Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A)
Table of Contents
☐ |
Preliminary Proxy Statement
|
☐ |
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
|
☒ |
Definitive Proxy Statement
|
☐ |
Definitive Additional Materials
|
☐ |
Soliciting Material under
§240.14a-12
|
☒ |
No fee required.
|
☐ |
Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules
14a-6(i)(1)
and 0-11.
|
☐ |
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
|
Table of Contents
Dear Stockholder:
On behalf of the Board of Directors of
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VCTR2025.
The matters to be considered by stockholders at the Annual Meeting are described in detail in the accompanying materials.
We have decided to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the
Attached to this letter are a Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement, which describe the business to be conducted at the meeting.
Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting virtually, please submit your vote at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely, |
|
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer |
Table of Contents
NOTICE OF 2025 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VCTR2025.
You will need the control number included in your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or your proxy card (if you received a printed copy of the proxy materials) to enter the meeting online to consider and vote upon:
1. |
The election of Class I directors to serve until the 2028 annual meeting of stockholders. |
2. |
The ratification of the appointment of |
3. |
A non-bindingadvisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers. |
4. |
Any other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof. |
Stockholders who owned shares of our stock as of the close of business on
We encourage you to read this proxy statement and submit your proxy or voting instructions as soon as possible. You may vote your shares by Internet or, if you received printed proxy materials, by mailing the completed proxy card. Please refer to the section "How do I vote?" for detailed voting instructions.
By Order of the Board of Directors, |
|
Corporate Secretary |
Important Notice Regarding the Internet Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be held on
i
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
GENERAL INFORMATION
We are providing you this proxy statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board of Directors to be voted at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") and at any adjournments thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held virtually via live webcast on
We provide our stockholders with access to proxy materials on the Internet instead of mailing a printed copy of the materials to each stockholder. A Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials has been mailed to our stockholders on or about
When we use the terms "Victory", "
Matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting
Proposal |
Board Recommendation |
Vote Required |
||
Election of Class I Directors | FOR each nominee | Plurality of the votes present in person or by proxy | ||
Ratification of the Appointment of |
FOR | Majority of the votes present in person or by proxy | ||
A non-bindingadvisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers | FOR | Majority of the votes present in person or by proxy |
1
Table of Contents
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND ANNUAL MEETING
1. |
Why did I receive a notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of materials? |
We have decided to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the
If you own shares of stock in more than one account-for example, in a joint account with your spouse and in your individual brokerage account-you may receive more than one notice. To vote all of your shares, please follow the instructions provided on each of the notices you received.
2. |
What information does the notice contain? |
The notice provides information about:
• |
The date, time and details of how the Annual Meeting will be conducted. |
• |
The proposals to be voted on at the Annual Meeting and the voting recommendation of our Board of Directors with regard to each item. |
• |
The website where our proxy materials can be viewed. |
• |
Instructions on how to request a paper or E-Mail copyof the proxy materials. |
• |
Instructions on how to vote by Internet or by mail or at the Annual Meeting. |
3. |
What proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting? |
There are three proposals to be considered and voted on at the Annual Meeting:
• |
The election of Class I directors to serve until the 2028 annual meeting of stockholders. |
• |
The ratification of the appointment of |
• |
A non-bindingadvisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers. |
We will also consider any other business that properly comes before the Annual Meeting.
4. |
What securities can be voted at the Annual Meeting and who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting? |
The securities that can be voted in connection with the Annual Meeting consist of our Common Stock. Each share of Common Stock entitles its holder to one vote. The holders of our Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to the stockholders for their vote or approval. Holders of our common stock at the close of business on
On
Common Stock and unvested restricted stock |
64,558,841 |
2
Table of Contents
Pursuant to our Employee Shareholders' Agreement, a three-member Employee Shareholders Committee, currently composed of
As of the record date, there were 6,573,477 shares of Common Stock and 886,789 shares of unvested restricted stock held by such employees and subject to the Employee Shareholders' Agreement, representing in the aggregate approximately 11.6% of the total voting power of the outstanding Common Stock (including unvested restricted shares). For administrative ease, we have adopted the following methodology to approximate the number of Common Stock held by those employees and subject to the Employee Shareholders' Agreement as of the record date. We generally compare (x) the cumulative number of Common Stock shares acquired from us and transferred to brokerage accounts by those employees (the "Employee-Transferred Shares") to (y) the total number of Common Stock shares held by those employees in brokerage accounts to determine the number of Employee-Transferred Shares that have been sold by those employees (the "Employee-Sold Shares"). We then subtract the Employee-Sold Shares from the cumulative Employee-Transferred Shares to calculate the number of Employee-Transferred Shares held by those employees and subject to the Employee Shareholders' Agreement. Although the Employee Shareholders Committee has an irrevocable proxy from those employees to vote those shares of Common Stock, the Employee Shareholders Committee has opted not to exercise that proxy with respect to those shares for this year's Annual Meeting. For more information on our Employee Shareholders'
5. |
How does the Board of Directors recommend I vote? |
Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote:
• |
"FOR" each of the Class I nominees to the Board of Directors. |
• |
"FOR" the ratification of the appointment of |
• |
"FOR" a non-bindingadvisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers. |
6. |
How do I hold my stock? |
Most of our stockholders hold their shares as a beneficial owner through a broker or other nominee rather than directly in their own name on the records of our transfer agent. There are distinctions between shares held of record and those owned beneficially, which are highlighted below.
• |
Stockholder of Record-If you hold stock that is registered directly in your name on the records of our transfer agent, |
• |
Beneficial Owner-If you hold stock in an account through a broker, bank or similar institution, you are considered a beneficial owner of shares held in street name. As such, the notice will be sent to you by the broker, bank or similar institution through which you hold your shares. |
7. |
How do I vote? |
If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in one of four ways:
• |
By Internet. Go to www.proxyvote.com and follow the instructions for Internet voting. You will need the control number located on your notice or proxy card, as applicable. Internet voting is available 24 |
3
Table of Contents
hours a day. If you choose to vote by Internet, you do not need to retua proxy card. To be valid, your vote by Internet must be received by |
• |
By Mail. If you request printed copies of the proxy materials, you will receive a proxy card. You may then vote by signing, dating and mailing the proxy card in the envelope provided. To be valid, your vote by mail must be received by |
• |
By Phone. Use any touch-tone telephone and dial 1-800-690-6903 totransmit your voting instructions. Vote by |
• |
During the Virtual Meeting. Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VCTR2025 during the virtual meeting on |
If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you will receive voting instructions from the institution holding your shares. The availability of telephone or Internet voting will depend upon that particular institution's voting processes. You may also vote during the Annual Meeting webcast after obtaining a legal proxy from the institution holding your shares. Please contact your broker for more information.
8. |
How many votes must be present to transact business at the Annual Meeting? |
To conduct the Annual Meeting, a majority of the voting power of the Common Stock issued and outstanding as of the record date must be present during the webcast or by proxy. This is called a quorum.
9. |
If I submit a proxy by Internet or mail, how will my shares be voted? |
If you properly submit your proxy by Internet or mail and do not subsequently revoke your proxy, your shares will be voted in accordance with your instructions.
If you sign, date and retua proxy card but do not give voting instructions, your shares will be voted as recommended by our Board of Directors.
10. |
If I am the beneficial owner of shares held in street name and do not provide voting instructions, can my broker still vote my shares? |
Under the rules of the
The ratification of the appointment of
When your broker submits its proxy, but does not vote on a matter, a broker non-vote occurswith respect to that matter.
11. |
What vote is required to approve each proposal and how are votes counted? |
With respect to the election of directors, a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of the shares of Common Stock present during the webcast or represented by proxy at the meeting is required for the election of each of the three nominees. This means that the three nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected
4
Table of Contents
regardless of whether the number of votes received by any such nominee constitutes a majority of the number of votes cast. Broker non-votes willnot be counted as shares entitled to vote with respect to the election of directors and so they will have no effect on the voting results.
The ratification of the appointment of
The non-bindingadvisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares of our Common Stock present during the webcast or represented by proxy and entitled to vote. Abstentions will be counted as shares entitled to vote and therefore will have the effect of negative votes with respect to the proposal.
12. |
How can I attend and vote my shares during the Annual Meeting? |
We will be hosting a completely virtual Annual Meeting which will be conducted live via webcast. Any stockholder can attend the annual Meeting via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VCTR2025. If you were a stockholder as of the Record Date, or you hold a valid proxy for the Annual Meeting, you can vote at the Annual Meeting. A summary of the information you need to attend the Annual Meeting online is provided below:
• |
Instructions on how to attend and participate via the Internet, including how to demonstrate proof of stock ownership, are posted at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VCTR2025. |
• |
Meeting starts at |
• |
Stockholders may vote and submit questions while attending the Annual Meeting via the Internet. |
13. |
How can I change my vote or revoke a proxy? |
If you are a stockholder of record you may change your vote or revoke a proxy at any time prior to the Annual Meeting by submitting a written notice of revocation or a proxy bearing a later date to the Company's Corporate Secretary no later than the deadline specified on the notice or proxy card, or by voting via the Internet during the Annual Meeting.
If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in street name you may change your vote or revoke a proxy in accordance with the instructions provided by the institution through which you hold your shares.
14. |
Where and when will the voting results be available? |
We will file the official voting results on a Form 8-K withinfour business days of the Annual Meeting. If the final results are not available at that time, we will provide preliminary voting results in the Form 8-K andwill provide the final results in an amendment to the Form 8-K whenthey become available.
15. |
How can I view a list of record stockholders? |
A list of the stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for inspection upon request of any stockholder for a purpose germane to the meeting during ordinary business hours at our principal executive offices located at
16. |
Who pays for the expenses of this proxy solicitation? |
We will pay all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies.
5
Table of Contents
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Corporate Governance Guidelines
We have adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that guide our Board of Directors (the "Board") on matters of corporate governance, including:
• |
Composition and leadership structure of the Board of Directors. |
• |
Selection and retirement of directors. |
• |
Obligations with respect to Board of Directors and the committee meetings of the Board of Directors. |
• |
Committees of the Board of Directors. |
• |
Specific functions related to management succession, executive compensation and director compensation. |
• |
Certain expectations related to, among other things, meeting attendance and participation, compliance with our Code of Business Conduct, other directorships and continuing education. |
• |
Evaluation of board performance. |
• |
Board access to management and independent advisors. |
A copy of the Corporate Governance Guidelines is available under the
Board Effectiveness
On an annual basis, the Board of Directors, through the
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including those officers responsible for financial reporting. The code satisfies applicable
Board Oversight of Risk Management
Our Board of Directors in conjunction with our Audit Committee, is responsible for overseeing management in the execution of its responsibilities and for assessing our general approach to risk management. In addition, an overall review of risk is inherent in the consideration of our business, long-term strategies and other matters presented to our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors exercises its risk oversight responsibilities periodically as part of its meetings and also through its standing committees, each of which is responsible for overseeing various components of enterprise risk as summarized below.
Board/Committee |
Primary Areas of Risk Oversight |
|
Full Board |
Oversight of strategic, financial, operational (including cybersecurity) and execution risks in connection with the Company's business operations and the operating environment. |
6
Table of Contents
Board/Committee |
Primary Areas of Risk Oversight |
|
Audit Committee |
Oversight of risks, including reviewing and discussing with management the Company's risk assessment and risk management policies, in particular risks related to financial matters (especially financial reporting and accounting practices and policies) and significant tax, legal and compliance matters. |
|
Nominating Committee |
Oversight of risks associated with director independence, potential conflicts of interest, director qualification, management and succession planning and overall effectiveness of the Board of Directors. |
|
Compensation Committee |
Oversight of risks associated with compensation policies, plans and practices, including whether the compensation program provides appropriate incentives that do not encourage excessive risk taking. |
Senior management is responsible for assessing and managing risk, including strategic, operational, cybersecurity, regulatory, investment, and execution risks, on a day-to-day basis,including the creation of appropriate risk management programs and committees. The Board of Directors periodically reviews information presented by senior management regarding the assessment and management of the Company's risk.
The role of the Board of Directors in risk oversight of the Company is consistent with our leadership structure, with the Chief Executive Officer and other members of senior management having responsibility for assessing and managing our risk exposure, and our Board of Directors and its committees providing oversight in connection with those efforts. We believe this division of risk management responsibilities provides a consistent and effective approach for identifying, managing and mitigating risks throughout the Company.
Nomination of Directors
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that the Nominating Committee is responsible for identifying the nominees to stand for election to the Board of Directors and recommending such nominees for selection by the Board of Directors, and for recommending to the Board of Directors individuals to fill vacancies occurring between annual meetings of stockholders. The Nominating Committee is responsible for developing criteria for the evaluation of candidates for directorship and responsible for taking into consideration the requirements of Nasdaq and applicable law and other factors as deemed appropriate by the committee, which criteria are approved by the Board of Directors. In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines, any nominee to the Board of Directors should demonstrate the following qualities, which are criteria used by the Nominating Committee in evaluating candidates for election to the Board of Directors:
• |
The highest personal and professional ethics and integrity. |
• |
Proven achievement and competence in the nominee's field and the ability to exercise sound business judgment. |
• |
Skills that are complementary to those of the existing members of the Board of Directors. |
• |
The ability to assist and support management and make significant contributions to the Company's success. |
• |
An understanding of the fiduciary responsibilities that are required of a member of the Board of Directors and the commitment of time and energy necessary to diligently carry out those responsibilities. |
The Nominating Committee seeks to create a board that consists of a diverse group of qualified individuals that function effectively as a group. Qualified candidates are those who, in the judgment of the Nominating Committee, possess strong personal attributes and relevant business experience to assure effective service on our Board of Directors. Personal attributes include effective leadership qualities, a high standard of integrity and ethics, professional and sound judgment, strong interpersonal skills, and a collaborative attitude. Experience and qualifications include professional experience with corporate boards, financial acumen, industry knowledge, diversity of viewpoints, and special business experience and expertise in an area relevant to the Company. When
7
Table of Contents
the Nominating Committee reviews a potential new candidate, they will look specifically at the candidate's qualifications in light of the needs of our Board of Directors and the Company at that time given the then current make-up ofour Board of Directors. Candidates are selected on the basis of qualifications and experience without discriminating on the basis of race, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, disability status or other dimension of diversity.
The Nominating Committee, at least annually, assesses the appropriate size of the Board of Directors and any standing committee thereof. In the event that vacancies are anticipated or otherwise arise, the Nominating Committee will seek to identify director candidates based on input provided by a number of sources. The Nominating Committee also has the authority to consult with or retain advisors or search firms to assist in the identification and evaluation of qualified director candidates. In addition to the above considerations, the Nominating Committee will consider the Company's obligations under (i) our Shareholders' Agreement to nominate individuals designated by
Once director candidates have been identified, the Nominating Committee will evaluate each candidate in light of his or her qualifications and credentials, and any additional factors that they deem necessary or appropriate, including those set forth above. The Nominating Committee will evaluate whether a prospective candidate is qualified to serve as a director and, if so qualified, will seek the approval of the full Board of Directors for the nomination of the candidate or the election of such candidate to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors.
Based on the Nominating Committee's recommendation, the Board nominated
Our amended and restated bylaws establish procedures by which stockholders may recommend nominees to our Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by stockholders and evaluate such candidates in the same manner as any other candidate. The Nominating Committee did not receive any director nominees from stockholders for the Annual Meeting. Nominations for consideration at the Company's 2026 annual meeting of stockholders must be submitted to the Company in writing with the information required by our amended and restated bylaws, in accordance with the procedures described below.
Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations for the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Stockholders who, in accordance with the
Our amended and restated bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholders who wish to present a proposal, including any proposal for the nomination of a director for election, before an annual meeting of stockholders but do not intend for the proposal to be included in our proxy materials. For such a proposal to be properly brought before the 2026 annual meeting of the stockholders, written notice of the proposal must be
8
Table of Contents
received by the Corporate Secretary no earlier than
Communications with the Board of Directors
Stockholders or other interested parties wishing to contact the Board of Directors, the non-management directorsor any individual director may send correspondence to the address provided below.
c/o: Corporate Secretary
Communications are distributed to the Board of Directors, or to any individual director as appropriate.
9
Table of Contents
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF CLASS I DIRECTORS
General
Victory's Board of Directors currently consists of eight members and currently has one vacancy. The Board is divided into three classes and in the absence of the current vacancy typically has three members each: Class I, Class II and Class III. Class II directors are serving for a term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting, Class III directors are serving for a term expiring at the 2027 annual meeting and Class I directors are serving for a term expiring at the Annual Meeting. At each succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting will be elected for a three-year term. Our bylaws permit our Board of Directors to establish by resolution the authorized number of directors. Any increase or decrease in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of an equal number of directors.
Nominees for Class I Directors
Three candidates have been nominated for election as Class I directors at the 2025 Annual Meeting for a three-year term expiring in 2028. Upon the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, the Board has nominated
If you are a stockholder of record and you sign your proxy card or vote by telephone or over the Internet but do not give instructions with respect to the voting of directors, your shares will be voted FOR the re-election of
The Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" the election of
Information Regarding the Class I Director Nominees and the Other Members of the Board of Directors
The names of the proposed director nominees and the remaining members of our Board of Directors, their respective ages, their positions with Victory and other biographical information as of
10
Table of Contents
Class I Director Nominees
Age |
Position |
||||||
|
72 | Director | |||||
|
67 | Director | |||||
|
68 | Director |
Other Members of the Board of Directors
Age |
Position |
||||||
|
52 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |||||
|
72 | Director | |||||
|
79 | Director | |||||
|
72 | Director | |||||
|
58 | Director |
Additional Information Regarding the Class I Director Nominees
11
Table of Contents
Additional Information Regarding the Other Members of the Board of Directors
12
Table of Contents
13
Table of Contents
Duke University Parents Committee. He is currently a member of the
Background and Experience of Directors
When considering whether directors and nominees have the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills, taken as a whole, to enable our Board of Directors to satisfy its oversight responsibilities effectively in light of our business and structure, the Board of Directors focused primarily on each person's background and experience as reflected in the information discussed in each of the director's individual biographies set forth above. While we do not have a formal policy on board diversity, we also consider diversity of experience as one of the factors. We believe our directors provide an appropriate mix of experience and skills relevant to the size and nature of our business.
Director Independence
Our Board of Directors has evaluated the independence of its members based upon the rules of Nasdaq. Applying these standards, our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that each of the directors, other than
Board Leadership Structure
The Board has appointed the CEO,
The Board does not require the separation of the offices of the Chairman of the Board and the CEO and believes it should be free to make this determination depending on what it believes is best for the Company in light of all the circumstances.
14
Table of Contents
When the Chairman is not an independent director, the Board will appoint a "Lead Independent Director".
The Lead Independent Director shall be appointed annually and serve until his or her successor is duly appointed and qualified, or until his or her earlier removal or resignation, or such time as he or she is no longer an Independent Director or such time as the Chairman is an Independent Director.
The Board appointed
The duties of the lead independent director include the following:
Meetings and Executive Sessions:The individual presides at all Board meetings in the absence of the Chairman, facilitates discussions among Independent Directors, and can call additional meetings as needed.
Liaison with the Chairman and Management:Acts as the principal liaison between Independent Directors and the Chairman, sharing decisions, suggestions and concerns expressed by Independent Directors in executive sessions or outside of Board meetings. Provides feedback to the Chairman and may communicate directly with management. Additionally, helps identify and support talent within the company and serve as a spokesperson for the Board when necessary.
Oversight of Information Provided to the Board:Works closely with the Chairman to ensure that the information presented to the Board is both appropriate and timely. This includes the development of meeting agendas and schedules, ensuring adequate discussion time. When appropriate, authorizes the retention of advisors and consultants who report directly to the Board.
Board and Leadership Evaluation:Works with the
Stockholder Communication:Presides at all meetings of stockholders and is available for consultation with stockholders when requested.
Crisis Management:Takes an active role in overseeing crisis management as needed.
Director Nomination Rights Under Shareholders' Agreements
Under a Shareholders' Agreement to which the Company is a party, for so long as
On
15
Table of Contents
Amundi, the "Amundi Parties") entered into the Contribution Agreement, pursuant to which, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Amundi will contribute to the Company, all of the shares of Amundi US. The contribution will result in Amundi US becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Victory. Following the closing of the Amundi Transaction, Victory and Amundi will enter into a shareholder agreement (the "Amundi shareholder agreement"), pursuant to the contribution agreement reached in 2024 that stipulates, (a) for so long as Amundi, together with its permitted transferees, owns at least 50% of the shares it acquired pursuant to the contribution agreement (without giving effect to certain sales by Amundi), Amundi will have the right to require Victory to nominate and use reasonable best efforts (subject to applicable law and the exercise of the Victory board's fiduciary duties) to have two (2) individuals designated by Amundi elected to the Victory board and (b) for so long as Amundi, together with its permitted transferees, owns at least 33% but less than 50% of the shares it acquired pursuant to the contribution agreement (without giving effect to certain sales by Amundi), Amundi will have the right to require Victory to nominate and use reasonable best efforts (subject to applicable law and the exercise of the Victory board's fiduciary duties) to have one (1) individual designated by Amundi elected to the Victory board, in each case as reasonably acceptable to Victory and subject to certain adjustments as contemplated in the Amundi shareholder agreement for any increases or decreases to the size of the Victory board to maintain the same proportionate level of board nomination rights. For so long as Amundi has the right to nominate at least one director to the Victory board, subject to applicable law or applicable rules or regulations of any stock exchange (including as to any eligibility or qualification requirements) and the exercise of the Victory board's fiduciary duties, Amundi will also have the right to have one of its selected directors serve on each committee of the Victory board. For so long as Amundi has the right to nominate two directors to the Victory board, Victory will generally not be permitted to decrease the size of the Victory board below eight members.
Each of the stockholders party to both Shareholders' Agreements (including the Employee Shareholders Committee) have also agreed to vote, or cause to be voted, all of its outstanding shares to ensure the above composition of our Board of Directors.
Committees of the Board; Board Meetings
The Board of Directors conducts its business through meetings of the board and its committees. The Board of Directors has three standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating Committee. The current members and chairpersons of the standing committees of the Board are:
Director |
Audit Committee |
Compensation Committee |
Nominating Committee |
|||
|
X | |||||
|
X | X | ||||
|
Chairperson | |||||
|
||||||
|
X | Chairperson | ||||
|
X | |||||
|
X | Chairperson |
* |
Independent Director |
During 2024, our Board of Directors held 14 meetings, the Audit Committee held 10 meetings, the Compensation Committee held 6 meetings and the Nominating Committee held 3 meetings. As a matter of policy, it is expected that all directors should make every effort to attend meetings of the Board of Directors and meetings of the committees of which they are members. During 2024, each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board of Directors and meetings of the committees of the Board which he or she is a member.
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that directors are encouraged to attend our annual stockholder meetings.
16
Table of Contents
Audit Committee
We have an Audit Committee that is responsible for, among other things:
• |
assisting the Board of Directors in reviewing our financial reporting and other internal control processes; |
• |
our financial statements; the independent auditors' qualifications, and independence; and, |
• |
our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. |
The Audit Committee consists of
Nominating Committee
We have a Nominating Committee that is responsible for, among other things:
• |
reviewing board structure, composition and practices, and making recommendations on these matters to our Board of Directors; |
• |
reviewing, soliciting and making recommendations to our Board of Directors and stockholders with respect to candidates for election to the Board of Directors; |
• |
overseeing our Board of Directors' performance and self-evaluation process; |
• |
developing and reviewing a set of corporate governance principles; and, |
• |
overseeing the Company's approach to being a Responsible Business. |
The Nominating Committee consists of
Compensation Committee
We have a Compensation Committee that is responsible for, among other things:
• |
determining the compensation of our executive officers; |
• |
reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
• |
administering and implementing our equity compensation plans; |
• |
reviewing the compensation payable to Board of Directors and its committee members and providing recommendations to our Board in regard thereto; and, |
• |
reviewing and discussing with management proposed Compensation, Discussion and Analysis. |
17
Table of Contents
The Compensation Committee consists of
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of the members of our Compensation Committee is, or has at any time during the past year been, one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has 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 of Directors or Compensation Committee.
Director Compensation
All our directors who are not employed as our executive officers eacompensation, payable quarterly in arrears, for their service on our Board of Directors and on committees of our Board of Directors. Compensation is paid on a pro-ratabasis from or through the date these services begin or end.
For 2024, non-employee directorsreceived annual compensation of
We also reimburse our directors for reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expensesincurred in attending Board and committee meetings of our Board.
Except as described above, we currently have no other formal arrangements under which our directors receive compensation for service to the Board of Directors or its committees.
The following table sets forth information concerning director compensation earned during the year ended
|
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash($) |
Stock Awards ( |
All Other Compensation($) |
Total ( |
||||||||||||||||
|
102,500 | 100,000 | - | 202,500 | ||||||||||||||||
|
92,500 | 100,000 | - | 192,500 | ||||||||||||||||
|
107,273 | 100,000 | - | 207,273 | ||||||||||||||||
|
110,000 | 100,000 | - | 210,000 | ||||||||||||||||
|
90,172 | 100,000 | - | 190,172 | ||||||||||||||||
|
92,500 | 100,000 | - | 192,500 | ||||||||||||||||
|
110,000 | 100,000 | - | 210,000 |
(1) |
Represents director compensation earned in 2024 and settled with quarterly grants of restricted stock awards for shares of the Company's Common Stock, which were fully-vested as of the grant date. The price of the shares of Common Stock was based on the closing price of Common Stock on the grant date. The grant date fair value of each quarterly restricted stock award issued for director compensation earned in 2024 was |
18
Table of Contents
(2) |
Represents total director compensation earned in 2024. |
(3) |
Represents |
(4) |
Represents |
(5) |
Represents |
(6) |
Represents |
(7) |
Represents |
(8) |
Represents |
(9) |
Represents |
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of
To our knowledge, each person named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to all of the securities shown as beneficially owned by such person, except as otherwise set forth in the notes to the table. The number of securities shown represents the number of securities the person "beneficially owns," as determined by the rules of the
The percentages reflect beneficial ownership as determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 underthe Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and are based on 63,672,052 shares of our Common Stock as of
19
Table of Contents
Principal Stockholders Table
Shares Beneficially Owned As of |
|||||||||||||||
# of Common Stock Shares |
% of Total Common Stock |
% of Total Voting Power(1) |
|||||||||||||
5% Stockholders |
|||||||||||||||
Employee Shareholders Committee(2) |
7,967,332 | 12.2 | % | 12.2 | % | ||||||||||
Crestview GP(3) |
7,615,873 | 12.0 | % | 12.0 | % | ||||||||||
|
3,886,981 | 6.1 | % | 6.1 | % | ||||||||||
|
3,508,735 | 5.5 | % | 5.5 | % | ||||||||||
Directors and Named Executive Officers |
|||||||||||||||
|
2,076,222 | 3.2 | % | 3.2 | % | ||||||||||
|
1,096,854 | 1.7 | % | 1.7 | % | ||||||||||
|
207,819 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
275,241 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
189,847 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
413,065 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
800,451 | 1.3 | % | 1.3 | % | ||||||||||
|
39,308 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
443,711 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
4,852 | * | * | ||||||||||||
|
449,780 | * | * | ||||||||||||
All Directors and executive officers as a group (11 Persons) |
5,997,150 | 9.4 | % | 9.4 | % |
* |
Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1%. |
(1) |
Sum of percentages may exceed 100% due to unvested restricted stock with voting rights and shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options. |
(2) |
Upon the completion of the Company's initial public offering in 2018, or IPO, a substantial majority of our employee stockholders entered into the Employee Shareholders' Agreement pursuant to which they granted an irrevocable voting proxy with respect to the shares of our common stock they have acquired from us and any shares they may acquire from us in the future to the Employee Shareholders Committee currently consisting of |
(3) |
This number does not include 7,967,332 shares of Common Stock owned by other parties to the Shareholders' Agreement, dated |
20
Table of Contents
Transactions-Amended and Restated Shareholders' Agreement." Crestview GP disclaims beneficial ownership of all such shares. Crestview GP may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of 7,591,983 shares of Common Stock owned directly by Crestview Victory and 23,890 shares of Common Stock owned directly by |
(4) |
Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the |
(5) |
Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the |
(6) |
Pursuant to the Employee Shareholders Agreement, |
(7) |
Consists of (i) 1,808,609 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 267,613 unvested restricted shares of Common Stock. |
(8) |
Consists of (i) 964,412 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 132,442 unvested restricted shares of Common Stock. |
(9) |
Consists of (i) 149,545 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 58,274 unvested restricted shares of Common Stock. |
(10) |
Consists of (i) 240,750 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 34,491 unvested restricted shares of Common Stock. |
(11) |
Consists of (i) 169,470 shares of Common Stock held of record by the |
21
Table of Contents
(12) |
Consists of 413,065 shares of Common Stock held of record by The 2007 |
(13) |
Consists of (i) 27,841 shares of Common Stock held of record by |
(14) |
Consists of (i) 416,058 shares of Common Stock held of record by |
(15) |
Consists of (i) 298,861 shares of Common Stock held of record by |
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table sets forth the total shares of our Common Stock authorized and issued (or to be issued) under our equity compensation plans as of
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a)(1) |
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c)(2) |
|||||||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
720,415 | $ | 9.94 | 3,538,030 | |||||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders |
- | - | - | ||||||||||||
Total |
720,415 | $ | 9.94 | 3,538,030 | |||||||||||
(1) |
Reflects 720,415 shares of our Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of |
(2) |
Reflects 6,172,484 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the 2018 Plan and 350,388 shares of our Common Stock reserved for issuance under the |
22
Table of Contents
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Amended and Restated Shareholders' Agreement
On
Crestview Victory has rights to nominate a certain number of our directors depending on their ownership and each of the stockholders party to the Shareholders' Agreement have agreed to vote, or cause to be voted, all of their outstanding shares to ensure the election of such directors. For more information on the rights of Crestview Victory to nominate directors, see "Proposal 1: Election of Class I Directors-Director Nomination Rights Under the Shareholders' Agreement."
The Shareholders' Agreement provides for certain registration rights, pursuant to which either Crestview Victory or
Employee Shareholders' Agreement
A substantial majority of our employee stockholders entered into the Employee Shareholders' Agreement upon the completion of the IPO, pursuant to which they granted an irrevocable voting proxy with respect to the shares of our Common Stock they have acquired from us, and any shares they may acquire from us in the future, to the Employee Shareholders Committee. The employee stockholders who are party to the agreement beneficially own in the aggregate approximately 12% of Common Stock and voting power and the unvested restricted shares as of
The members of the Employee Shareholders Committee must be our employees and holders of shares subject to the agreement. The Employee Shareholders Committee is currently composed of
The Employee Shareholders Committee has the sole right to determine how to vote all shares subject to the Employee Shareholders' Agreement, and such shares will be voted in accordance with the majority decision of those three members. Subject to its obligations under the Employee Shareholders' Agreement, the Employee Shareholders Committee may in its discretion vote, or abstain from voting, all or any of the shares subject to the Employee Shareholders' Agreement on any matter on which holders of shares of our Common Stock are entitled
23
Table of Contents
to vote, including, but not limited to, the election of directors to our Board of Directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, changes to our capitalization, a merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets, and a liquidation, dissolution or winding up.
Amundi Shareholder Agreement
Following the closing of the Amundi Transaction, the Company and Amundi will enter into the Amundi shareholder agreement, pursuant to which, among other things, Amundi will be (i) granted certain resale shelf and piggyback registration rights in respect of the Common Stock and any shares of the Common Stock issuable by the Company upon the conversion of Preferred Stock, in each case, to the extent the Company Preferred Stock and the Common Stock was issued to Amundi under the Contribution Agreement (such shares of the Common Stock and Preferred Stock, the "Acquired Shares") or acquired pursuant to Amundi's participation rights under the Shareholder Agreement and (ii) entitled to nominate two members of the
Indemnification Agreements
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors, executive officers and members of the Employee Shareholders Committee. The indemnification agreements and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws require us to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent not prohibited by
Investment Advisory Agreements
VCM has agreed to waive its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for certain of the share classes of certain of the Victory Funds and for certain of the VictoryShares, to the extent their respective expenses exceed certain levels. In addition, VCM may decide to voluntarily reduce additional fees or reimburse any
VCM also has an agreement to serve as the investment adviser of the separate series of mutual funds the
24
Table of Contents
VCM pays a portion of its investment management fees to unaffiliated investment advisers for services they provide as sub-advisers tocertain of the Victory Funds III. In addition, VCM has agreed to waive its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for each share class of the Victory Funds III to the extent their respective expenses exceed certain levels. VCM may also decide to voluntarily reduce additional fees or reimburse the Victory Funds III for other expenses. The amount VCM waived or reimbursed for the Victory Funds III was
VCM has agreements to serve as the investment adviser of the Victory Collective Funds. Under the terms of the investment advisory agreements with the Victory Collective Funds, VCM earns investment management fees based on a percentage of AUM net of fund expenses. The amount earned from advising the Victory Collective Funds was
On
With the
Administration Agreements
VCM has agreements to serve as the administrator and fund accountant for the Victory Funds and VictoryShares, with which certain of our employees are affiliated. Under the terms of the administration agreements with the Victory Funds and VictoryShares, the continuation of which is subject to annual approval by the board of the Victory Funds and VictoryShares, VCM earns administration fees based on a percentage of AUM as delineated in the respective administration agreements and disclosed in the statement of additional information for each
VCM pays a portion of these administration fees to an unaffiliated sub-administrator for services it provides as sub-administrator and sub-fund accountant to the Victory Funds and VictoryShares. VCM has agreed to waive a portion of its administration fees for VictoryShares to the extent the fees earned exceed the portion of fees paid to the sub-administrator for services it provides to the VictoryShares. The amount of administration fees waived by VCM for the VictoryShares was
VCM also has an agreement to serve as the administrator and fund accountant for the Victory Funds III, with which certain of our employees are affiliated. Under the terms of the administration agreement with the Victory Funds III, the continuation of which is subject to annual approval by the board of the
25
Table of Contents
for the year ended
Transfer Agent Agreement
Distribution Agreements
VCS also has an agreement to serve as the distributor for the Victory Funds III, with which certain of our employees are affiliated. Under the terms of the distribution agreement with the Victory Funds III, the continuation of which is subject to annual approval by the board of the
VCS also serves as placement agent for certain private funds managed by VCM. VCS earned a de minimis amount of fees as placement agent for the year ended
Compliance Services Agreement
VCM has an agreement to furnish a VCM employee to serve as the Chief Compliance Officer as well as other compliance personnel and resources reasonably necessary to provide compliance design, administration and oversight services for the Victory Funds and VictoryShares with which certain of our employees are affiliated, in accordance with Rule 38a-1 underthe Investment Company Act. The term of the agreement began
26
Table of Contents
on
VCM has an agreement to furnish a VCM employee to serve as the Chief Compliance Officer as well as other compliance personnel and resources reasonably necessary to provide compliance design, administration and oversight services for the Victory Funds III, with which certain of our employees are affiliated, in accordance with Rule 38a-1 underthe Investment Company Act. The term of the agreement began on
The Company also maintains a list which has been previously shared with the Audit Committee which list all related party transactions that do not meet the definition under the Policy and all other affiliate transactions/relationships.
Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons
We have adopted a written policy regarding the approval, with certain exceptions, of any transaction or series of transactions in which we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, the amount involved exceeds
DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and regulations of the
Based solely on our review of such reports and written representations by the reporting persons, we believe that during the fiscal year ended
27
Table of Contents
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The Audit Committee oversees the Company's financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors. The duties and responsibilities of the Audit Committee are more fully described in the Audit Committee's written charter, which is reviewed annually and available under the
The Audit Committee consists of
In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended
The Audit Committee has discussed with the Company's independent auditors,
The Audit Committee has also received the written disclosures and letter from
Based on the review and discussions referred to above in this report, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K forthe year ended
Submitted by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors: |
|
|
|
The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or "filed" or incorporated by reference in future filings with the
28
Table of Contents
PROPOSAL 2:
Our Audit Committee, in accordance with its charter and authority delegated to it by the Board of Directors, has appointed the firm of
Due to specific auditor independence implications under the rules of the
The reports of
During the fiscal years ended
Our Audit Committee considers
Representatives of
The Board of Directors and the Audit Committee recommend that you vote "FOR" the ratification of the appointment of
29
Table of Contents
Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Aggregate fees for professional services rendered for us by
Fiscal Year 2024 |
Fiscal Year 2023 |
|||||||||
Audit fees |
$ | 1,645,685 | $ | 1,584,708 | ||||||
Audit-related fees |
113,410 | 76,340 | ||||||||
Tax fees |
56,835 | 69,318 | ||||||||
Total |
$ | 1,815,930 | $ | 1,730,366 | ||||||
Audit fees for the fiscal years ended
Audit-related fees for the fiscal year ended
Tax fees for the fiscal year ending
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services
The Audit Committee is required to pre-approve, or adoptappropriate procedures to pre-approve,all audit and non-auditservices to be provided by the independent auditors. The Audit Committee will typically pre-approvespecific types of audit, audit-related, tax and other services on an annual basis. All services not pre-approvedannually are approved on an individual basis throughout the year as the need arises. The Audit Committee has delegated to its chairperson the authority to pre-approveindependent auditor engagements between meetings of the Audit Committee. Any such pre-approvals will be reported to and ratified by the entire Audit Committee at its next regular meeting.
All audit, audit-related, tax and other services in fiscal 2023 and 2024 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee. In all cases, the Audit Committee concluded that the provision of such services by
30
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The names of our executive officers and their ages, positions and biographies are set forth below. To our knowledge, there are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
|
Age |
Position |
||
|
52 |
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
||
|
50 |
President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer |
||
|
50 |
Chief Legal Officer and Head of |
||
|
45 |
President, Investment Franchises and Solutions; Head of Product and Strategy |
31
Table of Contents
franchises and the Solutions platform to enhance products, extend offerings, and introduce innovations tailored to client needs.
32
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
This compensation discussion and analysis (CD&A) describes the philosophy, objectives, process, components and additional aspects of our executive compensation program for the fiscal year ended
|
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer |
|
|
Chief Legal Officer and Head of |
|
|
President, Investment Franchises and Solutions; Head of Product and Strategy |
I. |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
Company Overview: 2024 Financial Performance and Strategic Performance
Our Company's performance was strong during 2024 as reflected in our investment, financial and strategic results:
Investment Performance: Our investment performance-which is the best indicator of our ability to deliver superior results for clients and ultimately shareholders-continued to be strong with 66% of mutual fund and ETF AUM earning four or five star overall Morningstar ratings as of
33
Table of Contents
over a three-year period, and 47% over a one-yearperiod. On an equal-weighted basis, 65% of our strategies outperformed their benchmarks over a ten-yearperiod, 58% over a five-year period, 58% over a three-year period, and 53% over a one-yearperiod.
All figures as of
• |
Financial Performance: Our financial performance was record breaking relative to prior years and strong relative to the industry environment as measured by revenues, earnings, and capital returned to shareholders. |
34
Table of Contents
(1) |
Values in this section are shown on an "as adjusted" basis. For a reconciliation with GAAP, please see Appendix A |
• |
Strategic Performance: Our performance versus key strategic objectives was also strong during 2024. In particular: |
• |
We generated total returns for our shareholders of 96.0% in the form of VCTR stock price appreciation and dividends. (Source: FactSet) |
• |
We signed a definitive agreement to combine Amundi US into |
• |
We continued to advance our product development initiatives with the development of four new ETFs and the launch of new Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) for two of our Investment Franchises. |
• |
We strengthened our balance sheet to increase flexibility and support our M&A strategy. We accumulated cash and reduced our leverage ratio. |
• |
We retained our existing talent with minimal unplanned turnover and successfully recruited new talent. |
• |
We continued to invest for future growth in our distribution platforms and in strategic areas including data and analytics, digital marketing, technology, product development and strategic hiring in a number of areas. |
35
Table of Contents
2024 Executive Pay Decisions
Following a rigorous evaluation of performance, our Compensation Committee made the following decisions about 2024 compensation for our NEOs. Importantly, the amounts shown below correspond with how our
2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Base Salary |
Incentives | Total Annual Compensation |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
NEO |
Cash Bonus |
Victory RSAs |
Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
600,000 | 3,180,000 | 9,820,000 | 13,000,000 | 13,600,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
450,000 | 1,540,000 | 4,750,000 | 6,290,000 | 6,740,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
400,000 | 1,200,000 | 1,750,000 | 2,950,000 | 3,350,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
325,000 | 900,000 | 1,100,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,325,000 |
Key 2024 Executive Compensation Program Actions
Base Salaries.
Incentives: Maintained a High Allocation to Equity for the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and the President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer.For the total incentives awarded to the CEO and the CFO in respect of 2024, approximately 76% was in the form of restricted stock, compared to more than 80% being in the form of restricted stock in 2023. The Compensation Committee believes that the proportion of total incentives paid in the form of restricted stock further strengthens the alignment of the interests of the CEO and the CFO with those of our shareholders.
Extended Equity Vesting Periods.To further reinforce a long-term, our equity grants in respect of 2024 (that were made in early 2025) and in respect of 2023 (that were made in early 2024) to the CEO and CFO have four year pro rata vesting terms, in contrast to prior equity grants which had two and three year terms.
Stock Ownership Guidelines.We have implemented executive Stock Ownership Guidelines that help: reinforce a long-term perspective to business decision-making; strengthen the alignment of interests between our NEOs and our shareholders; and demonstrate our commitment to sound corporate governance. As of
Clawback Policy.We have adopted a clawback policy that is compliant with
II. |
OUR EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION PROGRAM |
Our executive compensation program is inextricably linked to our strategic objectives, culture, human capital approach and the working relationship between our Board and management.
36
Table of Contents
Overall Business Objectives, Pay Objectives and Pay Decision-Making
For the past 12 years-first, as an independent, private Company, and since 2018 as a publicly held company-we have operated with one objective: to deliver superior long-term results to our clients and shareholders. We work to achieve this objective by:
• |
Recognizing that our greatest asset is our people, who strive for excellence in investment performance, client service, and shareholder returns, |
• |
Promoting a culture of ownership of our investment products, our Company's equity, and in the work that we do, |
• |
Providing our Investment Franchises with investment autonomy, skilled resources, and operating clarity, |
• |
Promoting an operating environment focused on service excellence and an ownership mindset, and |
• |
Ensuring ongoing, engaged and informed dialogue between our senior management team and our Board of Directors about our Company's planned and actual performance. |
Our executive compensation program supports our Company's objectives by:
• |
Balancing the need to provide our employees with fair, competitive, and performance-based pay and our shareholders with strong financial returns, |
• |
Empowering our Board to make appropriate decisions about pay, based on careful consideration of financial market performance and their effects on our business results; the goals set under our rigorous goal-setting process; our performance relative to those goals; new and emerging business priorities, opportunities, and risks; and labor market pay trends and requirements, and |
• |
Reinforcing reciprocal trust between our different stakeholders: clients, shareholders, and employees. |
In more specific terms, our executive pay program consists of base salary and total incentive awards that contain cash and equity components. In making decisions about our NEOs' total compensation, our Compensation Committee considers:
• |
Company and individual performance versus investment, financial and strategic objectives, |
• |
Pay requirements for our investment and sales teams and our support staff, |
• |
The individual NEO's prior year total compensation and current base salary, |
• |
Competitive market pay rates for the individual NEO's position, and |
• |
The desired allocation of total incentive awards between cash and equity components-a relationship that can vary from year-to-yearbased on an assessment of available share reserve levels, the value of individual NEOs' unvested equity holdings and its retentive value, and other factors. |
Executive Compensation Program Principles
Our Compensation Committee regularly reviews our executive compensation program to ensure that it supports the following principles:
• |
Enhance shareholder value creationand align shareholder and management interests by delivering a significant portion of total incentives in equity that is subject to multi-year vesting. |
• |
Attract and retain top talent-not just executives, but at all job levels and across all functions-recognizing that we operate in an intensely competitive, people-dependent business and our employees are the greatest source of sustained, competitive advantage. |
• |
Pay for performance for execution of our investment, financial and strategic objectives that, over time, directly align with long-term value creation for our clients and shareholders. |
37
Table of Contents
• |
Emphasize variable, at-riskpay, with fixed base salary representing a relatively small portion of our NEOs' total compensation. |
• |
Reflect best practicesrelative to pay governance and pay disclosure. |
Compensation Program Governance
Our Compensation Committee assesses the effectiveness of our executive compensation program to mitigate risk and ensure sound governance, which includes adhering to the following best practices:
What We Do |
||||
✓ |
Pay for Performance |
The majority of our NEOs' total compensation opportunity is variable and at-risk. |
||
✓ |
Independent Compensation Consultant |
We have engaged an independent compensation consultant to provide information for use in Compensation Committee decision-making. |
||
✓ |
Clawback |
We maintain a clawback policy to recoup cash and equity-based incentives paid to executive officers if we are required to restate our financial statements due to material noncompliance with a financial reporting requirement. |
||
✓ |
Stock Ownership Guidelines |
We have Stock Ownership Guidelines for NEOs to maintain meaningful levels of stock ownership. |
||
✓ |
Peer Data |
We assess market pay practices by focusing on compensation data for similar positions at other asset management firms of comparable size and type. The peer group is reviewed annually for reasonableness. |
||
✓ |
Risk Assessment |
We conduct an annual risk assessment of our compensation program to ensure that our policies and practices are not likely to have a material, adverse effect on the Company. |
||
✓ |
Compensation Committee Composed of Independent Directors |
Our Compensation Committee is composed of all independent directors. |
What We Don't Do |
||||
× |
Limited Perks |
We do not provide any material perquisites to NEOs. |
||
× |
No Excise Tax Gross-Ups |
We do not provide excise tax gross-upson change-in-controlpayments. |
||
× |
No Hedging or Pledging of Company Shares |
We do not permit our NEOs and directors to hedge or pledge their Company shares. |
||
× |
No Single-Trigger Change in Control Benefits |
We do not provide single-trigger change in control benefits; such benefits are provided under double-trigger circumstances only. |
||
× |
Benefits |
We do not provide special health or welfare benefits. Our NEOs participate in broad-based Company-sponsored health and welfare benefits programs on the same basis as our other full-time, salaried employees. |
Compensation Program Elements
Our executive compensation program consists of base salary and total incentive awards that include a cash bonus component and an equity component. The Compensation Committee regularly reviews our executive compensation program to ensure that it aligns with our compensation principles and objectives, business strategy, and competitive market practice. Reflecting our performance-based culture, the majority of our NEOs' total
38
Table of Contents
compensation is variable, at-riskpay, with a significant portion of that pay delivered in equity that reinforces clear and direct alignment with long-term shareholder interests and returns.
Element |
Description |
Additional Detail |
||
• Base Salary |
Fixed cash compensation. Determined based on: (1) each NEO's position, experience, and performance; and (2) competitive market conditions. |
Base salaries are intended to provide stable compensation to our NEOs, allowing us to attract and retain skilled executive talent. While base salaries are reviewed annually, as the fixed element of compensation, base salary adjustments are expected to occur infrequently. |
||
• Total Incentives |
The variable or at-riskportion of annual total compensation. Determined based on: (1) each NEO's position, experience, prior year total compensation and current base salary; (2) competitive market conditions; (3) the desired allocation between cash and equity components, based on an assessment of available share reserve levels, the value of individual NEOs' unvested equity holdings and its retentive value, and other factors; and (4) most importantly, the Compensation Committee's holistic assessment of actual performance versus Company-wide and individual goals. |
Our • Unambiguously link performance and pay. • Avoid the unnecessary problems and complexity of fragmented pay decision-making, with one set of performance and pay decisions made about cash bonuses and another set of performance and pay decisions made about equity incentives. |
||
• Cash Bonus |
Represents the cash portion of each NEO's total incentive. |
Typically, the actual percentage amount of each NEO's total incentive varies by year and/or NEO based on the Compensation Committee's assessment of multiple criteria, including various factors and competitive market practice. |
||
• Equity |
Represents the portion of each NEO's total incentive that is delivered in time-vested Company shares. The time-based shares accrue dividend equivalents during the service period, which are paid at the time the shares vest and common stock is issued. |
Equity-based compensation is designed to motivate and reward the achievement of our multi-year strategic goals, align NEO and shareholder interests, and attract and retain top talent. The actual amount varies by year and/or NEO based on the Compensation Committee's assessment of multiple criteria, including, but not limited to, dilution to shareholders, available share reserve levels, the value of individual NEOs' unvested equity holdings and its retentive value, and competitive market practice and other factors. |
39
Table of Contents
III. |
COMPENSATION DETERMINATION PROCESS |
Compensation Process Calendar
Our Compensation Committee takes a structured approach to establishing goals and objectives, reviewing Company and individual performance, and determining NEO compensation. This process takes place over the course of each year as described below.
Role of the Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee establishes our compensation philosophy, objectives, and principles; determines the structure, components, and other elements of executive compensation; and reviews and approves the compensation of our NEOs and as applicable recommends it for approval by the Board of Directors.
In accordance with its charter, the Compensation Committee:
• |
Takes an active role in reviewing and approving our near- and long-term strategic goals and objectives and the goals and objectives of our individual NEOs, focusing largely on our CEO. |
• |
Reviews and evaluates our Company's performance and our CEO's performance and recommends to the Board the approval of our CEO's total compensation (generally at its January meeting). |
• |
Reviews and approves our CEO's recommendations for other NEOs' total compensation and recommends it to our Board as required by federal securities laws. |
• |
Reviews all of our compensation programs, covering our NEOs, investment franchises and other Victory employees, ensuring that these programs are aligned with our clients' and our shareholders' interests and are not likely to increase risk to the Company. |
• |
Reviews all our benefits programs covering our employees to ensure our benefits offering remains comprehensive and competitive. |
The composition of both our Board, on the one hand, and our executive management team, on the other, has remained relatively consistent, enabling Board members, including those who have served on the Compensation Committee, to have a deep understanding of the asset management industry, our Company, our executive compensation program, and each of our NEOs.
Our CEO is not present when the Compensation Committee discusses and formulates the final compensation recommendation for the CEO.
40
Table of Contents
Role of the Independent Compensation Consultant
The Compensation Committee recognizes that there is value in procuring independent, objective expertise and counsel in connection with fulfilling its duties, and pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee has the authority to select and retain independent advisors and counsel to assist it with carrying out its duties and responsibilities. The Compensation Committee has engaged
The Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of
While the Compensation Committee took into consideration the review and recommendations of
Role of the CEO
With the input of the CEO, the Compensation Committee also establishes the compensation for all the other NEOs. As part of this process, the CEO evaluates the other NEOs' performance, reviews the market pay competitiveness of the other NEOs' positions, and makes recommendations to the Compensation Committee regarding the other NEOs' base salary and total incentive levels.
The CEO's input is particularly important given his greater insights relative to these NEOs' day-to-dayperformance and the significance of incentive compensation in driving overall results. While the Compensation Committee considers the CEO's pay recommendations related to the other NEOs, the Compensation Committee makes the ultimate determinations regarding the compensation of these officers, subject to the Board's final approval as required by federal securities laws.
Role of Management
The Compensation Committee also works with members of our management team, including Finance and Human Resource professionals. Management supports the Compensation Committee by providing information on Company and individual performance and management's perspective and recommendations on compensation matters. The Compensation Committee does not delegate any of its functions to others in setting the compensation of our NEOs.
Competitive Market Information
The Compensation Committee determines executive compensation based on a holistic and balanced assessment of multiple factors, including our performance relative to financial and strategic objectives (viewed quantitatively and qualitatively), the individual NEO's portfolio of responsibilities, performance and compensation paid in prior years, employee retention, turnover, and competitive market pay trends.
The Compensation Committee believes that obtaining relevant market data is important because it serves as a reference point for making decisions and provides helpful external context. When making decisions about the structure and component mix of our NEOs' compensation, the Compensation Committee takes into consideration the amounts, structure, and components of the executive compensation programs of other comparable companies, as derived from public filings, surveys and other sources, including materials provided by its independent compensation consultant.
41
Table of Contents
In assessing pay levels and practices of comparable companies, the Compensation Committee considers data from multiple peer groups, including:
• |
Survey data for a broad range of publicly- and privately-owned asset management firms with assets under management (AUM) within a reasonable range of Victory's current AUM and projected AUM after the close of the Amundi transaction. |
• |
Proxy statement data for the following publicly owned asset management firms: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. |
|
|
|
|
Federated Hermes |
|
Consistent with best practices for corporate governance, the Compensation Committee completes an annual review of these peers and the associated competitive market information.
Compensation Committee's Use of Judgement in Determining Incentive Payouts
As a global asset management firm, our revenues vary with the performance of financial markets. Holding all other variables constant, when, for example, equity markets rise, our Company's revenues increase. Conversely, when equity markets decline, our Company's revenues decrease. Given that financial market performance is both uncertain and outside of our management's control, we believe that it would not be prudent to link our NEOs' compensation to business results using rigid formulas or incentive payout scales. That is, with financial markets having a significant impact on our financial results, using rigid formulas and/or payout scales could have unintended consequences, such as overemphasizing short-term performance or inadvertently over-paying or under-paying our NEOs-regardless of the NEOs' true impact on delivering results for our clients or shareholders.
For these reasons, our Compensation Committee believes that holistic judgment is required to effectively evaluate our NEOs' performance and determine their annual compensation. Our decision-making approach is rigorous, complex, time-consuming and deliberate, especially given that it involves isolating factors that were outside of management's control (e.g., financial market impact on our revenues) from those that were within their control. As part of this approach, the Compensation Committee employs a consistent, structured process for:
• |
Establishing financial/quantitative and strategic/qualitative objectives that will drive sustained increases in shareholder value |
• |
Reviewing performance versus these objectives at regularly scheduled meetings throughout the year |
• |
Referencing competitive market information provided by the compensation consultant, and executives' prior year compensation |
• |
|
• |
After year end, determining total incentive awards for each NEO and the allocation of the total incentive award into cash bonus and equity components. |
The Compensation Committee strongly believes that, given the nature of our business, our shareholders benefit from an executive pay program that is based on a thoughtful, holistic, rigorous and deliberate decision-making process, rather than one that is based on rigid and inflexible formulas.
42
Table of Contents
IV. |
2024 EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION |
As noted earlier, our Compensation Committee takes:
• |
A consistent, structured approach to establishing goals and objectives, reviewing Company and individual performance against such goals, and determining NEO compensation. |
• |
An approach to pay decision-making and awards of total cash and equity incentives that considers: (1) each NEO's position, experience, prior year total compensation and current base salary; (2) the competitive market for the position; (3) the desired allocation between cash bonus and equity components, and (4) most importantly, the Company's and individual's actual performance versus Company-wide and individual goals. |
Reflecting these approaches, this section of our CD&A reviews how, in
The Compensation Committee's evaluation of 2024 performance focused primarily on the Company's overall performance versus investment, financial and strategic objectives, recognizing that:
• |
Our Company's long-term success ultimately depends on delivering superior investment performance for clients. Our NEOs directly and indirectly impact the investment performance in their roles. Our President, Investment Franchises and Solutions, Head of Product and Strategy is directly responsible for the investment performance of our Solutions platform while all of our NEOs play critical roles in recruiting, retaining and motivating investment talent and ensuring an environment that puts them in the best position to succeed. Our NEOs oversee the operating platform upon which the investment teams rely, freeing the teams to focus on managing assets and serving clients. |
• |
Our NEOs are primarily responsible for achieving our strategic and financial objectives, with our CEO responsible for all of these objectives and the other NEOs responsible for different cascading combinations of these objectives, depending on their particular position. |
The Compensation Committee's evaluation emphasized the strong success of the CEO and other NEOs in achieving key investment and strategic goals, and achieving record financial performance relative to annual revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margins, Adjusted Net Income with Tax Benefit and Adjusted Net Income with Tax Benefit per Diluted Share. The Compensation Committee's assessment of our Company and NEO's 2024 performance is summarized below.
As our Chief Executive Officer, |
||||||
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights |
Compensation Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
Investment Performance |
Significant |
Under • 66% of total mutual fund and ETF assets under management have four or five star overall ratings with Morningstar, broadly diversified across 45 different mutual funds and ETFs. • 79% of the Company's strategies by AUM had returns in excess of their respective |
Meets Expectations |
43
Table of Contents
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights |
Compensation Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
benchmarks over a ten-yearperiod, 73% over a five-year period, 59% over a three-year period, and 47% over a one-yearperiod. • On an equal-weighted basis, 65% of the Company's strategies outperformed their benchmarks over a ten-yearperiod, 58% over a five-year period, 58% over a three-year period, and 53% over a one-yearperiod. • 30% • Awarded nine 2024 |
||||||
Financial Performance |
Significant |
In 2024, the Company under • Assets under management were • Revenue was • Adjusted EBITDA was • Adjusted EBITDA Margin expanded 230 basis points to 53.2% in 2024. • Adjusted earnings with tax benefit per diluted share was • Declared dividends of • Returned • Cash on hand of • Leverage ratio decreased from 2.1x in Q4 2023 to 1.7x in Q4 2024. • Long-term gross flows of • Long-term net outflows of |
Exceptional Performance |
44
Table of Contents
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights |
Compensation Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
Strategic Performance |
Significant |
Under • Signed a definitive agreement to combine Amundi US into • Generated total returns for our shareholders of 96.0% in the form of VCTR stock price appreciation and dividends. (Source: FactSet). • Continued to advance our product development initiatives with the development of four new ETFs and the launch of new Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) for two of our Investment Franchises. • Strengthened our balance sheet to increase flexibility and support our M&A strategy. The Company accumulated cash and reduced our leverage ratio. • Retained our existing talent with minimal unplanned turnover and successfully recruited new talent. • Continued to invest for future growth in strategic areas including artificial intelligence, data and analytics, digital marketing, technology, product development, expanded distribution relationships and strategic hiring in a number of areas. |
Exceptional Performance |
|||
Overall Evaluation |
Exceptional Performance |
|
||||||
Reporting to our Chief Executive Officer, our President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for the company's financial operations, accounting, and treasury management, as well as the day-to-dayoperations of the business platform, including all operational and administrative functions. |
||||||
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights | Compensation Committee's Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
Financial Performance |
Most Significant |
Supported record financial performance and drove shareholder retuby: • Managing Company spending in a disciplined, cost-effective manner; executing our operating model, which affords the business scale and consistency of operating margins. |
Exceptional Performance |
45
Table of Contents
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights | Compensation Committee's Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
• Delivering record financial results: • Executing a balanced and prudent capital management strategy that returned significant amount of capital to shareholders through increased dividends (up 21% from 2023) and maximizing our share buybacks; investment realization by our private equity shareholders resulting in significant reduction of private equity ownership. |
||||||
Strategic Performance |
Significant |
• Key executive in the Amundi transaction; led efforts surrounding negotiations, integration and execution. • Assisted with timely submission of key regulatory filings and the satisfaction of various conditions necessary for closing of the Amundi transaction. • Represented the Company in numerous investor relations activities with non-dealroadshows, conferences, investor meetings and analyst interactions. • Supported strategic initiatives by evaluating opportunities, providing financial analysis and integration planning, conducting due diligence and overseeing business strategy. • Negotiated significant cost savings across strategic contracts with key business partners and oversaw negotiations of business terms. • Oversaw high performing • Serve as an ambassador of Victory's culture. |
Exceptional Performance |
|||
Overall Evaluation |
Exceptional Performance |
46
Table of Contents
|
||||||
Reporting to our President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, our Chief Legal Officer and Head of |
||||||
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights | Compensation Committee's Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
Financial Performance |
Significant |
Supported financial and profitability performance by: • Assisting with the capital management strategy through dividends, share buybacks; and investment realization by our private equity shareholders resulting in significant reduction of private equity ownership. • Managing legal spending in a disciplined, cost-effective manner. • Looking for opportunities to minimize expenses and realize cost savings and improve efficiency through technology. |
Exceptional Performance |
|||
Strategic Performance |
Most Significant |
• Key executive in the Amundi transaction; led efforts surrounding due diligence, negotiations and integration. • Sought opportunities to efficiently allocate personnel, consolidate vendors and service providers, and generate expense synergies in conjunction with the Amundi transaction. • Assisted with timely submission of key regulatory filings and the satisfaction of various conditions necessary for closing of the Amundi transaction. • In connection with the Amundi transaction, assisted the Company's • With respect to distribution and marketing initiatives: • Assisted with launches of new products and vehicles and helped with evaluations of new product ideas. • Actively partnered with prospects, clients and internal teams on RFPs, due diligence, and client onboarding activities. • Assisted with regulatory examinations of the Company and its registered funds. • Ensured compliance with new |
Exceptional Performance |
47
Table of Contents
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights | Compensation Committee's Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
• Assisted the Company with the first year of SOX compliance and classification as a Large Accelerated Filer. • Contributed to various technology, data security and product initiatives, including a new framework for an Artificial Intelligence Acceptable Use Policy. • Negotiated significant strategic contracts with key business partners. • Oversaw and assisted with key litigation involving the Company. • Worked closely with the Mutual Fund • Supported acquisition activities by providing legal advice, conducting due diligence, and drafting and reviewing documents. • Served as an ambassador of Victory's culture; support activities of several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). |
||||||
Overall Evaluation |
Exceptional Performance |
|
||||||
Reporting to our Chief Executive Officer, the President, Investment Franchises and Solutions and Head of Product and Strategy serves as a strategic resource to our independent investment franchises and is responsible for leading our Solutions and VictoryShares ETF platform and our product development, management and strategy efforts. |
||||||
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights | Compensation Committee's Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
Investment Performance |
Significant |
In 2024, with responsibilities leading our Investment Franchises and Solutions platform, which includes our ETF platform, investment results across strategy and asset class types generated strong overall investment performance, including: • 79% of the Company's strategies by AUM had returns in excess of their respective benchmarks over a ten-yearperiod, 73% over a five-year period and 59% over a three-year period. • 66% of our AUM in mutual funds and ETFs was rated four and five stars overall by Morningstar. |
Meets Expectations |
48
Table of Contents
2024 Performance Assessment | ||||||
Performance Component |
Relative Weight for NEO Compensation Decision-Making |
2024 Performance Highlights | Compensation Committee's Assessment versus Expectations |
|||
Financial Performance |
Significant |
Supported financial and profitability performance by: • Managing Solutions and Product expenses in a disciplined, cost-effective manner. • Significant reduction in indexing expenses associated with our rules-based ETFs. • Identifying and executing on rationalization opportunities to eliminate unprofitable products. • Successful renewal of 529 mandate for significant pool of revenue and assets with a third party. • Significant improvement in fulcrum fees year over year. |
Exceeds Expectations |
|||
Strategic Performance |
Most Significant |
• ETF net inflows exceeded • Led the launch of four new ETF including our first ETF to partner two franchises together. • Led the launch of Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) for two of our Investment Franchises. • Led product rationalization to better allocate resources for the product platform. • Supported multiple franchises on product changes. • Supported acquisition activities by providing investment and product insight, conducting due diligence, and positioning the strength of Victory's platform. • Serve as an ambassador of Victory's culture. |
Exceptional Performance |
|||
Overall Evaluation |
Exceeds Expectations |
Our Compensation Committee's determinations of 2024 total incentives for each of our NEOs and the allocation of their 2024 total incentive between cash and equity components is shown below. These incentive amounts recognize that:
• |
Our CEO and Company performed at an "Exceptional Performance" level in 2024, with investment performance rated as "Meets Expectations", financial performance rated at "Exceptional Performance" and strategic performance rated at "Exceptional Performance". |
• |
Our Compensation Committee continues its long-standing approach of balancing the need to provide shareholders with superior financial returns and to provide employees with competitive compensation. |
49
Table of Contents
2024 | ||||||||||
Base Salary |
Incentives | Total Annual Compensation |
||||||||
NEO |
Cash Bonus |
Victory RSAs |
Total | |||||||
|
600,000 | 3,180,000 | 9,820,000 | 13,000,000 | 13,600,000 | |||||
|
450,000 | 1,540,000 | 4,750,000 | 6,290,000 | 6,740,000 | |||||
|
400,000 | 1,200,000 | 1,750,000 | 2,950,000 | 3,350,000 | |||||
|
325,000 | 900,000 | 1,100,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,325,000 |
Post-Employment Compensation
Qualified Retirement Plans
We offer a tax-qualified401(k) defined contribution plan covering substantially all of our
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan
Messrs. Brown, Policarpo, Dhillon and
Change In Control and Severance Provisions
We believe that the possibility of a change in control creates uncertainty for our NEOs regarding their continued employment, because such transactions frequently result in senior management changes. Change in control protections help to alleviate these concerns, allowing executives to focus their attention on growing our business. In addition, these protections encourage executives to remain with us during the threat or negotiation of a change in control transaction, which preserves our value and the potential benefit to be received by our shareholders in the transaction.
We also believe that protection against an involuntary termination (even outside of the change in control context) helps us remain competitive given the challenge of recruiting qualified individuals to fill our senior executive roles.
We have entered into an employment agreement with
See "-Potential Payments upon a Termination or Change in Control" below for further information.
50
Table of Contents
Health and Welfare and Other Benefits
Our NEOs are eligible to participate in the employee benefit plans that we offer to our employees generally, including medical, dental, vision, life and accidental death and dismemberment, disability, supplemental life, a health savings account, health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, critical illness and accident benefit plans, as well as commuter benefits and health and wellness rewards.
We believe the benefits described above are necessary and appropriate to provide a competitive compensation package to our NEOs.
51
Table of Contents
V.
|
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES
|
Position
|
Multiple of
Base Salary |
||||
Chief Executive Officer
|
6x | ||||
Other Executive Officers
|
3x |
period, compliance with the ownership requirement will be measured as of the last trading day of each calendar year.
basis, including to new hires and in connection with acquisitions. The Company has not timed the disclosure of material nonpublic information to affect the value of executive compensation.
and the Company's Proxy Statement.
|
Year
|
Salary
(
|
Bonus
(
|
Stock
Awards (
|
Option
Awards ($)
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation ($)
|
Change in
Pension Value &
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings (
|
All Other
Compensation (
|
Total
($)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2024
|
600,000
|
3,180,000
|
7,699,997
|
114,450
|
11,594,447
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
|
2023 | 600,000 | 1,620,000 | 3,384,977 | 295,863 | 5,900,840 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | 600,000 | 4,865,000 | 3,914,992 | 303,418 | 9,683,410 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2024
|
450,000
|
1,540,000
|
3,999,976
|
55,950
|
6,045,926
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer
|
2023 | 450,000 | 600,000 | 1,464,992 | 231,766 | 2,746,758 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | 450,000 | 2,490,000 | 1,694,973 | 238,524 | 4,873,497 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2024
|
400,000
|
1,200,000
|
1,349,978
|
63,450
|
3,013,428
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Legal Officer and Head of
|
2023 | 400,000 | 800,000 | 1,099,993 | 73,300 | 2,373,293 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | 400,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,099,989 | 110,401 | 2,610,390 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2024
|
318,750
|
900,000
|
799,987
|
54,339
|
2,073,076
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President, Investment
Franchises and Solutions;
Head of Product and Strategy
|
2023 | 300,000 | 700,000 | 649,997 | 55,800 | 1,705,797 |
(1) |
The amounts reported in this column reflect the salary paid for the calendar year listed.
|
(2) |
The amounts reported in this column reflect the cash portion of the annual performance incentives earned by each NEO for the listed years. For
|
(3) |
The amounts reported in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of restricted shares of stock for the listed years, calculated in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, excluding the effect of estimated forfeitures. Amounts shown in this column reflect the market value of the restricted shares using the closing price of a share of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq on the date of grant, multiplied by the number of shares underlying each award. For information regarding assumptions, factors and methodologies used in our computations pursuant to Topic 718, see Note 15, Share-Based Compensation, to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the year ended |
(4) |
The NEOs do not participate in any Company-sponsored pension plan and did not receive any above-market or preferential earnings on deferred compensation for the listed years.
|
(5) |
The amounts reported in this column represent Company matching contributions to the NEO's 401(k) account and the nonqualified deferred compensation plan, and cash payments in lieu of dividends payable upon vesting of restricted stock granted in 2018. Such dividends were not expected at the time of grant and thus not taken into account in the valuation of the stock award pursuant to Topic 718.
|
Estimated Future Payouts
Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards |
Estimated Future Payouts
Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards |
All
Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)(1) |
All Other
Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options (#) |
Exercise
or Base Price of Option Awards ($/Sh) |
Grant
Date Fair Value Of Stock and Option Awards ( |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grant
Date |
Threshold
($) |
Target
($) |
Maximum
($) |
Threshold
(#) |
Target
(#) |
Maximum
(#) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
191,733 | 7,699,997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
99,601 | 3,999,976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
33,615 | 1,349,978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
19,920 | 799,987 |
(1) |
The amounts reported in this column represent the number of restricted shares granted to our NEOs in 2024. The restricted shares granted to Messrs. Brown and Policarpo vest over four years, with
one-fourth
of the restricted shares vesting on the anniversary of the grant date for four years after the grant date, subject to continued service. The restricted shares granted to one-third
of the restricted shares vesting on the anniversary of the grant date for three years after the grant date, subject to continued service. |
(2) |
The amounts shown in this column represent the grant date fair value of the restricted shares, computed in accordance with ASC Topic 718, excluding the effect of estimated forfeitures. Amounts relating to restricted shares reflect the market value of the restricted shares using the closing price of a share of our common stock as reported on Nasdaq on the date of grant, multiplied by the number of shares underlying each award.
|
Option Awards
|
Stock Awards
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of Securities
Underlying Unexercised Options |
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#) |
Option
Exercise Price ($) |
Option
Expiration Date |
Number of
Shares or Units That Have Not Vested (#)(1) |
Market Value
of Shares or Units That Have Not Vested ( |
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#) |
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grant
Date |
Exercisable
(#) |
Unexercisable
(#) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
75,880
|
4,967,105
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
191,733 | 12,550,842 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
32,841 | 2,149,772 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
99,601 | 6,519,881 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
24,659 | 1,614,178 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
33,615 | 2,200,438 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
14,571 | 953,818 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19,920 | 1,303,963 |
(1) |
The restricted shares granted to our NEOs in 2023 vest over three years, with
one-third
of the restricted shares vesting on the anniversary of the grant date for three years after the grant date, subject to continued service. The restricted shares granted to Messrs. Brown and Policarpo in 2024 vest over four years, with one-fourth
of the restricted shares vesting on the anniversary of the grant date for four years after the grant date, subject to continued service. The restricted shares granted to one-third
of the restricted shares vesting on the anniversary of the grant date for three years after the grant date, subject to continued service. For a discussion of the terms of vesting upon death, disability, termination by us without cause or by the NEO for good reason, (each term as defined in the applicable equity plan), please see "-Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control" below. |
(2) |
The amounts reported in this column reflect the market value of the unvested restricted shares held by our NEOs and reported in the preceding column using the closing price of a Company share as reported on the Nasdaq on
|
Option Awards
|
Stock Awards
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Number
of Shares Acquired on Exercise (#) |
Value
Realized on Exercise ($) |
Number
of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#)(1) |
Value
Realized on Vesting ( |
||||||||||||
|
108,125 | 4,342,300 | ||||||||||||||
|
48,987 | 1,967,318 | ||||||||||||||
|
37,516 | 1,506,643 | ||||||||||||||
|
22,680 | 910,829 |
(1) |
The amounts shown in this column represent the total number of restricted shares that vested during 2024.
|
(2) |
The amounts shown in this column reflect the value realized upon vesting of the restricted shares as calculated based on the price of a share of our common stock on the vesting date, multiplied by the number of shares underlying each award. The value realized on vesting is
pre-tax.
|
|
Executive
Contributions in Last FY ($) |
Registrant
Contributions in Last FY ($) |
Aggregate
Earnings in Last FY ( |
Aggregate
Withdrawals/ Distributions ($) |
Aggregate
Balance at Last FY ($) |
|||||||||||||||
|
$ | 93,750 | $ | 93,750 | $ | 601,233 | $ | 6,777,731 | ||||||||||||
|
$ | 35,250 | $ | 35,250 | $ | 271,182 | $ | 2,762,096 | ||||||||||||
|
$ | 42,750 | $ | 42,750 | $ | 82,232 | $ | 1,150,862 | ||||||||||||
|
$ | 33,639 | $ | 33,639 | $ | 57,739 | $ | 660,079 |
(1) |
Earnings are net of fees charged to participant accounts.
|
The employment agreement also provides that, in the event of a termination of employment by us without "cause" within 90 days prior to a "change in control," as defined in the employment agreement,
that applies during his employment with us and for one year thereafter, and to
with respect to our customers and employees that applies during his employment with us and for two years thereafter. For additional information regarding
Benefit Type
|
Severance Formula
|
Maximum Payout(2)
|
||
Basic Benefit
|
Two weeks of pay for each full year of continuous service.
|
30 weeks of base salary
|
||
Enhanced Benefit(1)
|
Four weeks of pay for each full year of continuous service.
|
52 weeks of base salary
|
(1) |
For Chief Investment Officers, members of senior management and other designated participants.
|
(2) |
Subject to an additional limitation that the maximum payout may not exceed two times the lesser of (i) the Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)(17) limit for the applicable year or (ii) the participant's annualized compensation for the year preceding the year of the termination.
|
For grants made pursuant to the 2018 Plan, upon a termination of employment due to death or "disability," by us without "cause" or by the NEO for "good reason" (each such term as defined in the 2018 Plan), unvested time-vesting options and restricted shares shall be forfeited. In addition, performance-vesting options and restricted stock will vest under the 2018 Stock Incentive Plan assuming target levels of achievement enumerated in the award agreements upon a termination of employment due to death or "disability," and based on actual performance measured as of the NEO's date of termination upon a termination by us without "cause" or by the NEO for "good reason." Except as may otherwise be provided in an employment agreement, restricted shares under the 2018 Stock Incentive Plan are not subject to accelerated vesting upon a change in control and will generally be forfeited upon a termination of employment for any reason prior to vesting.
The NQDC Plan provides that, in the event of a termination due to death or "disability" or a "change in control" (each such term, as defined in the NQDC Plan), a participant will become 100% vested in his accrued but unvested benefits attributable to our matching contributions and discretionary contributions. In addition, the vested balance of a participant's NQDC Plan account may be distributed to such participant upon his death, disability, separation from service (including retirement) or a change in control event, in each case, as elected by the participant in accordance with the terms of the NQDC Plan, as discussed under "-Summary Compensation Table-Narrative to Summary Compensation Table-Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan" above.
|
Compensation
Component |
Involuntary
Termination Not for Cause Within 90 Days Before Change In Control |
Disability
|
Involuntary
Not for Cause Termination |
For Cause
Termination |
Good
Reason Termination |
Death
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash Severance (1) | 18,769,974 | 18,769,974 | 18,769,974 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Annual Bonus (2) | 600,000 | 600,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity Awards (3) | 17,517,947 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Benefits and Perquisites (4) | 46,672 | 46,672 | 46,672 | 46,672 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accrued and unused
vacation and sick days |
-
|
-
|
- |
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total:
|
36,334,593 | 646,672 | 18,816,646 | 18,816,646 | 600,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash Severance (5) | 450,000 | - | 450,000 | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity Awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Benefits and Perquisites: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total:
|
450,000 | - | 450,000 | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash Severance (5) | 400,000 | - | 400,000 | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity Awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Benefits and Perquisites: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total:
|
400,000 | - | 400,000 | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash Severance (6) | 225,000 | - | 225,000 | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity Awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Benefits and Perquisites: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total:
|
225,000 | - | 225,000 | - | - |
(1) |
The amount shown is equal to two times the average of base salary and annual cash bonus and total incentive for the preceding two years. Assuming the termination occurs on
|
(2) |
The amount is equal to the annual cash bonus amount.
|
(3) |
The amount is equal to the value of all equity awards that would have been unvested as of the date of the change in control but for the termination (or the economic equivalent of such accelerated vesting) assuming the change in control occurs on
|
(4) |
The amount is equal to 18 months of medical benefits continuation. The amount shown is the estimated cost to the Company for such benefits during the period.
|
(5) |
The amount is equal to 52 weeks of base salary.
|
(6) |
The amount is equal to 36 weeks of base salary, based on 9 years of service.
|
we are providing the following information about the relationship of the annual total compensation of our median employee and the annual total compensation of our CEO.
In order to identify a median employee, we examined the base salary, cash bonus, stock awards and retirement plan contributions for all Victory employees, excluding the CEO, who were employed by Victory on
de minimis exemption, we excluded 6 employees located in jurisdictions outside of
For purposes of determining the median employee compensation, we used the same methodology we use for Victory's named executive officers as set forth in the 2024 Summary Compensation Table in this proxy statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 401(c)(2)(x) of Regulation
• |
The annual total compensation of our CEO, in accordance with
|
• |
The annual total compensation of the median employee among all employees (other than our CEO), determined in accordance with
|
Year
|
Summary
Compensation Table Total for David 1
($) |
Compensation
Actually Paid to David 1,2,3
($) |
Average
Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO
NEOs 1
($) |
Average
Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO
NEOs 1,2,3
($) |
Value of Initial Fixed
on: 4
|
Net
Income ($ Millions) |
Adjusted
EBITDA ($ Millions) 5
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TSR ($)
|
Peer
Group TSR ($) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(a)
|
(b)
|
(b)
|
(d)
|
(e)
|
(f)
|
(g)
|
(h)
|
(i)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024
|
11,594,447 | 19,805,694 | 3,710,810 | 6,067,471 | 298.07 | 134.31 | 288.9 | 475.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023
|
5,900,840 | 7,496,823 | 1,859,996 | 2,316,250 | 152.09 | 117.90 | 213.2 | 418.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022
|
9,683,410 | 7,437,748 | 3,741,944 | 2,862,554 | 113.93 | 102.51 | 275.5 | 424.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021
|
7,085,179 | 11,253,633 | 3,123,535 | 4,654,152 | 149.74 | 132.06 | 278.4 | 449.0 |
1. |
Non-PEO
NEOs for each year presented are listed below. |
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
|||
|
||||||
|
||||||
2. |
The amounts shown for Compensation Actually Paid have been calculated in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation
S-K
and do not reflect compensation actually earned, realized, or received by the Company's NEOs. These amounts reflect the Summary Compensation Table Total with certain adjustments as described in footnote 3 below. |
3. |
Compensation Actually Paid reflects the exclusions and inclusions of certain amounts for the PEO and the
Non-PEO
NEOs as set forth below. Equity values are calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Amounts in the Exclusion of Stock Awards column are the totals from the Stock Awards column set forth in the Summary Compensation Table. |
Year
|
Summary
Compensation Table Total for |
Exclusion of
Change in Pension Value for David |
Exclusion of Stock
Awards for David |
Inclusion of
Pension Service Cost for David |
Inclusion of Equity
Values for David |
Compensation
Actually Paid to |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | 11,594,447 | - | (7,699,997 | ) | - | 15,911,244 | 19,805,694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 5,900,840 | - | (3,384,977 | ) | - | 4,980,960 | 7,496,823 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | 9,683,410 | - | (3,914,992 | ) | - | 1,669,330 | 7,437,748 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | 7,085,179 | - | (749,974 | ) | - | 4,918,428 | 11,253,633 |
Year
|
Average Summary
Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average Exclusion
of Change in Pension Value for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average Exclusion
of Stock Awards and Option Awards for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average Inclusion
of Pension Service Cost for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average Inclusion
of Equity Values for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average
Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs
($) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | 3,710,810 | - | (2,049,981 | ) | - | 4,406,641 | 6,067,471 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 1,859,996 | - | (828,742 | ) | - | 1,284,997 | 2,316,250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | 3,741,944 | - | (1,397,481 | ) | - | 518,090 | 2,862,554 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | 3,123,535 | - | (574,980 | ) | - | 2,105,598 | 4,654,152 |
Year
|
Year-End Fair
Value of Equity |
Change in Fair
Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Last Day of Year of Unvested Equity Awards for David |
Vesting-Date
Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year that Vested During Year for David |
Change in Fair
Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Vesting Date of Unvested Equity Awards that Vested During Year for |
Fair Value at
Last Day of Prior Year of Equity Awards Forfeited During Year for |
Value of
Dividends or Other Earnings Paid on Equity Awards Not Otherwise Included for |
Total-
Inclusion of Equity Values for David |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024
|
12,787,756 | 2,471,791 | - | 654,697 | - | - | 15,911,244 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023
|
4,065,615 | 623,944 | - | 291,401 | - | - | 4,980,960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022
|
3,386,828 | (1,104,039 | ) | - | (613,459 | ) | - | - | 1,669,330 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021
|
1,037,865 | 3,211,618 | - | 668,945 | - | - | 4,918,428 |
Year
|
Average
Year-End
Fair Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average
Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Last Day of Year of Unvested Equity Awards for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average
Vesting-Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year that Vested During Year for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average
Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Vesting Date of Unvested Equity Awards that Vested During Year for Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average Fair
Value at Last Day of Prior Year of Equity Awards Forfeited During Year for Non-PEO NEOs
($) |
Average Value
of Dividends or Other Earnings Paid on Equity Awards Not Otherwise Included for Non-PEO NEOs
($) |
Total-Average
Inclusion of Equity Values for Non-PEO
NEOs |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024
|
3,403,703 | 782,571 | - | 220,368 | - | - | 4,406,641 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023
|
995,383 | 199,554 | - | 90,060 | - | - | 1,284,997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022
|
1,208,949 | (404,586 | ) | - | (286,273 | ) | - | - | 518,090 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021
|
795,697 | 1,096,223 | - | 213,678 | - | - | 2,105,598 |
4. |
The Peer Group TSR set forth in this table utilizes the peer group established in the stock performance graph included in the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2024, which is required by Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K.
This |
5. |
We determined Adjusted EBITDA to be the most important financial performance measure used to link Company performance to Compensation Actually Paid to our PEO and
Non-PEO
NEOs in 2024 and 2023. This performance measure may not have been the most important financial performance measure for years 2022 and 2021 and we may determine a different financial performance measure to be the most important financial performance measure in future years. |
NEO Compensation Actually Paid and Company Total Shareholder Retu("TSR")
NEOs, and the Company's cumulative TSR over the four most recently completed fiscal years.
NEO Compensation Actually Paid and Net Income
NEOs, and our Net Income during the four most recently completed fiscal years.
NEO Compensation Actually Paid and Adjusted EBITDA
NEOs, and our Adjusted EBITDA during the four most recently completed fiscal years.
financial information.
Table of Contents
PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION
In accordance with the requirements of Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, we are providing our stockholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on a nonbinding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement in accordance with Item 402 of Regulation S-K.We urge you to read the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this proxy statement for a comprehensive discussion of our executive compensation philosophy and approach, as well as the 2024 compensation decisions for our named executive officers.
Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding on the Company or our Board. However, our Board and the Compensation Committee will review the voting results and consider the outcome of the vote when making future decisions regarding our executive compensation program.
Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to approve the following resolution regarding our executive compensation program.
"RESOLVED, that the stockholders of the Company approve, in an advisory, nonbinding vote, the compensation of the Company's named executive officers for the fiscal year 2024, as disclosed in the Company's proxy statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K,which disclosure includes the Compensation, Discussion and Analysis, summary executive compensation tables and related narrative information contained in this proxy statement."
The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote FOR the advisory resolution approving the compensation of our named executive officers.
67
Table of Contents
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K forthe fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 are available at https://materials.proxyvote.com/92645B. Stockholders are directed to the 2024 Form 10-K forfinancial and other information about us. The 2024 Form 10-K isnot part of this proxy statement.
We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other reports with the
Additional information about the Company, including the charters of our standing committees, our Corporate Governance Guidelines and our Code of Business Conduct can be found under the
Other Matters that
Our Board of Directors knows of no matters other than those stated in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders that may properly come before the Annual Meeting. However, if any other matter should be properly presented for consideration and voting at the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof, it is the intention of the persons named as proxies on the enclosed form of proxy card to vote the shares represented by all valid proxy cards in accordance with their judgment of what is in the best interest of Victory.
We encourage you to read this proxy statement and submit your proxy or voting instructions as soon as possible. You may vote your shares by Internet or, if you received printed proxy materials, by mailing the completed proxy card. Please refer to the section "How do I vote?" for detailed voting instructions.
By Order of the Board of Directors, |
|
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer |
March 28, 2025
The 2024 Form 10-K, whichincludes audited consolidated financial statements, does not form any part of the material for the solicitation of proxies.
68
Table of Contents
Appendix A
Supplemental Non-GAAPFinancial Information
We use non-GAAPperformance measures to evaluate the underlying operations of our business. Due to our acquisitive nature, there are a number of acquisition and restructuring related expenses included in GAAP measures that we believe distort the economic value of our organization and we believe that many investors use this information when assessing the financial performance of companies in the investment management industry. We have included these non-GAAPmeasures to provide investors with the same financial metrics used by management to assess the operating performance of our Company. The non-GAAPmeasures we report are Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income.
The following table sets forth a reconciliation from GAAP financial measures to non-GAAPmeasures for the periods indicated:
(in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||
Reconciliation of non-GAAPfinancial measures: |
||||||||||||
Net income (GAAP) |
$ | 288,864 | $ | 213,157 | $ | 275,511 | ||||||
Income tax expense |
(84,892 | ) | (62,751 | ) | (74,522 | ) | ||||||
Income before income taxes |
373,756 | $ | 275,908 | $ | 350,033 | |||||||
Interest expense(1) |
60,799 | 57,820 | 41,024 | |||||||||
Depreciation(2) |
8,959 | 8,842 | 8,045 | |||||||||
Other business taxes(3) |
1,525 | 1,707 | 2,118 | |||||||||
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets(4) |
21,217 | 32,805 | 35,160 | |||||||||
Share-based compensation(5) |
4,246 | 6,496 | 10,143 | |||||||||
Acquisition, restructuring and exit costs(6) |
1,735 | 28,982 | (28,722 | ) | ||||||||
Debt issuance costs(7) |
3,385 | 5,394 | 5,620 | |||||||||
Losses from equity method investments(8) |
825 | |||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 475,622 | $ | 417,954 | $ | 424,246 |
(in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||
Reconciliation of non-GAAPfinancial measures: |
||||||||||||
Net income (GAAP) |
$ | 288,864 | $ | 213,157 | $ | 275,511 | ||||||
Adjustments to reflect the operating performance of the Company: |
||||||||||||
i. Other business taxes(3) |
1,525 | 1,707 | 2,118 | |||||||||
ii. Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets(4) |
21,217 | 32,805 | 35,160 | |||||||||
iii. Share-based compensation(5) |
4,246 | 6,496 | 10,143 | |||||||||
iv. Acquisition, restructuring and exit costs(6) |
1,735 | 28,982 | (28,722 | ) | ||||||||
v. Debt issuance costs(7) |
3,385 | 5,394 | 5,620 | |||||||||
Tax effect of above adjustments(9) |
(8,028 | ) | (18,847 | ) | (6,080 | ) | ||||||
Adjusted Net Income |
$ | 312,944 | $ | 269,694 | $ | 293,750 | ||||||
Tax benefit of goodwill and acquired intangibles(10) |
$ | 40,171 | $ | 38,252 | $ | 37,490 |
Adjustments made to GAAP Net Income to calculate Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income, as applicable, are:
(1) |
Adding back interest paid on debt and other financing costs, net of interest income. |
(2) |
Adding back depreciation on property and equipment. |
(3) |
Adding back other business taxes. |
(4) |
Adding back amortization expense on acquisition-related intangible assets. |
(5) |
Adding back share-based compensation associated with equity awards issued from pools created in connection with the management-ledbuyout and various acquisitions and as a result of equity grants related to the initial public offering (the "IPO"). |
A-1
Table of Contents
(6) |
Adding back direct incremental costs of acquisitions, including restructuring costs. |
(7) |
Adding back debt issuance cost expense. |
(8) |
Adjusting for losses (earnings) on equity method investments. |
(9) |
Subtracting an estimate of income tax expense applied to the sum of the adjustments above. |
(10) |
Represents the tax benefits associated with deductions allowed for intangibles and goodwill generated from acquisitions in which we received a step-upin basis for tax purposes. Acquired intangible assets and goodwill may be amortized for tax purposes, generally over a 15-yearperiod. The tax benefit from amortization on these assets is included to show the full economic benefit of deductions for all acquired intangibles with a step-upin tax basis. Due to our acquisitive nature, tax deductions allowed on acquired intangible assets and goodwill provide us with a significant economic benefit. |
A-2
Table of Contents
VICTORY CAPITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
15935 LA CANTERA PARKWAY
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78256
VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com or scan the QR Barcode above
Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information. Vote by 11:59
During The Meeting- Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VCTR2025
You may attend the meeting via the Internet and vote during the meeting. Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow available and follow the instructions.
VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903
Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions. Vote by 11:59
VOTE BY MAIL
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and retuit in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or retuit to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way,
TO VOTE,
V66842-P25002 | KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. | DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY |
VICTORY CAPITAL HOLDINGS, INC. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following: |
||||||||||||||||||||
1. Election of Class I Directors |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nominees: |
For | Against | Abstain | |||||||||||||||||||||
1a. Lawrence Davanzo |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
1b. Robert |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
1c. Karin Hirtler-Garvey |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposals: |
For | Against | Abstain | |||||||||||||||||||||
2. The ratification of the appointment of |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
3. A non-bindingadvisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers. |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
NOTE: Such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date |
Signature (Joint Owners) Date |
Table of Contents
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:
The Notice and Proxy Statement and Form 10-Kare available at www.proxyvote.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
V66843-P25002
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors
The undersigned hereby appoints, with full power of substitution to each
This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors' recommendations.
Continued and to be signed on reverse side
Attachments
Disclaimer
Insurance company CEO fired after Texas House DOGE hearing
Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A)
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News