We maintain a compensation program structured to achieve a close connection between executive pay and Company performance. We believe that this strong pay-for-performance orientation has served us well in recent years. For more information regarding our named executive officer compensation, see "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" and the compensation tables that follow such section.

WHAT WE DO

WHAT WE DON'T DO

Our Board has nominated the nine individuals named below to stand for election to the Board at the 2020 annual meeting. The Company's directors are elected each year by our stockholders at the annual meeting. We do not have a staggered or classified board. Each director's term will last until the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders and until such director's successor is duly elected and qualified, or such director's earlier death, resignation or removal. Each director nominee must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in the election of directors at the 2020 annual meeting to be elected (i.e., the number of shares voted "FOR" a director nominee must exceed the number of votes cast "AGAINST" such nominee).

The Board is responsible for determining the independence of our directors. Under the NYSE listing standards, a director qualifies as independent if the Board affirmatively determines that the director has no material relationship with the Company. While the focus of the inquiry is independence from management, the Board is required to broadly consider all relevant facts and circumstances in making an independence determination. In making independence determinations, the Board complies with NYSE listing standards and considers all relevant facts and circumstances. Based upon its evaluation, our Board has affirmatively determined that the following directors meet the standards of "independence" established by the NYSE: David DiDomenico, Carmel Galvin, Mark E. Hill, J. Mark Howell, Stefan Jacoby, Michael T. Kestner, Mary Ellen Smith and Stephen E. Smith. With respect to the portion of fiscal 2019 during which they served on the Board, the Board also determined that Todd F. Bourell, Donna R. Ecton, Lynn Jolliffe and John P. Larson met the standards of "independence" established by the NYSE. James P. Hallett, our CEO and Chairman of the Board, is not an independent director.

The Board is responsible for nominating members for election to the Board and for filling vacancies on the Board that may occur between the annual meetings of stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for identifying, screening and recommenlding candidates to the Board for Board membership. When formulating its Board membership recommendations, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consider advice and recommendations from others, including third-party search firms, current Board members, management, stockholders and other persons, as it deems appropriate. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee retained a third-party search firm to assist with identifying, screening and evaluating potential candidates.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee uses a variety of methods to identify and evaluate potential candidates. Consideration of candidates typically involves a series of internal discussions, review of candidate information, and interviews with selected candidates. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider the candidate against the criteria it has adopted, as further discussed below, in the context of the Board's then-current composition and the needs of the Board and its committees, and will ultimately recommend qualified candidates for election to the Board. Though the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a formal policy regarding consideration of director candidates recommended by stockholders, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee generally evaluates such candidates in the same manner by which it evaluates director candidates recommended by other sources.

As detailed in both the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter and the Corporate Governance Guidelines, director candidates are selected based upon various criteria, including experience, skills, expertise, diversity, personal and professional integrity, character, business judgment, time availability in light of other commitments, dedication, conflicts of interest and such other relevant factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers appropriate in the context of the needs of the Board.

All candidates are considered in light of the needs of the Board with due consideration given to the foregoing criteria. Board members are expected to prepare for, attend and participate in all Board and applicable committee meetings and the Company's annual meetings of stockholders.

In addition, a stockholder may nominate candidates for election as a director, provided that the nominating stockholder follows the procedures set forth in Article II, Section 5 of the Company's Second Amended and Restated By-Laws for nominations by stockholders of persons to serve as directors, including the requirements of timely notice and certain information to be included in such notice. Deadlines for stockholder nominations for next year's annual meeting are included in the "Requirements, Including Deadlines, for Submission of Proxy Proposals" section on page 67.

An employment agreement entered into on February 27, 2012 between the Company and James P. Hallett, the Company's CEO and Chairman of the Board, provides that Mr. Hallett shall be entitled to serve as a member of the Board for so long as the employment agreement is in effect.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board believe that diversity along multiple dimensions, including opinions, skills, perspectives, personal and professional experiences, and other differentiating characteristics, is an important element of its nomination recommendations. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has not identified any specific minimum qualifications which must be met for a person to be considered as a candidate for director. However, Board candidates are selected based upon various criteria including experience, skills, expertise, diversity, personal and professional integrity, character, business judgment, time availability in light of other commitments, dedication, conflicts of interest and such other relevant factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers appropriate in the context of the needs of the Board. Although the Board does not have a formal diversity policy, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Board review these factors, including diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, age, cultural background and professional experience, in considering candidates for Board membership.

The following information is furnished with respect to each nominee for election as a director. All of the nominees are currently directors and were elected by the stockholders at last year's annual meeting, except for Mr. DiDomenico, Ms. Galvin and Ms. Smith, who were each elected by the Board to fill vacancies. Mr. DiDomenico was initially identified and recommended to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee as a potential nominee by a former non-employee director, and Ms. Galvin and Ms. Smith were each initially identified and recommended to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee as a potential nominee by a third-party search firm. Mr. DiDomenico, Ms. Galvin and Ms. Smith were each subsequently recommended by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to the Board for election as a director. Upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board elected Mr. DiDomenico and Ms. Smith to the Board effective October 16, 2019, and Ms. Galvin to the Board effective February 1, 2020.

Each of the nominees has consented to being named in this proxy statement and to serve as a director if elected. If a nominee is unavailable to stand for election as a director, your proxy holders will have the authority and discretion to vote for another nominee proposed by the Board or the Board may reduce the number of directors to be elected at the 2020 annual meeting. The ages of the nominees are as of the date of the 2020 annual meeting, June 4, 2020.

The Board oversees the Company's CEO and other senior management in the competent and ethical operation of the Company and assures that the long-term interests of the stockholders are being served. The Board serves as the ultimate decision-making body of the Company, except for those matters reserved to or shared with the stockholders. The Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on our website, www.karglobal.com, by clicking on "Investors" and then the "Governance" tab. The information on our website is not part of this proxy statement and is not deemed incorporated by reference into this proxy statement or any other public filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

Neither the Company's Second Amended and Restated By-Laws nor the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines require that the Company separate the roles of Chairman of the Board and CEO, and the Board does not have a policy on whether the same person should serve as both the CEO and Chairman of the Board, or if the roles must remain separate. The Board believes that it should have the flexibility to make these determinations from time to time in the way that it believes best to provide appropriate leadership for the Company under then-existing circumstances.

At present, the Board has chosen to combine the positions of CEO and Chairman of the Board and to appoint a Lead Independent Director. Our Board believes that having one person serve the combined role of CEO and Chairman of the Board is appropriate for the Company at this time, as it fosters clear accountability, effective decision making and alignment on corporate strategy. Given Mr. Hallett's unparalleled knowledge of the industry and the Company, the Board believes Mr. Hallett is in the best position to focus the independent directors' attention on critical business matters and to speak for and lead both the Company and the Board. In addition, the Board believes that the appointment of a Lead Independent Director helps ensure that the Company benefits from effective oversight by its independent directors. Our Lead Independent Director presides over the executive sessions of the independent directors and serves as the principal liaison between the independent directors and the Company's CEO and Chairman of the Board. Our Lead Independent Director, Mr. Kestner, has served on the Board since 2013 and as Lead Independent Director since July 2019. Mr. Kestner is a highly-engaged Lead Independent Director empowered with robust authority and responsibilities, as discussed below.

The Board has adopted a Lead Independent Director Charter, which sets forth a clear mandate with significant authority and responsibilities for the Lead Independent Director, including:

The independent directors of the Company meet in executive session at every regularly scheduled Board meeting. The Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines state that the Chairman of the Board (if an independent director) or the Lead Independent Director (if the Chairman of the Board is not an independent director) shall preside at such executive sessions, or in such director's absence, another independent director designated by the Chairman of the Board or the Lead Independent Director, as applicable. Currently, Mr. Kestner, our Lead Independent Director, presides at the executive sessions of our independent directors.

The Board held thirteen meetings during 2019. All of the incumbent directors attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board and Board committees on which they served during 2019. As stated in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, each director is expected to attend all annual meetings of stockholders. All of our directors attended last year's annual meeting of stockholders.

In 2019, the Board maintained four standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Risk Committee. Each of our committees operates pursuant to a written charter. Copies of the committee charters are available on our website, www.karglobal.com, by clicking on "Investors" and then the "Governance" tab. The information on our website is not part of this proxy statement and is not deemed incorporated by reference into this proxy statement or any other public filing made with the SEC. The following table sets forth the current membership of each committee:

Name		Audit Committee		Compensation Committee		Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee		Risk Committee
​	​	​	​	​	​	​	​	​
David DiDomenico				​				​
Carmel Galvin
James P. Hallett*
Mark E. Hill						(Chair)
J. Mark Howell				​		​		(Chair)
Stefan Jacoby
Michael T. Kestner**		(Chair)		​		​
Mary Ellen Smith
Stephen E. Smith				(Chair)		​		​

A description of each Board committee is set forth below.

Audit Committee

Meetings Held in 2019: 7

Primary Responsibilities: Our Audit Committee assists the Board in its oversight of the integrity of our financial statements, our independent registered public accounting firm's qualifications and independence and the performance of our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee (i) reviews the audit plans and findings of our independent registered public accounting firm and our internal audit team and tracks management's corrective action plans where necessary; (ii) reviews our financial statements, including any significant financial items and changes in accounting policies or practices, with our senior management and independent registered public accounting firm; (iii) reviews our financial risk and control procedures, compliance programs (including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics) and significant tax, legal and regulatory

matters; (iv) reviews and approves related person transactions; and (v) has the sole discretion to appoint annually our independent registered public accounting firm, evaluate its independence and performance and set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm.

Independence: Each member of the Audit Committee is "financially literate" under the rules of the NYSE, and each of Messrs. Howell and Kestner has been designated as an "audit committee financial expert" as that term is defined by the SEC. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee meets the standards of "independence" established by the NYSE and is "independent" under the independence standards for audit committee members adopted by the SEC.

Compensation Committee

Meetings Held in 2019: 13

Primary Responsibilities: The Compensation Committee reviews and recommends policies relating to the compensation and benefits of our executive officers and employees. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our CEO and other executive officers, evaluates the performance of these officers in light of those goals and objectives, and approves the compensation of these officers based on such evaluations. The Compensation Committee also administers the issuance of equity and other awards under our equity plans.

Independence: All of the members of the Compensation Committee are independent under the NYSE rules (including the enhanced independence requirements for compensation committee members).

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Meetings Held in 2019: 7

Primary Responsibilities: The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board regarding candidates for directorships and the size and composition of the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also reviews non-employee director compensation on an annual basis and makes recommendations to the Board. In addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing our Corporate Governance Guidelines and reporting and making recommendations to the Board concerning governance matters. As required by the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees an annual evaluation process of the Board and each committee of the Board, as discussed in more detail under "Board and Committee Evaluation Process" below.

Independence: All of the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are independent under the NYSE rules.

Risk Committee

Meetings Held in 2019: 4

Primary Responsibilities: The Risk Committee assists the Board in its oversight of (i) the principal business, financial, technology, operational and regulatory risks, and other material risks and exposures of the Company and (ii) the actions, activities and initiatives of the Company to mitigate such risks and exposures. The Risk Committee also provides oversight for matters specifically relating to cyber security and other risks related to information technology systems and procedures. The Risk Committee receives regular reports from the Company's Chief Information Security Officer on, among other things, the Company's cyber risks and threats, the status of projects to strengthen the Company's information security systems, assessments of the Company's security program and the emerging threat landscape. The Risk Committee also oversees the Company's enterprise risk management ("ERM") program and has direct oversight over certain risks within the ERM framework.

Independence: All of the members of the Risk Committee are independent under the NYSE rules.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees the annual evaluation process of the Board and each of its committees. The evaluation process includes a self-evaluation by the Board, a self-evaluation by each committee of the Board, and a peer evaluation by each director of each other Board member. Once the evaluation process is complete, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reports to the full Board the results, including any recommendations, which are discussed by the full Board and each committee, as applicable, and changes in practices or procedures are considered and implemented as appropriate.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee periodically reviews the format of the evaluation process to ensure that actionable feedback is solicited on the operation and effectiveness of the Board, the Board committees and each Board member. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also utilizes the results of this self-evaluation process in assessing and determining the characteristics and critical skills required of prospective candidates for election to the Board and making recommendations to the Board with respect to assignments of Board members to various committees.

Management is responsible for assessing and managing risk at the Company, including communicating the most material risks to the Board and its committees. The Board has primary responsibility for risk oversight, with a focus on the most significant risks facing the Company. Oversight of the Company's risks is carried out by the Board as a whole and by each of its committees.

The Board's leadership structure, through its committees, supports its role in risk oversight. In general, the committees oversee the following risks:

•

Audit Committee: The Audit Committee maintains initial oversight over risks related to (i) the integrity of the Company's financial statements; (ii) internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures (including the performance of the Company's internal audit function); (iii) the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm; and (iv) ethics and related issues arising from the Company's whistleblower hotline.



•

Compensation Committee: The Compensation Committee maintains oversight over risks related to the Company's compensation programs and practices.



•

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee: The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee monitors potential risks relating to the effectiveness of the Board, notably director succession, composition of the Board and the principal policies that guide the Company's governance.



•

Risk Committee: The Risk Committee maintains oversight over the Company's enterprise-level risks, including with respect to cyber security and information technology systems and procedures as noted above. The Risk Committee provides oversight with respect to risk practices implemented by management, except for the oversight of risks that have been specifically delegated to another committee of the Board. Even when the oversight of a specific area of risk has been delegated to another committee, the Risk Committee may maintain oversight over such risks through the receipt of reports from the committee chairs.

The Board maintains oversight over such risks through the receipt of reports from the committee chairs at each regularly scheduled Board meeting.

As part of the risk management process, an annual risk assessment is conducted by management to identify and prioritize the most significant enterprise risks to the Company. This risk assessment is reviewed with the Risk Committee and helps guide the focus and selection of risks that are brought to the Risk Committee for review or covered by the full Board or its other committees. The reviews by the Risk Committee and other committees occur principally through the receipt of reports from management and third parties on applicable areas of risk, and discussions with management and third parties regarding risk assessment and risk management.

At its regularly scheduled meetings, the Board generally receives a number of reports which include information relating to risks faced by the Company. The Company's Chief Financial Officer provides a report on the Company's results of operations, its liquidity position, including an analysis of prospective sources and uses of funds, and the implications to the Company's debt covenants and credit rating, if any. The Company's General Counsel provides a privileged report which provides information regarding the status of the Company's material litigation and related matters, if any, including environmental updates and the Company's continuing compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Further, the president of each primary business unit provides information relating to strategic, operational and competitive risks. At each regularly scheduled Board meeting, the Board also receives reports from the Chairman of the Risk Committee as well as other committee chairs, which may include a discussion of risks initially overseen by the committees for discussion and input from the Board. As noted above, in addition to these regular reports, the Risk Committee receives reports on specific areas of risk, such as regulatory, cyclical or other risks, and reports to the Board on these matters.

We expect that any amendment to or waiver of the codes of ethics that apply to executive officers or directors will be disclosed on the Company's website. The foregoing documents are available on our website, www.karglobal.com, by clicking on "Investors" and then the "Governance" tab and in print to any stockholder who requests them. Requests should be made to KAR Auction Services, Inc., Investor Relations, 11299 North Illinois Street, Carmel, Indiana 46032.

During fiscal year 2019, each of Messrs. Bourell, Jacoby, Kestner, Larson, Smith and Mmes. Ecton, Jolliffe and Smith served as members of the Compensation Committee. None of our executive officers serve, or in fiscal year 2019 served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board or our Compensation Committee. None of the individuals serving as members of the Compensation Committee during fiscal year 2019 are now or were previously an officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries.

Any stockholder or other interested parties desiring to communicate with the Board, the Chairman of the Board, a committee of the Board or any of the independent directors individually or as a group regarding the Company may directly contact such directors by delivering such correspondence to the Company's General Counsel at KAR Auction Services, Inc., 11299 North Illinois Street, Carmel, Indiana 46032. Our General Counsel reviews all such correspondence and forwards to the applicable director(s) copies of all such applicable correspondence.

The Audit Committee has established procedures for employees, stockholders and others to submit confidential and anonymous reports regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, auditing or any other relevant matters.