UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 __________________________________

(Rule 14a-101)

PROXY STATEMENT

Exchange Act of 1934

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

December 8, 201611, 2017

Dear fellow shareholders:

You are cordially invited to attend our annual meeting of shareholders on Thursday, January 26, 2017.25, 2018. We will hold the meeting at 9:00 a.m., Central Time, at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, 100 Carondelet Plaza, St. Louis, Missouri 63105.

In connection with the annual meeting, we have prepared a notice of the meeting, a proxy statement, a proxy card and our annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016,2017, which contain detailed information about us and our operating and financial performance. On or about December 8, 2016,11, 2017, we began mailing to our shareholders these materials or a Notice of Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access these materials online.

Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, we encourage you to vote your shares. You may vote by telephone or on the Internet, or if you received or requested to receive printed proxy materials, complete, sign and return the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid envelope enclosed with the proxy materials. The prompt execution of your proxy will be greatly appreciated.

December 8, 201611, 2017

PROXY AND VOTING INFORMATION

Why am I receiving these materials?

How can I receive printed proxy materials?

We have elected to take advantage of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) rules that allow us to furnish proxy materials to you online. We believe electronic delivery will expedite shareholders’ receipt of materials, while lowering costs and reducing the environmental impact of our annual meeting by reducing printing and mailing of full sets of materials. On or about December 8, 2016,11, 2017, we mailed to many of our shareholders a Notice containing instructions on how to access our proxy statement and annual report online. If you received a Notice by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials unless you specifically request one. However, the Notice contains instructions on how to receive a paper copy of the materials.

Where and when is the annual meeting?

We will hold the annual meeting on Thursday, January 26, 2017,25, 2018, at 9:00 a.m., Central Time, at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, 100 Carondelet Plaza, St. Louis, Missouri 63105.

What am I being asked to vote on at the meeting?

We are asking our shareholders to consider the following items:

What is the difference between holding shares as a “shareholder of record” and as a “beneficial owner”?

If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, you are considered the “shareholder of record” with respect to those shares. We have sent a Notice or proxy materials directly to you.

If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of the shares held in street name. Your broker, bank or other nominee who is considered the shareholder of record with respect to those shares has forwarded a Notice or proxy materials to you. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares by using the voting instruction card included in the mailing or by following theirits instructions for voting by telephone or the Internet.

How can I vote my shares?

You can vote by proxy or in person.

How do I vote by proxy?

 Pursuant to rules adopted by the SEC, we are providing you access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we are sending a Notice to our shareholders of record. If you received a Notice by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of

If you are a shareholder of record, you may vote by telephone, Internet or mail. Our telephone and Internet voting procedures are designed to authenticate shareholders by using individual control numbers that can be found on the Notice or proxy card mailed to you.

If you submit your proxy using any of these methods, Jeff A. Zadoks or Diedre J. Gray, who have been appointed by our Board of Directors as the proxies for our shareholders for this meeting, will vote your shares in the manner you indicate. You may specify whether your shares should be voted for all, some or none of the nominees for director and for or against any other proposals properly introduced at the annual meeting. If you vote by telephone or Internet and choose to vote with the recommendation of our Board of Directors, or if you vote by mail, sign your proxy card, and do not indicate specific choices, your shares will be voted “FOR” the election of the three nominees for director; “FOR” ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm; “FOR” the proposal regarding an advisory vote onapproval of the Company’s executive compensation; “AGAINST”and “FOR” the shareholder proposal concerning a report disclosing risksamendment and restatement of caged chickens;the Company’s Amended and “AGAINST” the shareholder proposal concerning an independent board chairman.Restated Articles of Incorporation.

If any other matter is presented at the meeting, your proxy will authorize Jeff A. Zadoks or Diedre J. Gray to vote your shares in accordance with their best judgment. At the time this proxy statement was printed, we knew of no matters to be considered at the annual meeting other than those referenced in this proxy statement.

If you wish to give a proxy to someone other than Jeff A. Zadoks or Diedre J. Gray, you may strike out their names on the proxy card and write in the name of any other person, sign the proxy, and deliver it to the person whose name has been substituted.

How can I revoke my proxy?

You may revoke a proxy in any one of the following four ways:

If you are a shareholder of record, you will need to bring appropriate identification and you may cast your vote in person. If you hold shares in street name, then you will need to bring an account statement or letter from your broker, bank or other nominee indicating that you were the holder of your shares as of November 29, 2016.28, 2017.

You can submit voting instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee. In most instances, you will be able to do this by telephone, over the Internet or by mail. Please refer to the materials you receive from your broker, bank or other nominee.

If you are both a shareholder and a participant in our savings investment plan, you will receive a single Notice or proxy card that covers shares of our common stock credited to your plan account as well as shares of record registered in exactly the

Yes. Voting tabulations are confidential except in extremely limited circumstances. Such limited circumstances include contested solicitation of proxies, when disclosure is required by law, to defend a claim against us or to assert a claim by us, and when a shareholder’s written comments appear on a proxy or other voting materials.

In order to have a valid shareholder vote, a quorum must exist at the annual meeting. For us, a quorum exists when shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are present or represented at the meeting, provided that in no event shall a quorum consist of less than a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote.

The affirmative voteelection of each director nominee, the ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2018, and the advisory approval of the Company’s executive compensation must be approved by a majority of the shares presentrepresented at the annual meeting in person or by proxy and entitled to vote aton the meeting is required for a director nominee to be electedmatter.

The amendment and for eachrestatement of the other items toCompany’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation must be presented toapproved by a majority of the shareholders for approval.outstanding shares of the Company.

A vote of “withhold” for a nominee will not be voted for that nominee. A vote of “abstain” on a matter will be considered to be represented at the annual meeting, but not voted for these purposes. If a broker indicates on its proxy that it does not have authority to vote certain shares held in “street name,” the shares not voted are referred to as “broker non-votes.” Broker non-votes occur when brokers do not have discretionary voting authority to vote certain shares held in “street name” on particular proposals under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), and the “beneficial owner” of those shares has not instructed the broker to vote on those proposals. If you are a beneficial owner, your broker, bank or other nominee is permitted to vote your shares only with regard to ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm, even if the holder does not receive voting instructions from you. Shares registered in the name of a broker, bank or other nominee, for which proxies are voted on some, but not all, matters, will be considered to be represented at the annual meeting for purposes of determining a quorum and voted only as to those matters marked on the proxy card.

The Board of Directors does not intend to present any business at the annual meeting other than the proposals described in this proxy statement. However, if any other matter properly comes before the annual meeting, including any shareholder proposal omitted from the proxy statement and form of proxy pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), your proxies will act on such matter in their discretion.

Our Board of Directors follows the categorical independence standards based on the NYSE listing standards and the SEC rules and regulations as described in our corporate governance guidelines. The guidelines contain categorical standards our Board uses to make its determination as to the materiality of the relationships of each of our directors. Our Board has determined, in its judgment, that all of our non-employee directors, except for Mr. Stiritz, our Chairman of the Board, are independent directors as defined in the NYSE listing standards and the SEC rules and regulations.

Our global standardscode of business conduct for officers and employees, applicable to all corporate officers and employees, sets forth our expectations for the conduct of business by corporate officers and employees. Our directors have adopted, and are required to abide by, a directorour Board of Directors code of ethics. We intend to post amendments to or waivers from (to the extent applicable to one of our corporate officers or directors) these documents on our website.

The Committee has adopted standing pre-approval of certain transactions in which a corporate officer or director may have an interest including (i) transactions involving competitive bids, (ii) certain charitable contributions, and (iii) certain banking related services. The Committee believes these transactions are immaterial to us and to any director or corporate officer. No director may participate in the approval of an interested party transaction for which he or she is a related party. If an

interested party transaction will be ongoing, the Committee may establish guidelines for our management to follow in its ongoing dealings with the related party.

The Board of Directors has the following four committees: Audit,Audit; Corporate Governance and Compensation, Executive,Compensation; Executive; and Strategy and Financial Oversight. The table below contains information concerning the membership of each of the committees and the number of times the Board of Directors and each committee met during fiscal 2016.year 2017. During fiscal 2016,year 2017, each director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors and the committee(s) on which he serves.or she serves, except Ms. Harshman who was appointed to the Board of Directors effective October 1, 2017, after the conclusion of fiscal year 2017. Because our annual meeting is purely perfunctoryroutine in nature, our corporate governance guidelines do not require the directors to attend the annual meeting of shareholders, and accordingly, only two directors attended the 20162017 annual meeting of shareholders. As of November 14, 2016,2017, the Board and committee members were as follows:

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee’s primary responsibilities are to monitor and oversee (a) the quality and integrity of our financial statements and financial reporting, (b) the independence and qualifications of our independent registered public accounting firm, (c) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors, (d) our systems of internal accounting, financial controls and disclosure controls, and (e) compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, codes of conduct and ethics programs.

Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee

The Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee (a) determines the compensation level of the corporate officers, (b) reviews management’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis relating to our executive compensation programs and approves the inclusion of the same in our proxy statement and/or annual report, (c) issues a report confirming the committee’sCommittee’s review and approval of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis for inclusion in our proxy statement and/or annual report, (d) administers and makes recommendations with respect to incentive compensation plans and stock-based plans, and (e) reviews and oversees risks arising from or in connection with our compensation policies and programs for all employees. The Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee also (i) reviews and revises, as necessary, our corporate governance guidelines.guidelines, (ii) considers and evaluates transactions between the Company and any director, officer or affiliate of the Company, and (iii) identifies individuals qualified to become members of our Board. The Committee has the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities to subcommittees as it deems appropriate, provided that any such subcommittees are composed entirely of independent directors.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee may exercise all Board authority in the intervals between Board meetings, to the extent such authority is in compliance with our corporate governance guidelines and does not infringe upon the duties and responsibilities of other Board committees.

Strategy and Financial Oversight Committee

The Strategy and Financial Oversight Committee periodically reviews financial and strategic matters with management in order to assist the Board of Directors in exercising its responsibilities regarding the financial condition, objectives and strategy of the Company.

The Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee has responsibility for assessing the need for new directors to address specific requirements or to fill a vacancy. The Committee may, from time to time, initiate a search for a new candidate, seeking input from our Chairman of the Board and from other directors. The Committee may retain an executive search firm to identify potential candidates. All candidates must meet the requirements specified in our corporate governance guidelines. Candidates who meet those requirements and otherwise qualify for membership on our Board of Directors are identified, and the Committee initiates contact with preferred candidates. The Committee regularly reports to the Board of Directors on the progress of the Committee’s efforts. The Committee meets to consider and approve final candidates who are then presented to the Board of Directors for consideration and approval. Our Chairman or the chairman of the Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee may extend an invitation to join the Board of Directors.

The Committee relies primarily on recommendations from management and members of the Board of Directors to identify director nominee candidates. However, the Committee will consider timely written suggestions from shareholders. Such suggestions and the nominee’s consent to being nominated, together with appropriate biographical information (including principal occupation for the previous five years and business and residential addresses, and educational background)addresses) and other relevant information, as outlined in our bylaws,Amended and Restated Bylaws, should be submitted in writing to our corporate secretary. Shareholders wishing to suggest a candidate for director nomination for the 20182019 annual meeting should mail their suggestions to our principal executive offices at Post Holdings, Inc., 2503 S. Hanley Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63144, Attn: Corporate Secretary. Suggestions must be received by the corporate secretary no earlier than September 28, 201727, 2018 and no later than October 28, 2017.27, 2018.

The Board of Directors is responsible for the oversight of risk, while management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risk. The Board of Directors, directly and through its committees, carries out its oversight role by regularly reviewing and discussing with management the risks inherent in the operation of our business and applicable risk mitigation efforts. Management meets regularly to discuss our business strategies, challenges, risks and opportunities and reviews those items with the Board of Directors at regularly scheduled meetings.

Board Leadership Structure

Director Evaluations

Policy on Director Diversity

Communication with the Board

(Proxy Item No. 1)

The Audit Committee has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017,2018, and the Board of Directors has directed that management submit the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm for ratification by our shareholders at the annual meeting. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since February 2012. A representative of that firm will be present at the annual meeting, will have an opportunity to make a statement, if he or she desires, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

We are not required to obtain shareholder ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm. However, we are submitting the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to shareholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If our shareholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time if it determines that such a change would be in our best interests and the best interests of our shareholders.

The Audit Committee oversees our financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors. Management is responsible for our internal controls, financial reporting processes and compliance with laws and regulations and ethical business standards. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, is responsible for performing an independent audit of our consolidated financial statements and our internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and issuing a report thereon. Our internal auditors assist the Audit Committee with its responsibility to monitor and oversee the financial reporting process and internal controls. The Audit Committee discusses with our internal auditors and independent registered public accounting firm the overall scopes and plans for their respective audits. The Audit Committee meets, at least quarterly, with the internal auditors and independent registered public accounting firm, and at its discretion with and without management present, and discusses the results of their examinations, their evaluations of our internal controls, and the overall quality of our financial reporting.

With respect to our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016,2017, management has represented to the Audit Committee that the financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed those financial statements with management. The Audit Committee also has discussed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP the matters required to be discussed by PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 161301 (Communications with Audit Committees), as modified or supplemented.

The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP required by PCAOB Rule 3526 (Communication with Audit Committees Concerning Independence), as modified or supplemented, and has discussed the independence of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with members of that firm.

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 20162017 be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for that year.

Total Compensation Opportunity

Our executive compensation structure consists of three primary components: base salary, annual bonus (our Senior Management Bonus Program) and long-term incentives (equity awards). A fourth element of our compensation structure consists of traditional benefits programs (e.g., limited perquisites and benefits).

Select Performance and Company Highlights for Fiscal 2016Year 2017

We view the Company’s performance in two primary ways:

During fiscal 2016,year 2017, we achieved a number of strategic and financial accomplishments that we believe will benefit the Company and shareholders alike in the coming years:

Our executive compensation program is intended to attract and retain executive officers and to align the interests of our executive officers and our shareholders. The Committee’s objectives for our program include, but are not limited to, the following:

The Committee determines the type and amount of compensation opportunity for our officers based on a thorough review of a variety of factors, including competitive market data, the executive’s current responsibilities and value to the Company, future leadership potential and individual / corporate / business unit performance.

We believe that our executive compensation structure strikes a balance of incentive opportunities based on:

The following table outlines our ongoing executive compensation philosophy for NEOs:

Our mix of total compensation, as illustrated by the below charts, is significantly skewed towards performance-based compensation.

Role of the Committee

The Committee is responsible to our Board of Directors for oversight of our executive compensation program. The Committee consists of independent directors and is responsible for the review and approval of all aspects of our program. Among its duties, the Committee is responsible for:

Following review and discussion, the Committee or the Board, as applicable, approves our executive compensation. The Committee is supported in its work by our SeniorExecutive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, human resources and legal teams, as well as the Committee’s independent compensation consultant.

Role of Management

For executives other than the CEO position, our President and Chief Executive Officer makes pay recommendations to the Committee based on competitive market data and an assessment of individual performance. His recommendations to the Committee establish appropriate and market-competitive compensation opportunities for our NEOs, consistent with our overall pay philosophy. The Committee reviews and discusses the recommendations, in conjunction with the Committee’s independent compensation consultant, in making compensation decisions or recommendations to the full Board. No executive officer participates directly in the final deliberations or determinations regarding his or her own compensation package.

Role of the Independent Compensation Consultant

The Committee retains the services of Aon Hewitt, in accordance with the Committee’s charter. Aon Hewitt reports directly to the Committee. The Committee retains sole authority to hire or terminate Aon Hewitt, approves its professional fees, determines the nature and scope of its services and evaluates its performance. A representative of Aon Hewitt attends Committee meetings, as requested, and communicates with the Committee chair between meetings. The Committee makes all final decisions.

The Committee has assessed the independence of Aon Hewitt as required by the NYSE listing rules. The Committee reviewed its relationship with Aon Hewitt and considered all relevant factors, including those set forth in Rule 10C-1(b)(4)(i) through (vi) under the Exchange Act. Based on this review, the Committee concluded that there are no conflicts of interest raised by the work performed by Aon Hewitt.

Role of Peer Companies and Competitive Market Data

Annually, the Committee reviews total compensation market data provided by Aon Hewitt. The Committee reviews and approves the peer group used for comparisons prior to commencement of the pay study. In August 2015,Consistent with prior years, the following peer group development criteria werewas used to develop competitive market values to assist with fiscal 2016year 2017 pay decisions:

Timing of Compensation Decisions

Pay recommendations for our executives, including the NEOs, are typically made by the Committee at its first regularly scheduled meeting of the fiscal year, normally held in November. This meeting is typically held around the same time as we report our fourth quarter and year-end financial results for the preceding fiscal year and provide our financial guidance for the upcoming fiscal year. This timing allows the Committee to have a complete financial performance picture prior to making compensation decisions.

The exceptions to this timing are awards to executives who are promoted or hired from outside of the Company during the fiscal year. These executives may receive equity awards effective or dated, as applicable, as of the date of their promotion or hire or the next nearest scheduled Committee meeting.

Determination of CEO Compensation

At its first regularly scheduled meeting of the fiscal year, the Committee also reviews and evaluates CEO performance, and determines performance achievement levels, for the prior fiscal year. The Committee also reviews competitive

Base Salary

The Committee believes in a balanced approach to long-term incentive compensation, with an emphasis on performance-based compensation. Our regular ongoing equity structure consists of stock options and RSUs. We firmly believe that stock options especially represent effective performance-based compensation.

The Committee uses competitive market data from our annual total compensation study to assist with targeted long-term incentive value. In addition, the Committee considers individual performance, potential future contributions to our business, internal equity, and management’s recommendations. For our regular ongoing equity grant made in November 2015, the

Our fiscal year 2017 equity value mix was approximately 50/5075/25 stock option and RSU value for Mr. Vitale, 65/35 for Messrs. Dwyer and our business unit heads,Neugent, and approximately 40/60 stock option and RSU value55/45 for Mr. Zadoks.Zadoks and Ms. Gray. This approach is consistent with our philosophy of granting a higher weight of performance-based value (achieved with stock options) to our CEO and business unit heads.leaders.

Long-Term Incentives — Special Retention Grant to Mr. VitaleFiscal Year 2018 Grants

Value of Option Awards

We determine the fair value of stock option grants in accordance with FASB ASC Topic ASC 718 and the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 14. Application of this guidance has historically caused our fair value estimates to be somewhat lower than those determined by external shareholder advisory firms, primarily due to differences in assumptions for the expected term of the options. For our standard three-year vesting awards, we have used the simplified method allowed under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) as we do not have sufficient historical share option exercise experience. This approach resulted in an expected term of 6.5 years. The advisory firms use a full ten-year expected term for their stock option valuations, regardless of the Company’s circumstances.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

We have stock ownership guidelines applicable to non-employee directors and corporate executive officers. Our Board of Directors believes it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to align the financial interests of executive officers and non-employee directors with those of our shareholders. Our guideline structure is as follows:

Participants are expected to comply with the ownership requirements within five years of an appointment to a qualified position. As of September 30, 2016,2017, over 80%90% of participants were in compliance with the ownership requirements, and all who are not compliant are still within the five-year timeframehave been granted an exception for compliance. The categories of stock ownership that satisfy the ownership criteria include:

Unvested stock options and stock appreciation rights are not included when determining compliance with the guidelines. The Committee is responsible for monitoring the application of the stock ownership guidelines and may modify the guidelines in its discretion, including as a result of dramatic or unexpected changes in the market value of Post common stock. The Committee has the discretion to enforce these stock ownership guidelines on a case-by-case basis. In accordance with our guidelines, the Committee has approved an exception to Mr. Curl’s stock ownership requirement based on his employer’s conflicts of interest policy.

Recoupment (“Clawback”) Policy

We have an executive compensation “clawback” policy in connection with performance-based compensation. The clawback policy provides that in the event there is a restatement of the Company’s financial results, other than due to a change in applicable accounting methods, rules or interpretations, the Committee, to the extent allowable under applicable law, has the authority to recoup performance-based compensation paid to a director or executive officer during the three-year period

Policy on Hedging and Pledging Company Stock

We have a policy that prohibits directors and executive officers from engaging in derivative or hedging transactions in the Company’s securities and a policy that prohibits pledging of shares by directors and executive officers. Specifically, the policy prohibits directors and executive officers from (i) purchasing any financial instrument or entering into any transaction that is designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the market value of the Company’s common stock or other equity securities or (ii) pledging, hypothecating or otherwise encumbering shares of the Company’s common stock or other equity securities as collateral for indebtedness, including holding such shares in a margin account. The policy was adopted on May 4, 2015.

The Committee is responsible for overseeing the risks relating to compensation policies and practices affecting senior management on an ongoing basis. The Committee believes our governance policies and compensation structure result in a compensation system that is not reasonably likely to lead to management decisions that would have a material adverse effect on the Company. The following features of our program mitigate this risk:

We maintain non-qualified deferred compensation plans for non-employee directors and key employees. These plans provide executives with an opportunity to accumulate funds for retirement. The deferred compensation plan allows eligible employees to defer all or a portion of any eligible bonus earned on a pre-tax basis. The committee that administers the plan may determine that matching contributions may be made for any of Post’s fiscal years. Absent such determination, no matching contribution is made. We also maintain an executive savings investment plan which permits eligible employees to make pre-tax deductions of between 1% and 44%75% of their annual compensation.base salaries. Income taxes on the amounts deferred and any investment gains are deferred until distributed. The plan does not provide for Company matching contributions. The plan does permit, if approved, a discretionary annual employer contribution.

Perquisites

We provide executives limited perquisites and other personal benefits that we believe are reasonable and consistent with our overall compensation philosophy. These benefits help retain and attract superior employees for key positions. The Committee reviews the levels of perquisites and other benefits periodically.

Each member of our senior management, including the NEOs whose compensation is discussed herein, except for Mr. Stiritz, has entered into a management continuity agreement or is a participant in a change in control severance compensation policy.our Executive Severance Plan described below. The management continuity agreements are intended to promote stability and continuity of senior management in the event of an actual or anticipated change in control of Post.the Company. The Board of Directors authorized these agreements in recognition of the importance to us and our shareholders of avoiding the distraction and loss of key management personnel that may occur in connection with rumored or actual fundamental corporate changes. Our Board of Directors is of the opinion that a properly designed change in control agreement protects shareholder interest by providing (i) incentives to remain with the Company despite uncertainties while a transaction is under consideration or pending and (ii) assurance of severance benefits for terminated employees, and (iii) access to equity components of total compensation after a change in control. Mr. Neugent has not entered into a management continuity agreement as he is currently a participant in a legacy MOM Brands Company change in control severance compensation policy.employees.

Under the management continuity agreements, in the event of an involuntary termination in association with a change in control, a NEO who has executed a management continuity agreement may receive (i) a lump sum severance payment equal to the present value of three years of base paysalary plus the present value of the greater of three years of (A) the NEO’s target bonus for the year in which termination occurred and (B) the NEO’s last annual bonus preceding the termination or change in control (whichever is greater), (ii) a lump sum payout equal to the actuarial value of continued participation in certain welfare benefit plans or equivalent benefits, (iii) outplacement assistance, and (iv) reimbursement for certain litigation expenses.

We adopted an executive severance plan in fiscal year 2015 (which we amended in fiscal 2016)year 2016 and fiscal year 2017), which generally provides the following benefits in the event of a termination of employment by us without cause or by the executive for good reason:

We believe that the management continuity agreements the MOM Brands severance policy and the Executive Severance Plan are fair to the executives and to our shareholders and, because the severance benefits are agreed to before a possible termination, they avoid the need for protracted negotiations at the termination date.

The following table shows information about the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer and the three most highly compensated officers who were serving as named executive officers at September 30, 2016, and our former Executive Chairman for whom disclosure would not have been provided but for the fact that he served as one of our principal executive officers for part of fiscal year 2016.2017.