Textron 2020 Proxy Statement

TEXTRON 2020 PROXY STATEMENT 15 Textron maintains a Deferred Income Plan for Non-Employee Directors (the “Directors’ Deferred Income Plan”) under which they can defer all or part of their cash compensation until retirement from the Board. Deferrals are made either into an interest-bearing account which bears interest at a monthly rate that is one-twelfth of the greater of 8% and the average for the month of the Moody’s Corporate Bond Yield Index, but in either case, not to exceed a monthly rate equal to 120% of the Applicable Federal Rate as provided under Section 1274(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, or into an account consisting of Textron stock units, which are equivalent in value to Textron common stock. Textron credits dividend equivalents to the stock unit account. Directors were required to defer a minimum of $135,000 of their 2019 annual retainer into the stock unit account. Textron sponsors a Directors Charitable Award Program that was closed to new participants in 2004. Under the program, Textron contributes up to $1,000,000 to the Textron Charitable Trust on behalf of each participating director upon his or her death, and the Trust donates 50% of that amount in accordance with the director’s recommendation among up to five charitable organizations. Textron currently maintains life insurance policies on the lives of the participating directors, the proceeds of which may be used to fund these contributions. The premiums on the policies insuring our current directors who participate in this program (Ms. Bader and Messrs. Clark, Fish and Gagné) have been fully paid so there were no expenditures associated with these policies during 2019. The directors do not receive any direct financial benefit from this program as the insurance proceeds and charitable deductions accrue solely to Textron. Non-employee directors also are eligible to participate in the Textron Matching Gift Program under which Textron will match contributions of directors and full-time employees to eligible charitable organizations at a 1:1 ratio up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Non-employee directors are eligible to receive awards granted under the Textron Inc. 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. Other than a one-time grant of 2,000 shares of restricted stock (the “Restricted Shares”) received upon joining the Board, they currently do not receive any such awards. The Restricted Shares do not vest until the director has completed at least five years of Board service and all successive terms of Board service to which he or she is nominated and elected or in the event of death or disability or a change in control of Textron. None of our directors receive compensation for serving on the Board from any shareholder or other third party. Employee directors do not receive fees or other compensation for their service on the Board or its committees. Changes to Director Compensation Program for 2020 In December 2019, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee conducted its annual review of the type and amount of compensation paid to our non-employee directors for their service on our Board and its committees. The Committee considered the results of an analysis prepared by its independent compensation consultant, Semler Brossy Consulting Group, which included non-employee director compensation trends and data from Textron’s Talent Peer Group companies as well as companies included in the 2018-2019 NACD Annual Director Compensation Survey. After its review, the Committee recommended, and the Board approved, increasing the annual retainer for our non-employee directors for 2020 from $260,000 to $270,000, of which $145,000 will be in the form of equity, and increasing the Lead Director’s annual retainer from $30,000 to $35,000. In addition, the Committee recommended, and the Board approved, issuing the equity portion of the annual Board retainer in the form of stock-settled restricted stock units (“RSUs”) rather than as deferred stock units under the Directors’ Deferred Income Plan (as described above). The RSUs will be issued annually on the date of the annual meeting, beginning with the 2020 annual meeting, and will vest in one year unless the director elects to defer settlement of the RSUs until the director’s separation from service on the Board. No changes were made related to the cash portion of the annual Board retainer or to the ability of directors to defer all or part of their cash compensation until retirement from the Board. These changes are intended to align Textron’s program more closely with peer company practices. With regard to the increase in the annual retainer, the Board believes that modest, biennial increases are preferable to less frequent, larger increases which otherwise would be needed to keep pace with peer company levels.