Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
Executive Chairman of the Board of Beyond
On February 16, 2024, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Beyond, Inc. (“Beyond”) appointed Marcus Lemonis to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Beyond, effective February 20, 2024. Mr. Lemonis joined the Board of Beyond on October 2, 2023, and has served as Chairman of the Board since December 10, 2023.
In connection with Mr. Lemonis’ commencement of service as Chairman of the Board in December 2023, the Compensation Committee of the Board and the Board considered the compensation package for Mr. Lemonis. Following deliberation, the Board determined that his compensation package for his role as Chairman of the Board, and commencing February 20, 2024, as Executive Chairman, would be comprised entirely of performance-based stock options with rigorous stock price hurdles to clearly align his compensation with the creation of meaningful, long-term stockholder value above the trading price of Beyond’s common stock at the time Mr. Lemonis first joined the Board. The performance-based stock option award to Mr. Lemonis is being granted to him for his services as Executive Chairman and will be a stand-alone award and will not be granted under Beyond’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan. Mr. Lemonis will not receive any guaranteed compensation, whether in the form of cash or equity compensation, nor will he receive the cash or equity compensation paid to other non-employee members of the Board under Beyond’s non-employee director compensation program.
Beyond has created a performance-based stock option award for Mr. Lemonis that incentivizes him to not only continue to lead the company over the long term, but also to realize significant value for Beyond’s stockholders. On February 20, 2024, the Board granted to Mr. Lemonis, the “Executive Chairman Performance Award,” which is a stock option award that recognizes the large potential that Beyond’s Board believes could be achievable under Mr. Lemonis’ leadership. The closing price of Beyond’s common stock on the date that Mr. Lemonis was appointed to the Board, October 2, 2023, was $15.04, and the closing price of Beyond’s Common Stock on February 16, 2024 was $25.89, an approximately 72% increase.
The Executive Chairman Performance Award consists of stock options to purchase up to 2,250,000 shares of Beyond common stock with exercise prices and vesting conditions that represent ambitious stock price growth milestones above the trading price of Beyond common stock at the time Mr. Lemonis joined the Board. As a result, the Executive Chairman Performance Award will have value only in the event Beyond’s stock price equals or exceeds the stock price hurdles as follows:
•$45.00 Stock Price Hurdle: 500,000 of the stock options granted to Mr. Lemonis (“Tranche 1”) have an exercise price of $45.00 per share and will only vest if the average per-share closing price of Beyond’s common stock over any 20 consecutive trading day period following the grant date but prior to the second anniversary of the grant date equals or exceeds $45.00, subject to continued service through the vesting date.
•$50.00 Stock Price Hurdle: 750,000 of the stock options granted to Mr. Lemonis (“Tranche 2”) have an exercise price of $50.00 per share and will only vest if the average per-share closing price of Beyond’s common stock over any 20 consecutive trading day period following the grant date but prior to the third anniversary of the grant date equals or exceeds $50.00, subject to continued service through the vesting date.
•$60.00 Stock Price Hurdle: 1,000,000 of the stock options granted to Mr. Lemonis (“Tranche 3”) have an exercise price of $60.00 per share and will only vest if the average per-share closing price of Beyond’s common stock over any 20 consecutive trading day period following the grant date but prior to the fourth anniversary of the grant date equals or exceeds $60.00, subject to continued service through the vesting date.
Each tranche will also be subject to a minimum time vesting condition. The Compensation Committee and the Board granted the Executive Chairman Performance Award after a deliberate review process, in which the Compensation Committee and the Board received advice from a leading independent compensation consultant, as well as discussions with Mr. Lemonis, who otherwise recused himself from the Board’s deliberations.
At Mr. Lemonis’ request, the Executive Chairman Performance Award will be subject to stockholder approval. As a result, at the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, the Board will recommend that Beyond’s stockholders approve the Executive Chairman Performance Award. In the event the stockholders do not approve the Executive Chairman Performance Award at the 2024 annual meeting, the Executive Chairman Performance Award will be forfeited.
To the extent one or more of the price hurdles have been achieved but the time-vesting condition has not yet been achieved, the earned portion of the Executive Chairman Performance Award will vest in the event Mr. Lemonis is removed as Executive Chairman of the Board without cause or is not nominated for reelection at any annual meeting of stockholders, or in the event of his death or disability. In addition, the Executive Chairman Performance Award will vest upon a change in control of Beyond to the extent a price hurdle is achieved based on the stock price at the time of the change in control. It is not currently expected that Mr. Lemonis will receive any new equity awards during the performance period of the Executive Chairman Performance Award, except where deemed appropriate by the Board.
The foregoing discussion of the proposed Executive Chairman Performance Award to be submitted for stockholder approval at Beyond’s 2024 annual meeting of stockholders is qualified in its entirety by the description of the Executive Chairman Performance Award and the form of award agreement to be included in Beyond’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with respect to such annual meeting.