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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.           )

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The Walt Disney Company

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January 17, 2020

Letter from our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer   Letter from our Lead Director

Dear Fellow Shareholder,

 

Dear Fellow Shareholder,

I am pleased to invite you to our 2020 Annual Meeting of shareholders, which will be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina.

At the meeting, we will be electing nine members of our Board of Directors. We will also be considering ratification of the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accountants, an advisory vote to approve executive compensation, an amendment to our stock incentive plan and one shareholder proposal.

You may vote your shares using the Internet or the telephone by following the instructions on page 73 of the proxy statement. Of course, you may also vote by returning a proxy card or voting instruction form if you received a paper copy of this proxy statement.

If you wish to attend the meeting in person, you will need to obtain an admission ticket in advance. You can obtain a ticket by following the instructions on page 74 of the proxy statement. If you cannot attend the meeting, you can still listen to the meeting, which will be webcast and available on our Investor Relations website.

Thank you very much for your continued interest in The Walt Disney Company.

Sincerely,

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Robert A. Iger

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


 

As independent Lead Director, I encourage you to read our proxy statement, annual report and other proxy materials. I am proud of the Company's commitment to thoughtful governance, as well as the highly qualified, diverse group of Directors who make up our Board. Our Directors bring their wealth and breadth of experience to bear as they conduct the Board's governance and oversight functions.

Over the past year that oversight has involved the Company's key strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. and integration of its operations, and the expansion of the Company's direct-to-consumer business with the launch of Disney+ and assumption of operating control of Hulu.

In addition, over the past year we have continued, and benefited from, our ongoing dialogue with shareholders. I have had the opportunity to speak with a number of you and learn more about your insights on important topics such as succession planning, compensation, corporate social responsibility and our lobbying disclosure policy. The Board values this input and considers it as part of our governance process. In the proxy, you will see discussion of changes we have made as a direct result of shareholder feedback. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with shareholders in fiscal 2020.

Sincerely,

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Susan E. Arnold

Lead Director


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GRAPHIC   The Walt Disney Company
  Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting

The 2020 Annual Meeting of shareholders of The Walt Disney Company will be held:

    Wednesday, March 11, 2020
    10:00 a.m. Local Time
    Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts
    2 East South Street
    Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

The items of business are:

    1.
    Election of the nine nominees named in the proxy statement as Directors, each for a term of one year.
    2.
    Ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's independent registered public accountants for fiscal 2020.
    3.
    Consideration of an advisory vote to approve executive compensation.
    4.
    Approval of an amendment to the Company's Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan.
    5.
    Consideration of a shareholder proposal.

Shareholders of record of Disney common stock (NYSE: DIS) at the close of business on January 13, 2020, are entitled to vote at the meeting and any postponements or adjournments of the meeting. A list of these shareholders is available at the offices of the Company in Burbank, California.

January 17, 2020
Burbank, California

 
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Alan N. Braverman
Senior Executive Vice President,
General Counsel and Secretary

 

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Shareholder Meeting to be Held on March 11, 2020

The proxy statement and annual report to shareholders and the means to vote by Internet are available at www.ProxyVote.com/Disney.

Your Vote is Important

Please vote as promptly as possible by using the Internet or telephone or by signing, dating and returning the Proxy Card mailed to those who receive paper copies of this proxy statement.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


  Proxy Summary   1

 

Corporate Governance and Board Matters

 

8
 

Governing Documents

  8
 

The Board of Directors

  8
 

Board Leadership

  8
 

Committees

  10
 

The Board's Role in Risk Oversight

  11
 

Management Succession Planning

  12
 

Director Selection Process

  12
 

Director Independence

  13
 

Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions

  14
 

Shareholder Communications

  14

 

Director Compensation

 

16

 

Executive Compensation

 

19
 

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

  19
 

Executive Compensation Program Structure

  20
 

2019 Compensation Decisions

  28
 

Compensation Committee Report

  36
 

Compensation Tables

  37

 

Audit-Related Matters

 

55
 

Audit Committee Report

  55
 

Policy for Approval of Audit and Permitted Non-audit Services

  56
 

Auditor Fees and Services

  56

  Items to Be Voted On   57
 

Election of Directors

  57
 

Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accountants

  63
 

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation

  63
 

Approval of an Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

  64
 

Shareholder Proposal

  71
 

Other Matters

  72

 

Information About Voting and the Meeting

 

73
 

Shares Outstanding

  73
 

Voting

  73
 

Attendance at the Meeting

  74

 

Other Information

 

75
 

Stock Ownership

  75
 

Section 16(a) Reports

  76
 

Electronic Availability of Proxy Statement and Annual Report

  76
 

Mailings to Multiple Shareholders at the Same Address

  76
 

Proxy Solicitation Costs

  77

 

Annex A — Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

 

A-1

 

Annex B — Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

 

B-1

The Walt Disney Company (500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California 91521) is providing you with this proxy statement relating to its 2020 Annual Meeting of shareholders. We began mailing a notice on January 17, 2020 containing instructions on how to access this proxy statement and our annual report online, and we also began mailing a full set of the proxy materials to shareholders who had previously requested delivery of the materials in paper copy. References to "the Company", "Disney" or "our" in this Proxy Statement refer to The Walt Disney Company and, as applicable, its consolidated subsidiaries.

   

The Walt Disney Company Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement


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GRAPHIC   Proxy Summary

Proposals to be Voted On

The following proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting of shareholders.

 
   
  For More Information
  Board Recommendation
Proposal 1: Election of nine directors   Pages 57 to 62   GRAPHIC For Each Nominee
Susan E. Arnold   Robert A. Iger        
Mary T. Barra   Maria Elena Lagomasino        
Safra A. Catz   Mark G. Parker        
Francis A. deSouza   Derica W. Rice        
Michael B.G. Froman            
Proposal 2:       Page 63   GRAPHIC For
Ratification of appointment of independent registered public accountants        
Proposal 3:       Page 63   GRAPHIC For
Advisory resolution on executive compensation        
Proposal 4:       Pages 64 to 70   GRAPHIC For
Approval of an amendment to the Company's Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan        
Proposal 5:       Pages 71 to 72   GRAPHIC Against
Shareholder proposal requesting an annual report disclosing information regarding the Company's lobbying policies and activities        

You may cast your vote in any of the following ways:

  GRAPHIC   GRAPHIC   GRAPHIC   GRAPHIC   GRAPHIC

 

Internet

 

Scan

 

Phone

 

Mail

 

In Person
  Visit www.ProxyVote.com/Disney. You will need the 16-digit number included in your proxy card, voter instruction form or notice.   You can scan this QR code to vote with your mobile phone. You will need the 16-digit number included in your proxy card, voter instruction form or notice.   Call 1-800-690-6903 or the number on your voter instruction form. You will need the 16-digit number included in your proxy card, voter instruction form or notice.   Send your completed and signed proxy card or voter instruction form to the address on your proxy card or voter instruction form.   See below regarding Attendance at the Meeting.

Attendance at the Meeting

If you plan to attend the meeting, you must be a shareholder on the record date and obtain an admission ticket in advance following the instructions set forth on page 74 of this proxy statement. Tickets will be available to registered and beneficial owners and up to one guest accompanying each registered or beneficial owner if permitted.

Requests for admission tickets will be processed in the order in which they are received and must be requested no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 10, 2020. Please note that seating is limited and requests for

tickets will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. On the day of the meeting, each shareholder will be required to present valid picture identification such as a driver's license or passport with their admission ticket. Seating will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the meeting will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. Large bags, backpacks, suitcases, briefcases, cameras, cell phones, recording devices and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the meeting. You will be required to enter through a security checkpoint before being granted access to the meeting.

   

Proxy Summary


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GRAPHIC   Proxy Summary

This summary highlights certain information in this proxy statement. As it is only a summary, please review the complete proxy statement and 2019 annual report before you vote.

Fiscal 2019 Strategic Overview and Performance

This was a year of extraordinary accomplishment for the Company.

The Company substantially advanced its transformative long-term strategic goals during fiscal 2019, including as follows:

    effected a fundamental change in the Company's organization to aggressively pursue its direct-to-consumer strategy by reorganizing its business into four segments: Media Networks; Parks, Experiences and Products; Studio Entertainment; and Direct-to-Consumer & International;

    completed the acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which was subsequently renamed TFCF Corporation (TFCF), expanding our portfolio of intellectual property and expanding our content library to even better position us to execute successfully our direct-to-consumer strategy;

    further enhanced our direct-to-consumer strategy by obtaining a majority stake in Hulu and securing a path to 100% ownership;

    successfully integrated TFCF while pursuing, and now forecasting to meaningfully exceed, the $2 billion cost synergies to which the Company initially committed in the TFCF acquisition; and

    impressively coordinated efforts across all of the Company's separate businesses to provide content and marketing in support of the single most important strategic initiative of the Company for fiscal 2019 – Disney+, which through those efforts, had an enormously successful launch in November 2019.

Given that the closing date for the TFCF acquisition was uncertain and operational interaction was precluded before closing, the ranges developed by the Committee at the beginning of the fiscal year to assess annual financial performance for bonus purposes were necessarily based on legacy Disney performance.

Financial results were measured against these ranges. Even in the face of the challenges associated with effecting strategically important transformational change, the legacy Disney businesses had very strong financial

performance in fiscal 2019 against those measures. To cite just one example contributing to performance, the Company released an unprecedented five major theatrical films in fiscal 2019 that grossed over $1 billion each in worldwide box office.

While mindful of the early performance of TFCF and Hulu, Inc. (Hulu), in considering the other performance factors for the named executive officers, the Committee, among other accomplishments, viewed favorably and believed it was appropriate to reward the following with respect to the TFCF acquisition:

    management's actions to achieve successful integration while meaningfully exceeding the Company's initial cost synergy commitment;

    the actions taken to acquire operational control and a path to ownership of Hulu;

    the immediate use of TFCF's assets to impact our direct-to-consumer initiatives (including, for example, the inclusion of National Geographic and The Simpsons content on Disney+ and FX content on Hulu); and

    the progress made in creating a strong creative collaboration across the legacy Disney and TFCF teams.

On a reported basis, including the impact of consolidating the TFCF and Hulu businesses for two quarters, revenue increased 17% to $69,570 million from $59,434 million in the prior year. Diluted Earning Per Share (EPS) from continuing operations for the year decreased 25% to $6.27 from $8.36 in the prior year. During fiscal 2019, the Company issued 307 million shares of common stock to acquire TFCF, contributing to this reduction in EPS. Net income from continuing operations attributable to Disney decreased 17% to $10,441 million from $12,598 million in the prior year. Income from continuing operations before income taxes decreased 5% to $13,944 million from $14,729 million. Income from continuing operations before income taxes is the comparable GAAP measure to total segment operating income, which also decreased 5% to $14,868 million from $15,689 million.

The Walt Disney Company Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement      1

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    For a reconciliation of income from continuing operations before income taxes to segment operating income, see Annex A.

For a more detailed discussion of our fiscal 2019 performance, see our fiscal 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company's long-term record of strong performance is reflected in a ten-year total shareholder return (TSR) that outperformed the S&P 500 by 196 percentage points.

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Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company (the "Board") is currently comprised of nine talented directors with diverse skillsets and professional backgrounds, as reflected in their biographies beginning on page 57.

    Board Diversity

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For more information regarding our directors, see the section of this proxy titled Items to Be Voted On – Election of Directors.

    Board Refreshment

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As part of its overall commitment to thoughtful refreshment, the Board is involved with succession planning for both key management roles and director positions. The Board considers the selection, retention and succession planning for the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to be its most important priority. The Board reserves time at every regularly scheduled Board meeting to meet in executive session without the Chief Executive Officer present, during which it discusses management succession as appropriate. Working

closely with the full Board, the Governance and Nominating Committee develops criteria for open Board positions, taking into account the needs of the Board and Company at the time.

The current term of office of all of the Company's directors expires at the 2020 Annual Meeting. For more information regarding these matters and our corporate governance, see the section of this proxy titled Corporate Governance and Board Matters.

The Walt Disney Company Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement      3

Fiscal 2019 Shareholder Engagement

During fiscal 2019, members of management and the Board continued their strong level of engagement with shareholders. In light of investor feedback, the Compensation Committee discussed with Mr. Iger, and he agreed to, adjustments in Mr. Iger's contractual compensation on three separate occasions during and following fiscal 2019. Generally, these adjustments increased the rigor of Mr. Iger's one time performance award, reduced annual compensation opportunity and eliminated a stay bonus.

Our Board and management have continued to engage with shareholders to understand areas of concern for executive compensation and to discuss those concerns as part of its ongoing evaluation of compensation and governance matters. A more detailed discussion of our

shareholder engagement and the changes made to Mr. Iger's compensation as a result thereof can be found in the section of this proxy titled Compensation Discussion and Analysis – Introduction – Shareholder Engagement.

As a result of investor feedback, the Company also significantly expanded its lobbying disclosure policy. The Company's enhanced policy, titled "Political Giving and Participation in the Formulation of Public Policy in the United States" can be found at https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/#policies and is discussed in more detail in the section of this proxy titled Items to Be Voted On – Shareholder Proposal – Board Recommendation.

Compensation Structure and Philosophy

The Compensation Committee firmly believes in pay for performance. Again in fiscal 2019, over 90% of Mr. Iger's target annual total direct compensation depended on the Company's financial results and the performance of Disney stock, creating close alignment between his incentives and shareholder value creation.

Base salary is the only fixed element of Mr. Iger's annual compensation. Substantially all other annual compensation breaks into the following performance-based categories:

    A performance-based annual cash bonus opportunity that is:

    o
    70% dependent on achievement of performance against four financial measures (segment operating income, EPS, after-tax free cash flow and return on invested capital, each as adjusted), all of which the Compensation Committee

      believes drive long-term shareholder value creation; and

      o
      30% dependent on the Compensation Committee's assessment of individual contributions toward achievement of qualitative goals tied to the Company's strategic priorities. More detail regarding our strategic priorities can be found in the section of this proxy titled Compensation Discussion and Analysis – 2019 Compensation Decisions.

    An annual equity award, which for the Chief Executive Officer, is comprised of 50% options and 50% performance-based units; the realized option value depends on the performance of Disney stock, and the realized performance-unit value depends on three-year achievement of relative TSR and EPS performance, as adjusted.

Fiscal 2019 Chief Executive Officer Compensation

Over the course of his tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Iger has delivered spectacular financial performance and created significant shareholder value, driven by key strategic initiatives, transformative acquisitions and exceptional execution.

Since fiscal 2005, Disney has achieved exceptional financial performance highlighted by:

4      Proxy Summary

    11% compounded annual growth in net income from continuing operations attributable to Disney:

    Net Income from Continuing Operations Attributable to Disney

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For a reconciliation of net income from continuing operations attributable to Disney to net income from continuing operations attributable to Disney excluding the non-recurring impact of tax reform and gains from real estate sales in fiscal 2018 and a non-cash gain recognized in connection with the acquisition of a controlling interest in Hulu (Hulu gain), offset by purchase price accounting and debt extinguishment charge in fiscal 2019, see Annex A.

    13% compounded annual growth in EPS:


    EPS from Continuing Operations (Reported)

    GRAPHIC

      

For a reconciliation of EPS to EPS excluding the non-recurring impact of tax reform and gains from real estate sales for fiscal 2018 and Hulu gain, offset by purchase price accounting and debt extinguishment charge in fiscal 2019, see Annex A.

The Walt Disney Company Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement      5

    Total shareholder return of 559%:

    Total Shareholder Return

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This marked significant outperformance relative to the S&P 500, whose total returns increased 223% over this period:

    Total Shareholder Return

    GRAPHIC

Compensation Committee Decisions Regarding Mr. Iger's Pay

Notwithstanding this track record of consistent strong performance, in response to shareholder feedback regarding the rigor of the performance criteria for Mr. Iger's one-time performance-based equity award and the total amount of Mr. Iger's annual compensation, the Compensation Committee discussed with Mr. Iger, and Mr. Iger agreed on three separate occasions, to reduce for fiscal 2019 the compensation he would have otherwise been entitled to under his employment contract as follows:

November 2018:

    increased the rigor of Mr. Iger's performance-based award in connection with his employment extension
    limited Mr. Iger's annual performance share unit awards to 100% of target number of units if the Company's TSR over the relevant performance period is negative

March 2019:

    eliminated an annual base salary increase of $500,000 that would have gone into effect upon the closing of the TFCF acquisition and thus maintained Mr. Iger's annual salary at $3.0 million – Base salary remains only 9% of Mr. Iger's total annual compensation.
6      Proxy Summary

    decreased by $5 million the annual target long-term incentive award opportunity that would have been made available to Mr. Iger under his employment agreement for periods following the closing of the TFCF acquisition
    decreased by $8 million the annual target bonus opportunity that would have been made available to Mr. Iger under his employment agreement for periods following the closing of the TFCF acquisition

December 2019:

    eliminated a $5 million completion bonus Mr. Iger would have been entitled to for having fulfilled his commitment to complete the July 2, 2019 term of his employment pursuant to the amendment to his employment agreement dated March 22, 2017

Against the background of these changes, the Compensation Committee awarded the following compensation in fiscal 2019:

Salary:    $3 million

Long-Term Incentive (Equity) Award:    Mr. Iger's annual equity grant was set at target, or a grant date value of $17.3 million, which was awarded

50% in stock options and 50% in performance-based restricted stock units. In addition, pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement, Mr. Iger received performance-based restricted stock units and stock options in connection with the close of the TFCF acquisition on March 20, 2019, with a grant date value of $2.4 million.

Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation (Bonus):    Mr. Iger's performance-based cash bonus of $21.75 million (compared to $18.0 million for fiscal 2018) reflects what the Committee believes was a year of extraordinary accomplishment as a result of the leadership Mr. Iger provided in closing and integrating the TFCF acquisition and effecting the Company's pursuit of its transformative direct-to-consumer strategy.

These amounts do not represent all of Mr. Iger's fiscal 2019 compensation; for a full description of Mr. Iger's fiscal 2019 compensation, see the Summary Compensation Table. Additional details on our compensation program and fiscal 2019 compensation can be found in the section of this proxy statement titled Executive Compensation.

Amended and Restated 2011 Plan

Equity incentives are an important part of designing attractive compensation for our employees and recruits, allowing us to attract and retain highly qualified team members upon whom, in large measure, the future growth and success of the Company depend. The Amended and Restated Stock Incentive Plan (the "2011 Plan") is scheduled to expire December 2020. In order to

continue the practice of granting equity incentive awards, the Board of Directors is seeking shareholder approval of the amendment and restatement of the 2011 Plan to extend the term of the plan, increase authorized shares under the plan and make additional adjustments discussed in the section of this proxy statement titled Items to Be Voted On — 2011 Plan.

Shareholder Proposal

In this year's proxy statement you will find one shareholder proposal. The proposal requests the Company to provide additional disclosure regarding its political activities, including information regarding its lobbying activities. After the proposal was submitted, the Company significantly expanded its lobbying disclosure, which can be found at https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/#policies.

Following the expansion of our disclosure, the Company has been recognized as one of the leaders for political disclosure among S&P 500 companies. In 2019, the Center for Political Accountability Zicklin Index of

Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability, which benchmarks the political disclosure and accountability policies and practices of leading U.S. public companies, recognized the quality of our disclosure and ranked the Company among the First Tier of S&P 500 companies. We don't believe devoting even further resources to this disclosure would benefit shareholders. The Board recommends that you vote against this proposal.

You can read our detailed position on this proposal in the section of this proxy statement titled Items to Be Voted On – Shareholder Proposal – Board Recommendation.