Why did I receive these proxy materials?

 

We are providing these proxy materials in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of ONEOK, Inc. of proxies to be voted at our 2020 annual meeting of shareholders and at any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. You are invited to attend our annual meeting of shareholders on May 20, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time. The meeting will be held at our company headquarters at ONEOK Plaza, 100 West Fifth Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma. For directions to the meeting, please visit our website at www.oneok.com or www.proxydocs.com/oke.

Who is soliciting my proxy?

 

Our Board of Directors is sending you this proxy statement in connection with its solicitation of proxies for use at our 2020 annual meeting of shareholders. Certain of our directors, officers and employees also may solicit proxies on our behalf in person or by mail, telephone, fax or email.

Where will the annual meeting be held?

 

The annual meeting will be at ONEOK Plaza, 100 West Fifth Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103.

We intend to hold our annual meeting in person. However, we are actively monitoring the Coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) and are sensitive to the public health and travel concerns our shareholders may have and the protocols federal, state and local governments may impose. As a result, we are planning for the possibility that the annual meeting of shareholders may be held solely by means of a virtual meeting format. If we take this step, we will announce our decision to do so in advance, and details on how to participate will be set forth in a news release issued by us and available at www.oneok.com.

Who may attend and vote at the annual meeting?

 

All shareholders who held shares of our common stock at the close of business on March 23, 2020, may attend and vote at the meeting. If your shares are held through a broker or similar person, often referred to as being held “in street name,” bring a copy of your brokerage account statement or a voting instruction card, which you may obtain from your broker or similar person.

Please note: no cameras, recording equipment, large bags, briefcases or packages will be permitted in the meeting.

Will the annual meeting be webcast?

 

Our annual meeting also will be webcast on May 20, 2020. You are invited to visit www.oneok.com at 9:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time, on May 20, 2020, to access the webcast of the meeting. Registration for the webcast is required. An archived copy of the webcast also will be available on our website for 30 days following the meeting.

How do I cast my vote?

 

If you were a shareholder of record at the close of business on the record date of March 23, 2020, you have the right to vote the shares you held of record that day in person at the meeting or you may appoint a proxy through the internet, by telephone or by mail to vote your shares on your behalf. The internet and telephone methods of voting generally are available 24 hours a day and will ensure that your proxy is confirmed and posted immediately. These methods of voting are also available to shareholders who hold their shares in our Direct Stock Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan, our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and our 401(k) Plan, which includes our former Profit Sharing Plan as one of its features (collectively, the “401(K) Plan”).

You may revoke your proxy any time before the annual meeting by following the procedures outlined below under the caption “What can I do if I change my mind after I vote my shares?”

Please help us save time and postage costs by appointing a proxy via the internet or by telephone.

When you appoint a proxy via the internet, by telephone or by mailing a signed proxy card, you are appointing John W. Gibson, Chairman of the Board, and Stephen B. Allen, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, as your representatives at the annual meeting, and they will vote your shares as you have instructed them. If you appoint a proxy via the internet, by telephone or by mailing a signed proxy card but do not provide voting instructions, your shares will be voted FOR the election of each proposed director nominee named in this proxy statement and FOR Proposals 2 and 3.

 

To appoint a proxy to vote your shares on your behalf, please select from the following options:

Voting Options

 

 

		Via the Internet
		•  Go to the website at www.proxypush.com/oke, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until 11:59 p.m. (Central Daylight Time) on May 19, 2020.   •  Enter the control number that appears on your proxy card. This process is designed to verify that you are a shareholder and allows you to vote your shares and confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded.   •  Follow the simple instructions.   •  If you appoint a proxy via the internet, you do not have to return your proxy card.

 

		By Telephone
		On a touch-tone telephone, call toll-free 1-866-883-3382, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until 11:59 p.m. (Central Daylight Time) on May 19, 2020.   •  Enter the control number that appears on your proxy card. This process is designed to verify that you are a shareholder and allows you to vote your shares and confirm that your instructions have been recorded properly.   •  Follow the simple recorded instructions.   •  If you appoint a proxy by telephone, you do not have to return your proxy card.

 

		By Mail
		•  Mark your selections on the proxy card.   •  Date and sign your name exactly as it appears on your proxy card.   •  Mail the proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.   •  If mailed, your completed and signed proxy card must be received prior to the commencement of voting at the annual meeting.

What if my shares are held by my broker or similar person?

 

If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a similar person, your shares are considered to be held “in street name.” If you held shares in street name as of the record date of March 23, 2020, this proxy statement and our 2019 annual report to shareholders should have been forwarded to you by your broker or similar person, together with a voting instruction card. You have the right to direct your broker or similar person how to vote your shares by using the voting instruction card or by following any instructions

provided by your broker or similar person for voting via the internet or telephone.

Under the rules of the NYSE, unless you provide your broker or similar person with your instructions on how to vote your shares, they will only be permitted to exercise their discretion to vote your shares on the ratification of the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 2) and will not be able to vote your shares on any of the other matters to be presented at the annual meeting. Consequently, unless you respond to their request for your voting instructions in a timely manner, your shares held through your broker or similar person will not be voted on any of these other matters (which is referred to as a “broker non-vote”).

Please provide your voting instructions to your broker or similar person so that your shares may be voted.

What can I do if I change my mind after I vote my shares?

 

If you were a shareholder of record at the close of business on the record date, you have the right to revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting by:

 

(1)

notifying our corporate secretary in writing;

 

(2)

authorizing a later proxy via the internet or by telephone;

 

(3)

returning a later-dated proxy card; or

 

(4)

voting at the meeting in person.

If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a similar person, you may revoke any voting instructions you may have previously provided only in accordance with revocation instructions provided by your broker or similar person.

Is my vote confidential?

 

Proxy cards, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual shareholders are mailed and returned directly to our stock transfer agent who is responsible for tabulating the vote in a manner that protects your voting privacy. It is our policy to protect the confidentiality of shareholder votes throughout the voting process. The vote of any shareholder will not be disclosed to our directors, officers or employees, except

 

(1)

to meet legal requirements;

 

(2)

to assert or defend claims for or against us; or

 

(3)

in those limited circumstances where:

 

(a)

a proxy solicitation is contested (which, to our knowledge, is not the case in connection with the 2020 annual meeting),

 

(b)

a shareholder writes comments on a proxy card, or

 

(c)

a shareholder authorizes disclosure.

 

The vote tabulator and the inspector of election has been, and will remain, independent of us. This policy does not prohibit shareholders from disclosing the nature of their votes to our directors, officers or employees, or prevent us from voluntarily communicating with our shareholders, ascertaining which shareholders have voted or making efforts to encourage shareholders to vote.

Who will count the vote?

 

Representatives of our stock transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, will tabulate the votes and act as the inspector of the election.

How is common stock held in our 401(k) Plan voted?

 

In order to vote shares of our common stock held through our 401(k) Plan, you must instruct the trustee of the 401(k) Plan, Fidelity Management Trust Company, how to vote those shares by providing your instructions via the internet, by telephone or by mail in the manner outlined above. If you fail to provide your instructions or if you return an instruction card with an unclear voting designation or with no voting designation at all, then the trustee will vote the shares in your account in proportion to the way the other participants in the 401(k) Plan vote their shares. These votes receive the same confidentiality as all other shares voted.

To allow sufficient time for voting by the trustee of our 401(k) Plan, your voting instructions must be received by May 17, 2020.

How will shares for which a proxy is appointed be voted on any other business conducted at the annual meeting that is not described in this proxy statement?

 

Although we do not know of any business to be considered at the 2020 annual meeting other than the proposals described in this proxy statement, if any other business is properly presented at the annual meeting, your proxy gives authority to John W. Gibson, Chairman of the Board, and Stephen B. Allen, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, to vote on these matters at their discretion.

What shares are included on the proxy card(s)?

 

The shares included on your proxy card(s) represent all of the shares that you owned of record as of the close of business on March 23, 2020, including those shares held in our Direct Stock Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan, but excluding any shares held for your account by Fidelity Management Trust Company, as trustee for our 401(k) Plan. If you do not authorize a proxy via the internet, by telephone or by mail, your shares, except for those shares held in our 401(k) Plan, will not be voted. Please refer to the discussion above for an explanation of the voting procedures for your shares held by our 401(k) Plan, including its profit sharing feature.

What does it mean if I receive more than one proxy card?

 

If your shares are registered differently and are in more than one account, you will receive more than one proxy card. Please sign and return all proxy cards, or appoint a proxy via the internet or telephone, to ensure that all your shares are voted. We encourage you to have all accounts registered in the same name and address whenever possible.

Why did we receive just one copy of the proxy statement and annual report when we have more than one stock account in our household?

 

We have adopted a procedure approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission called “householding.” This procedure permits us to send a single copy of the proxy statement and annual report to a household if the shareholders provide written or implied consent. Shareholders with multiple accounts that share the same last name and household mailing address will receive a single copy of shareholder documents (annual report, proxy statement, or other informational statement) unless we are instructed otherwise. Shareholders will continue to receive a separate proxy card for each stock account. We previously mailed a notice to eligible registered shareholders stating our intent to utilize this rule unless the shareholder provided an objection.

If you are a registered shareholder and received only one copy of the proxy statement and annual report in your household, we will promptly deliver copies, to the extent you request them, for each member of your household who was a registered shareholder as of the record date. You may make this request by calling EQ Shareowner Services at 1-866-235-0232 or by providing written instructions to EQ Shareowner Services, Attn: Householding/ONEOK, Inc., P.O. Box 64854, St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0854. You also may contact EQ Shareowner Services in the same manner if you are currently receiving a single copy of the proxy statement and annual report in your household and desire to receive separate copies in the future for each member of your household who is a registered shareholder or if your household is currently receiving multiple copies of the proxy statement and annual report and you desire to receive a single copy in the future for your entire household.

If you are not a registered shareholder and your shares are held through a broker or similar person, you will need to contact that entity to revoke your election and receive multiple copies of these documents.

Is there a list of shareholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting?

 

The names of shareholders of record entitled to vote at the annual meeting will be available at the annual meeting and for 10 days prior to the meeting for any purpose relevant to the meeting between the

 

hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CDT at our principal executive offices at 100 West Fifth Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and may be viewed by contacting our corporate secretary.

May I access the notice of annual meeting, proxy statement, 2019 annual report and accompanying documents on the internet?

 

The notice of annual meeting, proxy statement, 2019 annual report and accompanying documents are currently available on our website at www.oneok.com.

Additionally, in accordance with rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, you may access this proxy statement, our 2019 annual report and any other proxy materials we use at www.proxydocs.com/oke.

Instead of receiving future copies of our proxy and annual report materials by mail, shareholders may elect to receive an email that will provide electronic links to these proxy and annual report materials. Opting to receive your proxy materials online will save us the cost of producing and mailing documents to your home or business and also will give you an electronic link to the proxy voting site. You may log on to www.proxypush.com/oke and follow the prompts to

enroll in the electronic proxy delivery service. If you hold your shares in a brokerage account, you also may have the opportunity to receive copies of these documents electronically. Please check the information provided in the proxy materials mailed to you by your broker or other holder of record of your shares regarding the availability of this service.

What out-of-pocket costs will we incur in soliciting proxies?

 

Morrow Sodali LLC, 470 West Avenue, Stamford, Connecticut 06902, will assist us in the distribution of proxy materials and solicitation of votes for a fee of $11,000, plus out-of-pocket expenses. We also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable expenses for forwarding proxy materials to our shareholders. We will pay all costs of soliciting proxies.

How can I find out the results of the voting at the annual meeting?

 

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the annual meeting. Voting results will be published in a Current Report on Form 8-K that we will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days after the annual meeting.

 

MATTERS TO BE VOTED UPON

At the annual meeting, the following matters will be voted upon:

 

(1)

the election of each of the 11 nominees for director named in this proxy statement to serve a one-year term;

 

(2)

the ratification of the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020;

 

(3)

an advisory vote on executive compensation; and

 

(4)

such other business as may properly come before the meeting, or any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.

VOTING

Only shareholders of record at the close of business on March 23, 2020, are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. As of that date, 413,857,174 shares of our common stock were outstanding. Each outstanding share entitles the holder to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of shareholders at the meeting.

Shareholders of record may vote in person or by proxy at the annual meeting. All properly submitted proxies received prior to the commencement of voting at the annual meeting will be voted in accordance with the voting instructions contained on the proxy. Shares for which signed proxies are properly submitted without voting instructions will be voted:

 

(1)

FOR the election of each of the 11 nominees for director named in this proxy statement to serve a one-year term;

 

(2)

FOR the ratification of the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020; and

 

(3)

FOR the advisory proposal to approve our executive compensation.

While we know of no other matters that are likely to be brought before the meeting, in the event any other business properly comes before the meeting, proxies will be voted in the discretion of the persons named in the proxy. The persons named as proxies were designated by our Board of Directors.

To vote shares held “in street name” through a broker or similar person, a shareholder must provide voting instructions to them. Brokerage firms and similar persons are required to request voting instructions for shares they hold on behalf of their customers and

others. We encourage you to provide instructions to your brokerage firm or similar person on how to vote your shares. If your shares are held “in street name,” to be able to vote those shares in person at the annual meeting, you must obtain a proxy, executed in your favor, from the broker or similar person who held those shares as of the close of business on March 23, 2020.

The rules of the NYSE determine whether proposals presented at shareholder meetings are routine or non-routine. If a proposal is routine, a broker or similar person holding shares for an owner in street name may vote for the proposal without receiving voting instructions from the owner under certain circumstances. If a proposal is non-routine, the broker or similar person may vote on the proposal only if the owner has provided voting instructions. A “broker non-vote” occurs when the broker or similar person is unable to vote on a proposal because the proposal is non-routine and the owner does not provide any voting instructions. Under the rules of the NYSE, Proposals 1 and 3 are considered to be non-routine, and Proposal 2 is considered to be routine. Accordingly, if you do not provide voting instructions to your brokerage firm or similar person holding your shares, they will not be permitted under the rules of the NYSE to vote your shares on Proposals 1 and 3 and will only be permitted to vote your shares on Proposal 2 at their discretion.

Please provide your voting instructions to your broker or similar person so that your shares may be voted.

Representatives of our stock transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, will be responsible for tabulating and certifying the votes cast at the meeting.

QUORUM

The holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote at the annual meeting, present in person or by proxy, constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the annual meeting. In determining whether we have a quorum, we count abstentions and broker non-votes as present.

If a quorum is not present at the scheduled time of the meeting, the shareholders who are present in person or by proxy may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is present. If the time and place of the adjourned meeting are announced at the time the adjournment is taken, no other notice need be given. However, if the adjournment is for more than 30 days, or if a new record date is set for the adjourned meeting, a notice will be given to each shareholder entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the meeting.

 

VOTES REQUIRED

PROPOSAL 1 – Election of Directors.

Our By-laws provide for majority voting for directors in uncontested elections. We expect that the election of directors at our 2020 annual meeting will be uncontested. Under the majority voting standard, the election of directors is decided by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to that nominee’s election by the shareholders present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote for the election of directors. In other words, to be elected a nominee must receive a number of “for” votes that exceeds the number of “against” votes cast with respect to that director’s election. Abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, do not count as “for” or “against” votes cast with respect to the election of directors.

Under Oklahoma law, if an incumbent director who is a nominee does not receive, in an uncontested election, the requisite majority vote to be re-elected at an annual meeting, that director remains in office as a “holdover” director. Accordingly, our corporate governance guidelines require that such a director must promptly, following certification of the shareholder vote, tender his or her resignation to our Board of Directors. The Board (excluding the director who tendered the resignation) will then evaluate the resignation in light of the best interests of our company and our shareholders in determining whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. In reaching its decision, the Board may consider any factors it deems relevant, including the director’s qualifications, the director’s past and expected future contributions to the company, the overall composition of the Board and whether accepting the tendered resignation would cause the company to fail to comply with any applicable rule or regulation (including NYSE listing requirements and the federal securities laws). The Board will act on the tendered resignation and publicly disclose its decision and rationale within 90 days following certification of the shareholder vote.

PROPOSAL 2 – Ratification of Selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the Year Ending December 31, 2020.

In accordance with our By-laws, approval of Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shareholders present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on each proposal at the meeting. Abstentions will have the same effect as votes

against Proposal 2. If you do not provide voting instructions to your brokerage firm or similar person holding your shares, they will be permitted to vote your shares on Proposal 2 at their discretion.

PROPOSAL 3 – Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation.

In accordance with our By-laws, approval of Proposal 3 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shareholders present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on each proposal at the meeting. Abstentions will have the same effect as votes against Proposal 3. If you do not provide voting instructions to your brokerage firm or similar person holding your shares, they will not be permitted to vote your shares on Proposal 3. Broker non-votes do not count as shares entitled to vote for purposes of determining the outcome of the vote on Proposal 3.

REVOKING A PROXY

Any shareholder may revoke his or her proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting by (1) notifying our corporate secretary in writing (the mailing address of our corporate secretary is 100 West Fifth Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103), (2) authorizing a later proxy via the internet or by telephone, (3) returning a later dated proxy card, or (4) voting at the meeting in person. A shareholder’s presence without voting at the annual meeting will not automatically revoke a previously delivered proxy and any revocation during the meeting will not affect votes previously taken at the meeting.

If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a similar person, you may revoke any voting instructions you may have previously provided in accordance with the revocation instructions provided by the broker or similar person.

PROXY SOLICITATION

Solicitation of proxies will be primarily by mail and telephone. We have engaged Morrow Sodali LLC, 470 West Avenue, Stamford, Connecticut 06902, to solicit proxies for a fee of $11,000, plus out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, certain of our officers, directors and employees may solicit proxies on our behalf in person or by mail, telephone, fax or email, for which such persons will receive no additional compensation. We will pay all costs of soliciting proxies. We will also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable expenses for forwarding proxy materials to our shareholders.

 

Our Corporate Governance Committee engages in a regular process of reviewing our corporate governance practices, including comparing our practices with those recommended by various corporate governance authorities, the expectations of our shareholders and the practices of other leading public companies. Our Corporate Governance Committee also reviews regularly our corporate governance practices in light of proposed and adopted laws and regulations, including the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the rules and listing standards of the NYSE.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE GUIDELINES

Our Board of Directors has adopted corporate governance guidelines that address key areas of our corporate governance, including: the Board’s mission and responsibilities; Board membership and leadership; the structure and function of the Board’s committees; meetings of the Board and its committees, including attendance requirements and executive sessions; Board compensation; Board and officer share ownership requirements; succession planning; evaluation of the performance of our Board; and Board access to management and independent advisors. Our Board annually reviews our corporate governance guidelines and may revise the guidelines from time to time as conditions warrant. The full text of our corporate governance guidelines is published on and may be printed from our website at www.oneok.com and is also available from our corporate secretary upon request.

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

Our Board of Directors has adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers (including our principal executive and financial officers, principal accounting officer, controllers and other persons performing similar functions) and all other employees. We require all directors, officers and employees to adhere to our code of business conduct and ethics in addressing the legal and ethical issues encountered in conducting their work for our company. Our code of business conduct and ethics requires that our directors, officers and employees avoid conflicts of interest, comply with all applicable laws and other legal requirements, conduct business in an honest and ethical manner and otherwise act with integrity and in our company’s best interest. Our code also addresses workplace conduct, including prohibitions on discrimination and workplace harassment. All directors, officers and employees are required

to report any conduct that they believe to be an actual or apparent violation of our code of business conduct and ethics.

The full text of our code of business conduct and ethics is published on and may be printed from our website at www.oneok.com and is also available from our corporate secretary upon request. We intend to disclose on our website any future amendments to, or waivers from, our code of business conduct and ethics, as permitted by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the listing standards of the NYSE.

DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Our corporate governance guidelines provide that a majority of our Board of Directors will be “independent” under the applicable independence requirements of the NYSE. These guidelines and the rules of the NYSE provide that, in qualifying a director as “independent,” the Board must make an affirmative determination that the director has no material relationship with our company, either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with our company. In making this determination with respect to each director serving on the Executive Compensation Committee, under the rules of the NYSE, the Board is required to consider all factors specifically relevant to determining whether the director has a relationship to our company which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a member of that committee.

Our Board of Directors has also adopted director independence guidelines that specify the types of relationships the Board has determined to be categorically immaterial. Directors who meet these standards are considered to be “independent.” The full text of our director independence guidelines is published on and may be printed from our website at www.oneok.com and is also available from our corporate secretary upon request.

Our Board of Directors has determined affirmatively that Board members Brian L. Derksen, Julie H. Edwards, Mark W. Helderman, Randall J. Larson, Steven J. Malcolm, Jim W. Mogg, Pattye L. Moore, Gary D. Parker and Eduardo A. Rodriguez have no material relationship with our company, and each qualifies as “independent” under our corporate governance guidelines, our director independence guidelines and the rules of the NYSE. Accordingly, nine out of our current 11 directors qualify as independent.

 

BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

During 2019, our Board was led by John W. Gibson, who is our non-executive Chairman of the Board, in consultation and coordination with Julie H. Edwards, who was our lead independent director and the Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee. In addition, our Audit Committee and Executive Compensation Committee are each led by a chair and vice chair, each of whom is an independent director.

Our corporate governance guidelines provide that our Board of Directors retains the right to exercise its discretion in combining or separating the offices of the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Our Board reviews the issue as a part of its succession planning process. The Board believes that it is advantageous for the Board to maintain flexibility to determine on a case-by-case basis and, if necessary, change the Board leadership structure in order to meet our needs at any time, based on the individuals then available and the circumstances then presented.

The Board believes that maintaining Mr. Gibson’s continuing service as non-executive Chairman of the Board provides the most effective leadership model for our Board and our company at this time. In making this determination, the Board considered the advantages to our company of maintaining the continuity of Mr. Gibson’s effective leadership as Chairman of the Board based on, among other factors, his lengthy service as an executive officer of our company, including as chief executive officer from 2007 until his retirement in 2014, his strong leadership skills, his extensive knowledge and experience regarding our operations and the industries and markets in which we compete, as well as his ability to promote communication and to synchronize strategic objectives and activities between our Board and our senior management. The Board also believes this leadership structure continues to ensure significant independent oversight of management, as Messrs. Gibson and Spencer are the only members of the Board who are not independent directors. In addition, our Board has an ongoing practice of holding executive sessions of the independent members of the board as part of each regularly scheduled in-person Board meeting.

In accordance with our corporate governance guidelines, the Board continues to retain the authority to combine the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in the future if it determines that doing so is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders.

LEAD INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Our corporate governance guidelines provide the lead independent director who, under these guidelines, is also chair of our Corporate Governance Committee, with various key responsibilities, including leading the Board’s process for selecting both the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer. The guidelines provide that

the lead independent director shall have served as a director for a minimum of three years, shall serve for a term of three to five years as determined by the Board of Directors, and that the duties of the lead independent director include but are not limited to:

 

•

Presiding as the chair at all meetings of the Board at which the Chairman of the Board is not present, including executive sessions of the independent directors;

•

Approving meeting agendas for the Board; and

•

Approving meeting schedules to ensure that there is sufficient time for discussion of all agenda items.

In addition, the lead independent director has the authority to call meetings of the independent directors and, if requested by major shareholders, will ensure that he or she is available for consultation and direct communication.

CEO AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT SUCCESSION PLANNING

A key responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer and the Board is ensuring that an effective process is in place to provide continuity of leadership over the long term at all levels in our company. Each year, succession-planning reviews are held at every significant organizational level of the company, culminating in a full review of senior leadership talent by our independent directors. During this review, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairman of the Board and the other independent directors discuss future candidates for senior leadership positions, succession timing for those positions and development plans for the highest-potential candidates. This process ensures continuity of leadership over the long term, and it forms the basis on which our company makes ongoing leadership assignments.

OUR BOARD AND CORPORATE STRATEGY

Our Board of Directors is actively involved in overseeing, reviewing and guiding our corporate strategy. Our Board formally reviews our company’s business strategy, including the risks and opportunities facing our company and its businesses, at an annual strategic planning session. In addition, long-range strategic issues, including the performance and strategic fit of our businesses, are discussed as a matter of course at regular board meetings. Our Board regularly discusses corporate strategy throughout the year with management, formally as well as informally, and during executive sessions of the Board as appropriate. As discussed in “Risk Oversight” below, our Board views risk management and oversight as an integral part of our strategic planning process, including mapping key risks to our corporate strategy and seeking to manage and mitigate risk. Our Board also views its own composition as a critical component to effective strategic oversight. Accordingly, our Board and relevant Board committees consider our business strategy and

 

the company’s regulatory, geographic and market environments when assessing board composition, director succession, executive compensation and other matters of importance.

SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Our Board of Directors believes that accountability to shareholders is a mark of good corporate governance and that regular shareholder engagement is important to our company’s success. Our company frequently engages with shareholders on a variety of topics, with particular focus on matters relating to our company’s publicly disclosed strategy and financial performance. During 2019, members of our management team and our investor relations group attended or hosted approximately 20 investor conferences or events and held more than 350 discussions with investment firms.

Our company also engages with shareholders to discuss matters relating to governance, compensation, safety, the environment, social responsibility and other current and emerging issues that the Board and our management understand are important to our shareholders. In addition to this direct engagement, our company also maintains a number of complementary mechanisms that allow our shareholders to effectively communicate to our Board, including:

 

•

Conducting the annual election of directors with a majority voting standard;

•

Conducting an annual advisory vote to approve executive compensation;

•

Maintaining an investor relations website;

•

Regular meetings with investors and analysts;

•

If requested by major shareholders, ensuring the lead independent director is available for consultation and direct communication;

•

Permitting shareholders to submit prospective candidates for nomination by our Board for election at the annual meeting of shareholders in accordance with our corporate governance guidelines;

•

Permitting shareholders to nominate candidates for election at the annual meeting of shareholders in accordance with our By-laws;

•

Permitting proxy access by eligible shareholders in accordance with our By-laws; and

•

Providing shareholders the ability to attend and voice opinions at the annual meeting of shareholders.

RISK OVERSIGHT

Enterprise Risk Management

We engage in an annual comprehensive enterprise risk-management (“ERM”) process to identify and manage risk. Our annual ERM assessment is designed to enable our Board of Directors to establish a mutual understanding with management of the effectiveness of our risk-management practices and capabilities, to

review our risk exposure and to elevate certain key risks for discussion at the Board level. Risk management is an integral part of our annual strategic planning process, which addresses, among other things, the risks and opportunities facing our company.

Our ERM program is overseen by our Chief Financial Officer. The program is designed to identify, assess, monitor and manage risks that could affect our ability to fulfill our business objectives or execute our corporate strategy. Our ERM process involves the identification and assessment of a broad range of risks and the development of plans to mitigate these risks. These risks generally relate to the strategic, operational, financial, regulatory compliance and human resources aspects of our business.

Not all risks can be dealt with in the same way. Some risks may be easily perceived and controllable. Other risks are unknown. Some risks can be avoided or mitigated by particular behavior, and some risks are unavoidable as a practical matter. For some risks, the potential adverse impact would be minor and, as a matter of business judgment, it may not be appropriate to allocate significant resources to avoid the adverse impact. In other cases, the adverse impact could be significant, and it is prudent to expend resources to seek to avoid or mitigate the potential adverse impact. Management is responsible for identifying risk and risk controls related to our significant business activities; mapping the risks to our corporate strategy; and developing programs and recommendations to determine the sufficiency of risk identification, the balance of potential risk to potential reward and the appropriate manner in which to control and mitigate risk.

The Board implements its risk oversight responsibilities by having management provide periodic briefing and informational sessions on the significant risks that our company faces and how our company is seeking to control and mitigate those risks. In some cases, as with risks relating to significant acquisitions, risk oversight is addressed as part of the full Board’s ongoing engagement with the Chief Executive Officer and management.

The Board annually reviews a management assessment of the various operational and regulatory risks facing our company, their relative magnitude and management’s plan for mitigating these risks. This review is conducted in conjunction with the Board’s review of our company’s business strategy at its annual strategic planning meeting and at other meetings as appropriate.

Risk Oversight and Strategy Committee

We also maintain a Risk Oversight and Strategy Committee, which consists of members of our senior management. This committee is responsible for ensuring that exposure to commodity price and interest rate risk, as well as marketing, trading, hedging practices, and long-term contractual commitments are monitored within the framework established by our company policies. The committee also is

 

responsible for ensuring that marketing and hedging strategies are developed and implemented to mitigate or manage those risks within acceptable risk thresholds.

Board Committee Risk Oversight

In certain cases, a Board committee is responsible for oversight of specific risk topics. For example, the Audit Committee oversees risk issues associated with our overall financial reporting and disclosure process and legal compliance, as well as reviewing policies and procedures on risk-control assessment and accounting-risk exposure, including our companywide risk control activities. The Audit Committee meets with our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and General Counsel, and meets with our Vice President, Audit Services, as well as with our independent registered public accounting firm, in separate executive sessions at each of its in-person meetings during the year at which time risk issues are discussed regularly.

In addition, our Executive Compensation Committee oversees risks related to our compensation programs, as discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this proxy statement, and our Corporate Governance Committee oversees risks related to our governance practices and policies.

CYBERSECURITY

We have adopted a cybersecurity program that conforms with the guidelines of the widely utilized National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. We have a Director of Information Security who oversees a dedicated team of information security professionals who manage a cybersecurity program that includes risk assessment, compliance documentation, and reporting of cyber-events. This team is focused on three areas, including enterprise (corporate) information security, industrial control system (“ICS”) (including supervision control and data acquisition (“SCADA”) systems) security, and physical security. The enterprise security team manages the security of our enterprise network, as well as our overall threat and vulnerability management program and incident response procedures. Our ICS security team manages the security of our operational and SCADA cyber assets, and our physical security team manages technology efforts to improve the physical security of our assets.

Our cybersecurity program is governed by an Information Security Advisory Team, which is composed of members of our executive management team. Our Board of Directors is briefed regularly on our preparations with respect to cybersecurity. Employees at all levels receive monthly training to follow cybersecurity best practices and protocols in order to recognize threats in the early stages. The Information Security Advisory Team has also established relationships with the FBI and other relevant law enforcement resources to address cyber threats. The team also conducts periodic, external security reviews and penetration tests to determine and improve the efficacy of our security controls.

We use network segmentation best practices across our networks containing enterprise systems, SCADA, and other ICS systems. We have business continuity and disaster recovery plans in place that allow for failover processes, alternative forms of communication, and manual operation of our assets in the event that primary mechanisms become unavailable.

BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

Our business, property and affairs are managed under the direction of our Board of Directors. Members of our Board are kept informed of our business through discussions with our Chief Executive Officer and other officers, by reviewing materials provided to them periodically and in connection with Board and committee meetings, by visiting our offices and our operating facilities and by participating in meetings of the Board and its committees.

During 2019, the Board held eight regular meetings and one special meeting. All of our incumbent directors who served on the Board during 2019 attended at least 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of the Board and Board committees on which they served in 2019.

Our corporate governance guidelines provide that members of our Board are expected to attend our annual meeting of shareholders. In 2019, all then current members of our Board attended our annual meeting of shareholders.

The Board has three standing committees consisting of the Audit Committee, the Executive Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance Committee.

 

The table below provides the current membership of our Board and each of our Board committees and the number of committee meetings held in 2019.

 

Director		Audit		Executive Compensation		Corporate Governance
Brian L. Derksen		Vice Chair				✓
Julie H. Edwards						Chair
John W. Gibson
Mark W. Helderman				✓		✓
Randall J. Larson		Chair
Steven J. Malcolm				✓		✓
Jim W. Mogg		✓				✓
Pattye L. Moore				Chair
Gary D. Parker		✓				✓
Eduardo A. Rodriguez				Vice Chair		Vice Chair
Terry K. Spencer
Number of meetings in 2019		six		four		three

Our Board has adopted written charters for each of its Audit, Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance Committees. Copies of the charters of each of these committees are available on and may be printed from our website at www.oneok.com. Copies are also available from our corporate secretary upon request. The responsibilities of our Board committees are summarized below. From time to time the Board, in its discretion, may form other committees.

The Audit Committee

The Audit Committee represents and assists our Board of Directors with the oversight of the integrity of our financial statements and internal control over financial reporting, our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the independence, qualifications and performance of our independent registered public accounting firm and the performance of our internal audit function. The responsibilities of the Audit Committee include:

 

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Appointing, compensating and overseeing our independent auditor, including review of their qualifications, independence and performance;

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Reviewing the scope, plans and results relating to external audits of our financial statements and our internal control over financial reporting;

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Reviewing the internal audit function, its performance, the adequacy of its resources and the areas of internal audit emphasis;

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Monitoring and evaluating our financial condition;

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Monitoring and evaluating the integrity of our financial reporting processes and procedures;

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Assessing our significant financial risks and exposures and evaluating the adequacy of our internal controls in connection with such risks and exposures, including, but not limited to, internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures;

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Reviewing policies and procedures on risk-control assessment and accounting risk exposure, including our companywide risk control activities; and

•

Monitoring our compliance with our policies on ethical business conduct.

Our independent registered public accounting firm reports directly to our Audit Committee.

All members of our Audit Committee are “independent” under the independence requirements of the NYSE and the Securities and Exchange Commission applicable to audit committee members. The Board has determined that Jim W. Mogg, Gary D. Parker, Brian L. Derksen and Randall J. Larson are each an audit committee financial expert under the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Executive Compensation Committee

Our Executive Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing and periodically reviewing our executive compensation policies and practices. This responsibility includes:

 

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Evaluating, in consultation with our Corporate Governance Committee, the performance of our Chief Executive Officer, and recommending to our Board of Directors the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and our other executive officers;

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Reviewing and approving, in consultation with our Corporate Governance Committee, the annual objectives of our Chief Executive Officer;

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Reviewing our executive compensation program to ensure the attraction, retention and appropriate compensation of executive officers in order to motivate their performance in the achievement of our business objectives and to align their interests with the long-term interests of our shareholders;

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Assessing the risks associated with our compensation program; and

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Reviewing and making recommendations to the full Board on executive officer and director compensation and personnel policies, programs and plans.

Our Executive Compensation Committee meets periodically during the year to review our executive and director compensation policies and practices. The Committee annually recommends to our Board of Directors executive officer salaries and short- and long-term incentive compensation. The scope of the authority of this committee is not limited except as set forth in its charter and by applicable law. This committee has the authority to delegate duties to sub-

 

committees of this committee, or to other standing committees of the Board of Directors, as it deems necessary or appropriate. This committee may not delegate to a subcommittee any authority required by any law, regulation or listing standard to be exercised by this committee as a whole.

All members of our Executive Compensation Committee are “independent” under the independence requirements of the NYSE applicable to compensation committee members.

The executive compensation group in our corporate human resources department supports, in consultation with our Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Compensation Committee in its work.

During 2019, the Executive Compensation Committee continued the engagement of Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian Compensation Partners”) as an independent executive compensation consultant to assist the committee in its evaluation of the amount and form of compensation paid in 2019 to our Chief Executive Officer, our other executive officers and our directors. Meridian Compensation Partners reported directly to the Executive Compensation Committee. For more information on executive compensation and the role of this consultant, see “Executive Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Executive Compensation Methodology—The Role of the Independent Executive Compensation Consultant” at page 49.

The Corporate Governance Committee

Our Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing our company’s governance, including the selection of directors and the Board’s practices and effectiveness. These responsibilities include:

 

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Identifying and recommending qualified director candidates, including qualified director candidates suggested by our shareholders in written submissions to our corporate secretary in accordance with our corporate governance guidelines and our By-laws or in accordance with the rules of the Securities Exchange Commission;

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Making recommendations to the Board with respect to electing directors and filling vacancies on the Board;

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Adopting an effective process for director selection and tenure by making recommendations on the Board’s organization and practices and by aiding in identifying and recruiting director candidates;

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Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to the organization, structure, size, composition and operation of the Board and its committees;

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In consultation with our Chairman of the Board, our Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Compensation Committee, overseeing management succession and development; and

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Reviewing, assessing risk and making recommendations with respect to other corporate governance matters.

All members of our Corporate Governance Committee are “independent” under the independence requirements of the NYSE.

DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

Our corporate governance guidelines provide that the Board of Directors is responsible for selecting candidates for Board membership and delegates the screening process to the Corporate Governance Committee of the Board. This committee, with recommendations and input from our Chairman of the Board, our Chief Executive Officer and members of our Board, evaluates the qualifications of each director candidate and assesses the appropriate mix of skills, qualifications and characteristics required of Board members in the context of the perceived needs of the Board at a given point in time. The committee is responsible for recommending candidates for nomination by the Board for election as members of our Board.

Our corporate governance guidelines provide that candidates for nomination by the Board must be committed to devoting the time and effort necessary to be productive members of the Board and that, in nominating candidates, the Board will endeavor to establish director diversity in personal background, race, gender, age and nationality. The guidelines also provide that the Board will seek to maintain a mix that includes, but is not limited to, the following areas of core competency: accounting and finance; investment banking; business judgment; management; energy industry knowledge; operations; leadership; strategic vision; law; and corporate relations.

The Corporate Governance Committee’s charter provides that it has the responsibility, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer, to search for, recruit, screen, interview and select candidates for the position of director as necessary to fill vacancies on the Board or the additional needs of the Board and to consider management and shareholder recommendations for candidates for nomination by the Board. In carrying out this responsibility, the Corporate Governance Committee evaluates the qualifications and performance of incumbent directors and determines whether to recommend them for re-election to the Board. In addition, this committee determines, as necessary, the portfolio of skills, experience, diversity, perspective and background required for the effective functioning of the Board considering our business strategy and our regulatory, geographic and market environments.

Our corporate governance guidelines contain a policy regarding the Corporate Governance Committee’s consideration of prospective director candidates recommended by shareholders for nomination by our Board. Under this policy, any shareholder who wishes to