UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
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Coeur Mining, Inc.
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Coeur Mining, Inc.
104 S. Michigan Avenue
Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Dear Fellow Stockholders:
I am pleased to invite you to join our Board of Directors, executives, employees and your fellow stockholders at our 2019 Annual Stockholders Meeting. The meeting will take place at the Monroe Building, 104 South Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, 60603, on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., Central Time. The attached notice and proxy statement provide information about the business to be conducted at the meeting.
Strides Made in Deliberate, Multi-Year Repositioning Toward Higher Quality Assets
Despite weak overall commodity prices in 2018, we made substantial progress in our multi-year repositioning strategy of discovering, developing and operating a balanced portfolio of high-quality North American precious metals assets. We successfully sold our San Bartolomé silver mine in Bolivia, which was our highest cost operation with the shortest mine life located in a high-risk jurisdiction. We made significant investments to begin ramping up our new, high-grade Silvertip mine located in northern British Columbia, Canada, ultimately declaring an initial reserve at the end of the year. In addition, we made two strategic acquisitions of high-quality gold and silver assets in Nevada, which was ranked as the top mining jurisdiction in 2019 by the Fraser Institute, bolstering our future growth pipeline. Finally, continued investment in our near-mine, success-based exploration programs led to a fourth consecutive year of overall reserve and mineralized material growth, leading to longer mine lives and contributing to long-term value creation opportunities for our stockholders.
Our strategy is driven by our purpose statement – We Pursue a Higher Standard – and is underscored by three fundamental principles:
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During 2018, we took significant steps to further enhance our environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework. Specifically, we completed a materiality assessment and identified key ESG factors that matter most to Coeur. We decided to align our business with ten of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to clearly communicate our sustainability and social responsibility efforts. We partnered with over 220 community organizations during 2018 to help make a positive impact in the communities in which we have a presence. Additionally, we reduced significant spills by 70% compared to 2017 and continue to tie a meaningful portion of our Annual Incentive Plan to environmental and safety
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performance. Our ESG programs are crucial to our overall strategy and are instrumental in our efforts to maximize long-term value for stockholders.
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Over the course of the year, we remained committed to developing our most important asset – our people. We proactively put our frontline supervisors though IMPACT Training, an intensive, year-long training focused on safety leadership and mining as a business. Moreover, our employees set individual development goals on an annual basis, which aim to progress personal careers and help ensure that our employees have the necessary capabilities and experiences to help Coeur execute on its strategic goals. As with our people, we also seek to develop the overall quality of our portfolio as well as our development pipeline.
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By prudently investing in exploration, we proactively develop our existing assets and seek to generate long-term value for our stockholders. Furthermore, we developed new growth opportunities for stockholders through two strategic acquisitions of Nevada-based gold and silver assets, including an extensive property package in northern Nevada approximately four miles from our Rochester mine, with estimated gold grades nearly four times higher than Rochesters current gold reserve. Finally, implementation of high-pressure grinding roll technology at our Rochester mine, which is expected to significantly boost recoveries and double net asset value, represents our best example of Developing Quality Growth and Plans.
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Our team at Coeur worked together to begin delivering results from recent investments we’ve made at several of our operations. Over the past few years, we made numerous investments and operational improvements to reposition the Palmarejo mine as a sustainable, higher-margin, longer-life operation. Since 2012, we’ve seen gold and silver grades increase 100% and 63%, respectively, and adjusted costs per silver equivalent ounce(1) decrease by 41% since 2014. Together, these investments and operational improvements contributed to over $130 million of free cash flow(2) from Palmarejo over the past two years. At Kensington, we have also seen our investments deliver positive results. Since 2012, our throughput rates and production have increased 62% and 39%, respectively and our unit costs have
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decreased by 14%. Additionally, late in 2018, we successfully declared commercial production at the high-grade Jualin deposit at Kensington, which helped to drive gold grades 24% higher in the fourth quarter relative to the third quarter. Looking ahead, we expect all of our assets to continue delivering impactful results.
Commitment to Engagement, Alignment, Governance and Culture
In 2018, we continued our extensive outreach efforts to engage with stockholders and solicit open, honest and candid feedback. We view proactive stockholder engagement as a critical component to our long-term success as a company. Our compensation programs led to results that were aligned with the challenging year our stockholders experienced in 2018. Our corporate governance profile and practices remain best-in-class with significant enhancements since last year, including the proactive adoption of proxy access and further refreshment of our Board with the recent addition of another high-caliber director with strategically important skills, background and experience following the addition of two other highly qualified and strategic directors in 2018. As we welcome new directors, I would like to thank Kevin Crutchfield for his six years of service on the Board and many contributions during this transformational period for the Company.
We have brought focused attention to defining and strengthening our culture in recent years and will continue to do so in 2019. The culture we proactively foster is reflected in our purpose statement - We Pursue a Higher Standard, which is directly aligned with Protecting our people, places and planet; Developing quality resources, growth and plans and Delivering impactful results through teamwork. Our management team continuously assesses and improves culture through surveys, tracking employee turnover ratios, raising awareness about our whistleblower hotline and promptly investigating all legitimate reports received on the hotline as well as reviewing and promptly implementing solutions to address feedback from our Internal Audit department. Additionally, we plan to conduct a culture assessment in 2019, the results of which will be reviewed with our Board of Directors. We recognize that our culture is the foundation of our strategy, and solid execution against a sound strategy is essential to long-term, sustainable value creation.
Your Vote is Important
Thank you for being a Coeur stockholder. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, we encourage you to promptly vote your shares by submitting your proxy on the Internet or by telephone, or by completing, signing, dating and returning your proxy card. Instructions on how to vote begin on page 10.
In addition to participating in the governance of our Company, your vote will make a difference in the lives of our nation’s veterans. We will make a charitable contribution of $1 to Hire Heroes USA for every stockholder account that votes. Hire Heroes USA is a leading veteran service organization specifically targeting the issues of underemployment and unemployment among veterans. Hire Heroes USA empowers
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U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. Coeur is committed to recruiting, supporting and integrating past and present members of the military into our operations through our Coeur Heroes program, which seeks to meaningfully improve the lives of service members while strengthening our workforce.
Respectfully,
Mitchell J. Krebs
President & Chief Executive Officer
Chicago, Illinois
March 28, 2019
(1) | Silver equivalence assumes silver-to-gold, -lead and -zinc ratios of 60:1, 0.05:1 and 0.06:1, respectively. |
(2) | Free cash flow is calculated as cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures and gold production royalty payments (see reconciliation tables in Appendix A - Certain Additional Information). |
NOTICE OF 2019
ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING
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Date:
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Time: 9:30 a.m. local time Place: 104 S. Michigan Avenue Second Floor Auditorium Chicago, Illinois 60603 Record Date: March 18, 2019 |
Agenda:
1. Elect the ten director nominees named in the Proxy Statement 2. Ratify the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm for 2019 3. Vote on an advisory resolution to approve executive compensation 4. Transact such other business as properly may come before the Annual Meeting Only stockholders of record at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof. |
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YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT Please cast your vote as soon as possible by: |
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using the Internet at www.proxyvote.com
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calling toll-free from the United States,
U.S. territories and Canada to 1 800-690-6903 |
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mailing your signed proxy or voting
instruction form |
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attending the Annual Meeting in person
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Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting to be held on May 14, 2019. Our Proxy Statement is attached. Financial and other information concerning Coeur Mining, Inc. is contained in our 2018 Annual Report to Stockholders. You may access this Proxy Statement and our 2018 Annual Report to Stockholders at www.proxyvote.com.
Beneficial (Street Name) Stockholders. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank or other holder of record, follow the voting instructions you receive from the holder of record to vote your shares.
By order of the Board of Directors,
CASEY M. NAULT,
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Coeur Mining, Inc.
104 S. Michigan Ave.
Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60603
March 28, 2019
Coeur will make a charitable contribution of $1 to Hire Heroes USA for every stockholder account that votes.
PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of Coeur Mining, Inc. (Coeur or the Company) of proxies of stockholders for shares to be voted at our 2019 Annual Stockholders Meeting (the Annual Meeting) and any and all adjournments thereof. This proxy statement and the accompanying proxy are first being made available to our stockholders on or about March 28, 2019.
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement. This is only a summary, and we encourage you to read the entire proxy statement carefully before voting. For more complete information regarding our 2018 operating and financial performance, please also review our Annual Report to Stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2018 (our Annual Report).
Annual Meeting
Time and Date
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9:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday May 14, 2019
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Place
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104 S. Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois 60603
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Record Date
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Monday, March 18, 2019
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Voting
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Holders of common stock as of the Record Date are entitled to vote. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote for each director nominee and one vote for each of the proposals to be voted on.
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Entry
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You are entitled to attend the Annual Meeting only if you were a Coeur stockholder as of the close of business on the Record Date or hold a valid proxy for the Annual Meeting.
You should be prepared to present valid photo identification for admittance. If you do not provide photo identification, you will not be admitted to the Annual Meeting. Please let us know if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting by marking the appropriate box on the enclosed proxy card if you requested to receive printed proxy materials, or, if you vote by telephone or over the internet, by indicating your plans when prompted. |
Voting Matters
Proposal
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Coeur Board Voting
Recommendation |
Page Reference
(for more detail) |
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1
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Election of ten directors
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FOR each nominee
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Ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as Coeur’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2019
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FOR
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Vote on an advisory resolution to approve executive compensation
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FOR
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Your Vote is Important - We will make a charitable contribution of $1 to Hire Heroes USA for every stockholder account that votes. Coeur is committed to recruiting, supporting and integrating veterans into our operations through our Coeur Heroes program, launched in 2018. Coeur Heroes allows past and present service members to use the special skills they developed during their time of service to help make a difference at our operations.
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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2018 and Early 2019 Performance Highlights
Although 2018 was a challenging year for the precious metals mining industry, we made substantial progress in delivering on our strategy of discovering, developing and operating a balanced portfolio of high-quality precious metals assets in North America. We invested in high-return opportunities at our existing assets and completed several strategic transactions that improved the overall quality of our asset portfolio. We also continued to Pursue a Higher Standard by focusing on our impact on our people, the communities in which we operate and the planet. We invested in upgrading our ESG programs to enhance and coordinate efforts across the Company and improve how we communicate with our stakeholders about these important initiatives.
PROTECT – Our People, Places, Planet
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► 70% reduction in significant spills compared to 2017
► 70% reduction in water use compared to 2013 ► Continued to perform concurrent reclamation activities at our mines, restoring land as we mine other areas ► Identified 10 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals that align with our business activities and which we are committed to supporting and advancing |
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► Our Wharf mine received the 2018 Secretary’s Award for Drinking Water
Excellence from the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources recognizing excellence in water system management and maintenance ► Coeur Rochester received the 2018 Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award from the Nevada Mining Association ► For the 10th consecutive year, Coeur Mexicana, which owns and operates Palmarejo, received the Socially Responsible Business Award from the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (Centro Mexicano para la Filantropía) ► Continued pursuit of best-in-class corporate governance practices – Coeur (i) received an Institutional Shareholder Services QualityScore of 1, the highest possible score, for corporate governance, (ii) proactively adopted proxy access in alignment with a governance best practice, and (iii) continued to refresh its Board with the addition of a highly-qualified new director, former Nevada Governor Brian E. Sandoval, in early 2019 |
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► Initiated IMPACT training, a leadership program for frontline supervisors that
complements in-person training and combines cross-site networking, mentorship and practical application over one year. The first cohort of 20 leaders graduated in October 2018, and two additional cohorts will graduate in 2019. ► Partnered with over 220 community organizations across our sites and corporate headquarters to invest in areas such as veteran support, infrastructure, health, education and economic development, contributing approximately $530,000 ► Hired eight veterans through the Coeur Heroes program at U.S.-based operations during the first year of the program; established mentoring program involving current Coeur employees who are current and former members of the military; ongoing coordination with armed force bases near our U.S. operations to provide employment opportunities for transitioning service members ► Formalized our Human Rights Policy, which reflects our belief in the dignity, well- being, and human rights of our employees, the communities in which we work and live and other stakeholders affected by our operations |
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► 22% reduction in employee and contractor total lost time injury frequency rate
compared to 2017 ► 25% reduction compared to 2017 in total reportable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) among employees, a key safety metric in the mining industry |
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Develop – Quality Resources, Growth and Plans
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Invested in high-return, near-mine exploration in 2018 to replace production and grow the Company’s overall reserve(1) base for the fourth consecutive year, resulting in:
► $44.0 million invested in exploration, 81% of which was deployed for near-mine exploration at our existing operations, which we consider to be among the most attractive uses of capital ► Silver reserves from continuing operations(1) increased 4%, year-over-year, net of depletion, to 171.3 million ounces driven by an initial reserve declaration at Silvertip ► Gold reserves were 2.8 million ounces, or 2% lower year-over-year, net of depletion ► Declared initial zinc reserve of 291.2 million pounds of zinc ► Declared initial lead reserve of 197.5 million pounds of lead |
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Focused on Silvertip ramp-up:
► Commenced commercial production in September 2018 ► Declared initial reserve and updated mineralized material estimate ► Continued to increase mill throughput rates and consistency in early 2019 towards our target of 1,100 tons per day (1,000 metric tonnes per day) ► Completed key infrastructure projects, including a water treatment plant, new warehouse and a new camp facility |
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Continued to invest in and grow the Company’s presence in Nevada, which was ranked as the top mining jurisdiction in 2019 by the Fraser Institute, with strategic acquisitions and high-return investments in existing assets:
► Acquired Northern Empire Resources Corp. in October 2018. Northern Empire’s principal assets are the high-grade Sterling Gold Project and the nearby Crown Block of deposits, both located in southern Nevada ► Acquired a large property package adjacent to the Rochester mine consisting of the Lincoln Hill Project, Wilco Project, Gold Ridge Property and other nearby claims which significantly bolstered year-end mineralized material ► The Rochester mine began construction and installation of a new crusher that utilizes high-pressure grinding roll crushing technology, the first step in a re-scoped mine plan that is expected to significantly increase and accelerate Rochester’s silver recoveries and more than double its estimated net asset value |
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Added two highly-qualified directors to our Board in 2018 and another in early 2019, each of whom brings relevant experience and fresh perspectives and adds to the diversity of experience of our Board, including valuable operating and government affairs experience in Mexico, where our largest mine is located, British Columbia, Canada, where the recently-acquired Silvertip mine is located, and Nevada, where we have a significant and growing presence
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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DELIVER – Impactful Results through Teamwork
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Balanced North American Portfolio(2)
The Company’s sales mix reflects its balanced and high-quality portfolio of mines in attractive jurisdictions. This diversification also serves as a means to mitigate sales risk. The share attributable to Silvertip and Canada is expected to climb as the Silvertip mine continues to ramp up. |
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2018 Metal Sales by Asset:
(% of revenue) |
2018 Metals Sales by Geography:
(% of revenue) |
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2018 Sales by Metal:
(% of revenue) |
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Strong performance at Palmarejo and Rochester:
Palmarejo ► Gold and silver production increased 1% and 4%, respectively, compared to 2017 ► Adjusted costs applicable to sales per average spot AgEqOz(3) decreased 14% Rochester ► Silver and gold production both increased 7% compared to 2017 ► Adjusted costs applicable to sales per average spot AgEqOz(3) decreased 4% compared to 2017 |
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Commenced commercial production from the high-grade Jualin deposit at the Kensington mine, which is expected to enhance the operation’s overall production and cash flow profile in 2019 and beyond
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4
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Completed the sale of the Company’s Bolivian operation, which was the operation with the highest costs, shortest mine life and highest source of geopolitical risk, in February 2018
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(1) | Year-end 2018 reserves and mineralized material as published by Coeur on February 20, 2019. Figures reflect reserves and resources from continuing operations and exclude the San Bartolomé mine, which Coeur divested on February 28, 2018, through the sale of its 100%-owned Bolivian subsidiary. |
(2) | Includes pre-commercial production from Kensington (Jualin) and Silvertip. |
(3) | Silver equivalence assumes silver-to-gold, -lead and -zinc ratios of 60:1, 0.05:1 and 0.06:1, respectively, except where noted as average spot prices. Please see Appendix A – Certain Additional Information for average applicable spot prices and corresponding ratios. Adjusted costs applicable to sales per average spot AgEqOz are non-GAAP financial measures (see reconciliation tables in Appendix A – Certain Additional Information). |
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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2018 Executive Compensation Highlights (p. 41)
In 2018, external factors such as a strong U.S. economy and U.S. dollar, robust equity markets and rising interest rates negatively impacted the prices of most commodities including the metals we produce. Against that macro backdrop, the sector overall generated negative total stockholder returns (TSR) in 2018 including our company. However, we were in the 69th percentile relative to our peers based on the three-year TSR performance. We saw strong performance in 2018 from our Palmarejo and Rochester mines but experienced a slower-than-anticipated ramp-up at our new Silvertip mine, which weighed on overall results and drove below-target Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) payouts. We also successfully advanced our strategy and grew our overall reserves and mineralized material for the fourth consecutive year through our success-based, near-mine exploration program and opportunistic acquisitions.
Our 2018 executive compensation programs demonstrated alignment with stockholder returns and our operational and financial results; specifically:
► | CEO AIP, which represents one-year performance-based compensation, was 47% lower in 2018 as compared to 2017, in line with a 41% decline in one-year TSR in 2018 |
► | Our Compensation and Leadership Development Committee (CLD Committee) exercised negative discretion to reduce the payout under the safety component of the 2018 AIP to 0% for all executives due to previously-announced fatalities at the Palmarejo mine |
► | Performance shares for the three-year period ended December 31, 2018 were earned at 91% of target, driven by strong three-year relative TSR performance and growth in reserves and mineralized material per share, but also reflecting below-threshold performance and a zero payout for the operating cash flow per share component |
At our 2018 Annual Meeting, our stockholders again showed strong support for our executive compensation program with over 96% of the votes cast for the approval of the say-on-pay proposal.
In 2018, our CLD Committee continued to place a large proportion of the compensation of our Named Executive Officers (NEOs) at risk in order to align pay with performance. The graphs below illustrate the proportion of target total direct compensation opportunity in 2018 (base salary, target AIP, and target Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) opportunity) that is variable and at risk for our CEO and our other NEOs (on an average basis). In 2018, as shown in the charts below, variable pay as a percentage of target total direct compensation was 81% and 72% for our CEO and other NEOs (average), respectively, consistent with our peers, demonstrating that our pay-for-performance compensation philosophy aligns executive pay with creation of long-term value for our stockholders.
Peer group described in Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Peer Group on page 51. Data is from public filings for fiscal year 2017.
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Corporate Governance Highlights (p. 14)
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Independent Board chairman and all directors are independent other than CEO
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Clawback and forfeiture policy covering both financial restatements and misconduct
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The Board and Board committees take an active role in the Company’s risk oversight and risk management processes
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Proactive ongoing stockholder outreach on governance, executive compensation and other matters
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Focus on Board refreshment – one new director elected to the Board in 2019 and two new directors elected to the Board in 2018
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Chairman’s one-on-one meetings with each director promote candor, effectiveness and accountability
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Strong mix of directors with complementary skills; average tenure of approximately 9 years
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Majority voting in uncontested director elections with a resignation policy
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Annual evaluations promote Board and Board committee effectiveness
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All directors are elected annually for one-year terms
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In March 2019, we proactively adopted proxy access, allowing stockholders who have satisfied specified requirements included in our Bylaws to include director nominees in the Company’s proxy statement and form of proxy, beginning in 2020
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Stockholders owning 20% or more of Coeur’s common stock have the right to call a special meeting of the stockholders
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No related person transactions with directors or executive officers
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Coeur does not have a poison pill or similar anti-takeover defenses in place
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50% of director nominees are diverse (gender or ethnicity), contributing to a variety of viewpoints
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Board actively partners with the management team in setting strategy
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Board Refreshment & Director Nominees (p. 15)
The following tables provide summary information about each director nominee. In both 2019 and 2018, we demonstrated our commitment to Board refreshment and diversity by adding three new qualified directors, Brian E. Sandoval in 2019 and Jessica L. McDonald and Eduardo Luna in 2018, reducing average director tenure to approximately nine years. You can read more about the qualifications of our director nominees below and beginning on page 14. The Board recommends a vote FOR each of the following nominees.
Name
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Age
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Director Since
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Committee Memberships
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Independent
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Robert E. Mellor (Chairman)
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75
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1998
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CLD, NCG (C), Executive (C)
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Yes
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Linda L. Adamany
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67
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2013
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Audit (C), EHSCR
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Yes
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Sebastian Edwards
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65
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2007
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Audit, CLD
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Yes
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Randolph E. Gress
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63
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2013
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Audit, CLD, NCG
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Yes
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Mitchell J. Krebs
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47
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2011
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Executive
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No
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Eduardo Luna
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73
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2018
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EHSCR
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Yes
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Jessica L. McDonald
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50
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2018
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Audit, EHSCR
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Yes
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John H. Robinson
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68
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1998
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CLD (C), NCG, Executive
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Yes
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Brian E. Sandoval
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55
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2019
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EHSCR
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Yes
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J. Kenneth Thompson
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67
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2002
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NCG, EHSCR (C), Executive
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Yes
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(C) | denotes the Chair of each committee |
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Key Qualifications of our Director Nominees (p. 14)
Our Board believes that it should possess a combination of skills, professional experience and diversity of viewpoints necessary to oversee our business. In addition, the Board believes that there are certain attributes that every director should possess, as reflected in the membership criteria summarized in Director and Nominee Experience and Qualifications beginning on page 14. The following table provides summary information about the skills and qualifications of our director nominees.
Director Skills and Qualifications
Stockholder Outreach and Engagement (p. 30)
In 2018, Coeur continued to engage proactively with all relevant stakeholders, including our stockholders. We reached out to all stockholders with at least 0.15% of our aggregate outstanding shares (as of June 30, 2018), representing 61.6% of our aggregate outstanding shares to engage on issues including executive compensation and ESG matters. We believe this combined approach has resulted in constructive feedback and input from stockholders, including regarding board diversity, refreshment and proxy access, and we intend to continue these efforts. Also in 2018, we conducted numerous meetings and conference calls with investors and analysts, several of which were attended by our Chairman, participated in invitation-only investment conferences, hosted Coeur Investor Day events in New York City and Toronto, and held the 2018 Annual Stockholders Meeting. In total in 2018, management conducted 14 presentations, held 126 one-on-one and group meetings with investors, and hosted 4 conference calls with investors and analysts allowing for questions and answers with management.
Responsibility (p. 30)
Coeur continued to support initiatives that addressed community needs and build key partnerships to foster strong, positive community relations. We launched our Coeur Heroes program in early 2018, which is a recruitment and mentoring program designed to highlight and engage members of the military through on-the-job experience. In addition, we continued our strong environmental performance, including achieving a 70% decline in significant spills compared to 2017. Finally, we continued to invest in our health and safety programs, achieved industry-leading safety performance and received prestigious safety awards in 2018.
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Company Culture
We have increasingly focused our attention to defining and strengthening our culture, reflected in our purpose statement, We Pursue a Higher Standard, which is directly aligned with the underlying principles of Protect, Develop, Deliver. Our culture, purpose statement and these principles have driven execution of our strategy in recent years, including optimizing our asset portfolio by acquiring high-grade new assets in stable jurisdictions (such as the Silvertip mine in British Columbia and the Sterling and Crown Block Projects in Nevada) and divesting low-margin assets in risky jurisdictions (such as the San Bartolomé mine in Bolivia and the Joaquin Project in Argentina), reducing overall costs and increasing margins, maintaining a strong and flexible balance sheet, achieving best-in-class environmental and safety performance, providing clear and transparent disclosures, aligning compensation programs with long-term stockholder value creation, and continually evolving our corporate governance practices to be comparable to the best companies of any size.
A key strength of our management team is a culture of engagement, strong communication, accountability and encouraging our managers to challenge the status quo to drive improvements in our business. The management team continuously assesses and improves culture through surveys, tracking employee turnover ratios, raising awareness about our whistleblower hotline and promptly investigating all legitimate reports received on the hotline, and reviewing and promptly implementing solutions to address feedback from our Internal Audit department. Our purpose statement, We Pursue a Higher Standard, also guides our recruiting and hiring practices, and we maintain a robust compliance program that includes regular in-person trainings supplemented by online trainings on important topics such as harassment, bullying and unconscious bias to ensure our employees work in a healthy and tolerant atmosphere, free of bullying or harassment of any kind. Finally, we plan to conduct a culture assessment in 2019, the results of which will be reviewed with our Board of Directors. We recognize that our people and our culture are the foundations of our strategy, and solid execution against a sound strategy is essential to long-term, sustainable value creation.
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COEUR MINING, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
2019 ANNUAL MEETING
MAY 14, 2019
When and where is the Annual Meeting?
The 2019 Annual Stockholders Meeting (the Annual Meeting) will be held on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., Central Time, in the Second Floor auditorium at 104 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60603.
Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting? What is the Record Date?
All stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 18, 2019 (the Record Date) are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof upon the matters listed in the Notice of Annual Meeting. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on that date. As of the close of business on the Record Date, a total of 205,207,148 shares of our common stock were outstanding.
What is the difference between a stockholder of record and a stockholder who holds in street name?
If your shares of Coeur common stock are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., you are a stockholder of record, and these proxy materials are being sent directly to you from the Company.
If your shares of Coeur common stock are held in street name meaning your shares of Coeur common stock are held in a brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are the beneficial owner of these shares, and these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your broker, banker or other nominee, who is considered the stockholder of record with respect to such shares. As the beneficial owner of Coeur common stock, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote, and you will receive instructions from your broker, bank or other nominee describing how to vote your shares of Coeur common stock.
How do I inspect the list of stockholders of record?
A list of the stockholders of record as of the Record Date entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available at the Annual Meeting.
Why did I receive a notice in the mail regarding the internet availability of proxy materials?
In accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), instead of mailing to stockholders a printed copy of our proxy statement, Annual Report and other materials (the proxy materials) relating to the Annual Meeting, Coeur may furnish proxy materials to stockholders on the internet by providing a notice of internet availability of proxy materials (the Notice of Internet Availability) to inform stockholders when the proxy materials are available on the internet. If you receive the Notice of Internet Availability by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials unless you specifically request one. Instead, the Notice of Internet Availability will instruct you on how you may access and review all of Coeurs proxy materials, as well as how to submit your proxy, over the internet. The proxy materials are available at www.proxyvote.com.
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Will I get more than one copy of the notice or proxy materials if multiple stockholders share my address?
When multiple stockholders have the same address, the SEC permits companies and intermediaries, such as brokers, to deliver a single copy of certain proxy materials and the Notice of Internet Availability to them. This process is commonly referred to as householding. We do not participate in householding, but some brokers may for stockholders who do not take electronic delivery of proxy materials. If your shares are held in a brokerage account and you have received notice from your broker that it will send one copy of the Notice of Internet Availability or proxy materials to your address, householding will continue until you are notified otherwise or instruct your broker otherwise. If, at any time, you would prefer to receive a separate copy of the Notice of Internet Availability or proxy materials, or if you share an address with another stockholder and receive multiple copies but would prefer to receive a single copy, please notify your broker. We promptly will deliver to a stockholder who received one copy of the Notice of Internet Availability or proxy materials as the result of householding a separate copy upon the stockholders written or oral request directed to our investor relations department at (312) 489-5800, Coeur Mining, Inc., 104 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60603. Please note, however, that if you wish to receive a paper proxy card or other proxy materials for purposes of this years Annual Meeting, you should follow the instructions provided in the Notice of Internet Availability.
What does it mean to give a proxy?
The persons named on the proxy card (the proxy holders) have been designated by the Board to vote the shares represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. The proxy holders are officers of Coeur. They will vote the shares represented by each properly executed and timely received proxy in accordance with the stockholders instructions, or if no instructions are specified, the shares represented by each otherwise properly executed and timely received proxy will be voted FOR each nominee in Proposal 1 and FOR Proposals 2 and 3 in accordance with the recommendations of the Board as described in this proxy statement. If any other matter properly comes before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, the proxy holders will vote on that matter in their discretion.
How do I vote?
If you are a holder of shares of Coeur common stock, you can vote by telephone or on the internet 24 hours a day through 11:59 p.m. (Central Time) on the day before the Annual Meeting date. If you are located in the United States or Canada and are a stockholder of record, you can submit a proxy for your shares by calling toll-free 1-800-690-6903. Whether you are a stockholder of record or a beneficial owner, you can also submit a proxy for your shares by internet at www.proxyvote.com. Both the telephone and internet systems have easy to follow instructions on how you may submit a proxy for your shares and allow you to confirm that the system has properly recorded your proxy. If you are submitting a proxy for your shares by telephone or internet, you should have in hand when you call or access the website, as applicable, the Notice of Internet Availability or the proxy card or voting instruction card (for those holders who have received, by request, a hard copy of the proxy card or voting instruction card). If you submit a proxy by telephone or internet, you do not need to return your proxy card to the Company. A telephone or internet proxy must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. (Central Time) on the day before the Annual Meeting date.
If you have received, by request, a hard copy of the proxy card or voting instruction card, and wish to submit your proxy by mail, you must complete, sign and date the proxy card or voting instruction card and return it in the envelope provided so that it is received prior to the Annual Meeting.
While the Company encourages holders of common stock to vote by proxy, you also have the option of voting your shares of common stock in person at the Annual Meeting. If you are a stockholder of record of common stock, you have the right to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person, subject to compliance with the procedures described below.
How can I revoke a proxy or change my vote?
If you are a stockholder of record of Coeur common stock, you may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time prior to the voting at the Annual Meeting:
► | by providing written notice to our Corporate Secretary; |
► | by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person (your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not by itself revoke your proxy); |
► | by submitting a later-dated proxy card; or |
► | if you submitted a proxy by telephone or Internet, by submitting a subsequent proxy by telephone or internet. |
If you are a beneficial owner of Coeur common stock and have instructed a broker, bank or other nominee to vote your shares, you may follow the directions received from your broker, bank or other nominee to change or revoke those instructions.
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How many shares must be represented in person or by proxy to hold the Annual Meeting?
A majority of the voting power of all issued and outstanding stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting.
What is a broker non-vote?
A broker non-vote occurs when a broker or other nominee that holds shares on behalf of a street name stockholder does not vote on a particular matter because it does not have discretionary authority to vote on that particular matter and has not received voting instructions from the street name stockholder.
Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, if you hold your shares in street name and do not provide voting instructions to the broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares, the nominee has discretionary authority to vote on routine matters but not on non-routine matters. If you hold your shares in street name, it is critical that you cast your vote if you want it to count for non-routine matters as described in the table below. Broker non-votes and abstentions by stockholders from voting (including brokers holding their clients shares of record who cause abstentions to be recorded) will be counted towards determining whether or not a quorum is present. However, because broker non-votes and abstentions are not considered votes cast under Delaware law, they will have no effect on the approval of non-routine matters.
Who will tabulate the vote?
Votes cast by proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting will be tabulated by the inspectors of election appointed by us for the meeting.
Who bears the cost of this proxy solicitation?
We will bear the cost of soliciting proxies. Proxies may be solicited by directors, officers or regular employees in person or by telephone or electronic mail without special compensation. We have retained Morrow Sodali LLC, Stamford, Connecticut, to assist in the solicitation of proxies. Morrow Sodali LLCs fee will be $8,000, plus out-of-pocket expenses.
Do stockholders have dissenters’ rights?
Pursuant to applicable Delaware law, there are no dissenters or appraisal rights relating to the matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting.
Important Notice Regarding the Internet Availability of Proxy Materials – Our Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com and on the Investor Relations page of Coeur’s website at www.coeur.com/investors/.
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Votes Required to Approve the Proposals:
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Proposal
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Required Vote
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Effect of
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Broker Voting(1)
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Election of Directors
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Majority of votes cast for the nominees
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None
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Broker may not vote shares without specific voting instructions.
Broker non-votes have no effect on the approval of this proposal. |
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Ratification of independent auditors for 2019
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Majority of votes cast for the action
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None
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Broker may vote shares if you do not provide specific voting instructions.
There will be no broker non-votes. |
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Advisory vote on executive compensation
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Majority of votes cast for the action
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None
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Broker may not vote shares without specific voting instructions.
Broker non-votes have no effect on the approval of this proposal. |
(1) | If you are a beneficial holder and do not provide specific voting instructions to your broker, the organization that holds your shares will not be authorized to vote your shares on non-routine proposals (Proposals 1 and 3), which would result in broker non-votes on these matters. |
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Please cast your vote as soon as possible by: |
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Using the Internet at www.proxyvote.com
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Calling toll-free from the United States, U.S. territories and Canada to 1 800-690-6903
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Mailing your signed proxy or voting
instruction form |
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Attending the Annual Meeting in person
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Your Vote is Important - We will make a charitable contribution of $1 to Hire Heroes USA for every stockholder account that votes. Coeur is committed to recruiting, supporting and integrating current and former members of the military into our operations through our Coeur Heroes program, launched in 2018. Coeur Heroes allows service members to use the special skills they developed during their time of service to help make a difference at our operations.
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PROPOSAL NO. 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
What am I voting for?
► | The election of ten directors to hold office until the 2020 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting and until their successors have been elected and qualified. All nominees are currently Coeur directors, and all of them with the exception of Mr. Sandoval, who was elected as a director by the Board in March 2019, were elected by stockholders at the 2018 Annual Meeting. Mr. Crutchfield, a current Coeur director, is not standing for re-election. Accordingly, he will cease being a director effective as of the 2019 Annual Meeting and the size of the Board will be reduced from 11 to 10. |
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR each nominee listed below |
Director and Nominee Experience and Qualifications
Coeur is a precious metals mining company that owns and operates a balanced portfolio of five mines in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The management of our business requires the balancing of many considerations, including strategic and financial growth and building long-term value for our stockholders, the cyclicality of commodities prices, the health and safety of our employees and business partners, environmental stewardship, building positive relationships with the communities in which we operate, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations in a heavily-regulated industry, and maintaining leading corporate governance and disclosure practices. Our Board believes that it should possess a combination of skills, professional experience and diversity of viewpoints necessary to oversee our business, together with relevant technical skills or financial acumen that demonstrates an understanding of the financial and operational aspects and associated risks of a large, complex organization like Coeur. Accordingly, the Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the NCG Committee) consider the qualifications of incumbent directors and director candidates individually and in the broader context of the Boards overall composition and our current and future needs, including an incumbent directors or potential directors ability to contribute to the diversity of viewpoints and experience represented on the Board, and it reviews its effectiveness in balancing these considerations when assessing the composition of the Board.
As set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, membership criteria include items relating to ethics, integrity and values, sound business judgment, strength of character, mature judgment, professional experience, industry knowledge and diversity of viewpoints, all in the context of an assessment of the perceived needs of the Board at that point in time. The Board and the NCG Committee have not formulated any specific minimum qualifications, but rather consider the factors described above. For incumbent directors, past performance and term of service on the Board are also considered. Among other things, the Board has determined that it is important to have individuals with the following skills and experiences on the Board:
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Current and Former Chief Executive
Directors with experience in significant leadership positions possess strong abilities to motivate and develop people and understand the complexities and challenges of managing a large organization |
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Project Development/Management
The mining business is project intensive. Coeur benefits by having directors who have experience through the entire lifecycle of acquiring, developing and managing large and complex projects |
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Diversity (Gender or Ethnic)
We value a Board that reflects the diversity of our workforce and communities |
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Health, Safety and Environmental
Relevant because operating safely and protecting the environments in which we operate is our highest priority and critical to the success of our business |
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Government/Regulatory Affairs
We operate in a heavily regulated industry that is directly affected by governmental actions at the local, state and federal levels in the United States, Mexico and Canada |
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Capital Markets Experience
Facilitates analysis and understanding of proposed capital markets transactions, including risks and the impact to our existing capital structure |
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Legal
Facilitates assistance with the Board’s oversight of our legal and compliance matters |
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Extractive Industry
Relevant given the industry in which we operate |
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Economic Trends and Policies
An understanding and awareness of economic trends and policies is critical since we mine and sell commodities and strive to maintain a strong and flexible balance sheet, and therefore have significant exposure to macroeconomic trends and changes in the economic policies of central banks and governments |
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U.S. Public Company Board Service
As a U.S.-based and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed company, Directors who have experience serving on other U.S. public company boards generally are well prepared to fulfill the Board’s responsibilities of overseeing and providing insight and guidance to management in the context of U.S. public company regulation and governance structures |
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Cyclical Industry
The mining sector, particularly precious metals mining, is cyclical, and stockholders and management benefit from the perspectives and experience of directors who have lead firms through several full business cycles |
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Board Composition and Refreshment
The Board seeks to identify and retain directors with deep knowledge and experience in the mining and natural resources sectors while also including an appropriate number of directors with perspectives from other industries and experience. The mining sector, particularly precious metals mining, is cyclical, and stockholders and management benefit from the perspectives and experience of directors who have led firms through several full business cycles. For instance, six of our ten director nominees have experience in the extractive sector while others bring significant business, risk management, government affairs and financial experience, including our Chairman, who has extensive experience in the home building industry, which is a capital-intensive and cyclical business not unlike precious metals mining. Directors who have served on the Board for an extended period of time also provide important perspective and insight based on industry experience and have a deep understanding of our long-term plans and strategic objectives.
For these reasons, the Board does not have a mandatory retirement age. The Board believes that directors should be evaluated on their unique perspective and experience and ability to contribute to the Board. As the chart below demonstrates, the Board is focused on maintaining a balance between longer serving directors with significant Coeur institutional knowledge and newer directors with complementary skills and expertise which allows for natural turnover and an appropriate pace of Board refreshment.
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As part of the Board’s ongoing efforts to seek this balance of skills, experience and tenure, in March 2019 and February 2018, the Board elected three new directors, Brian E. Sandoval in 2019 and Eduardo Luna and Jessica L. McDonald in 2018, to our Board. Each is highly qualified, adds to the diversity of experience of our Board including valuable legal, regulatory and government affairs experience in Nevada (Mr. Sandoval), where our Rochester mine and Sterling gold project and nearby Crown Block of deposits are located, and operating and government affairs experience in Mexico (Mr. Luna), where our largest mine is located, and British Columbia, Canada (Ms. McDonald), where our newest mine, the high-grade Silvertip mine, is located.
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If all of the nominees are elected to the Board, the average tenure of the directors will be approximately nine years, with five directors having served approximately six years or fewer.
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The NCG Committee reviews and makes recommendations regarding the composition and size of the Board. In identifying director candidates from time to time, the NCG Committee may focus on specific skills and experience of particular importance at the time in order to enhance the overall balance and effectiveness of the Board. The NCG Committee assesses new director candidates and incumbent directors against the key director qualifications identified by the Board as our needs evolve and change over time.
The Board considers candidates identified by search firms it retains or consults with periodically, recommended by current directors and stockholders, and through other methods. The NCG Committee has adopted a policy pursuant to which significant long-term stockholders may recommend a director candidate. See page 29 for more details. 2019 Board Refreshment – Brian E. Sandoval Many of our directors met Mr. Sandoval when he was serving as Governor of Nevada, arising from interactions between the Board and Mr. Sandoval related to the Company’s Rochester mine in Nevada. As the end of Mr. Sandoval’s term as governor approached, our Chairman, Robert E. Mellor, and our CEO, Mitchell J. Krebs, informally discussed with Mr. Sandoval the possibility of him joining the Company’s Board. Given Mr. Sandoval’s experience as governor, the Board believed he would bring a number of important skills and perspectives to the Board, including chief executive experience, having served as the chief executive of the State of Nevada, government and regulatory affairs, mining industry experience (given the importance and prevalence of mining in Nevada and Mr. Sandoval’s experience interacting with and regulating the mining industry as governor), health, safety and environmental experience (given his familiarity with regulatory requirements and good industry practices, and his experience presiding over environmental cases as a federal judge) and other important leadership skills. In addition, Mr. Sandoval further enhances the ethnic diversity on the Board due to his Hispanic heritage. Following the end of Mr. Sandoval’s term as governor in early 2019, discussions accelerated, and directors had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Sandoval, including a joint meeting involving all members of the NCG Committee and other directors. The Company also completed a formal background check on Mr. Sandoval and held discussions with his references. Following all of those actions, after careful consideration the NCG Committee and the Board determined that Mr. Sandoval would be a valuable member of the Board and recommended and elected him to the Board and the EHSCR Committee effective March 8, 2019. 2018 Board Refreshment – Eduardo Luna and Jessica L. McDonald In 2017, against the backdrop of the growing importance of the Palmarejo complex in Mexico within the Company’s portfolio of mines and the acquisition of the Silvertip mine in British Columbia, Canada, the Board determined that adding new directors with relevant experience in precious metals mining and Mexico and British Columbia government relations and regulatory matters would benefit the Board. After consulting several outside parties, Mr. Luna and Ms. McDonald were identified among a small group of candidates as individuals who possessed the specific criteria described above. Mr. Luna and Ms. McDonald also possessed many of the other key skills and experiences discussed on page 14 in Director and Nominee Experience and Qualifications. Over a period of several months, Messrs. Mellor and Krebs and, later, the rest of the Board and the entire senior management team carefully assessed the candidacies of Mr. Luna and Ms. McDonald through a series of meetings and conversations with the candidates. In addition, the Company completed a formal background check and discussed each candidate with references who were provided by the candidate and with other individuals who had experience working with or were otherwise familiar in a professional context with Mr. Luna or Ms. McDonald. After careful consideration by the NCG Committee and the Board, the candidacies of Mr. Luna and Ms. McDonald were recommended and approved, and the new directors were elected by the Board effective February 9, 2018. |
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Adoption of Proxy Access
The NCG Committee has followed the evolution and increasing prevalence of proxy access. Accordingly, on the recommendation of the NCG Committee and the approval of the Board, in March 2019 the Board proactively adopted proxy access by amending the Company’s Bylaws to permit a stockholder, or group of no more than 20 stockholders, who have owned at least 3% of the Company’s outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years, to nominate and include in the Company’s proxy materials for an annual meeting of stockholders, one or more director nominees up to the greater of two nominees or 20% of the Board, provided that the stockholder(s) and the director nominee(s) satisfy the requirements specified in the Bylaws, including continued ownership of the Company’s common stock by the stockholder(s) at the required level through the relevant annual meeting of stockholders. These amendments will apply starting with the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.
Evaluation Process for Current Directors
Before recommending an incumbent director for re-nomination, the committee considers each incumbent directors experience, qualifications and past tenure and contributions to the Board. The committees annual review of existing directors includes the following considerations:
► Key Attributes – Representing the interests of stockholders; assessing major risks facing the Company; ensuring processes are in place for maintaining the integrity of the Company, its financial statements, its compliance with law and ethics, its relationships with third parties, and its relationships with other stakeholders; and selecting, evaluating, retaining and compensating a well-qualified CEO and overseeing succession planning.
► Independence – Considering whether the interests or affiliations of a director are not in compliance with applicable laws or stock exchange requirements or could compromise the independence and integrity of an independent directors service on behalf of stockholders, including the directors relationships with the Company that would interfere with the directors exercise of independent judgment.
► Commitment and Performance – Willingness and ability to devote the time necessary to serve as an effective director.
In addition, the Board and each of its committees conduct an annual self-evaluation process to evaluate its effectiveness in fulfilling its obligations. This process involves a discussion during an in-person meeting by the Board and each committee of directors observations arising from questions provided in advance of the meeting as well as one-on-one meetings between Mr. Mellor, Chairman of the Board, and each director, covering Board and committee composition, organization and effectiveness of meetings and communication, each directors personal contribution to the Board and committees he or she serves, effectiveness of the Board and committees in executing their responsibilities, controls and ethics of the Board and its committees, and sufficiency of the level of internal and external support provided to the Board and its committees. In 2018, each director participated in the annual self-evaluation.
In recent years, the Board enhanced its self-evaluation process by bringing in a third party to facilitate the Boards self-evaluation discussion. Key actions arising from these discussions included a focus on adding relevant skills and experiences to the Board, which culminated in the elections of Mr. Luna and Ms. McDonald in 2018 and Mr. Sandoval in 2019, and allocation of more time to executive sessions during Board meetings.
Majority Vote Standard for the Election of Directors
According to our Bylaws, in an uncontested election, each director will be elected by a vote of the majority of the votes cast, which means the number of votes cast for a directors election must exceed the number of votes cast against that director.
If a nominee for director does not receive the vote of at least a majority of votes cast at the Annual Meeting, it is the policy of the Board that the director must tender his or her resignation. The NCG Committee will then make a recommendation to the Board whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation, or whether other action should be taken, taking into account all of the relevant facts and circumstances. The director who has tendered his or her offer of resignation will not take part in the proceedings with respect to his or her resignation offer. For additional information, our Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the Corporate Governance page of our website, www.coeur.com/company/corporate-governance/, and to any stockholder who requests them.
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The ten individuals named below have been nominated to be elected as directors at the Annual Meeting, each to serve for one year and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. All of the nominees were elected to the Board at the 2018 Annual Meeting, with the exception of Mr. Sandoval, who was elected to the Board in March 2019. Proxies will be voted at the Annual Meeting FOR the election of each of the ten persons named below unless marked AGAINST or ABSTAIN. We do not contemplate that any of the persons named below will be unable, or will decline, to serve; however, if any such nominee is unable or declines to serve, the persons named in the accompanying proxy may vote for a substitute, or substitutes, in their discretion, or the Board may reduce its size.
Robert E. Mellor |
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Age: 75 Director Since: 1998 |
Experience:
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Former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Building Materials Holding Corporation (distribution, manufacturing and sales of building materials and component products) from 1997 to January 2010, director from 1991 to January 2010
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Member of the Board of Directors of Monro Muffler/Brake, Inc., an auto service provider, since August 2010, as independent Chairman of the Board of Directors since June 2017 and as lead independent director from April 2011 to June 2017
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Member of the Board of Directors of CalAtlantic Group, Inc., a national residential home builder, from October 2015 to February 2018, when CalAtlantic was acquired by Lennar Corporation; member of the Board of Directors of The Ryland Group (national home builder, merged with another builder to form CalAtlantic) from 1999-October 2015
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Former member of the Board of Directors of Stock Building Supply Holdings, Inc., a lumber and building materials distributor, from March 2010 until December 2015 when it merged with another company
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Education:
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Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Westminster College (Missouri)
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Earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law
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Expertise:
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As the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Building Materials Holding Corporation, Mr. Mellor brings to the Board leadership, risk management, cyclical industry, talent management, operations, capital markets, mergers & acquisitions and strategic planning experience.
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Mr. Mellor also brings to the Board public company board experience through his service on the board of Monro Muffler/Brake, Inc., and former service with CalAtlantic Group, Inc., The Ryland Group, Inc. and Stock Building Supply Holdings, Inc.
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Linda L. Adamany |
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Age: 67 Director Since: 2013 |
Experience:
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Served at BP plc, a multinational oil and gas company, in several capacities from July 1980 until her retirement in August 2007, most recently from April 2005 to August 2007 as a member of the five-person Refining & Marketing Executive Committee responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and human resource management of BP plc’s Refining & Marketing segment, a $45 billion business at the time
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Member of the Board of Directors of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (formerly known as Leucadia National Corporation), a diversified holding company engaged in a variety of businesses, since March 2014, and a member of the Board of Directors of Jefferies Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jefferies Financial Group Inc., since November 2018
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Non-executive director of Wood plc, a company that provides project, engineering and technical services to energy and industrial markets, since October 2017. Ms. Adamany has given notice of her intent to resign from the Board of Wood plc, effective May 1, 2019
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Non-executive director of BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, since March 2018
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Non-executive director of Amec Foster Wheeler plc, an engineering, project management and consultancy company, from October 2012 until October 2017, when Amec Foster Wheeler was acquired by Wood Group plc
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Former member of the Board of Directors of National Grid plc, an electricity and gas generation, transmission and distribution company, from November 2006 to November 2012
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Ms. Adamany was selected as one of Women Inc. Magazine’s 2018 Most Influential Corporate Directors
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Ms. Adamany is a Certified Public Accountant
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Education:
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Holds a degree in Accounting from John Carroll University (Magna Cum Laude)
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Completed executive education studies at Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Tsing Hua University (China)
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Expertise:
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Ms. Adamany brings to the Board leadership, financial and accounting expertise, strategic planning experience, and experience in the extractive resources industry and with cyclical businesses through her positions with BP plc and project management experience as director of Wood plc and Amec Foster Wheeler plc
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Sebastian Edwards |
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Age: 65 Director Since: 2007 |
Experience:
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Henry Ford II Professor of International Business Economics at the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1996 to present
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Co-Director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Africa Project from 2009 to present
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Chief Economist for Latin America at the World Bank Group from 1993 to 1996
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Taught at IAE Universidad Austral in Argentina and at the Kiel Institute from 2000 to 2004
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Member of the Board of Moneda Asset Management, an investment management firm in Chile
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Member of the Board, Centro de Estudios Publicos, Chile
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Education:
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Earned an Ingeniero Comercial degree and became a Licenciado en Economia at the Universidad Católica de Chile
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Earned an MA and PhD in economics from the University of Chicago
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Expertise:
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As a professor of International Business, as well as through various positions relating to Latin American economies, Mr. Edwards brings to the Board international, government, economic and financial experience, all of which are beneficial to the board, which operates in an industry that is subject to macro-economic trends and events
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Randolph E. Gress |
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Age: 63 Director Since: 2013 |
Experience:
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Retired Chairman, from November 2006 until January 2016, and former director, from August 2004 until January 2016, and Chief Executive Officer, from 2004 until December 2015, of Innophos Holdings, Inc., a leading international producer of performance-critical and nutritional specialty ingredients for the food, beverage, dietary supplements, pharmaceutical and industrial end markets
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Various positions with Rhodia SA, a group that specializes in fine chemistry, synthetic fibers and polymers, from 1997 to 2004, including Global President of Specialty Phosphates and Vice President and General Manager of the North American Sulfuric Acid and Regeneration businesses
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Various roles at FMC Corporation, from 1982 to 1997, including Corporate Strategy and various manufacturing, marketing and supply chain positions
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Education:
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Earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University
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Earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University
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Expertise:
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Mr. Gress is a seasoned industrial executive with a wide range of international, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, operations, strategic planning, financial/accounting, government/regulatory and legal experience as well as mining experience (phosphates)
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Mitchell J. Krebs |
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Age: 47 Director Since: 2011 |
Experience:
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President and Chief Executive Officer of Coeur Mining, Inc., since 2011. Mr. Krebs joined Coeur in 1995 after spending several years in the investment banking industry in New York. Mr. Krebs held various positions in the corporate development department, including Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. In March 2008, Mr. Krebs was named Chief Financial Officer, a position he held until being appointed President and CEO
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Member of the Board of Directors of Kansas City Southern Railway Company since May 2017 (Audit Committee; Finance Committee)
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Member of the Board of the National Mining Association (Executive Committee; Chairman of Audit and Finance Committee)
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Past President of The Silver Institute
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Education:
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Holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
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Holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University
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Expertise:
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Mr. Krebs brings leadership, industry, capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, and strategic planning experience, as well as his in-depth knowledge of Coeur through the high-level management positions he has held with Coeur over the years
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Eduardo Luna |
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Age: 73 Director Since: 2018 |
Experience:
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Member of the Board of Directors of Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., a precious metals streaming company, since 2004, Chairman of the Board of Directors, from 2004 to 2009, interim Chief Executive Officer, from October 2004 to April 2006, and Executive Vice President from 2002 to 2005
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Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rochester Resources Ltd., an exploration stage company, a junior natural resources company with assets in Mexico
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Member of the Board of Directors of DynaResource, Inc., an exploration stage precious metals company, and special advisor to the president of its wholly-owned Mexican subsidiary
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Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Mines at the University of Guanajuato
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Member of the Board of Directors of Primero Mining Corp., a precious metals mining company, from 2008 to 2016, and several senior management roles during that period, including Executive Vice President and President (Mexico), and President and Chief Operating Officer
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Executive Vice President of Goldcorp Inc., from March 2005 to September 2007
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President of Luismin, S.A. de C.V., from 1991 to 2007
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Education:
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Earned a Bachelor in Science in Mining Engineering from Universidad de Guanajuato
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Earned a M.B.A. from Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
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Earned an Advanced Management Degree from Harvard University
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Expertise:
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Mr. Luna brings extensive mining industry, executive leadership, public company board, project development/management and cyclical business experience through his roles with Luisman, Goldcorp, Primero and Wheaton, among others, as well as experience with Mexican government relations and regulatory matters, which is particularly valuable given the significance to Coeur of the Palmarejo complex
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22
Jessica L. McDonald |
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Age: 50 Director Since: 2018 |
Experience:
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Chair of Board of Directors of Canada Post Corporation, the national postal service of Canada, since December 2017, and interim President and Chief Executive Officer from April 2018 to March 2019
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Chair of the Board of Directors of Trevali Mining Corporation, a Canadian zinc-focused base metals mining company, since March 2019, and member of the Board of Directors since October 2017
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Member of the Board of Directors of Hydro One Limited, an electricity transmission and distribution utility serving the Canadian province of Ontario, since August 2018
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President and Chief Executive Officer from 2014 to 2017 of the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, a provincial Crown Corporation that operates generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure to deliver electricity to four million customers in British Columbia, Canada, and which generated total revenues of $5.87 billion in 2017
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Member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade since 2016
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Member of the Board of Directors of Insurance Corporation of British Columbia from 2014 to 2016
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Chair of the Board of Directors of Powertech Labs, one of the largest testing and research laboratories in North America, from 2014 to 2017
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Member of the Board of Directors of Powerex Corp., a key participant in energy trading markets in North America from 2014 to 2017
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Executive Vice President of Heenan Blaikie Management Ltd. from 2010 to 2013
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Various positions in the British Columbia, Canada, government, including as Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the British Columbia Public Service from 2005 to 2009
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Named to Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame
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Fellow at Stanford University, Center for Energy Policy and Finance, from 2017 to 2018
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Appointed to the Member Council of Sustainable Development Technology Canada
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Education:
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Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia
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Holds an ICD.D Designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
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Expertise:
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Ms. McDonald brings extensive leadership, project development/management, and health, safety and environmental experience, including as the President and CEO of British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority and various prominent roles with the British Columbia government and as a director of several companies. Ms. McDonald’s experience with British Columbia government relations and regulatory matters is particularly relevant in light of Coeur’s acquisition in 2017 of the Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine in British Columbia
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John H. Robinson
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Age: 68 Director Since: 1998 |
Experience:
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Chairman of Hamilton Ventures LLC, a venture capital firm, since founding the firm in 2006
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Member of the Board of Directors of Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, a coal mining company
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Member of the Board of Directors of Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, a financial services
cooperative |
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Member of the Board of Directors of Olsson Associates, an engineering consulting firm
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Chief Executive Officer of Nowa Technology, Inc., a development and marketing of environmentally sustainable wastewater treatment technology company, from 2013 to 2014
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Chairman of EPC Global, Ltd., an engineering staffing company, from 2003 to 2004
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Executive Director of Amey plc, a British business process outsourcing company, from 2000 to 2002
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Vice Chairman of Black & Veatch Inc., an engineering and construction, from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Robinson began his career at Black & Veatch and was Managing Partner prior to becoming Vice Chairman
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Education:
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Holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Kansas
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Graduate of the Owner-President-Management Program at the Harvard Business School
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Expertise:
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As a senior corporate executive in the engineering and consulting industries, and a director in the resource extraction and financial industries, Mr. Robinson brings to the Board leadership, project development/management, industry, cyclical business and capital markets experience. Mr. Robinson also brings to the Board U.S. public company board experience
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Brian E. Sandoval |
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Age: 55 Director Since: 2019 |
Experience:
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President of Global Gaming Development, MGM Resorts International, a global hospitality and entertainment company, since January 2019
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Governor of the State of Nevada from January 2011 to January 2019
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Chair of the National Governors Association from July 2017 to July 2018
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Federal Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada from 2005 to 2009
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Nevada Attorney General from 2003 to 2005
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Member of the Nevada Gaming Commission and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency from 1998 to 2001
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Member of the Nevada Assembly (and Natural Resources Committee) from 1994 to 1998
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Education:
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Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno
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Holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
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Expertise:
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As the former Governor of Nevada, Mr. Sandoval brings an important perspective and significant government and regulatory affairs experience in a jurisdiction where Coeur owns several important assets, including the Rochester Mine and the Sterling Project, as well as significant leadership and chief executive experience, mining industry experience, and health, safety and environmental experience. Mr. Sandoval also brings legal experience as a former federal judge and practicing attorney in Nevada
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J. Kenneth Thompson |
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Age: 67 Director Since: 2002 |
Experience:
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President and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Star Energy LLC, a privately held firm that is a passive holder of oil lease royalties in Alaska, from September 2000 to present, including, from 2004 to present, royalties held by Alaska Venture Capital Group LLC from its prior oil and gas exploration and development activities
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Chairman of the Board of Pioneer Natural Resources Company, a large independent oil and gas company
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Presiding (Lead) Director of the Board of Directors of Tetra Tech, Inc., an engineering consulting firm
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Member of the Board of Directors of Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent corporation of Alaska Airlines, Virgin America Airlines and Horizon Air
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Executive Vice President of ARCO’s Asia Pacific oil and gas operating companies in Alaska, California, Indonesia, China and Singapore from 1998 to 2000
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President and Chief Executive Officer of ARCO Alaska, Inc., the oil and gas producing division of ARCO based in Anchorage, from June 1994 to January 1998
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Selected in 2019 as one of the 100 most influential corporate directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors
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Education:
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Earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and Honorary Professional Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Missouri University of Science & Technology
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Expertise:
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Through Mr. Thompson’s various executive positions, including the role of Chief Executive Officer, he brings to the Board leadership, risk management, project development/management, engineering, strategic planning, natural resources/extractive industry and extensive health, safety and environmental experience. Mr. Thompson also has government and regulatory experience through his work in other highly-regulated industries such as the oil and gas, energy, and airline industries, possesses extensive U.S. public company board experience. Mr. Thompsons’s experience in the oil and gas and airline industries also provide extensive experience with cyclical businesses
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25
Our Board met seven times during 2018. Each incumbent director who served in 2018 attended at least 83% of the meetings of the Board and 90% of the meetings of committees on which he or she served.
We have a policy that encourages directors to attend each annual meeting of stockholders, absent extraordinary circumstances. All ten directors then in office attended the 2018 Annual Meeting.
Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation and Leadership Development Committee (CLD Committee), a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (NCG Committee) and an Environmental, Health, Safety and Corporate Responsibility Committee (EHSCR Committee). Each committee functions under a written charter adopted by the Board, copies of which are available on the Corporate Governance page of our website, currently www.coeur.com/company/corporate-governance/, and to any stockholder who requests them. In addition, the Board has established an Executive Committee in accordance with our Bylaws, the relevant provisions of which are available on the Corporate Governance page of our website, currently www.coeur.com/company/corporate-governance/, and to any stockholder who requests them.
The current members, responsibilities and the number of meetings held in 2018 of each of these committees are shown below:
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Audit Committee
Committee Members Linda L. Adamany Sebastian Edwards Randolph E. Gress Jessica L. McDonald Number of meetings in 2018: 7 |
Key Responsibilities
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Reviewing and reporting to the Board with respect to the oversight of various auditing and accounting matters and related key risks, including:
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The selection and performance of our independent registered public accounting firm;
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The planned audit approach;
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The nature of all audit and non-audit services to be performed;
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Accounting practices and policies; and
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The performance of the internal audit function.
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Independence and Financial Literacy
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The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is independent as defined by the NYSE listing standards and Coeur’s independence standards, which are included as part of Coeur’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, as well as additional, heightened independence criteria under the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules applicable to Audit Committee members.
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All members of the Audit Committee satisfy the NYSE’s financial literacy requirement.
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The Board has determined that Ms. Adamany is an Audit Committee Financial Expert (as defined by SEC rules), as a result of her knowledge, abilities, education and experience
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Chair
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Audit Committee Financial Expert
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26
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Compensation and Leadership Development Committee
Committee Members John H. Robinson Kevin S. Crutchfield Sebastian Edwards Randolph E. Gress Robert E. Mellor Number of meetings in 2018: 6 |
Key Responsibilities
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Approving, together with the other independent members of the Board, the annual compensation for our CEO.
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Approving the annual compensation of the non-CEO executive officers.
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Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to compensation of the directors, our equity incentive plans and other executive benefit plans.
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Overseeing risk management of our compensation programs and executive succession planning.
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Independence
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The Board has determined that each member of the CLD Committee is independent as defined by the NYSE listing standards and Coeur’s independence standards, which are included as part of Coeur’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, as well as additional, heightened independence criteria under the NYSE listing standards applicable to the CLD Committee members, SEC rules and applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Committee Members Robert E. Mellor Randolph E. Gress John H. Robinson J. Kenneth Thompson Number of meetings in 2018: 6 |
Key Responsibilities
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Identifying and recommending to the Board nominees to serve on the Board.
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Establishing and reviewing corporate governance guidelines.
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Reviewing and making recommendations to the Board and oversight of risk management with respect to corporate governance matters.
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Independence
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The Board has determined that each member of the NCG Committee is independent as defined by the NYSE listing standards and Coeur’s independence standards, which are included as part of Coeur’s Corporate Governance Guidelines
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Environmental, Health, Safety and Corporate Responsibility Committee
Committee Members J. Kenneth Thompson Linda L. Adamany Kevin S. Crutchfield Eduardo Luna Jessica L. McDonald Brian E. Sandoval Number of meetings in 2018: 5 |
Key Responsibilities
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Reviewing the Company’s EHSCR policies and management systems, the scope of the Company’s potential EHSCR risks and liabilities, including with respect to:
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Environmental permitting, compliance and stewardship.
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Employee and contractor safety and health.
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Corporate social responsibility and community relations.
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Compliance with EHSCR laws, rules and regulations.
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Independence
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The Board has determined that each member of the EHSCR Committee is independent as defined by the NYSE listing standards and Coeur’s independence standards, which are included as part of Coeur’s Corporate Governance Guidelines.
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27
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Executive Committee
Committee Members Robert E. Mellor Mitchell J. Krebs John H. Robinson J. Kenneth Thompson Number of meetings in 2018: 0 |
Key Responsibilities
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Acting in place of the Board on limited matters that require action between Board meetings.
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Chair
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Board Leadership and Independent Chairman
The Board recognizes that one of its key responsibilities is to evaluate and determine its optimal leadership structure so as to provide independent oversight of management. The Board understands that there is no single, generally accepted approach to providing Board leadership, and that given the dynamic and competitive environment in which we operate, the right Board leadership structure may vary as circumstances warrant. An independent, non-executive Chairman has been determined by the Board to be optimal at the present time, because that structure provides independent Board leadership and allows the CEO to concentrate on our business operations. Currently, Mr. Mellor serves as independent Chairman of the Board. Mr. Krebs serves as President, CEO and Director.
The Board and NCG Committee review the structure of Board and Company leadership as part of its annual review of the succession planning process. The Board believes that a separate Chairman and CEO, together with an Audit Committee, CLD Committee, NCG Committee and EHSCR Committee, each consisting entirely of independent directors, is the most appropriate leadership structure for the Board at this time.
The Board has determined that each director other than Mr. Krebs, our President and CEO, is independent within the meaning of applicable NYSE listing standards and rules and our independence standards, which are included as part of our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Board has further determined that the Audit Committee, CLD Committee, NCG Committee and EHSCR Committee are composed solely of independent directors, and members of the Audit and CLD Committees satisfy additional, heightened independence criteria applicable to members of those committees under the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules. Consequently, independent directors directly oversee such important matters as our financial statements, executive compensation, the selection and evaluation of directors and the development and implementation of our corporate governance programs and our health and safety, environmental and community relations programs and compliance.
In determining the independence of directors, the Board (with the assistance of the General Counsel and based upon the recommendation of the NCG Committee) undertakes a rigorous annual review of the independence of all non-employee directors. Each non-employee director annually provides the Board with information regarding the directors business and other relationships with Coeur and its affiliates, and with senior management and their affiliates, to enable the Board to evaluate the directors independence. In the course of the annual determination of the independence of directors, the Board (with the assistance of the General Counsel and based upon the recommendation of the NCG Committee) evaluates all relevant information and materials, including any relationships between Coeur and any other company where one of our non-employee directors also serves as a director. In particular, the Board considered the potential impact of the longer tenures on the independence of Messrs. Mellor, Robinson, Edwards and Thompson. Each director has significant experience serving Coeur in different economic environments and under multiple management teams, which provides them with experience and perspective that is highly valuable in providing strong leadership to a company in our industry. Accordingly, the Board has determined that each is independent because each satisfies all applicable legal and stock exchange criteria for independence and continues to be an effective director who fulfills his responsibilities with integrity and independence of thought.
Meetings of Non-Management Directors
Non-management members of the Board regularly hold executive sessions at Board meetings without members of management being present. Mr. Mellor, the independent Chairman of the Board, presides over each such meeting. Following the Board self-evaluation process in 2017, the number and length of Board executive sessions was increased in 2018 to allow for more fulsome discussion among directors.
28
Director Education and Development
Continuing education is provided for all directors through board materials and presentations, discussions with management, visits to our sites and other sources. In 2018, directors were provided concentrated educational and development programs at Board meetings and through online training opportunities covering mining exploration, cybersecurity, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment, conflicts of interest and social media use. Several of our directors also attended programs focused on topics that are relevant to their duties as a director, including corporate governance, succession planning, diversity and inclusion, ethics, anti-corruption, cyber security, corporate strategy, stockholder activism, stockholder engagement, executive compensation, annual meetings and proxy statements, technology, economic developments and current affairs.
Policy Regarding Director Nominating Process
The NCG Committee has adopted a policy pursuant to which a stockholder who has owned at least 1% of our outstanding shares of common stock for at least two years may recommend a director candidate that the committee will consider when there is a vacancy on the Board either as a result of a director resignation or an increase in the size of the Board. Such recommendation must be in writing addressed to the Chairman of the NCG Committee at our principal executive offices and must be received by the Chairman at least 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the release of the prior year’s proxy statement. Although the NCG Committee has not formulated any specific minimum qualifications that it believes must be met by a nominee that the NCG Committee recommends to the Board, the NCG Committee will take into account the factors discussed under Director and Nominee Experience and Qualifications on page 14. The NCG Committee would evaluate any stockholder nominee according to the same criteria as a nominee from any other source.
In addition, in March 2019 the Board proactively adopted proxy access by amending the Companys Bylaws to permit a stockholder or group of no more than 20 stockholders who have owned at least 3% of the Companys outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years, to nominate and include in the Companys proxy materials for an annual meeting of stockholders, one or more director nominees up to the greater of two nominees or 20% of the Board, provided that the stockholder(s) and the director nominee(s) satisfy the requirements specified in the Bylaws, including continued ownership of the Companys common stock by the stockholder(s) at the required level through the relevant annual meeting of stockholders. These amendments will apply starting with the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.
Management Succession Planning and Talent Development
The Board oversees the recruitment, development, and retention of our senior executives. Significant focus is placed on succession planning both for key executive roles and also deeper into the organization. In-depth discussions occur multiple times per year in meetings of the Board, CLD Committee and NCG Committee, including in executive sessions to foster candid conversations. Directors have regular and direct exposure to senior leadership and high-potential employees during Board and committee meetings and through other informal meetings and events held during the year.
As a result of this process, the executive team had identified Terrence F.D. Smith (who was then serving as the Companys Vice President, North American Operations) as having the potential to one day lead the Companys Operations function. Emilie C. Schouten, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, in consultation with and under the direction of our CEO, Mr. Krebs, created and implemented a multi-year development strategy for Mr. Smith, to enable him to be in a position to assume leadership of Operations when needed. Mr. Krebs and Ms. Schouten provided regular updates to the CLD Committee and the Board on Mr. Smiths development and readiness. Our internal succession planning process also gave us the clarity to understand in advance that a new Chief Financial Officer would need to be recruited externally in anticipation of the retirement of Peter C. Mitchell, who retired as Chief Financial Officer on December 31, 2018. This process provided us with ample time to conduct a thorough recruitment process, which involved the consideration of a number of potential candidates and a series of meetings and conversations involving executive management and Board members with a number of finalists, which ultimately concluded with the successful recruitment of Thomas S. Whelan and approval of his appointment by the Board. We believe the processes by which Messrs. Smith and Whelan came to be appointed as leaders of our Operations and Finance teams, respectively, demonstrates the effectiveness of our proactive succession planning and talent development strategy.
Board Oversight of Long-Term Strategy
The Board and management frequently discuss the long-term strategy of the Company. A significant amount of time is dedicated to strategy at each regular Board meeting, a focused review of strategy occurs annually at the May Board meeting, and the Board considers alignment of key initiatives with the Companys strategy when approving significant actions. In addition, the Board regularly invites leading investment banking firms and equity research analysts in our sector, precious metals research analysts and senior government officials to present to the Board to provide insights on the industry and the broader economy to consider in setting and overseeing long-term strategy.
29
Stockholder Outreach and Engagement
We view our relationship with our stockholders as a critical part of our corporate governance profile. Among other things, proactive engagement with our stockholders helps us to understand expectations for our performance, maintain transparency, and shape corporate governance and compensation policies. In 2018, we contacted all stockholders who owned at least 0.15% of our aggregate outstanding shares of common stock (as of June 30, 2018), representing approximately 61.6% of our aggregate outstanding shares of common stock, and engaged with all who responded to our invitation to discuss executive compensation and ESG matters. This led to focused discussions between senior executives and, in some cases, directors, and the stockholders who accepted our invitation, which gave us valuable feedback on key issues and specific elements of our programs. Stockholder feedback is reported to and discussed with our Board and relevant committees. In 2018 we increased our focus and efforts on incorporating ESG factors into our long-term business strategy and incentive compensation programs and better communicating our ESG practices and performance with investors and other stakeholders. We also acted upon feedback on topics such as Board gender diversity and refreshment and proxy access.
Also in 2018, we conducted meetings and conference calls with investors and analysts, several of which were attended by our Chairman, participated in invitation-only investment conferences, hosted Coeur Investor Day events in New York City and Toronto, which featured presentations about our operating and financial performance, key initiatives, our strategy, and ESG matters, and held the 2018 Annual Stockholders Meeting. In total in 2018, management conducted 14 presentations, held 126 one-on-one and group meetings with investors, and hosted 4 conference calls with investors and analysts allowing for questions and answers with management. In addition, the Company responded to questions from investors and analysts by telephone and email throughout the year.
We believe this combined approach has resulted in constructive feedback and input from stockholders and we intend to continue these efforts.
Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines and a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the Code) in accordance with NYSE corporate governance standards. We believe our Code, which was refreshed in 2017, aligns with our purpose statement of We Pursue a Higher Standard by expecting all of our directors, officers and employees to seek and deliver a higher standard of honesty, ethics and integrity in every aspect of our business and throughout our organization. Copies of our Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code are available on the Corporate Governance page of our website, www.coeur.com/company/corporate-governance/, and to any stockholder who requests them. We have previously provided, and intend to provide in the future, amendment information to these documents and any waivers from our Code by posting to our website.
At Coeur, the first component of our purpose statement, We Pursue a Higher Standard, is to Protect our people, places and planet. Our purpose statement is the foundation for our decision making, and health, safety, environmental and social responsibility considerations are interwoven with our strategic planning, from our day-to-day decision making and operations to strategic life of mine decisions in planning, designing, operating and closing our mines. In 2018, we conducted a materiality assessment regarding ESG matters and improved our data tracking in conjunction with this assessment, striving to measure what matters.
► | Environment – Coeur is committed to environmental excellence and responsible development so that we are able to meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. We maintain compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations through policies, risk management and internal controls and apply best practices in our environmental stewardship where we operate. Coeur proactively seeks to reduce our environmental footprint through efforts such as minimizing surface disturbance, beneficially reusing water, reducing energy consumption year-over-year and practicing concurrent reclamation at our sites. |
Our focus on reduction in spills and water usage for 2018 provide specific examples to support our overarching ESG commitment. At Coeur, we align compensation with these values. 7.5% of the 2018 AIP opportunity was tied to a reduction in significant spills compared to the prior year, and in 2018, we achieved a 70% reduction compared to 2017.
Our operational water demands from ground, surface, and municipal sources have decreased by 70% from 2013 to 2018, and total source withdrawals were reduced 66% from 2017 to 2018. These decreases were achieved by beneficially reusing water in our operations, such as using precipitation and recycling water in our leaching processes or re-using treated tailings water for milling and process makeup. In addition to decreasing use enterprise-wide through water management strategies, the sale of the San Bartolomé mine in Bolivia, which was our greatest consumer of water, was a big driver of this change.
► | Social Responsibility – Our People – Our principles of Protect, Develop and Deliver apply to our most valuable resource – people. Safety is at the foundation of everything we do. We believe in everyone returning home safely every day, and we are proudly certified under the CoreSafety program through the National Mining Association. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet the goal of zero safety accidents in 2018 and suffered three fatalities from accidents at our Palmarejo complex in |
30
Mexico. In an effort to enhance safety culture, Palmarejo implemented SafeStart, a proven safety and human error reduction method that is designed to reduce unsafe and at-risk decisions by making safety personal. The system is specific to Palmarejo, but we see opportunities to enhance our health and safety systems across sites with behavior-based, employee-led programs focusing on human error reduction. In 2018, Coeur initiated IMPACT training, a leadership program for frontline supervisors that complements in-person training with cross-site networking, mentorship and practical application over one year. The first cohort of 20 leaders graduated in October 2018, and two additional cohorts will graduate in 2019.
Companywide, we have consistently outperformed the mining industrys widely-used safety standard, achieving a 68% reduction in employee and contractor Total Reportable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) from 2012 to 2018.
Source: Mine Safety & Health Administration
► | Social Responsibility – Our Communities – Coeur creates value in the communities that host our five wholly-owned operations and across all locations where Coeur maintains a presence. We invest in our communities through local hiring, local procurement, supporting community organizations and sustainable development. 70% of our people are local to Coeur operations. |
In 2018, we partnered with over 220 community organizations across our communities to contribute in categories such as infrastructure, health, education, economic development and indigenous culture. Both time and financial resources were given in support of projects and activities.
Coeur Heroes is a recruitment and mentoring program designed to highlight and engage members of the military through on-the-job experience, allowing past and present service members to use their skills to help make a difference at our operations. In its first year, eight veterans were hired at our U.S.-based operations through the Coeur Heroes program.
► | Governance – Coeur’s leadership is committed to living out our values in all aspects of the business. Our environmental and corporate responsibility efforts are overseen by senior leadership and, ultimately, at the Board-level, with executive compensation tied to sustainability factors. In 2018, Coeur received an ISS QualityScore rating of 1 – the highest score – in the governance category, for our best-in-class governance practices. |
Policy Regarding Stockholder Communications with Directors
Stockholders and other interested persons desiring to communicate with a director, the independent directors as a group or the full Board may address such communication to the attention of our Corporate Secretary, 104 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60603, and such communication will be forwarded to the intended recipient or recipients.
Compensation Consultant Disclosure
The CLD Committee retained Semler Brossy Consulting Group LLC (Semler Brossy) for the 2018 compensation year to provide information, analyses, and advice regarding executive and director compensation, as described below. Semler Brossy is a compensation consulting firm specializing in executive compensation consulting services and reports directly to the CLD Committee.
Semler Brossy provided the following services for the CLD Committee during 2018 and early 2019:
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► | Evaluated our executive officers’ base salary, annual incentive and long-term incentive compensation, and total direct compensation relative to the competitive market; |
► | Advised the CLD Committee on executive officer target award levels within the annual and long-term incentive program and, as needed, on actual compensation actions; |
► | Assessed the alignment of our executive compensation levels relative to our compensation philosophy; |
► | Briefed the CLD Committee on executive compensation trends among our peers and the broader industry; and |
► | Evaluated our non-employee director compensation levels and program relative to the competitive market. |
At the CLD Committees direction, Semler Brossy provided the following additional services for the CLD Committee during 2018 and in early 2019
► | Advised on the design of our annual and long-term incentive awards, described in Compensation Discussion and Analysis, and |
► | Assisted with the preparation of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis for this proxy statement. |
In the course of conducting its activities, Semler Brossy attended four of the six meetings of the CLD Committee during 2018 (all four of the meetings following its appointment as the CLD Committees independent consultant) and presented its findings and recommendations for discussion.
The decisions made by the CLD Committee are its responsibility and may reflect factors and considerations other than the information and recommendations provided by Semler Brossy or any other advisor to the CLD Committee.
Semler Brossy reported directly to the CLD Committee following its appointment as the Committees independent consultant and provided no services during such time to Coeur other than executive and nonemployee director compensation consulting services at the direction of the CLD Committee. Before being appointed as the Committees independent consultant, Semler Brossy undertook limited engagements for Company management with respect to certain aspects of Coeurs executive compensation program. Semler Brossy has no other direct or indirect business or relationships with Coeur or any of its affiliates and no current business or personal relationships with members of the CLD Committee or our executive officers. In addition, in its agreement with the CLD Committee, Semler Brossy agreed to advise the Chair of the CLD Committee if any potential conflicts of interest arise that could cause Semler Brossys independence to be questioned, and not to undertake projects for management except at the request or with the prior consent of the CLD Committee Chair and as an agent for the CLD Committee.
In March 2019, the CLD Committee considered the following six factors with respect to Semler Brossy: (i) the provision of other services to Coeur by Semler Brossy; (ii) the amount of fees received from Coeur by Semler Brossy, as a percentage of the total revenue of Semler Brossy; (iii) the policies and procedures of Semler Brossy that are designed to prevent conflicts of interest; (iv) any business or personal relationship of Semler Brossy with a member of the CLD Committee; (v) any Coeur stock owned by Semler Brossy; and (vi) any business or personal relationship of Semler Brossy with any of our executive officers. After considering the foregoing factors, the CLD Committee determined that Semler Brossy was independent and that the work of Semler Brossy with the CLD Committee for the 2018 compensation year did not raise any conflicts of interest.
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The Board is responsible for overseeing managements mitigation of the major risks facing Coeur, including but not limited to management succession planning, strategic asset portfolio optimization, major project execution, health, safety, environmental and social responsibility risks, cybersecurity, commodity price volatility, public policy and regulatory changes, balance sheet management and access to capital. In addition, the Board has delegated oversight of certain categories of risk to the Audit Committee, the EHSCR Committee, the CLD Committee and the NCG Committee.
Committee
|
Oversight Role
|
Audit
|
Reviews with management and the independent auditor compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, with a focus on legal and regulatory matters related to internal controls, accounting, finance and financial reporting and contingent liabilities, and discusses policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management, and risks related to matters including the Company’s financial statements and financial reporting processes, compliance, and information technology and cybersecurity
|
EHSCR
|
Reviews the effectiveness of our health, safety, environmental and social responsibility programs and performance, including but not limited to our compliance with environmental and safety laws, and oversees community relations risk management.
|
CLD
|
Responsible for recommending compensation for executive officers that includes performance-based award opportunities that promote retention and support growth and innovation without encouraging or rewarding excessive risk. For a discussion of the CLD Committee’s assessments of compensation-related risks, see Compensation and Leadership Development Committee Role in Risk below. Oversees succession planning for the CEO in conjunction with the NCG Committee, and other executives’ progress against development plans as part of its leadership development oversight scope.
|
NCG
|
Oversees risks related to our corporate governance, including Board and director performance, director and CEO succession, and the review of Coeur’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and other governance documents. Also oversees CEO succession planning in conjunction with the CLD Committee.
|
In performing their oversight responsibilities, each of these committees periodically discusses with management our policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management and reports to the Board regularly on matters relating to the specific areas of risk the committee oversees.
Throughout the year, the Board and relevant committees each receive reports from management regarding major risks and exposures facing Coeur and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such risks and exposures. The Board also dedicates a portion of their meetings to reviewing and discussing specific risk topics in greater detail and providing input on risk mitigation and compliance enforcement.
Compensation and Leadership Development Committee Role in Risk
The CLD Committee has conducted an analysis of the current risk profile of our compensation programs. The risk assessment included a review of the primary design features of our compensation programs and the process for determining executive and employee compensation. The risk assessment identified numerous ways in which our compensation programs potentially mitigate risk, including:
► | the structure of our executive compensation programs, which consist of both fixed and variable compensation and reward both annual and long-term performance; |
► | the balance between long- and short-term incentive programs, with greater weight placed on long-term programs; |
► | the use of caps or maximum amounts in our incentive programs; |
► | the use of multiple performance metrics under our incentive plans; |
► | a heavier weighting toward overall corporate performance for cash-based incentive plans; |
► | time-based vesting for equity-based awards (including performance share awards) to promote retention; and |
► | strict and effective internal controls. |
In addition, Coeur has a clawback and forfeiture policy, updated in December 2018, providing for the recovery, repayment or recoupment of incentive payments to (i) executive officers (as defined under SEC rules) in certain instances involving financial restatements and (ii) Company officers in certain circumstances involving misconduct, which further mitigates risk.
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Compensation and Leadership Development Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of the members of the CLD Committee during 2018 or as of the date of this proxy statement is or has been an officer or employee of Coeur, and no executive officer of Coeur served on the compensation committee or board of any company that employed any member of the CLD Committee or Board during that time.
Grant Thornton LLP served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended 2018. The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by Grant Thornton for 2018 and 2017.
2018 |
2017 |
|||||
Audit Fees(1) |
$ | 1,524,402 | $ | 1,422,250 | ||
Audit-Related Fees |
$ | — | $ | — | ||
Tax Fees |
$ | — | $ | — | ||
All-Other Fees |
$ | — | $ | — |
(1) | Audit fees were primarily for professional services related to the audits of the consolidated financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting, review of our consolidated financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and comfort letters, consents, and other services related to SEC matters. |
None of the services described above were approved by the Audit Committee under the de minimis exception provided by Rule 201(c)(7)(i)(C) under Regulation S-X.
34
Audit Committee Policies and Procedures for Pre-Approval of Independent Auditor Services
The Audit Committee has policies and procedures requiring pre-approval by the Audit Committee of the engagement of our independent auditor to perform audit services, as well as permissible non-audit services, for us. The nature of the policies and procedures depend upon the nature of the services involved, as follows:
Service
|
Description
|
Audit Services
|
The annual audit services engagement terms and fees are subject to the specific pre-approval of the Audit Committee. Audit services include the annual financial statement audit, required quarterly reviews, subsidiary audits and other procedures required to be performed by the auditor to form an opinion on our financial statements, and such other procedures including information systems and procedural reviews and testing performed in order to understand and place reliance on the systems of internal control. Other audit services may also include statutory audits or financial audits for subsidiaries and services associated with SEC registration statements, periodic reports and other documents filed with the SEC or used in connection with securities offerings.
|
Audit-Related Services
|
Audit-related services are assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements or that are traditionally performed by the independent auditor. Audit-related services are subject to the specific pre-approval of the Audit Committee. Audit-related services include, among others, due diligence services relating to potential business acquisitions/dispositions; accounting consultations relating to accounting, financial reporting or disclosure matters not classified as audit services; assistance with understanding and implementing new accounting and financial reporting guidance from rulemaking authorities; financial audits of employee benefit plans; agreed-upon or expanded audit procedures relating to accounting and/or billing records required to respond to or comply with financial, accounting or regulatory reporting matters; and assistance with internal control reporting requirements.
|
Tax Services
|
Tax services are subject to the specific pre-approval of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee will not approve the retention of the independent auditor in connection with a transaction the sole business purpose of which may be tax avoidance and the tax treatment of which may not be supported by the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations.
|
All Other Services
|
The Audit Committee may grant pre-approval of those permissible non-audit services that it believes are routine and recurring services, would not impair the independence of the auditor and are consistent with the SEC’s rules on auditor independence. Such other services must be specifically pre-approved by the Audit Committee.
|
Our Chief Financial Officer is responsible for tracking all independent auditor fees against the budget for such services and reports at least annually to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee Chair has been delegated pre-approval authority to address any approvals for services requested between Audit Committee meetings.
35
The Audit Committee, which consists of Linda L. Adamany (Chair), Sebastian Edwards, Randolph E. Gress and Jessica L. McDonald, is governed by its charter, a copy of which is available on the Corporate Governance page of our website, currently http://www.coeur.com/company/corporate-governance/. The Board has determined that Linda L. Adamany is an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). All of the members of the Audit Committee are independent as defined in the rules of the SEC and the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange.
The Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities to stockholders with respect to our independent auditors, our internal audit function, our corporate accounting and reporting practices, and the quality and integrity of our financial statements and reports. The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of our independent auditors and internal audit function.
The Audit Committee discussed with our independent auditors the scope, extent and procedures for the 2018 audit. On a quarterly basis, the Audit Committee meets separately with the Companys independent public accountants, Grant Thornton LLP, without management present, and the Companys internal auditors, to discuss the results of their audits and reviews, the cooperation received by the auditors during the audit examination, their evaluations of the Companys internal controls over financial reporting, and the overall quality of the Companys financial reporting. The Committee also meets separately with the Companys Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel quarterly and with the Companys CEO from time to time. Following these separate discussions, the Audit Committee meets in executive session.
Management is primarily responsible for our financial statements, reporting process and systems of internal controls. In ensuring that management fulfilled that responsibility, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. Discussion topics included the quality and acceptability of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments, the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements, and an assessment of the work of the independent auditors.
The independent auditors are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of the audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with the independent auditors their judgments as to the quality and acceptability of our accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be discussed under applicable standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (‘PCAOB), including PCAOB accounting standard 1301. In addition, the Audit Committee received from the independent auditors the written disclosures and the letter as required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent auditors communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, discussed with the independent auditors their independence from us and our management, and considered the compatibility of non-audit services with the auditors independence.
Grant Thornton LLP reported to the Audit Committee that:
► | there were no disagreements with management; |
► | it was not aware of any consultations about significant matters that management discussed with other auditors; |
► | no major issues were discussed with management prior to Grant Thornton LLP’s retention; |
► | it received full cooperation and complete access to our books and records; |
► | it was not aware of any material fraud or likely illegal acts as a result of its audit procedures; |
► | there were no material weaknesses identified in its testing of our internal control over financial reporting; and |
► | there were no known material misstatements identified in its review of our interim reports. |
Based on the reviews and discussions described above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board (and the Board subsequently approved) the inclusion of the audited financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 for filing with the SEC.
In addition, the Audit Committee selected Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. The Board has recommended to our stockholders that they ratify and approve the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019.
The Audit Committee is also responsible for establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints we receive regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, including the confidential, anonymous submission of complaints by our employees, received through established procedures, of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. Reference is made to the Audit Committees charter for additional information as to the responsibilities and activities of the Audit Committee.
Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
LINDA L. ADAMANY, Chair
SEBASTIAN EDWARDS
RANDOLPH E. GRESS
JESSICA L. MCDONALD
36
PROPOSAL NO. 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
► | Ratifying the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as the independent auditor of our consolidated financial statements and our internal control over financial reporting for 2019 |
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP |
The Audit Committee, which consists entirely of independent directors, is recommending approval of its appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019. Grant Thornton LLP served as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018, December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, and Grant Thornton LLPs tenure was considered by the Audit Committee in its assessment of Grant Thornton LLPs independence.
As a matter of good corporate governance, a resolution will be presented at the Annual Meeting to ratify the appointment by the Audit Committee of Grant Thornton LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019. Representatives of Grant Thornton LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting and will have the opportunity to make a statement, if they desire to do so, and are expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.
The Board has put this proposal before the stockholders because the Board believes that seeking stockholder ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm is good corporate practice. If the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP is not ratified, the Audit Committee will evaluate the basis for the stockholders vote when determining whether to continue the firms engagement.
37
The following table sets forth certain information regarding our current executive officers.
Name
|
Current Position with Coeur
|
Age
|
Since
|
Joined Coeur
|
Mitchell J. Krebs
|
President, Chief Executive Officer & Director
|
47
|
2011
|
1995
|
Thomas S. Whelan
|
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
|
49
|
2019
|
2019
|
Casey M. Nault
|
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
|
47
|
2015
|
2012
|
Hans J. Rasmussen
|
Senior Vice President, Exploration
|
59
|
2016
|
2013
|
Emilie C. Schouten
|
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
|
40
|
2018
|
2013
|
Terrence F.D. Smith
|
Senior Vice President, Operations
|
43
|
2018
|
2013
|
Kenneth J. Watkinson
|
Vice President, Corporate Controller & Chief Accounting Officer
|
50
|
2018
|
2013
|
Mitchell J. Krebs, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director |
|
|
Mitchell J. Krebs was appointed President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Coeur Mining, Inc. in July 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Krebs served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from March 2008 to July 2011; Treasurer from July 2008 to March 2010; Senior Vice President, Corporate Development from May 2006 to March 2008; Vice President, Corporate Development from February 2003 to May 2006. Mr. Krebs first joined Coeur in August 1995 as Manager of Acquisitions after spending two years as an investment banking analyst for PaineWebber Inc. Mr. Krebs holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. Mr. Krebs also serves as a member of the board of directors of Kansas City Southern Railway Company since May 2017 (Audit Committee; Finance Committee). His is a member of the Board of National Mining Association (Executive Committee; Chairman of Audit and Finance Committee) and a past President of The Silver Institute.
|
Age: 47
|
Thomas S. Whelan, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
Thomas S. Whelan was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in January 2019. Prior to joining Coeur, Mr. Whelan served as CFO of Arizona Mining Inc. from September 2017 to August 2018, when the company was acquired by South32 Limited. Previously, Mr. Whelan served as CFO for Nevsun Resources Ltd. from January 2014 to August 2017. He is a chartered professional accountant and was previously a partner with the international accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY) LLP where he was the EY Global Mining & Metals Assurance sector leader, the leader of the EY Assurance practice in Vancouver and previously EY’s Canadian Mining & Metals sector leader. Mr. Whelan graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University.
|
Age: 49
|
Casey M. Nault, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary |
|
|
Casey M. Nault was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in January 2015. Mr. Nault was appointed as Vice President and General Counsel upon joining Coeur in April 2012 and was appointed Secretary in May 2012. Mr. Nault has over 20 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer, including prior in-house positions with Starbucks Corporation and Washington Mutual, Inc. and law firm experience with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His experience includes securities compliance and SEC reporting, corporate governance and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings and other strategic transactions, general regulatory compliance, cross-border issues, land use and environmental issues, and overseeing complex litigation. Mr. Nault has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Washington and received his law degree from the University Southern California Law School.
|
Age: 47
|
38
Hans J. Rasmussen, Senior Vice President, Exploration |
|
|
Hans J. Rasmussen was appointed Senior Vice President, Exploration in January 2016. Mr. Rasmussen was appointed Vice President, Exploration upon joining Coeur in September 2013. Mr. Rasmussen has many years of experience in the mining business, 16 years of which were with senior producers Newmont Mining and Kennecott/Rio Tinto, as well as serving as a consultant for senior producers such as BHP, Teck-Cominco and Quadra Mining. From 2004 to 2013, he was an officer or served on the Board of Directors of several junior public exploration companies with gold and silver projects in Quebec, Nevada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, including as President and Chief Executive Officer of Colombia Crest Gold Corp. from 2007 to 2013. Mr. Rasmussen has served on the Board of Directors of Colombia Crest Gold Corp. since 2006. Mr. Rasmussen has a Master of Science in Geophysics from the University of Utah and Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology and Physics from Southern Oregon University.
|
Age: 59
|
Emilie C. Schouten, Senior Vice President, Human Resources |
|
|
Emilie C. Schouten was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources in May 2018. She joined Coeur in 2013 as the Director of Talent Acquisition and Development. She was one of the first hired when Coeur moved the headquarters to Chicago and therefore, was instrumental in hiring the new team and implementing the performance management system for the Company. Emilie has 15 years in Human Resources, starting her career in General Electric, where graduated from GE’s Human Resources Leadership Program. After 6 years as an HR Manager with GE, her division was acquired by the world’s largest electrical distribution company, Rexel, and Emilie went on to become the Director of Training and Development. Emilie has a B.A. in Sociology from Michigan State University and a M.S. in Industrial Labor Relations from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
|
Age: 40
|
Terrence F.D. Smith, Senior Vice President, Operations |
|
|
Terry Smith was named Senior Vice President, Operations in December 2018. Mr. Smith joined Coeur in 2013 as the Vice President, North American Operations. Prior to joining Coeur, he served as Vice President of Project Development and Assessments of Hunter Dickenson Inc. Mr. Smith has managed projects ranging from scoping to the feasibility level, coordinated field investigations, metallurgy laboratory testing, and engineering design. He also has significant experience in strategic project planning and due diligence reviews for potential acquisitions including environmental, metallurgical, geotechnical and mining inputs. Mr. Smith has also served as Manager of Operations Support for Barrick Gold Corporation in Toronto and as Senior Mining Engineer for Teck Cominco Ltd. in Vancouver. Mr. Smith holds a Bachelor of Mining Engineering from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.
|
Age: 43
|
Kenneth J. Watkinson, Vice President, Corporate Controller & Chief Accounting Officer |
|
|
Ken Watkinson was appointed Chief Accounting Officer in February 2018. He was named Vice President, Corporate Controller in March 2017. He joined Coeur in September 2013 as Director of Financial Reporting. Mr. Watkinson came to Coeur from HSBC North America where he managed SEC reporting for HSBC USA, Inc. He previously served as Senior Manager of SEC Reporting for Baxter International Inc. and Manager of Consolidations and Reporting for Kraft Foods, Inc. Mr. Watkinson is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Northeastern Illinois University.
|
Age: 50
|
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The following table sets forth information, as of the close of business on March 11, 2019 (except as otherwise noted), concerning the beneficial ownership of our common stock by (i) each beneficial holder of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock, (ii) each of our current directors, (iii) each of the named executive officers listed in the 2018 Summary Compensation Table set forth on page 65, and (iv) by all of our current directors and executive officers as a group.
Stockholder |
Shares Beneficially Owned |
Percent of Outstanding |
||||
Van Eck Associates Corp. |
24,967,902 | (1) |
12.2 | % |
||
The Vanguard Group, Inc. |
18,125,378 | (2) |
8.8 | % |
||
Dimensional Advisors Fund Advisors LP |
15,719,591 | (3) |
7.7 | % |
||
BlackRock, Inc. |
13,712,933 | (4) |
6.7 | % |
||
Mitchell J. Krebs |
1,124,666 | (5) |
* |
|||
Robert E. Mellor |
151,711 | * |
||||
J. Kenneth Thompson |
135,645 | * |
||||
John H. Robinson |
126,045 | * |
||||
Sebastian Edwards |
114,898 | * |
||||
Linda L. Adamany |
110,625 | * |
||||
Kevin S. Crutchfield |
109,905 | * |
||||
Randolph E. Gress |
109,905 | * |
||||
Eduardo Luna |
28,364 | * |
||||
Jessica L. McDonald |
28,364 | * |
||||
Brian E. Sandoval |
16,337 | * |
||||
Casey M. Nault |
407,744 | (5) |
* |
|||
Hans J. Rasmussen |
295,008 | (5) |
* |
|||
Peter C. Mitchell |
280,356 | (6) |
* |
|||
Emilie C. Schouten |
94,717 | * |
||||
Frank L. Hanagarne, Jr. |
250,266 | (7) |
* |
|||
All current executive officers and directors as a group (16 persons) |
3,861,084 | (5) |
* |
* | Holding constitutes less than 1% of the outstanding shares on March 11, 2018 of 205,190,811. |
(1) | As of December 31, 2018, based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 11, 2019, Van Eck Associates Corporation had sole voting and dispositive power over 24,967,902 shares. The shares are held within mutual funds and other client accounts managed by Van Eck Associates Corporation, two of which individually owns more than 5% of the outstanding shares. The address for Van Eck Associates Corporation is 666 Third Ave. – 9th Floor, New York, NY 10017. |
(2) | As of December 31, 2018, based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 11, 2019, The Vanguard Group, Inc. had sole voting power over 217,248 shares, shared voting power over 34,895 shares, sole dispositive power over 17,890,526 shares and shared dispositive power over 234,852 shares. The address for The Vanguard Group, Inc. is 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355. |
(3) | As of December 31, 2018, based on information contained in a Schedule 13G filing on February 8, 2019, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (Dimensional Advisors) had sole voting power over 15,314,175 shares and, together with certain of its subsidiaries, acting as investment advisor, investment manager or sub-adviser to four investment companies, had shared voting and/or investment power over 15,719,591 shares and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares of the Company held by such funds. The address for Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is Building One, 6300 Bee Cave Road, Austin, Texas, 78746. |
(4) | As of December 31, 2018, based on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed on February 4, 2019, Blackrock, Inc. had sole voting power over 13,121,527 shares and sole dispositive power over 13,712,933 shares. The address for Blackrock, Inc. is 55 E. 52nd St., New York, NY 10055. |
(5) | Holdings include the following shares which may be acquired upon the exercise of options outstanding under the 1989/2003/2015 Long-Term Incentive Plans and exercisable within 60 days of March 11, 2019: Mitchell J. Krebs — 77,781 shares; Casey M. Nault — 18,207 shares; Hans J. Rasmussen – 5,598; Mr. Smith – 28,261 shares; and all current directors and executive officers as a group — 129,847 shares. |
(6) | As of December 31, 2018, based on information contained in a Form 4 filed January 3, 2019. |
(7) | As of December 31, 2018, based on information contained in a Form 5 filed February 5, 2019. |
40
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
This Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A) describes our compensation program for our NEOs. The following individuals were NEOs in 2018 and, except for Mr. Hanagarne, Jr., whose employment with the Company terminated on November 16, 2018, and Mr. Mitchell, who retired as Chief Financial Officer on December 31, 2018, all are current executive officers of the Company:
Name
|
Title
|
Mitchell J. Krebs
|
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
Peter C. Mitchell
|
Retired Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
Casey M. Nault
|
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
|
Hans J. Rasmussen
|
Senior Vice President, Exploration
|
Emilie C. Schouten
|
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
|
Frank L. Hanagarne, Jr.
|
Former Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
|
This CD&A describes the components of our executive compensation program, provides a discussion of our executive compensation philosophy, the programs elements, policies and practices, and the impact of Company performance on compensation results. It also describes how and why the CLD Committee of the Board arrived at specific 2018 executive compensation decisions and the factors the CLD Committee considered in making those decisions.
This CD&A is divided into five sections:
► | CD&A Summary |
► | 2018 Executive Compensation Program Philosophy and Elements |
► | 2018 Executive Compensation – Actual Pay Compared to Target |
► | 2018 Executive Compensation Results |
► | Other Compensation Arrangements and Policies |
In this CD&A we use the following terms to describe our operations and results, some of which are non-GAAP financial measures. Please see Appendix A – Certain Additional Information for additional information and for any GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations.
Term
|
Definition
|
AISC
|
All-in sustaining costs. AISC is a non-GAAP financial measure.
|
Ag
|
Silver
|
AgEq
|
Silver equivalent. Silver equivalence assumes silver-to-gold, -lead and -zinc ratios of 60:1, 0.05:1 and 0.06:1, respectively, except where noted as average spot prices used to convert other metals into silver equivalence. Please see Appendix A – Certain Additional Information for average applicable spot prices and corresponding ratios.
|
AgEqOz
|
Silver equivalent ounces
|
OCF
|
Operating cash flow
|
41
CD&A Summary
Who We Are
|
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|
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Coeur is a well-diversified, growing precious metals producer with five mines in North America. Coeur produces from its wholly-owned operations: the Palmarejo silver-gold complex in Mexico, the Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine in British Columbia, the Rochester silver-gold mine in Nevada, the Wharf gold mine in South Dakota, and the Kensington gold mine in Alaska. In addition, the Company has interests in several precious metals exploration projects throughout North America, including the Sterling and Crown Block gold projects in Nevada.
|
||
Coeur is headquartered in Chicago, IL. and employs approximately 2,000 people companywide. We are proud of the jobs we provide, the people we employ and the communities we serve. Coeur identifies the importance of working together to tackle challenges head-on. Together, we welcome new ideas and leaders who will own and deliver solutions. With over 90 years of mining experience, Coeur understands the importance of innovation, responsible mining and collaboration. Coeur strives to integrate sustainable operations and development into our business decisions and strategic goals. We proactively conduct our business with a focus on creating a long-term positive impact on the environment, health and safety, and socioeconomics of the communities in which we do business.
|
|
2018 Executive Compensation Strongly Aligned with Performance
Macro Conditions Impacting Precious Metals Prices and the Precious Metals Mining Industry
Our business is highly dependent on the market prices of gold, silver, zinc and lead, commodities that are actively traded and frequently experience significant price volatility. Macroeconomic conditions during 2018 and the three-year period from 2016-2018 significantly impacted our business results, stockholder returns and executive compensation results. Over the three years ended December 31, 2018, U.S. equity markets posted overall gains. Through most of this period, major indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 repeatedly registered record highs before experiencing a sharp drop during the second half of 2018, which can likely be attributed to anxieties about U.S. monetary policy, a potential global economic slowdown and trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
During the same three-year period, London Bullion Market Association gold and silver prices increased 21% and 12%, respectively. Despite this overall appreciation, both metals experienced significant volatility during the period, with both reaching period-high prices in August 2016 followed by oscillation between 10% and 30% above year-end 2015 prices. Additionally, spot prices of London Metal Exchange-grade zinc and lead declined 24% and 19% in 2018, primarily due to ongoing concerns of economic deceleration in China.
As the first table below shows, Coeurs and its peers stock prices generally moved in tandem with gold and silver metals prices during this three-year period, posting the largest gains in the first three quarters of 2016 before steadily declining through the end of 2018. Due to a variety of factors, Coeurs stock price is more highly levered to changes in metals prices than our peers, which means that in times of rising metal prices, Coeurs stock tends to outperform our peers, while we tend to underperform peers in times of weakening metal prices. As a result, during the three-year period of overall price increases, Coeur stock outperformed its peer group. In 2018, though, as shown in the second table below, both gold and silver experienced modest price declines, and Coeur stock underperformed relative to its peer group.
42
|
CD&A Summary
|
|
|
2016 – 2018(1)
|
2018(1)
|
(1) | See 2018 Executive Compensation Program Philosophy and Elements—Peer Group for information about our peer group. |
Company Performance
Despite this macro environment, in 2018 we continued to focus and execute on the aspects of our business that we can control, namely our plans for investment in our existing assets to unlock long-term value for our stockholders and to complete strategic transactions that align with our strategy of growing our North American platform. Many of our accomplishments this year demonstrate our commitment to our focused, long-term value-creation strategy. However, we also faced challenges during the year, primarily a slower-than-expected ramp-up of our newest mine, Silvertip, which weighed on overall results. Given the alignment of our compensation programs with performance, the challenges that impacted our overall results also contributed to below-target AIP payouts and zero payout for 25% of the three-year performance shares tied to operating cash flow per share.
► | Strong Performance at Palmarejo and Rochester |
○ | At our largest mine, the Palmarejo complex in Northern Mexico, silver and gold production increased 4% and 1%, respectively, compared to 2017, and costs per ounce (adjusted costs applicable to sales per average spot AgEqOz declined 14% year-over-year primarily due to higher grades. |
○ | At our Rochester mine in Nevada, silver and gold production both increased 7% compared to 2017, while adjusted costs applicable to sales per average spot AgEqOz) declined 4%, driven, in part, by the expansion of the Stage IV leach pad completed in 2017. |
► | Initial Production from High-Grade Jualin Zone at the Kensington Gold Mine Boosts Production and Reduces Costs – We saw the first benefits of our significant investment in developing the high-grade Jualin deposit at Kensington, which drove a 24% increase in average gold grade, a 32% increase in gold ounces produced and a 23% reduction in costs per gold ounce during the fourth quarter of 2018. |
► | Opportunistic Strategic Transactions – In addition to completing the divestiture of the San Bartolomé mine in Bolivia, which reduced our geopolitical risk profile and avoided closure costs as the mine neared the end of its life, we completed two opportunistic transactions in Nevada, which was ranked as the top mining jurisdiction in the world in 2019 by the Fraser Institute, where we already have a significant presence, to bolster our pipeline of high-quality projects: (1) the acquisition of Northern Empire and its high-grade Sterling and Crown Block gold projects; and (2) the acquisition of several properties adjacent to our Rochester mine, including the high-grade Lincoln Hill project approximately four miles west of Rochester with estimated gold grades nearly four times higher than Rochester’s gold reserves.(1) |
► | Continued Ramp-up at Silvertip – We commenced commercial production at our newest mine, the high-grade Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine, acquired in 2017. The ramp-up at Silvertip was slower than expected during 2018, due primarily to mill maintenance and related downtime. However, mining and processing rates are steadily increasing with processing rates expected to reach the target of 1,100 tons per day by the end of the first quarter. |
► | Fourth Consecutive Year of Overall Reserve Growth as Investments in Exploration Continue to Deliver Solid Results(1) – We achieved an overall increase in reserves for the fourth consecutive year, more than replacing what we mined in 2018, as higher silver reserves and an initial reserve of zinc and lead at Silvertip offset a slight decline in gold reserves. The strong reserve growth was driven by our continued investment in our success-based exploration program. |
(1) | Year-end 2018 reserves and mineralized material as published by Coeur on February 20, 2019. |
43
|
CD&A Summary
|
|
|
► | Important Milestones in Key Capital Projects – Construction began at Rochester on the new high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR) crushing facility that is expected to lead to significantly increased silver recoveries and higher production starting in 2019. We completed a new camp facility at Silvertip to support a growing workforce. The Kensington mine declared commercial production at the high-grade Jualin deposit after a multi-year development project. |
► | Flexible Balance Sheet – Increased the capacity and tenor of our revolving credit facility, which provides flexibility for high-return capital projects and strategic transactions. Senior Unsecured Notes refinanced in 2017 are not due until 2024 and carry a low 5.875% interest rate. |
► | Refreshed the Board of Directors – The Board proactively and strategically added one new director in 2019, Brian E. Sandoval, and two new directors in 2018, Eduardo Luna and Jessica L. McDonald, each of whom is highly qualified and adds to the diversity of background and experience of our Board, including valuable experience in Mexico and Nevada (Messrs. Luna and Sandoval, respectively), where Palmarejo and Rochester, our two largest mines by revenue, are located, and British Columbia, Canada (Ms. McDonald), where the Silvertip mine, our newest mine and first operation in Canada, is located. |
► | Continued Our Long-Standing Commitment and Increased Focus on ESG – At Coeur, we have been committed to strong ESG practices for a long time, and we continued that commitment in 2018 through (1) strong environmental performance, as evidenced in part by the 70% reduction in significant spills discussed more fully below as part of our 2018 AIP results and by an 8% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions and a 3% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per ton of ore processed, (2) industry-leading safety performance as measured by incident frequency rates, (3) a corporate responsibility philosophy and programs that share benefits with our employees and local communities, including scholarships, apprenticeships, a free medical clinic and wages 38% above the national average at our Palmarejo mine in Mexico and a formal benefit-sharing agreement with the Kaska First Nations at Silvertip, and (4) best-in-class corporate governance as evidenced in part by strong Board refreshment, the proactive adoption of leading practices such as proxy access, and a 1 rating by Institutional Shareholder Services. More information on our ESG programs, including our alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, is available in our recent quarterly earnings slide presentations and other sections of our website. |
44
|
CD&A Summary
|
|
|
Alignment of 2018 Compensation
As highlighted below, our 2018 executive compensation programs were aligned with our operational and financial performance and stockholder returns. One-year total stockholder return (TSR) in 2018 was negative, but over the 2016-2018 performance period, annualized TSR was 20.1%, which placed Coeur in the 69th percentile of our peer group, leading to 139% payout of the performance shares tied to three-year relative TSR performance. In addition:
|
2018 Performance
|
2018 Compensation Result
|
1-Year TSR & CEO Pay Alignment
|
Negative 41% TSR in 2018
|
► 47% decline in payout of CEO AIP from 2017
|
Actual Pay Compared to Target
|
Below-target execution on key performance indicators, driven primarily by the slower-than-expected ramp-up of our newest mine, Silvertip, in 2018
|
► Three-year performance share units (PSUs) paid out below target despite strong three-year relative TSR, due primarily to a zero payout for operating cash flow per share
|
|
► Below-target AIP payout for corporate performance and capped below 100% for individual performance (for executives other than the CEO, whose AIP is based entirely on corporate performance)
|
|
LTIP – Performance Shares
|
|
► 91% overall payout of 2016 PSU award:
|
Three-year TSR performance in the 69th percentile of peers
|
► 139% payout of PSUs linked to three-year TSR
|
|
2.5% decrease in reserves and measured and indicated mineralized material per share from continuing operations during the 2016-2018 performance period, due primarily to increase in shares outstanding from equity financings used to retire debt
|
► 87% payout of PSUs linked to growth of reserves and measured and indicated mineralized material per share from continuing operations
|
|
Three-year OCF per share growth below target due to lower OCF in 2018 due in part to lower realized prices from metal sales, slower-than-expected ramp-up at Silvertip, a write-down of metals inventory at Silvertip, and higher cash mining tax payments in Mexico and an increase in shares outstanding over the period
|
► 0% payout of PSUs linked to OCF per share
|
|
LTIP – Restricted Shares (RS)
|
One-year TSR performance of -41%
|
► Value of RS issued to the CEO in early 2018 decreased 43% as of December 31, 2018
|
AIP
|
► Below target silver equivalent production and OCF driven primarily by the slower-than-expected ramp-up at Silvertip
|
► 57% payout of portion of AIP tied to strategic corporate annual objectives, significantly below target
|
► Strong performance against AISC per AgEqOz, reduction in significant spills and employee and contractor safety incident rate
|
|
|
► CLD Committee exercised negative discretion to award no payout to executives in respect of the safety metric due to employee fatalities that occurred at Palmarejo during the year
|
|
45
Executive Compensation Program Philosophy and Objectives
Our CLD Committee continues to drive strong pay-for-performance alignment in our executive compensation program and ties a substantial portion of executive compensation to the achievement of annual and long-term strategic objectives. The objectives of our executive compensation program are to (i) drive performance against critical strategic goals designed to create long-term stockholder value and (ii) pay our executives at a level and in a manner that attracts, motivates and retains top executive talent. As described in 2018 Executive Compensation Program Philosophy and Elements — Stockholder Outreach, we seek to continuously refine and improve our executive compensation program and practices to ensure consistency with this philosophy.
Our Executive Compensation Practices
Below is a summary of compensation practices we have adopted and practices we avoid because we believe they are not aligned with our executive compensation and corporate governance principles.
What We Do
|
What We Do Not Do
|
||
►
|
Pay for performance with strong alignment of realized pay to TSR
|
►
|
No excise tax gross-ups, tax gross-ups on perquisites or tax gross-ups applicable to change-in-control and severance payments
|
►
|
Proactive stockholder outreach with meaningful compensation program changes made based on feedback
|
►
|
No hedging Coeur stock
|
►
|
AIP metrics drive stockholder value, with rigorous goals tied to Board-approved budget and safety and environmental objectives
|
►
|
No pledging Coeur stock
|
►
|
Majority of equity compensation in the form of performance shares with three-year cliff vesting tied to rigorous value-driving internal performance metrics and relative TSR
|
►
|
No holding Coeur stock in margin accounts
|
►
|
Majority of compensation at-risk
|
►
|
No employment contracts for NEOs other than CEO
|
►
|
Independent compensation consultant
|
►
|
No re-pricing of stock options or SARs without stockholder approval
|
►
|
Modest perquisites
|
►
|
No guaranteed bonuses for NEOs
|
►
|
Double trigger equity acceleration upon a change-in-control
|
►
|
No single trigger cash severance based solely upon a change-in-control of the company
|
►
|
Stock ownership guidelines for our directors and executive officers, including 6x base salary for CEO
|
|
|
►
|
Clawback policy covering both financial restatements and misconduct
|
|
|
►
|
Annual stockholder say on pay vote
|
|
|
Elements of Coeurs Executive Compensation Program
In 2018, the mix of the components of our executive compensation program were as follows:
Direct Compensation Elements
Direct Compensation
Component |
Performance
Based |
Not-
Performance Based |
Value Linked
to Stock Price |
Value Not
Linked to Stock Price |
% of CEO
Pay |
% of NEO
Pay (Average) |
Base Salary
|
|
•
|
|
•
|
19%
|
28%
|
Annual Incentive Plan
|
•
|
|
|
•
|
24%
|
22%
|
Restricted Stock
|
•
|
|
•
|
|
23%
|
20%
|
Internal Metric-Based PSUs
|
•
|
|
•
|
|
17%
|
15%
|
TSR-Based PSUs
|
•
|
|
•
|
|
17%
|
15%
|
46
A substantial majority of executive compensation is variable and at risk, demonstrating our strong pay-for-performance alignment.
CEO Variable and At Risk
Compensation |
NEO Variable and At Risk
Compensation (excluding CEO) |
||
Coeur
|
Peer Group
Average(1) |
Coeur
Average |
Peer Group
Average(1) |