Companies Methode Electronics Inc
Methode Electronics (METH): executive pay, fiscal 2026
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CEO pay, last three years
- $8,090,755FY2026
CEO total pay was $8,090,755 in fiscal 2026; the brief holds no earlier figure for this CEO.
FY2026: salary $1,018,269 · bonus $0 · stock awards $4,456,045 · option awards $0
Frequently asked questions
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan DeGaynor | $1,018,269 | $0 | $4,456,045 | $0 | $2,562,500 | $0 | $53,941 | $8,090,755 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Laura Kowalchik | 610,962 | 0 | 1,062,197 | 0 | 844,549 | 0 | 32,076 | 2,549,784 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Lars Ullrich | 495,827 | 0 | 768,930 | 0 | 755,250 | 0 | 14,733 | 2,034,740 |
| Senior Vice President, Global Automotive Business | ||||||||
| Kerry Vyverberg | 459,801 | 425,000 | 401,427 | 0 | 561,451 | 0 | 18,026 | 1,865,705 |
| General Counsel | ||||||||
| John Erwin | 432,765 | 0 | 424,880 | 0 | 609,875 | 0 | 19,594 | 1,487,114 |
| Chief Procurement and EHS Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2026 total | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | Δ FY2025→2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan DeGaynor | $8,090,755 | — | — | — |
| Laura Kowalchik | 2,549,784 | — | — | — |
| Lars Ullrich | 2,034,740 | — | — | — |
| Kerry Vyverberg | 1,865,705 | — | — | — |
| John Erwin | 1,487,114 | — | — | — |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis
The Company's compensation program is designed to support its strategy by providing competitive opportunities, linking annual incentives to key financial results such as profitability and cash generation, and aligning long-term equity awards with stockholder returns to encourage long-term ownership.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
No plan-based awards are on file for this fiscal year.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2026
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry Vyverberg | PSU | 29,595 | — | $255,405 |
| Kerry Vyverberg | RSU | 34,434 | — | 297,165 |
| John Erwin | PSU | 42,480 | — | 366,602 |
| John Erwin | RSU | 49,762 | — | 429,446 |
| Lars Ullrich | PSU | 69,233 | — | 597,481 |
| Lars Ullrich | RSU | 82,535 | — | 712,277 |
| Laura Kowalchik | PSU | 122,131 | — | 1,053,991 |
| Laura Kowalchik | RSU | 142,581 | — | 1,230,474 |
| Jonathan DeGaynor | RSU | 377,670 | — | 3,259,292 |
| Jonathan DeGaynor | PSU | 467,278 | — | 4,032,609 |
Director compensation
No director compensation table is on file for fiscal year 2026.
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $80,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $140,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | $1,500 |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 24,000 / 24,000 / 20,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $5 |
Peer group, and who names Methode Electronics as a peer
Companies that benchmark against METH
No companies currently name METH as a compensation peer in their most recent disclosure.
This is the complete answer, not a partial one — the list is never padded.
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methode Electronics Inc | 2026 | Jonathan DeGaynor | $1,018,269 | $4,456,045 | $0 | $2,562,500 | $8,090,755 |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-16 | 24,802,391 | 3,471,604 | 66,382 | 87.52% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-09-17 | 24,480,053 | 2,779,095 | 60,874 | 89.6% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-09-11 | 26,208,523 | 910,126 | 46,061 | 96.48% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-09-13 | 31,368,515 | 1,010,100 | 17,570 | 96.83% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-09-14 | 25,508,824 | 8,092,136 | 52,594 | 75.8% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-09-15 | 18,684,585 | 15,906,107 | 24,277 | 53.98% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.
Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-16 | 87.52%a |
| 2025 | 2025-09-17 | 89.6%b |
| 2024 | 2024-09-11 | 96.48%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “The affirmative vote of a majority of the stock having voting power present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting is required to approve each of these proposals. While broker non-votes will be considered as present at the Annual Meeting for quorum purposes, they will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of shares having voting power with respect to the election of directors (Proposal 1), the approval of the 2026 Plan (Proposal 2) or the Say-on-Pay Proposal (Proposal 4). || Abstentions will be considered as present but will not be considered as votes in favor of any”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “The affirmative vote of a majority of the stock having voting power present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting is required to approve each of these proposals. || Abstentions will be considered as present but will not be considered as votes in favor of any proposal.”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “For the election of directors (Proposal 1), the auditor ratification proposal (Proposal 2), and the Say on Pay Proposal (Proposal 3), stockholders may vote "for," "against," or "abstain" from voting. The affirmative vote of a majority of the stock having voting power present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting is required to approve each of these proposals. || While broker non-votes will be considered as present at the Annual Meeting for quorum purposes, they will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of shares having voting power with respect to the election of directors (Proposal 1) or the Say on Pay Proposal (Proposal 3). Abstentions will be considered as present but will not be considered as votes in favor of any proposal.”.
Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
CEO pay ratio
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 678 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $8,090,756 |
| Median employee compensation | $11,926 |
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (10 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Jonathan DeGaynor. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 43. As printed: 8,090,755. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Laura Kowalchik. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 43. As printed: 2,549,784. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Lars Ullrich. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 43. As printed: 2,034,740. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Kerry Vyverberg. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 43. As printed: 1,865,705. View filing ↗
- Section 01, John Erwin. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 43. As printed: 1,487,114. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 678 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-09-17. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 87.52% (votes for as printed: 24,802,391). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-09-18. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 89.6% (votes for as printed: 24,480,053). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-09-12. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 96.48% (votes for as printed: 26,208,523). View filing ↗
- Methode Electronics Inc (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-31. CEO total compensation as printed in Methode Electronics Inc's own proxy. As printed: 8,090,755. View filing ↗