|
|
*
|
|
Andrew Wolfe,
Ph.D.(6)
|
|
82,606
|
|
*
|
|
L. Gregory Ballard
(7)
|
|
67,995
|
|
*
|
|
Kelly Thompson
|
|
13,797
|
|
*
|
|
All
current executive officers and directors
|
|
|
|
|
|
as
a group (6 persons)
|
|
|
|
8.5
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders of 5% or more
|
|
|
|
|
|
(excludes executive
|
|
|
|
|
|
officers, directors and employees)
|
|
|
|
|
|
AWM Investment
Company, Inc.(8)
|
|
1,085,543
|
|
7.2
|
%
|
(1) |
As used in this table,
beneficial ownership means the sole or shared power to vote or
direct the voting of a security, or the sole or shared power to
dispose, or direct the disposition, of a security.
|
(2) |
Beneficial ownership
percentages are based upon 14,572,756 shares of Common Stock
outstanding as of the Record Date.
|
(3) |
Includes 712,630 stock
options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within
sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020.
|
(4) |
Includes 60,733 stock
options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within
sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020 and 833 RSUs that will be vesting
May 16, 2020.
|
(5) |
Includes 51,081 stock
options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within
sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020 and 14,500 shares held by The
Keitel McSweeney Family Trust, of which Mr. Keitel is a trustee.
Mr. Keitel disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to
the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
|
(6) |
Includes 20,157 stock
options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within
sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020.
|
(7) |
Includes 28,046 stock
options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within
sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020 and 5,000 shares held by his
spouse.
|
(8) |
According to a
Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2020, reporting the
beneficial ownership of 1,069,543 shares of Common Stock, AWM
Investment Company, Inc. (“AWM”) reported it had sole voting
and dispositive powers over 1,085,543 shares of Common Stock, and
is the investment adviser to Special Situations Cayman Fund, L.P.
(“CAYMAN”), Special Situations Fund III QP, L.P.
(“SSFQP”), Special Situations Private Equity Fund, L.P.
(“SSPE”) Special Situations Technology Fund, L.P.
(“TECH”) and Special Situations Technology Fund II, L.P.
(“TECH II” and collectively the “Funds”). As the
investment adviser to the Funds, AWM holds sole voting and
investment power over 88,846 shares of Common Stock held by AWM,
79,528 currently exercisable warrants held by CAYMAN, 235,511
shares of Common Stock and 212,736 currently exercisable warrants
held by SSFQP, 72,472 shares of Common Stock and 88,000 currently
exercisable warrants held by SSPE, 8,943 shares of Common Stock and
24,881 currently exercisable warrants held by TECH and 129,771
shares of Common Stock and 144,855 currently exercisable warrants
held by TECH II. Austin W. Marxe (“Marxe”), David M.
Greenhouse (“Greenhouse”) and Adam C. Stettner
(“Stettner”) are members of: SSCayman, L.L.C., a Delaware
limited liability company (“SSCAY”), the general partner of
CAYMAN; MGP Advisers Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited
partnership, the general partner of SSFQP; MG Advisers, L.L.S., a
Delaware limited liability company, the general partner of SSPE and
SST Advisers, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company, the
general partner of TECH and TECH II. Marxe, Greenhouse and Stettner
are also controlling principals of AWM. The address for AWM is c/o
Special Situations Funds, 527 Madison Avenue, Suite 2600, New York,
NY 10022.
|
DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS
The rules of the SEC
require the Company to disclose late filings of stock transaction
reports by its executive officers, directors and beneficial owners
of more than 10% of our Common Stock. Based on our records and
other information, we believe that each of our executive officers,
directors and the owners of more than 10% of our Common Stock
complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to
them during 2019 on a timely basis, except that: Mr. Juergen Stark,
the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, filed a late Form 4 on
January 18, 2019.
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be
“soliciting material” or “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the
Exchange Act or otherwise subject to liability under that Section.
This report shall not be deemed “incorporated by reference” into
any document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or
the Exchange Act, whether such filing occurs before or after the
date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in
such filings, except to the extent that the Company specifically
incorporates it by reference.
The Audit Committee assists the Board in meeting its oversight
responsibility to stockholders, potential stockholders, the
investment community and others. The Audit Committee’s function is
one of oversight, recognizing that management is responsible for
preparing the Company’s financial statements, and the independent
registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing those
statements. Management of the Company is responsible for (i) the
preparation, presentation, and integrity of the Company’s financial
statements; (ii) the appropriateness of the accounting principles
and reporting policies that are used by the Company; (iii)
establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over
financial reporting, as such term is defined in the Exchange Act;
and (iv) maintaining adequate disclosure controls and procedures,
as such term is defined by the Exchange Act. The Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for
(a) auditing the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements
in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) and expressing an opinion on the
conformity of those consolidated financial statements with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America and (b) reviewing the Company’s unaudited interim condensed
consolidated financial statements. The Audit Committee’s primary
responsibility is to oversee the Company’s financial reporting
process on behalf of the Board and report the results of its
activities to the Board. It is not the Audit Committee’s duty or
responsibility to conduct auditing or accounting reviews or
procedures. In performing its oversight function, the Audit
Committee relies, without independent verification, on the
information provided to it and on the representations made by
management and the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm. The Audit Committee will, however, take the
appropriate actions to set the overall corporate “tone” for quality
financial reporting, sound business risk practices and ethical
behavior.
The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the selection of
the independent registered public accounting firm to be retained to
audit the Company’s consolidated financial statements and, if
applicable, its internal control over financial reporting, and once
retained, the independent registered public accounting firm reports
directly to the Audit Committee. The independent registered public
accounting firm is ultimately accountable to the Audit Committee
and the Board. The Audit Committee consults with and reviews
recommendations made by the independent registered public
accounting firm with respect to the Company’s consolidated
financial statements and related disclosures and, as applicable,
internal control over financial reporting of the Company and makes
recommendations to the Board as it deems appropriate from time to
time. The Audit Committee is responsible for approving both audit
and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered
public accounting firm. The Audit Committee is currently composed
of three directors, each of whom the Board has determined to be
independent as that term is defined by applicable Nasdaq listing
standards and SEC rules. The Board has determined, in accordance
with applicable Nasdaq listing standards, that Mr. Keitel is an
audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 407(d)(5) of
Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act. The Audit Committee operates
under a written charter adopted by the Board, which is available on
the Company’s website at https://corp.turtlebeach.com/. The
Audit Committee charter is reviewed on an annual basis by the Audit
Committee and is subject to amendment from time to time.
The Audit Committee meets with management periodically to consider
the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls, and discusses
these matters with the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm. The Audit Committee also discusses with senior
management the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. The
Audit Committee’s oversight of the independent registered public
accounting firm includes resolution of disagreements between
management and the independent registered public accounting firm
regarding financial reporting.
In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee
reviewed and discussed the Company’s quarterly earnings releases
and Exchange Act filings for the year ended December 31, 2019, as
amended, with management and the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm, which included a discussion of the quality,
in addition to the acceptability, of the accounting principles, the
reasonableness of significant judgments and the clarity of
disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. The Audit
Committee also discussed with management and the independent
registered public accounting firm the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting.
The Audit Committee has also received from, and discussed with, the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm the matters
required to be discussed by Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board Auditing Standard No. 1301 (Communications with Audit
Committees). The Audit Committee received the written disclosures
and the letter from the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm required by the applicable requirements of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent
registered public accounting firm’s communications with the Audit
Committee concerning independence. In addition, the Audit Committee
discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm
its independence, including the compatibility of any non-audit
services with the independent registered public accounting firm’s
independence.
The Audit Committee met with the independent registered public
accounting firm, with and without management present, to discuss
the 2019 results of its consolidated financial statement audit and
the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting. The
independent registered public accounting firm has direct access to
the Audit Committee at any time on any issue of its choosing, and
the Audit Committee has the same direct access to the independent
registered public accounting firm, with and without management
present, to discuss the results of their examinations, their
evaluations of the Company’s internal controls, and the overall
quality of the Company’s financial reporting.
In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the
Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the
audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2019 be included in the 2019 Annual Report on Form
10-K for filing with the SEC.
The Audit Committee has appointed the firm of BDO USA, LLP as
independent registered public accounting firm to audit and report
upon the Company’s consolidated financial statements and internal
control over financial reporting for the year ending December 31,
2020.
AUDIT COMMITTEE
William
E. Keitel, Chairman
L.
Gregory Ballard
Andrew
Wolfe, Ph.D.
ITEM 2 — RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Audit Committee has appointed BDO USA, LLP as the independent
registered public accounting firm to audit the Company’s
consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31,
2020 and internal control over financial reporting. Although action
by the stockholders on this matter is not required under Nevada law
or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, or the rules of the
SEC promulgated thereunder, the Audit Committee and the Board
believe it is appropriate to seek stockholder ratification of this
appointment in light of the role played by the independent
registered public accounting firm in reporting on the Company’s
consolidated financial statements. Ratification requires the
affirmative vote of a majority of eligible shares present at the
Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and voting thereon. If this
appointment is not ratified by the stockholders, the Audit
Committee may reconsider its appointment. One or more
representatives of BDO USA, LLP are expected to attend the Annual
Meeting telephonically. They will have an opportunity to make a
statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond
to appropriate questions.
The
Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR ratification of the
appointment of BDO USA, LLP as the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The aggregate fees
billed by our independent registered public accounting firm for
professional services rendered in connection with (i) the audit of
our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2019 and 2018 set forth in our Annual Reports on Form
10-K for the years then ended and (ii) the review of our quarterly
consolidated financial statements as set forth in our Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q for each of our quarters during 2019 and 2018,
as well as any fees paid to our independent registered public
accounting firm for audit-related work, tax compliance, tax
planning and other consulting services are set forth in the table
below:
|
|
2019
|
|
|
2018
|
Audit Fees
|
|
$
|
1,146,128
|
|
|
$
|
997,840
|
Audit-Related
Fees
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
Tax Fees
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
All Other Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,146,128
|
|
|
$
|
997,840
|
Audit fees: Audit fees consist of fees
associated with the annual audit of our financial statements, the
reviews of our interim financial statements and the issuance of
consent and comfort letters in connection with registration
statement filings with the SEC, and all services that are normally
provided by the accounting firm in connection with statutory and
regulatory filings or engagements.
Audit-related fees: Audited-related
fees consist of fees for professional services reasonably related
to the performance of the audit or review of the financial
statements and are not included in Audit Fees.
Tax fees: Tax fees consist of fees for
tax services, including tax compliance, and related expenses.
All other fees: Fees for products and
services other than the services described above.
Pre-approval of Services.
All audit and
permissible non-audit services provided by the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm, BDO USA, LLP,
require pre-approval by the Audit Committee in accordance with the
Audit Committee charter. The Company’s Audit Committee approves the
independent registered public accounting firm’s engagement prior to
the independent registered public accounting firm rendering any
non-audit services. The Audit Committee pre-approved all of the
2019 and 2018 fees paid to BDO USA, LLP.
ITEM 3 — ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY’S NAMED
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
We are asking our stockholders to vote, on an advisory basis, to
approve the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as
disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the rules of
the SEC and Section 14A of the Exchange Act. This proposal gives
our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on our
Named Executive Officers’ compensation. This vote is not intended
to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the
overall compensation of our Named Executive Officers and the
agreements and practices described in this Proxy Statement. This
vote is advisory and is therefore not binding on us or the Board.
The Board values the opinions of our stockholders, and to the
extent there is any significant vote against the Named Executive
Officer compensation as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, we will
consider our stockholders’ concerns and will evaluate what, if any,
actions are necessary to address those concerns.
The Company uses external compensation expertise and benchmarking
to ensure that its executive compensation program is competitive
and appropriate while being designed to align pay with short and
long-term company performance, to put a substantial portion of
compensation at risk, and to reward unique or exceptional
contributions to overall sustainable value creation for
stockholders. Because the Board believes that the compensation of
our Named Executive Officers as described in “Executive
Compensation” appropriately addresses those objectives, it
recommends that the stockholders approve the following advisory
resolution:
RESOLVED, that the stockholders approve the compensation of the
Company’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in the “Executive
Compensation” section of this Proxy Statement pursuant to Item 402
of SEC Regulation S-K, including the executive compensation tables
and related disclosures.
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voting on this
proposal is required to approve, on an advisory basis, the
compensation of our Named Executive Officers. For purposes of
determining approval of this proposal, an abstention will have the
same legal effect as a vote “against” the proposal and broker
non-votes will not affect the results of this vote.
The Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR approval of the
compensation of our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in the
“Executive Compensation” section of this Proxy Statement, including
the compensation tables and related disclosures.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
This section discusses the material components of the executive
compensation program for the Named Executive Officers listed in the
“Summary Compensation Table” below. As a smaller reporting company,
we are only required to include compensation disclosure for our
principal executive officer and our two other most highly
compensated executive officers, the Named Executive Officers, under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”). The Company only has two executive officers. For 2019,
our Named Executive Officers were as follows:
|
• |
Juergen Stark, Chief
Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board
|
|
• |
John T. Hanson, Chief
Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
|
We review compensation annually for all employees, including our
Named Executive Officers. In setting base salaries and granting
equity incentive awards, we consider compensation for comparable
positions in the market, individual performance as compared to our
expectations and objectives, our desire to motivate our Named
Executive Officers and achieve short- and long-term results that
are in the best interests of our stockholders and a long-term
commitment to the Company.
Peer Group and Market Data
We utilize Compensia, an independent compensation consultant, to
conduct a comprehensive review and benchmarking of overall
executive and director compensation programs every two years.
Compensia produced benchmarking analysis for our Named Executive
Officers in 2018, including other senior management, and the
Compensation Committee of the Board reviewed Compensia’s
benchmarking analysis when making compensation decisions in 2019.
We use this same benchmarking analysis to set performance-driven
compensation plans for our senior management. Compensia conducted a
peer group review in 2020 and the Compensation Committee approved
the following updated peer group:
2018 Peer Group
|
2020 Peer Group
|
Agilsys
|
Agilsys
|
Avid Technology
|
Arlo Technologies*
|
CalAmp
|
Avid Technology
|
Control 4
|
CalAmp
|
Digi International
|
Digi International
|
Digital Turbine
|
Digital Turbine
|
EMCORE
|
EMCORE
|
Glu Mobile
|
Glu Mobile
|
Harmonic
|
Harmonic
|
Iteris
|
Iteris
|
MobileIron
|
MobileIron
|
Rosetta Stone
|
Mohawk Group Holdings*
|
Telenav
|
Rosetta Stone
|
Universal Display
|
Telenav
|
VOXX International
|
VOXX International
|
ZAGG
|
ZAGG
|
* New peer companies based on the current financial profile of
potential peer companies and our target revenue and market
capitalization ranges. In 2020, Control 4 was removed because it
underwent an acquisition in 2019, and Universal Display no longer
fell within the revenue and market capitalization ranges.
Our peer companies were selected based on best practices criteria
developed to identify comparable peer companies in terms of
industry and financial characteristics to provide the Compensation
Committee with relevant and meaningful compensation information in
support of compensation decision-making. Our peer group includes
companies that compete with us for both labor and capital, have a
similar enterprise value, and who are in similarly sized and
situated business. Our peer companies are headquartered in the U.S.
and are part of the consumer-related technology industry with a
focus on audio and video equipment, electronic products, and
consumer durables and apparel. Compensia primarily examined peer
companies with revenue between $100 million and $610 million and a
range for market capitalization of $30 million to $650
million.
The Compensation Committee used peer group compensation data as a
guide rather than a rule when establishing the compensation levels
for our Named Executive Officers. The Compensation Committee
establishes salaries, annual bonuses, and long-term incentives at
what it generally believes to be at or below the market median of
compensation levels available to similarly situated executives in
the marketplace. To maintain our efforts to retain talented
executives and stay competitive in the marketplace, we expect to
utilize Compensia again in 2020 to benchmark our executive
compensation program and provide recommendation to ensure that our
compensation program continues to enable us to attract and retain
qualified executives.
Compensation Practices
We monitor best practices and emerging trends in executive
compensation to determine what enhancements or changes should be
made to our executive compensation program. The following summary
of specific features of our executive compensation program
highlights our commitment to executive compensation practices that
align the interests of the Named Executive Officers and our
stockholders.
Things We Do
|
|
Things We Don’t Do
|
|
We have a pay for
performance compensation structure tied to achieving financial
targets and specific business objectives
|
|
|
We do not have
individual formal employment agreements
|
|
We consider and
benchmark against relevant peer groups in establishing
compensation
|
|
|
We do not provide
excessive executive perquisites
|
|
We use financial
metrics in our short term incentive plan
|
|
|
We do not encourage
excessive risk-taking in our compensation practices
|
|
We have an independent
compensation consultant
|
|
|
We do not have a
minimum payout of annual or long-term incentive compensation
|
|
2019 executive
compensation was heavily skewed toward equity-based, rather than
cash, compensation, the majority of which is subject to multi-year
vesting provisions
|
|
|
We do not provide 280G gross-up payments
|
|
We have “double
trigger” equity vesting
|
|
|
|
Summary Compensation Table.
The following table sets forth information for the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 concerning compensation of our
Named Executive Officers: Mr. Juergen Stark, our Chief Executive
Officer (our principal executive officer), and Mr. John T. Hanson,
our Chief Financial Officer.
Name and Principal Position
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)(2)
|
All Other
Compensation
($)(3)
|
|
Juergen Stark
|
2019
|
550,000
|
641,300
|
522,900
|
455,535
|
27,531
|
2,197,266
|
Chief Executive Officer,
|
2018
|
550,000
|
3,338,324
|
146,658
|
874,041
|
25,427
|
4,934,450
|
President and Chairman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John T. Hanson
|
2019
|
363,789
|
242,000
|
199,200
|
171,600
|
15,454
|
992,043
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
2018
|
360,500
|
262,600
|
38,315
|
272,964
|
14,037
|
948,416
|
(1) |
Amounts shown in these
columns do not reflect actual compensation received by the Named
Executive Officers. The “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” columns
report the grant date fair value of stock awards in accordance with
the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting
Standards Codification Topic 718 Compensation—Stock Compensation
(“ASC Topic 718”), for stock awards granted during the
applicable year and assume no forfeiture rate derived in the
calculation of the grant date fair market value. Assumptions used
in calculating the value of option awards are included in Note 11
in the notes to our financial statements included in our most
recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Named Executive Officer will
only realize compensation to the extent the trading price of our
Common Stock is greater than the exercise price of the stock option
at the time an option is exercised.
|
(2) |
Messrs. Stark and
Hanson earned $455,535 and $171,600, respectively, in 2019 pursuant
to the Company’s annual performance-based incentive cash bonus
plan. Payments with respect to the amounts reported for each
individual in 2019 are scheduled to be paid in 2020 as determined
by the Compensation Committee. For the amounts reported for 2018,
75% of the amounts reported for each individual was paid in April
2019 and the remaining 25% was paid in October 2019.
|
(3) |
The amounts reported
in the “All Other Compensation” column include the employer portion
of payments pursuant to the Company’s medical and dental plans and
matching of 401(k) contributions available to all employees.
|
Narrative to Summary Compensation Table.
Employment Agreements
The Company does not have formal employment agreements with its
executive officers but Messrs. Stark and Hanson did enter into
offer letters when they commenced employment as described
below:
Pursuant to their original offer letters in 2012, Messrs. Stark and
Hanson were entitled to (i) base salary and (ii) incentive
performance compensation initially targeted at 60% of base salary
for Mr. Stark and 40-50% of base salary for Mr. Hanson.
The offer letters for Messrs. Stark and Hanson provide for
post-employment severance payments and benefits in the event of
employment termination under certain circumstances. The
Compensation Committee believes that these severance benefits
provide an incentive to the Named Executive Officers to remain with
the Company and serve to align the interests of the Named Executive
Officers with the interests of our stockholders, including in the
event of a potential acquisition of the Company. “Cause” and “Good
Reason” as used below have the meanings given to them in the
applicable Named Executive Officer’s offer letter.
Under the terms of Mr. Stark’s offer letter, if the Company
terminates Mr. Stark’s employment without “Cause” or if Mr. Stark
terminates his employment for “Good Reason,” in each case, other
than following an approved sale of the Company, the Company has
agreed to pay Mr. Stark severance consisting of a continuation of
his then-current base salary, as well as healthcare continuation
benefits, for a period of six months following such termination and
a pro-rated portion of his performance-based target bonus for the
year in which such termination occurs. If such termination occurs
following an approved sale of the Company, the Company has agreed
to pay Mr. Stark (i) a lump sum payment equal to his then-current
annual base salary, (ii) healthcare continuation benefits for a
period of one year following such termination, and (iii) a
pro-rated portion of his target bonus for the year in which such
termination occurs.
Under the terms of Mr. Hanson’s offer letter, if Mr. Hanson’s
employment is terminated by the Company without “Cause,” he will be
entitled to continuation of his annual salary for a period of six
months. In addition, if Mr. Hanson’s employment is terminated by
the Company without “Cause” or by Mr. Hanson for “Good Reason,” he
will be entitled to a pro-rated bonus for the year of termination
based upon the average percentage of the applicable target bonuses
received by the management team.
The offer letters for Messrs. Stark and Hanson each contained
restrictive covenants pursuant to which the executives had agreed
to refrain from competing with the Company or soliciting the
Company’s employees or customers for a specified period following
the executives’ termination of employment.
Retention Plan
On April 18, 2019, the Board approved a change in control retention
plan (the “Retention Plan”) providing for cash bonuses and
equity incentives to certain employees, including our Named
Executive Officers. The purpose of the Retention Plan is to
encourage the continued employment of the participating employees
in the event of a change in control. Pursuant to the Retention
Plan, if a participating employee is continuously employed with the
Company and in good standing on the date of a change in control (as
defined in the Retention Plan), the participating employee will be
entitled to (i) immediate vesting of all unvested stock options,
except to the extent that the acquiring person in a change in
control or its direct or indirect parent agrees to assume such
unvested stock options or replace them with options that maintain
the existing aggregate option spread of such unvested options and
(ii) a retention bonus calculated based on the Company’s net
enterprise value at the time of a change in control and the
retention bonus pool established under the Retention Plan.
Additionally, the Retention Plan provides that, if a Participant is
terminated by the Company without cause or a Participant terminates
employment for good reason during the one-year period following a
change in control, the following severance benefits shall be
provided: (i) a lump-sum payment equal to 100% of the Participant’s
Target Bonus for the year of termination multiplied by a fraction,
the numerator of which is the total number of days that the
Participant was employed by the Company during such year and the
denominator of which is 365; (ii) continuation of the Participant’s
Base Pay for six months from the termination date of the
Participant’s employment in accordance with the Company’s ordinary
payroll practices; and (iii) if the Participant elects coverage
under COBRA, reimbursement for the full amount of premiums for such
continuation coverage for a period of six months, provided that the
Participant shall only be entitled to the larger benefit for each
item above as between the Retention Plan benefits and the severance
benefits provided under the Participant’s employment agreement or
offer letter.
Base Salary
The Compensia benchmarking data was again used by the Compensation
Committee to guide changes to Named Executive Officers compensation
in 2019. Based on the benchmarking analysis, the Compensation
Committee determined that there would be no change in base salary
for Mr. Stark and a modest 1.2% increase in Mr. Hanson’s base
salary in 2019.
Name
|
|
2018 Base Salary
|
|
2019 Base Salary
|
|
Percentage Increase
|
Juergen Stark
|
|
$550,000
|
|
$550,000
|
|
0%
|
John T. Hanson
|
|
$360,500
|
|
$365,000
|
|
1.2%
|
Incentive Compensation
We award both short-term and long-term incentive compensation to
our Named Executive Officers.
Short-Term Incentive Compensation: Annual Incentive Bonus
We pay annual performance bonuses to reward the performance
achievements of our Named Executive Officers. The Compensation
Committee believes that a significant portion of each Named
Executive Officer’s compensation should be contingent on measurable
individual and Company performance. We generally pay these bonuses
in cash, and an executive must be employed by the Company on the
pay date to receive a bonus. Each Named Executive Officer’s annual
performance bonus is generally determined based on our achievement
of company-wide objectives and individual objectives. Our company
objectives generally relate to the achievement of pre-established
performance goals based on company-wide business targets, a
significant portion of which focuses on meeting the Company’s
financial objectives. Our individual objectives generally relate to
the achievement of pre-established performance goals based on
specific individual objectives.
For 2019, each Named Executive Officer was assigned a targeted
payout, expressed as a percentage of his base salary for the year,
which varied by his compensation tier. The Compensation Committee
considered peer group benchmarking in establishing targeted payouts
for our Named Executive Officers. Accordingly, the target bonus
amounts were ultimately set as follows:
|
2019 Target Bonus
(% of Base Salary)
|
2019 Target Bonus
($)
|
Juergen Stark
|
90%
|
$495,000
|
John T. Hanson
|
50%
|
$182,500
|
The performance objectives are generally objectively determinable
and measurable, and their outcomes are uncertain at the time
established. When we set the 2019 objectives, we considered them to
be ambitious but attainable and designed to cause annual
performance bonus payments to reflect meaningful requirements. For
2019, our company objectives were achievement of designated levels
of net revenues and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation, and amortization. The chart below summarizes our
company-wide performance objectives for 2019 (with our Named
Executive Officers receiving zero payouts if the threshold levels
are not achieved), which represented 50% of the overall bonus
opportunity:
Performance Measure
|
Weighting
|
Threshold
|
Target
|
Maximum
|
Company Net Revenues
|
25%
|
$220 million
|
$244 million
|
>$244 million
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
25%
|
$17.4 million
|
$29 million
|
>$29 million
|
% of Target Bonus
|
75%
|
100%
|
Up to 200%
|
Individual performance also represents 50% of our Named Executive
Officer’s bonus opportunity. The individual management business
objectives reflected 4-5 personal strategic goals, specifically
tied to each Named Executive Officer’s role, as outlined by the
Compensation Committee. Details of the individual management
business objectives are as follows:
|
• |
Mr. Stark’s objectives
were related to his function as our Chief Executive Officer,
focusing on revenue growth and fostering internal and external
partnerships.
|
|
• |
Mr. Hanson’s
objectives as our Chief Financial Officer were focused on improving
the Company’s financial processes and managing its financial
function and banking relationships.
|
Our individual management business objectives were assigned a 50%
weight in measuring the bonus amount for our Named Executive
Officers, and each of 4-5 business objectives was generally
assigned a level equal to 5% to 15% of the overall 50%
weighting.
In 2019, the Company met its performance measure at 90% level for
the Company revenues and at 87% for the EBITDA, as indicated
below:
Performance Measure
|
Results
|
Level of Achievement
|
Company Net
Revenues
|
$234.7 million
|
90% of Target
|
Adjusted EBITDA
|
$22.8 million
|
87% of Target
|
In addition, the Compensation Committee evaluated each management
business objective and weighed the individual portion of our Named
Executive Officers’ bonuses. Our Named Executive Officers met the
individual business objectives at approximately the 100%
level.
Based on the above results, the actual bonuses paid out for 2019
were as below:
Name
|
2019 Actual Bonus
|
% of Target Paid
|
Juergen Stark
|
$455,535
|
92%
|
John T. Hanson
|
$171,600
|
94%
|
Long-term Incentive (“LTI”) Compensation
The primary purpose of granting equity-based awards is to align the
interests of our employees and stockholders so that they share the
common goal of long-term stockholder value creation. The Company
grants equity-based awards to our Named Executive Officers and
certain other employees in the form of stock options and restricted
stock units with time-based vesting that requires continued service
through each vesting date. We make LTI awards to our Named
Executive Officers under the Turtle Beach Corporation 2013
Stock-Based Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended from time to
time (the “Plan”). Based on benchmarking analysis from
Compensia, we structure our equity grants to generally align within
a competitive range of the market median of our peers, measuring as
a multiple relative to the amount of base salary for our Named
Executive Officers. The Compensation Committee believes that
targeting at the market median is appropriate given the Company’s
performance as compared to its peer group. In 2019, our Named
Executive Officers’ target LTI fell slightly below the market
median. The table below provides our Named Executive Officers’
target LTI amounts:
Name
|
2019 Target LTI
|
Juergen Stark
|
$1,164,200
|
John T. Hanson
|
$441,200
|
A summary of all stock option awards granted in 2019 to our Named
Executive Officers is provided below.
Name
|
|
Shares Subject to
Stock Options
|
Juergen Stark
|
|
105,000
|
John T. Hanson
|
|
40,000
|
The stock option awards were granted under the Plan. Such awards
will vest (subject to the Named Executive Officer’s continued
employment on the applicable vesting date) as follows: 25% of the
award will vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and
1/48th
of the award will vest on a monthly basis thereafter, such that
100% of the award will be vested on the fourth anniversary of the
grant date.
A summary of all restricted stock units granted in 2019 to our
Named Executive Officers is provided below.
Name
|
|
Shares Subject to
Restricted Stock Units
|
Juergen Stark
|
|
53,000
|
John T. Hanson
|
|
20,000
|
The restricted stock units were granted under the Plan. Such awards
will vest (subject to the Named Executive Officer’s continued
employment on the applicable vesting date) as follows: 1/4 of the
award will vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and the
remainder will vest in equal annual instalments through April 1,
2023.
Under the Plan, upon a change in control where we are not the
surviving corporation, all outstanding awards will generally be
assumed by, or replaced with grants that have comparable terms by,
the surviving corporation. The Plan provides for double-trigger
equity vesting, under which vesting would accelerate generally only
if a participant is terminated without cause within twelve (12)
months following the change in control.
In
general terms, a change in control under the Plan occurs if:
|
• |
A person, entity or
affiliated group, with certain exceptions, acquires more than 50%
of our then outstanding voting securities;
|
|
• |
We merge into another
entity unless the holders of our voting shares immediately prior to
the merger have at least 50% of the continued voting power of the
securities in the merged entity or its parent;
|
|
• |
We merge into another
entity, unless the members of our Board prior to the merger
constitute a majority of the board of directors of the merged
entity or its parent;
|
|
• |
We sell or dispose of
all or substantially all of our assets; or
|
|
• |
Our stockholders
approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution.
|
Perquisites and Other Benefits
We do not provide any perquisites or fringe benefits to our Named
Executive Officers.
Our Named Executive Officers are generally eligible to participate
in all of our employee benefit plans, such as medical, dental,
vision, group life, short and long-term disability, and
supplemental insurance and our tax-qualified 401(k) Retirement
Savings Plan, in each case on the same basis as other employees,
subject to applicable laws. We also provide vacation and other paid
holidays to all employees, including our Named Executive
Officers.
Results of Say-on-Pay Vote and
Say-on-Pay Frequency Vote. At our Annual Meeting held on
June 14, 2019, we held a non-binding say-on-pay vote on the 2018
compensation of our Named Executive Officers. Excluding broker
non-votes, approximately 72% of the votes cast voted “For” our
say-on-pay proposal to approve the compensation of our Named
Executive Officers. Although the Compensation Committee maintained
its general approach to employee compensation based on the result
of the stockholder votes, we strengthened our disclosure practices
and plan to engage with our stockholders in a more meaningful
way.
At our annual meeting held on June 14, 2019, we held a non-binding
stockholder vote on the frequency of future say-on-pay votes. The
frequency that received the greatest support was for annual
say-on-pay votes. After considering the results of these votes, the
Board determined that a non-binding stockholder vote on the
approval of executive compensation would be conducted every year.
Accordingly, the Company is requesting your approval of the
say-on-pay proposal in this proxy per Item 3.
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
The following table summarizes the holdings of outstanding stock
options, restricted stock awards, and restricted stock units by our
Named Executive Officers. The following table includes the number
of shares covered by options, restricted stock awards and
restricted stock units held by the Company’s Named Executive
Officers on December 31, 2019. These outstanding equity awards were
granted to the Company’s Named Executive Officers under the
Plan.
|
Option Awards
|
Stock Awards
|
|
Number of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
(1)
|
Number of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable
(1)
|
Option Exercise
Price
($)
|
|
Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not vested (#)
|
Market value of shares of units of stock that have not vested
($)
|
Juergen
Stark
|
365,912
|
0
|
$7.72
|
9/3/2022
|
|
|
70,000
|
0
|
$7.24
|
5/29/2025
|
|
|
|
103,125
|
9,375
|
$4.64
|
4/4/2026
|
|
|
|
58,593
|
53,907
|
$2.04
|
11/13/2027
|
|
|
|
46,875
|
65,625
|
$3.12
|
4/11/2028
|
79,259(2)
|
748,997
|
|
0
|
105,000
|
$12.10
|
4/1/2029
|
53,000(3)
|
500,850
|
John T.
Hanson
|
1,146
|
0
|
$16.52
|
11/19/2024
|
|
|
6,250
|
0
|
$7.24
|
5/29/2025
|
|
|
|
6,904
|
1,726
|
$4.64
|
4/4/2026
|
|
|
|
13,808
|
12,705
|
$2.04
|
11/13/2027
|
|
|
|
12,245
|
17,146
|
$3.12
|
4/11/2028
|
5,834(4)
|
55,216
|
|
0
|
40,000
|
$12.10
|
4/1/2029
|
20,000(3)
|
189,000
|
(1) |
Options vest with
respect to 1/4th
of the shares underlying the option on the first anniversary of the
grant date and of 1⁄48th
of the underlying shares on a monthly basis thereafter for the next
36 months.
|
(2) |
As of December 31,
2019, these restricted stock awards vest in quarterly installments
with the exception of the remaining 4,175 shares vesting on June
15, 2021.
|
(3) |
As of December 31,
2019, these restricted stock units vest as follows: 1/4 of the
award vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and the
remainder vest in equal annual installments.
|
(4) |
As of December 31,
2019, these restricted stock units vest in seven equal quarterly
installments.
|
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
In considering the Company’s need to attract and retain qualified
directors, the Company adopted a policy effective January 2014 for
compensating directors who are not employees of the Company for
their service. To ensure that the Company compensates non-employee
directors in line with market practice, our director compensation
program was formulated in consultation with our independent
compensation consultant. Based on peer group benchmarking by
Compensia, the Compensation Committee adjusted our director
compensation program accordingly. As described further below, the
Company compensates non-employee directors through a mix of cash
retainer fees and equity grants that are subject to vesting.
The following table lists 2019 director compensation for all
non-employee directors who served as directors in 2019. Directors
who are also employees of the Company receive no additional
compensation for service as directors. Compensation for Mr. Stark,
the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, is reported in the Summary
Compensation Table included in the Executive Compensation section
above. In accordance with our general policy for directors who are
also employees of the Company, Mr. Stark did not earn additional
compensation for his service as a director.
|
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash
($)(1)
|
|
|
|
L. Gregory Ballard(4)
|
65,000
|
21,227
|
49,997
|
136,224
|
|
|
|
|
|
William E. Keitel(5)
|
67,500
|
21,227
|
49,997
|
138,724
|
|
|
|
|
|
Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D.(6)
|
60,000
|
21,227
|
49,997
|
131,224
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kelly Thompson (7)
|
17,419
|
23,661
|
50,002
|
91,082
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ronald Doornink (8)
|
92,500
|
21,227
|
49,997
|
163,724
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Cash fees paid to
directors are described below.
|
(2) |
Amounts in this column
do not reflect actual compensation received by our directors. The
“Option Awards” column reports the aggregate grant date fair value
of option awards made to directors during 2019 in accordance with
ASC 718 and assume no forfeiture rate. Assumptions used in
calculating the value of option awards are included in Note 11 in
the notes to our financial statements included in our most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K. A director will only realize
compensation to the extent the trading price of our Common Stock is
greater than the exercise price of the stock option at the time an
option is exercised. Option awards to directors are granted under
the Plan and the method for determining the number of shares
subject to the option is described below.
|
(3) |
Amounts in this column
do not reflect actual compensation received by our directors. The
“Stock Awards” column reports the aggregate grant date fair value
of restricted stock granted to directors during 2019 in accordance
with ASC 718 and assume no forfeiture rate. Stock awards to
directors are granted under the Plan, and the method for
determining the number of shares subject to the grant is described
below.
|
(4) |
As of December 31,
2019, Mr. Ballard had 4,132 unvested stock awards and 4,132
unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019
outstanding.
|
(5) |
As of December 31,
2019, Mr. Keitel had 4,132 unvested stock awards and 4,132
unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019
outstanding.
|
(6) |
As of December 31,
2019, Mr. Wolfe had 4,132 unvested stock awards and 4,132
unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019
outstanding.
|
(7) |
As of December 31,
2019, Ms. Thompson had 5,394 unvested stock awards and 5,394
unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019
outstanding.
|
(8) |
Mr. Doornink resigned
from the Board effective December 31, 2019 and forfeited his 2019
annual grant of options and restricted stock.
|
In 2019, directors who were not employees of the Company received a
standard annual cash retainer fee, in addition to special fees for
serving as a member of a committee or the chair of a committee,
based upon the following schedule:
Annual Cash Base Fee (other than the Chairman of the Board)
|
$40,000
|
Supplemental Annual Cash Committee Fees:
|
|
•
Chairman of the
Board
|
$80,000
|
•
Audit
Committee—Chairperson
|
$20,000
|
•
Audit Committee—Other
Members
|
$10,000
|
•
Compensation
Committee—Chairperson
|
$15,000
|
•
Compensation
Committee—Other Members
|
$7,500
|
•
Compliance and
Governance Committee—Chairperson
|
$10,000
|
•
Compliance and
Governance Committee—Other Members
|
$5,000
|
There are no Board or committee meeting attendance fees. Directors
are reimbursed by the Company for travel and expenses they incur in
connection with their service on the Board and its
committees.
The Company’s policy regarding providing cash fees to non-employee
directors will remain the same for 2020. With Mr. Stark becoming
Chairman of the Board, the Company will also provide additional
compensation for its lead independent director. The lead
independent director fee will be $20,000. Consistent with Company
policy, Mr. Stark will not receive any additional compensation for
his service as Chairman of the Board.
In addition to the cash fees described above, the Company intends
to continue to make certain equity grants to directors who are not
employees of the Company. Upon initial election to the Board, the
Company makes an initial grant to each non-employee director of an
option to purchase a number of shares of our Common Stock with a
grant date fair market value of $50,000 and a grant of restricted
shares having a grant date fair market value of $50,000. The
initial grants of options and restricted stock are subject to
vesting over a period of four years. In addition, each non-employee
director receives an annual grant of options to purchase a number
of shares of our Common Stock with a grant date fair market value
of $50,000 and a grant of restricted shares having a grant date
fair market value of $50,000. The annual grants of options and
restricted stock vest on the first anniversary of the grant
date.
In 2018, the Board adopted ownership guidelines for its
non-employee directors and the Company’s CEO. The ownership
guidelines require each non-employee member of the Board to own
stock and vested awards with a value equal to three times the value
of the annual cash retainer payable to a director. The CEO must
hold stock and vested awards with a value equal to three times his
or her annual salary. Directors are required to attain such stock
ownership goal no later than five years from the date the
guidelines were adopted or on which they first were appointed to
the Board. In addition, the total value of compensation granted to
any non-employee director cannot exceed $750,000 in any calendar
year, except that the limit would be increased to $1,250,000 for
the calendar year during which a non-employee director becomes a
director. The total value of the compensation to a non-employee
director serving as a Chairman of the Board cannot exceed
$1,250,000 in any calendar year.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2019
|
|
Number of securities to
be issued upon exercise of
outstanding options,
|
|
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
(b)
|
|
|
Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under equity
compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
(c)
|
|
Equity compensation
plans approved by security holders
|
|
|
2,564,415
|
|
|
$
|
7.83
|
|
|
|
1,766,834
|
|
Equity compensation
plans not approved by security holders
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
0.00
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The Company maintains a policy that the Audit Committee review
certain transactions in which the Company and its directors,
executive officers or their immediate family members are
participants to determine whether a related person has a direct or
indirect material interest. The Audit Committee is responsible for
reviewing and, if appropriate, approving or ratifying any such
related party transaction. This policy is included in our Audit
Committee charter and we consider it part of our conflicts of
interest section of our Corporate Governance Principles and
Guidelines.
In determining whether to approve, disapprove or ratify a related
party transaction, the Audit Committee will take into account,
among other factors it deems appropriate, (1) whether the
transaction is on terms no less favorable to the Company than terms
that would otherwise be generally available to the Company if the
transaction was entered into under the same or similar
circumstances with a party unaffiliated with the Company and (2)
the extent of the interest of the related party in the
transaction.
Some banks, brokers and other nominee record holders may be
participating in the practice of “householding” proxy statements
and annual reports. This means that only one copy of the Notice,
this Proxy Statement or our Annual Report may have been sent to
multiple stockholders in your household. The Company will promptly
deliver a separate copy of any of these documents to you if you
request one by writing or calling as follows: Turtle Beach
Corporation, c/o Gateway Investor Relations, 4685 MacArthur Court,
Suite 400, Newport Beach, California 92660, Attn: Cody Slach, (949)
574-3860. If you want to receive separate copies of any of these
documents in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies
and would like to receive only one copy for your household, you
should contact your bank, broker or other nominee record holder, or
you may contact the Company at the above address and phone
number.
The Company is not aware of any other matters that will be
presented for stockholder action at the Annual Meeting. If other
matters are properly introduced, the person named as proxy in the
accompanying form of proxy will vote the shares they represent as
recommended by the Board.
|
By Order of the Board
of Directors
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Juergen
Stark
|
|
Juergen Stark
|
|
Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and President
|
|
April 29, 2020
|