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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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o | Soliciting Material under Rule 14a-12 |
TRIPADVISOR, INC.INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in itsIn Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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April 30, 201228, 2015
Dear Fellow Stockholder:
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of TripAdvisor, Inc. We will hold the Annual Meeting on Tuesday,Thursday, June 26, 2012,18, 2015, at 12:001:30 p.m. local time at 555 West 18ththe offices of Goodwin Procter LLP, 53 State Street, New York, New York 10011.Boston, MA 02109.
At the Annual Meeting, stockholders will be asked (1) to elect the tennine directors named in this Proxy Statement, (2) to ratify the appointment of Ernst & YoungKPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2012,2015, (3) to voteapprove, on an advisory resolution to approvebasis, the compensation of our named executive officers (4) to vote on an advisory resolution on the frequency of future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation ofas disclosed in our named executive officersProxy Statement, and (5)(4) to consider and act upon any other business that may properly come before the meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR proposals (1) through (3) and recommends a vote of ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS on proposal (4).
Your vote is very important to us.You may vote if you were a stockholder of record on April 27, 2012.20, 2015. You may vote via the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions on your Notice of Internet Availability and on the website noted in the Notice of Internet Availability. In order to vote via the Internet or by telephone, you must have your stockholder identification number, which is provided in your Notice. If you have requested a proxy card by mail, you may vote by signing, voting and returning that proxy card in the envelope provided. If you attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote in person even if you have previously returned your proxy card or have voted via the Internet or by telephone.
Your vote is very important to us. Please review the instructions for each voting option described in the Notice and in this Proxy Statement. Your prompt cooperation will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, |
STEPHEN KAUFER |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
STEPHEN KAUFER
President and Chief Executive Officer2
TRIPADVISOR, INC.
141 Needham Street
Newton, Massachusetts 02464
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held on June 26, 201218, 2015
The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of TripAdvisor, Inc., a Delaware corporation, will be held on Tuesday,Thursday, June 26, 2012,18, 2015, at 12:001:30 p.m. local time at 555 West 18ththe offices of Goodwin Procter LLP, 53 State Street, New York, New York 10011 forBoston, MA 02109. At the following purposes:Annual Meeting, stockholders will be asked to consider the following:
1.To elect the tennine directors named in this Proxy Statement, each to serve for a one-year term from the date of his or her election and until such director’s successor is elected or until such director’s earlier resignation or removal;
2.To ratify the appointment of Ernst & YoungKPMG LLP as TripAdvisor’sour independent registered public accountingaccounting firm for 2012;2015;
3.To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in our Proxy Statement; and
4.To consider and act upon an advisory resolution to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers;
4. To consider and act upon an advisory resolution on the frequency of future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers; and
5. To transact suchany other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.
Only holders of record of outstanding shares of TripAdvisor capital stock at the close of business on April 27, 201220, 2015 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any at adjournments or postponements thereof.
In accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, we sentwill send a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials on or about May 8, 2012,April 28, 2015, and providedprovide access to our proxy materials over the Internet, beginning on May 8, 2012,April 28, 2015, to the holders of record and beneficial owners of our capital stock as of the close of business on the record date.
Only stockholders and persons holding proxies from stockholders may attend the Annual Meeting. If your shares are registered in your name, you must bring a form of identification to the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, you must bring a proxy or letter from that broker, trust, bank or other nominee that confirms that you are the beneficial owner of those shares.
By order
By Order of the Board of Directors, |
SETH J. KALVERT |
Senior Vice President, General Counsel |
April 28, 2015
SETH J. KALVERT
Senior Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
April 30, 2012
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials
for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to Be Held on June 26, 201218, 2015
This Proxy Statement and the 20112014 Annual Report are available at:
http://ir.tripadvisor.com/annual-proxy.cfm
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TRIPADVISOR, INC.
141 Needham Street
Newton, Massachusetts 02464
PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held on June 26, 2012
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This Proxy Statement is being furnished to holders of common stock and Class B common stock of TripAdvisor, Inc., a Delaware corporation, in connection with the solicitation of proxies by TripAdvisor’s Board of Directors for use at its 20122015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof (the “Annual Meeting”). All references to “TripAdvisor,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us” in this reportProxy Statement are to TripAdvisor, Inc. An Annual Report to Stockholders, containing financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011,2014, and this Proxy Statement are being made available to all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
TripAdvisor’s principal executive offices are currently located at 141 Needham Street, Newton, Massachusetts 02464. This Proxy Statement is being made available to TripAdvisor stockholders on or about April 30, 2012.28, 2015.
Date, Time and Place of Meeting
The Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday,Thursday, June 26, 2012,18, 2015, at 12:001:30 p.m. local time at 555 West 18ththe offices of Goodwin Procter LLP, 53 State Street, New York, New York 10011.Boston, MA 02109.
Only stockholders and persons holding proxies from stockholders may attend the Annual Meeting. If your shares are registered in your name, you must bring a form of identification to the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, otherwise known as holding in “street name,” you must bring a proxy or letter from that broker, trust, bank or other nominee that confirms you are the beneficial owner of those shares. Cameras and recording devices will not be permitted at the Annual Meeting.
General.The Board of Directors established the close of business on April 27, 201220, 2015 as the record date for determining the holders of TripAdvisor common stock entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. On the record date, 121,405,426130,707,574 shares of common stock and 12,799,999 shares of Class B common stock were outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. TripAdvisor stockholders are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock and ten votes for each share of Class B common stock held as of the record date, voting together as a single voting group, in (i) the election of sevensix of the tennine director nominees, (ii) the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm, and (iii) the advisory resolution to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers and (iv) the advisory resolution on the frequency of future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’sour named executive officers. TripAdvisor stockholders are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held as of the record date in the election of the three director nominees that the holders of TripAdvisor common stock are entitled to elect as a separate class pursuant to TripAdvisor’s restated certificate of incorporation.
AsOn August 27, 2014, the entire beneficial ownership of the record date, Barry Diller, the Chairmanour common stock and Senior Executive of TripAdvisor,Class B common stock held an irrevocable proxy over all TripAdvisor securities owned by Liberty Interactive Corporation (“Liberty”) was transferred to Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (“LTRIP”). This irrevocable proxy includes authoritySimultaneously, Liberty, LTRIP’s former parent company, distributed, by means of a dividend, to vote on eachthe holders of its Liberty Ventures common stock, Liberty’s entire equity interest in LTRIP. We refer to this transaction as the Liberty Spin-Off. As a result of the proposals presented for approval atLiberty Spin-Off, effective August 27, 2014, LTRIP became a separate, publicly traded company and 100% of Liberty’s interest in TripAdvisor was held by LTRIP. Liberty also assigned to LTRIP the Annual Meeting. Mr. Diller, throughrights and obligations under the Governance Agreement between TripAdvisor and Liberty, dated December 20, 2011 (the “Governance Agreement”).
As a result of these transactions, as of the record date, LTRIP beneficially owned 18,159,752 shares that he owns as well as those subject to the Liberty proxy, generally controls the vote of approximately 33.5%our common stock and 12,799,999 shares of our Class B common stock, which shares constitute 13.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock (assuming exercise of Mr. Diller’s exercisable stock options and conversion of all shares of Class B common stock into shares of common stock) and 100% of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock. Assuming the conversion of all of the LTRIP’s shares of Class B common stock and, consequently, approximately 62.3% of the combined voting power of the outstanding TripAdvisor capitalinto common stock, as of the record date.date LTRIP would beneficially own 21.6% of the outstanding common stock. Because each share of Class B common stock generally is entitled to ten votes per share and each share of common stock is entitled to one vote per share, as of the record date LTRIP may be deemed to beneficially own equity securities representing approximately 56.5% of our voting power. As a result, regardless of the vote of any other TripAdvisor stockholder, Mr. DillerLTRIP has control over the vote relating to (i) the election of sevensix of the tennine director nominees, (ii) the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm, and (iii) the approval, on an advisory resolution to approvebasis, of the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers and (iv) the advisory resolution on the frequency of future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’sour named executive officers.
Quorum; Abstentions; Broker Non-Votes
Transaction of business at the Annual Meeting may occur if a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present, it is expected that the Annual Meeting will be adjourned or postponed in order to permit additional time for soliciting and obtaining additional proxies or
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votes, and, at any subsequent reconvening of the Annual Meeting, all proxies will be voted in the same manner as such proxies would have been voted at the original convening of the Annual Meeting, except for any proxies that have been effectively revoked or withdrawn.
With respect to (i) the election of sevensix of the tennine director nominees, (ii) the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm, and (iii) the approval, on an advisory resolution to approvebasis, of the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers and (iv) the advisory resolution on the frequency of future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’sour named executive officers, the presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the total votes entitled to be cast constitutes a quorum.
For the election of the three directors whom the holders of TripAdvisor common stock are entitled to elect as a separate class, the presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of shares of common stock constitutes a quorum.
If a share is represented for any purpose at the meeting, it is deemed to be present for quorum purposes and for all other matters as well. Shares of TripAdvisor capital stock represented by a properly executed proxy will be treated as present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining a quorum, without regard to whether the proxy is marked as casting a vote or abstaining.
Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. A broker non-vote occurs when a nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote the shares on a proposal because the nominee does not have discretionary voting power for a particular item and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner regarding voting. Brokers who hold shares for the accounts of their clients have discretionary authority to vote shares if specific instructions are not given with respect to the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm. Brokers do not have discretionary authority to vote on (a)(i) the election of our directors (b)or (ii) the advisory resolution to approve the compensation of our named executive officers or (c) the advisory resolution on the frequency of future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of our named executive officers, so we encourage you to provide instructions to your broker regarding the voting of your shares.
TripAdvisor will bear the cost of the solicitation of proxies from its stockholders. In addition to solicitation by mail, the directors, officers and employees of TripAdvisor, without additional compensation, may solicit proxies from stockholders by telephone, by letter, by facsimile, in person or otherwise. Following the original mailing of the proxies and other soliciting materials, TripAdvisor will ask brokers, trusts, banks or other nominees to forward copies of the proxy and other soliciting materials to persons for whom they hold shares of TripAdvisor capital stock and to request authority for the exercise of proxies. In such cases, TripAdvisor, upon the request of the brokers, trusts, banks and other stockholder nominees, will reimburse such holders for their reasonable expenses.
The manner in which your shares may be voted depends on whether you are a:
· | Registered stockholder: Your shares are represented by certificates or book entries in your name on the records of the TripAdvisor’s stock transfer |
· | Beneficial stockholder: You hold your shares “in street name” through a broker, trust, bank or other nominee and you have the right to direct your broker, trust, bank or other nominee on how to vote the shares in your account; however, you must request and receive a valid proxy from your broker, trust, bank or other nominee. |
Whether you hold shares directly as a registered stockholder or beneficially as a beneficial stockholder, you may direct how your shares are voted without attending the Annual Meeting. For directions on how to vote, please refer to the instructions below and those on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, proxy card or voting instruction form provided. To vote using the Internet or by telephone, you will be required to enter the control number included on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or other voting instruction form provided by your broker, trust, bank or other nominee.
· | Using the Internet. Registered stockholders may vote using the Internet by going towww.proxyvote.com and following the instructions. Beneficial stockholders may vote by accessing the website specified on the voting instruction forms provided by their brokers, trusts, banks or other nominees. |
· | By Telephone. Registered stockholders may vote, from within the United States, using any touch-tone telephone by calling 1-800-690-6903 and following the recorded instructions. Beneficial owners may vote, from within the United |
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States, using any touch-tone telephone by calling the number specified on the voting instruction forms provided by their brokers, trusts, banks or other nominees. |
· | By Mail. Registered stockholders may submit proxies by mail by requesting printed proxy cards and marking, signing and dating the printed proxy cards and mailing them in the accompanying pre-addressed envelopes. Beneficial owners may vote by marking, signing and dating the voting instruction forms provided by their brokers, trusts, banks or other nominees and mailing them in the accompanying pre-addressed envelopes. |
All proxies properly submitted and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the instructions indicated thereon. If no instructions are provided, such proxies will be voted FOR proposals (1) through (3) and ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS on proposal (4) described in this Proxy Statement.
TripAdvisor is incorporated under Delaware law, which specifically permits electronically transmitted proxies, provided that each such proxy contains, or is submitted with, information from which the inspector of elections can determine that such proxy was authorized by the stockholder. The electronic voting procedures provided for the Annual Meeting are designed to authenticate each stockholder by use of a control number, to allow stockholders to vote their shares and to confirm that their instructions have been properly recorded.
Voting in Person at the Annual Meeting
You may also vote in person at the Annual Meeting. Votes in person will replace any previous votes you have made by mail, telephone or the Internet. We will provide a ballot to registered stockholders who request one at the meeting. Shares held in your name as the stockholder of record may be voted on that ballot. Shares held beneficially in street name may be voted on a ballot only if you bring a legal proxy from the broker, trust, bank or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares. Attendance at the Annual Meeting without voting or revoking a previous proxy in accordance with the voting procedures will not in and of itself revoke a proxy.
Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please take the time to vote via the Internet, by telephone or by returning your marked, signed and dated proxy card so that your shares will be represented at the Annual Meeting.
Any proxy given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by the person giving it any time before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting.
If you are a beneficial stockholder, you may revoke your proxy or change your vote only by following the separate instructions provided by your broker, trust, bank or other nominee.
If you are a registered stockholder, you may revoke your proxy at any time before it is exercised at the Annual Meeting by (i) delivering written notice, bearing a date later than the proxy, stating that the proxy is revoked, (ii) submitting a later-dated proxy relating to the same stock by mail, telephone or the Internet prior to the vote at the Annual Meeting or (iii) attending the Annual Meeting and properly giving notice of revocation to the inspector of elections or voting in person. Registered holders may send any written notice or request for a new proxy card to TripAdvisor, Inc., c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717, or follow the instructions provided on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and proxy card to submit a new proxy by telephone or via the Internet. Registered holders may also request a new proxy card by calling 1-800-579-1639.
The Board of Directors does not presently intend to bring any business before the Annual Meeting other than the proposals discussed in this Proxy Statement and specified in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board of Directors has no knowledge of any other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting other than those described in this Proxy Statement. If any other matters should properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons designated in the proxy will vote on them according to their best judgment.
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ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Our Board of Directors currently consists of tennine members. Pursuant to the terms of TripAdvisor’s bylaws, each director serves for a one-year term from the date of his or her election and until such director’s successor is elected or until such director’s earlier resignation or removal. The Board of Directors has nominated the following directors and recommends that each be elected to serve a one-year term and until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until such director’s earlier resignation or removal:
Barry DillerGregory B. Maffei
Stephen Kaufer
William R. Fitzgerald
Victor A. Kaufman
Dara Khosrowshahi
Jonathan F. Miller
Dipchand (Deep) Nishar
Jeremy Philips
Spencer M. Rascoff
Christopher W. Shean
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy
Robert S. Wiesenthal
Michael P. Zeisser
TripAdvisor’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the holders of TripAdvisor common stock, acting as a single class, are entitled to elect a number of directors equal to 25% percent of the total number of directors, rounded up to the next whole number, which is currently three directors. The Board has designated Messrs. Miller, Philips and Wiesenthal as nominees for the positions on the Board to be elected by the holders of TripAdvisor common stock voting as a separate class.
Pursuant to athe Governance Agreement, among TripAdvisor, Liberty and Mr. Diller, dated December 20, 2011 (the “Governance Agreement”), LibertyLTRIP has the right to nominate up to a number of directors equal to 20% of the total number of the directors on the Board of Directors (rounded up to the next whole number if the number of directors on the Board of Directors is not an even multiple of five) for election to the Board of Directors and has certain other rights regarding committee participation, so long as certain stock ownership requirements applicable to LibertyLTRIP are satisfied. LibertyLTRIP has designated Messrs. FitzgeraldMaffei and ZeisserShean as its nominees to the Board of Directors.
Although management does not anticipate that any of the nominees named above will be unable or unwilling to stand for election, in the event of such an occurrence, proxies may be voted for a substitute nominee designated by the Board of Directors.
Election of Messrs. Diller, Kaufer, Fitzgerald, Kaufman, Khosrowshahi and Zeisser and Ms. Singh Cassidy and Messrs. Maffei, Kaufer, Nishar, Rascoff and Shean as directors requires the affirmative vote of a plurality of the total number of votes cast by the holders of shares of TripAdvisor common stock and Class B common stock, present in person or represented by proxy, voting together as a single class.
Election of Messrs. Miller, Philips and Wiesenthal as directors requires the affirmative vote of a plurality of the total number of votes cast by the holders of shares of TripAdvisor common stock, present in person or represented by proxy, voting together as a separate class.
Valid proxies received pursuant to this solicitation will be voted in the manner specified. Where no specification is made, it is intended that the proxies received from stockholders will be voted FOR the election of the director nominees identified. For the election of the directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect because approval by a certain percentage of voting stock present or outstanding is not required.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR NAMED ABOVE.
Directors and Executive Officers
Set forth below is certain background information, as of March 15, 2012,April 24, 2015, regarding the members of our Board of Directors, each of whom is also a nominee, as well as TripAdvisor’s other executive officers. Each of the nominees has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of TripAdvisor’s spin-off (the “Spin-Off”) from Expedia, Inc. (“Expedia”) in December 2011. There are no family relationships among directors or
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executive officers of TripAdvisor. In addition to the information presented below regarding each nominee’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led the Board of Directors to the conclusion that he or she should be renominated as a director, each nominee has demonstrated business acumen and an ability to exercise sound judgment, as well as a commitment to TripAdvisor and our Board of Directors as demonstrated by the nominee’s past service. All of our nominees also have extensive management experience in complex organizations. The Board of Directors considered the NASDAQ requirement that the Company’sTripAdvisor’s Audit Committee be composed of at least three independent directors, as well as specific NASDAQ and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) requirements regarding financial literacy and expertise.
Name | Age | Position | ||||||
| 54 | Chairman | ||||||
Stephen Kaufer | 52 | Director, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
Julie M.B. Bradley | 46 | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | ||||||
Seth J. Kalvert | 45 | Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||||
| 44 | President, Vacation Rentals | ||||||
| ||||||||
| 50 | Chief Executive Officer, Attractions | ||||||
Jonathan F. Miller | 58 | Director | ||||||
Dipchand (Deep) Nishar | 46 | Director | ||||||
Jeremy Philips | 42 | Director | ||||||
Spencer M. Rascoff | 39 | Director | ||||||
Christopher W. Shean | 49 | Director | ||||||
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy | 45 | Director | ||||||
Robert S. Wiesenthal | ||||||||
| 48 | Director |
Gregory B. MaffeiBarry Diller has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Senior Executive of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia.February 2013. Mr. DillerMaffei has been the Chairman of the Expedia Board and Senior Executive of Expedia since the completion of Expedia’s spin-off from IAC/InterActiveCorp (“IAC”) in August 2005. Mr. Diller has been the Chairman of the Board and Senior Executive of IAC since December 2010 and also served as Chairman ofa director as well as the BoardPresident and Chief Executive Officer of IAC (andLiberty Media Corporation (“LMC”) (including its predecessors) from August 1995 through November 2010. Mr. Diller also previouslypredecessor) since May 2007, LTRIP since July 2013 and Liberty Broadband Corporation (“LBC”) since June 2014. He has served as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. from August 2008 through January 2010 and as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. from January 2010 through October 2010 and remained a member of the Board of Live Nation Entertainment through January 2011. He served as Chairman of the BoardPresident and Chief Executive Officer of QVC, Inc. from December 1992 through December 1994Liberty since February 2006 and as thea director since November 2005. . He also served as CEO-Elect of Liberty from November 2005 through February 2006. Prior to joining Liberty in 2005, Mr. Maffei served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Oracle Corporation, Chairman, of the BoardPresident and Chief Executive Officer of Fox, Inc. from 1984 to 1992. Prior to joining Fox, Inc., Mr. Diller served for ten years as Chairman of the Board360networks Corporation and Chief ExecutiveFinancial Officer of Paramount PicturesMicrosoft Corporation. Mr. Diller isMaffei also currently a member of the Boards of Directors of The Washington Post Company and of The Coca-Cola Company. Mr. Diller is also a member of the Board of Councilors for the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, the New York University Board of Trustees, the Executive Board for the Medical Sciences of the University of California, Los Angeles and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Board Membership Qualifications: As Chairman of the Board of Expedia since its spin-off from IAC (as well as Chairman of the Board of IAC prior to, during and after IAC’s acquisition of TripAdvisor in 2004), Mr. Diller has a great depth of knowledge and experience regarding TripAdvisor and its businesses. Mr. Diller has extensive management experience, including through his service as Chief Executive Officer
of media and interactive commerce companies, as well as experienceserves as a director servingof the following companies: Starz, Sirius XM Holdings Inc., Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., Charter Communications, Inc. and Zillow Group, Inc. Mr. Maffei holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and an A.B. from Dartmouth College.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Maffei brings to our Board significant financial and operational experience based on his senior policy-making positions at Liberty, LMC, LBC, LTRIP, Oracle, 360networks and Microsoft and his other public company boards, including as Chairman. In addition, Mr. Diller effectively controls over a majorityboard experience. He provides our board with an executive and leadership perspective on the operation and management of the outstanding share capital of TripAdvisor.large public companies and risk management principles.
Stephen Kaufer co-founded TripAdvisor in February 2000 and has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of TripAdvisor since that date. Mr. Kaufer has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Offspin-off from Expedia.Expedia (the “Spin-Off”) in 2011. Prior to co-founding TripAdvisor, Mr. Kaufer served as President of CDS, Inc., an independent software vendor specializing in programming and testing tools, and co-founded CenterLine Software and served as its Vice President of Engineering. Mr. Kaufer serves on the boards of several privately-held companies, including CarGurus, LLC, LiveData, Inc., and GlassDoor, Inc., as well as the charity Caring for Carcinoid Foundation. Mr. Kaufer holds an ABA.B. in Computer Science from Harvard University.
Board Membership Qualifications: As co-founder of TripAdvisor and through his service as its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kaufer has extensive knowledge of TripAdvisor’s business and operations, and significant experience in the online advertising sector of the global travel industry. Mr. Kaufer also possesses strategic and governance skills gained through his executive and director roles with several privately-held companies.
Jonathan F. MillerWilliam R. Fitzgerald has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia and has been a director of Expedia since March 2006.in 2011. He has served as a Senior Vice President of Liberty Interactive Corporation (formerly known as Liberty Media Corporation) since 2000, and has served as a Senior Vice President of Liberty Media Corporation (formerly known as Liberty Capstarz, Inc.) since September 2011. In addition, Mr. Fitzgerald serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ascent Capital Group, Inc. Prior to joining Liberty, Mr. Fitzgerald served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, for AT&T Broadband (formerly known as Tele-Communications, Inc.). Prior to that, Mr. Fitzgerald served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Tele-Communications, Inc., was a partner at Daniels & Associates and was a commercial banker at The First National Bank of Chicago. Mr. Fitzgerald served on the Board of Directors of Cablevision Corporation from 1998 to 2000 and on the Board of Directors of OnCommand Corporation from 2002 to 2005. Mr. Fitzgerald received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University Kelley School of Business and a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Fitzgerald was nominated as a director by Liberty, which, under the Governance Agreement, has the right to nominate two individuals for election to the TripAdvisor Board of Directors (based on Liberty’s ownership of TripAdvisor stock). Mr. Fitzgerald has significant executive-level experience and a strong operational background.
Victor A. Kaufman has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia and has been a director and the Vice Chairman of Expedia since the completion of Expedia’s spin-off from IAC in August 2005. Mr. Kaufman has been a director of IAC (and its predecessors) since December 1996 and has served as the Vice Chairman of IAC since October 1999. Mr. Kaufman also previously served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. from August 2008 through January 2010 and as a director of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. from January 2010 through December 2010. Mr. Kaufman served in the Office of the Chairman of IAC from January 1997 to November 1997 and as Chief Financial Officer of IAC from November 1997 to October 1999. Prior to his tenure with IAC, Mr. Kaufman served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Savoy Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (“Savoy”) from March 1992 and as a director of Savoy from February 1992. Mr. Kaufman was the founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. (“TriStar”) and served in those capacities from 1983 until December 1987, at which time he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Tri-Star’s successor company, Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (“Columbia”). He resigned from those positions at the end of 1989 following the acquisition of Columbia by Sony USA, Inc. Mr. Kaufman joined Columbia in 1974 and served in a variety of senior positions at Columbia and its affiliates prior to the founding of Tri-Star.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Kaufman has unique knowledge of and experience with TripAdvisor and its businesses gained through his involvement with TripAdvisor during its time as a
subsidiary of Expedia and IAC. Mr. Kaufman also has a high level of financial literacy and expertise regarding mergers, acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions, as well as experience as a director serving on other public company boards.
Dara Khosrowshahi has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia. Mr. Khosrowshahi has been a director and the Chief Executive Officer of Expedia since the completion of Expedia’s spin-off from IAC in August 2005. Mr. Khosrowshahi served as the Chief Executive Officer of IAC Travel, a division of IAC, from January 2005 until the completion of the IAC/Expedia spin-off in August 2005. Prior to his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of IAC Travel, Mr. Khosrowshahi served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of IAC from January 2002 to January 2005. Mr. Khosrowshahi served as IAC’s Executive Vice President, Operations and Strategic Planning, from July 2000 to January 2002 and as President, USA Networks Interactive, a division of IAC, from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Khosrowshahi joined IAC in 1998 as Vice President of Strategic Planning and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1999. Mr. Khosrowshahi worked at Allen & Company LLC from 1991 to 1998, where he served as Vice President from 1995 to 1998.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Khosrowshahi possesses in-depth experience with and knowledge of the online advertising sector of the global travel industry gained through his service as Chief Executive Officer of Expedia, the former parent company of TripAdvisor, and as Chief Executive Officer of IAC Travel prior to Expedia’s spin-off from IAC. Mr. Khosrowshahi also has a high level of financial literacy and expertise regarding mergers, acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions. In his roles as a director and Chief Executive Officer of Expedia, Mr. Khosrowshahi has gained valuable corporate governance experience.
Jonathan F. Miller has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia. Mr. Miller is the Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corporation’s digital media group and News Corporation’s Chief Digital Officer positions he has held sincefrom April 2009.2009 until October 2012. Mr. Miller had previously beenwas a founding partner of Velocity Interactive Group (“Velocity”), an investment firm focusing on digital media and the consumer Internet, from its inception in February 2007 until April 2009. Prior to founding Velocity, Mr. Miller served as Chief Executive Officer of AOL LLC (“AOL”) from August 2002 to December 2006. Prior to joining AOL, Mr. Miller served as Chief Executive Officer and President of USA Information and Services, of USA Interactive, a predecessor to IAC.IAC/InterActiveCorp (“IAC”). Mr. Miller alsopreviously served as a director of Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. from August 2008 until January 2010, and as a director of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. from January 2010 through April 2011.and Ticketmaster
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Entertainment, Inc. prior to its merger with LiveNation. Mr. Miller is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Shutterstock, Inc.; AMC Networks, Inc.; The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company and RTL Group, S.A. Mr. Miller also serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute and is alsoThe Paley Center for Media. Mr. Miller holds a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.B.A. from Harvard College.
Board Membership Qualifications: Through his various senior leadership positions at other private and public companies and business divisions thereof, Mr. Miller possesses extensive executive, strategic, operational, and corporate governance experience. Mr. Miller also has expertise in the digital media and online advertising sectors. Further, Mr. Miller has experience as a director serving on other public company boards.
Dipchand (Deep) Nishar has been a director of TripAdvisor since September 2013. Mr. Nishar has served on the Board of Directors of OPower, Inc. since August 2013. From January 2011 to October 2014, Mr. Nishar served as Senior Vice President, Products and User Experience, for LinkedIn Corporation and, from January 2009 until January 2011, served as its Vice President, Products. Prior to LinkedIn, Mr. Nishar served in several roles, including most recently as the Senior Director of Products for the Asia-Pacific region at Google Inc., an Internet search company, from August 2003 to January 2009. He was also the Founder and Vice President of Products at Patkai Networks, a service oriented architecture software company. Mr. Nishar holds an M.B.A. with highest honors (Baker Scholar) from Harvard Business School, an M.SEE from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a B.Tech with honors from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Board Membership Qualifications: Through his roles with LinkedIn and Patkai Networks, Mr. Nishar has significant operational experience in those areas which are directly applicable to TripAdvisor’s business and areas of focus. Mr. Nishar has an extensive background in the Internet industry and, in particular, the digital media and online advertising sectors.
Jeremy Philips has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia.in 2011. He has been a general partner of Spark Capital since May 2014. He is also a director of several private Internet companies. Mr. Philips served as the Chief Executive Officer of Photon Group Limited, a holding company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, from June 2010 to January 2012. Mr. Philips had previously served as an Executive Vice President in the Office of the Chairman of News Corporation from January 2006 to March 2010, and as Senior Vice President of News Corporation from July 2004 to January 2006. Prior to joining News Corporation, he served in several roles, including as co-founder and Vice-Chairman of a publicly traded Internet holding company, and as an analyst at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Philips also served as a director of REA Group Ltd. from March 2009 to June 2010. He is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and holds a BA and LLB from the University of New South Wales and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Philips has significant strategic and operational experience, acquired through his service as Chief Executive Officer of Photon Group Limited and other executive-level positions at other
companies. He also possesses a high level of financial literacy and expertise regarding mergers, acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions.
Spencer M. Rascoff has been a director of TripAdvisor since September 2013. Mr. Rascoff has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Zillow, Inc. since September 2010 and has served as a member of its Board of Directors since July 2011. Mr. Rascoff joined Zillow as one of its founding employees in 2005 as Vice President of Marketing and Chief Financial Officer and served as Chief Operating Officer from December 2008 until he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Rascoff served as Vice President of Lodging for Expedia. In 1999, Mr. Rascoff co-founded Hotwire, Inc., an online travel company, and managed several of Hotwire’s product lines before Hotwire was acquired in 2003 by IAC, Expedia’s parent company at the time. Mr. Rascoff previously served in the mergers and acquisitions group at Goldman, Sachs & Co., an investment banking and securities firm, and at TPG Capital, a private equity firm. Mr. Rascoff serves on the Board of Directors of Zulily, a privately held consumer products company, and Julep Beauty Incorporated, a privately-held beauty products company. Mr. Rascoff graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Government from Harvard University, and he serves on the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute Advisory Board.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Rascoff has significant operational and financial experience, acquired through his current service as Chief Executive Officer and prior service as Chief Financial Officer of Zillow. Mr. Rascoff also possesses a high level of financial literacy and expertise regarding mergers, acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions as well as an extensive background in the Internet industry and global travel industry.
Christopher W. Shean has been a director of TripAdvisor since February 2013. Mr. Shean has been a Senior Vice President of LMC (including its predecessor) since May 2007, the Chief Financial Officer since November 2011 and the Controller from May 2007 to October 2011. Mr. Shean has also served as a Senior Vice President of Liberty since January 2002 and the Chief Financial Officer since November 2011. Previously, Mr. Shean served as the Controller of Liberty from October 2000 to October 2011 and a Vice President from October 2000 to January 2002. Mr. Shean has also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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of LTRIP since July 2013 and LBC since June 2014. Mr. Shean serves as a director of FTD Companies, Inc. He is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Shean has significant financial and operational experience gained through his service as Chief Financial Officer and other executive-level positions at Liberty and LMC and as a partner of KPMG. As a result of his extensive business and financial experience, Mr. Shean is able to provide valuable business, financial and risk management advice. He also possesses a high level of financial literacy and expertise regarding mergers, acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions.
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia.in 2011. In January 2011, Ms. Singh Cassidy founded, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Joyus, a video commerce website owned by privately-held Project J Corporation.website. Ms. Singh Cassidy previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Polyvore, Inc., a privately-held social commerce website, from March 2010 to September 2010. Prior to that, she was CEO-in-residence at Accel Partners, a global venture and growth equity firm, from April 2009 to March 2010. From October 2003 to April 2009, Ms. Singh Cassidy held various positions at Google Inc., including, mostlymost recently, globalGlobal Vice President of Sales and Operations.Operations for Asia Pacific and Latin America in which she was responsible for Google’s international growth. Previously, Ms. Singh Cassidy worked with Yodlee.com, Amazon.com and News Corporation, and in investment banking with Merrill Lynch.Lynch & Co., Inc. Ms. Singh Cassidy has served on the board of directors of privately-held Formspring, Inc., an online social network, since June 2011, served on the board of directors of publicly-traded J. Crew Group, Inc. from August 2009 to March 2010, and currently serves on the board of directors of the nonprofit JobTrainEricsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and has previously served on the advisory board of J. Crew Group, Inc. and J. Hilburn, Inc. She has also served on the Princeton Computer Science Advisory Council as well as the Advisory Board of A Woman’sWomen’s Nation a project ofin partnership with Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress. Ms. Singh Cassidy graduated from the University of Western Ontario and earned her H.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Board Membership Qualifications: Qualifications: Through her experience as a consumer Internet and media executive, Ms. Singh Cassidy has in-depth knowledge of the online media and advertising sectors. Ms. Singh Cassidy also possesses extensive executive, strategic and operational experience.
Robert S. Wiesenthal has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia.in 2011. Since January 2013, Mr. Wiesenthal joinedserved as Chief Operating Officer of Warner Music Group Corp., a leading global music conglomerate. From 2000 to 2012, Mr. Wiesenthal served in various senior executive capacities within the Sony Corporation (“Sony”) in July 2000 and currently servesCorporation. From January 2002 through June 2012, Mr. Wiesenthal served as Group Executive, Sony Corporation; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sony Corporation of America;America and, since July 2005, as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Sony Entertainment, Inc. He is a member of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Operating Committee and sits on the Boards of Directors of Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications.Entertainment. Prior to joining Sony, Mr. Wiesenthal was associated withManaging Director at Credit Suisse First Boston joining the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Group in 1988, the firm’s Media Group in 1993 and, from 1999 to 2000, serving as Managing Director and head of the firm’s Entertainment and Digital Media practices.practices from 1999 to 2000, a member of its Media Group from 1993 to 1999 and a member of its Mergers and Acquisitions Group from 1988 to 1993. Mr. Wiesenthal presently serves on the Board of Directors of Entercom Communications Corp.,Starz. Mr. Wiesenthal has a position he has held since 2004. He also serves onB.A. from the BoardUniversity of Directors of the Hamptons International Film Festival.Rochester.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Wiesenthal possesses extensive strategic, operational and financial experience, gained through his wide range of service in executive-level positions with a strong focus on networked consumer electronics, entertainment, and digital media. He also has a high degree of financial literacy and expertise regarding mergers, acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions.
Michael P. Zeisser has been a director of TripAdvisor since the completion of the Spin-Off from Expedia. Mr. Zeisser has served as Senior Vice President of Liberty Interactive Corporation (formerly known as Liberty Media Corporation) since September 2003, in which capacity he is responsible for the oversight of Liberty’s eCommerce Group of companies and consumer Internet investments. Prior to his tenure at Liberty, Mr. Zeisser was a partner at McKinsey & Company from December 1996. Mr. Zeisser served as a director of IAC from August 2008 to June 2011 and, at certain times during the past five years, has served as a member of the boards of directors of OpenTV and FUN Technologies, Inc. Mr. Zeisser is a graduate of the University of Strasbourg, France and the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was a Procter & Gamble Academic Scholar. Mr. Zeisser also serves on the board of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado.
Board Membership Qualifications: Mr. Zeisser was nominated as a director by Liberty, which under the Governance Agreement has the right to nominate two individuals for election to the TripAdvisor Board of Directors (based on Liberty’s ownership of TripAdvisor stock). Mr. Zeisser has extensive insight into, and unique and specialized experience regarding, the Internet and digital media. He also possesses significant experience with respect to international operations and business strategy.
Julie M.B. Bradley has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer of TripAdvisor since October 2011. Prior to joining TripAdvisor, from July 2005 to April 2011, Ms. Bradley served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Art Technology Group, Inc., a provider of e-commerce software solutions and services, which was acquired by Oracle Corporation in January 2011. Prior to joining Art Technology Group, Ms. Bradley was at Akamai Technologies, Inc. from April 2000 to June 2005, most recently serving as Vice President of Finance. Previously, Ms. Bradley was an accountant with Deloitte.Deloitte LLP. Ms. Bradley is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Wayfair.com and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Judge Baker’s Children’s Center. Ms. Bradley previously served on the Board of Directors of Exact Target. Ms. Bradley received her B.S. degreeB.A. in Economics from Wheaton College and is a certified public accountant.
On April 2, 2015, Ms. Bradley informed TripAdvisor of her intention to resign from the Company. In order to provide for the transition of Ms. Bradley’s responsibilities, the Company and Ms. Bradley have entered into a Separation Agreement, dated April 2, 2015 pursuant to which Ms. Bradley has agreed to remain with the Company on a full-time basis for a transition period, which will last until the earlier of September 30, 2015 or thirty days following her successor’s start date.
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Seth J. Kalvert, has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of TripAdvisor since August 2011. Prior to his transition tojoining TripAdvisor, Mr. Kalvert served as Vice President, Associate General Counsel of Expedia since February 2006, having been promoted from Assistant General Counsel, a position he had held since March 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Kalvert held positions at IAC, including Senior Counsel, from April 2002 toExpedia, which he joined in March 2005, andmost recently as Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Electronic Commerce Solutions, a former subsidiary of IAC,beginning in February 2006. Prior to that, from July 2001 to March 2002.2005, Mr. Kalvert held a variety of internal legal positions at IAC and its subsidiaries. Previously, Mr. Kalvert held a business development position at Bolt Media Inc., a privately-held online social networking and e-commerce company, and was an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP, a New York law firm. Mr. Kalvert holds an A.B. degree from Brown University and a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School.
Dermot M. Halpin has served as President of the Vacation Rentals division at TripAdvisor since December 2011. Mr. Halpin served as a Board member, commencing June 2009 and CEO commencing November 2009 of Autoquake, a venture-backed consumer Internet business, until his resignation in March 2011. Prior to Autoquake, from October 2001 to December 2008, Mr. Halpin worked at Expedia, Inc., most recently serving as President of Expedia EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Before joining Expedia, Dermot worked at several technology-driven businesses. Mr. Halpin holds an MBA from INSEAD and studied engineering at University College Dublin, Ireland.
Barrie Seidenberg has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Attractions division at TripAdvisor since TripAdvisor acquired Viator, Inc., (“Viator”), in August 2014. Ms. Seidenberg joined Viator as President in 2005 and took on the additional role of CEO in 2008. Before joining Viator, Ms. Seidenberg was Chief Marketing Officer at Preview Travel, one of the early leaders in online travel. She has previously held senior-level positions with Atinera, Williams-Sonoma and American Express. Ms. Seidenberg received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Director Independence
Under the NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rules (the “Listing“NASDAQ Rules”), the Board has a responsibility to make an affirmative determination that those members of the Board who serve as independent directors do not have any relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In connection with the independence determinations described below, the Board reviewed information regarding transactions, relationships and arrangements relevant to independence, including those required by the ListingNASDAQ Rules. This information is obtained from director responses to questionnaires circulated by management, as well as our records and publicly available information. Following this determination, management monitors those transactions, relationships and arrangements that were relevant to such determination, as well as solicits updated information potentially relevant to independence from internal personnel and directors, to determine whether there have been any developments that could potentially have an adverse impact on the Board’s prior independence determination.
The Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Messrs. Miller, Nishar, Philips, Rascoff and Wiesenthal is an “independent director” as defined by the ListingNASDAQ Rules. In making its independence determinations, the Board of Directors considered the applicable legal standards and any relevant transactions, relationships or arrangements. In addition to the satisfaction of the director independence requirements set forth in the ListingNASDAQ Rules, members of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee have also satisfied separate independence requirements under the current standards imposed by the SEC and the ListingNASDAQ Rules for audit committee members and by the SEC, NASDAQ Rules and the Internal Revenue Service for compensation committee members.
Controlled Company Status
On August 27, 2014, the entire beneficial ownership of our common stock and Class B common stock held by Liberty was transferred to LTRIP. Simultaneously, Liberty, LTRIP’s former parent company, distributed, by means of a dividend, to the holders of its Liberty Ventures common stock, Liberty’s entire equity interest in LTRIP. We refer to this transaction as the Liberty Spin-Off. As a result of the Liberty Spin-Off, effective August 27, 2014, LTRIP became a separate, publicly traded company and 100% of Liberty’s interest in TripAdvisor was held by LTRIP.
As of the record date, LTRIP beneficially owned 18,159,752 shares of our common stock and 12,799,999 shares of our Class B common stock, which shares constitute 13.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock and 100% of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock, respectively. Assuming the conversion of all of LTRIP’s shares of Class B common stock into common stock, LTRIP would beneficially own 21.6% of the outstanding common stock. Because each share of Class B common stock generally is entitled to ten votes per share and each share of common stock is entitled to one vote per share, LTRIP may be deemed to beneficially own equity securities representing approximately 56.5% of our voting power. LTRIP has filed a Statement of Beneficial Ownership on Schedule 13D with respect to its TripAdvisor holdings and related voting arrangements with the SEC.
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The ListingNASDAQ Rules exempt “controlled companies,” or companies of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company, such as TripAdvisor, from certain governance requirements under the Listing Rules.
Pursuant toNASDAQ Rules, including, among other items, the requirement that our Board of Directors be comprised of a Stockholders Agreement, dated December 20, 2011, by and between Liberty and Mr. Diller (the “Stockholders Agreement”), Mr. Diller, through shares owned by him as well as those beneficially owned by Liberty asmajority of April 27, 2012, the record date for the Annual Meeting, generally controls the vote of approximately 33.5% of the outstanding shares of common stock (assuming exercise of Mr. Diller’s exercisable
stock options and conversion of all shares of Class B common stock into shares of common stock) and 100% of the outstanding Class B common stock and, consequently, approximately 62.3% of the combined voting power of the outstanding TripAdvisor capital stock. Mr. Diller and Liberty have filed a Statement of Beneficial Ownership on Schedule 13D with respect to their TripAdvisor holdings and related voting arrangements with the SEC.independent directors. On this basis, TripAdvisor is relying on the exemption for controlled companies from certain requirements under the ListingNASDAQ Rules, including, among others, the requirement that a majority of the Board of Directors be composed of independent directors, the requirement that the Compensation Committee be composed solely of independent directors and certain requirements relating to the nomination of directors. We may, in the future, rely on other exemptions available to a controlled company, including, among others, the requirement that a majority of the Board of Directors be composed of independent directors.
Board Leadership Structure
Mr. DillerMaffei serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and also serves as our Senior Executive, and Mr. Kaufer serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of TripAdvisor. The roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors are currently separated in recognition of the differences between the two roles. This leadership structure provides us with the benefit of Mr. Diller’sMaffei’s oversight of TripAdvisor’s strategic goals and vision, coupled with the benefit of a full-time Chief Executive Officer dedicated to focusing on the day-to-day management and continued growth of the CompanyTripAdvisor and its operating businesses. We believe that it is in the best interests of our stockholders for the Board of Directors to make a determination regarding the separation or combination of these roles each time it elects a new Chairman or Chief Executive Officer based on the relevant facts and circumstances applicable at such time.
Independent members of the Board of Directors chair our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Section 16 Committee. We have had the current leadership structure since the completion of the Spin-Off.
Meeting Attendance
The Spin-Off was completed on December 20, 2011. Neither the Board of Directors nor any committeesmet eight times in 2014. During such period, each member of the Board of Directors met or acted by written consent following the completionattended at least 75% of the Spin-Off in 2011.meetings of the Board and the Board committees on which they served. The independent directors meet in regularly scheduled sessions, typically before or after each Board meeting, without the presence of management. We do not have a lead independent director or any other formally appointed leader for these sessions. Directors are encouraged but not required to attend annual meetings of TripAdvisor stockholders. Because TripAdvisor became an independent company on December 20, 2011 following the completionAll of the Spin-Off, we did not hold an Annual Meetingincumbent directors who were directors at the time have historically attended the annual meetings of Stockholders in 2011.stockholders.
Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors has the following standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Section 16 Committee and the Executive Committee. The Audit, Compensation and Section 16 Committees operate under written charters adopted by the Board of Directors. These charters are available in the “Corporate Governance” section of the Investor Relations page of TripAdvisor’s corporate website at ir.tripadvisor.com. At each regularly scheduled Board meeting, the Chairperson of each committee provides the full Board of Directors with an update of all significant matters discussed, reviewed, considered and/or approved by the relevant committee since the last regularly scheduled Board meeting. The independent membership of our Audit, Compensation and Section 16 Committees ensures that directors with no ties to Company management are charged with oversight for all financial reporting and executive compensation related decisions made by Company management.
The following table sets forth the current members of each committee of the Board of Directors.
Name | Audit Committee | Compensation Committee | Section 16 Committee | Executive Committee | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| — | X | — | X | ||||||||||||||||
Stephen Kaufer | — | — | — | X | ||||||||||||||||
| X | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
Dipchand (Deep) Nishar* | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
Jeremy Philips* | — | X | X | — | ||||||||||||||||
Spencer M. Rascoff * | X | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
Christopher W. Shean | — | — | — | X | ||||||||||||||||
Sukhinder Singh | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| — | |||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chair | Chair | — | |||||||||||||||||
Robert S. | Chair | — | — | — |
| Independent director |
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Audit Committee.Committee. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors currently consists of three directors: Messrs. Miller, PhilipsRascoff and Wiesenthal. Mr. Wiesenthal is the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Each Audit Committee member satisfies the independence requirements under the current standards imposed by the rules of the SEC and NASDAQ. The Board has determined that each of Messrs. Wiesenthal and PhilipsRascoff is an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in the regulations promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Audit Committee functions pursuant to a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, pursuant to which the Audit Committee is granted the responsibilities and authority necessary to comply with Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. The full text of the Audit Committee charter is available in the “Corporate Governance” section of TripAdvisor’s corporate website at ir.tripadvisor.com.
The Audit Committee is appointed by the Board of Directors to assist the Board with a variety of matters discussed in detail in the Audit Committee charter, including monitoring (i) the integrity of our financial reporting process, (ii) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, (iii) the performance of our internal audit function and of the independent registered public accounting firm and our internal audit department, and (iv) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee met six times in 2014. The formal report of the Audit Committee with respect to the year ended December 31, 20112014 is set forth in the section below titled “Audit Committee Report.”
Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee consists of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Messrs. Philips and Zeisser.Maffei. Ms. Singh Cassidy is the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee. WithEach member of the Compensation Committee is an “outside director” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).With the exception of Mr. Zeisser,Maffei, each member is an “independent director” as defined by the NASDAQ listing rules.Rules. No member of the Compensation Committee is an employee of TripAdvisor. The Compensation Committee functions pursuant to a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors. The full text of the Compensation Committee charter is available in the “Corporate Governance” section of TripAdvisor’s corporate website at ir.tripadvisor.com.
The Compensation Committee is responsible for (i) administeringdesigning and overseeing our compensation with respect to our executive officers, including salary matters, bonus plans and stock compensation plans and (ii) approving all grants of equity awards, but excluding matters governed by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (see(which are handled by the section below titled “SectionSection 16 Committee”)Committee described below). A description of our processespolicies and procedurespractices for the consideration and determination of executive compensation is included in the section below titled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis.” The Compensation Committee met three times in 2014.
Section 16 Committee. The Section 16 Committee consists of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Mr. Philips. Ms. Singh Cassidy is the Chairperson of the Section 16 Committee. Each member is an “independent director” as defined by the ListingNASDAQ Rules and satisfies the definition of “non-employee director” for purposes of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
The Section 16 Committee is authorized to exercise all powers of the Board of Directors with respect to matters governed by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, including approving grants of equity awards to TripAdvisor’s executive officers.
The Section 16 Committee met three times in 2014.In this Proxy Statement, we refer to the Compensation Committee and Section 16 Committee collectively as the “Compensation Committees.”
Executive Committee. The Executive Committee consists of Messrs. Diller, Kaufer, Maffei and Kaufman.Shean. The Executive Committee has the powers and authority of the Board of Directors, in the intervals between meetings ofexcept for those matters that are specifically reserved to the Board of Directors with respectunder Delaware law or our organizational documents. The Executive Committee primarily serves as a means to address issues that may arise and require Board approval between regularly scheduled Board meetings. Following are some examples of matters that could be handled by the Executive Committee: (i) oversight and implementation of matters approved by the Board of Directors, (ii) administrative matters with respect to benefit plans, transfer agent matters, banking authority, formation of subsidiaries and other administrative items involving subsidiaries and determinations or findings under TripAdvisor’s financing arrangements and (iii) in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency as a result of which a quorum of the Board of Directors cannot readily be convened for action, directing the management of the business and affairs of TripAdvisor during such emergency or natural disaster. The Executive Committee shalldid not have authority with respect to those matters that are specifically reserved to the Board of Directors under Delaware law.meet in 2014.
Assessing and managing risk is the responsibility of TripAdvisor’s management. Our Board of Directors oversees and reviews certain aspects of our risk management efforts. Our Board of Directors is involved in risk oversight through direct decision-making authority with respect to significant matters and the oversight of management by the Board of Directors and its committees. The President and Chief Executive Officer, the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer and the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary attend Board meetings and discuss operational risks with the Board. Management also provides quarterly reports and presentations on strategic risks to the Board. Among other areas, the Board is involved, directly involvedor through its committees, in overseeing risks related to our overall corporate strategy, business continuity, crisis preparedness and competitive and reputational risks.
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The committees of the Board execute their oversight responsibility for risk management as follows:
· | The Audit Committee has primary responsibility for discussing with management TripAdvisor’s major financial risks and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such risks. In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Audit Committee receives regular reports from, among others, the Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, the Vice President of Tax and the Corporate Controller as well as from representatives of internal audit, the company’s compliance committee and our auditors. The Audit Committee makes regular reports to the Board of Directors. In addition, TripAdvisor has, under the supervision of the Audit Committee, established procedures available to all employees for the anonymous and confidential submission of complaints relating to any matter to encourage employees to report questionable activities directly to our senior management and the Audit Committee. |
· | The Compensation Committee considers and evaluates risks related to our cash and equity-based compensation programs, policies and practices and evaluates whether our compensation programs encourage participants to take excessive risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on TripAdvisor or our business. Consistent with SEC disclosure requirements, the Compensation Committee working with management has assessed the compensation policies and practices for our employees, including our executive officers, and has concluded that such policies and practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on TripAdvisor. |
Ultimately, though, management is responsible for discussing withthe day-to-day risk management the Company’s major financialprocess, including identification of key risks and the steps management has takenimplementation of policies and procedures to monitormanage, mitigate and control suchmonitor risks. In fulfilling these duties, management conducted an enterprise and internal audit risk assessment and will use the results of that assessment in its responsibilities, the Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer, the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, the Vice President of Tax, the Corporate Controller, the Senior Corporate Counsel and from Ernst & Young LLP. The Audit Committee makes regular reports to the Board of Directors.risk management efforts. In addition, we have, undermanagement has formed a Compliance Committee in connection with the supervision of the Audit Committee, established procedures available to all employees for the anonymous and confidential submission of complaints relating to any matter to encourage employees to report questionable activities directly to our seniorimplementation, management and oversight of a corporate compliance program to promote operational excellence throughout the Audit Committee.
The Compensation Committee considersentire organization in adherence with all legal and evaluates risks related to our cashregulatory requirements and equity-based compensation programs and practices as well as for evaluating whether our compensation plans encourage participants to take excessive risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on TripAdvisor. Consistent with SEC disclosure requirements, management has assessed compensation policies and practices for Company employees and has concluded that such policies and practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on TripAdvisor.the highest ethical standards
Given the ownership structure of TripAdvisor and our status as a “controlled company,” the Board of Directors does not have a nominating committee or other committee performing similar functions or any formal policy on director nominations. Pursuant to the Governance Agreement, Liberty has the right to nominate a number of directors equal to 20% of the total number of the directors on the Board of Directors (rounded up to the next whole number if the number of directors on the Board is not an even multiple of five) for election to the
Board of Directors so long as certain stock ownership requirements are satisfied. The Board of Directors does not have specific requirements for eligibility to serve as a director of TripAdvisor, nor does it have a specific policy on diversity. However, indiversity; however, the Board of Directors does consider, among other things, diversity when considering nominees to serve on our Board of Directors. We broadly construe diversity to mean diversity of opinions, perspectives, and personal and professional experiences and backgrounds, such as gender, race and ethnicity, as well as other differentiating characteristics. In evaluating candidates, regardless of how recommended, the Board of Directors considers whether the professional and personal ethics and values of the candidate are consistent with those of TripAdvisor, whether the candidate’s experience and expertise would be beneficial to the Board in rendering service to TripAdvisor, including in providing a mix of Board members that represent a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and opinions, whether the candidate is willing and able to devote the necessary time and energy to the work of the Board of Directors, and whether the candidate is prepared and qualified to represent the best interests of TripAdvisor’s stockholders. Given
Pursuant to the controlled statusGovernance Agreement, LTRIP has the right to nominate a number of TripAdvisor,directors equal to 20% of the total number of the directors on the Board of Directors believes(rounded up to the process described abovenext whole number if the number of directors on the Board is appropriate. Libertynot an even multiple of five) for election to the Board of Directors so long as certain stock ownership requirements are satisfied. LTRIP has nominated Messrs. FitzgeraldMaffei and ZeisserShean as nominees for 2012.2015. The other nominees to the Board of Directors were recommended by the Chairman and then were considered and recommended by the entire Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors does not have a formal policy regarding the consideration of director candidates recommended by stockholders.stockholders, as historically TripAdvisor has not received such recommendations. However, the Board of Directors would consider such recommendations if made in the future. Stockholders who wish to make such a recommendation should send the recommendation to TripAdvisor, Inc., 141 Needham Street, Newton, Massachusetts 02464, Attention: Secretary. The envelope must contain a clear notation that the enclosed letter is a “Director Nominee Recommendation.” The letter must identify the author as a stockholder, provide a brief summary of the candidate’s qualifications and history and be accompanied by evidence of the sender’s stock ownership, as well as consent by the candidate to serve as a director if elected. Any director candidate recommendations will be reviewed by the Secretary and, if deemed appropriate, forwarded to the Chairman for further review. If the Chairman believes that the candidate fits the profile of a director nominee as described above, the recommendation will be shared with the entire Board of Directors.
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Communications Withwith the Board
Stockholders who wish to communicate with the Board of Directors or a particular director may send such communication to TripAdvisor, Inc., 141 Needham Street, Newton, Massachusetts 02464, Attention: Secretary. The mailing envelope must contain a clear notation indicating that the enclosed letter is a “Stockholder-Board Communication” or “Stockholder-Director Communication.” All such letters must identify the author as a stockholder, provide evidence of the sender’s stock ownership and clearly state whether the intended recipients are all members of the Board of Directors or certain specified directors. The Secretary will then review such correspondence and forward it to the Board of Directors, or to the specified director(s), if deemed appropriate. Communications that are primarily commercial in nature, that are not relevant to stockholders or other interested constituents or that relate to improper or irrelevant topics will generally not be forwarded to the Board of Directors or to the specified director(s).
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RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Ernst & YoungKPMG LLP (“KPMG”) was TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2011. Ernst & Young LLP was and is Expedia’s independent registered public accounting firm as well.2014. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has also appointed Ernst & Young LLPKPMG as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2012.2015.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires thatIn February 2014, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors determined it to be in the best interest of TripAdvisor to select KPMG to replace Ernst & Young LLP (“E&Y”) as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2014.
On February 6, 2014, the Audit Committee determined to dismiss E&Y as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm effective immediately upon TripAdvisor’s filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (the “Annual Report”). The Annual Report was filed with the SEC on February 11, 2014. The reports of E&Y on TripAdvisor’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles. During the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, and through February 11, 2014, there were no: (i) disagreements with E&Y on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to E&Y’s satisfaction, would have caused E&Y to make reference to the subject matter thereof in connection with its reports for such years; or (ii) reportable events, as described under Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K. TripAdvisor provided E&Y with a copy of the disclosures it expected to make in the Current Report on Form 8-K and requested from E&Y a letter addressed to the SEC indicating whether or not it agrees with the above disclosures. A copy of E&Y’s letter dated February 11, 2014 is attached as Exhibit 16.1 to TripAdvisor’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 11, 2014.
Contemporaneous with the determination to dismiss E&Y, the Audit Committee appointed KPMG as TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2014, also to be effective immediately following the filing of TripAdvisor’s Annual Report. During the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 and the subsequent interim period through February 11, 2014, TripAdvisor did not consult with KPMG with respect to (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered with respect to TripAdvisor’s financial statements, and no written report or oral advice was provided to TripAdvisor that KPMG concluded was an important factor considered by TripAdvisor in reaching a decision as to any accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue, or (ii) any matter that was subject to any disagreement, as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions thereto, or a reportable event within the meaning set forth in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the audit work of the independent registered public accounting firm. If the stockholders fail to vote to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP,KPMG, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether to retain Ernst & Young LLPKPMG and may retain that firm or another firm without resubmitting the matter to TripAdvisorour stockholders. Even if stockholders vote on an advisory basis in favor of the appointment, the Audit Committee may, in its discretion, direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of TripAdvisor and itsour stockholders.
A representative of Ernst & Young LLPKPMG is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, and will be given an opportunity to make a statement if he or she so chooses and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
At the Annual Meeting, TripAdvisorwe will ask itsour stockholders to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLPKPMG as TripAdvisor’sour independent registered public accounting firm for 2012.2015. This proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of theour shares, of TripAdvisor capital stock, present in person or represented by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class.
Abstentions will be counted toward the tabulations of voting power present and entitled to vote on the ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm proposal and will have the same effect as votes against the proposal. Brokers have discretion to vote on the proposal for ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm.
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNGKPMG LLP AS TRIPADVISOR’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2012.
Fees Paid to Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
KPMG was TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2014. E&Y was TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2013. The following table sets forth aggregate fees for professional services rendered by Ernst & Young LLP. Fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP to ExpediaKPMG and E&Y for periods prior to the years ended December 20, 2011 Spin-Off date are not included below.31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
2011 |
| 2014 |
|
| 2013 |
| ||||||
Audit Fees(1) | $ | 468,000 |
| $ | 1,352,635 |
|
| $ | 1,479,583 |
| ||
Audit-Related Fees(2) | $ | — | ||||||||||
Total Audit and Audit-Related Fees | $ | 468,000 | ||||||||||
Tax Fees | $ | — | ||||||||||
Tax Fees(2) |
|
| — |
|
|
| 3,150 |
| ||||
Other Fees | $ | — |
|
| 2,550 |
|
|
| 1,995 |
| ||
Total Fees | $ | 468,000 |
| $ | 1,355,185 |
|
| $ | 1,484,728 |
|
(1) | Audit Fees include fees and expenses associated with the annual audit of |
(2) | Tax Fees include fees and expenses for |
Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy
The Audit Committee has consideredresponsibility for appointing, setting compensation of and overseeing the non-audit services provided by Ernst & Young LLP as described above and believes that they are compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young LLP’s independence as ourwork of the independent registered public accounting firm.
The In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit Committee has adopted a policy governing the pre-approval of all audit and permitted non-audit services performed by TripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm to ensure that the provision of such services does not impair the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence from TripAdvisor and our management. Unless a type of service to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm has received general pre-approval from the Audit Committee, it requires specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee. The payment for any proposed services in excess of pre-approved cost levels requires specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee.
Pursuant to its pre-approval policy, the Audit Committee may delegate its authority to pre-approve services to one or more of its members, and it has currently delegated this authority to its Chairman, subject to a limit of $250,000 per approval. The decisions of the Chairman (or any other member(s) to whom such authority may be delegated) to grant pre-approvals must be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. The Audit Committee may not delegate its responsibilities to pre-approve services to Company management.
All of the audit-related, tax and all other services provided to us by KPMG and E&Y in 2014 and 2013, respectively, were approved by the Audit Committee by means of specific pre-approvals or pursuant to the procedures contained in the Company’s pre-approval policy.
The Audit Committee has considered the non-audit services provided by KPMG and E&Y in 2014 and 2013, as described above, and believes that they are compatible with maintaining KPMG’s and E&Y’s independence in the conduct of their auditing functions.
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ADVISORY RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THEVOTE ON COMPENSATION OF TRIPADVISOR’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Overview
PursuantStockholders are provided with an opportunity to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), this proposal, commonly known as a “say on pay” proposal, enables TripAdvisor stockholders to vote to approve, oncast an advisory or non-binding basis,vote on the compensation of TripAdvisor’sour named executive officers, as disclosedor NEOs. Our Board of Directors, with the Compensation Committee and senior management, are committed to designing an effective compensation program and values the views of our stockholders in this Proxy Statement in accordance with SEC rules.regard.
TripAdvisor’s executive compensation program is designed to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled executives with the business experience and acumen that management and the Compensation Committees believe are necessary for achievement ofto achieve TripAdvisor’s long-term business objectives. In addition, the executive compensation program is designed to reward short-short-term and long-term performance and to align the financial interests of executive officers with the interests of TripAdvisor’s stockholders. Please refer to the “Executive Compensation” and “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” sections for a detailed discussion of TripAdvisor’s executive compensation practices and philosophy.
TripAdvisor isWe are asking for stockholder approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of TripAdvisor’sour named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, in accordance with SEC rules, which disclosures include the disclosures in the “Executive Compensation” and “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” sections, the compensation tables and the narrative discussion following the compensation tables in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of TripAdvisor’sour named executive officers and the policies and practices described in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.
This vote is advisory and therefore not binding on TripAdvisor, the Compensation Committees, of the TripAdvisor Board of Directors, or the TripAdvisor Board of Directors. The TripAdvisor Board of Directors and the TripAdvisor Compensation Committees value the opinions of TripAdvisor’s stockholders. To the extent there is any significant vote against theour named executive officerofficers’ compensation as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, the Compensation Committees will consider the impact of such vote on its future compensation policies and decisions.
Our first (and most recent) advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers was held at our 2012 annual meeting of stockholders on June 26, 2012. At that meeting, stockholders representing over 99% of the votes cast on the “say-on-pay” proposal approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in our proxy statement for our 2012 annual meeting. Also at this meeting, the frequency at which future advisory votes on executive compensation would be held of once every three years received the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the “say-on-frequency” proposal. As a result, we currently expect that the next advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers will be held in 2018.
At the Annual Meeting, TripAdvisorwe will ask itsour stockholders to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with SEC rules. This proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares of TripAdvisor capital stock, present in person or represented by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class.
Abstentions will be counted toward the tabulations of voting power present and entitled to vote on the TripAdvisor executive compensation proposal and will have the same effect as votes against the proposal. Brokers do not have discretion to vote on the proposal regarding TripAdvisor’s executive compensation and broker non-votes will have no effect on the proposal.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF THE COMPENSATION OF TRIPADVISOR’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AS DISCLOSED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.
ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY RESOLUTIONS TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF TRIPADVISOR’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Overview
Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, this proposal, commonly known as a “say on frequency” proposal, enables TripAdvisor stockholders to vote, on an advisory or non-binding basis, on how frequently they would like to vote on future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers. By voting on this proposal, stockholders may indicate whether they would prefer an advisory vote on named executive officer compensation every one, two or three years.
After careful consideration of this proposal, TripAdvisor’s Board of Directors has determined that holding a vote on an advisory resolution to approve the compensation of its named executive officers every three years is the most appropriate alternative for TripAdvisor, and therefore TripAdvisor’s Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote for a three-year interval for the advisory vote on the compensation of its named executive officers15
In formulating its recommendation, TripAdvisor’s Board of Directors considered a triennial vote on an advisory resolution to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers is a reasonable frequency, as it is more in line with the long-term nature of TripAdvisor’s equity compensation horizon and because it would allow for an appropriate interval between the vote and an opportunity to evaluate TripAdvisor’s consideration of the results of the prior vote, thereby enabling TripAdvisor’s stockholders to assess the impact of TripAdvisor’s named executive officer compensation policies and decisions. TripAdvisor understands that its stockholders may have different views as to what is the best approach for TripAdvisor and looks forward to hearing from its stockholders at the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on this proposal.
Required Vote
At the Annual Meeting, TripAdvisor will ask its stockholders to choose, on an advisory basis, how frequently they would like to cast a vote on an advisory resolution to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers. Generally, approval of any matter presented to stockholders requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares of TripAdvisor capital stock, present in person or represented by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class. However, because this vote is advisory and non-binding, if none of the frequency options receives such a majority, the option receiving the greatest number of votes will be considered the frequency recommended by TripAdvisor’s stockholders. Although this vote will not be binding on TripAdvisor or the TripAdvisor Board of Directors and will not create or imply any change in the fiduciary duties of, or impose any additional fiduciary duty on, TripAdvisor or the TripAdvisor Board of Directors, the TripAdvisor Board of Directors will take into account the outcome of this vote in making a determination on the frequency at which TripAdvisor will include future advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of its named executive officer compensation in future proxy statements.
Abstentions will be counted toward the tabulations of voting power present and entitled to vote on the frequency of future votes on advisory resolutions to approve the compensation of TripAdvisor’s named executive officers and will have the same effect as votes against the proposal. Brokers do not have discretion to vote on the proposal regarding the frequency of the TripAdvisor named executive officer compensation proposal and broker non-votes will have no effect on the proposal.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE APPROVAL OF A THREE-YEAR INTERVAL FOR THE ADVISORY RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF TRIPADVISOR’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.
The Audit Committee reviews our financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors. Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements, the reporting process and maintaining an effective system of internal control over financial reporting. The Company’sTripAdvisor’s independent registered public accounting firm is engaged to audit and express opinions on the conformity of the Company’sour financial statements to generally accepted accounting principles and applicable rules and regulations, and the effectiveness of the Company’sTripAdvisor’s internal control over financial reporting.
The Audit Committee serves as a representative of the Board of Directors and assists the Board in monitoring (i) the integrity of our financial reporting process, (ii) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, (iii) the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm and our internal audit department, and (iv) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. In this context, the Audit Committee has reviewedmet six times in 2014 and discussedtook the audited consolidated financial statements, together with the results of the assessment of the internal control over financial reporting, with management and the independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee has discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, “Communication with Audit Committees,” as amended and as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) in Rule 3200T. In addition, the Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent registered public accounting firm required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm its independence from the Company and the Company’s management. Finally, the Audit Committee has considered whether the independent registered public accounting firm’s provision of non-audit services to the Company is compatible with its independence.following actions:
· | appointed the independent registered public accounting firm, discussed with the auditors the overall scope and plans for the independent audit and pre-approved all audit and non-audit services to be performed by KPMG; |
· | reviewed and discussed with management and the auditors the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014, as well as our quarterly financial statements and interim financial information contained in each quarterly earnings announcement prior to public release; |
· | discussed with the auditors the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 16, “Communications with Audit Committees,” as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), and received all written disclosures, including the letter from the auditors required pursuant to Rule 3526 of the PCAOB “Communication with Audit Committees Concerning Independence”; |
· | discussed with the auditors its independence from TripAdvisor and TripAdvisor’s management as well as considered whether the non-audit services provided by the auditors could impair its independence and concluded that such services would not; |
· | reviewed and discussed with management and the auditors our compliance with requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 with respect to internal control over financial reporting, together with management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and the auditors’ audit of internal control over financial reporting; and |
· | regularly met separately with KPMG, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, including the integrity, adequacy and effectiveness of the accounting and financial reporting processes and controls. |
Relying on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’sour Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 filed with the SEC,2014, and the Board approved such inclusion.
No portion of this Audit Committee Report shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, through any general statement incorporating by reference in its entirety the Proxy Statement in which this report appears, except to the extent that TripAdvisor specifically incorporates this report or a portion of it by reference. In addition, this report shall not be deemed filed under either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
Members of the Audit Committee:
Robert S. Wiesenthal (Chairman)
Jonathan F. Miller
Jeremy Philips
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes TripAdvisor’s executive compensation program as it relates to the followingour “named executive officers”: as determined as of December 31, 2014 pursuant to SEC rules. As of December 31, 2014, our “named executive officers” were those individuals listed below. On April 2, 2015, Ms. Bradley informed us of her intention to resign from the Company.
Name | Position | |
Stephen Kaufer | President and Chief Executive Officer | |
Julie M.B. Bradley | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | |
Seth J. Kalvert | Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | |
Dermot M. Halpin | President, Vacation Rentals | |
Barrie Seidenberg | Chief Executive Officer, Attractions |
TripAdvisor
The Board of Directors has a Compensation Committee and a Section 16 Committee that together have primary responsibility for establishing the compensation of our named executive officers. In this Proxy Statement, we refer to the Compensation Committee and Section 16 Committee jointly as the “Compensation Committees.”
From April 2004 untilExecutive Summary and 2014 Business Highlights
· | We have a pay for performance philosophy that guides all aspects of our compensation decisions: |
o | Annual salary increases are tied to individual performance and business performance over the previous fiscal year. |
o | Annual incentive compensation is structured so that payouts are tied to the achievement of financial targets and require year over year improvement in revenue and share price. |
o | Long-term incentive compensation is structured so that target equity award values are linked to individual and business performance, while realized values are tied to the Company’s share price. |
· | The interests of our named executive officers are aligned with those of our stockholders through the granting of a substantial portion of compensation in equity awards with multi-year vesting requirements. |
· | Below are some highlights for our business and financial results for 2014: |
o | TripAdvisor’s travel community reached more than 315 million monthly unique visitors during the year ended December 31, 2014, including nearly 50% via mobile devices (tablet and smartphone). With approximately 11% of the world’s monthly unique visitors in online travel at the end of 2014, we remain the largest travel website in the world. |
o | TripAdvisor reached nearly 175 million mobile app downloads, up 110% year over year – including downloads of TripAdvisor, TripAdvisor City Guides, JetSetter, GateGuru and SeatGuru. Also, the core TripAdvisor app has been downloaded more than 155 million times and had its sixth straight fiscal quarter of greater than 100% growth. |
o | TripAdvisor’s total revenue increased by 32% over the prior year and Adjusted EBITDA increased by 23% over the prior year. |
· | TripAdvisor achieved 99% of its revenue plan and 98% of its EBITDA plan. |
Fiscal 2014 was a solid year for TripAdvisor with the completion ofCompany achieving record revenue, adjusted EBITDA and earnings per share and substantially achieving its annual operating plan, while at the Spin-Off on December 20, 2011, the companies that became TripAdvisor were subsidiaries of Expedia.same time consummating several strategic acquisitions as well as launching several important initiatives. As a result, the 2011 compensationCompany generally funded its annual cash bonus programs described in this proxy were primarily established by the Compensation Committeeat approximately 96% of the Expedia Board of Directors (the “Expedia Compensation Committee”) or by Expedia management. Certain employment matters relating to TripAdvisor’s named executive officers are governed by the Employee Matters Agreement entered into between TripAdvisor and Expedia in connection with the Spin-Off. Please see the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” below for more information on the Employee Matters Agreement. The compensation of Ms. Bradley and Mr. Kalvert is governed in part by the terms of their employment agreements which are described below.target.
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Compensation Program Objectives
Following the Spin-Off, TripAdvisor’sOur executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate and retain highly skilled executivesemployees in executive positions with the business experience and acumen that management and the Compensation Committees believe are necessary for achievement of TripAdvisor’sour long-term business objectives.objectives and to ensure that the compensation provided to these executives remains competitive with the compensation paid to similarly situated executives at comparable companies. The executive compensation program is also designed so that it does not encourage our named executive officers to take unreasonable risks relating to our business. In addition, the executive compensation program is designed to reward short-both short-term and long-term performance and to align the financial interests of our named executive officers with the interests of our stockholders.
Management and the Compensation Committees evaluate both performance and compensation levels to ensure that we maintain our ability to attract and retain outstanding employees in executive positions and that the compensation provided to these executives remains competitive with the compensation paid to similarly situated executives at comparable companies.positions. To that end, management and the Compensation Committees believe the executive compensation packages provided by TripAdvisor to theour named executive officers should include both cash and equity-based compensation.
Role of the Compensation and Section 16 Committees
The Compensation Committee is appointed by the Board of Directors and consists entirely of directors who are “outside directors” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Compensation Committee currently consists of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Messrs. Philips and Zeisser.Maffei, with Ms. Singh Cassidy acting as Chairperson of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for (i) administeringdesigning and overseeing our compensation with respect to our executive officers, including salary matters, bonus plans and stock compensation plans and (ii) approving all grants of equity awards, but excluding matters governed by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (see(for which the Section 16 Committee has responsibility as described below). Ms. Singh Cassidy isNotwithstanding the Chairpersonforegoing, the Compensation Committee has delegated to the Chief Executive Officer of the Compensation Committee.Company authority to grant certain types of equity awards, subject to certain limitations, to employees other than executive officers.
The Section 16 Committee is also appointed by the Board of Directors and consists entirely of directors who are “non-employee directors” for purposes of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. The Section 16 Committee currently consists of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Mr. Philips. The Section 16 Committee is responsible for administering and overseeing matters governed by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, including approving grants of equity awards to our named executive officers. Ms. Singh Cassidy is also the Chairperson of the Section 16 Committee.
In this Proxy Statement, we refer to the Compensation Committee and Section 16 Committee collectively as the “Compensation Committees.”
Role of Executive Officers
TripAdvisor managementManagement participates in reviewing and refining our executive compensation program. Mr. Kaufer, TripAdvisor’sour President and Chief Executive Officer, annually reviews the performance of the CompanyTripAdvisor and each named executive officer with the Compensation Committees and makes recommendations with respect to the appropriate base salary, annual cash bonus and grants of long-term equity incentive awards for each named executive officer, other than in connection with compensation for himself and Mr. Diller, our Chairman and Senior Executive. The President and Chief Executive Officer and the Compensation Committees discuss each recommendation.himself. Based in part on these recommendations and the other considerationsfactors discussed below, the Compensation Committees review and approve the annual compensation package of each named executive officer.
Role of Compensation Consultant
Pursuant to the Compensation Committee and Section 16 Committee Charter, the Compensation Committees may retain compensation consultants for the purpose of assisting the Compensation Committees in their evaluation of the compensation for our named executive officers. In 2014, the Compensation Committees retained Compensia, Inc. (“Compensia”), a management consulting firm providing executive compensation advisory services to compensation committees and senior management, to assist in an evaluation of TripAdvisor’s compensation peer group, to use the compensation peer group to compile and analyze competitive compensation market data for certain executive officer positions and to advise on matters related to our long-term incentive compensation structure. The Compensation Committees consider input from their compensation consultant as one factor in making decisions with respect to compensation matters, along with information and analysis they receive from management and their own judgment and experience.
Based on consideration of the factors set forth in the rules of the SEC and NASDAQ, the Compensation Committees have determined that their relationship with Compensia and the work performed by Compensia on behalf of the Compensation Committees has not raised any conflict of interest. In addition, in compliance with the Compensation Committee and Section 16 Committee
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Charter, the Compensation Committees approved the fees paid to Compensia for work performed in 2014 and confirm that such payments did not exceed $120,000.
Role of Stockholders
TripAdvisor provides its stockholders with the opportunity to cast an advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers every three years. In evaluating our 2014 executive compensation program, the Compensation Committees considered the result of the stockholder advisory vote on our executive compensation (the “say-on-pay vote”) held at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 26, 2012, which was approved by over 99% of the votes cast. As a result, the Compensation Committees did not make any significant changes to our executive compensation program for 2014. The Compensation Committees will continue to consider the outcome of the say-on-pay vote when making future compensation decisions for our named executive officers.
We will hold a say-on-pay vote every three years until the next vote on the frequency of such stockholder advisory votes, which will occur no later than our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We will hold a say-on-pay vote at this Annual Meeting. Our next say-on-pay vote, following this meeting, will be held at the annual meeting of our stockholders in 2018.
General
The primary elements of theour executive compensation program are base salary, an annual cash bonus and equity compensation. Going forward, we expectawards. Generally, the Compensation Committees to review these elements in the first quarter of each year in light of TripAdvisorour business and individual performance, recommendations from management and other relevant information, including prior compensation history and outstanding long-term incentive compensation arrangements. Management and the Compensation Committees believe that there are multiple, dynamic factors that contribute to success at an individual and business level. Management and the Compensation Committees have therefore avoidedrefrained from adopting strict formulas and have relied primarily on a discretionary approach that allows the Compensation Committees to set executive compensation levels on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant factors.
The following chart illustrates the composition of the target total direct compensation for the Chief Executive Officer and for the other named executive officers between base salary, short term and long term compensation. All elements of compensation are considered to be “at-risk” with the exception of base salary.
(1) | For our CEO, Total Compensation consists of 2014 annualized base salary, 2014 target annual cash bonus, and the grant date fair-value of his 2013 equity grant, prorated for the portion of service period attributed to 2014, given that our CEO did not receive a 2014 equity grant and will not receive another equity grant until at least August 2017. |
(2) | For Other NEOs, Total Compensation is defined as 2014 annualized base salary, 2014 target annual cash bonus, and the 2014 target grant date value of annual equity awards as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table. |
(3) | The Other NEO Total Compensation Mix chart reflects the average Total Compensation of Ms. Bradley, Mr. Kalvert, and Mr. Halpin. Ms. Seidenberg is excluded given that her new-hire compensation is not representative of our annual executive compensation. |
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One of the primary objectives of our compensation philosophy is to design and support pay opportunities that align with our performance and ultimately result in strong long-term value creation for our stockholders. The significant weighting of long-term incentive compensation ensures that our named executive officers’ primary focus is sustained long-term performance, while our short-term incentive compensation motivates consistent annual achievement. The following chart illustrates the percentage of compensation which is fixed versus variable and the allocation between short and long-term compensation.
(1) | For our CEO and Other NEOs, Fixed Compensation consists solely of 2014 annualized base salary. For our CEO, Variable Compensation consists of 2014 target annual cash bonus and the grant date fair-value of the CEO’s 2013 equity grant, prorated for the portion of service period attributed to 2014, given that our CEO did not receive a 2014 equity grant and will not receive another equity grant until at least August 2017. For Other NEOs, Variable Compensation consists of 2014 target annual cash bonus and the 2014 target grant date value of annual equity awards as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table. |
(2) | For our CEO and Other NEOs, short-term incentive compensation consists of 2014 target annual cash bonus. For our CEO, long-term incentive compensation consists of grant date fair-value of the CEO’s 2013 equity grant, prorated for the portion of service period attributed to 2014, given that our CEO did not receive an equity grant in 2014 and will not receive another equity grant until August 2017. For Other NEOs, short-term incentive compensation consists of 2014 target annual cash bonus, while long-term incentive compensation is defined as target grant date value of annual equity awards as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table. |
(3) | The Other NEO compensation reflected in the tables above reflects the compensation averages for Ms. Bradley, Mr. Kalvert, and Mr. Halpin. Ms. Seidenberg is excluded given that her new-hire compensation is not representative of our annual executive compensation. |
Following recommendations from management, the Compensation Committees may also adjust compensation for specific individuals at other times during the year when there are significant changes in responsibilities or under other circumstances that the Compensation Committees consider appropriate.
Base Salary
Base salary represents the fixed portion of a named executive officer’s compensation and is intended to provide compensation for expected day-to-day performance. AnA named executive officer’s base salary is initially determined upon hire or promotion based on the executive officer’shis or her responsibilities, prior experience, individual compensation history and salary levels of other executives within TripAdvisor and similarly situated executives at comparable companies. The 2011 base salaries of Mr. Kaufer, Ms. Bradley and Mr. Kalvert were approved by Expedia prior to the Spin-Off. Mr. Diller did not receive any base salary from TripAdvisor in 2011. Base salary is typically reviewed annually, at which time management makes recommendations to the Compensation Committees based on consideration of a variety of factors including:including, but not limited to, the following:
· | the named executive officer’s total compensation relative to other executives in similarly situated positions, |
· | his or her individual performance relative to performance goals established between our CEO and President of the named executive officer, |
· | his or her responsibilities, prior experience, and individual compensation history, including any non-standard compensation, |
· | the terms of his or her employment agreement, if any, |
· | competitive compensation market data, when available, |
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the executive’s total compensation relative to other executives in similarly situated positions,
· | general economic conditions, and |
individual performance of the executive,
the executive’s responsibilities, prior experience, and individual compensation history, including any additional compensation such as signing bonuses or relocation benefits,
the terms of the executive’s employment agreement, if any,
competitive compensation market data, when available,
general economic conditions,
the recommendations of the President and Chief Executive Officer, other than in connection with compensation for himself and the Chairman and Senior Executive, and
with respect to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the recommendation of the Chairman and Senior Executive.
· | the recommendations of the President and Chief Executive Officer (other than in connection with his own compensation). |
After careful consideration of the factors discussed above with respect to each of the named executive officers, the Compensation Committees decidedapproved 2014 salary changes for our named executive officers. The table below describes, for each named executive officer, the 2013 annualized salary, the annual salary increase and the 2014 annualized salary. Adjustments were made to increase Mr. Kaufer’s 2012the compensation annual base salary from $300,000of Ms. Bradley and Mr. Kalvert primarily in acknowledgement of the extent to $500,000,which they had achieved their individual performance goals and in response to the analysis provided by Compensia on competitive compensation market data for executive officers with in our peer group in comparable positions. Ms. Bradley’s 2012Seidenberg’s salary was set in August 2014 when TripAdvisor acquired Viator and her employment commenced. Only her annualized 2014 base salary from $300,000 to $302,500, and Mr. Kalvert’s 2012 base salary from $325,000 to $330,000. The Compensation Committees also decided to set Mr. Diller’s 2012 base salary at $100,000, effective as of January 1, 2012.is included in the table below.
Name |
| 2013 Salary |
|
| Annual Salary Increase |
|
| 2014 Salary |
| |||
Stephen Kaufer |
| $ | 500,000 |
|
| $ | - |
|
| $ | 500,000 |
|
Julie Bradley |
| $ | 365,000 |
|
| $ | 32,000 |
|
| $ | 397,000 |
|
Seth Kalvert |
| $ | 350,000 |
|
| $ | 35,000 |
|
| $ | 385,000 |
|
Dermot M. Halpin |
| £ | 296,440 |
|
| £ | 5,929 |
|
| £ | 302,369 |
|
Barrie Seidenberg |
| -- |
|
| -- |
|
| $ | 250,000 |
|
(1) | Mr. Halpin’s base salary was paid in GBP and the amounts set forth above represent $488,652, $9,773 and $498,425, respectively, when converted to USD using an exchange rate of 1.6484 USD to 1 GBP. |
Annual Cash Bonuses
Cash bonuses are grantedawarded to recognize and reward an individual’seach named executive officer’s annual contribution to Company performance. Pursuant to the terms of their respective employment agreements, Ms. Bradley has a target cash bonus equal to 66% of her base salary for the year with a guaranteed cash bonus for 2011 equal to 66% of her pro-rated base salary and Mr. Kalvert has a target cash bonus equal to 50% of his base salary for the year. The Chairman and Senior Executive and the President and Chief Executive Officer did not have a target cash bonus percentage for 2011. Following the Spin-Off, unlessUnless otherwise provided by the provisions of his or her employment agreements,agreement, the target annual cash bonus targetsopportunities for our named executive officers are generally established by the Compensation Committees, based on thecompetitive market data and recommendations of management, and are reviewed each year by the President and Chief Executive Officer (other than in connection with the approval of the Chairman and Senior Executive and the Compensation Committees.his own compensation).
In April 2012,February 2015, management recommended bonuses with respect to calendar year 20112014 for each of theour named executive officers after taking into account a variety of factors including:including, but not limited to, the following:
· | TripAdvisor’s business and financial performance, including year-over-year performance, |
· | TripAdvisor’s performance against strategic initiatives, |
· | the named executive officer’s target cash bonus opportunity, if any, |
· | his or her individual performance, |
· | the overall funding of the cash bonus pool, |
· | the amount of bonus relative to other TripAdvisor executives, |
· | general economic conditions, |
· | competitive compensation market data, when available, and |
· | the recommendations of the President and Chief Executive Officer (other than in connection with his own compensation). |
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Annual cash incentive bonuses awarded to our named executive officers for 2014 were subject to the successful completionachievement of performance goals relating either to stock price performance or revenue, which were satisfied. These performance goals were designed to permit TripAdvisor to deduct all named executive officer compensation for 2014 in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Spin-Off,
TripAdvisor’s business and financial performance, including year-over-year performance,
TripAdvisor’s performance against strategic initiatives,
Code. Specifically, the executive’s target cash bonus percentage, if any,
the executive’s individual performance,
the overall funding of the cash bonus pool,
the amount of bonus relative to other TripAdvisor executives,
general economic conditions,
competitive compensation market data, when available,
the recommendations of the President and Chief Executive Officer, other than in connection with compensation for himself and the Chairman and Senior Executive, and
with respect to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the recommendation of the Chairman and Senior Executive and Mr. Khosrowshahi, to whom the President and Chief Executive Officer reported prior to the completion of the Spin-Off in 2011.
For the 2011 cash bonuses awarded to the named executive officers, the Compensation Committees gave particular consideration to efforts of theour named executive officers in connection with the Spin-Off, the President and Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations for Ms. Bradley and Mr. Kalvert, which reflected their individual performance during 2011, and for the President and Chief Executive Officer, his contribution2014 were subject to the Company’s significant year-over-year growth in key financial and operating metrics and his role in directing acquisitions and insatisfaction of one of the Spin-Off. following performance goals:
· | The revenues of TripAdvisor in any of the three consecutive calendar quarters beginning with the second quarter of 2014 must be at least 10% higher than the revenues in the corresponding calendar quarter 12 months before, excluding the benefit of any acquisitions by TripAdvisor during this period; or |
· | The closing price per share of TripAdvisor common stock must be at least 5% higher than the closing price of TripAdvisor’s common stock on February 6, 2014, which was $77.14 per share, on any 30 trading days during the period beginning February 7, 2014 and ending December 31, 2014 (such days not necessarily consecutive), taking into account any Share Change or Corporate Transaction (each as defined in the TripAdvisor 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2011 Plan”)). |
In general, these performance goals reflect the minimally acceptable Company performance that must be achieved for cash bonuses to be awarded to theour named executive officers, arebut with respect to which there is substantial uncertainty when established. The Compensation Committees may exercise negative discretion in making the annual cash bonus awards. As a result, while performance targets were used in setting compensation under this plan, ultimately the levels of those targets and the Compensation Committees’ use of negative discretion typically result in the award of compensation as follows: Mr. Kaufer, $500,000, Ms. Bradley, $100,000, and Mr. Kalvert, $180,000. No bonus was awarded to Mr. Diller for 2011.if the annual incentive plan were operating as a discretionary plan.
After consideration of the factors discussed above (including confirmation of satisfaction of the performance goals established for the Company and individual performance goals established between our CEO and President and the named executive officers), the Compensation Committees decidedawarded 2014 cash bonuses to set Mr. Kaufer’s 2012 target cash bonus at 100%. With respect toour named executive officers. The table below describes, for each named executive officer other than Ms. Bradley and Mr. Kalvert,Seidenberg, the Compensation Committees decided to maintain their 2012 target bonus amounts at 66%for 2014, the actual bonus paid and 50%, respectively, which is consistent withpercentage of bonus paid relative to target.
Name |
| Target Bonus as % of Base Salary |
|
| Target Cash Bonus |
|
| Cash Bonus Award |
|
| Percentage of Award to Target |
| ||||
Stephen Kaufer |
|
| 100 | % |
| $ | 500,000 |
|
| $ | 700,000 |
|
|
| 140 | % |
Julie Bradley |
|
| 66 | % |
| $ | 262,020 |
|
| $ | 235,818 |
|
|
| 90 | % |
Seth Kalvert |
|
| 50 | % |
| $ | 192,500 |
|
| $ | 192,500 |
|
|
| 100 | % |
Dermot M. Halpin |
|
| 50 | % |
| £ | 151,185 |
|
| £ | 139,090 |
|
|
| 92 | % |
(1) | Mr. Halpin’s annual cash bonus was paid in GBP and the amounts set forth above represent $249,213 and $229,276, respectively, when converted to USD using an exchange rate of 1.6484 USD to 1 GBP. |
Ms. Seidenberg joined TripAdvisor in August 2014 upon the consummation of the acquisition of Viator by TripAdvisor. Pursuant to the terms of their respectiveher employment agreements.
These cash bonuses are reflected inagreement, Ms. Seidenberg remained on the “Bonus” columnViator bonus program through the end of 2014. As a result, she was eligible to receive a quarterly target bonus of $18,750 for the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2014 as well as a target annual bonus of $75,000. Such payouts were made with consideration for Viator business and financial performance, although specific targets were not set. The table below titled “2011 Summary Compensation Table.”describes Ms. Seidenberg’s 2014 target bonuses, the actual bonus paid and percentage of bonus paid relative to target.
Performance Period |
| Target Cash Bonus |
|
| Cash Bonus Award |
|
| Percentage of Award to Target |
| |||
Second Quarter |
| $ | 18,750 |
|
| $ | 15,000 |
|
|
| 80 | % |
Third Quarter |
| $ | 18,750 |
|
| $ | 18,750 |
|
|
| 100 | % |
Fourth Quarter |
| $ | 18,750 |
|
| $ | 18,750 |
|
|
| 100 | % |
Annual |
| $ | 75,000 |
|
| $ | 84,375 |
|
|
| 113 | % |
Total |
| $ | 131,250 |
|
| $ | 136,875 |
|
|
| 104 | % |
Equity CompensationAwards
The equity compensation currently held by the named executive officers was granted by the Expedia Compensation Committee. This equity compensation was converted to either TripAdvisor options or restricted stock units (“RSUs”) in connection with the Spin-Off. Other than the convertedCommittees use equity awards TripAdvisor did not make any equity awards to the named executive officers in 2011. Please see the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” below for more information on the treatment of Expedia equity-based compensation awards in connection with the Spin-Off.
Following the Spin-Off, the Compensation Committees expect to use equity compensation to align executive compensation with our long-term performance. Equity compensation awards link compensation to financial performance because thetheir value of equity awards depends on TripAdvisor’s share price. Equity compensation awards are also
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an important employee retention tool because they generally vest over a multi-year period, subject to continued service by the award recipient. The Compensation Committees plan to grant equity awards primarily in the form of stock options but will use RSUs as well in appropriate circumstances.
Equity awards are typically granted to our named executive officers upon hire or promotion and annually thereafter. We expectManagement generally recommends annual equity awards for 2012 to be granted by the Compensation Committees in May 2012. Thereafter, we expect annual equity awards to be made in the first quarter of each year when the Compensation Committees meet to make determinations regarding annual bonuses for the last completed fiscal year and to set compensation levels for the current fiscal year. The practice of the Compensation Committees is to generally grant equity awards to our named executive officers only in open trading windows.
Typically, equity awards have been in the form of awards of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and/or options to purchase shares of TripAdvisor common stock or some combination of the two. Stock options have an exercise price equal to the market price of TripAdvisor common stock on the date of grant, and, therefore, provide value to our named executive officers only if our stock price increases. Stock options generally vest over a period of four years. We believe stock options incentivize our named executive officers to sustain increases in stockholder value over extended periods of time. RSUs are a promise to issue shares of our common stock in the future provided the named executive officer remains employed with us through the award’s vesting period. RSUs generally vest over a period of four years. RSUs provide the opportunity for capital accumulation and long-term incentive value and are intended to assist in satisfying our retention objectives.
The Compensation Committees review various factors considered by management when they establish the Company’sTripAdvisor’s equity award grant pool including:
including, but not limited to, the following:
· | TripAdvisor’s business and financial performance, including year-over-year performance, |
· | dilution rates, taking into account projected headcount growth and employee turnover, |
· | non-cash compensation as a percentage of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, |
· | equity compensation utilization by peer companies, |
· | general economic conditions, and |
· | competitive compensation market data regarding award values. |
For specific grantsawards to our named executive officers, management makes recommendations to the Section 16 Committee based on a variety of factors including:
TripAdvisor’s business and financial performance, including, year-over-year performance,
individual performance and future potential of the executive,
the overall size of the equity grant pool,
award value relative to other TripAdvisor executives,
the value of previous grants and amount of outstanding unvested equity awards,
competitive compensation market data,but not limited to, the degree that the available data is comparable,
following:
· | TripAdvisor’s business and financial performance, including year-over-year performance, |
· | individual performance and future potential of the executive, |
· | the overall size of the equity award pool, |
· | award value relative to other TripAdvisor executives, |
· | the value of previous awards and amount of outstanding unvested equity awards, |
· | competitive compensation market data, to the degree that the available data is comparable, and |
· | the recommendations of the President and Chief Executive Officer (other than in connection with his own compensation). |
After review and consideration of the recommendations of management and the President and Chief Executive Officer other(other than in connection with compensation for himself and the Chairman and Senior Executive, and
with respect to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the recommendation of the Chairman and Senior Executive.
After review and consideration of management’s recommendations,awards for himself), the Section 16 Committee decides whether to approvegrant equity awards to our named executive officers. After consideration of the grantsfactors discussed above, in February 2014, the Section 16 Committee granted the equity awards described below.
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Name |
| Grant Date Fair Value |
|
| Number of Stock Options |
|
| Number of RSUs |
| |||
Julie Bradley |
| $ | 2,105,226 |
|
|
| 33,584 |
|
|
| 5,432 |
|
Seth Kalvert |
| $ | 1,537,430 |
|
|
| 24,526 |
|
|
| 3,967 |
|
Dermot M. Halpin |
| $ | 749,787 |
|
|
| 7,973 |
|
|
| 3,869 |
|
In August 2013, the Section 16 Committee granted an option to purchase 1,100,000 shares of TripAdvisor common stock to Mr. Kaufer, which will vest in equal installments on each of the fourth and fifth anniversaries of the award date of the grant, subject to Mr. Kaufer’s continuous employment with, or performance of services for, TripAdvisor or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates and his being in good standing through each such vesting date. In consideration of this award, Mr. Kaufer is subject to non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply during his employment and until 18 months immediately following the termination of his employment for any reason. In recognition of the size of the stock option granted to Mr. Kaufer in August 2013, the Section 16 Committee indicated its expectation that Mr. Kaufer would not be eligible for another equity compensationaward until August 2017, and, accordingly, Mr. Kaufer was not granted an equity award in 2014.
In February 2014, the Compensation Committee considered Mr. Halpin’s outstanding February 2013 performance grant of an option to executive officers.purchase 100,000 shares of common stock. The first tranche of the award, relating to 33 1/3% of the shares underlying the stock option award, or 33,333 shares, was scheduled to vest on December 31, 2013 subject to achievement of certain interim performance targets. Given that business priorities affected the achievement of these interim performance targets, Mr. Kaufer recommended, and the Compensation Committee approved, a modification of the performance-based stock option such that the 33,333 shares underlying the award that had been scheduled to vest on December 31, 2013 would instead vest on December 31, 2014, subject to Mr. Halpin’s continued employment at TripAdvisor. Please refer to the Grants of Plan Based Awards table for the incremental expense related to this modification. Vesting of the remaining 66,667 shares underlying that portion of the award will vest on February 1, 2016, subject to the achievement of performance metrics related to revenue and EBITDA.
In August 2014, Ms. Seidenberg joined TripAdvisor in connection with the Viator acquisition. Upon the close of the acquisition, Ms. Seidenberg was granted stock options and RSUs in the amounts below to motivate, retain, and align her interests with those of our stockholders. In addition, TripAdvisor assumed Ms. Seidenberg’s Viator stock options covering a total of 24,943 shares that were not exchanged for cash in connection with the transaction, details of which can be found in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End table.
Name |
| Grant Date Fair Value |
|
| Number of Stock Options |
|
| Number of RSUs |
| |||
Barrie Seidenberg |
| $ | 2,017,744 |
|
|
| 11,215 |
|
|
| 15,880 |
|
Employee Benefits
In addition to the primary elements of compensation (base salary, cash bonuses and equity awards) described above, theour named executive officers also participate in employee benefits programs available to all domesticour employees generally, including, for named executive officers residing in the United States, the TripAdvisor Retirement Savings Plan. Under this plan, TripAdvisor matches 50% of each dollar a participant contributes, up to the first 6% of eligible compensation, subject to tax limits. Prior to his relocation from the United Kingdom to the United States, Mr. Halpin participated in our UK pension scheme, pursuant to which we match 100% of participant contributions, up to the first 5% of eligible compensation.
In addition, we provide other benefits to our named executive officers on the same basis as all of our domestic employees generally. These benefits include group health (medical, dental, and vision) insurance, group disability insurance, and group life insurance.
In situations where ana named executive officer is required to relocate, TripAdvisor also provides relocation benefits, including reimbursement of moving expenses, temporary housing and other relocation expenses as well as a tax gross-up payment on the relocation benefits. In 2014, Mr. Halpin relocated from the United Kingdom to our corporate headquarters in Newton, Massachusetts and received such relocation support as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table.
TripAdvisor also sponsors a Global Personal Travel Reimbursement program generally available to all employees, including our named executive officers, that provides for reimbursement of up to $750 a year for leisure travel that is arranged using one of the TripAdvisor Media Group family of products and provides all employees, including our named executive officers, an annual holiday bonus in the form of a gift card as well as a tax gross-up payment on the value of the gift card.
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Executive Compensation Recovery
TripAdvisor has an executive compensation recovery, or clawback, provision in our form of award agreements providing for recoupment of equity compensation. Each of TripAdvisor’s equity award documents provides that in the event an employee is terminated for Cause (as defined in the 2011 Plan) or resigns within two years after any event or circumstance that would have been grounds for termination of employment for Cause, then the employee agrees that certain equity securities issued to such employee (whether or not vested) may be forfeited and cancelled in their entirety upon such termination of employment. In such event, TripAdvisor may cause the employee to either (i) return the equity securities or shares of common stock issued upon exercise or vesting of such securities, or (ii) pay to TripAdvisor an amount equal to the aggregate amount, if any, that the employee had previously realized in respect of any and all shares of common stock acquired upon exercise or vesting of such equity awards.
We intend to adopt a general clawback policy covering our annual and long-term incentive award plans and arrangements or amend our existing documents once the SEC adopts final rules implementing the requirement of Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
Insider Trading and Hedging Policy
TripAdvisor has adopted an Insider Trading Policy covering our directors, officers, employees and consultants designed to ensure compliance with relevant SEC regulations, including insider trading rules. TripAdvisor’s insider trading policy also prohibits directors, officers, employees and consultants from engaging in various types of transactions in which they may profit from short-term speculative swings in the value of TripAdvisor securities. These transactions include “short sales” (or selling borrowed securities which the sellers hopes can be purchased at a lower price in the future), “put” and “call” options (or publicly available rights to sell or buy securities within a certain period of time at a specified price or the like) and hedging transactions, such as zero-cost collars and forward sale contracts. The policy also prohibits the pledge or use of company securities as collateral in a margin account or collateral for a loan.
The Role of Peer Groups, Surveys and BenchmarkingCompetitive Compensation Market Data
Management considers multiple data sources when reviewing compensation information to ensure that the data reflects compensation practices of relevant companies in terms of size, industry and geographic location. Among other factors, management considers the following information in connection with its recommendations to the Compensation Committees regarding compensation for our named executive officers:
data
· | Data from salary and equity compensation surveys that include companies of a similar size, based on market capitalization, revenues and other factors, and |
· | Data regarding compensation for certain executive officer positions (e.g., chief executive officer and chief financial officer) from recent proxy statements and other SEC filings of peer companies, which include: (i) direct industry competitors, and (ii) non-industry companies with which TripAdvisor commonly competes for talent (including both regional and national competitors). |
In the summer of a similar size, based on market capitalization, revenues and other factors, and
data regarding compensation for certain executive officer positions (e.g., chief executive officer and chief financial officer) from recent proxy statements and other SEC filings of peer companies, which include: (a) direct industry competitors, and (b) non-industry companies with which TripAdvisor commonly competes for talent (including both regional and national competitors).
For purposes of establishing its2013, the Compensation Committees retained Compensia to review the existing compensation peer group for 2012, managementand to recommend possible changes. Our business model is somewhat unique. We use our innovative technology systems and software to attract users and then facilitate transactions between our business partners and those users. Accordingly, Compensia recommended certain changes to the compensation peer group, including focusing on publicly-traded companies in the business to consumer (“B2C”) and reviewed with,software industries.
In February 2014, based on input from Compensia, the Compensation Committees approved the following companies in technology, travel and/or e-commerce businesses with which TripAdvisor competes for talent at both the executive and employee levels. The companies constitutingto constitute the compensation peer group for 2012,purposes of serving as a referring in determining 2014 base salaries and equity awards for our executive officers:
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Software Companies | B to C Internet Companies | |
Akamai Technologies, Inc. | Expedia, Inc. | |
ANSYS, Inc. | Groupon, Inc. | |
Citrix Systems, Inc. | Homeaway.com, Inc. | |
Concur Technologies, Inc. | IAC/InterActiveCorp. | |
FactSet Research Systems, Inc. | LinkedIn Corp. | |
NetSuite Inc. | Netflix Inc. | |
Nuance Communications | Pandora Media, Inc. | |
RedHat, Inc. | priceline.com Incorporated | |
VeriSign, Inc. | Shutterfly, Inc. | |
Workday, Inc. | VistaPrint N.V. |
The 2014 peer group remains unchanged from the peer group approved by the Compensation Committees are:in August, 2013.
When available, management considersand the Compensation Committees consider competitive market compensation paid by other peer group companies but does not attempt to maintain a certain target percentile within the compensation peer group or otherwise rely solely on such data when making recommendations to the Compensation Committees regarding compensation for theour named executive officers. Management and the Compensation Committees strive to incorporate flexibility into theour executive compensation programsprogram and the assessment process to respond to and adjust for the evolving business environment and the value delivered by theour named executive officers.
Section 162(m) of the Code generally permits a tax deduction to public corporations for compensation over $1 million paid in any fiscal year to a corporation’stheir chief executive officer and certain other highly compensated executive officers only if the compensation qualifies as being performance-based under“performance-based compensation” for purposes of Section 162(m). Whenever possible, TripAdvisor endeavorsThe Compensation Committees endeavor to structure itsthe compensation policiesof our executive officers to qualify as performance-based under Section 162(m).“performance-based compensation” when it deems such qualification to be in the best interests of TripAdvisor and its stockholders. Nonetheless, from time to time certain nondeductible compensation may be paid and the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committees reserve the authority to award nondeductible compensation to our executive officers in appropriate circumstances.
For purposes of enabling TripAdvisor to deduct the compensation paid to and recognized by our named executive officers in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Code, the Compensation Committees sought to design the annual bonuses awarded to our named executive officers for 2014 to qualify as “performance-based compensation” as described under “Compensation Program Elements – Cash Bonuses” above.
Change in Control
Under TripAdvisor’sthe 2011 StockPlan, Ms. Bradley and Annual Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), certain executive officers (including all the named executive officers)Messrs. Kaufer and Kalvert are entitled to accelerated vesting of certain of their outstanding and unvested equity awards in the event of a change in control of TripAdvisor. The changeTripAdvisor (i.e. a “single trigger” acceleration provision), although the definition of a “change in control definitioncontrol” in the 2011 Plan does not include the acquisition of voting control by Liberty (a “Liberty Change of Control”). Theor LTRIP. When the 2011 Plan was adopted, the Compensation Committees believebelieved that accelerated vesting of equity awards in connection with change in control transactions would provide an incentive for these executivesour named executive officers to continue to help execute successfully such a transaction from its early stages until closing. Under the 2011 Plan, acceleration of equity awards and equity awards for all other employees is subject to double trigger acceleration (i.e., accelerated vesting occurs only upon an involuntary termination of employment or resignation for “good reason” during the two-year period following a change in control).
In addition,August 2013, after further evaluation of the “single trigger” acceleration provisions, the Compensation Committees determined that future equity awards made under the 2011 Plan would not be entitled to “single trigger” acceleration and, instead, the award agreements with respect to such equity awards would provide that any acceleration of vesting of the equity awards would be subject to “double trigger” rather than “single trigger” acceleration. This means that a vesting of outstanding and unvested equity awards granted on or after August 28, 2013, would only occur upon both a change in control and qualified termination of employment. With respect to Mr. Kaufer’s equity award granted in August 2013, he agreed to waive the event either“single trigger” acceleration right and instead agreed that acceleration of this equity award is subject to “double trigger” acceleration. This determination will not have an impact on equity awards made to our named executive officers prior to Mr. Diller orKaufer’s equity award grant in August 2013. For a
26
description and quantification of change in control payments and benefits for our named executive officers, please see the section below entitled “Potential Payments Upon Termination of Change in Control.”
Severance
In March 2014, TripAdvisor, entered into employment agreements with each of Mr. Kaufer, terminates hisMs. Bradley and Mr. Kalvert. In addition, at the time of their employment with TripAdvisor, for good reason or we terminate the employment of either executive without cause, all stock options held by the executive will become fully exercisableCompany executed offer letters with Mr. Halpin and vestedMs. Seidenberg. Pursuant to these agreements and all RSUs held by either executive will be considered to be earned and payable in full. Also, certainoffer letters, each of our named executive officers are entitledis eligible to accelerated vesting of equity awardsreceive certain severance payments and benefits in the event of a changequalifying termination of control under their employment agreements. For a description and quantificationemployment. The material terms of these change in control benefits, please seeemployment agreements are described below under the section below titled “Executive Compensation — Potentialheadings “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.”
Severance
The Company has entered into employment agreements with terms of two years with Ms. BradleyCompensation Committee Interlocks and Mr. Kalvert, pursuant to which, in the event that either executive terminates his or her employment for good reason or is terminated by TripAdvisor without cause:
TripAdvisor will continue to pay the executive’s base salary through the longer of the end of the term of the executive’s employment agreement and 12 months (in all cases provided that such payments will be offset by any amount earned from another employer during such time period);
TripAdvisor will consider in good faith the payment of discretionary bonuses on a pro rata basis for the year in which termination of employment occurs;
TripAdvisor will pay COBRA health insurance coverage, through the longer of the end of the term of the executive’s employment agreement and 12 months;
all equity held by the named executive officer that otherwise would have vested during the 12-month period following termination of employment, will accelerate (provided that equity awards that vest less frequently than annually shall be treated as though such awards vested annually); and
the executive will have 18 months following such date of termination to exercise any vested stock options (including stock options accelerated pursuant to the terms of the executive’s employment agreement) or, if earlier, through the scheduled expiration date of the options.
In return, each executive has agreed to be restricted from competing with TripAdvisor or soliciting its employees through the longer of (i) the completion of the term of the employment agreement and (ii) 12 months after the termination of employment. These agreements are intended to attract and retain qualified executives who may have other employment alternatives that may appear to them to be less risky absent these agreements. The restrictive covenants contained in these agreements also serve to protect the interest of TripAdvisor.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATIONInsider Participation
The Compensation Committee consists of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Messrs. Philips and ZeisserMaffei and the Section 16 Committee consists of Ms. Singh Cassidy and Mr. Philips. None of Ms. Singh Cassidy or Messrs. Philips, or ZeisserMaffei was an officer or employee of TripAdvisor, formerly an officer of TripAdvisor, or an executive officer of an entity for which an executive officer of TripAdvisor served as a member of the compensation committee or as a director during the one-year period ended December 31, 2011.
During the last fiscal year, none of our executive officers served as: (1) a member of the compensation committee (or other committee of the board of directors performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our compensation committee;(2) a director of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our compensation committee, or (3) a member of the compensation committee (or other committee of the board of directors performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our Board.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEES REPORTCompensation Committees Report
This report is provided by the Compensation Committee and the Section 16 Committee (the “Compensation Committees”) of the Board of Directors. The Compensation Committees have reviewed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and discussed that Analysisanalysis with management. Based on this review and discussions with management, the Compensation Committees recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in the Company’s 2012TripAdvisor’s 2015 Proxy Statement.
Members of the Compensation Committee:
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (Chairperson)
Jeremy Philips
Michael P. ZeisserGregory B. Maffei
Members of the Section 16 Committee:
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (Chairperson)
Jeremy Philips
27
2011 Summary Compensation Table
The following table below sets forth certain information regarding the compensation that TripAdvisor’s Chairman and Senior Executive, President andpaid to our Chief Executive Officer, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer and Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary earned duringthree most highly compensated executive officers in 2014. On February 5, 2015, the Board of Directors determined that for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. Prior to December 20, 2011, TripAdvisor was a wholly-owned subsidiary2014, Mr. Dermot and Ms. Seidenberg were “executive officers” for purposes of Expedia, with Expedia as its sole stockholder. This table includes all compensation received from Expedia for services performed in 2011 for those named executive officers who devoted substantially all of their efforts to TripAdvisor’s businesses prior to December 20, 2011.Rule 3b-7 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
Name and Principal | Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($)(1) | Stock Awards ($)(2) | Option Awards ($)(2) | All Other Compensation ($)(3) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Barry Diller | 2011 | $ | 0 | (4) | 0 | 0 | 914,851 | (8) | 0 | 914,851 | ||||||||||||||||||
Chairman and Senior Executive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Kaufer | 2011 | 300,000 | (5) | 500,000 | 0 | 3,345,249 | (9) | 51,802 | 4,189,691 | |||||||||||||||||||
President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julie M.B. Bradley | 2011 | 69,231 | (6) | 100,000 | 1,215,500 | (10) | — | — | 1,384,731 | |||||||||||||||||||
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seth J. Kalvert | 2011 | 112,500 | (7) | 180,000 | — | 493,170 | (9) | 75,552 | 861,182 | |||||||||||||||||||
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name and Principal Position |
| Year |
| Salary ($) |
| Bonus ($) (1) |
| Stock Awards ($)(2) |
| Option Awards ($)(2) |
| All Other Compensation ($)(3) |
| Total ($) |
Stephen Kaufer President and Chief Executive Officer |
| 2014 2013 2012 |
| 500,000 500,000 469,231 |
| 700,000 450,000 750,000 |
| — — — |
| — 38,054,126 5,126,804 |
| 7,960 10,101 47,440 |
| 1,207,960 39,014,227 6,393,475 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Julie M.B. Bradley(4) Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer |
| 2014 2013 2012 |
| 392,077 355,385 302,116 |
| 235,818 216,810 250,000 |
| 526,469 — — |
| 1,578,757 1,889,028 2,050,722 |
| 8,835 8,665 1,574 |
| 2,741,956 2,469,888 2 604,412 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seth J. Kalvert Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
| 2014 2013 2012 |
| 379,616 346,923 329,231 |
| 192,500 166,250 205,000 |
| 384,482 — — |
| 1,152,948 1,147,338 1,025,361 |
| 7,960 6,847 268,496 |
| 2,117,506 1,667,358 1,828,088 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dermot M. Halpin(5) President, Vacation Rentals |
| 2014 |
| 496,791 |
| 229,276 |
| 374,983 |
| 948,928 | (7) | 248,110 |
| 2,298,088 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barrie Seidenberg(6) Chief Executive Officer, Attractions |
| 2014 |
| 97,436 |
| 136,875 |
| 1,513,205 |
| 504,539 |
| 160 |
| 2,252,215 |
(1) | The amounts reported in this column represent cash bonuses paid to all executive officers other than Ms. Seidenberg in |
(2) | These equity awards are described in more detail in the |
Expected Term (years) | Risk-Free Interest Rate (%) | Expected Volatility (%) | ||||||||||
Barry Diller | 7.0 | 2.77 | 49.72 | |||||||||
Stephen Kaufer’s March 1, 2011 Option Grant | 4.64 | 1.92 | 49.90 | |||||||||
Stephen Kaufer’s November 30, 2011 Option Grant | 4.64 | 0.78 | 51.60 | |||||||||
Seth J. Kalvert’s March 1, 2011 Option Grant | 4.64 | 1.92 | 49.90 | |||||||||
Seth J. Kalvert’s August 25, 2011 Option Grant | 4.64 | 0.89 | 50.54 | |||||||||
Seth J. Kalvert’s November 30, 2011 Option Grant | 4.64 | 0.78 | 51.60 |
(3) | See |
(4) | On April 2, 2014, Ms. Bradley informed us of |
(5) | Mr. |
(6) | Ms. Seidenberg’s employment commenced at TripAdvisor |
(7) | Includes $574,124 attributable to the |
|
201128
2014 All Other Compensation
Stephen Kaufer ($) | Seth J. Kalvert ($) | |||||||
Gift Card(a) | 125 | 125 | ||||||
Tax Gross-Up on Gift Card(b) | 50 | 50 | ||||||
Leisure Travel Reimbursement(c) | 0 | 750 | ||||||
401(k) Company Match(d) | 7,350 | 0 | ||||||
Relocation Benefits(e) | 0 | 49,391 | ||||||
Tax Gross Up on Relocation Benefits(f) | 0 | 25,236 | ||||||
Dividend Equivalents(g) | 20,313 | 0 | ||||||
Vacation Pay-Out(h) | 23,964 | 0 |
|
| Gift Card (a) |
|
| Dividend Equivalent (b) |
|
| Employer Retirement Contributions (c) |
|
| Relocation Related Expenses (d) |
|
| Tax Gross-Ups (e) |
|
| Total |
| ||||||
Stephen Kaufer |
|
| 100 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 7,800 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 60 |
|
|
| 7,960 |
|
Julie M.B. Bradley |
|
| 100 |
|
|
| 875 |
|
|
| 7,800 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 60 |
|
|
| 8,835 |
|
Seth J. Kalvert |
|
| 100 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 7,800 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 60 |
|
|
| 7,960 |
|
Dermot M. Halpin |
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 24,840 |
|
|
| 155,842 |
|
|
| 67,428 |
|
|
| 248,110 |
|
Barrie Seidenberg |
|
| 100 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 60 |
|
|
| 160 |
|
(a) | Represents the amount of a gift card that was given to all employees as a holiday bonus. |
(b) | Represents |
(c) |
For Ms. Bradley and Messrs. Kaufer and Kalvert represents matching contributions |
(d) | Represents |
(e) | For all named executive officers except Mr. Halpin, this amount represents a gross-up for the holiday gift card. For Mr. Halpin, the amount |
2011 Grants of Plan-Based Awards
No options to purchase shares of TripAdvisor common stock or TripAdvisor RSUs wereThe table below provides information regarding the plan-based awards granted to the TripAdvisorour named executive officers duringin 2014.
Name |
| Grant Date |
| All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units(#) |
|
| All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options(#) |
|
| Exercise Price or Base Price of Option Awards ($/Sh) |
|
| Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ($)(1) |
| ||||
Julie M.B. Bradley |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock Options |
| 2/21/2014 |
|
| — |
|
|
| 33,584 |
|
|
| 96.92 |
|
|
| 1,578,757 |
|
RSUs |
| 2/21/2014 |
|
| 5,432 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 526,469 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seth J. Kalvert |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock Options |
| 2/21/2014 |
|
| — |
|
|
| 24,526 |
|
|
| 96.92 |
|
|
| 1,152,948 |
|
RSUs |
| 2/21/2014 |
|
| 3,967 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 384,482 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dermot M. Halpin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock Options (2) |
| 2/27/2013 |
|
| — |
|
|
| 33,333 |
|
|
| 45.27 |
|
|
| 574,124 |
|
Stock Options |
| 2/21/2014 |
|
| — |
|
|
| 7,973 |
|
|
| 96.92 |
|
|
| 374,804 |
|
RSUs |
| 2/21/2014 |
|
| 3,869 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 374,983 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barrie Seidenberg |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock Options |
| 8/8/2014 |
|
| — |
|
|
| 11,215 |
|
|
| 95.29 |
|
|
| 504,539 |
|
RSUs |
| 8/8/2014 |
|
| 5,293 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 504,370 |
|
RSUs |
| 8/8/2014 |
|
| 10,587 |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
|
| 1,008,835 |
|