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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

Filed by the Registrant ý

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o

Check the appropriate box:

o

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement

o

 

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

ý

 

Definitive Proxy Statement

o

 

Definitive Additional Materials

o

 

Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

 

Boston Scientific Corporation

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

ý

 

No fee required.

o

 

Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
    (1)   Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
        
 
    (2)   Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
        
 
    (3)   Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
        
 
    (4)   Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
        
 
    (5)   Total fee paid:
        
 

o

 

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

o

 

Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

 

(1)

 

Amount Previously Paid:
        
 
    (2)   Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
        
 
    (3)   Filing Party:
        
 
    (4)   Date Filed:
        
 

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LOGO

March 24, 2021

Dear Boston Scientific Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (Annual Meeting) of Boston Scientific Corporation (the Company) to be held on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. In light of the ongoing public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual format only, via live webcast over the internet. You will be able to join the Annual Meeting and vote and submit your questions online during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021. We have designed the virtual Annual Meeting to ensure that stockholders are afforded the same opportunity to participate as they would have at an in-person meeting, including the right to vote and ask questions through the virtual meeting platform. Reference to "in person" attendance or voting in our proxy materials refers, therefore, to attending or voting at the Annual Meeting virtually.

This year you are being asked to:

    1.
    elect to the Board of Directors nine nominees for director;

    2.
    approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, named executive officer compensation;

    3.
    ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year;

    4.
    consider and vote upon a stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement, if properly presented at the Annual Meeting; and

    5.
    consider and vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

These matters are more fully described in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement. Our Board of Directors urges you to read the accompanying Proxy Statement and recommends that you vote "FOR" all of the director nominees, the named executive officer compensation, and the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm and "AGAINST" the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement. At the meeting, you will be provided with the opportunity to ask questions.

On or about March 24, 2021, we will mail to our stockholders of record at the close of business on Friday, March 12, 2021, the record date for our Annual Meeting, an Important Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (Notice) containing instructions on how to access our Proxy Statement and Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2020 (Annual Report) on the Internet and also how to vote their shares via the Internet. If you received a Notice by mail, you will not receive printed proxy materials unless you specifically request them. Both the Notice and the Proxy Statement contain instructions on how you can request a paper copy of the Proxy Statement and Annual Report.

The Board of Directors appreciates and encourages stockholder participation in the Company's affairs. Whether or not you plan to virtually attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to vote your shares. Accordingly, we request that as soon as possible, you vote via the Internet or, if you have received printed proxy materials, you vote via the Internet, by telephone or by mailing your completed proxy card or voter instruction form.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Michael F. Mahoney
Chairman of the Board of Directors
President and Chief Executive Officer


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LOGO

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Marlborough, Massachusetts
March 24, 2021

The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Boston Scientific Corporation (Annual Meeting) will be held on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. In light of the ongoing public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual format only, via live webcast over the internet. You will be able to join the Annual Meeting and vote and submit your questions online during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021. We have designed the virtual Annual Meeting to ensure that stockholders are afforded the same opportunity to participate as they would have at an in-person meeting, including the right to vote and ask questions through the virtual meeting platform. Reference to "in person" attendance or voting in our proxy materials refers, therefore, to attending or voting at the Annual Meeting virtually. The Annual Meeting will take place for the following purposes:

    1.
    to elect to the Board of Directors nine nominees for director;

    2.
    to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, named executive officer compensation;

    3.
    to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year;

    4.
    to consider and vote upon a stockholder proposal described in the attached Proxy Statement, if properly presented at the Annual Meeting; and

    5.
    to consider and vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on Friday, March 12, 2021, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

It is important that your shares be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, we encourage you to submit your proxy as soon as possible. For specific instructions, please refer to your Important Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or to the question on page 9 of the accompanying Proxy Statement entitled "How do I vote by proxy?"

At the direction of the Board of Directors,

Desiree Ralls-Morrison
Corporate Secretary


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Information About the Annual Meeting and Voting

  1  

Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

    9  

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking and Other Statements

  9  

Proposal 1: Election of Directors

    10  

Corporate Governance

  17  

Meetings and Board Committees

    26  

Director Compensation

  32  

Executive Officers

    37  

Certain Beneficial Ownership Matters

  43  

Compensation Discussion & Analysis

    46  

Risk Assessment of our Compensation Programs

  75  

Compensation Committee Report

    75  

Executive Compensation

  76  

Proposal 2: Advisory Vote to Approve Named Executive Officer Compensation

    104  

Equity Compensation Plans

  107  

Audit Committee Report

    108  

Proposal 3: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  109  

Proposal 4: Stockholder Proposal

    111  

Stockholder Proposals and Company Information

  115  

Other Information

    117  

Annex A — Reconciliations of GAAP Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Used as Performance Metrics Under Certain of Our Short- and Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plans and Programs

  A-1  

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LOGO

300 Boston Scientific Way
Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752

March 24, 2021


PROXY STATEMENT

Information About the Annual Meeting and Voting

The Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Boston Scientific Corporation (Annual Meeting) will be held on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. In light of the ongoing public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual format only, via live webcast over the internet. You will be able to join the Annual Meeting and vote and submit your questions online during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021. We have designed the virtual Annual Meeting to ensure that stockholders are afforded the same opportunity to participate as they would have at an in-person meeting, including the right to vote and ask questions through the virtual meeting platform. Reference to "in person" attendance or voting in our proxy materials refers, therefore, to attending or voting at the Annual Meeting virtually.

At this meeting, stockholders will be asked to elect nine nominees for director, approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, named executive officer compensation, ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year, and consider and vote upon a stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement, if properly presented at the Annual Meeting. Management will also respond to questions from stockholders. Our principal executive offices are located at 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752, and our telephone number is (508) 683-4000. When used in this Proxy Statement, the terms "we," "us," "our," "Boston Scientific" and "the Company" mean Boston Scientific Corporation and its businesses and subsidiaries.

Why am I receiving these materials?

In connection with its solicitation of proxies for use at our Annual Meeting, our Board of Directors (Board) (i) has made these materials available to you via the Internet or, upon your request, via email, or (ii) upon your request, has delivered or will deliver printed versions of these materials to you by mail. As a stockholder of record of our common stock at the close of business on March 12, 2021, the record date for our Annual Meeting, you are invited to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, and are entitled to and requested to vote on the items of business described in this Proxy Statement.

Why is the meeting being held virtually this year?

We believe that a virtual meeting will provide expanded stockholder access and participation, improved communications, as well as additional safeguards for health and safety in light of

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developments related to COVID-19. You will be able to join the Annual Meeting and vote and submit questions online during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021 and using the 16-digit control number included on the Important Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (Notice), on your proxy card, or on your voting instruction form provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. Online check-in will be available at the virtual meeting site approximately 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the Annual Meeting.

Why did I receive a notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of printed proxy materials?

Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we are making this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2020 (Annual Report and, together with this Proxy Statement, the proxy materials) available to stockholders electronically via the Internet. Stockholders will be able to access the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice or request to receive printed copies of the proxy materials and a proxy card. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials via the Internet or to request a printed copy may be found in the Notice and in this Proxy Statement. We believe that this electronic process expedites your receipt of the proxy materials and reduces the cost and environmental impact of printing proxy materials for our Annual Meeting.

On or about March 24, 2021, stockholders of record and beneficial owners of our common stock at the close of business on March 12, 2021 will be sent a Notice instructing them as to how to receive their proxy materials via the Internet. The proxy materials will be available on the Internet as of March 24, 2021.

How can I electronically access the proxy materials?

Beginning March 24, 2021, you can access the proxy materials and vote your shares online at www.proxyvote.com. The proxy materials are also available on our own website (www.bostonscientific.com).

How can I obtain a full set of printed proxy materials?

If you prefer to receive paper copies of the proxy materials and a proxy card, you may still do so. You may request printed materials by (i) calling (800) 579-1639; (ii) sending an email to sendmaterial@proxyvote.com; or (iii) logging onto www.proxyvote.com using the credentials provided on your Notice or proxy card.

Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?

Stockholders who held shares of our common stock at the close of business on Friday, March 12, 2021, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each share of our common stock is entitled to one vote.

How many shares are eligible to be voted and how many shares are required to hold the Annual Meeting?

A quorum is required to hold the Annual Meeting and conduct business. The presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, of stockholders holding a majority of our common stock outstanding as of the close of business on Friday, March 12, 2021, the record date, will constitute a quorum for

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purposes of holding and conducting business at the Annual Meeting. As of March 12, 2021, we had 1,420,516,801 shares of our common stock outstanding — each entitled to one vote at the Annual Meeting — meaning that 710,258,401 shares of common stock must be represented in person or by proxy to have a quorum. Our common stock is our only outstanding class of voting securities. For purposes of determining whether a quorum exists, broker non-votes (as described further below) and proxies received but marked "ABSTAIN" will be counted.

What am I voting on?

You are voting on proposals to:

    1.
    elect to the Board nine nominees for director;

    2.
    approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, named executive officer compensation;

    3.
    ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year;

    4.
    consider and vote upon a stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement, if properly presented at the Annual Meeting; and

    5.
    consider and vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

How does the Board recommend that I vote?

The Board recommends that you vote:

    1.
    FOR the election of each of the nine director nominees;

    2.
    FOR the named executive officer compensation;

    3.
    FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year; and

    4.
    AGAINST the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement.

How do I vote by proxy?

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, you may give a proxy to be voted at the Annual Meeting either:

    via the Internet pursuant to the instructions provided in the Notice; or

    if you received printed proxy materials, via the Internet or by telephone or mail pursuant to the instructions provided on the proxy card.

If you vote by mail, no postage is required if your proxy card is mailed in the United States. If you properly vote pursuant to the instructions provided in the Notice or properly complete and deliver your proxy card (whether electronically, by mail or by telephone) and our Inspector of Election receives your instructions in time to vote at the Annual Meeting, your "proxy" (one of the individuals

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named on your proxy card) will vote your shares as you have directed. If you sign and return your proxy card, but do not make specific selections, your proxy will vote your shares as recommended by the Board. If any other matter is properly presented at the Annual Meeting, including a proposal to postpone or adjourn the meeting, your proxy will vote your shares in accordance with his or her discretion. At present, the Board knows of no other business that is intended to be brought before or acted upon at the Annual Meeting.

What if I need assistance with voting or have questions regarding the Annual Meeting?

If you need assistance with the voting of your shares or have questions regarding the Annual Meeting, please contact our proxy solicitation advisor:

Alliance Advisors, LLC
200 Broadacres Drive, 3rd Floor
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(844) 866-9429 (Toll Free in the United States)

If you have technical difficulties accessing or using the virtual meeting site during the Annual Meeting, you should call the technical support number on the virtual meeting site. The virtual meeting site is supported on browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari) and devices (desktops, laptops, tablets and cell phones) running the most updated version of applicable software and plug-ins. Each participant should ensure strong Wi-Fi or other internet connection.

How are votes counted?

In the election of directors, your vote may be cast "FOR" one or more of the nominees or your vote may be "WITHHELD" with respect to one or more of the nominees. If you sign your proxy card with no further instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Board.

In the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation, your vote may be cast "FOR" or "AGAINST" or you may "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will not count as a share actually voted and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal. If you sign your proxy card with no further instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Board.

In the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm, your vote may be cast "FOR" or "AGAINST" or you may "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will not count as a share actually voted and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal. If you sign your proxy card with no further instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Board.

In the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement, your vote may be cast "FOR" or "AGAINST" or you may "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will not count as a share actually voted with respect to determining if a majority vote is obtained under our By-Laws and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal. If you sign your proxy card with no further instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Board.

How many votes are required to approve each proposal?

    1.
    Under our By-Laws, except as otherwise required by law, each nominee for director shall be elected to the Board by the affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast, in person or by

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      proxy, by the holders of shares entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present; provided, however, that if the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected at any such meeting, as determined by the Corporate Secretary of the Corporation as of the record date for such meeting, the directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast, in person or by proxy. A majority of the votes cast means that the number of shares voted "for" exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the number of votes cast with respect to such nominee. In the event that a director nominee fails to receive an affirmative majority of the votes cast in an election where the number of nominees is less than or equal to the number of directors to be elected, the Board of Directors, within its powers, may decrease the number of directors, fill the vacancy, or take other appropriate action. An abstention will not count as a vote cast with respect to a director. If directors are to be elected by a plurality of the votes cast, stockholders shall not be permitted to vote against a nominee.

    2.
    The affirmative vote of a majority of shares with voting power present in person or represented by proxy and which have actually voted on the proposal is required to approve, on an advisory basis, the named executive officer compensation. The vote is advisory and non-binding in nature, but the Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee of our Board (Compensation Committee) will take into consideration the outcome of the vote when considering future executive compensation arrangements. You may vote "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present for conducting the Annual Meeting, but it will not count as a share actually voted and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal.

    3.
    The affirmative vote of a majority of shares with voting power present in person or represented by proxy and which have actually voted on the proposal is required to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year. You may vote "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present for conducting the Annual Meeting, but it will not count as a share actually voted and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal.

    4.
    The affirmative vote of a majority of shares with voting power present in person or represented by proxy and which have actually voted on the proposal is required to approve the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement. You may vote "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present for conducting the Annual Meeting, but your vote will not count as a share actually voted with respect to determining if a majority vote is obtained and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal.

At present, the Board knows of no other matters to be presented for stockholder action at the Annual Meeting.

What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner?

Most of our stockholders hold their shares through a broker, trustee, bank, other financial intermediary or other nominee rather than directly in their own name. As summarized below, there are some differences between stockholders of record and beneficial owners.

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Stockholders of Record

If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Shareowner Services, as of the close of business on Friday, March 12, 2021, you are considered the stockholder of record with respect to those shares, and the Notice or proxy materials are being made available, electronically or otherwise, directly to you by the Company. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the Company or a third party, or to vote in person at the Annual Meeting. The Company has made available a proxy card or electronic voting means for you to use for voting purposes.

Beneficial Owners

If your shares are held through a brokerage firm, trustee, bank, other financial intermediary or other nominee, as of the close of business on Friday, March 12, 2021, you are considered the beneficial owner of those shares held in street name, and the Notice or proxy materials are being made available, electronically or otherwise, by the Company to your broker, trustee, bank, other financial intermediary or other nominee (the intermediary) and they will forward these materials to you, together with a voting instruction form if furnished via paper copy to your intermediary. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your intermediary on how to vote and are also invited to virtually attend the Annual Meeting; however, since you are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote these shares in person at the Annual Meeting, unless you request, complete and deliver a legal proxy from your intermediary. If you requested printed proxy materials, your intermediary will enclose a voting instruction form for you to use in directing the intermediary regarding how to vote your shares.

What discretion does my broker have to vote my shares held in "street name?"

The NYSE rules allow your broker to vote your shares in its discretion on "routine" proposals when it has not received instructions from you at least ten days prior to the Annual Meeting. The proposal regarding the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm is a matter considered routine under applicable rules and, therefore, your broker may vote on your behalf for this matter if you do not otherwise provide instructions. The election of directors, the advisory vote on the named executive officer compensation, and the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement are not considered routine matters. If you do not instruct your broker how to vote your shares on the non-routine matters, your broker will not be permitted to vote your shares on such matters. This is referred to as a "broker non-vote."

Broker non-votes (shares held by brokers that do not have discretionary authority to vote on the matter and that have not received voting instructions from their clients) are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present, but are not counted or deemed to be present, represented or voted for the purpose of determining whether stockholders have approved a proposal. A broker non-vote will have no effect on the outcome of the election of directors or the advisory vote on the named executive officer compensation.

How do I vote my 401(k) shares?

If you participate in our 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, as amended and restated (401(k) Plan), you will receive a single proxy card (together with the proxy materials) or Notice that covers all shares credited to your plan account(s) and shares that you own of record that are registered in the same name. If your plan account(s) are registered in different names, you will receive separate proxy cards or Notices for your record and plan holdings. You may vote your shares by following the instructions

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provided in your proxy card or Notice and utilizing the credentials provided therein. Your vote will serve to instruct the trustees and fiduciaries of our 401(k) Plan how to vote any shares of our common stock held in our 401(k) Plan on your behalf. Shares of our common stock held in our 401(k) Plan must be voted on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 1, 2021. The trustee and fiduciaries of our 401(k) Plan will vote shares for which timely instructions are not received in the same proportion as other plan shares that were voted.

What happens if I don't specify how I want my shares voted on one or all of the proposals?

If you are the stockholder of record and you sign, date and return your proxy and do not mark how you want to vote, your proxy will be counted as a vote "FOR" all of the nominees for directors, "FOR" the named executive officer compensation, "FOR" the ratification of our independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young, and "AGAINST" the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement. If you hold your shares in street name, please see the discussion on "What discretion does my broker have to vote my shares held in 'street name?'," above.

Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy after I have already voted or given my proxy?

Yes. If you are a stockholder of record, you may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before the proxy is voted at the Annual Meeting. To change your vote, you may:

    mail a written notice "revoking" your earlier vote to Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (Broadridge), 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717;

    submit to Broadridge a properly completed and signed proxy card with a later date;

    vote again telephonically or electronically (available until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 5, 2021); or

    vote in person at the Annual Meeting; however, your virtual attendance at the Annual Meeting alone will not revoke your proxy.

Your last dated proxy, properly completed and timely received prior to, or vote cast at, the Annual Meeting will be counted.

If you own your shares in street name, please contact your broker or other intermediary for instructions on changing your vote or revoking your proxy.

Can I vote at the virtual meeting?

Yes. If you are the stockholder of record of the shares, you will have the opportunity to vote in person when you attend the virtual Annual Meeting online by visiting https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021. In order to vote during the Annual Meeting, you will use the 16-digit control number included on the Notice, on your proxy card, or on your voting instruction form provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. However, since a beneficial owner holding shares in street name is not the stockholder of record, if you are such a beneficial owner of shares, you may not vote your shares in person at the virtual Annual Meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from the broker or other intermediary that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting. Please provide the legal proxy information once you log into the Annual Meeting.

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Who will count the votes?

Broadridge has been engaged as our independent agent to tabulate stockholder votes and act as Inspector of Election for the meeting.

Is voting confidential?

Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either within the Company or to third parties, except:

    as necessary to meet applicable legal requirements;

    to allow for the tabulation and certification of votes; and

    to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation.

Occasionally, stockholders provide written comments on their proxy cards, which may be forwarded to the Company's management and the Board.

What happens if the Annual Meeting is adjourned or postponed?

Your proxy will still be effective and will be voted at the rescheduled Annual Meeting. You will still be able to change or revoke your proxy until it is voted, provided such new proxy or revocation is properly completed and timely received.

Will any other business be considered or presented at the Annual Meeting?

Our By-Laws provide that a stockholder may present business to be considered at the Annual Meeting only if proper prior written notice was timely received by us. Other than the items of business described in this Proxy Statement, our Board is not aware of any other business to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting; however, if any other business does properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies on the proxy card will vote your shares in accordance with their discretion.

How can I find the results of the Annual Meeting?

We will report the final voting results on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting. The Form 8-K will be available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, as well as on our own website, www.bostonscientific.com, under the "Investor Relations" section.

Who is soliciting my vote pursuant to this Proxy Statement?

Our Board is soliciting your vote.

Is there a list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?

A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available during the Annual Meeting and for ten days prior to the Annual Meeting, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, at our Corporate Headquarters located at 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752. If you would like to view the stockholder list, please contact our Corporate Secretary to schedule an appointment by calling (508) 683-4000 or writing to her at 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752.

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Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

Under rules adopted by the SEC, we are furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders primarily via the Internet instead of mailing printed copies of those materials to each stockholder. On or about March 24, 2021, we will mail to our stockholders (other than those who previously requested electronic or paper delivery) an Important Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access our proxy materials, including our Proxy Statement and our Annual Report. The Notice also instructs stockholders on how to vote via the Internet.

This process is designed to expedite stockholders' receipt of proxy materials, lower the cost of the Annual Meeting and help conserve natural resources; however, if you would prefer to receive printed proxy materials and a proxy card, please follow the instructions included in the Notice and in this Proxy Statement. If you have previously elected to receive our proxy materials electronically, these materials will continue to be made available to you via email until you elect otherwise. If you have previously elected to receive printed proxy materials, you will continue to receive these materials and a proxy card in paper format until you elect otherwise.


Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking and Other Statements

This Proxy Statement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "may," "estimate," "intend" and other similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements in this Proxy Statement can be found in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and in the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q that we have filed or will file hereafter under the heading "Risk Factors" and "Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements." The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Proxy Statement and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

This Proxy Statement contains statements regarding individual and Company performance objectives and targets. These objectives and targets are disclosed in the limited context of our compensation plans and programs and should not be understood to be statements of management's future expectations or estimates of future results or other guidance. We specifically caution investors not to apply these statements to other contexts.

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PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Summary

Our entire Board is elected annually by our stockholders and currently consists of ten members.

On March 9, 2021, Stephen P. MacMillan, a director of Boston Scientific since April 2015, advised us that he would not be standing for re-election to the Board at the Annual Meeting. We are deeply grateful for the enormous contributions that Mr. MacMillan has made to our Company, our Board, and our stockholders.

In light of the departure of one director, nine of our directors have been nominated by our Board, upon the recommendation of our Nominating and Governance Committee, to stand for election at the Annual Meeting for a one-year term, to hold office until the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors have been elected and qualified. The nominees for election at the Annual Meeting are: Nelda J. Connors, Charles J. Dockendorff, Yoshiaki Fujimori, Donna A. James, Edward J. Ludwig, Michael F. Mahoney, David J. Roux, John E. Sununu and Ellen M. Zane.

Each of the director nominees is willing and able to stand for election at the Annual Meeting, and we know of no reason why any of the nominees would be unable to serve as a director. Should such a situation arise, however, the Board may designate a substitute nominee or, alternatively, reduce the number of directors to be elected. If a substitute nominee is selected, the persons named as proxies will vote for that substitute nominee. Any vacancies not filled at the Annual Meeting may be filled by the Board.

Director Nominees at a Glance


Diverse Range of Experience, Skills and Qualifications Represented by our 2021 Director Nominees

GRAPHIC

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GRAPHIC


(1)
The table below provides additional detail relating to the director nominees' self-identified gender.

GRAPHIC

(2)
The table below provides additional detail relating to the director nominees' self-identified race/ethnicity.

GRAPHIC

Director Nominees

The biography of each of the nominees is listed below and contains information regarding the person's service as a director, business experience, public company director positions currently held or held at any time during the last five years, information regarding involvement in certain legal or administrative proceedings (if applicable), and the experiences, qualifications, attributes or skills that caused the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board to determine that the person should serve as a director in light of our business and structure. Each of the director nominees listed below exemplifies how our Board values professional experience in business, education, policy and governmental fields as well as strong moral character and diversity in terms of viewpoint as well as age, ethnicity and gender. Our Board believes that these strong backgrounds and sets of skills provide the Board, as a whole, with a strong foundation of technical expertise and a wealth of diverse experience in a wide variety of areas.

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  Nelda J. Connors
Independent Director

 

Founder, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of Pine Grove Holdings, LLC

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: December 2009
Age: 55

Committees:
Executive Compensation and
Human Resources; Risk


 

Other Public Company Boards: Baker Hughes;
BorgWarner Inc.; EnerSys Inc.

Education: University of Dayton, B.S. and M.S.
in Mechanical Engineering

Executive Highlights:

Ms. Connors is the founder, chairwoman and chief executive officer of Pine Grove Holdings, LLC, a privately held investment company that acquires and operates small-to-middle market businesses primarily focused in power generation, SAAS, advanced material and transportation/logistics end-markets. She served as president and chief executive officer of Atkore International Inc., formerly the Electrical and Metal Products division of Tyco International, before it became a privately held company in December 2010. Prior to joining Tyco, she served as vice president at Eaton Corporation where she held several positions in operations, continuous improvement, and general management. Prior to joining Eaton, Ms. Connors was employed in a number of executive and management capacities in diversified industrial and automotive end-markets. Her work over 25 years has involved responsibilities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Ms. Connors serves as an independent advisor to Nissan North America and previously served as a Class B director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and on the boards of Atkore, Blount International, CNH Industrial, N.V., Clarcor, Inc., Echo Global Logistics and Vesuvius plc. She was formerly an appointed member for the Takata Independent Quality Assurance Panel to investigate the airbag inflator recall.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Ms. Connors' qualifications to serve on our Board include her executive leadership skills and her global experience in the areas of operations and financial management, quality, M&A and business strategy, as well as her knowledge of public company matters resulting from her service on other public company boards. She also brings to our Board her experience in National Association of Corporate Directors leadership and governance fellowships.

  Charles J. Dockendorff
Independent Director

 

Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Covidien plc

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: April 2015
Age: 66

Committees:
Audit (Chair, Financial
Expert); Risk


 

Other Public Company Boards: Haemonetics
Corporation; Hologic, Inc.; Keysight
Technologies, Inc.

Education: University of Massachusetts
at Amherst, B.B.A. in Accounting; Bentley
College, M.S. in Finance

Executive Highlights:

Mr. Dockendorff was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Covidien plc, a publicly traded medical device and supplies company, and its predecessor, Tyco Healthcare, from 1995 to 2015. Mr. Dockendorff joined the Kendall Healthcare Products Company, the foundation of the Tyco Healthcare business, in 1989 as controller and was named vice president and controller in 1994. He was appointed chief financial officer of Tyco Healthcare in 1995. Prior to joining Kendall/Tyco Healthcare, Mr. Dockendorff was the chief financial officer, vice president of finance and treasurer of Epsco Inc. and Infrared Industries, Inc.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Mr. Dockendorff's qualifications to serve on our Board include his executive leadership experience at public medical device companies, as well as his extensive expertise in accounting, finance and business strategy.

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  Yoshiaki Fujimori
Independent Director

 

Senior Executive Advisor of Japan to CVC Capital Partners

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: July 2016
Age: 69

Committees: Risk


 

Other Public Company Boards: Oracle
Corporation Japan; Takeda Pharmaceutical
Company; Toshiba Corporation; Shiseido
Company, Limited

Education: Tokyo University of Science, B.A.
in Petroleum Engineering; Carnegie
Mellon Graduate School of Business, M.B.A.

Executive Highlights:

Mr. Fujimori is currently senior executive advisor of Japan to CVC Capital Partners, a position he has held since February 2017. He was an advisor to the LIXIL Group Corporation from June 2016 to December 2019 and was the president and chief executive officer of the LIXIL Group Corporation from August 2011 to June 2016. Prior to joining LIXIL, he was chairman, president and chief executive officer of GE Japan from January 2008 to June 2011. In his 25 years at GE, beginning in October 1986, he held a variety of positions including senior vice president and chief executive officer of a number of Asian and global business divisions, including Medical Systems, Plastics, and Capital. Mr. Fujimori also served as a member of the GE Corporate Executive Council from 2001 to 2010. He formerly served as a director of the Japan Construction Material & Housing Equipment Industries Federation and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Mr. Fujimori's qualifications to serve on our Board include his expertise in international business, including developing markets, with a particular emphasis on operations and manufacturing in Japan and Asia, as well as his service on other public company boards.

  Donna A. James
Independent Director

 

Founder, President and Managing Director of Lardon & Associates LLC

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: July 2015
Age: 63

Committees:
Executive Compensation and
Human Resources (Chair);
Nominating and Governance


 

Other Public Company Boards: L Brands,
Inc.; The Hartford

Education: North Carolina A&T State
University, B.S. in Accounting

Executive Highlights:

Ms. James is the founder of Lardon & Associates LLC, a business development and executive advisory services firm, where she has served as president and managing director since April 2006. Ms. James has more than 30 years of diverse management and leadership experience, including her experience at Nationwide Insurance and Financial Services, beginning in 1981. In her 25 years at Nationwide, she served in several leadership roles, including president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, a division of Nationwide Insurance Company, from 2003 to 2006, at which time she had direct responsibility for developing and executing strategies for several U.S. and global financial services subsidiaries and affiliates. Ms. James also is the founder of The Center for Healthy Families, a non-profit in Columbus, Ohio, and the former chair of the National Women's Business Council by presidential appointment. Ms. James currently serves as a director of Xponance (formerly the FIS Group), a privately held asset management and investment advisory firm. She formerly served as a director of Time Warner Cable Inc. and Marathon Petroleum, Inc. and as a board advisor to Marathon Petroleum.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Ms. James's qualifications to serve on our Board include her expertise in business strategy, finance, accounting and human resources. In addition, her service on other public company boards contributes to her knowledge of public company matters.

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  Edward J. Ludwig
Independent Director

 

Former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Becton, Dickinson and Company

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: March 2014
Age: 69

Committees: Executive
Compensation and Human
Resources


 

Other Public Company Boards: CVS Health Corporation

Education: The College of the Holy Cross,
B.A. in Economics and Accounting;
Columbia University, M.B.A.

Executive Highlights:

Mr. Ludwig is the former chairman of the board of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX), a global medical technology company, having served in that position from February 2002 through June 2012. He also served as BDX's chief executive officer from January 2000 to September 2011 and as its president from May 1999 to December 2008. Mr. Ludwig joined BDX as a senior financial analyst in 1979. Prior to joining BDX, Mr. Ludwig served as a senior auditor with Coopers and Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), where he earned his CPA, and as a financial and strategic analyst at Kidde, Inc. Mr. Ludwig has been a member since 2013 and now Chairman of the Board of POCARED, a privately held company focused on infectious disease diagnostics. He formerly served as a director of Xylem, Inc. and as vice chair of the board of trustees of the Hackensack University Medical Center Network.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Mr. Ludwig's qualifications to serve on our Board include his executive leadership experience, specifically his service as a director and executive of a public medical technology company, along with his extensive expertise in business strategy, finance, management and manufacturing.

  Michael F. Mahoney
CEO, Chairman of the Board

 

President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Scientific Corporation

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: November 2012
Age: 56

 

Other Public Company Boards: Baxter
International, Inc.

Education: University of Iowa, B.B.A. in
Finance; Wake Forest University, M.B.A.

Executive Highlights:

Michael F. Mahoney joined the Company as our president in October 2011 and became our president and chief executive officer and a director in November 2012. Mr. Mahoney became our chairman of the Board in May 2016. Prior to joining the Company, he was worldwide chairman of the Medical Devices and Diagnostics division of Johnson & Johnson from January 2011 to September 2011, overseeing 50,000 employees and seven franchises. Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Mahoney served as worldwide group chairman of Johnson & Johnson's DePuy franchise, an orthopedics and neurosciences business, from April 2007 through January 2011. From January 2001 through March 2007, Mr. Mahoney served as president and chief executive officer of Global Healthcare Exchange, a provider of supply chain solutions and services that brings together hospitals, manufacturers, distributors and group purchasing organizations. Mr. Mahoney began his career at General Electric Medical Systems, where he spent 12 years, culminating in the role of general manager of the Healthcare Information Technology business. Mr. Mahoney also serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, is the chair of the board of governors of Boston College CEO Club, and a member of the American Heart Association CEO roundtable.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Mr. Mahoney's qualifications to serve on our Board, in addition to being our Chief Executive Officer, include his management experience leading complex organizations in medical device and other healthcare-related businesses, expertise in building strong leadership teams, developing international markets, and a proven ability to execute successful business strategies and drive operational excellence.

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  David J. Roux
Independent Director

 

Co-founder and co-managing partner of BayPine Capital

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: January 2014
Age: 64

Committees:
Audit; Nominating and
Governance (Chair)


 

Other Public Company Boards: None

Education: Harvard College; Harvard
University, M.B.A.; King's College,
Cambridge University, M. Phil.

Executive Highlights:

Mr. Roux is co-founder and co-managing partner of BayPine Capital, a private equity partnership established in October 2020. He also is Chairman of Jackson Laboratories, an independent biomedical research institute. He is the co-founder and was the chairman, co-chief executive officer and managing partner of Silver Lake, a private equity firm focused on technology investing, from January 2014 to December 2017. Prior to that, Mr. Roux was chairman and chief executive officer of Liberate Technologies, executive vice president at Oracle Corporation and senior vice president at Lotus Development. He is also chairman of Bristol Seafoods and vice chairman of the National Audubon Society. He previously served as a director of Avaya Inc., Avaya Holdings Corp. and Intelsat S.A. Mr. Roux is co-founder of The Roux Institute, an educational partnership with Northeastern University.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Mr. Roux's qualifications to serve on the Board include his extensive experience in operations, technology, management and business strategy, and his financial expertise and background as an entrepreneur, executive and director.

  John E. Sununu
Independent Director

 

Former United States Senator from New Hampshire

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: April 2009
Age: 56

Committees: Audit (Financial
Expert); Risk (Chair)


 

Other Public Company Boards: BlueRiver
Acquisition Corp.

Education: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, B.S. and M.S. in
Mechanical Engineering; Harvard
University, M.B.A.

Executive Highlights:

Senator Sununu served as a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 2003 to 2009. He was a member of the Committees on Banking, Commerce, Finance and Foreign Relations, and he was appointed the Congressional Representative to the United Nations General Assembly. Before his election to the Senate, Senator Sununu served three terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire's 1st District from 1996 to 2002, where he was vice chairman of the Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. During his twelve years in Congress, he drafted and helped pass several important pieces of legislation, including the Internet Tax Freedom Act, the Survivors Benefit Act and the New England Wilderness Act. Prior to serving in Congress, Senator Sununu served as chief financial officer for Teletrol Systems, a manufacturer of building control systems. Senator Sununu currently serves as a Council Member of Lloyds of London, and formerly served as a director of Time Warner Cable Inc.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Senator Sununu complements our Board with his experience in government and corporate leadership. Senator Sununu provides important insights on government relations, public policy and other matters relevant to our Company due to his extensive experience in both the public and private industry sectors.

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  Ellen M. Zane
Independent Director

 

CEO Emeritus at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital

 

PHOTO

 

Director Since: April 2016
Age: 69

Committees:
Audit (Financial Expert);
Nominating and Governance


 

Other Public Company Boards: Brooks
Automation; Haemonetics Corporation; Synchrony Financial

Education: George Washington University, B.A.;
Catholic University of America, M.A.
in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

Executive Highlights:

Ms. Zane is CEO Emeritus at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital, and previously, she served as its president and chief executive officer. Ms. Zane also served as Network President for Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare System), a physician/hospital network sponsored by the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Ms. Zane also previously served as chief executive officer of Quincy Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts. Ms. Zane currently is a director of nThrive, a Georgia-based private company involved with healthcare revenue cycle management; Fiduciary Trust Company, a privately owned wealth management company; and AgNovos Healthcare, LLC, a privately held medical device company, focused on bone health. Ms. Zane previously served as a director of Century Capital Management, Parexel International Corporation, Lincare Holdings Inc. and Press Ganey Holdings. Ms. Zane holds a Professional Director Advanced Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors.

Select Skills and Qualifications:

Ms. Zane's qualifications to serve on our Board include her executive experience in the healthcare industry, specifically as the chief executive officer of a large urban academic (teaching and research) medical center, in addition to her experience as a director at other public companies.


OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE ELECTION OF ALL NINE OF THESE NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Overview

To guide the operation and direction of the Board and its committees, our Board has established our Corporate Governance Guidelines, charters for its standing committees and our Code of Conduct to reflect our commitment to good corporate governance and to comply with Delaware law, the rules and listing standards of the NYSE, the rules and regulations of the SEC and other legal requirements. These materials are available under "Governance Overview" in the "Investor Relations" section of our website at www.bostonscientific.com. These materials are also available in print free of charge to stockholders, upon written request to Boston Scientific Corporation, Investor Relations, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752.

Our Board believes that good corporate governance is fundamental to the overall success of our business. To that end, our Board evaluates our corporate governance practices in light of applicable changes in Delaware law, the rules and listing standards of the NYSE, the rules and regulations of the SEC, and the rules and regulations under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), as well as best practices suggested by recognized governance authorities, and makes modifications to our corporate governance practices that it determines are warranted.

Director Independence

Under the NYSE's Corporate Governance Standards, a majority of the Board must qualify as independent directors. However, our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that a significant majority of the Board qualify as independent directors. The NYSE Corporate Governance Standards define specific relationships that disqualify directors from being independent and further require that for a director to qualify as independent, the Board must affirmatively determine that the director has no material relationship with our Company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with our Company).

In making determinations regarding independence, the Board applies the NYSE standards and broadly considers all relevant facts and circumstances known to it. For directors who will serve on the Compensation Committee, the Board considers all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship with our Company that is material to that director's ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a Compensation Committee member, including, but not limited to: (i) the source of compensation of such director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by our Company to such director, and (ii) whether such director is affiliated with our Company, a subsidiary of our Company or an affiliate of a subsidiary of our Company — as required by the NYSE independence standards for compensation committee members.

The Board has determined that the following directors are independent under the independence standards set forth in the NYSE Corporate Governance Standards: Nelda J. Connors, Charles J. Dockendorff, Yoshiaki Fujimori, Donna A. James, Edward J. Ludwig, Stephen P. MacMillan, David J. Roux, John E. Sununu and Ellen M. Zane.

The Board monitors its compliance with NYSE requirements for director independence on an ongoing basis, including through an annual review of director questionnaires and consideration of transactions and relationships between each director or any member of his or her immediate family and the Company as well as other relevant facts and circumstances. The Board and the Nominating and

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Governance Committee considered the directors' responses to a questionnaire asking about their relationships with the Company (and their immediate family members' relationships with the Company) and other potential conflicts of interest, as well as material provided by management related to transactions, relationships or arrangements between the Company and the directors or parties related to the directors. The Board made its determination as to whether any relationship between a director and our Company is a material relationship based on the facts and circumstances of the relationship, the amounts involved in the relationship, the director's interest in such relationship, if any, and such other factors as the Board, in its judgment, deemed appropriate.

Director Nomination Process

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for determining the appropriate skills and characteristics required of new Board members in the context of the current make-up of the Board. In so doing, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers, with input from the Board, those factors it deems appropriate, such as independence, experience, strength of character, judgment, technical skills, diversity, years of experience and the extent to which the individual would fill a present need on the Board. The aim is to assemble a Board that is strong in its collective knowledge and that consists of individuals who bring a variety of complementary attributes and who, taken together, have the appropriate skills and experience to oversee the Company's business. The Nominating and Governance Committee considers diversity as one of a number of factors in identifying nominees for director. The Nominating and Governance Committee views diversity broadly to include diversity of experience, skills and viewpoint, as well as other diversity concepts such as ethnicity and gender. Further, the Board recently adopted an amendment to the Corporate Governance Guidelines that requires that women and racially/ethnically diverse candidates are among the initial slate of candidates presented for consideration in searches for new Board members.

Director nominees must, at a minimum, meet the general criteria outlined in our Corporate Governance Guidelines. Generally, directors should be individuals who have succeeded in their particular field and who demonstrate integrity, reliability, knowledge of corporate affairs and an ability to work well with others, and should also satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

    demonstrated management ability at senior levels in successful organizations;

    current or recent employment in positions of significant responsibility and decision making;

    expertise in leading rapidly growing multi-national organizations; or

    current and prior experience related to anticipated board and committee responsibilities in other areas of importance to our Company.

The Nominating and Governance Committee receives suggestions for new directors from a number of sources, including independent Board members and our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The Committee may also, at its discretion, employ a third-party search firm to assist in identifying candidates for director.

The Nominating and Governance Committee will also consider recommendations for Board membership submitted by our stockholders and other sources, and considers director nominees for election so submitted if the submission is made in accordance with the advance notice provisions of our By-Laws. The qualifications of candidates recommended by stockholders will be reviewed and considered by the Nominating and Governance Committee with the same degree of care and

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consideration as candidates for nomination to the Board submitted by independent Board members and our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Based on engagement with stockholders and benchmarking of corporate governance best practices, the Board amended our By-Laws to add proxy access. Our proxy access By-Law provision permits a stockholder, or group of up to 20 stockholders, meeting certain ownership and other requirements to include a nominee for director election in the Company's Annual Proxy Statement. The Board believes that this change enhances stockholder rights and provides increased accountability of the Company and our Board to our stockholders.

The full Board is responsible for final approval of new director candidates, as well as the nomination of existing directors for re-election. With respect to existing directors, prior to making its recommendation to the full Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board, reviews each director's continuation on the Board as a regular part of the annual nominating process.

Under the advance notice provisions of our By-Laws, director nominations and proposals to bring any other business before the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders by our stockholders must be received by our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices on or before November 24, 2021. Under the proxy access by-law provisions of our By-Laws, director nominations submitted for inclusion in our 2022 Annual Proxy Statement must be received no earlier than October 25, 2021 and no later than November 24, 2021. Director nominations by our stockholders must also satisfy the other procedures and requirements set forth in the advance notice and proxy access provisions of our By-Laws, as appropriate. Should you wish to submit a director recommendation or nomination, have it addressed to our Corporate Secretary at Boston Scientific Corporation, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752.

Board Refreshment

The Board has not established any term or age limits to an individual's membership on the Board. While these limits could help ensure that there are fresh ideas and viewpoints available to the Board, they have the disadvantage of causing the Company to lose the contribution of directors who have been able to develop, over a period of time, increasing insight into the Company and its operations and, therefore, provide an increasing contribution to the Board as a whole. The Nominating and Governance Committee, as part of its annual assessment of the composition of the Board, reviews a director's continuation on the Board. The Company believes that, through regular evaluation of

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performance and the Company's needs, the Company will continue to achieve the appropriate balance between Boston Scientific experience and fresh ideas and perspectives.

GRAPHIC

Chief Executive Officer Succession

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Nominating and Governance Committee reports to the full Board periodically on succession planning for our Chief Executive Officer (and other executive officers, as appropriate). Our Chief Executive Officer discusses with the Board and the Nominating and Governance Committee, at least once per year, his recommendations and evaluations of potential successors to his position, including in the event of an unexpected emergency, and reviews development plans, if any, recommended for such individuals. Additionally, the Nominating and Governance Committee conducts an annual review of the CEO Succession Plan framework, which outlines certain high-level planning, notification and other actions, and is designed to minimize disruption in the event of a temporary or permanent absence of the Chief Executive Officer.

Board Leadership Structure

Our Board believes that it is important that it retain flexibility to make the determination as to whether the interests of the Company and our stockholders are best served by having the same individual serve as both Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board or whether the roles should be separated based on the circumstances at any given time. Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board will appoint a Lead Independent Director when the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board roles are combined or if the Chairman is not otherwise independent. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Lead Independent Director is appointed annually, though is generally expected to serve for a renewable term of three years, subject to annual re-election to the Board. The Lead Independent Director will preside over meetings of our non-management directors, serve as liaison between our Chairman and the independent directors, work with the Chairman to establish agendas for Board and committee meetings, raise issues with management on behalf of the independent directors, consult with committee leadership, and carry out other duties as requested by the Board. The Lead Independent Director also has the authority to call special meetings of independent or non-management directors, as needed.

Mr. Mahoney has been our President and Chief Executive Officer since November 2012 and the Chairman of our Board since May 2016. In light of the fact that the Chief Executive Officer and

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Chairman of the Board roles have been combined since May 2016, the Board appointed Mr. Ludwig at that time to serve as Lead Independent Director and re-appointed him to serve in that role for an additional three-year term in February 2019. Mr. Ludwig's qualifications to serve as our Lead Independent Director include his strong leadership experience as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Becton, Dickinson and Company, his service on the Board of CVS Health Corporation and the Chair of that board's Finance Committee, and as lead director on the Board of Aetna, Inc. prior to its acquisition by CVS Health Corporation. Our Board believes that this leadership structure, coupled with a commitment to Board independence, provides effective independent oversight of management, while fostering a constructive and cooperative relationship between the Board and management and allowing both the Board and management to benefit from Mr. Mahoney's day-to-day familiarity with our business operations.

Board Evaluations

Our Board of Directors conducts annual self-evaluations, overseen by the Nominating and Governance Committee in accordance with the committee's charter. The self-evaluations have been facilitated by a third party and have included in-person and telephonic interviews with directors and presentation of results by the facilitator to our Board and individual directors, as well as written reports to the Board.

Risk Oversight

Our Board oversees an enterprise-wide approach to risk management, designed to support the achievement of our strategic and organizational objectives, to improve long-term organizational performance and to enhance stockholder value. A fundamental part of risk oversight is to understand the individual risks our Company faces, the steps management is taking to manage those risks, including the framework used by management for the coordinated oversight, control and continuous improvement of processes used to manage risk, and to assess management's appetite for risk. It is management's responsibility to manage risk and bring to the Board's attention material risks facing our Company. Our Board receives regular reports from management on matters relating to strategic and operational initiatives, financial performance and legal developments, which are each integrated with enterprise-risk exposures. The involvement of the full Board in approving our strategic plan is a key part of its assessment of the risks inherent in our corporate strategy.

While the Board has the ultimate responsibility for risk oversight, each committee of the Board also oversees risk to the extent that it relates to the committee's responsibilities, as outlined below. Each committee makes reports in its respective area of responsibility to the Board at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting immediately following the committee meeting.

    The Audit Committee focuses on financial risk, including internal controls, legal and regulatory risks, as well as compliance risks of a financial nature, including those related to federal healthcare programs and healthcare providers, and receives an annual risk assessment report from our internal auditors. It also assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility with respect to compliance risks of a non-financial nature, including those related to federal healthcare programs and healthcare providers, and regulatory, quality and product safety issues that affect us.

    The Risk Committee, which was formed in May 2020, focuses on the enterprise-wide approach to risk management, regulatory compliance, the quality and safety of our products and our insurance program. The Risk Committee has primary oversight responsibility for areas of quality and non-financial compliance issues, while the Audit Committee has general

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      oversight of our financial compliance, including financial reporting, internal controls and financial risk exposure resulting from legal and regulatory compliance matters. The Risk Committee coordinates and consults with the Audit Committee for the purpose of sharing information pertinent to the Audit Committee's consideration and oversight of our risk and risk management programs and policies.

    The Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee evaluates and sets compensation programs that encourage decision-making predicated upon a level of risk consistent with our business strategy. The Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee also reviews compensation and benefit plans affecting employees in addition to those applicable to executive officers.

    The Nominating and Governance Committee oversees governance and succession risk, including Board and Chief Executive Officer succession, and evaluates director skills and qualifications to ensure the appropriate appointment of particular directors to our standing committees based upon the needs of that committee.

Given the Board's role in risk oversight, it believes that any leadership structure that it adopts must allow it to effectively oversee the management of the risks relating to our operations. Although there are different leadership structures that could allow our Board to oversee risk management effectively, and while our Board believes our current leadership structure will enable it to manage such risks effectively, it was one factor among many considered by our Board in selecting this leadership structure over other potential alternatives. For a discussion of the reasons why our Board has determined that its leadership structure is appropriate, please see the "Board Leadership Structure" above.

Communications with the Board

Stockholders and other interested parties who wish to communicate directly with any member of our Board, or our non-management directors as a group, may do so by writing to the Board of Directors or Non-Management Directors, Boston Scientific Corporation, c/o General Counsel, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752 or by contacting the Board via email at BSCboardofdirectors@bsci.com or non-management directors at non-managementdirectors@bsci.com. The Board has authorized the office of our General Counsel to review and organize, but not screen, communications from stockholders and other interested parties and deliver them to the Board or non-management directors, as applicable. We do screen commercial solicitations for appropriateness.

The Company is committed to stockholder engagement. In addition to the communication process detailed above, stockholders also have the opportunity to speak at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders, participate in the annual "say-on-pay" advisory vote and communicate with our active Investor Relations department, among other avenues for engagement. The Board seriously considers the views of stockholders in its decision-making process. For example, based on engagement with our stockholders and benchmarking of corporate governance best practices, the Board determined that it was in the best interest of the Company and our stockholders to:

    amend the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines to require that women and racially/ethnically diverse candidates are among the initial slate of candidates presented for consideration in external searches for a Chief Executive Officer and new Board members;

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    approve amendments to the By-Laws to allow for proxy access, a process by which stockholders meeting certain requirements can nominate directors for election using the Company's proxy materials; and

    recommend that stockholders approve amendments to the Corporation's By-Laws implementing a majority voting standard in uncontested director elections.

The Board values the input of the stockholders who engaged with us on these important matters, and believes that the changes enhance stockholder rights, provide increased accountability of the Company and our Board to our stockholders, and give us an opportunity to further demonstrate our values and commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Board and Committee Service Limitation

Without the approval of the Nominating and Governance Committee, no director may sit on more than four public company boards (including our Board) and our Chief Executive Officer may not sit on more than two public company boards (including our Board). No director may serve simultaneously on the audit committees of more than three public companies (including the Company), unless the Board of Directors has determined that such service would not impair the ability of the member to effectively serve on the Company's Audit Committee, such determination to be disclosed in accordance with applicable NYSE or SEC rules. All of our Board members have complied with these limitations or procedures. In accordance with such procedures, the Nominating and Governance Committee and/or Board, as required, has reviewed and approved the following service of our directors:

    At the May 2017 Board meeting, the Board made a determination that the then-proposed service of Mr. Dockendorff on the audit committee of a fourth public company (including the Company) would not impair his ability to effectively serve on the Company's Audit Committee. The Board has reviewed this service on an annual basis thereafter and determined that it does not impair Mr. Dockendorff's ability to serve on the Company's Audit Committee.

    Following review at its meeting in February 2020, the Nominating and Governance Committee made a determination that the potential service of Ms. Connors on the boards of five public companies for a brief, transitional period, if needed, would not impair her ability to serve on the Company's Board. Later in 2020, Ms. Connors completed the transitions between outside boards and now serves on the boards of four public companies, including the Company's Board.

    At a Special Meeting in December 2019, the Nominating and Governance Committee reviewed and made a determination that the then-proposed service of Mr. Fujimori on the board of a fifth public company (including the Company) would not impair his ability to serve on the Company's Board and stockholders. In making its determination, the Committee considered, among other factors, Mr. Fujimori's strong record of attendance at meetings of the Board and the committee of which he is a member, the relative geographic proximity of the other companies on whose boards he serves, and his capacity to serve on another public company board. The Nominating and Governance Committee reviewed Mr. Fujimori's outside board service in November 2020, and believes that, at this time, allowing Mr. Fujimori the exception to the general limit of four public company boards continues to be appropriate. Among other factors, the Committee considered his demonstrated ability to serve the Company and its stockholders; his consistent and robust engagement with the Company and Board; and the

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      exceptional value he brings to the Board. In particular, Mr. Fujimori brings deep expertise from extensive executive experience and his outside board service in the Asia Pacific region, which is of increasing strategic importance and focus to the Company. Mr. Fujimori intends to reduce his outside board memberships to four public company boards (including the Company) within eighteen months.

Related Party Transactions

Our Board has adopted a written related party transaction policy to monitor transactions, arrangements or relationships in which the Company and any of the following have an interest: (i) any person who is or was (since the beginning of 2020, even if they do not presently serve in that role) an executive officer or director or director nominee; (ii) any person or entity who holds more than a 5% beneficial ownership of our common stock; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing; or (iv) any entity in which any of the foregoing persons is employed or is a general partner or principal or acts in any similar position in which such person or persons collectively have a 10% or greater beneficial ownership interest. The policy covers any related party transaction that meets the minimum threshold for disclosure under relevant SEC rules (generally, transactions involving amounts exceeding $120,000 in which a related person has a direct or indirect material interest).

Related party transaction oversight is the responsibility of our Nominating and Governance Committee. Our General Counsel is responsible for identifying any potential related party transactions and, if she determines that an existing or proposed transaction constitutes a related party transaction under the policy, she will provide relevant details and an analysis of the related party transaction to the Nominating and Governance Committee. The General Counsel provides an annual summary to the Nominating and Governance Committee of all transactions or relationships which she considered under this policy, including those that she determined do not constitute a related party transaction. If the General Counsel has an interest in a potential related party transaction, she will provide all relevant information to the Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee, who will provide the information to the other members of such Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews relevant information concerning any existing or proposed transaction contemplated by the Company with an entity that is the subject of a disclosed relationship, and approves or rejects the transaction, with or without conditions or additional protections for the Company. Our related party transactions policy can be found in our Corporate Governance Guidelines available under "Governance Overview" in the "Investor Relations" section of our website at www.bostonscientific.com.

Each of the following related party transactions was ratified by the Company's Nominating and Governance Committee at its February 22, 2021 meeting: As part of our Company's commitment to dismantling systemic racism and promoting equality and diversity, the Company announced that it pledged $1 million over four years to support The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (the "Fund"). Desiree Ralls-Morrison, our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, was a founder and serves in the leadership of the Fund. In 2020, the Company made two donations, totaling $750,000 in the aggregate, to the Fund in support of its pledge.

The son of Joseph M. Fitzgerald, our Executive Vice President, Interventional Cardiology, is employed by the Company as a clinical specialist for our Watchman franchise. During 2020, his total compensation, including base salary and commission, was $144,000. His base compensation was commensurate with that of other employees in similar positions within the Company.

The daughter of Edward F. Mackey, our Executive Vice President, Global Operations, is employed by the Company as a manager, regulatory affairs in our Endoscopy business. During 2020, her total

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compensation, including base salary, bonus for 2019 paid in 2020, and taxable income from vesting of a prior year equity award was approximately $167,000. Her compensation was commensurate with that of other employees in similar positions within the Company.

Code of Conduct

We maintain a Code of Conduct, which has been approved by our Board, to ensure that our directors, employees and officers, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, understand the basic principles that govern our corporate conduct. The Code of Conduct is available under "Governance Overview" in the "Investor Relations" section of our website at www.bostonscientific.com. A stockholder may request a copy of the Code of Conduct by contacting our Corporate Secretary at Boston Scientific Corporation, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752. Any waivers or substantive amendments of the Code of Conduct will be disclosed on our website at www.bostonscientific.com.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a key focus of our business. We endeavor to reduce our environmental footprint on a global basis, engage with and support the communities where we operate, conduct our operations in a responsible and ethical manner, advance the growth and capabilities or our employees and develop innovative products that improve health care worldwide. By proactively addressing energy consumption, carbon output, waste management, and water use, we are making measurable progress toward shaping a better future for our planet, which directly impacts the wellbeing of our patients, customers, employees, communities, and investors. Using our Global Energy Management System, we implement our C3 strategy — Cut, Convert, Compensate — to cut energy use, convert to renewable sources instead of fossil fuels, and compensate with carbon offset projects as needed. This strategy helps us make progress towards our goals including using 100% renewable electricity by 2024, 90% renewable energy (all sources) by 2027, and achieving carbon neutrality in manufacturing and key distribution sites for all products by 2030.

For more, please see our sustainability report available at www.bostonscientific.com/performancereport.

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MEETINGS AND BOARD COMMITTEES

Board Meetings and Director Attendance

The Board met eleven times in 2020. In 2020, each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (1) the total number of meetings of our Board of Directors (held during the period for which he or she has been a director) and (2) the total number of meetings of all committees of our Board of Directors on which the director served (during the periods that he or she served).

Directors are expected to prepare for and use reasonable efforts to participate in all Board meetings and meetings of the committees on which they serve. The Board and each committee will meet as frequently as necessary to properly discharge their responsibilities, provided that the full Board will meet at least four times per year. In addition, directors are expected to use reasonable efforts to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. At our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, all of our directors were in attendance.

Executive Sessions

Directors who qualify as independent directors within the meaning of the NYSE Corporate Governance Standards meet in executive sessions without management at every regularly scheduled Board meeting and at such other times as they deem appropriate. Our independent directors meet in executive session at least once annually. In 2020, our independent directors met in executive session without non-independent directors six times. The Chairman of the Board, if independent, or the Lead Independent Director, if the Chairman of the Board is not independent, will preside at executive sessions of independent directors. In his absence, the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee presides at these executive sessions, and, in his absence, the Chair of the Audit Committee presides.

Committees of the Board of Directors

Our Board currently has standing Audit, Executive Compensation and Human Resources, Nominating and Governance, and Risk Committees. All of the members of the Audit Committee, Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee, and Nominating and Governance Committee meet the applicable independence requirements of the NYSE and the SEC. Our Board also establishes special committees from time to time to address specific issues or discrete matters as the need arises.

Each of our standing committees is governed by a written charter, which is subject to annual review by each respective committee and approval by the Board. Committee charters are available under "Governance Overview" in the "Investor Relations" section of our website at www.bostonscientific.com.

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Board Committee Membership

As of March 12, 2021, our committee membership was as follows:

Name
  Audit
Committee

  Executive
Compensation
and Human
Resources
Committee

  Nominating and
Governance
Committee

  Risk
Committee

Nelda J. Connors

    *     *

Charles J. Dockendorff

  +           *

Yoshiaki Fujimori

        *

Donna A. James

      +   *    

Edward J. Ludwig

    *    

Stephen P. MacMillan

      *   *    

Michael F. Mahoney

       

David J. Roux

  *       +    

John E. Sununu

  *       +

Ellen M. Zane

  *       *    

*   Committee Member
+   Committee Chair

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee met ten times in 2020. Our Audit Committee is comprised of Messrs. Dockendorff, Roux and Sununu and Ms. Zane, each of whom meets the independence requirements of the NYSE and the SEC. The Board has also determined that each of Messrs. Dockendorff and Sununu and Ms. Zane is an "audit committee financial expert" as that term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.

As outlined in its written charter, the primary purpose of the Audit Committee is to provide oversight of our accounting and financial reporting processes and audits of our financial statements, as well as of our global compliance program, including matters related to compliance with financial, legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee has responsibility to, among other things:

    provide assistance to our Board in the areas of corporate accounting, internal control, independent audit and reporting practices;

    maintain, by way of regularly scheduled meetings, a direct line of communication among our directors, management, our internal auditors and our independent registered public accounting firm;

    appoint our independent registered public accounting firm, evaluate its qualifications, independence and performance, and review its reports and other services, and has the right to terminate our independent registered public accounting firm;

    pre-approve audit, audit-related and non-audit services performed for us by our independent registered public accounting firm; and

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    assist the Board in its oversight of financial, legal and regulatory compliance, including financial reporting, internal controls and financial risk exposure to the Company resulting from legal and regulatory compliance matters, and all other areas of compliance.

The Audit Committee Report can be found on page 108 of this Proxy Statement.

Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee

Our Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee (Compensation Committee) met five times in 2020. Ms. James, Ms. Connors, and Messrs. Ludwig and MacMillan are the current members of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee is, and was during 2020, comprised exclusively of "independent directors," as defined by the NYSE, including under the heightened independence standards applicable to compensation committee members, "non-employee directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), and "outside directors" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.

As outlined in its written charter, the Compensation Committee has the responsibility to, among other things:

    set the corporate goals and objectives relative to the Chief Executive Officer's compensation and evaluate the Chief Executive Officer's performance against those goals and objectives;

    determine and approve our Chief Executive Officer's compensation;

    review, oversee and determine (or make recommendations to the Board regarding) the total compensation package for our other executive officers;

    review and approve all new employment, consulting, retirement, severance and change in control agreements, indemnification agreements and other arrangements proposed for our executive officers, except for employment agreements with the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer, with respect to which it shall review and make recommendations to the Board, and periodically review and evaluate these arrangements for continuing appropriateness;

    review and make recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation of our non-employee directors;

    adopt and periodically review a comprehensive statement of executive compensation philosophy, strategy and principles;

    review and discuss with management how the Company's compensation policies and programs for all of its employees may create incentives that can affect risk and the management of that risk, as well as whether the Company's compensation programs are appropriately aligned with the Company's risk management; and

    exercise oversight responsibility for human capital management matters, such as compensation, engagement, talent recruitment and development, and company culture.

The Compensation Committee may delegate its authority and duties to subcommittees or individual members of the Compensation Committee, as it deems appropriate in accordance with applicable laws

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and regulations. The Compensation Committee has delegated authority to our Chief Executive Officer to make equity grants to new hires and retention awards to existing employees who are not executive officers within predetermined guidelines. These grants are reviewed with the Compensation Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Compensation Committee may also delegate authority to make amendments to the Company's benefit plans and Global Employee Stock Ownership Plan to the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, that she determines to be necessary to maintain compliance with applicable law or other technical amendments that do not materially increase the cost of the plans to the Company.

Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee has sole authority to retain or obtain advice from any compensation consultant, legal counsel or other advisor, as the Compensation Committee deems appropriate to assist the Committee in the performance of its duties, including the sole authority to approve the compensation and other terms and conditions of retention. Prior to any such retention, and on an annual basis, the Compensation Committee considers any factors relevant to such consultant's, legal counsel's or advisor's independence from management, including the factors specified in the NYSE Corporate Governance Standards or other listing rules, to evaluate whether the services to be performed will raise any conflict of interest or compromise the independence of such consultant, legal counsel or advisor. Semler Brossy Consulting Group, LLC (Semler Brossy) served as the Compensation Committee's independent compensation consultant in 2020. During 2020, Semler Brossy provided the following compensation services to the Compensation Committee:

    reviewed and recommended the peer group of companies used in evaluating executive and director compensation;

    provided information and commentary on executive and director compensation market trends;

    collected and analyzed market pay data on director and executive compensation;

    reviewed and provided commentary and recommendations on our executive and director compensation arrangements in comparison to market; and

    reviewed and provided commentary on our proxy disclosures and management proposals concerning executive pay.

For additional information regarding the services provided by Semler Brossy, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section.

In 2020, Semler Brossy and its affiliates did not provide additional services to the Company other than at the request of the Compensation Committee. After review and consultation with Semler Brossy, the Compensation Committee determined that Semler Brossy is independent, and there is no conflict of interest resulting from retaining Semler Brossy currently or during 2020. In reaching these conclusions, the Compensation Committee considered the factors set forth in the SEC rules and the NYSE listing standards.

In accordance with its annual review of its compensation consultant engagement, the Compensation Committee will evaluate the engagement of Semler Brossy in May 2021.

The Compensation Committee Report can be found on page 75 of this Proxy Statement.

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Nominating and Governance Committee

The Nominating and Governance Committee met four times in 2020. Messrs. Roux and MacMillan, Ms. James, and Ms. Zane are the current members of the Nominating and Governance Committee, each of whom is a non-employee director and meets the independence requirements of the NYSE.

As outlined in its written charter, the Nominating and Governance Committee has responsibility to, among other things:

    recommend nominees for election and re-election to the Board;

    ensure that Board nominees are qualified and consistent with our needs;

    monitor significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance for directors of public companies;

    recommend Board committee assignments;

    review and recommend Board policies and procedures;

    review political contributions made by the Company;

    monitor compliance with our stock ownership guidelines and with our related party transactions and board service policies;

    oversee the Board and each committee of the Board in their annual performance self-evaluations;

    recommend to the Board candidates for Chairman and Chief Executive Officer;

    review and assess a succession plan for the Chief Executive Officer; and

    monitor developments and oversee the Company's practices and policies related to environmental and social issues, and other matters impacting the Company's standing as a responsible corporate citizen.

The Nominating and Governance Committee is also responsible for reviewing with the Board, on an annual basis, the current size, structure and composition of the Board as a whole, and whether the Company is being well served by the current directors taking into account the following: the directors' degree of independence; business background, including any areas of particular expertise, such as accounting or related financial management expertise, marketing or technology; record of service (for incumbent directors), including attendance record; meeting preparation; overall contribution to the Board; employment status; gender; ethnicity; years of experience; availability for service to us; and our anticipated needs.

For information on the nomination process conducted by the Nominating and Governance Committee and our policies regarding stockholder nominations of directors, please see the Corporate Governance section titled "Director Nomination Process."

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Risk Committee

The Risk Committee met three times in 2020, beginning with its initial meeting in May 2020. Messrs. Sununu, Dockendorff, and Fujimori and Ms. Connors are the current members of the Risk Committee. As outlined in its written charter, the Risk Committee is charged with providing Board oversight of matters relating to (i) the enterprise-wide approach to risk management, (ii) regulatory compliance, (iii) the quality and safety of our products, and (iv) our insurance program.

The Risk Committee has responsibility to, among other things:

    review our guidelines, processes and policies to monitor, assess, evaluate and manage risk;

    review regular reports from management on matters relating to strategic and operational initiatives, financial performance and legal developments, which are each integrated with enterprise-risk exposures;

    review, at least annually, the significant non-financial compliance matters, including significant legal or regulatory compliance risks;

    review the adequacy and effectiveness of our strategies and practices with respect to (i) compliance with laws and regulations administered by applicable state, local and foreign agencies, (ii) the safety and quality of our products, and (iii) other material aspects of our quality and compliance functions;

    conduct periodic review of reports regarding significant compliance matters from the senior executives in charge of our internal quality program and compliance functions, including (i) our efforts to comply with key mandates of applicable state, local and foreign agencies, and (ii) the results of quality and quality system assessments;

    stay informed of major regulatory changes both domestically and internationally to ensure we are poised to meet new standards; and

    review our insurance programs at least annually and make recommendations to the Board when appropriate.

Finance Committee

In March 2020, our Board determined that it would be in the best interests of the Corporation and our stockholders to dissolve the Finance Committee and create a Risk Committee, effective May 6, 2020. Before May, the Finance Committee met one time in 2020.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

The members of our Compensation Committee during 2020 were Ms. Connors, Ms. James, Mr. Ludwig and Mr. MacMillan. None of these Compensation Committee members is or has ever been an officer or employee of our Company. During 2020, no member of the Compensation Committee had a relationship that must be described under the SEC rules relating to disclosure of related person transactions. In 2020, none of our executive officers served on the board of directors or compensation committee (or other board committee performing equivalent functions) of any entity that had one or more of its executive officers serving on the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Company.

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Elements of Director Compensation

The Compensation Committee evaluates the appropriate level and form of compensation for non-employee directors at least annually and recommends changes to our Board when appropriate. Non-employee directors receive a combination of cash and equity compensation for their service on our Board. To determine the level of compensation for 2020, the Compensation Committee relied on the consulting services of Semler Brossy, as well as publicly available data describing director compensation in our peer group companies, to establish an appropriate and competitive level of compensation. The Compensation Committee generally aims to provide a level of compensation that is competitive with the median of peer and other similar companies. The Compensation Committee also took into consideration the significant amount of time and dedication required by our directors to fulfill their duties on our Board and Board committees as well as the need to continue to attract highly qualified candidates to serve on our Board. Our director compensation is as follows:

Non-Employee Directors

2020 Compensation

For their service for the annual term beginning on the date of the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the non-employee director compensation program is described below and in the following sections:

    an annual cash retainer of $115,000;

    an annual grant of equity with a value of $185,000;

    an annual cash fee of $20,000 for the chair of each of our Board committees, other than the chair of our Audit Committee;

    an annual cash fee of $25,000 for the chair of our Audit Committee; and

    an annual cash fee of $40,000 to our Lead Independent Director.

In April 2020, in light of the disruption and uncertainty created by the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its anticipated impact on the Company's operations, the Board of Directors determined that, for the one-year term beginning at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, for each non-employee director serving on the Board, the annual cash retainer of $115,000 would be temporarily reduced by 50 percent. In the event that a non-employee director elected to receive equity in lieu of the annual cash retainer, as permitted under the Company's non-employee director compensation program, such grant occurred in the ordinary course in connection with the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders but was reduced in value by 50 percent. Additionally, the fee paid to the Lead Independent Director would be reduced by 50 percent, from $40,000 to $20,000.

On September 30, 2020, the Board determined that, due to stronger business results compared with the Company's prior expectations, the annual cash retainer for the Board and the fee for the Lead Independent Director would be restored, beginning with a payment expected to be made during the fourth quarter of 2020. As a result, the aggregate annual cash retainer for the Board and Lead Independent Director fee were two-thirds, rather than one-half, of the previously approved amounts

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for the 2020 term. In the event that a non-employee director elected to receive equity in lieu of the annual cash retainer, an additional grant valued at one-sixth of the annual cash retainer was made at or around the time of the payment of the fourth quarter 2020 Board cash retainer.

The annual equity grants are made on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders. If a non-employee director is appointed to the Board on a date other than the annual meeting of stockholders, an equity grant in an amount equal to the then-current non-employee director annual award, prorated for the time period from the effective date of the appointment to the next annual meeting of stockholders, is made on the first trading day of the month following the month in which the new director was appointed to the Board. Such awards made to new non-employee directors become free from restriction upon the expiration of the new director's current term of office on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant, subject to the director's continuation of service during such term. Additionally, if a non-employee director is appointed to the Board on a date other than the annual meeting of stockholders, the annual cash retainer for such director will be prorated for the time period from the effective date of the appointment to the next annual meeting of stockholders.

Cash Compensation

Each non-employee director receives the annual cash retainer and fees on a quarterly basis. For 2020, each non-employee director could elect to receive all or a portion of his or her cash compensation as one or both of two equity alternatives, each to vest on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant, subject to the director's continuation of service during such term: (i) restricted stock valued based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant; and (ii) deferred stock units, valued based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant (with shares of our common stock to be issued only after a director's separation from Board service in accordance with the Boston Scientific Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, as amended and restated, effective January 1, 2014 (the 2014 Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan)). Each non-employee director could also choose to defer receipt of all or a portion of his or her annual cash compensation under the 2014 Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, as described further below.

Equity Compensation

The annual equity grants are made on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders and are subject to the terms and conditions of our 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan (2011 LTIP). In 2020, each non-employee director could elect to receive his or her annual equity award as one or both of the following two equity compensation alternatives, each to vest on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant, subject to the director's continuation of service during such term: (i) restricted stock valued based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant; and (ii) deferred stock units valued based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant (with shares of our common stock to be issued only after a director's separation from Board service in accordance with the 2014 Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan).

Amendment and Restatement of 2011 LTIP

At the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our stockholders voted to approve an amendment and restatement of the 2011 LTIP, which, among other changes, provided that a reasonable annual limit would be imposed on the cash and equity compensation that may be granted or paid to any non-employee director during a calendar year so that the accounting value of equity awards, when

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aggregated with cash compensation, granted to a non-employee director in any calendar year does not exceed $600,000.

Employee Directors

Directors who are also employees of the Company receive no compensation for serving on the Board or its committees.

Other Payments and Benefits

We pay or reimburse our directors for transportation, hotel, meals and other incidental expenses incurred in connection with their performance of services for us, including attending Board and committee meetings and participating in director education programs. Our corporate aircraft is made available to our directors for travel to and from our Board meetings, as well as for certain other Company business travel. We also extend directors' and officers' indemnity insurance coverage to each of our directors.

Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plans

Each non-employee director may, by written election, defer receipt of all or a portion of the annual cash retainer, annual cash committee chair fees and equity compensation under our 2014 Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan. Cash amounts deferred can be invested in deemed investment options in which we credit the amount deferred plus any earnings from the chosen investment options. Investment options under the plan are generally the same as those offered under the Company's 401(k) Plan through Vanguard, except that, among other things, directors may not elect to invest in the BSC Stock Fund. Deferred cash amounts are payable, at the non-employee director's written election, in either a lump-sum or in annual installments after a director's separation from Board service or in a lump-sum on an earlier fixed date (in all cases, in accordance with the plan).

Director Stock Ownership Guidelines

We believe the stock ownership requirements for our non-employee directors align the interests of our directors with the long-term interests of our stockholders. Our director stock ownership guidelines provide that each non-employee director should own shares with a value equal to at least five times the director annual cash retainer within five years of joining the Board. For purposes of satisfying this obligation, stock units and stock or stock unit deferrals under a Company deferred compensation plan may be included in the aggregate number of shares held by a director. All of our non-employee directors who have served five years or more currently meet our director stock ownership guidelines. The Nominating and Governance Committee monitors compliance with these guidelines on an annual basis. For information regarding the stock ownership guidelines applicable to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines."

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Director Compensation Table

The table below summarizes the compensation paid or earned by our non-employee directors for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Name(1)
  Fees
Earned or
Paid in
Cash
($)(2)(3)

  Stock
Awards
($)(2)(4)(5)

  Change in
Pension
Value and
Non-Qualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)(6)

  All Other
Compensation
($)

  Total
($)

Nelda J. Connors

  76,686   185,000   2,412     264,098

Charles J. Dockendorff

  101,686   185,000       286,686

Yoshiaki Fujimori

  76,686   185,000       261,686

Donna A. James

  96,686   185,000       281,686

Edward J. Ludwig

  103,360   185,000       288,360

Stephen P. MacMillan

  76,631   185,000       261,631

David J. Roux

  96,686   185,000       281,686

John E. Sununu

  96,686   185,000       281,686

Ellen M. Zane

  76,686   185,000       261,686

(1)   Mr. Mahoney, the Chairman of our Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, is not included in this table because Mr. Mahoney did not receive any compensation for his services as a director in 2020. His compensation as an executive of the Company is discussed in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis and Executive Compensation sections.

(2)

 

The "Stock Awards" column and, to the extent a director received equity in lieu of cash compensation, the "Fees Earned or Paid in Cash" column, present grant date fair value (and the notes below present the individual grant date fair values) of each director's equity award computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718. For a description of the assumptions used for purposes of determining grant date fair value, please see Note L — Stock Ownership Plans to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 — Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

(3)

 

Mr. MacMillan elected to receive equity in the form of restricted stock for his entire cash retainer earned in 2020. The following table reports the equity granted to Mr. MacMillan in lieu of cash for the one-year term beginning after the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Mr. MacMillan's grants reflect the temporary reduction of the annual cash retainer by fifty percent and subsequent termination of such reduction, as described in the section entitled "2020 Compensation", above.
Name
Equity Award
Grant Date
Number of
Units(#)

Grant Date
Fair Value($)

Vesting Date

Stephen P. MacMillan

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 1,554 57,498 May 6, 2021

Restricted Stock October 1, 2020 498 19,133 May 6, 2021

(4)

 

Each non-employee director elected at our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders was granted an equity award with a value of $185,000. For each director that elected to receive restricted stock, the restricted stock vests on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant, subject to the director's continued service during such term. For each director that elected to receive deferred stock units, the deferred stock units vest on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant, subject to continued service during such term, and vested shares of stock will be issued to the director upon his or her separation from Board service in accordance with the 2014 Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan.

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The annual equity awards to our directors during 2020 are shown below:
Name
Equity Award
Grant Date
Number of
Shares/
Units(#)

Grant Date
Fair Value($)

Vesting Date

Nelda J. Connors

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

Charles J. Dockendorff

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

Yoshiaki Fujimori

Deferred Stock Units May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

Donna A. James

Deferred Stock Units May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

Edward J. Ludwig

Deferred Stock Units May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

Stephen P. MacMillan

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

David J. Roux

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

John E. Sununu

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

Ellen M. Zane

Restricted Stock May 7, 2020 5,000 185,000 May 6, 2021

    The outstanding Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Deferred and Deferred Stock Units held by the non-employee directors at December 31, 2020 are shown below:
Name
  Outstanding
Restricted Stock

  Outstanding Deferred
Stock Units and
Restricted Stock Deferred

Nelda J. Connors

  5,000   77,569

Charles J. Dockendorff

  5,000  

Yoshiaki Fujimori

    23,111

Donna A. James

    18,484

Edward J. Ludwig

    32,673

Stephen P. MacMillan

  7,052   45,694

David J. Roux

  5,000  

John E. Sununu

  5,000   81,757

Ellen M. Zane

  5,000  

 

 

For more information on the beneficial ownership of our directors, please see the section titled "Certain Beneficial Ownership Matters".

(5)

 

The outstanding, unexercised stock options at December 31, 2020, pursuant to stock option awards previously granted to non-employee directors, all of which have vested, are shown below.
Name
  Outstanding
Stock Options

Edward J. Ludwig

  16,818

Stephen P. MacMillan

  34,493

(6)

 

The amounts in this column represent the "above-market" portion of 2020 earnings under the interest crediting investment option available under the Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan. The interest rate used under the plan each year is the Moody's Composite Yield on Seasoned Corporate Bonds for the month of September of the preceding year. For 2020, the interest rate used under the plan was 3.38%, the Moody's rate in September 2019. Under SEC rules, interest on non-qualified deferred compensation is considered "above-market" if the interest rate exceeds 120% of the federal long-term interest rate, with compounding at the rate that corresponds most closely to the rate under the plan, at the time the interest rate or formula is set. For 2020, 120% of the applicable federal long-term interest rate was 2.66%.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Our Executive Officers

As of March 12, 2021, our executive officers were as follows:

Name
  Age
  Title

Michael F. Mahoney

  56   Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

Daniel J. Brennan

  55   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Arthur C. Butcher

  50   Executive Vice President and President, Asia Pacific

Wendy Carruthers

  52   Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Jodi Euerle Eddy

  48   Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  57   Executive Vice President and President, Interventional Cardiology

Edward F. Mackey

  58   Executive Vice President, Global Operations

Professor Ian T. Meredith AM

  64   Executive Vice President and Global Chief Medical Officer

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  55   Executive Vice President and President, Peripheral Interventions

Maulik Nanavaty

  59   Senior Vice President and President, Neuromodulation

Scott Olson

  51   Senior Vice President and President,

    Rhythm Management

David A. Pierce

  57   Executive Vice President and President, MedSurg and President, Endoscopy

Desiree Ralls-Morrison

  54   Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Meghan Scanlon

  48   Senior Vice President and President, Urology and Pelvic Health

John Bradley Sorenson

  53   Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Eric Thépaut

  59   Executive Vice President and President, Europe, Middle East and Africa

Biographical Information About Our Executive Officers

For Michael F. Mahoney, please see his biography in Proposal 1: Election of Directors.

Daniel J. Brennan is our executive vice president and chief financial officer, a position he has held since January 2014. In this role, he is responsible for several company functions, including global controllership, global internal audit, corporate finance, treasury, corporate tax, investor relations, and corporate business development. Prior to that, he was the Company's senior vice president and corporate controller, a role he served in since January 2010. Since joining Boston Scientific in December 1996, Mr. Brennan has held roles with increased responsibilities, including vice president and assistant corporate controller, vice president of finance and information technology for worldwide financial and strategic planning, investor relations, international finance and Cardiovascular, group controller of the non-vascular business and controller of the Meditech Vascular business. Mr. Brennan is also the Co-Chair of our Global Council for Inclusion. He holds a B.S. degree in Finance and

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Investments and an M.B.A from Babson College. Mr. Brennan is also a certified public accountant and a member of the College Advisory Board of Babson College. He currently is a member of the board of directors of Nuance Communications.

Arthur C. Butcher is our executive vice president and president, Asia Pacific, a position he has held since February 2020. In this role, he is responsible for commercialization of our full portfolio of products across all divisions in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to his current role, Mr. Butcher served as our senior vice president and president, Endoscopy, a position he held from July 2016 until February 2020. In this role, he was responsible for developing and bringing to market less invasive devices for treating gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions. He also served as vice president & general manager, Japan Endoscopy from August 2014 to June 2016. Mr. Butcher has held a variety of marketing and strategic planning management positions within the Endoscopy and Urology and Pelvic Health businesses, including vice president of global marketing, Endoscopy division from April 2011 to August 2014, and vice president of new business development and strategic planning, Urology & Women's Health. Since joining Boston Scientific in 1997, Mr. Butcher has held management roles with increasing responsibility and has deep experience across divisions. Mr. Butcher currently is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion. He holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Wendy Carruthers is our senior vice president, human resources, a position she has held since December 2012. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the Company's human resources activities globally, including human resources operations and services, total rewards, talent management, diversity and inclusion and community engagement. Prior to her current role, Ms. Carruthers served as the head of human resources on an interim basis from August 2012 to November 2012, as well as our vice president of global talent management from January 2011 to November 2012. Ms. Carruthers has been with Boston Scientific since 2004 and has held various positions such as, vice president of human resources for our Europe, Middle East and Africa region; vice president of human resources for Europe and director of human resources for Europe. Also, Ms. Carruthers serves as a Co-Chair of our Global Council for Inclusion. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Ms. Carruthers was vice president of human resources, Europe for Cable & Wireless. Ms. Carruthers holds a B.A. First Class Honors Degree in Modern Languages from the University of Salford and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She serves on the Board of Envista Holdings Corporation and the Boston Scientific Foundation and is a member of the Greater Boston Food Bank Emeriti Board.

Jodi Euerle Eddy is our senior vice president and chief information and digital officer, a position she has held since July 2020. In her current role, Ms. Eddy is responsible for positioning the Company for success across multi-disciplinary digital and information technology (IT) needs and overseeing the Company's strategy for digital health, data analytics, and cyber security capabilities. Ms. Eddy leads an IT organization and expanded digital team of employees and contractors worldwide focused on continued advancement into complex, integrated digital solutions to address evolving customer and patient data needs. She served as senior vice president and chief information officer from December 2015 to July 2020. Ms. Eddy joined the Company in December of 2013 as our vice president, Information Systems. She is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and is the executive sponsor for our HOLA employee resource group, which celebrates Hispanic heritage and provides development and leadership opportunities to its members. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Ms. Eddy progressed through several roles of increasing leadership of information systems positions over 18 years at General Electric, including serving as the commercial chief information officer for the Oil and Gas business from October 2012 until December 2013; chief commercial information officer for the Measurement and Control business from October 2011 until February 2012; and chief information officer for the Engineered Systems business from October 2008 until February 2011. Ms. Eddy earned

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a B.S. in computer science from Southern Connecticut State University. She holds certifications in Master Black Belt Six Sigma, CISSP and CISCO CCNA.

Joseph M. Fitzgerald is our executive vice president and president, Interventional Cardiology, a position he has held since July 2020. In this role, he is responsible for developing and bringing to market innovative solutions that diagnose and treat coronary artery disease and structural heart disorders. He served as executive vice president and president, Rhythm Management, from February 2014 until July 2020, having previously served as senior vice president and president, Cardiac Rhythm Management from July 2011. Prior to that, he was senior vice president and president, Endovascular from February 2010 until July 2011 and president and general manager of Peripheral Interventions and president of Electrophysiology. Mr. Fitzgerald held a variety of management positions in our Neurovascular and Peripheral Interventions businesses. These included numerous regional and divisional sales management assignments up to and including his roles as vice president, global marketing for the Neurovascular business and vice president of U.S. sales for the Neurovascular business. Mr. Fitzgerald is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion. Prior to joining Boston Scientific in 1990 as a sales representative, Mr. Fitzgerald was with Anheuser Busch, Inc., where he held a variety of sales, marketing and training assignments. Mr. Fitzgerald holds a B.S. in Business from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University with a concentration in Marketing and Finance.

Edward F. Mackey is our executive vice president, Global Operations, a position he has held since February 2015. In this role, he is responsible for global manufacturing and supply chain, quality and regulatory affairs, IT, global business services, global business excellence, and corporate research and development. Mr. Mackey is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and is the executive sponsor of our LEAD employee resource group, which promotes the inclusion of individuals with any disability. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Mr. Mackey was worldwide president of DePuy Synthes Power Tools, a division of Johnson & Johnson from November 2012 to January 2015, and vice president of integration for Johnson & Johnson's acquisition of Synthes from June 2010 to November 2012. Early in his career, Mr. Mackey held management positions in operations, quality and product development at Raytheon's Mille Systems division. In 1995, he moved to Johnson & Johnson Orthopaedics as a plant manager and progressed through a series of manufacturing and supply chain leadership roles, becoming worldwide vice president of supply chain and manufacturing for DePuy. Mr. Mackey holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A from the University of Massachusetts. He is a Board member of the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Professor Ian T. Meredith AM is our executive vice president and global chief medical officer, a position he has held since January 2017. In this role, he is responsible for leading clinical science and medical affairs across Boston Scientific and providing global leadership of the company's clinical trial strategy. Mr. Meredith serves on our Global Council for Inclusion and is an executive sponsor for our PEARL employee resource group, which is a network of employees with an Asian-Pacific focus. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Professor Meredith served as professor and director of MonashHeart, and executive director of the Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, from September 2005 to December 2016. Professor Meredith has over 25 years of experience as a clinical and interventional cardiologist and also served as director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and Interventional Cardiology. Professor Meredith has been a member of the Board of the National Heart Foundation (Australia) and a member of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand National Board. Professor Meredith received a Ph.D. from the Baker Institute in Melbourne and an Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for service to medicine in the field of Cardiology as a clinician and researcher. In 2019, Professor Meredith received a Doctor Laws honoris causa from Monash University for distinguished and exceptional service to the field of medicine and healthcare.

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Jeffrey B. Mirviss is our executive vice president and president, Peripheral Interventions, a position he has held since February 2020. In this role, he is responsible for developing and bringing to market innovative solutions for treating patients with arterial and venous system blockages and cancer. Prior to his current role, he was our senior vice president and president, Peripheral Interventions, from January 2013 until January 2020, and president, Peripheral Interventions from July 2011 to January 2013. Mr. Mirviss has more than 31 years of experience in medical device and pharmaceutical general management, marketing and sales. Since joining Boston Scientific in 1997, Mr. Mirviss also served as our vice president, Group Global Marketing, Cardiology, Rhythm and Vascular and vice president, Global Cardiology Marketing. Mr. Mirviss is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and is the executive sponsor of our Women's Network employee resource group. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Mr. Mirviss worked for companies ranging in size from a pre-revenue venture-backed medical device startup to Dow 30 companies. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas.

Maulik Nanavaty is our senior vice president and president, Neuromodulation, a position he has held since September 2011. In this role, he is responsible for developing and bringing to market innovative, less-invasive microelectronic implantable technologies used to treat chronic neuropathic pain and neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease and other chronic conditions. Prior to his current role, Mr. Nanavaty was our president of Boston Scientific Japan; he also served as vice president and general manager, Interventional Cardiology, Boston Scientific Japan. Mr. Nanavaty joined Boston Scientific in 2005 as vice president, corporate strategy, Boston Scientific Japan. Mr. Nanavaty is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and is the executive sponsor of our SAIL employee resource group, which advances professional development, business growth and corporate citizenship for South Asian employees, patients, physicians and communities. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Mr. Nanavaty spent 16 years working in various executive positions at Baxter International, Inc. and Baxter Japan. Mr. Nanavaty earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Scott Olson is our senior vice president and president, Rhythm Management, a position he has held since July 2020. In his current role, Mr. Olson is responsible for developing and bringing to market the most advanced and least invasive rhythm management technologies. Prior to his current role, he served as senior vice president and commercial general manager for our Rhythm Management organization, with responsibility for Rhythm Management global marketing, U.S. sales and commercial operations. Mr. Olson joined Guidant Corporation in 1998, where he held a number of sales positions of increasing responsibility. Following the acquisition of Guidant by Boston Scientific, Mr. Olson held a variety of leadership positions within the Boston Scientific Rhythm Management organization, including vice president of marketing for Cardiology, Rhythm and Vascular and vice president of global marketing of Cardiac Rhythm Management. He has also helped shape our Rhythm Management global commercial organizational model into three franchises: Cardiac Rhythm Management, Electrophysiology, and Cardiac Diagnostics and Monitoring, while leading our portfolio strategy, creating alignment and overall effectiveness to drive success. Also, Mr. Olson is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion. Mr. Olson earned a B.S. and M.B.A from Indiana University, Bloomington.

David A. Pierce is our executive vice president and president, MedSurg a position he has held since April 2018, and president, Endoscopy, a role he has held since February 2020. In this role, he has direct responsibility for the Endoscopy business, corporate marketing and market access, and corporate sales operations, as well as oversight responsibility for the Urology and Pelvic Health business. Prior to his current role, Mr. Pierce served as the Senior Vice President and President, Urology and Pelvic Health since July 2016. In that role, he developed and executed strategies to bring to market industry-leading solutions for treating patients with urological, urogynecological and gynecological diseases. Previously, Mr. Pierce served as senior vice president and president, Endoscopy

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since 2011, and vice president, marketing for Endoscopy as well as group marketing director in the Endoscopy business. He joined Boston Scientific in 1991 as a territory manager before assuming management-level positions of increasing responsibility. Mr. Pierce is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and is the executive sponsor of our VETS employee resource group, which is focused on cultivating gratitude and service to others, particularly active duty veterans and their families. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Mr. Pierce also served as senior sales representative for Airborne Express and as a Captain in the United States Army. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Norwich University and an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Desiree Ralls-Morrison is our senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, a position she has held since November 2017. In this role, she is responsible for providing global legal leadership across all of our businesses, regions and functions, and overseeing the company's global compliance function. Ms. Ralls-Morrison is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and serves as the executive sponsor for our BRIDGE employee resource group, which focuses on positively influencing the recruitment, development and retention of Black employees, and engaging employees to improve the healthcare of ethnically diverse patient populations. Before joining Boston Scientific, she was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, and head of the global litigation, government affairs and public policy organizations, for Boehringer Ingelheim USA, Inc. since October 2013. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Johnson & Johnson, most recently as general counsel for the consumer group, and previously progressed through roles of increasing responsibility, including senior counsel, assistant general counsel, and vice president of law for the women's health, nutritionals and over-the-counter businesses. Earlier in her career, Ms. Ralls-Morrison was a senior attorney and assistant counsel at Merck & Co, Inc., focusing largely on regulatory and product liability matters, and prior to that, she held litigation roles at the law firms of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Shipman & Goodwin LLP. In September of 2020, Ms. Ralls-Morrison was appointed to the Board of Directors for DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. Since October of 2018, she has served on the Board of Directors for The Partnership, Inc., whose mission is to ensure the economic competitiveness of the Boston area by attracting, retaining and convening professionals of color. Ms. Ralls-Morrison is also a Founding Member of The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund in Massachusetts. She previously served on the Danbury Hospital/New Milford Hospital Board of Directors, The Inner-City Foundation for Charity and Education and the Lawyer's Collaborative for Diversity. In 2019, Ms. Ralls-Morrison was named one of the most powerful women in corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine and in 2020, she was named as one on the top innovative General Counsels around the world by the Financial Times. Ms. Ralls-Morrison earned her B.A. in economics and political science from Wesleyan University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Meghan Scanlon is our senior vice president and president, Urology and Pelvic Health, a position she has held since February 2020. In this role, she is responsible for developing and bringing to market innovative, industry-leading solutions for urological, urogynecological, and gynecological diseases. Prior to her current role, Ms. Scanlon served as vice president and general manager for the global Urology and Pelvic Health commercial organization, with responsibility for overseeing the stone, prostate health, prosthetic urology and women's health franchises. She is a member of the Global Council for Inclusion and serves as the executive sponsor for our PRIDE employee resource group, which is a network of LGBTQ+ employees and allies that fosters inclusiveness and professional fulfillment through corporate and community LGBTQ+ programs and initiatives. Since joining Boston Scientific in 2014 as vice president, global marketing for Endoscopy, she has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility in Urology and Pelvic Health and Endoscopy, and played a significant role in driving and shaping the global commercial organization structures and portfolio innovation strategies for both businesses. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Ms. Scanlon spent nearly 15 years in leadership roles within the Johnson & Johnson medical device business and started her early career as a design

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engineer at Gillette. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and both her M.B.A. and M.S.M.E. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

John Bradley Sorenson is our senior vice president, manufacturing and supply chain, a position he has held since November 2014. In this role, he is responsible for the global manufacturing and distribution of our products. Prior to his current role, he served as multi-site vice president, operations from 2008 to 2014. Mr. Sorenson held a variety of operations positions at Boston Scientific, supporting the Cardiac Rhythm Management, Neuromodulation, Interventional Cardiology, Peripheral Interventions and Structural Heart businesses and has more than 20 years of medical device manufacturing experience. He is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion and serves as the executive sponsor for our Young Professionals Network employee resource group. Before joining Boston Scientific, he was president and chief operating officer of QRS Diagnostic and held manufacturing management positions at Federal Cartridge. Mr. Sorenson earned a B.A. in Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

Eric Thépaut is our executive vice president and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa, a position he has held since February 2020. Prior to his current role, he was senior vice president and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa from December 2017 to January 2020, and senior vice president and president, Europe from January 2015 to December 2017. He also served as vice president Interventional Cardiology & Structural Heart, Europe, from December 2012 to December 2015. He joined Boston Scientific Europe, in 1996, as a business finance manager and earned roles of increasing responsibility in marketing and finance including vice president, Finance, Europe, general manager and vice president, France, and general manager and vice president of the France Group, comprised of France, Benelux and Middle East North Africa. Mr. Thépaut is a member of our Global Council for Inclusion. Before joining Boston Scientific, Mr. Thépaut held management positions in treasury operations and auditing at Nestlé and financial planning and analysis at Apple, Inc. (then Apple Computer, Inc.). Mr. Thépaut earned his M.B.A. at Paris Dauphine University.

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CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP MATTERS

Security Ownership of Principal Stockholders

Set forth below are stockholders known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock as of March 12, 2021. As of March 12, 2021, there were 1,420,516,801 shares of our common stock outstanding.

Name and Address
  Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned

  Percent of Shares
Outstanding

BlackRock, Inc.   135,962,117 (1) 9.57%

55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055

       
The Vanguard Group     110,781,158 (2) 7.80%

100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355

         
Wellington Management Group LLP
Wellington Group Holdings LLP
Wellington Investment Advisors Holdings LLP


 
77,265,641 (3) 5.44%

280 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210

       

(1)
Based solely on an amendment to Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 5, 2021. As of December 31, 2020, BlackRock reported that it possessed sole voting power with respect to 121,511,492 shares and sole dispositive power with respect to 135,962,117 shares. BlackRock reported that it did not possess shared voting or dispositive power over any shares.

(2)
Based solely on an amendment to Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 10, 2021. As of December 31, 2020, The Vanguard Group reported that it possessed shared voting power with respect to 2,300,547 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 104,571,518 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to 6,209,640 shares. Vanguard reported that the following subsidiaries of Vanguard beneficially own shares: (i) Vanguard Asset Management, Limited; (ii) Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company; (iii) Vanguard Global Advisors, LLC; (iv) Vanguard Group (Ireland) Limited; (v) Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd; (vi) Vanguard Investments Canada Inc.; (vii) Vanguard Investments Hong Kong Limited; and (viii) Vanguard Investments UK, Limited.

(3)
Based solely on Schedule 13G jointly filed by Wellington Management Group LLP, Wellington Group Holdings LLP and Wellington Investment Advisors Holdings LLP (known collectively as "Wellington") with the SEC on February 4, 2021. As of December 31, 2020, Wellington reported shared voting power with respect to 71,219,606 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to 77,265,641 shares. Wellington reported that the following subsidiaries of Wellington Management Group LLP, Wellington Group Holdings LLP and/or Wellington Investment Advisors Holdings LLP beneficially own shares: (i) Wellington Investment Advisors LLP; (ii) Wellington Management Global Holdings, Ltd.; (iii) Wellington Management Company LLP; (iv) Wellington Management Canada LLC; (v) Wellington Management Singapore Pte Ltd; (vi) Wellington Management Hong Kong Pte Ltd; (vii) Wellington Management International Ltd; (viii) Wellington Management Japan Pte Ltd; and (ix) Wellington Management Australia Pty Ltd.

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Security Ownership of Directors and Executive Officers

The following table shows, as of March 12, 2021, the amount of our common stock beneficially owned by:

    our directors and director nominees;

    our executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table; and

    all of our directors and executive officers as a group.

"Beneficial ownership" includes those shares of our common stock the reporting person has the power to vote or transfer, stock options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days, and deferred stock units that may vest within 60 days. Unless otherwise indicated, the persons named below have sole voting and investment power over the shares listed.

Name
  Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned

  Percent of Shares
Outstanding

Nelda J. Connors(1)

  133,001   *

Charles J. Dockendorff(2)

    73,203   *

Yoshiaki Fujimori(3)

  23,111   *

Donna A. James(4)

    40,363   *

Edward J. Ludwig(5)

  85,988   *

Stephen P. MacMillan(6)

    88,187   *

David J. Roux(7)

  60,005   *

John E. Sununu(8)

    117,912   *

Ellen M. Zane(9)

  32,043   *

Michael F. Mahoney(10)

    5,144,470   *

Daniel J. Brennan(11)

  616,281   *

Joseph M. Fitzgerald(12)

    1,027,409   *

Edward F. Mackey(13)

  331,245   *

Jeffrey B. Mirviss (14)

    408,319    

All directors and executive officers as a group (25 Persons)(15)

  10,100,382   *

*
Reflects beneficial ownership of less than one percent (1%) of our outstanding common stock.

(1)
Ms. Connors' beneficial ownership includes (i) 5,000 shares of restricted stock as to which she has sole voting but not investment power as the shares are unvested until the Annual Meeting, (ii) 45,442 shares of common stock held in the Nelda J. Connors Trust, of which she is the sole trustee, and (ii) 54,813 shares of restricted stock and 22,756 deferred stock units, both of which have been deferred pursuant to our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, the underlying shares of which she has neither voting nor investment power until such shares are distributed in accordance with the plan.

(2)
Mr. Dockendorff's beneficial ownership includes (i) 5,000 shares of restricted stock as to which he has sole voting but not investment power as the shares are unvested until the Annual Meeting, (ii) 27,299 shares of common stock held in a grantor retained annuity trust, of which he is the trustee and annuitant, and (iii) 40,904 shares of common stock held in the Charles J. Dockendorff Revocable Trust, of which he is the sole trustee.

(3)
Mr. Fujimori's beneficial ownership includes 23,111 shares of deferred stock units deferred pursuant to our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, the underlying shares of which he has neither voting nor investment power until such shares are distributed in accordance with the plan.

(4)
Ms. James' beneficial ownership includes (i) 21,879 shares of common stock held through The Donna A James Family Trust, of which she is the sole trustee, and (ii) 18,484 shares of deferred stock units deferred pursuant to

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    our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, the underlying shares of which she has neither voting nor investment power until such shares are distributed in accordance with the plan.

(5)
Mr. Ludwig's beneficial ownership includes 32,673 deferred stock units deferred pursuant to our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan as to the underlying shares of which he has neither voting nor investment power until such shares are distributed in accordance with the plan, and 16,818 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021.

(6)
Mr. MacMillan's beneficial ownership includes (i) 8,000 shares of restricted stock as to which he has sole voting but not investment power as the shares are unvested until the Annual Meeting, (ii) 45,694 deferred stock units deferred pursuant to our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan the underlying shares of which he has neither voting nor investment power until such shares are distributed in accordance with the plan, and (iii) 34,493 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021.

(7)
Mr. Roux's beneficial ownership includes 5,000 shares of restricted stock as to which he has sole voting but not investment power as the shares are unvested until the Annual Meeting.

(8)
Mr. Sununu's beneficial ownership includes (i) 5,000 shares of restricted stock as to which he has sole voting but not investment power as the shares are unvested until the Annual Meeting and (ii) 21,708 shares of restricted stock and (iii) 60,049 deferred stock units, both of which have been deferred pursuant to our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, the underlying shares of which he has neither voting nor investment power until such shares are distributed in accordance with the plan.

(9)
Ms. Zane's beneficial ownership includes 5,000 shares of restricted stock as to which she has sole voting but not investment power as the shares are unvested until the Annual Meeting.

(10)
Mr. Mahoney's beneficial ownership includes 3,027,683 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021.

(11)
Mr. Brennan's beneficial ownership includes 353,038 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021.

(12)
Mr. Fitzgerald's beneficial ownership includes (i) 702,286 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021, (ii) 68,305 shares held in his 401(k) Plan account and (iii) 6,038 shares of common stock held by his children, as to which Mr. Fitzgerald disclaims beneficial ownership.

(13)
Mr. Mackey's beneficial ownership includes 239,350 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021.

(14)
Mr. Mirviss's beneficial ownership includes 269,161 shares of common stock subject to stock options exerciseable within 60 days of March 12, 2021.

(15)
This amount includes 5,802,008 shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 12, 2021 and 70,859 shares held in the 401(k) Plan accounts of our executive officers. Please refer to footnotes 1 through 14 above for additional details regarding the holdings of our directors, our director nominees and our Named Executive Officers.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors, executive officers and persons beneficially holding more than 10% of our common stock to file with the SEC reports of their ownership of our common stock and any changes in that ownership. To our knowledge, all of these filing requirements were timely satisfied in 2020. In making this statement, we have relied upon the written representations of our directors and executive officers and copies of reports that have been filed with the SEC.

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

This discussion and analysis section describes material elements of our 2020 compensation program for our Named Executive Officers (NEOs), which include our Chief Executive Officer (CEO), our Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and our three other most highly-compensated executive officers. NEOs for the year ended December 31, 2020 were as follows:

Michael F. Mahoney

  Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

Daniel J. Brennan

  Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  Executive Vice President and President, Interventional Cardiology(1)

Edward F. Mackey

  Executive Vice President, Operations

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  Executive Vice President and President, Peripheral Interventions

(1)
Mr. Fitzgerald served as Executive Vice President and President, Rhythm Management until he was appointed to the role of Executive Vice President and President, Interventional Cardiology on July 6, 2020.

Executive Summary

Strategic Imperatives Linked to 2020 Executive Compensation

During 2020, our management team responded to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic with swift and decisive actions. First and foremost, we focused on keeping our employees safe, while continuing to support our patients and customers. We effectively managed liquidity and debt, took the decisive action required early in the pandemic to avoid laying off our employees and to be prepared for a strong recovery, and continued to work toward many of our strategic goals, including those relating to product pipeline and digital enablement, as well as key ESG, human capital, and innovation metrics. Ultimately, we believe our response to the challenges of 2020 will enable us to continue to focus on the following five strategic imperatives to help drive innovation, improve the health of patients across the globe, accelerate profitable revenue growth, and increase stockholder value in 2021 and beyond:

    strengthen category leadership to grow share in our served markets;

    expand into high growth adjacencies that complement our core businesses;

    drive global expansion;

    fund the journey to fuel growth through optimization and cost reduction initiatives and a reallocation of spending to support growth initiatives; and

    develop key capabilities, including enhancing customer-facing digital capabilities, to enable delivery of economic- and customer-focused products and solutions aligned with marketplace needs.

We believe that continued focus on these strategic imperatives will benefit patients and customers and lead to strong performance across key financial metrics, including those incorporated into our short-and long-term incentive programs, described in further detail below.

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Pay for Performance

Our short- and long-term incentive plans incorporate metrics designed to align with the objective of driving profitable growth and reward Company and individual progress related to the strategic imperatives. Below is a snapshot of 2020 adjusted financial performance metrics used in our short- and long-term incentive programs, as well as the most directly comparable reported metrics:

Reported Financial
Performance Metrics

 
Adjusted Financial
Performance Metrics

$9.913 billion

 

$9.955 billion
GAAP Net Sales   Adjusted Net Sales(1)(2)
for Annual Bonus Plan

$(0.08)

 

$0.96
GAAP Net Loss Per Share   Adjusted Net Income Per Share(1)
(Adjusted EPS)
for Annual Bonus Plan

$1.508 million

 

$1.980 billion
GAAP Operating Cash Flow
Provided by Operating Activities
  Adjusted Free Cash Flow(1)
for Free Cash Flow Performance Share
Program

30.90%
3-year Total Shareholder Return(3)
For Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program

(1)   Adjusted net sales, adjusted EPS and adjusted free cash flow are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures and insight into how these non-GAAP measures are considered by management, please see Annex A.

(2)

 

Adjusted net sales excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. Adjusted EPS excludes the impact of goodwill and intangible asset impairments, acquisition- and divestiture-related net charges, restructuring and restructuring-related net charges, litigation-related net charges, investment impairment charges, EU Medical Device Regulation implementation costs, deferred tax expenses (benefits), discrete tax items, and amortization expense.

(3)

 

3-year Total Shareholder Return for the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Please see the Executive Compensation section titled "2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program" for how we calculate Total Shareholder Return.

CEO's Total Direct Compensation Aligns with Company Performance

Our executive compensation philosophy is to provide appropriate competitive compensation opportunities to our executives with actual pay outcomes tied to achievement of Company and individual performance targets in support of our business strategy and creation of long-term stockholder value.

Each year, the Compensation Committee assesses our CEO's actual compensation relative to the Company's performance. The following graph shows the relationship of our CEO's total direct compensation (as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table) (TDC) compared against our cumulative total shareholder return (TSR) performance in each of the last three years. The TDC in this

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chart consists of base salary and annual short- and long-term incentives. As illustrated, CEO compensation was generally aligned with Company performance.


CEO Compensation(1)
Summary Compensation Table Total Direct Compensation
versus 3-Year Total Shareholder Return(2)

CEO Pay and 3-Year Indexed Total Shareholder Return

GRAPHIC


(1)   Amounts in the 2018, 2019, and 2020 columns were calculated as follows:

 

the values of the annual equity awards granted on February 15, 2018, February 21, 2019, and February 18, 2020 were determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, as described in the footnotes to the Executive Compensation section titled "Summary Compensation Table";

 

the actual Annual Bonus Plan award for 2018, 2019, and 2020; and

 

the annual base salary earned in 2018, 2019, and 2020.


(2)

 

Total shareholder return was calculated in accordance with the methodology described in the Executive Compensation section titled "2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program" and based on $100 invested on December 31, 2017.

The following chart shows the value of the primary elements of total direct compensation, consisting of base salary and annual short- and long- term incentives, for our CEO in 2020 (i) at "target" opportunity as considered by our Compensation Committee; (ii) as disclosed in our Summary Compensation Table; and (iii) as "realizable" at December 31, 2020. These values were calculated using the 2020 base salary, annual equity incentives and Annual Bonus Plan ("ABP") award amounts for our CEO as set forth in the table following the chart below.

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2020 CEO Compensation
Target vs. Summary Compensation Table vs. Realizable

GRAPHIC

 
  Valuation of Compensation Component
 
  Base Salary
  ABP Award
  Long-Term Incentives
Target   Annual base salary approved in February 2020   Target 2020 Annual Bonus Plan award   Annual equity awards granted on February 18, 2020, with (a) stock options valued in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 and (b) service-based deferred stock units (DSUs) and performance-based DSUs valued at target (the number of units and target units awarded multiplied by the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant).
Summary Compensation Table   Annual base salary earned in 2020   Actual 2020 Annual Bonus Plan award   Annual equity awards granted on February 18, 2020, with the value of each award determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
Realizable   Annual base salary earned in 2020   Actual 2020 Annual Bonus Plan award   Annual equity awards granted on February 18, 2020, with:

(a) stock options valued at their intrinsic value (number of options awarded multiplied by the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020 less the exercise price of such options);

(b) service-based DSUs valued using the number of units awarded multiplied by the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020;

(c) Total Shareholder Return (TSR) performance-based DSUs valued using 0% of the target TSR performance-based DSUs due to the Company's TSR rank being 57th out of 57, or 0th percentile (0% of the target number of units multiplied by the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020); and

(d) the free cash flow (FCF) performance-based DSUs valued using 88.6% of the target FCF performance-based DSUs (the actual percentage of target units earned under the program) multiplied by the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020.

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The difference in value of the long-term incentive compensation portion of our CEO's TDC reflected in the "Realizable", "Target", and "Summary Compensation Table" columns is primarily due to three factors:

    the decrease in the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020 ($35.95) compared to the closing price of our common stock on February 18, 2020 ($42.16), the date of grant for the 2020 annual equity awards;

    the 2020 FCF performance-based DSUs being earned at 88.6% of target based on FCF achievement of $1.980 billion against a target of $2.100 billion, which 2020 target represents approximately 4.6% growth over 2019 actual performance; and

    the TSR performance-based DSUs granted in 2020 tracking at 0% of target as of December 31, 2020, due to the Company's TSR rank of 57th out of 57 companies.

This demonstrates the sensitivity of CEO pay to the achievement of performance criteria, and, therefore, the linkage between our executive compensation program and the long-term interests of our stockholders. The long-term incentive portion of the CEO's compensation will remain "at-risk" and the value will vary until the completion of the vesting periods or until the exercise date for each of the equity awards.

A Significant Portion of our NEOs' 2020 Target TDC is At-Risk, Performance-Based Compensation

Our Compensation Committee ties a significant portion of our executives' target TDC to at-risk, performance-based incentive opportunities. For 2020, approximately 90.8% of the target value of the primary elements of TDC for our CEO and approximately 80.3% of the target value of the primary elements of TDC for our other NEOs as a group consisted of at-risk, performance-based incentive compensation, comprised of short-term incentives (Annual Bonus Plan award) and long-term incentives (performance- and service-based equity awards and stock options). For more details and a breakdown of the elements of TDC, please see the section titled "Elements of 2020 Executive Compensation, Primary Elements of Total Direct Compensation".

The percentages above were calculated using the 2020 base salary, target equity values and target Annual Bonus Plan award amounts for our NEOs. The allocation of the target value of the primary elements of TDC for our CEO and for our other NEOs as a group in 2020 was as follows:

GRAPHIC


*
The charts reflect the value of the primary elements of 2020 TDC opportunity as considered by the Compensation Committee. For details on valuation of components of TDC, please see "Target" in the chart entitled "Valuation of Compensation Component" above.

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We believe our emphasis on at-risk, performance-based incentive compensation aligns our executives' financial interests with our business strategy and the short- and long-term interests of our stockholders, providing "pay for performance" and putting a significant portion of our executives' pay "at risk."

Executive Compensation Program Best Practices

Our Compensation Committee believes that a strong foundation for our compensation program is necessary to execute our executive compensation philosophy effectively. The following best practices serve as the foundation for our executive compensation program:

GRAPHIC

Say on Pay

At our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we asked our stockholders to approve, on an advisory basis, the 2019 compensation of our then-NEOs as disclosed in our 2020 Proxy Statement, commonly referred to as a "say-on-pay" advisory vote. Our stockholders approved the compensation of our then-NEOs with approximately 94.5% of the votes cast voting in favor of the proposal. In connection with its review of our compensation program against our executive compensation philosophy, business objectives and peer group practices, our Compensation Committee considered the prior years' modifications to our compensation programs in support of our executive compensation philosophy and best practices, the results of the say-on-pay advisory vote, as well as prior stockholder feedback. As a result, our Compensation Committee concluded that it would retain the overall structure and design of our compensation program, including its emphasis on at-risk, performance-based incentive compensation.

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How We Determine Executive Compensation

Executive Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our philosophy is to provide appropriate competitive compensation opportunities to our executives such that actual pay outcomes are heavily influenced by achievement of Company, business and individual performance targets and objectives, which are designed to support our business strategy and create long-term stockholder value. The core objectives of our compensation program are to:

GRAPHIC

Participants in the Compensation Process

Our Compensation Committee bears principal responsibility for, among other things, structuring our executive compensation program and making individual executive compensation determinations. To help facilitate informed determinations with respect to its responsibilities, our Compensation Committee engages an independent compensation consultant, Semler Brossy Consulting Group, LLC (Semler Brossy), which serves at the direction and under the supervision of our Compensation Committee. For further information about our Compensation Committee and the services provided by Semler Brossy, please see the Meetings and Board Committees section titled "Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee." Semler Brossy and certain members of management support our Compensation Committee with respect to the following, among other things:

Independent Advisor

 
 
Semler Brossy
Advisor to the Compensation Committee
 

Expertise-based advice, research and analytical services, including peer group composition, trends and comparative practices in executive compensation, program design and non-employee director compensation.

Commentary and/or recommendations as to the foregoing.

Participation in Compensation Committee meetings.

Management    
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and Total Rewards Management Team  

Proposals, including regarding compensation and benefits design and pay levels, for executives' employment arrangements for new or promoted executives.

Reporting and advisory on diversity and inclusion topics, including pay equity.

Expertise-based advice, research and analytical services, commentary and/or recommendations as to the foregoing.

Participation in Compensation Committee meetings.

Chief Executive Officer and other Executives  

Overview of individual performance of direct reports.

Recommendations as to compensation of direct reports.

With respect to the CEO and General Counsel, participation in Compensation Committee meetings, except for determinations of their own compensation.

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Competitive Market Analysis

Our Compensation Committee uses competitive market analysis as a decision-making reference. The Committee primarily considers executive compensation comparative data for our peer group companies to better understand trends and comparative practices, program design in the market within which we compete for top talent, and competitive levels and mix of target compensation opportunities provided to our executives. Our peer group includes companies (i) operating in a comparable industry with respect to customer base and/or product offerings, such as healthcare equipment and services companies, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology and life sciences, and (ii) that, in the aggregate, approximate our size as measured by revenue and market capitalization.

Each year, with the assistance of its independent compensation consultant, our Compensation Committee reviews the composition and appropriateness of our peer group. The Committee considers the size, performance, and business focus of these companies in comparison to us. The peer companies used to establish 2020 compensation levels include:

2020 Peer Companies(1)(2)

 
   
   
  Total Shareholder Return
(%)(2)
 
  Revenue
($ in billions)

  Market Cap
($ in billions)

 
  One Year
  Three Year

Abbott Laboratories

  $34.6   $193.9   29.95%   102.97%

Agilent Technologies, Inc.(3)

  $5.5   $36.7   41.66%   70.75%

Baxter International Inc.

  $11.7   $40.5   –2.53%   25.79%

Becton, Dickinson and Company

  $18.2   $72.7   –5.62%   13.09%

Danaher Corporation

  $22.3   $157.8   56.42%   144.29%

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

  $4.4   $57.0   6.03%   128.10%

Hologic, Inc

  $4.0   $18.8   42.72%   73.92%

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

  $4.4   $96.3   31.19%   98.18%

Medtronic plc (4)

  $27.9   $150.0   2.73%   46.48%

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated

  $9.4   $15.9   19.18%   34.95%

Stryker Corporation

  $14.4   $92.1   14.58%   54.03%

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

  $32.2   $184.6   51.21%   148.19%

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.

  $7.0   $32.0   1.64%   31.20%

Boston Scientific Corporation

  $9.9   $50.9   –19.02%   30.90%

Ranking Relative to Peers

  8 of 14   9 of 14   14 of 14   12 of 14

(1)   Revenue is for the trailing four quarters as of December 31, 2020 and total shareholder return is calculated as of December 31, 2020, unless otherwise noted. Market cap is calculated using the closing price of each company's common stock on December 31, 2020 multiplied by the number of outstanding shares of common stock as reported by the company in its most recent periodic report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

(2)

 

Total shareholder return is calculated in accordance with the methodology described in the Executive Compensation section titled "2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program."

(3)

 

Agilent Technologies, Inc. market cap is provided as of January 31, 2021 and revenue is provided for the trailing four quarters as of January 31, 2021.

(4)

 

Medtronic plc market cap is provided as of January 29, 2021 and revenue is provided for the trailing four quarters as of January 29, 2021.

In establishing 2020 pay levels for our NEOs, the Compensation Committee reviewed comparative pay information for the peer group companies through proxy research and survey data as reported in the Equilar, Radford, and Willis Towers Watson surveys. Where peer group information was unavailable, the Committee reviewed industry-specific survey data which was calibrated to include companies

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comparable to our size and scope of each individual's responsibilities. The Company considers market data without regard for any particular percentile positioning. This allows us to retain flexibility to make individual decisions that reflect both market and internal considerations, including those described below under "Internal Pay Equity and Other Considerations."

Internal Pay Equity and Other Considerations

In addition to the competitive market analysis, the Committee considers multiple factors in formulating compensation decisions. These factors include:

    internal pay equity;

    individual performance and contributions;

    the CEO's recommendations for other executive officer compensation;

    the primary elements of each executive officer's TDC opportunity compared to the other executive officers;

    the economic and retentive value of prior equity awards; and

    current and prior work experience and future potential.

In considering internal pay equity, and the elements of an executive officer's TDC opportunity compared to the other executive officers, the Committee also considers CEO compensation relative to the other executive officers. The Committee strives to maintain the appropriate balance in order to motivate the Company's executive team, retain key personnel in a highly competitive labor market, and support a robust succession planning process. The differences between CEO and NEO pay reflect the foregoing factors, as well as the Company's organizational structure.

Performance Considerations

We utilize a performance, development and coaching (PDC) process to help guide individual development and performance discussions and to assess ongoing performance. Our CEO undertakes regular PDC reviews for all direct reports, assesses the performance results of those direct reports and makes recommendations to our Compensation Committee for its consideration. Our Compensation Committee reviews and evaluates our CEO's performance objectives and oversees the evaluation of his performance in relation to those objectives. For 2020, the overall performance of our executives, including our NEOs, supported a culture of high performance, integrity and accountability with clear expectations. These performance evaluations, among the other considerations described in this section, influence the Compensation Committee's decisions regarding our executives' base salaries, the individual component of their Annual Bonus Plan awards and, as an indication of future performance potential, their long-term equity incentive awards.

Chief Executive Officer and Compensation Committee Judgment

The application of CEO and Compensation Committee judgment is an important factor in setting and determining executive pay. We do not employ a purely formulaic approach to our executive compensation program. Target market guidelines and individual target TDC, financial and operational targets, individual performance objectives and funding formulae are established in advance; however, other Company and individual performance and other considerations may also be taken into account. For example, under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, while the funding formula tied to Company-level

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financial performance targets are set in advance, our Compensation Committee is able to reduce the total Annual Bonus Plan funding percentage (Total Bonus Pool), to not less than 50% of the target, based on (i) its assessment of the Company's progress toward achievement of our quality objectives, which are critical to our commitment to providing high quality products to our customers and patients, or (ii) based on performance against operating income margin targets, which takes into consideration the Company's profitability and commitment to our shareholders, as well as affordability of the proposed bonus funding.

Further, in March 2020, due to the uncertainty around the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Compensation Committee resolved to permit the exercise of discretion in the determination of the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan funding percentage. The Committee anticipated that potentially using discretion at the end of the year to set funding was more prudent than approving multiple revisions of the performance targets, in light of the evolving pandemic. A description of the exercise of discretion in determining the Annual Bonus Plan funding this year is set forth in the section titled "Total Bonus Pool Funded Based on Company Performance."

Elements of 2020 Executive Compensation

Primary Elements of Total Direct Compensation

We compensate our executives primarily through total direct compensation, namely in the form of base salary and short- and long-term incentives (the primary elements of TDC). Our primary elements of TDC are heavily weighted towards variable, at-risk performance-based elements, which are reflected below and in the charts under the section above titled "A Significant Portion of our NEOs' 2020 Target TDC is At-Risk, Performance-Based Compensation." These percentages were calculated using the 2020 base salary, target equity values and target Annual Bonus Plan award amounts for our NEOs set forth in the footnotes to the charts under the section titled "A Significant Portion of our NEOs' 2020 Target TDC is At-Risk, Performance-Based Compensation."

The key features and objectives of the primary elements of our NEOs' 2020 TDC are summarized in the table below.

TDC Elements
  Key Features
  Objectives
Base Salary   Fixed annual cash amount, paid at regular intervals.   Attract and retain talented executives and provide stable source of income.
Short-Term Incentives —
Annual Bonus Plan Awards
  At risk, performance-based annual cash incentive opportunity.   Align executive compensation with our business strategy, quality, and profitability objectives.
    —Funding of Total Bonus Pool based on Company performance against two important financial performance targets.   Focus and reward based on the achievement of important financial, operational and individual performance objectives.
    —Allocation of funded Total Bonus Pool, based on regional, business and functional performance against specific financial and/or operational performance targets.    
    —Actual payout based on individual performance.    
Long-Term Incentives — Equity Awards   At risk, performance-based equity incentive opportunity.   Focus talent/organization on important financial measures and long-term stockholder value.
  Mix of opportunity comprised of:   Reward based on:
  —25% target TSR performance-based DSUs   —our TSR relative to that of other S&P 500 Healthcare Index companies
  —25% target FCF performance-based DSUs   —our adjusted free cash flow measured against our target performance
  —25% stock options   —our stock price increase
  —25% service-based DSUs   —our stock price

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Base Salary

In determining the 2020 base salaries of our NEOs (other than our Chief Executive Officer), our Compensation Committee also considered the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer in light of the general factors discussed above, including their overall performance ratings for the prior year.

The 2020 base salaries (rounded to the nearest thousand) for our NEOs, as well as the percentage increase from their 2019 base salaries for our current NEOs who were also NEOs in 2019, are set forth below.

Name
  2019 Base Salary
  2020 Base Salary
  % Increase

Michael F. Mahoney

  $1,280,000   $1,320,000   3.1%

Daniel J. Brennan

  $660,000   $680,000   3.0%

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  $670,000   $690,000   3.0%

Edward F. Mackey

  $580,000   $605,000   4.3%

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

    $580,000  

In April 2020, the Company announced that, in light of the disruption and uncertainty created by the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its anticipated impact on the Company's operations, all of our Executive Officers, including our NEOs, would take a significant temporary reduction in base salary for up to six months. During this time, Mr. Mahoney took a 99% reduction in his salary and our other NEOs each took a 40% to 50% reduction in their salaries. In August 2020, the Company announced that the base salary reductions for the Company's Executive Officers, other than the Chief Executive Officer, would terminate and revert to previously approved levels. Mr. Mahoney's salary reduction continued until the end of the six-month period, ending in October 2020. For additional disclosure regarding the salaries earned by our NEOs, please see the footnotes to the Executive Compensation section titled "Summary Compensation Table".

Short-Term Incentives — Annual Bonus Plan Awards

Our Compensation Committee annually reviews the design of our Annual Bonus Plan to help ensure that the program continues to support our executive compensation philosophy and core compensation program objectives. In finalizing the design for 2020, our Compensation Committee retained substantially all of the provisions of our 2019 Annual Bonus Plan, which was designed to reinforce the concept of "pay for performance," align our short-term incentives with important financial and operational measures and the long-term interests of our stockholders, and to incentivize and reward individual performance. The Compensation Committee also retained the discretion to reduce the Total Bonus Pool funding percentage, regardless of financial achievements, to 50% of the target, based on its assessment of the Company's achievement of our quality objectives, and based on performance against the operating income margin target. This discretion reinforces our commitment to providing quality products for our customers and patients and takes into consideration the Company's profitability and value creation for our shareholders, as well as affordability of the proposed bonus funding.

Further, in March 2020, due to the uncertainty around the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Compensation Committee resolved to consider the exercise of discretion in its determination of the funding for the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan. In February 2021, after a fulsome review of Company performance, the Committee decided to use discretion in determining 2020 Annual Bonus Plan funding, as is described further below in the section titled "Total Bonus Pool Funded Based on Company Performance."

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The 2021 Annual Bonus Plan, which was approved by the Compensation Committee in November 2020, retained many of the same provisions of our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, however, the Compensation Committee added a human capital scorecard, which will allow management and the Committee to consider progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), engagement and retention, and ESG goals in addition to retaining important financial and quality/operational measures in making total bonus pool funding decisions. Adding this human capital scorecard underscores the Company's commitment to these goals and will incentivize Company-wide progress in these areas. Further, the 2021 Annual Bonus Plan removes the operating income margin target as a modifier and eliminates the 50% floor for funding.

Calculation of Awards Under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan

After funding the Total Bonus Pool, the actual amount of an executive's Annual Bonus Plan award is ultimately determined as follows:

Annual Base Salary (as
of December 31)

 
x   Target Award
Opportunity
(70% - 150%)


 
x   Participating Unit
Performance
Percentage
(50% - 150%)(1)



 
x   Individual
Performance
Percentage
(0% - 150%)



 
=   Annual Bonus
Plan Award
(0% - 225%)

(1)   In order to balance the uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our global businesses, regions, and functions, for purposes of the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, all Participating Units were funded at the same level, as described in the section titled "Funded Total Bonus Pool Allocated to Participating Units."

Total Bonus Pool Funded Based on Company Performance

In prior years and, as contemplated under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, a single Company-wide Total Bonus Pool is funded by the Company's performance measured against important Company-level financial and operational performance metric targets, thereby reinforcing the importance of the Company's performance as a whole (which reflects the performance of our regions, businesses and functions).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Annual Bonus Plan Funding

In approving the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, the Compensation Committee selected Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Net Sales as our Company-level financial metrics and, in March 2020, the Committee approved performance targets as follows:

Company-Level Financial Targets
Adjusted EPS(1)
  Adjusted Net Sales(1)
$1.70   $11.870 billion

(1)   Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Net Sales are non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures and insight into how these non-GAAP measures are considered by management, please see the Executive Compensation section titled "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Annual Bonus Plan" and Annex A.

At that time, our Compensation Committee also approved the Total Bonus Pool funding scale for the Company's 2020 performance measured against our 2020 Company-level performance metric targets

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for adjusted EPS and adjusted net sales set forth in the table below. Each metric was expected to have a 50% weighting.

Adjusted EPS
(As a Percent of Target)

  Total Bonus
Pool Funding Range

<90%   50%
90% to <98%   50% to 90%
98% to <102%   90% to 115%
102% to <104%   115% to 135%
104%+   135% to 150%

 

Adjusted Net Sales
(As a Percent to Target)

  Total Bonus
Pool Funding Range

<97%   50%
97% to <99%   50% to 90%
99% to <101%   90% to 115%
101% to <102%   115% to 135%
102%+   135% to 150%

The Committee's approval of these Company-level Annual Bonus Plan performance targets and funding scales was based on an annual operating plan developed with much uncertainty about the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. For this reason, as part of its approval process in March 2020, the Committee acknowledged the potential need to exercise discretion in determining bonus funding, as permitted under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, to account for the possible and unknown severity of the pandemic's impact on our business in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic did have a significant impact on our business in 2020. The significant deferral of and lowered demand for elective procedures, combined with COVID-related disruption to our operations, resulted in a substantial decrease in revenues and adjusted earnings per share. As a result, both our net sales and EPS performance were below threshold levels under the Plan, which would have yielded a 50% funding factor for the Total Bonus Pool Funding.

Committee Considerations Throughout The Year

After approving the possible use of discretion in determining the funding level for the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, the Committee regularly discussed and assessed, with input from Semler Brossy, its compensation consultant, COVID-19's impact on the business and on the possible bonus plan funding for 2020.

In the second quarter, the effects of COVID-19 began to materially impact our results. The uncertainty and instability caused by COVID-19 made it extremely difficult to predict, throughout 2020, what the total impact of the pandemic would be on our business in 2020. Given this ongoing uncertainty, the Committee determined that it was not appropriate to revise our 2020 Company-level financial performance metric targets. Instead, the Committee, with support from Semler Brossy, developed a scorecard that would help assess management's performance in addressing the business disruption COVID-19 caused in 2020. The scorecard included the following categories of key performance indicators: Financial Performance, Strategic Initiatives, COVID Response, Actions Towards Future Success, and Employee Actions.

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Holistic Evaluation of Performance and Achievement and Exercise of Positive Discretion

After undertaking a holistic evaluation of Company performance in light of the critical actions and strategic achievements listed in the table below, the Committee used positive discretion to adjust the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan funding from 50%, the level that would've been indicated based on the plan approved prior to COVID-19, to 77%, as described more fully below.

    Financial Performance      
   

Developed alternative financial models in early April, based on early estimates of COVID-19 impact and measured 2020 performance against those models

Optimized cash inflows and outflows, including capital expenditures and inventory

Increased Company liquidity from $1.8B in March to $4.5B in June

Successfully negotiated of banking facility to increase permitted debt to earnings ratio

Completed $1.7B bond offering at historically low rates for our credit rating tier

Completed $2.0B equity offering to reduce debt; provide funds for tuck-in M&A

Reduced debt maturities to only $250M through Q2 2022

Significantly reduced operating expenses

   
 
    Strategic Initiatives, COVID Response, and Actions Towards Future Success
    


             

 

 

Prioritized employee safety, patient needs and business continuity in a pandemic

   

 

 

Quickly put in place business continuity taskforce to address pandemic-related challenges, as well as a Clinician Emergency Response Team (CERT) to ensure employee illness protocols and effective contact tracing were in place. Travel restrictions, work from home requirements, and preventative measures at sites were rapidly introduced.

   

 

 

Developed Key Capabilities to improve agility of remote working and accelerate digital capabilities to remove barriers to growth, innovate and differentiate

   

 

 

Community Support

   

 

 

Contributed over $18 million in aid to global COVID-19 relief efforts, through monetary and supply donations and by providing engineering and manufacturing expertise and resources. We also doubled down on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and took actions both internally and externally to confront racism and advance social justice

   

 

 

Human Capital Metrics

   

 

 

Conducted approximately 7,500 open discussion sessions with employees and presented multiple programs related to social and racial justice.

   

 

 

Grew diverse talent pipeline in support of our diversity representation goals (known as 3UP 2023 Goals) that are published on our website (https://www.bostonscientific.com/en-US/careers/working-here/diversity-and-inclusion.html).

   

 

 

Progressed on journey to Carbon Neutrality

   

 

 

Made considerable progress in the following four areas: Renewable Energy, Green Real Estate, Energy Management, Carbon Neutrality 2030, which resulted in an improvement in our Sustainability Rankings

   

 

 

Progressed against innovation and new product launch metrics

   

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    Employee Actions    
             

 

 

Took decisive action early in the pandemic to avoid unnecessary layoffs with temporary reductions in pay, including more significant reductions for Executive Officers and Board of Directors, totaling $2.2 million, plant scale backs, hiring freeze, and global employee stock ownership plan pause for second half of year

 
 

 

 

Took ongoing actions throughout the year to protect the safety and well-being of BSC's employees, including travel restrictions, self-quarantines and work-from-home measures

 
 

 

 

Supported over 36,000 employees worldwide by enhancing online wellbeing site and through multiple enhancements to benefit programs to meet employee needs.

   

Key among the Committee's considerations was Company performance against the approved financial plan, which would have resulted in funding the 2020 Annual Bonus at the 50% funding floor. The Committee also reviewed Company performance against two alternative financial models, both presented in early April, which were based on early estimates of the potential impact of COVID-19 on our business. The first alternative financial model would have resulted in a bonus funding between 70% and 82.5% and the second would have suggested a bonus funding at over 100%.

The Committee's decision to exercise positive discretion in approving the 2020 Total Bonus Pool reflects the Committee's collective judgment in balancing the final, actual results against the approved plan with where the results could have ended in an extremely challenging business environment, had it not been for the critical role employees and the executive team played in navigating the Company through the performance year and preparing the Company for 2021 and beyond. The Committee reviewed Company performance against the original bonus plan targets, the revised financial models, our original Quality Goals and Objectives, and the key strategic accomplishments listed above, and considered the Company's strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After doing so, in accordance with the terms of the plan, our Chief Executive Officer recommended, and our Compensation Committee approved a Total Annual Bonus Pool Funding of 77%, for approximately 15,000 eligible employees including our NEOs.

Total Bonus Pool Funding(1)
77%

(1)   2020 Total Bonus Pool funding is comprised of:

75% to be allocated, as described below, to all participating units; and

2% funding budgeted and allocated to bonus-eligible employees at all levels of BSC, whose Individual Performance Percentages were above 100% due to their 2020 performance, in accordance with the Plan.

Funded Total Bonus Pool Allocated to Participating Units

In prior years, the Total Bonus Pool, as funded, is allocated by the Compensation Committee to each participating regional, business, and functional unit taking into consideration our Chief Executive Officer's recommendations in light of that participating unit's performance measured against its operational and/or financial performance metric targets (and other factors the Compensation Committee deems appropriate), thereby incentivizing and rewarding each participating unit's performance contributions. However, in order to balance the uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our global businesses, regions, and functions, the Compensation Committee, upon the

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recommendation of our CEO, determined that all participating units would have a Participating Unit Performance Percentage of 75% under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan.

Individual Target Award Opportunity

Each executive's target award opportunity under the Annual Bonus Plan is expressed as a percentage of his or her annual base salary and is determined based on the scope of the executive's responsibilities. For 2020, our Compensation Committee maintained the target award opportunities for our 2019 NEOs in 2020. The following table shows target award opportunities in 2020 for our NEOs, and, for those NEOs who were also NEOs for 2019, their target opportunities in 2019. The target award opportunities for Messrs. Brennan, Fitzgerald, Mackey, and Mirviss were based on the recommendations of our CEO, internal pay equity relative to our other executives, their impact and experience in their roles and external market data.

 
  Individual Target Award Opportunity
(As a % of Annual Base Salary)
Name
  2019
  2020

Michael F. Mahoney

  150%   150%

Daniel J. Brennan

    85%   85%

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  80%   80%

Edward F. Mackey

    75%   75%

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

    70%

Individual Performance Component

After year end, individual performance is considered pursuant to the PDC process described in the "Performance Considerations" section above. Based on the performance assessment rating under our annual PDC process, an individual performance multiplier from 0% to 150% is applied to an executive's funded Annual Bonus Plan award to determine the actual amount to be paid. Final payout for each executive may therefore range from 0% to 225% of target, as the product of the funded award under Participating Unit performance percentage, ranging from 50% to 150% of target, and the individual performance multiplier, ranging from 0% to 150%.

Our NEOs had certain performance objectives intended to support our strategic imperatives, as applicable to their roles, including (i) with respect to our NEOs who support corporate functions, those aimed at driving Company-level financial performance objectives, and (ii) with respect to Messrs. Fitzgerald and Mirviss who each supports a business or businesses, those aimed at supporting business-level financial and operational performance objectives. The individual performance objectives discussed below represent factors that are considered by the Compensation Committee and our CEO in determining each NEO's individual performance percentage. Further, no single factor is determinative or required to be considered.

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Named Executive Officer
   
  Individual Performance

Michael F. Mahoney

 

Objectives:

 

Driving regional, business, and functional performance

Strengthening category leadership, expanding into high-growth adjacencies, and diversifying portfolio

Driving global expansion

Driving profitability to fuel growth

Developing our people capabilities and our leadership pipeline



 

Assessment:

 

Notable accomplishments include leading the Company to preserve earnings and optimize cash flow, in anticipation of the pandemic's impact to the Company's business, supporting employees globally, by implementing programs to maximize employee safety and well-being, making decisions to strengthen our balance sheet, executing significant product launches, to better position the Company for a strong recovery as the impacts from the pandemic decrease. Mr. Mahoney ensured key leadership moves as well as the advancement of digital capabilities to support customers. He made significant progress towards environmental sustainability goals and strengthened commitment to social justice.

Daniel J. Brennan

 

Objectives:

 

Driving functional performance

Maintaining best-in-class control environment

Achieving financial goals and implementing cost-savings initiatives

Overseeing business development initiatives and supporting strategic transactions

Strengthening relationships with investors and analysts


 

 

Assessment:

 

Notable accomplishments include implementing an impactful liquidity strategy to enable financial flexibility, acting swiftly to cut costs, and creating a strategic cash management office to closely monitor key company metrics and raise action plans, all to help the Company weather the global pandemic. Mr. Brennan continued his focus on ensuring a best-in-class control environment and maintained the Company's strong relationships with investors, analysts, and ratings agencies. He also drove improvements in diversity, equity, and inclusion culture for global finance organization and the Company as a whole.

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Named Executive Officer
   
  Individual Performance

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

 

Objectives:

 

Driving business performance for Rhythm Management, while he led that organization, for Corporate Accounts and then for Interventional Cardiology in his new role

Achieving key product milestones

Effectively executing product launches

Enhancing organizational capabilities



 

Assessment:

 

Notable accomplishments include achieving key regulatory, clinical, and commercial milestones in both Rhythm Management and Interventional Cardiology, making tough, but necessary, decisions to restructure the business, and providing overall leadership of Corporate Accounts. Mr. Fitzgerald also drove digital innovation, made key talent moves, and continued to build a diverse leadership pipeline.

Edward F. Mackey

 

Objectives:

 

Continually improving and sustaining strong quality culture

Delivering key regulatory milestones

Driving optimization of manufacturing and supply chain, global business services, and information technology to support sustainable, profitable growth

Managing acquisition integrations to drive synergies

Enhancing organizational capabilities


 

 

Assessment:

 

Notable accomplishments include leading the business continuity planning and execution in the face of the global pandemic, including developing and implementing safety and business continuity plans for all company facilities, and scaling existing technology to handle massively increased remote work volumes. Mr. Mackey also continued to execute on key product launches, lead strategic initiatives to deliver productivity and cost savings, and drive the development of our digital strategy. He also continued to drive programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion within organization.

 

 

 

 

 

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Named Executive Officer
   
  Individual Performance

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

 

Objectives:

 

Driving business performance for Peripheral Interventions

Achieving key product milestones and executing product launches

Leading continued integration of BTG plc

Enhancing organizational capabilities


 

 

Assessment:

 

Notable accomplishments include achieving key regulatory, clinical, and commercial milestones, continuing the successful integration of BTG plc to retain talent, achieve revenue goals, and drive synergies, implementing necessary spending cuts to weather the global pandemic, and continuing to drive engagement within Peripheral Interventions and build a diverse leadership pipeline. Mr. Mirviss also provided effective oversight of our Latin America, Canada, and Government Affairs teams.

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Short-term Incentive Awards Paid to Our NEOs Under Our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan

Name
  Individual
Target Award
Opportunity
(As a % of Annual
Base
Salary)

  2020
Target
Award(1)

  Participating
Unit
Performance
Percentage(1)

  Individual
Performance
Percentage

  2020
Actual Bonus
Plan
Award(2)

  Actual
as % of
Target(1)

Michael F. Mahoney

  150%   $1,980,000   75%   100%   $1,485,000   75%

Daniel J. Brennan

  85%   $578,000   75%   105%   $455,000   79%

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  80%   $552,000   75%   100%   $414,000   75%

Edward F. Mackey

  75%   $454,000   75%   115%   $391,000   86%

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  70%   $406,000   75%   115%   $350,000   86%

(1)   Actual payouts are greater than the target payout percentage of 75% in cases where an NEO's Individual Performance Percentage is greater than 100%.

(2)

 

2020 Target and Actual Bonus Plan Awards are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Long-Term Incentives

Our Compensation Committee annually reviews the design of our Long-Term Incentive Program (LTI Program) to help ensure that the program continues to support our executive compensation philosophy and core compensation program objectives. In setting the design for 2020, our Compensation Committee retained the mix of equity award opportunities for our executives under our prior LTI Program that were designed to further reinforce "pay for performance" and align the interests of our executives and their compensation with important Company financial measures and the long-term interests of our stockholders. The key features and objectives of each equity vehicle are summarized in the table below.

GRAPHIC

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    Performance-Based DSUs (50% of total mix)
50% Relative TSR; 50% Adjusted Free Cash Flow 

 
    Performance-based DSUs are intended to complement the performance orientation of our other equity vehicles — which are linked to the appreciation of our share price — and further align the interests of our shareholders and executives. This linkage is achieved by tying vesting opportunities to the attainment of goals that are leading indicators of our financial health and ability to create substantial value for our shareholders. At this time, the Compensation Committee believes that adjusted free cash flow and relative TSR are the best measures of long-term success, as they promote strong capital discipline, prioritize sustainable value creation, and align the interests of our executives and shareholders.
 
   
 

 

  Relative TSR DSUs(1)(2)

Relative TSR performance-based DSUs align the interests of our executives and shareholders by measuring our total value creation against the S&P 500 Healthcare Index, which includes the majority of our peer companies, and encourages our executives to think like owners and make long-term oriented decisions. Performance is measured across three years, and shares vest between 0% and 200% of target based upon actual achievement.

For 2020 TSR DSUs, the performance schedule was as follows:

Participants earn 40% of the relative TSR DSUs if our performance is at the 30th percentile of the index (our payout threshold value).

All shares are forfeited for performance below the 30th percentile, and a maximum of 200% of shares are earned for achievement at or above the 80th percentile.

Payouts are linearly interpolated between points on the payout grid.

Awards typically vest upon satisfaction of both performance and service criteria at the end of the three-year performance period.

 

GRAPHIC

   
 

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    Free Cash Flow DSUs(1)(2)(3)

FCF performance-based DSUs, in conjunction with the measures in our annual incentive plan, align executive compensation opportunities with achievement of a key objective in the Company's internal financial plan and an important area of focus for stockholders. The performance period of one year maximizes our nimbleness in a highly variable operating environment, while the three-year service criteria (inclusive of the performance period) promotes a long-term orientation and retention.

In 2020, our Adjusted Free Cash Flow target goal was $2.100 billion, which aligned with the Board-approved 2020 internal cash flow plan.

Participants earn 25% of the FCF DSUs if our performance is at 50% of plan.

All shares are forfeited for performance below 50% of plan, and a maximum of 150% of shares are earned for achievement at or above 125% of plan.

Payouts are linearly interpolated on the payout grid.

Any shares earned vest in full three years following the grant date.

 
GRAPHIC
   
 
    Service-Vesting Equity Vehicles (50% of total mix)(1)(2)
50% Service-Based DSUs; 50% Non-Qualified Stock Options
    




 

 

Service-Based DSUs

 

 

 

 

Service-based DSUs reinforce pay for performance by linking the ultimate value of the award to performance of our stock. The vesting period acts as a retention tool and promotes executive long-term share owner perspective.

 

 
             

 

 

For awards granted in 2020, DSUs vest in four equal annual installments subject to continued service

   

 

 

Service-based DSUs granted under programs prior to 2019 vested in five equal annual installments

   

 

 

Promote executive ownership and linkage to our share price

   

 

 

Non-Qualified Stock Options(1)

 

 

 

 

Non-qualified stock options represent the right to purchase our common stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. As such, executives only receive value to the extent that our share price increases through the exercise period.

 

 
             

 

 

Vest in four equal annual installments subject to continued service

   

 

 

Provide value only to the extent that our share price increases

   

 

 

Are exercisable from the vesting date through the tenth anniversary of the grant date

   

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(1)   Under our 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan, these awards are called deferred stock units, or DSUs. Under our Amended and Restated 2011 Long-Term Incentive plan, which was effective October 1, 2020, these awards are called restricted stock units or RSUs. For purposes of this proxy statement, unless noted otherwise, we refer to these awards as DSUs, as the awards made to our NEOs from 2011 through 2020 were made under our 2011 LTIP.

(2)

 

We do not pay dividends on stock options, unvested Company performance-based DSUs or service-based DSUs.

(3)

 

Adjusted free cash flow is reported operating cash flow minus capital expenditures and excludes cash flows associated with certain significant and unusual litigation, acquisition, restructuring and tax-related items. For a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure and insight into how this non-GAAP measure is considered by management, please see Annex A.

For further discussion of the performance share programs for our Company performance-based DSUs and the equity awards granted pursuant to our Long-Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs) and a description of how we calculate adjusted free cash flow, please see the Executive Compensation sections titled "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program," "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program" and "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — Amended and Restated 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan" and Annex A.

2020 Long-Term Incentive Awards for Our NEOs

In February 2020, our Compensation Committee approved the grant of long-term equity incentive awards to our NEOs in the amounts in the following table, which were based on the target dollar values of the long-term equity incentive awards for our NEOs considered by the Compensation Committee (see discussion of the target dollar values below). In approving the following grants, the Committee considered external market data and internal factors, including internal equity, performance, and potential. In evaluating internal equity between the CEO and non-NEOs, the Committee focused, in particular, on competitive market data, and the Company's organizational structure.

Name
  Target FCF
Performance-Based
DSUs(1)(2)

  Target TSR
Performance-Based
DSUs(1)(2)

  Stock
Options(1)

  Service-Based
DSUs(1)

  Total
Long-Term
Incentive
Award Target
Value(3)

Michael F. Mahoney

  65,227   65,227   243,362   65,227   $11,100,000

Daniel J. Brennan

    14,824     14,824   55,309     14,824   $2,500,000

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  14,824   14,824   55,309   14,824   $2,500,000

Edward F. Mackey

    8,894     8,894   33,185     8,894   $1,500,000

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  11,266   11,266   42,035   11,266   $1,900,000

(1)
Our NEOs' 2020 long-term equity incentive awards were granted as of February 18, 2020. The stock options have an exercise price of $42.16 per share, the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant.

(2)
The number of shares of our common stock issuable to our NEOs based on our performance under our FCF and TSR performance share programs for the periods ended December 31, 2020 is discussed below under the section titled "Company Performance-Based DSUs — Results for Performance Periods Ended December 31, 2020."

(3)
Total Long-Term Incentive Award Target Value is rounded to the nearest thousand.

The numbers of FCF and TSR performance-based DSUs and service-based DSUs were calculated by dividing the target dollar value of those awards by the closing price of our common stock on the date

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of grant, and the numbers of stock options were determined by dividing the target dollar value of that award by the stock option value determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, as described in the footnotes to the Executive Compensation section titled "Summary Compensation Table".

We also made equity grants to two of our NEOs outside of the ordinary annual award process. In February 2020, Mr. Mackey was awarded 23,719 DSUs for retention purposes, which vest in a single installment on February 18, 2022, the second anniversary of the grant. Additionally, in July 2020, in connection with Mr. Fitzgerald's appointment to the position of Executive Vice President and President, Interventional Cardiology, Mr. Fitzgerald was granted an equity incentive award in the form of 116,959 non-qualified stock options, which have an exercise price of $35.28 per share and vest in one single installment on January 1, 2023. The grant date fair value of each of these equity grants was approximately $1,000,000.

Company Performance-Based DSUs — Results for Performance Periods Ended December 31, 2020

In February 2021, our Compensation Committee determined the number of deferred stock units earned pursuant to our performance-based DSUs under the 2018 TSR Performance Share Program and the 2020 FCF Performance Share Program, presented in the table below.

Grant Year
  Performance Metric
  Achievement
  DSUs Earned
2018   TSR Percentile Performance Rank for the three-year period ended December 31, 2020   32nd relative to that of the other 55 companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Industry Index (43rd percentile)

78% of target TSR performance based DSUs earned



 
Michael F. Mahoney — 71,981 DSUs
Daniel J. Brennan — 16,195 DSUs
Joseph M. Fitzgerald — 17,995 DSUs
Edward F. Mackey — 10,796 DSUs
Jeffrey B. Mirviss — 7,917 DSUs

2020

 

Adjusted FCF for the one-year period ended December 31, 2020

 

$1.980 billion or 94.3% of target(1)

88.6% of target FCF performance-based DSUs earned

 

Michael F. Mahoney — 57,791 DSUs
Daniel J. Brennan — 13,134 DSUs
Joseph M. Fitzgerald — 13,134 DSUs
Edward F. Mackey — 7,880 DSUs
Jeffrey B. Mirviss — 9,981 DSUs

 

 

 

 

 

 

All DSUs earned pursuant to our 2020 FCF Performance Share Program are subject to continued service until December 31, 2022.

(1)   Adjusted free cash flow is not prepared in accordance with GAAP. For a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure and insight into how this non-GAAP measure is considered by management, please see Annex A.

Primary Elements of Indirect Executive Compensation

We also compensate our executives, including our NEOs, with indirect compensation, namely in the form of benefits and limited perquisites. Generally, our benefits and perquisites are targeted to be competitive relative to our peer group companies. The primary elements of and objectives for our NEOs' 2020 indirect compensation are summarized below.

General Employee Benefits

We provide employee benefits to eligible employees, including our NEOs, to promote personal health and well-being and to provide certain financial security and protection upon retirement or in the event of death, disability or illness. As U.S.-based employees, our NEOs are eligible to receive employee

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benefits under our U.S. employee benefits program, which consists of the following key elements that are generally the same as those provided to our other U.S. salaried employees:

    health and welfare benefits, with a choice between a preferred provider model or a high-deductible plan with a Health Savings Account (executives share costs within a range of approximately 20% to 35% depending upon the plan and coverage selected);

    Company-paid term life insurance policies that provide a benefit equal to base salary, with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum benefit of up to $1 million, payable upon death; and

    a qualified 401(k) retirement plan with a Company match of 6% of eligible salary up to $285,000 in 2020 resulting in a maximum possible match of $17,100.

In addition, our executive officers may participate in an annual executive level physical examination program that is designed to encourage the proactive management of executive health. In approving the program, the Compensation Committee considered the overall cost of the program (estimated to be less than $10,000 per participant) and the importance of good health to an executive's ability to focus on the short and long-term needs of the Company. Company-paid term life insurance premium amounts (and related imputed income), Company matches of 401(k) Plan contributions for our NEOs, Company-paid executive level annual physical examination costs, and certain other reimbursements in 2020 are reported in the footnotes to the Executive Compensation section titled "Summary Compensation Table."

Deferred Compensation Programs

We maintain a Deferred Bonus Plan for certain of our management, including our NEOs, in order to provide them with the opportunity to defer up to 75% of their annual award under our Annual Bonus Plan until the earlier of termination of employment or an elected distribution date. However, in April 2020, the Compensation Committee determined that no deferral elections would be permitted under the Deferred Bonus Plan for the 2020 Annual Bonus, if any, payable in 2021. For additional discussion of the Deferred Bonus Plan, please see the narrative to the Executive Compensation section titled "Nonqualified Deferred Compensation."

Relocation Program

We provide tiered relocation benefits under our relocation program to eligible employees, including our NEOs, whom we request to move in connection with their current position or a promotion and for eligible new hires we require to move in connection with accepting a position with us. Our objectives in providing relocation benefits are to attract and redeploy top talent. We provide "tax gross-ups" on applicable relocation benefits provided under our relocation program as we believe that this benefit is integral to the Company's ability to attract and retain employees whose skill or knowledge enhance the Company's competitive position. Participants are generally required to sign a reimbursement agreement that requires them to pay back expenses incurred by the Company for their relocation in the event that they voluntarily terminate their employment or are terminated for "cause" at a rate of 100% for termination within one year of the date on which payments were first made and 50% for termination following the first year but within two years of the date on which payments were first made.

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Personal Use of Aircraft

Pursuant to Mr. Mahoney's offer letter, he is permitted reasonable personal use of our corporate aircraft up to $100,000 per year in aggregate incremental cost to the Company. Our other executives are permitted limited personal use of our corporate aircraft with prior approval. These executives are personally taxed on their personal use of our corporate aircraft and we do not provide them with income tax gross-up payments. The aggregate incremental cost to the Company (and disallowed tax deductions of the Company) for our NEOs' personal use of our corporate aircraft in 2020 is included in the footnotes to the Executive Compensation section titled "Summary Compensation Table."

Financial Planning

We offer a financial planning perquisite for our executive officers, including our NEOs. The program provides financial counseling and planning, investment and retirement management, insurance planning, and income tax planning and preparation services through a single service provider for US-based executive officers. Executive officers located outside of the United States will be eligible for reimbursement. In approving the program, the Compensation Committee considered the overall cost of the benefit (up to $12,000 per participant), prevalence of the benefit in the market, and benefit to the Company of reducing potential distraction to executive officers of complex personal financial situations.

Our Post-Employment and Change in Control Arrangements

Primary Elements of Post-Employment and Change in Control Arrangements

None of our NEOs has an employment agreement with the Company. However, we provide post-employment and change in control payments and benefits to our executives under certain circumstances. We believe that offering our executives these payments and benefits facilitates the operation of our business, allows them to better focus their time, attention and capabilities on our business, and assists the Company in recruiting and retaining key executives. The primary elements of and objectives for our NEOs' 2020 post-employment and change in control agreements are summarized below.

Executive Retirement Plan

Our executives are eligible to participate in our defined benefit Executive Retirement Plan. For further discussion of our defined benefit Executive Retirement Plan, please see the narrative to the Executive Compensation section titled "Defined Benefit Retirement Plan."

Severance Plans

We maintain severance plans for eligible employees, including our NEOs, under which participants are entitled to receive certain severance payments, subsidized COBRA health benefits and dental benefits for specified periods of time. For further discussion of our severance plans, please see the Executive Compensation section titled "Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control — Severance Plans."

Change in Control Agreements

We have entered into change in control agreements to our executives, including our NEOs, and other key employees (Change in Control Agreements). The possibility of a change in control and the

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uncertainty that it may raise among our executives as to their continued employment after or in connection with a change in control may result in their departure or distraction. Our objective in providing Change in Control Agreements is to retain and encourage the continued attention and dedication of our executives during a potentially critical time, even if they are concerned that their position will be eliminated after or in connection with the change in control. Our Change in Control Agreements require both a change in control and termination without cause or resignation for good reason within two years after the change in control event, commonly referred to as a "double-trigger," for cash payments to be made under the agreement and vesting to be accelerated under the agreements for equity awards where the surviving or acquiring entity substitutes or assumes outstanding equity awards.

For further discussion of our Change in Control Agreements, other plans and arrangements under which a change in control and/or termination of employment triggers payments or benefits, and potential payments to our NEOs under the foregoing, please see the narrative and tables in the Executive Compensation section titled "Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control — Change in Control Agreements."

Clawback Policy

Our Compensation Committee has adopted a policy regarding the recovery or adjustment of short-term incentive awards paid to an executive in the event relevant Company performance measures are restated in a manner that would have reduced the size of a previously granted award. In such an event, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Company would seek to recover the amount of the short-term incentive award paid to such executive that was in excess of the amount that would have been awarded based on the restated financial results, subject to and in accordance with the terms of the policy. Our Compensation Committee monitors regulatory developments with respect to applicable executive compensation recovery policies required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and it expects to consider such changes to the Company's current recovery policy as are necessary to comply with final rules (and related guidance, if any) to be issued by the SEC in accordance with such act.

Our Compensation Committee has also adopted a policy regarding the recovery of certain short- and long-term incentive compensation awards paid or granted to an executive in the event of executive misconduct or gross dereliction of duty that resulted in a material violation of Company policy and caused significant harm to the Company. In such an event, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Company may seek reimbursement of all or a portion of cash incentive compensation awards paid within a certain time period and/or recovery of all or a portion of equity incentive awards granted to such executive over which the Company retains control, subject to and in accordance with the terms of the policy.

Both of the policies described above are only applicable to awards made after the adoption of the relevant policy. For a discussion of other recovery and forfeiture provisions relating to incentive compensation awards and other benefits provided to our executives, please see the section titled "Relocation Program" above, and the Executive Compensation sections titled "Retirement Plan Benefits" and "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table."

Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines

Our executives are required to have a significant personal investment in the Company through their ownership of shares of our common stock. Our Board has set stock ownership guidelines for

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executives, including our NEOs, as a number of shares of Company stock equal in value to at least the following amounts:

    CEO: six times annual base salary; and

    All other executives: three times annual base salary.

Executives are required to comply with the guidelines at all times. However, if at any time an executive's ownership does not meet or exceed the guideline, he or she is expected to retain ownership of at least fifty percent of net shares with respect to each vesting of an equity award or stock option exercise until the guideline is met or exceeded. For purposes of satisfying the guidelines, shares owned outright, shares held in company benefit plans and the intrinsic value of vested "in-the-money" stock options are included in the aggregate number of shares held by an executive. Unvested equity award shares (including service-based DSUs and performance-based DSUs) and unvested stock options are not included in the aggregate number of shares held by an executive. The Nominating and Governance Committee monitors compliance with these guidelines on an annual basis. As of December 31, 2020, our CEO and other NEOs were in compliance with these guidelines.

No Tax Gross-Ups (other than for Relocation Benefits)

The Company does not provide tax gross-ups for our executives, except for relocation benefits because the benefit generally applies to all employees eligible to receive relocation benefits, including our executives, and the Compensation Committee believes it is integral to the Company's ability to attract and redeploy employees whose skill or knowledge enhance the Company's competitive position.

Our Equity Award Grant Policy and Practices

Under our Equity Award Grant Policy, grants of equity awards to our executives are approved and effective as follows:

    Annual equity awards (if any) for our employees, including our executives, are generally approved by our Compensation Committee at a regularly scheduled meeting. Such awards are effective on the date of approval or, for administrative reasons, shortly thereafter.

    New hire, promotion, retention and other special or ad hoc awards for our executive officers are generally approved by our Compensation Committee. New hire or promotion awards for executive officers are effective on the first trading day of the month following both the date of hire or promotion and the date of approval. Retention and other special or ad hoc awards for our executive officers are effective on the first trading day of the month following approval.

    Stock options are granted with an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant.

Tax and Accounting Considerations

Section 162(m) of the Code (Section 162(m)), as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, generally disallows a tax deduction to public companies for compensation over $1 million paid to certain "covered employees," which includes a company's CEO, CFO, and the three other most highly compensated executive officers employed by the company at the end of the year. Once an officer is a

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"covered employee," their compensation will remain subject to Section 162(m) for so long as they are receiving compensation from the company. Further, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act repealed the exclusion for "qualified performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) effective January 1, 2018, except for compensation payable pursuant to a written binding contract in place before November 2, 2017 that is not materially modified thereafter (a grandfathered arrangement). The company may avail itself of this transition rule for grandfathered arrangements, to the extent applicable and that our existing plans and outstanding awards qualify. To maintain flexibility in compensating executive officers in a manner designed to promote varying corporate goals in the best interest of the Company, the Committee does not limit its actions with respect to executive compensation to preserve deductibility under Section 162(m) if the Committee determines that doing so is in the best interests of the Company.

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, which requires the Company to recognize compensation expense for share-based payments (including stock options and other forms of equity compensation). FASB ASC Topic 718 is taken into account by the Compensation Committee in determining to use a portfolio approach to equity grants, awarding both stock options and DSUs.

Prohibition on Pledging and Hedging the Economic Value of our Common Stock

Our executives, including our NEOs, and our directors, are prohibited from speculating in the Company's securities, engaging in transactions designed to "hedge" the value of our common stock, and pledging their common stock as collateral for a loan. Examples of hedging and pledging transactions specifically covered by the policy include zero-cost collars and forward sale contracts, and use of stock as margin to secure borrowings, respectively. To facilitate the implementation of this prohibition, excluded from the policy's general prohibition on hedging and pledging arrangements are shares held by directors that were subject to hedging or pledging arrangements as of December 31, 2010, and do not in the aggregate for all directors amount to more than 3.5% of the Company's then outstanding shares. None of our executives or directors is engaged in hedging or pledging arrangements related to the Company's securities.

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RISK ASSESSMENT OF OUR COMPENSATION PROGRAMS

With the assistance of the senior members of our Global Compensation and Benefits organization, certain senior executive officers and the Compensation Committee's independent compensation consultant, Semler Brossy, in February 2021 the Compensation Committee reviewed a risk assessment of our compensation programs and policies to determine if the provisions and operations of our programs create undesired or unintentional risk of a material nature.

Our risk assessment included two work streams — one focused on reviewing areas of enterprise risk and the other focused on identifying compensation design risk. Our enterprise risk analysis examined the types and magnitudes of risks our business areas present to the Company so that the Committee could assess the extent to which our compensation programs may mitigate or exacerbate these risks. Our compensation design risk analysis, which was conducted by management and reviewed by Semler Brossy, examined the potential risks in the design of our performance-based incentive compensation arrangements. As part of this assessment, we analyzed the mix of fixed and variable compensation; the mix of short- and long-term compensation; the mix of long-term equity incentives; performance metric mix; weighting, measurement and payout timing; discretion and caps on short-term incentives; award size, vesting schedules and performance and other terms of long-term equity incentives; and other incentive opportunities and their features. We also analyzed our recovery of incentive awards policy, executive stock ownership guidelines and hedging and pledging prohibitions. Finally, we evaluated on a combined basis the results of the enterprise and compensation risk assessments, on a business area-by-business area basis.

The Compensation Committee reviewed and discussed the findings of this analysis with management and concluded that it continues to believe that our compensation programs do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.


COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion & Analysis contained in this Proxy Statement with management and, based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee has approved the inclusion of the Compensation Discussion & Analysis in this Proxy Statement and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 for filing with the SEC.

This Compensation Committee Report does not constitute soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other Boston Scientific filing with the SEC, except to the extent that Boston Scientific specifically incorporates this Report by reference into another Boston Scientific filing.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

Donna A. James, Chair
Nelda J. Connors
Edward J. Ludwig
Stephen P. MacMillan

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The table below summarizes the total compensation for each of our named executive officers for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. For a narrative description of material factors helpful to understand the information disclosed in the table below for 2020, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis and the narrative to this table.

Name and Principal Position
  Year
  Salary
($)(1)

  Stock
Awards
($)(2)

  Option
Awards
($)(3)

  Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)(4)

  Change in
Pension Value
and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)(5)

  All Other
Compensation
($)(6)

  Total
($)

Michael F. Mahoney

  2020   666,878   8,395,367   2,749,991   1,485,000   399,686   76,873   13,773,795

Chairman of the Board, President

  2019   1,274,740   9,087,249   2,699,992   1,996,800   409,290   296,069   15,764,140

and Chief Executive Officer

  2018   1,234,630   7,643,884   2,499,993   2,128,770   311,932   151,692   13,970,901

Daniel J. Brennan

  2020   560,422   1,907,997   624,992   455,206   99,172   21,204   3,668,993

Executive Vice President and

  2019   655,437   1,977,244   587,497   583,482   190,385   37,241   4,031,286

Chief Financial Officer

  2018   621,637   1,719,882   562,495   626,736   102,017   33,058   3,665,825

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  2020   568,679   1,907,997   1,624,991   414,010   59,902   22,754   4,598,333

Executive Vice President and

  2019   667,416   2,103,497   624,989   546,760   60,063   22,732   4,025,457

President, Interventional Cardiology

  2018   639,958   1,910,971   624,994   582,425   245,334   32,636   4,036,318

Edward F. Mackey(7)

  2020   497,670   2,144,740   374,991   391,374   170,059   20,692   3,599,526

Executive Vice President, Operations

  2019   577,398   1,472,367   437,491   520,282   156,573   34,851   3,198,962

Jeffrey B. Mirviss(7)

  2020   495,001   1,450,047   474,996   350,179   155,410   30,563   2,956,196

Executive Vice President and President, Peripheral Interventions

                               

(1)   Base salaries for our executive officers are generally effective for one year starting in late February of each year. The amounts in this column for 2018 and 2019 reflect an amount calculated by prorating the prior year's base salary until late February, and then 2018 and 2019 base salaries, respectively, for the remainder of the year. In April 2020, the Company announced that, in light of the disruption and uncertainty created by the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its anticipated impact on the Company's operations, all of our Executive Officers, including our NEOs, would take a significant temporary reduction in base salary for up to six months. For our NEOs other than Mr. Mahoney, the temporary salary reductions were terminated in August 2020, and for Mr. Mahoney, the reduction ended in October 2020. Therefore, for each NEO, the amounts in this column for 2020 reflect an amount calculated by prorating the individual's 2019 salary from January 1, 2020 through February 16, 2020; then prorating the regular 2020 base salary and temporarily reduced base salary amounts for the applicable periods throughout the year.

 

 

For each year, these figures differ from those in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis, which lists amounts approved by the Compensation Committee for 2020.

(2)

 

The amounts included in the "Stock Awards" column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all service-based and Company performance-based DSUs granted in 2020, 2019 and 2018 under our 2011 LTIP, as effective on the respective dates of grant. These values have been determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.

 

 

The attainment of the performance-based DSUs awarded to our NEOs in 2020 is based on either (i) the Total Shareholder Return (TSR) of our common stock relative to the TSR of the common stock of the other companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index over a three-year performance and service period, or (ii) our adjusted free cash flow over a one-year performance period measured against our 2020 internal financial plan for the same period, subject to the satisfaction of the service criteria over a three-year period (inclusive of the performance period). For additional information with respect to these Company performance-based DSUs, including the vesting thereof, please see the sections titled "2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program" and "2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program" in the narrative to this table.

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We determined the grant date fair value of the 2020 TSR performance-based DSUs using a Monte Carlo simulation methodology, utilizing the following key assumptions:

 

Stock price on date of grant

  $42.16

Risk-free rate

  1.37%

Measurement period (in years)

  2.87

 

 

The TSR performance metric for the 2020 TSR performance-based DSUs is a market condition as defined under FASB ASC Topic 718. Because these awards do not have performance conditions as defined under FASB ASC Topic 718, such awards have no maximum grant date fair values that differ from the fair values presented in this Summary Compensation Table.

 

 

The grant date fair value of the 2020 FCF performance-based DSUs was determined based on management's evaluation of the Company's 2020 internal financial plan for adjusted free cash flow, assuming target achievement of the adjusted free cash flow performance criteria and utilizing the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. The fair values of the 2020 target FCF performance-based DSUs at the grant date assuming achievement of the highest level of performance (as required to be disclosed by the SEC), which assumes actual adjusted free cash flow for 2020 at or above 125% of the Company's 2020 internal financial plan, are as follows: $4,124,955 for Mr. Mahoney's award, $937,470 for Mr. Brennan's award, $937,470 for Mr. Fitzgerald's award, $562,457 for Mr. Mackey's award, and $712,462 for Mr. Mirviss.

 

 

We value service-based DSUs based on the closing price of shares of our common stock on the date of grant.

 

 

For more information regarding the stock awards we granted in 2020, please see the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table. For a more detailed description of the assumptions used in determining grant date fair values of DSUs granted in 2020, please see Note L — Stock Ownership Plans to our 2020 consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

(3)

 

The amounts included in the "Option Awards" column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all stock options granted during each of 2020, 2019 and 2018 under our 2011 LTIP, as effective on the respective date of grant. These values have been determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. For a description of the assumptions used for purposes of determining grant date fair value of stock options granted in 2020, please see Note L — Stock Ownership Plans to our 2020 consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. For more information regarding the stock option awards we granted in 2020, please see the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table.

(4)

 

Amounts in the "Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation" column represent cash awards made under our Annual Bonus Plan to our NEOs paid in February of the following year. Such amounts may be deferred under the Deferred Bonus Plan.

 

 

For further information regarding the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan awards, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Short-Term Incentives," the narrative to this table, and "Nonqualified Deferred Compensation".

(5)

 

The amounts shown in the "Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings" column reflect the change in the actuarial present value of the accumulated benefit under our Executive Retirement Plan for each retirement plan measurement date used for financial statement reporting purposes with respect to the Company's audited financial statements as compared to the prior retirement plan measurement date.

 

 

Please see the narrative and related footnotes to the table in the section titled "Defined Benefit Retirement Plan" for more information regarding the accrued benefits for each NEO under this plan. No amount is included with respect to nonqualified deferred compensation earnings because there were no above-market or preferential earnings on nonqualified deferred compensation.

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(6)

 

The amounts shown for 2020 in the "All Other Compensation" column are comprised of the following components:
Name
  Match
(401(k) Plan)
($)(a)

  Aircraft
($)(b)

  Term
Life
Insurance
($)(c)

  Financial
Planning
(d)

  Other
($)(e)

  Total All
Other
Compensation($)

Michael F. Mahoney

  17,100   53,808   5,694     271   76,873

Daniel J. Brennan

  17,100   60   3,773     271   21,204

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  17,100     3,833     1,821   22,754

Edward F. Mackey

  17,100     3,321     271   20,692

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  17,100     3,155   8,137   2,171   30,563

(a)   The amounts shown in this column represent matching contributions made by the Company for each NEO under our 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan. All individual and matching contributions to the 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan are fully vested upon contribution.

(b)

 

Pursuant to Mr. Mahoney's offer letter, he is permitted reasonable personal use of our corporate aircraft up to $100,000 per year in aggregate incremental cost to us, but he is not entitled to reimbursement by us for any taxes resulting from imputed income attributable to his personal use of the corporate aircraft. In light of the fact that Mr. Mahoney's travel plans are subject to change on short notice, the Company has agreed that he may use our corporate aircraft in connection with his service on the board of directors of Baxter International, Inc. so long as he fully reimburses us for the incremental costs associated with such travel or such costs are counted against his annual personal use amount.

 

 

The amount reflected in the "Aircraft" column represents the aggregate incremental costs to us for personal use by the NEO of our corporate aircraft, as well as any incremental costs associated with persons accompanying such officer on business travel. We calculate the incremental cost to us by dividing the total annual variable operating costs for the corporate aircraft by the number of in-flight hours during the year. The resulting dollar per hour amount is then multiplied by the number of hours flown for personal use by the executive officer during the year, including the "dead head" costs of flying the aircraft to and from locations for personal use. Our corporate aircrafts are used predominantly for business travel. We do not include the fixed operating costs, such as pilot salary, general taxes and insurance, in the incremental cost calculation. The incremental cost does not include amounts attributable to the NEO for increased income taxes we incurred in 2020 as a result of disallowed deductions related to personal use under Internal Revenue Service rules. For 2020, the reflected amounts exclude $218,784 and $15,045 of disallowed corporate income tax deductions attributable to the personal use of the corporate aircraft during the year by Messrs. Mahoney and Brennan, respectively. Messrs. Mahoney and Brennan were taxed on the imputed income attributable to their respective personal use of the corporate aircraft and did not receive tax assistance from the Company with respect to this amount.

(c)

 

Amounts in the "Term Life Insurance" column consist of premiums and the imputed income for Company-paid term life insurance attributable to our NEOs. For Messrs. Mahoney, Brennan, Fitzgerald, Mackey, and Mirviss, the premium paid was $792, $537, $545, $477, and $455 respectively.

(d)

 

Amounts in the "Financial Planning" column reflect fees paid to a service provider for financial planning. In November 2019, our Compensation Committee approved a financial planning perquisite for our executive officers, including our NEOs. The program provides financial counseling and planning, investment and retirement management, insurance planning, and income tax planning and preparation services through a single service provider for US-based executive officers. Executive officers located outside of the United States will be eligible for reimbursement. In approving the program, the Compensation Committee considered the overall cost of the benefit (up to $12,000 per participant), prevalence of the benefit in the market, and benefit to the Company of reducing potential distraction to executive officers of complex personal financial situations.

(e)

 

Amounts in the "Other" column consist of the costs of miscellaneous gifts/prizes and annual physical examinations, where applicable.

 

(7)   Mr. Mackey was not a NEO during 2018, and Mr. Mirviss was not a NEO during 2018 or 2019. In accordance with SEC rules, we are reporting data only for the fiscal year in which the individual was a NEO.

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Grants of Plan Based Awards

The table below presents information regarding awards under the Company's 2020 Annual Bonus Plan and 2011 LTIP, including those pursuant to the Company's 2020 Performance Share Programs, during the year ended December 31, 2020. For a description of material factors helpful for an understanding of the information in the table below, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis and the narrative to this table.

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  All
Other
Stock
Awards:
Number
of
Shares
of Stock
or
Units
(#)(4)

   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Grant
Date
Fair
Value
of
Stock
and
Option
Awards
($)(5)

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)(4)

  Exercise
or Base
Price
of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)

 
   
   
  Estimated Future Payouts
under Non-Equity Incentive Plan
Awards(1)
  Estimated Future Payouts
under Equity Incentive Plan
Awards(2)
Name
  Grant
Date(3)

  Date
Approved

  Threshold ($)
  Target
($)

  Maximum ($)
  Threshold (#)
  Target (#)
  Maximum (#)

Michael F. Mahoney

      0   1,980,000   4,455,000              

  2/18/2020(6)   2/12/2020         26,090   65,227   130,454         2,895,427

  2/18/2020(7)   2/12/2020         16,306   65,227   97,840         2,749,970

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020               65,227       2,749,970

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                 243,362   $42.16   2,749,991

Daniel J. Brennan

          0   578,040   1,300,590                            

  2/18/2020(6)   2/12/2020               5,929   14,824   29,648               658,037

  2/18/2020(7)   2/12/2020               3,706   14,824   22,236               624,980

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                           14,824           624,980

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                               55,309   $42.16   624,992

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

      0   552,013   1,242,029              

  2/18/2020(6)   2/12/2020         5,929   14,824   29,648         658,037

  2/18/2020(7)   2/12/2020         3,706   14,824   22,236         624,980

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020               14,824       624,980

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                 55,309   $42.16   624,992

  7/1/2020(9)   6/7/2020                 116,959   $35.28   999,999

Edward F. Mackey

          0   453,768   1,020,977                            

  2/18/2020(6)   2/12/2020               3,557   8,894   17,788               394,805

  2/18/2020(7)   2/12/2020               2,223   8,894   13,341               374,971

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                           8,894           374,971

  2/18/2020(10)   2/12/2020                           23,719           999,993

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                               33,185   $42.16   374,991

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

      0   406,004   913,510              

  2/18/2020(6)   2/12/2020         4,506   11,266   22,532         500,098

  2/18/2020(7)   2/12/2020         2,816   11,266   16,899         474,975

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020               11,266       474,975

  2/18/2020(8)   2/12/2020                 42,035   $42.16   474,996

(1)   The amounts in these columns reflect target and maximum payouts under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan. There is no threshold-level payout under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan. The maximum possible payout under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan is 225% of the target payout, representing the product of (i) a maximum of 150% of the target payout based on Company performance metrics and (ii) a maximum of 150% of the target payout based on individual performance objectives. The actual amount earned by each NEO under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan is reported under the "Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation" column in the Summary Compensation Table. For additional information about our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan and a discussion of how these amounts are determined, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Short-Term Incentives" and the section titled "2020 Annual Bonus Plan" in the narrative to this table.

(2)

 

The amounts in these columns reflect threshold, target and maximum share issuance under our 2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program (2020 TSR PSP) and 2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program (2020 FCF PSP). The target performance-based DSUs awarded under these programs were granted to our NEOs in February 2020 as part of our annual review process and were awarded under our 2011 LTIP, as effective on the date of grant. For additional details regarding the awards to our NEOs pursuant to our 2020 TSR PSP and 2020 FCF PSP, please see footnotes 5 and 6 to this Grants of Plan-Based Awards table, respectively.

(3)

 

The Compensation Committee took action to grant the awards in this table on February 12, 2020, and determined that the awards should be granted as of February 18, 2020.

(4)

 

The amounts in these columns reflect the number of service-based DSUs and stock options granted to our NEOs under our 2011 LTIP as effective on the date of grant during 2020.

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(5)

 

The amounts in this column have been determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See footnotes 2 and 3 to the Summary Compensation Table for a description of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair value of these awards.

(6)

 

These awards were granted pursuant to our 2020 TSR PSP. The threshold award level represents the minimum share issuance for each award that a participant may receive based on performance, which is 40% of the target TSR performance-based DSUs awarded under the program. The maximum share issuance for each award is 200% of the target TSR performance-based DSUs awarded under the 2020 TSR PSP. For additional information about our 2020 TSR PSP and a discussion of how these amounts are determined, please see the section titled "2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program" in the narrative to this table.

(7)

 

These awards were granted pursuant to our 2020 FCF PSP. The threshold award level represents the minimum share issuance for each award that a participant may receive based on performance, which is 25% of the target FCF performance-based DSUs awarded under the program. The maximum share issuance for each award is 150% of the target FCF performance-based DSUs awarded under the 2020 FCF PSP. For additional information about our 2020 FCF PSP and a discussion of how these amounts are determined, please see the section titled "2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program" in the narrative to this table.

(8)

 

These awards were granted as part of our annual review process and awarded under our 2011 LTIP, as effective on the respective date of grant.

(9)

 

In connection with Mr. Fitzgerald's offer of employment as the Executive Vice President and President, Interventional Cardiology, Mr. Fitzgerald was granted an equity incentive award in the form of non-qualified stock options, vesting in one single installment on January 1, 2023.

(10)

 

This award was granted to Mr. Mackey under our 2011 LTIP, as effective on the date of grant, for retention purposes. The award will vest in one single installment, on the second anniversary date of the grant.

Narrative Disclosure to Summary
Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table

The following provides information about the terms of our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, 2020 Performance Share Programs and our 2011 LTIP, pursuant to which our NEOs were awarded short- and long-term incentive compensation, as applicable and detailed in the tables above. For additional information regarding the application of these plans and programs to our NEOs in 2020, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis.

2020 Annual Bonus Plan

Our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan is administered by our Compensation Committee. The plan year for our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan ran from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Generally, all U.S. salaried employees not eligible for commissions under sales compensation plans and certain international employees selected for participation were eligible to participate in our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, provided they had at least two full months of service during the plan year. Participants generally must be employed with us on the date payments are made in order to receive awards under the plan. However, in the event of death or retirement or certain involuntary terminations without cause, in each case, as described in the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, participants may receive their performance incentive awards for the year on a prorated basis based on the percentage of the year the participant was employed by us and eligible to participate. Participants who have at least two months of eligibility, but less than a full year, similarly may receive awards under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan on a prorated basis.

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Target Incentive Award Opportunity

Each participant is provided with a target incentive award opportunity under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan expressed as a percentage of his or her base salary. For a discussion of the 2020 target incentive award opportunities for our NEOs, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis sections titled "Individual Target Incentive Award Opportunity" and "2020 Annual Bonus Plan Awards Paid to Our NEOs."

Company Performance Funds Total Bonus Pool

Company Performance Metrics and Weighting. Under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, after year-end, a single Company-wide annual bonus pool (Total Bonus Pool) is funded based on the Company's performance measured against important Company-level financial performance metric targets. For 2020, our Compensation Committee selected adjusted EPS and adjusted net sales as our Company-level performance metrics. Each metric has a 50% weighting.

Company Metrics Defined. For purposes of our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan: (i) adjusted EPS equals adjusted net income (loss) divided by weighted average shares outstanding for the performance year (adjusted net income (loss) equals GAAP net income (loss) excluding certain charges (credits) from GAAP net income, including, but not limited to, amortization expense, goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, acquisition- and divestiture-related net charges (credits), restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits), litigation-related net charges (credits), certain investment impairment losses (gains), EU Medical Device Regulation implementation charges, pension termination charges, and discrete tax items); and (ii) adjusted net sales is calculated at an assumed standard constant currency basis that excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, which are highly variable and difficult to predict, and other adjustments.

For a discussion of the Company level targets under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, funding of the Total Bonus Pool and the individual performance component of the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, and the impact of COVID-19 on the program, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Short-Term Incentives."

Clawback of Annual Bonus Plan Award

Our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan provides that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, our Board will seek reimbursement of incentive compensation paid to any executive officer under the plan in the event of a restatement of our financial results that reduced a previously granted award's size or payment. Under such circumstances, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, we would seek to recover the amount of the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan award paid to such executive that was in excess of the amount that would have been paid based on the restated financial results. Additionally, our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan provides that to the extent permitted by applicable law, our Board may seek reimbursement of incentive compensation paid to an executive under the plan in the event of executive misconduct or gross dereliction of duty that resulted in a material violation of Company policy and caused significant harm to the Company. In such an event, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Board may seek reimbursement of all or a portion of cash incentive compensation awards paid within a certain time period under the plan.

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2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program (PSP)

Our 2020 TSR PSP is administered under our 2011 LTIP, as effective at the time of grant of performance-based DSUs under the program. The TSR performance-based DSUs awarded under the TSR PSP vest upon the satisfaction of both the Company performance criteria and service criteria under the 2020 TSR PSP, subject to acceleration in the event of certain qualifying terminations discussed below. Our executives, including our NEOs, are eligible to participate in the 2020 TSR PSP, which is administered by our Compensation Committee. For a discussion of the TSR performance-based DSUs awarded to our NEOs in 2020, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "2020 Long-Term Incentive Awards for our NEOs."

Company Performance Criteria

For a discussion of the Company performance criteria under the 2020 TSR PSP, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "2020 Long-Term Incentive Awards for our NEOs."

Calculation of TSR and Percentile Performance. The TSR for the Company and each other company in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index for the three-year performance period is determined based on the following formula:

(Change in Stock Price + Dividends Paid) / Beginning Stock Price

The change in stock price is determined by subtracting the beginning stock price (the daily average closing price of one share of common stock for the two calendar months prior to the beginning of the performance period) from the ending stock price (the daily average closing price of one share of common stock for the last two calendar months of the performance period). The dividends paid are the total of all cash dividends paid on one share of common stock during the performance period.

Following the calculation of the TSR for the three-year performance period for our Company and each of the other companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index, the companies will be ranked in order of maximum to minimum TSRs for the full three-year performance period. Our percentile performance will be determined by (i) dividing (a) our ranking versus that of the other companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index minus one, by (b) the total number of companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index minus one, and (ii) subtracting the result from one.

Service Criteria

Generally under the 2020 TSR PSP, except with respect to termination of employment due to retirement, death or disability, or in connection with a change in control, in each case, as described in the 2020 TSR PSP and/or the 2011 LTIP, a participant must be employed with us on December 31, 2022 to be eligible to receive shares of our common stock in respect of his or her TSR performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied.

For information regarding potential payments upon certain terminations of employment or in connection with a change in control, please see "Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control."

2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program

Our 2020 FCF PSP is administered under our 2011 LTIP, as effective at the time of grant of performance-based DSUs under the program. The 2020 grants of FCF performance-based DSUs vest

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upon the satisfaction of both the one-year Company performance criteria and the three-year service criteria (inclusive of the performance period) under the 2020 FCF PSP, subject to acceleration in the event of certain qualifying terminations discussed below. Our executives, including our NEOs, were eligible to participate under the 2020 FCF PSP, which is administered by our Compensation Committee. For a discussion of the 2020 FCF performance-based DSUs awarded to our NEOs and the Company's achievement of the Company performance criteria under the program, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "2020 Long-Term Incentive Awards for our NEOs."

Company Performance Criteria

For a discussion of the Company performance criteria under the 2020 FCF PSP, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis sections titled "Long-Term Incentives" and "2020 Long-Term Incentive Awards for our NEOs."

Service Criteria

Generally under the 2020 FCF PSP, except with respect to termination of employment due to retirement, death or disability, or in connection with a change in control, in each case, as described in the 2020 FCF PSP and/or the 2011 LTIP, a participant must be employed with us on December 31, 2022 to be eligible to receive shares of our common stock in respect of his or her 2020 FCF performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied.

For information regarding potential payments upon certain terminations of employment or in connection with a change in control, please see "Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control."

2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan

Employees, directors and other individuals who provide services to us and our affiliates who, in the opinion of the Compensation Committee, are in a position to make a significant contribution to our success or that of our affiliates are eligible for Awards under our 2011 LTIP. An amendment and restatement of the 2011 LTIP was approved by our stockholders at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and became effective on October 1, 2020. Among other things, the amendment and restatement extended the Company's ability to continue to grant awards beyond March 1, 2021, the expiration date of the 2011 LTIP as previously in effect, and to increase to the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance under the plan.

The purpose of the broad-based equity incentive award opportunities available for grant under our 2011 LTIP is to attract, retain, engage and focus key employees and other eligible participants on achieving long-term stockholder value by rewarding them for the increased performance of our common stock underlying such awards. Our 2011 LTIP is administered by our Compensation Committee and provides for the grant of restricted or unrestricted common stock, restricted stock units (for awards granted prior to October 2020, referred to as "deferred stock units"), options to acquire our common stock, and stock appreciation rights (SARs), including types of awards subject to attainment of performance conditions (collectively, Awards). Our 2011 LTIP prohibits repricing or replacement of options or SARs and the issuance of in-the-money options or SARs, and includes limitations on the amounts of grants and payments to any individual within a given year as well as certain other customary limitations.

Generally, the deferred stock units granted in 2018 to our executives, including our NEOs, vest in five equal annual installments or, beginning in 2019, four equal annual installments, in each case from the

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first anniversary of the date of grant, subject to continued service on each applicable vesting date. Generally, stock options vest in four equal annual installments, subject to continued service on each applicable vesting date, and expire on the tenth anniversary of the date of grant.

Certain Separations from Service

Generally, except with respect to termination of employment due to retirement, death or disability, or in connection with a change in control, in each case, as described therein or as otherwise provided for in the applicable award agreement, all equity awards terminate to the extent not vested immediately prior to the cessation of employment, and to the extent vested but not exercised at such time, remain exercisable for the lesser of one year or until the expiration of the stated term of the award. Further, in the event of a termination for "cause" (defined as conviction of, or a failure to contest prosecution for, a felony, or misconduct or dishonesty that is harmful to our business or reputation), or as a result of reasons that cast such discredit on the individual as to justify immediate termination of the award, in each case, as determined in the Compensation Committee's sole discretion, all outstanding equity awards (including unexercised stock options, whether vested or unvested) terminate immediately upon notice of such termination.

For a discussion of our plans and arrangements under which a change in control and/or termination of employment triggers payments or benefits, including our 2011 LTIP, please see the narrative to the tables appearing in "Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control." Potential payments to our NEOs in 2020 under such plans or arrangements are included in the tables appearing in "Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control."

2020 Equity Awards

With respect to our executives, including our NEOs, our Compensation Committee set the mix of equity award opportunities under our 2020 Long-Term Incentive Program at 25% target TSR performance-based DSUs, 25% target FCF performance-based DSUs, 25% stock options and 25% service-based DSUs. The service-based deferred stock units granted in 2020 vest in four equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant, subject to continued service on each applicable vesting date and except as set forth under "Certain Separations from Service." For a discussion of the 2020 equity awards made to our NEOs, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Long-Term Incentives."

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table provides information with respect to outstanding unexercised non-qualified stock options and unvested deferred stock units for each NEO as of December 31, 2020.

 
  Option Awards   Stock Awards
Name
  Grant Date
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable(1)

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable(1)

  Option
Exercise
Price
($)

  Option
Expiration
Date

  Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#)(2)

  Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock that
Have Not
Vested
($)(3)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
(#)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
($)(3)

Michael F. Mahoney

  2/27/2012   674,941   0   6.28   2/27/2022        

  2/28/2013   660,536   0   7.39   2/28/2023        

  2/24/2014   346,083   0   13.08   2/24/2024        

  2/23/2015   334,051   0   16.31   2/23/2025        

  2/22/2016   337,268   0   17.26   2/22/2026        

  2/28/2017   222,331   74,111   24.55   2/28/2027        

  2/15/2018   139,042   139,044   27.09   2/15/2028        

  2/21/2019   54,479   163,438   40.12   2/21/2029        

  2/18/2020   0   243,362   42.16   2/18/2030        

  2/22/2016           23,175   833,141    

  2/28/2017           36,660   1,317,927    

  2/15/2018           55,371   1,990,587    

  2/15/2018           108,797(4)   3,911,252    

  2/15/2018           71,981(5)   2,587,717    

  2/21/2019           50,474   1,814,540    

  2/21/2019           60,635(6)   2,179,828    

  2/18/2020           65,227   2,344,911    

  2/18/2020           57,791(7)   2,077,586    

  2/21/2019               26,919(8)   967,738

  2/18/2020               26,090(9)   937,936

Daniel J. Brennan

  2/28/2011   24,846   0   7.16   2/28/2021                

  2/27/2012   12,187   0   6.28   2/27/2022                

  2/28/2013   15,144   0   7.39   2/28/2023                

  2/24/2014   40,984   0   13.08   2/24/2024                

  2/23/2015   60,345   0   16.31   2/23/2025                

  2/22/2016   67,454   0   17.26   2/22/2026                

  2/28/2017   54,347   18,116   24.55   2/28/2027                

  2/15/2018   31,284   31,285   27.09   2/15/2028                

  2/21/2019   11,854   35,563   40.12   2/21/2029                

  2/18/2020   0   55,309   42.16   2/18/2030                

  2/22/2016                   5,794   208,294        

  2/28/2017                   8,962   322,184        

  2/15/2018                   12,459   447,901        

  2/15/2018                   24,479(4)   880,020        

  2/15/2018                   16,195(5)   582,210        

  2/21/2019                   10,983   394,839        

  2/21/2019                   13,193(6)   474,288        

  2/18/2020                   14,824   532,923        

  2/18/2020                   13,134(7)   472,167        

  2/21/2019                           5,857(8)   210,559

  2/18/2020                           5,929(9)   213,148

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  Option Awards   Stock Awards
Name
  Grant Date
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable(1)

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable(1)

  Option
Exercise
Price
($)

  Option
Expiration
Date

  Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#)(2)

  Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock that
Have Not
Vested
($)(3)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
(#)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
($)(3)

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  2/27/2012   70,306   0   6.28   2/27/2022        

  2/28/2013   79,264   0   7.39   2/28/2023        

  2/24/2014   56,921   0   13.08   2/24/2024        

  2/23/2015   58,189   0   16.31   2/23/2025        

  2/22/2016   59,021   0   17.26   2/22/2026        

  3/3/2017   43,213   14,405   24.98   3/3/2027        

  12/1/2017   229,779   76,593   26.15   12/1/2027        

  2/15/2018   34,760   34,761   27.09   2/15/2028        

  2/21/2019   12,610   37,833   40.12   2/21/2029        

  2/18/2020   0   55,309   42.16   2/18/2030        

  7/1/2020   0   116,959(10)   35.28   7/1/2030        

  2/22/2016           4,056   145,813    

  3/3/2017           7,206   259,056    

  2/15/2018           13,843   497,656    

  2/15/2018           27,199(4)   977,804    

  2/15/2018           17,995(5)   646,920    

  2/21/2019           11,684   420,040    

  2/21/2019           14,035(6)   504,558    

  2/18/2020           14,824   532,923    

  2/18/2020           13,134(7)   472,167    

  2/21/2019               6,231(8)   224,004

  2/18/2020               5,929(9)   213,148

Edward F. Mackey

  2/23/2015   32,327   0   16.31   2/23/2025                

  3/2/2015   68,106   0   17.06   3/2/2025                

  2/22/2016   42,158   0   17.26   2/22/2026                

  2/28/2017   29,643   9,882   24.55   2/28/2027                

  2/15/2018   20,856   20,857   27.09   2/15/2028                

  2/21/2019   8,827   26,483   40.12   2/21/2029                

  2/18/2020   0   33,185   42.16   2/18/2030                

  2/22/2016                   2,897   104,147        

  2/28/2017                   4,888   175,724        

  2/15/2018                   8,306   298,601        

  2/15/2018                   16,318(4)   586,632        

  2/15/2018                   10,796(5)   388,116        

  2/21/2019                   8,178   293,999        

  2/21/2019                   9,824(6)   353,173        

  2/18/2020                   8,894   319,739        

  2/18/2020                   23,719(11)   852,698        

  2/18/2020                   7,880(7)   283,286        

  2/21/2019                           4,361(8)   156,778

  2/18/2020                           3,557(9)   127,874

                                   

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  Option Awards   Stock Awards
Name
  Grant Date
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable(1)

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable(1)

  Option
Exercise
Price
($)

  Option
Expiration
Date

  Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#)(2)

  Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock that
Have Not
Vested
($)(3)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
(#)

  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
($)(3)

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  2/27/2012   28,123   0   6.28   2/27/2022        

  2/28/2013   48,439   0   7.39   2/28/2023        

  2/24/2014   29,599   0   13.08   2/24/2024        

  2/23/2015   30,172   0   16.31   2/23/2025        

  2/22/2016   33,726   0   17.26   2/22/2026        

  2/28/2017   24,703   8,235   24.55   2/28/2027        

  2/15/2018   15,294   15,295   27.09   2/15/2028        

  12/3/2018   14,556(12)   14,558   38.51   12/03/2028        

  2/21/2019   9,079   27,240   40.12   2/21/2029        

  2/18/2020   0   42,035   42.16   2/18/2030        

  2/22/2016           2,318   83,332    

  2/28/2017           4,074   146,460    

  2/15/2018           6,091   218,971    

  2/15/2018           11,967(4)   430,214    

  2/15/2018           7,917(5)   284,616    

  12/3/2018           1,947(12)   69,995    

  2/21/2019           8,412   302,411    

  2/21/2019           10,105(6)   363,275    

  2/18/2020           11,266   405,013    

  2/18/2020           9,981(7)   358,817    

  2/21/2019               4,486(8)   161,272

  2/18/2020               4,506(9)   161,991

(1)   All stock options are non-qualified stock options and vest in four equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant, subject to continued service on each applicable vesting date.

(2)

 

Unless otherwise noted, all service-based DSUs granted in 2017 and 2018 vest in five equal annual installments and beginning in 2019 all service-based DSUs will vest in four equal annual installments, in each case beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant, subject to continued service on each applicable vesting date.

(3)

 

Unless otherwise noted, the amounts reflected in this column are based on the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020, which was $35.95.

(4)

 

In February 2018, each of our NEOs was awarded FCF performance-based DSUs under our 2018 FCF PSP. Our adjusted free cash flow performance over the one-year performance period that ended December 31, 2018 was 108.9% relative to target performance for the same period. Accordingly, in February 2019, the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2018 FCF PSP, 117.9% of the target number of FCF performance-based DSUs had satisfied the performance criteria under the program. These awards were settled in January 2021.

(5)

 

In February 2018, each of our NEOs was awarded TSR performance-based DSUs under our 2018 TSR PSP. Our total shareholder return performance was ranked 32nd relative to that of the other companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index over the performance cycle comprising the three-year period that ended December 31, 2020. Accordingly, in February 2021 the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2018 TSR PSP, 78% of the target number of TSR performance-based DSUs had been earned based on the performance criteria under the program. Amounts for these awards represent the number of shares of our common stock that were delivered or otherwise made available to our NEOs on February 10, 2021 in settlement of the units awarded to them in 2018.

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(6)

 

In February 2019, each of our NEOs was awarded FCF performance-based DSUs under our 2019 FCF PSP. Our adjusted free cash flow performance over the one-year performance period that ended December 31, 2019 was 93.4% relative to target performance for the same period. Accordingly, in February 2020, the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2019 FCF PSP, 90.1% of the target number of FCF performance-based DSUs had satisfied the performance criteria under the program. Amounts for these awards represent the number of shares of our common stock that will be delivered or otherwise made available to our NEOs no later than January 15, 2022 in settlement of the units awarded to them in 2019 so long as the service criteria is also satisfied. As of December 31, 2020, such units were unearned and remained subject to forfeiture under the terms of the 2019 FCF PSP.

(7)

 

In February 2020, each of NEOs was awarded FCF performance-based DSUs under our 2020 FCF program. Our adjusted free cash flow performance over the one-year performance period that ended December 31, 2020 was 94.3% relative to target performance for the same period. Accordingly, in February 2021, the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2020 FCF PSP, 88.6% of the target number of FCF performance-based DSUs had satisfied the performance criteria under the program. Amounts for these awards represent the number of shares of our common stock that will be delivered or otherwise made available to our NEOs no later than January 15, 2023 in settlement of the units awarded to them in 2020 so long as the service criteria is also satisfied. As of December 31, 2020, such units were unearned and remained subject to forfeiture under the terms of the 2020 FCF PSP.

(8)

 

In February 2019, each of our NEOs was awarded TSR performance-based DSUs under our 2019 TSR PSP. In accordance with the SEC rules, the number of performance-based DSUs shown represents the number of units that may be earned as of December 31, 2020 based on threshold performance. The SEC rules require that the threshold number of units be disclosed because the number of units that would have been earned based on actual results under the performance conditions for the one-year period from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 (instead of through the end of the performance period on December 31, 2021) did not exceed the threshold performance goal.

(9)

 

In February 2020, each of our NEOs was awarded TSR performance-based DSUs under our 2020 TSR PSP. In accordance with the SEC rules, the number of performance-based DSUs shown represents the number of units that may be earned as of December 31, 2020 based on threshold performance. The SEC rules require that the threshold number of units be disclosed because the number of units that would have been earned based on actual results under the performance conditions for the one-year period from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 (instead of through the end of the performance period on December 31, 2021) did not exceed the threshold performance goal.

(10)

 

In connection with Mr. Fitzgerald's offer of employment as the Executive Vice President and President, Interventional Cardiology, Mr. Fitzgerald was granted an equity incentive award in the form of non-qualified stock options, vesting in one single installment on January 1, 2023.

(11)

 

The DSU award for Mr. Mackey, granted for retention purposes, will vest in one single installment, on the second anniversary date of the grant.

(12)

 

On December 3, 2018, Mr. Mirviss was granted an award for retention purposes. The DSU award for Mr. Mirviss vests in five equal annual installments, beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant. The option award for Mr. Mirviss vests in four equal annual installments, beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant.

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Options Exercised and Stock Vested

The following table sets forth information regarding stock options that were exercised and DSUs that vested for our NEOs during the year ended December 31, 2020:

 
  Option Awards   Stock Awards
Name
  Number of Shares
Acquired on
Exercise (#)

  Value Realized on
Exercise ($)(1)

  Number of Shares
Acquired on
Vesting (#)

  Value Realized on
Vesting ($)(2)

Michael F. Mahoney

      341,214   14,626,642

Daniel J. Brennan

  20,463   708,412   82,282   3,527,526

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

  77,640   2,608,754   67,611   2,897,230

Edward F. Mackey

      64,449   2,674,296

Jeffrey B. Mirviss

  129,661   4,150,380   38,724   1,654,050

(1)   The amounts shown in this column represent the number of shares acquired on exercise multiplied by the difference between the option exercise price and the closing price of our common stock on the date of exercise.

(2)

 

The amounts shown in this column represent the number of shares vested or earned multiplied by the closing price of our common stock on the vesting date.

Defined Benefit Retirement Plan

All of our executive officers, including our NEOs, are eligible to participate in our defined benefit Executive Retirement Plan, as amended effective August 1, 2016. The Executive Retirement Plan is a defined benefit plan that is intended to provide a clear and consistent approach to managing retirement-eligible executive departures with a standard, mutually understood separation and post-employment relationship. The plan provides retiring executives with a lump sum benefit of 2.5 months of salary for each year of service, up to a maximum of 36 months' pay. The lump sum payments are made in the first payroll period after the last day of the six-month period following retirement. Receipt of payment is conditioned upon the retiring employee entering into a separation agreement with us that includes a release of claims and customary non-disclosure, non-competition, non-solicitation and non-disparagement clauses in favor of the Company. The plan provides that in the event the executive breaches the non-competition or non-solicitation provision of his or her separation agreement, the executive must, in addition to any other court-ordered relief, repay to the Company all amounts paid under the plan.

To receive benefits under the plan, upon his or her retirement an executive's age plus his or her years of service with us must exceed 65 years (provided that the executive is at least 55 years old and has been employed by us for at least five years). For purposes of the plan, "retirement" means any separation from service (as defined in the plan) other than a termination for "cause" (defined as conviction of, or failure to contest prosecution for, a felony, or misconduct or dishonesty that is harmful to our business or reputation). In addition, if an executive dies and is otherwise eligible for benefits under the plan on the date of his or her death, benefits under the plan will be paid within 60 days of the executive's death.

For retirement-eligible NEOs as of December 31, 2020 (Messrs. Brennan, Mahoney, Fitzgerald, and Mirviss), the present value of accrued benefits is calculated as the value of their lump sum benefit under the plan based on the NEO's base salary, age and number of years of credited service as of December 31, 2020. For our NEO who was not eligible for retirement as of December 31, 2020 (Mr. Mackey, who will be retirement eligible in 2021), the present value of accrued benefits is

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calculated based on the respective NEO's base salary, age and number of years of credited service as of December 31, 2020, discounted to December 31, 2020 from the earliest retirement eligibility date, using a discount rate of 1.43% per year. This valuation methodology is consistent with the methodology we use for financial statement accounting purposes, except that NEOs are assumed to remain employed by us until their earliest retirement age under the plan (or their age on December 31, if eligible for retirement on that date). For financial statement accounting purposes, the valuation considers the probability that the executives will achieve retirement age. For a more detailed description of the assumptions used in valuing accrued benefits under the plan, please see Note A — Significant Accounting Policies to our 2020 consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The table below shows the present value of accumulated benefits payable to each of our NEOs, including the numbers of years of service credited to each NEO, under our Executive Retirement Plan as of December 31, 2020.

Name
Plan Name
Number of Years
Credited Service
(#)(1)

Present Value of
Accumulated Benefit
($)(2)

Payments
During Last
Fiscal Year ($)

Michael F. Mahoney BSC Executive Retirement Plan 9.20 2,530,000
Daniel J. Brennan BSC Executive Retirement Plan 24.06 2,040,141
Joseph M. Fitzgerald BSC Executive Retirement Plan 30.21 2,070,049
Edward F. Mackey BSC Executive Retirement Plan 5.91 738,616
Jeffrey B. Mirviss BSC Executive Retirement Plan 22.12 1,740,019

(1)   The numbers of years of credited service reflect the NEO's actual years of service as of December 31, 2020. We do not credit additional years of service under the plan. Rather, the plan provides that the number of years of credited service is calculated through the NEO's last day worked. Partially completed years of service are prorated based on calendar days and calculated to the second decimal point.

(2)

 

Amounts are computed as of December 31, 2020, the same retirement plan measurement date used for financial statement reporting purposes for our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

The Boston Scientific Corporation Deferred Bonus Plan (the Deferred Bonus Plan) provides certain of our management, including our NEOs, an opportunity to defer a portion of their annual award under our Annual Bonus Plan. The Deferred Bonus Plan provides participants the opportunity to defer up to 75% of their annual award under our Annual Bonus Plan until the earlier of (i) termination of employment or (ii) an elected distribution date, such election to be made by June 30th of each year. Investment choices under the plan are generally the same as those under our 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, except that, among other things, participants may not elect to invest in the BSC Stock Fund. Distributions under the plan are in either lump sum payments or annual installments over a period of two to five years, as specified by the participant. Under the Deferred Bonus Plan, Messrs. Fitzgerald and Mirviss elected to defer 75% of their 2018 and 2019 Annual Bonus Plan Awards. In April 2020, the Compensation Committee determined that no deferral elections would be permitted under the Deferred Bonus Plan for the 2020 Annual Bonus, if any, payable in 2021.

In September 2004, we committed to fund a special one-time contribution to our 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan for the benefit of our employees. In June 2005, we adopted an Excess Benefit Plan, a non-qualified deferred compensation plan designed to provide specific supplemental benefits to those employees who would have exceeded the 2004 Code contribution limits if the special contribution had been made to their 401(k) plan accounts. Accordingly, the historic Excess Benefit Plan was established to accept the "overflow" contributions resulting from the special one-time contribution on behalf of

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participating employees, including certain of our NEOs. Investment choices under the historic Excess Benefit Plan are generally the same as those under our 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, except that, among other things, executive officers may not elect to invest in the BSC Stock Fund. The investment elections are made by each participant and may be changed daily. Generally, a lump sum cash payment of their respective account balances under the plan is made to participants determined to be "specified employees," including certain of our NEOs, commencing no earlier than six months and one day following their "separation from service."

The table below shows the aggregate earnings and balances for each of our NEOs under our historic Excess Benefit Plan and Deferred Bonus Plan as of December 31, 2020.

Name
  Plan Name
  Executive
Contributions
in Last Fiscal
Year
($)

  Registrant
Contributions
in Last Fiscal
Year
($)

  Aggregate
Earnings
in Last
Fiscal
Year
($)(1)

  Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
($)

  Aggregate
Balance at
Last Fiscal
Year End
($)(1)

Michael F. Mahoney(2)   Excess Benefit Plan          
  Deferred Bonus Plan       96,097     816,819
Daniel J. Brennan   Excess Benefit Plan       10,177     70,978
    Deferred Bonus Plan          
Joseph M. Fitzgerald   Excess Benefit Plan       22,315     101,217
  Deferred Bonus Plan   409,938     830,962     3,804,437
Edward F. Mackey(2)   Excess Benefit Plan          
    Deferred Bonus Plan          
Jeffrey B. Mirviss   Excess Benefit Plan       3,193     19,163
  Deferred Bonus Plan   286,949     537,738     2,810,120

(1)   No portion of the amounts in this column is included in the "Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings" column for 2020, 2019, or 2018 in the Executive Compensation section titled "Summary Compensation Table," as the earnings were neither above-market nor preferential.

(2)

 

Messrs. Mahoney and Mackey were not employed by us when the one-time 401(k) contribution was made to our historic Excess Benefit Plan.

The investment choices under the historic Excess Benefit Plan and the Deferred Bonus Plan and their annual rates of return for the year ended December 31, 2020 are contained in the following table.

Name of Investment Option
  2020 Rate of Return(%)

American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund Class R-6

  25.27

Metropolitan West Total Return Bond Fund Class I

  9.11

PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth Fund

  16.77

T. Rowe Price Institutional Small-Cap Stock Fund

  25.00

T. Rowe Price Value Fund I Class

  10.65

Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Institutional Plus Shares

  32.24

Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund Investor Shares

  0.45

Vanguard Institutional Index Fund Institutional Plus Shares

  18.41

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Institutional Shares

  7.74

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Institutional Shares

  11.28

Vanguard Wellington Fund Admiral Shares

  10.68

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Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change In Control

Executive Retirement Plan

All of our executives, including our NEOs, are eligible to participate in our Executive Retirement Plan. The Executive Retirement Plan is intended to provide a clear and consistent approach to managing executive departures with a standard mutually-understood separation and post-employment relationship. The benefits payable to our executives upon "retirement" under the Executive Retirement Plan, as well as the present value of amounts accrued thereunder as of December 31, 2020, are reflected in the table and the related footnotes and narrative to the section titled "Defined Benefit Retirement Plan." In addition, changes in the present value of the benefits under the Executive Retirement Plan from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020 are reflected in the "Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings" column of the Summary Compensation Table. For further discussion of our Executive Retirement Plan, please see the footnotes and narrative to the table appearing in the section titled "Defined Benefit Retirement Plan."

Change in Control Agreements

We have entered into Change in Control Agreements with our executives, including our NEOs, and other key employees. Our Change in Control Agreements for our executives are limited to a three-year term and provide that if both a change in control occurs during the term of the agreement and the executive's employment is terminated either by us without "Cause" or by the executive for "Good Reason" (each as described below) during the two-year period following the change in control, then the executive would be entitled to receive a lump sum payment of three times the sum of (i) the executive's base salary and (ii) target incentive bonus (or prior year's bonus, if higher). Additionally, an executive would be entitled to receive a prorated target incentive bonus for the year in which his or her termination occurred, continuation of health, life insurance and other welfare benefits for up to three years, and reimbursement for up to $100,000 in legal fees and expenses incurred by an executive in disputing termination or enforcing rights under his or her Change in Control Agreement. Our Change in Control Agreements further provide that all equity awards granted to executives require both a change in control and a termination without Cause or resignation by the executive for Good Reason within two years after the change in control in order to accelerate vesting; provided, however, that if the surviving or acquiring entity in a change in control transaction does not provide for the substitution or assumption of outstanding equity awards, such outstanding awards will immediately become fully vested.

The Change in Control Agreements include a "best net" provision that requires a reduction in the amount of the severance paid to an executive if the reduction would result in a greater after-tax amount. In exchange for the benefits afforded under our Change in Control Agreements, our executives agree to certain non-disclosure restrictions, a two-year non-solicitation obligation and to execute and not revoke a release in favor of the Company. Executives, including our NEOs, who receive payments under our Change in Control Agreements cannot also receive payments and benefits under our Executive Retirement Plan or Severance Plan For Exempt Employees (the Severance Plan).

For purposes of our Change in Control Agreements, "Cause" generally means willfully engaging in criminal or fraudulent acts or gross misconduct that is demonstrably and materially injurious to us. "Good Reason" generally means, among other things, assignment of duties inconsistent with the executive's status as an executive or an adverse alteration of the executive's duties; a reduction in annual base salary or bonus or failure to increase salary at a rate commensurate with that of other key executives; an adverse change in long-term incentive opportunities; failure by the Company to

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continue to provide comparable benefits or continue in effect, or continue the executive's participation in, any compensation plan in which the executive participates; the relocation of the executive's principal place of work more than 50 miles; or failure by the Company to obtain a satisfactory agreement from any successor entity to agree to perform the Change in Control Agreement.

Long-Term Incentive Plan

Equity awards granted to our executives under our 2011 LTIP, as previously in effect and as amended, require both a change in control and a subsequent termination without Cause or resignation for Good Reason pursuant to the terms of our Change in Control Agreements for accelerated vesting where the surviving or acquiring entity assumes outstanding awards.

The terms of all service-based DSUs granted in 2020 to our employees, including our NEOs, provide that in the event that the employee's employment terminates:

    (i)
    due to retirement (as defined in the 2011 LTIP) prior to the first anniversary of the equity award grant date, the unvested service-based DSUs will immediately lapse and be forfeited;

    (ii)
    due to death or disability (in each case as defined in the 2011 LTIP) prior to the first anniversary of the equity award grant date, the unvested service-based DSUs will vest in full; or

    (iii)
    due to retirement, death or disability after the first anniversary of the equity award grant date, the unvested service-based DSUs will vest in full.

Our 2011 LTIP is more fully described under the section titled "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan."

TSR Performance Share Programs

Our TSR PSPs cover our executives, including our NEOs, and are administered by the Compensation Committee. Under our 2018, 2019, and 2020 TSR PSPs, if a participant's employment terminates due to death or disability prior to the end of the three-year performance period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the TSR performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied at the end of the three-year performance period as if the participant had been employed until the end of the three-year performance period. Under our 2018, 2019, 2020 TSR PSPs, if a participant's employment terminates due to retirement after December 31 in the year of grant and prior to the end of the three-year performance period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the TSR performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied at the end of the three-year performance period, on a prorated basis through the date of retirement; however, such awards will be forfeited in their entirety in the event that retirement occurs on or prior to December 31 in the year of grant.

Pursuant to the terms of our Change in Control Agreements, the TSR performance-based DSUs awarded to our executives require both a change in control and a subsequent termination without Cause or resignation for Good Reason for accelerated vesting where the surviving or acquiring entity assumes outstanding awards. Under our TSR PSPs and our Change in Control Agreements, if a change in control and a subsequent termination without Cause or resignation for Good Reason occurs after December 31 in the year of grant, but prior to the end of the three-year performance period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the TSR performance-based DSUs as to which the

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performance criteria under the program have been satisfied on the last day of the month preceding the date on which the change in control is consummated, on a prorated basis.

Our 2020 TSR PSP is more fully described under the section titled "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Total Shareholder Return Performance Share Program."

FCF Performance Share Programs

Our FCF PSPs cover our executives, including our NEOs, and are administered by our Compensation Committee. Under our 2018, 2019 and 2020 FCF PSPs, if a participant's employment terminates (i) due to retirement after the end of the one-year performance period but prior to the end of the three-year service period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the FCF performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied, on a prorated basis through the date of retirement (however, such awards will be forfeited in their entirety in the event that retirement occurs prior to the end of the one-year performance period), or (ii) due to death or disability at any time before the end of the three-year service period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the FCF performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied as if the participant had been employed until the end of the three-year service period.

Pursuant to the terms of our Change in Control Agreements, the FCF performance-based DSUs awarded to our executives require both a change in control and a subsequent termination without Cause or resignation for Good Reason for accelerated vesting where the surviving or acquiring entity assumes outstanding awards. However, such awards will be forfeited in their entirety in the event of a change of control that occurs prior to the end of the one-year performance period.

Our 2020 FCF PSP is more fully described under the section titled "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program."

2020 Annual Bonus Plan

Our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan is generally available to all U.S. salaried personnel not eligible for commissions under sales compensation plans, including our NEOs, and certain international employees working in positions designated by the Company as eligible to participate in the plan. To be eligible to receive their incentive award, participants generally must be employed by us on the date payments are made under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan. However, in the event of death, retirement or certain involuntary terminations without cause, in each case, as described in the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, participants may receive their performance incentive awards for the year on a prorated basis based on the percentage of the year the participant was employed by us and eligible to participate (subject to certain minimum months of service requirements). Grants of performance incentive awards to our NEOs under our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan are reflected in the Summary Compensation Table in the "Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation" column, and our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan is more fully described under the section titled "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Annual Bonus Plan," as well as the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Short-Term Incentives."

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Severance Plans

We maintain severance plans for eligible employees, including our NEOs, under which participants are entitled to receive certain payments and benefits for specified periods of time following a qualifying termination. Such benefits are only available in the event of involuntary terminations due to layoff, defined in the severance plan as termination of employment that the Company determines is either (i) due to an anticipated facility relocation or closing or a reduction of staffing levels where the employee has not refused a similar position (as such term is defined under the severance plan) with the Company, or (ii) resulting from an anticipated sale, merger or reorganization of our Company where the employee is not provided an opportunity to be employed in a similar position with the acquiring or resulting entity. Executives, including our NEOs, who are eligible to receive payments under our Executive Retirement Plan or who receive severance payments under a Change in Control Agreement are not also eligible to receive payments and benefits under our severance plans.

The Severance Plan provides that director level and above exempt employees, including certain of our NEOs, are eligible for:

    (i)
    two weeks of payments for each completed year of service to the Company, based on the weekly rate of the employee's salary in effect on the date of his or her termination, with a minimum benefit of 26 weeks and a maximum benefit of 52 weeks;

    (ii)
    one month of subsidized health and dental coverage for each completed year of service to the Company with a minimum benefit of six months and a maximum benefit of twelve months; and

    (iii)
    outplacement services, in each case, in the event of certain involuntary terminations described above.

Additionally, the Severance Plan provides that, in the event of certain involuntary terminations, employees eligible to participate in our Annual Bonus Plan may be entitled to a prorated bonus if such involuntary termination occurs on or after October 1 of a calendar year. The prorated bonus is calculated by multiplying the amount of the bonus an employee would have received for the calendar year, had he or she remained employed by the Company until the bonus payment date (or, if less, the target bonus) (Bonus), times a fraction, as follows:

Bonus

    ×   number of days in which employee was bonus eligible during calendar year

number of days in the calendar year

Under the Severance Plan, the payment of severance benefits is subject to the Company's receipt of a release of claims. In addition, the maximum severance payment available under the plan is limited to twice the Code dollar limitation in effect for qualified plans for the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year in which the termination occurs.

The following tables show potential payments to Messrs. Mahoney, Brennan, Fitzgerald, Mackey, Mirviss under existing agreements, plans or other arrangements, for various scenarios involving a change in control or termination of employment, in each case assuming the termination was effective before the end of the day on December 31, 2020 and, where applicable, using the closing price of our common stock of $35.95 per share on December 31, 2020. In each case, amounts in these tables do not include amounts payable, if any, to our NEOs who were not retirement eligible on December 31, 2020 pursuant to our Executive Retirement Plan, which are described in the table and accompanying narrative and footnotes in the section titled "Defined Benefit Retirement Plan."

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Michael F. Mahoney

Payments Due
Upon
Termination:

  Termination
for
Cause
($)(1)

  Voluntary
Termination
($)(2)

  Involuntary
Termination
Without
Cause
($)(3)

  Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Termination
Following
Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Disability
($)

  Death
($)

  Retirement
($)

Cash Severance

                               

Base Salary

          3,960,000      

Bonus

          5,990,400      

Pro rata Target Bonus(5)

    1,980,000   1,980,000     1,980,000   1,980,000   1,980,000   1,980,000
               

Total Cash Severance

    1,980,000   1,980,000     11,930,400   1,980,000   1,980,000   1,980,000

Benefits

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Health and Welfare Benefits(6)

          47,618      

bonusPost-Termination Life Insurance

          2,376      

Executive Retirement Plan(7)

    2,530,000   2,530,000       2,530,000   2,530,000   2,530,000

Other Benefits(8)

               

Total Benefits

    2,530,000   2,530,000     49,994   2,530,000   2,530,000   2,530,000

280G or Other Tax Adjustment

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Long Term Incentives

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Value of Accelerated Stock Options(9)

    2,076,795   2,076,795     2,076,795   2,076,795   2,076,795   2,076,795

Value of Accelerated Deferred Stock Units(10)

    13,908,425   13,908,425     16,253,335   19,057,542   19,057,542   13,908,425

Total Value of Accelerated Equity Grants

    15,985,220   15,985,220     18,330,130   21,134,337   21,134,337   15,985,220

Total Value: All Benefits

    20,495,220   20,495,220     30,310,524   25,644,337   25,644,337   20,495,220
               
               
               

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Daniel J. Brennan

Payments Due
Upon
Termination:

  Termination
for
Cause
($)(1)

  Voluntary
Termination
($)(2)

  Involuntary
Termination
Without
Cause
($)(3)

  Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Termination
Following
Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Disability
($)

  Death
($)

  Retirement
($)

Cash Severance

                               

Base Salary

          2,040,141      

Bonus

          1,750,445      

Pro rata Target Bonus(5)

    578,039   578,039     578,039   578,039   578,039   578,039
               

Total Cash Severance

    578,039   578,039     4,368,625   578,039   578,039   578,039

Benefits

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Health and Welfare Benefits(6)

          47,467      

Post-Termination Life Insurance

          1,610      

Executive Retirement Plan(7)

    2,040,141   2,040,141       2,040,141   2,040,141   2,040,141

Other Benefits(8)

               

Total Benefits

    2,040,141   2,040,141     49,077   2,040,141   2,040,141   2,040,141

280G or Other Tax Adjustment

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Long Term Incentives

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Value of Accelerated Stock Options(9)

    483,707   483,707     483,707   483,707   483,707   483,707

Value of Accelerated Deferred Stock Units(10)

    3,151,700   3,151,700     3,684,623   4,314,892   4,314,892   3,151,700

Total Value of Accelerated Equity Grants

    3,635,407   3,635,407     4,168,330   4,798,599   4,798,599   3,635,407

Total Value: All Benefits

    6,253,587   6,253,587     8,586,032   7,416,779   7,416,779   6,253,587
               
               
               

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Joseph M. Fitzgerald

Payments Due
Upon
Termination:

  Termination
for
Cause
($)(1)

  Voluntary
Termination
($)(2)

  Involuntary
Termination
Without
Cause
($)(3)

  Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Termination
Following
Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Disability
($)

  Death
($)

  Retirement
($)

 

Cash Severance

                               

Base Salary

          2,070,048      

Bonus

          1,656,038      

Pro rata Target Bonus(5)

    552,012   552,012     552,012   552,012   552,012   552,012
               

Total Cash Severance

    552,012   552,012     4,278,098   552,012   552,012   552,012

Benefits

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Health and Welfare Benefits(6)

          47,472      

Post-Termination Life Insurance

          1,634      

Executive Retirement
Plan(7)

    2,070,048   2,070,048       2,070,048   2,070,048   2,070,048

Other Benefits(8)

               

Total Benefits

    2,070,048   2,070,048     49,106   2,070,048   2,070,048   2,070,048

280G or Other Tax Adjustment

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Long Term Incentives

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Value of Accelerated Stock Options(9)

    1,216,616   1,216,616     1,294,979   1,294,979   1,294,979   1,216,616

Value of Accelerated Deferred Stock Units(10)

    3,283,704   3,283,704     3,816,627   4,456,992   4,456,992   3,283,704

Total Value of Accelerated Equity Grants

    4,500,320   4,500,320     5,111,606   5,751,971   5,751,971   4,500,320

Total Value: All Benefits

    7,122,380   7,122,380     9,438,810   8,374,031   8,374,031   7,122,380
               
               
               

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Edward F. Mackey

Payments Due
Upon
Termination:

  Termination
for
Cause
($)(1)

  Voluntary
Termination
($)(2)

  Involuntary
Termination
Without
Cause
($)(3)

  Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Termination
Following
Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Disability
($)

  Death
($)

  Retirement
($)

 

Cash Severance

                               

Base Salary

      302,511     1,815,069      

Bonus

          1,560,845      

Pro rata Target Bonus(5)

      453,767     453,767     453,767  
               

Total Cash Severance

      756,278     3,829,681     453,767  

Benefits

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Health and Welfare Benefits(6)

      5,009     35,324      

Post-Termination Life Insurance

          1,430      

Executive Retirement
Plan(7)

               

Other Benefits(8)

      2,000          

Total Benefits

      7,009     36,754      

280G or Other Tax Adjustment

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Long Term Incentives

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Value of Accelerated Stock Options(9)

          297,447   297,447   297,447  

Value of Accelerated Deferred Stock Units(10)

          3,255,176   3,656,195   3,656,195  

Total Value of Accelerated Equity Grants

          3,552,623   3,953,642   3,953,642  

Total Value: All Benefits

      763,287     7,419,058   3,953,642   4,407,409  
               
               
               

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Jeffrey B. Mirviss

Payments Due
Upon
Termination:

  Termination
for
Cause
($)(1)

  Voluntary
Termination
($)(2)

  Involuntary
Termination
Without
Cause
($)(3)

  Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Termination
Following
Change in
Control
($)(4)

  Disability
($)

  Death
($)

  Retirement
($)

 

Cash Severance

                               

Base Salary

          1,740,018      

Bonus

          1,218,012      

Pro rata Target Bonus(5)

    406,004   406,004     406,004   406,004   406,004   406,004
               

Total Cash Severance

    406,004   406,004     3,364,034   406,004   406,004   406,004

Benefits

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Health and Welfare Benefits(6)

          46,268      

Post-Termination Life Insurance

          1,365      

Executive Retirement
Plan(7)

    1,740,018   1,740,018       1,740,018   1,740,018   1,740,018

Other Benefits(8)

               

Total Benefits

    1,740,018   1,740,018     47,633   1,740,018   1,740,018   1,740,018

280G or Other Tax Adjustment

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Long Term Incentives

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Value of Accelerated Stock Options(9)

    229,392   229,392     229,392   229,392   229,392   229,392

Value of Accelerated Deferred Stock Units(10)

    1,778,240   1,778,240     2,183,253   2,663,193   2,663,193   1,778,240

Total Value of Accelerated Equity Grants

    2,007,632   2,007,632     2,412,645   2,892,585   2,892,585   2,007,632

Total Value: All Benefits

    4,153,654   4,153,654     5,824,312   5,038,607   5,038,607   4,153,654
               
               
               

(1)   Employees, including NEOs, are not entitled to any benefits upon termination for cause. All unvested equity awards, as well as all vested but unexercised stock options, are forfeited as of the date of termination for Cause.

(2)

 

No benefits were payable upon voluntary termination by our NEOs as of December 31, 2020, unless the NEO was retirement eligible. Messrs. Mahoney, Brennan, Fitzgerald, and Mirviss were retirement eligible as of December 31, 2020.

(3)

 

Amounts in this column represent benefits payable upon involuntary termination by the Company on December 31, 2020 (other than termination for cause or in connection with a change in control). Amounts for Mr. Mackey represent benefits payable pursuant to our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan and the Severance Plan only in the event of certain involuntary terminations under the plans where he is not otherwise offered similar employment within the Company. Amounts for Messrs. Mahoney, Brennan, Fitzgerald, and Mirviss represent benefits payable pursuant to our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan and Executive Retirement Plan. Because Messrs. Mahoney, Brennan, Fitzgerald, and Mirviss are eligible to receive benefits under the Executive Retirement Plan, they are not eligible for any payments of benefits under the Severance Plan.

(4)

 

All equity awards granted to our executives require both a change in control and subsequent termination (without Cause or by the executive for Good Reason) in order to accelerate vesting; provided, however, that if the surviving or acquiring entity in a change in control transaction does not provide for the substitution or assumption of outstanding equity awards, such outstanding awards will immediately become fully vested. Amounts in the "Change in Control" column assume that the executive is not terminated subsequent to a change in control and that the surviving or acquiring entity in a change in control transaction provides for the substitution or assumption of outstanding equity awards.

 

 

Amounts in the "Termination Following Change in Control" column represent benefits payable under our Change in Control Agreements following termination without Cause or resignation by the executive for Good Reason on December 31, 2020 in connection with, and within two years of, a change in control of the Company. For a further description of our Change in Control Agreements, please see the section titled "Change in Control Agreements" in the narrative to these tables.

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(5)

 

Amounts in the "Pro rata Target Bonus" row represent the assumed on-plan bonus under our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, which is equal to the incentive target amount under the plan, for each of our NEOs.

 

 

Under the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, participants generally must be employed by us on the date payments are made in order to be eligible for their incentive award. However, in the event of death, retirement or certain involuntary terminations without cause, participants generally may receive their performance incentive awards for the year on a prorated basis based on the percentage of the year the participant was employed by us and eligible to participate (subject to certain minimum months of service requirements). For a further description of our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan, please see the "Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table — 2020 Annual Bonus Plan," as well as the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section titled "Short-Term Incentives."

(6)

 

In determining the value of health and welfare benefits, we used the assumptions used for financial reporting purposes under GAAP.

(7)

 

Amounts in the "Executive Retirement Plan" row represent amounts earned under our Executive Retirement Plan, provided the NEO is eligible for benefits under the plan. In order to be eligible for benefits under the plan, the sum of an executive officer's age and years of service must equal 65, provided that the executive is at least 55 years old and has completed at least five years of service with us. Messrs. Mahoney, Brennan, Fitzgerald, and Mirviss were eligible for benefits under the plan on December 31, 2020.

(8)

 

Amounts in the "Other Benefits" row represent payment of outplacement services under the Severance Plan.

(9)

 

Amounts in the "Value of Accelerated Stock Options" row represent the number of shares underlying in-the-money unvested stock options held by each NEO, multiplied by the difference between that option's exercise price and $35.95 (the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020).

(10)

 

Amounts in the "Value of Accelerated Deferred Stock Units" row represent the value of the number of each NEO's performance and service-based DSUs, the vesting of which would have accelerated as of December 31, 2020, calculated by multiplying the number of accelerated DSUs by $35.95 (the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020).

 

 

In February 2018, each of our NEOs was awarded TSR performance-based DSUs under our 2018 TSR PSP, the attainment of which was based on the TSR of our common stock relative to the TSR of the common stock of the other companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index over a three-year performance period. As of December 31, 2020, the performance and concurrent service period had been completed, and each NEO became entitled to 78% of the target number of TSR performance-based DSUs he was granted under the program in February 2018. The values of the awards to our NEOs under our 2018 TSR PSP are included in the tables above.

 

 

In February 2019 and 2020, each of our NEOs was awarded TSR performance-based DSUs under our 2019 and 2020 TSR PSPs, respectively, the attainment of which will be based on the TSR of our common stock relative to the TSR of the common stock of the other companies in the S&P 500 Healthcare Index over a three-year performance and service period (Performance Period). Under the 2019 and 2020 TSR PSPs, if (a) a participant is terminated without Cause or resignation for Good Reason following a change in control after December 31 in the year of grant but prior to the end of the Performance Period or (b) a participant's employment terminates due to retirement after December 31 in the year of grant but prior to the end of the Performance Period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the TSR performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program had been satisfied, as of (x) for (a) above, the last day of the month preceding the date on which the change in control is consummated and (y) for (b) above, the end of the Performance Period, in each case prorated based on the number of months worked during the Performance Period, rounded to the nearest whole month. In addition, under our 2019 and 2020 TSR PSPs, if a participant's employment is terminated due to death or disability before the end of the Performance Period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the TSR performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program has been satisfied at the end of the Performance Period, as if the participant had been employed through the end of the Performance Period.

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If a NEO's employment was terminated without Cause or if the NEO resigned for Good Reason following a change in control on December 31, 2020, (a) the awards under our 2019 TSR PSP would accelerate, subject to proration as described in the foregoing paragraph, at 0% of target because the Company's TSR performance during the period beginning January 1, 2019 and ended December 31, 2020 ranked 51st compared to its 57 peers for that period, and (b) the awards under our 2020 TSR PSP would be forfeited because the change in control did not occur after December 31 in the year of grant. Because we have not yet reached the end of the Performance Period for the awards under the 2019 and 2020 TSR PSPs, we are unable to ascertain with certainty the value of the TSR performance-based DSUs the NEOs would be entitled to in the event of retirement, death or disability on December 31, 2020. In such events, assuming that the Company's performance at the end of the Performance Period is the same as for the one- and two-year periods ended December 31, 2020, (a) the awards under our 2019 TSR PSP would accelerate, subject to proration as described in the foregoing paragraph, at 0% of target, and (b) the awards under our 2020 TSR PSP would accelerate, subject to proration as described in the foregoing paragraph, at 0% of target because the Company's TSR performance during the period beginning January 1, 2020 and ended December 31, 2020 ranked 57th compared to its 57 peers for that period.

 

 

For a discussion of the actual performance under our 2018, 2019 and 2020 TSR PSPs, please see the footnotes to the table appearing in "Outstanding Equity Awards At Fiscal Year End."

 

 

In February 2018, 2019, and 2020, each of our NEOs was awarded FCF performance-based DSUs under our 2018 FCF PSP, 2019 FCF PSP and 2020 FCF PSP, respectively. Our adjusted free cash flow performance in 2018 was 108.9% relative to our 2018 internal financial plan; accordingly, in February 2019, the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2017 FCF PSP, 117.9% of the target number of FCF performance-based DSUs had been earned under the program. Our adjusted free cash flow performance in 2019 was 93.4% relative to our 2019 internal financial plan; accordingly, in February 2020, the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2019 FCF PSP, 90.1% of the target number of FCF performance-based DSUs had been earned under the program. Our adjusted free cash flow performance in 2020 was 94.3% relative to our 2020 internal financial plan; accordingly, in February 2021, the Compensation Committee determined that pursuant to the terms of the 2020 FCF PSP, 88.6% of the target number of FCF performance-based DSUs had been earned under the program. All of such units were subject to the satisfaction of the service criteria over a three-year period (inclusive of the performance period). Under the 2018, 2019, 2020 FCF PSPs, if a participant's employment terminates due to retirement after the performance period but prior to the end of the three-year service period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the FCF performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied on a prorated basis based on the number of months worked during the three-year service period, rounded to the nearest whole month, and if a participant's employment terminates due to death or disability before the end of the three-year service period, shares of our common stock will be issued in respect of the FCF performance-based DSUs as to which the performance criteria under the program have been satisfied, as if the participant had been employed through the end of the three-year service period. Additionally, pursuant to the terms of our Change in Control Agreements, the vesting of FCF performance-based DSUs awarded to our executives will be accelerated on a pro rata basis based on the number of months worked during the three-year service period, rounded to the nearest whole month in the event of both a change in control and a subsequent termination without Cause or resignation for Good Reason.

CEO Pay Ratio

We strive to pay our employees competitively compared to similar positions in the applicable labor market. We follow that approach worldwide, whether for an executive position or an hourly job at a local facility. We take into account location, job level and pay grade, time with us and time in current role, experience and skill set, and adjust compensation annually to match the applicable market. By doing so, we believe we maintain a high-quality, stable workforce. We determined the compensation we paid to the median employee in accordance with this philosophy.

Under rules adopted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, we are required to calculate and disclose the total compensation paid to our median employee, as well as the ratio of the total compensation paid to the median employee as compared to the total compensation paid to Michael F. Mahoney, our CEO. The following paragraphs describe our methodology and the resulting CEO Pay Ratio.

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For 2020, our last completed fiscal year:

    the annual total compensation of the employee identified at median of our Company (other than our CEO), was $59,332; and

    the annual total compensation of our CEO was $13,773,795.

Based on this information, for 2020 the ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the median of the annual total compensation of all employees (other than our CEO) was estimated to be approximately 232 to 1.

The pay ratio is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with SEC rules based on our payroll and employment records and the methodology described below. The SEC rules for identifying the "median employee" and calculating the pay ratio based on that employee's annual total compensation allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable estimates and assumptions that reflect their compensation practices. Accordingly, the pay ratio reported by other companies may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported by us, as other companies may have different employment and compensation practices and may utilize different methodologies, exclusions, estimates and assumptions in calculating their pay ratios.

To identify the median of the annual total compensation of all our employees and the annual total compensation of the median employee, the methodology and the material assumptions, adjustments and estimates that we used were as follows:

    We determined that, as of December 14, 2020, our employee population, excluding our CEO, consisted of approximately 38,120 individuals. We selected December 14, 2020, which is within the last three months of 2020, as the date we would use to identify the "median employee" to allow sufficient time to identify the median employee given the global scope of our operations.

    With respect to the annual total compensation of the "median employee," we identified and calculated the elements of such employee's compensation for 2020 in accordance with the requirements of Item 402(c)(2)(x) of Regulation S-K, resulting in annual total compensation of $59,332. We calculated the median employee's actual salary for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2020. In addition, the median employee's total compensation for 2020 includes a bonus that was paid in early 2021, Company matching contributions to the employee's 401(k) plan, and premiums and the imputed income for Company-paid term life insurance.

    With respect to the annual total compensation of our CEO, we used the amount reported in the "Total" column for 2020 in our Summary Compensation Table included in this Proxy Statement.

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PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE
NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION

Section 14A of the Exchange Act requires that we provide our stockholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. Our Board has determined to provide our stockholders this opportunity on an annual basis and we expect the next vote to be held at our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders.

As described in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis, our executive compensation philosophy is to provide appropriate competitive compensation opportunities to our executives with actual pay outcomes heavily influenced by the achievement of Company performance targets and individual performance objectives (in other words, "pay for performance") in support of our business strategy and creation of long-term stockholder value.

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Executive Compensation Program Best Practices

Our Compensation Committee believes that a strong foundation for our compensation program is necessary to execute our executive compensation philosophy effectively. The following key aspects of executive compensation best practices serve as the foundation for our compensation program:

GRAPHIC

Pay for Performance

We believe our emphasis on at-risk, performance-based incentive compensation — consisting of our Annual Bonus Plan awards and long-term equity awards — aligns our executives with our business strategy and the short- and long-term interests of our stockholders, providing "pay for performance" and putting a significant portion of our executives' pay "at risk."

A Significant Portion of our NEOs' 2020 Target TDC is At-Risk, Performance-Based Compensation

Our Compensation Committee ties a significant portion of the primary elements of our executives' target TDC to at-risk, performance-based incentive opportunities. For 2020, approximately 90.8% of the target value of the primary elements of TDC for our CEO and approximately 80.3% of the target value of the primary elements of TDC for our other NEOs, as a group, consisted of at-risk,

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performance-based incentive compensation. For additional details and a breakdown of at-risk, performance-based incentive compensation, please see the Compensation Discussion & Analysis sections titled "A Significant Portion of our NEOs' 2020 Target TDC is At-Risk, Performance-Based Compensation" and "Elements of 2020 Executive Compensation, Primary Elements of Total Direct Compensation."

Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote "FOR" the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

"RESOLVED, that the Company's stockholders approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers, as disclosed in the Company's Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion & Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion."

While the vote is advisory in nature, which means that it is non-binding on us, our Compensation Committee values the opinions of our stockholders and will take into consideration the outcome of the vote when considering future executive compensation arrangements. We currently conduct annual advisory votes on executive compensation, and, therefore, we intend to hold the next advisory vote to approve the compensation of the named executive officers at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.


OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE APPROVAL OF THE COMPENSATION OF THE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AS DISCLOSED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO ITEM 402 OF REGULATION S-K.

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EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS

The following table summarizes information as of December 31, 2020 relating to our equity compensation plans pursuant to which grants of stock options, deferred stock units, restricted stock grants or other rights to acquire shares may be granted from time to time.

Plan Category
  Number of
Securities to Be
Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights (a)

  Weighted-
Average Exercise
Price of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights (b)

  Number of Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance Under
Equity Compensation
Plans (Excluding
Securities Reflected in
Column (a)) (c)

 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1)

  32,853,124   $23.88(2)   72,807,983(3)

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders(4)

    $—  

Total

  32,853,124   $23.88(2)   72,807,983(3)
     
     
     

(1)   Amounts in columns (a) and (b) include outstanding options under our 2000, 2003 and 2011 LTIPs. Our 2000 LTIP expired on February 28, 2010 and our 2003 LTIP expired on June 1, 2011; however, awards made under these plans still remain outstanding. The amount in column (a) also includes 9,728,885 shares awarded under our 2000, 2003 and 2011 LTIPs in the form of service-based DSUs, Company performance-based DSUs and restricted stock. Of such amount, approximately 912,594 shares are issuable upon settlement of outstanding Company performance-based DSUs. Shares underlying the 2018, 2019 and 2020 TSR performance-based DSUs are earned over a three-year performance and service period. The 2018 TSR performance-based DSUs have been included based on actual performance. The 2019 TSR performance-based DSUs have been included assuming threshold achievement of the Company performance criteria and achievement of the individual service criteria of the program (40% of the target units awarded). We have included the number of shares underlying the threshold number of units in column (a) because the Company's TSR performance during the two-year period from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020 under the 2019 TSR PSP was below the threshold level of performance under the program. The 2020 TSR performance-based DSUs have been included assuming threshold achievement of the Company performance criteria and achievement of the individual service criteria of the program (40% of the target units awarded). We have included the number of shares underlying the threshold number of units in column (a) because the Company's TSR performance during the one-year period from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 under the 2020 TSR PSP was below the threshold level of performance under the program. Shares underlying the 2018, 2019 and 2020 FCF performance-based DSUs have been included at 117.9%, 90.1% and 88.6% of target, respectively, the actual number of units for which the performance criteria under the programs have been satisfied. Such units remain subject to the individual service criteria under the program.

(2)

 

This number reflects the exclusion of 9,728,885 shares in the form of service-based DSUs, Company performance-based RSUs and restricted stock granted pursuant to our equity plans included in column (a). These awards allow for the distribution of shares to the grant recipient upon vesting and do not have an associated exercise price. Accordingly, these awards are not reflected in the weighted-average exercise price.

(3)

 

This number reflects, as of December 31, 2020, the 72,807,983 shares available for issuance under our 2011 Amended and Restated LTIP. This number does not include 5,539,050 shares available for purchase by our employees under our GESOP, which are not available for grant in any other form.

(4)

 

We have acquired a number of companies over the past several years. From time to time, we have assumed the acquired company's incentive plan(s), including the outstanding stock options and warrants, if any, granted under those plan(s). No further stock options are outstanding under assumed plans and no additional stock options may be granted under the assumed plans beyond those assumed in connection with the acquisitions. Assumed stock options that terminate prior to expiration are not available for re-grant.

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Audit Committee oversees our Company's financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors and has other responsibilities as set forth in the Audit Committee charter, which is available on our website at www.bostonscientific.com under the "Investor Relations" section. Management has the primary responsibility for our Company's financial statements and reporting process, including the systems of internal controls. Ernst & Young LLP (Ernst & Young), our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2020, is responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of our Company's audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles and on our Company's internal control over financial reporting.

In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed with management and Ernst & Young the audited financial statements included in the Boston Scientific Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, including a discussion about the quality, not just the acceptability, of our Company's accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments, and the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements, and Ernst & Young's evaluation of the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

The Audit Committee also discussed with Ernst & Young the matters that are required to be discussed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's Auditing Standard No. 1301, Communications with Audit Committees. Ernst & Young has also provided the Audit Committee the written disclosures and the letter required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent registered public accounting firm's communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and the Audit Committee has discussed with Ernst & Young that firm's independence. The Audit Committee has concluded that Ernst & Young's provision of audit and non-audit services to the Company and its affiliates is compatible with Ernst & Young's independence.

The Audit Committee further discussed with the Company's internal auditors and Ernst & Young the overall scope and plans for their respective audits. The Audit Committee meets at least quarterly with the internal auditors and Ernst & Young, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations of the Company's internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company's financial reporting.

Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee approved the inclusion of the audited financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Audit Committee has also approved the selection of Ernst & Young as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2021.

This Audit Committee Report does not constitute soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other Boston Scientific filing with the SEC, except to the extent that Boston Scientific specifically incorporates this Report by reference into another Boston Scientific filing.

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

Charles J. Dockendorff, Chair
David J. Roux
John E. Sununu
Ellen M. Zane

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PROPOSAL 3: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee of the Board has appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for approving the appointment, retention and compensation, and for the oversight of the work of our independent registered public accounting firm (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent registered public accounting firm regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work. Ernst & Young LLP has been retained as the Company's external auditor continuously since 1992. The Audit Committee is responsible for audit fee negotiations associated with the Company's retention of Ernst & Young LLP. In order to assure continuing auditor independence, the Audit Committee periodically considers whether there should be a regular rotation of the independent external audit firm. In conjunction with the mandated rotation of the Audit Firm's lead engagement partner, the Audit Committee and its chair are directly involved in the selection of Ernst & Young LLP's new lead engagement partner.

In making its determination regarding whether to appoint or retain a particular independent registered public accounting firm, the Audit Committee takes into account the views of management and our internal auditors, and will take into account the vote of our stockholders with respect to the ratification of the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm. The members of the Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm is in the best interests of the Company and its investors.

Representatives of Ernst & Young LLP are expected to virtually attend the Annual Meeting and respond to questions and, if they desire, make a statement.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE 2021 FISCAL YEAR.

Principal Accountant Fees

The following table presents the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Ernst & Young LLP for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020.

Type of Fees
  2019
  2020
 

Audit Fees(1)

  $13,320,000   $11,109,000

Audit-Related Fees(2)

  1,597,000   2,562,000

Tax Fees(3)

  67,000   320,000

All Other Fees(4)

   
   

Total

  $14,984,000   $13,991,000
   
   
   

(1)   Audit fees are fees for professional services rendered in connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements (including an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting) included in Item 8 of our Annual Reports filed on Form 10-K, reviews of our condensed consolidated financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports filed on Form 10-Q, statutory filings and registration statements.

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(2)

 

Audit-related fees are fees for services related to employee benefit plan audits, accounting consultation, carve out audits, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

(3)

 

Tax fees are for services related to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. These services included international corporate tax return compliance, annual domestic tax return compliance for employee benefit plans, foreign country tax planning with respect to global stock option and employee stock purchase programs and stock programs, assistance filing advanced pricing agreements with tax authorities, assistance related to foreign tax authority transfer pricing inquiries and domestic and international tax technical advice.

(4)

 

Ernst & Young LLP did not provide any "other services" during the period.

Audit Committee's Pre-Approval Policy

It is the Audit Committee's policy to approve in advance the types and amounts of audit, audit-related, tax and any other services to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm. In situations where it is not possible to obtain full Audit Committee approval, the Audit Committee has delegated authority to the Chair of the Audit Committee to grant pre-approval of auditing, audit-related, tax and all other services. Any pre-approved decisions by the Chair are required to be reviewed with the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. The Audit Committee approved all of Ernst & Young LLP's services for 2019 and 2020 and, in doing so, considered whether the provision of such services is compatible with maintaining independence.

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PROPOSAL 4: STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL

We have been notified by an asset manager, the beneficial owner of more than $2,000 worth of shares of our common stock, that it intends to present the following proposal for consideration at the Annual Meeting. We will provide the name and address of the stockholder proponent promptly upon receiving an oral or written request to the Company's Corporate Secretary at the address and phone number listed on page 1 of this Proxy Statement. The stockholder proposal will be voted on at the Annual Meeting only if properly presented by or on behalf of the stockholder proponent.


Workforce Involvement in Corporate Governance

WHEREAS:    In 2019, the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of America's leading companies, issued a new Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation which emphasized "a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders" including employees;

Coupled with a worldwide increased interest in environmental and social considerations, this new focus on "stakeholder capitalism" can be understood to imply that a company's fiduciaries must address or reflect the interests of all stakeholders;

However, observers have struggled to find evidence that signatories have used the Statement to revise corporate policies or actions. Recently JUST Capital found that "while 72% of respondents believe corporate leaders are serving shareholders well, only 47% believe they're having a positive impact on the financial well-being of their workers";

In 2018, the Accountable Capitalism Act was introduced into the U.S. Congress to combat "America's fundamental economic problems" such as companies' failure to reinvest proceeds in their operations, including employees. The Act would require that "boards ... include substantial employee participation ... ensur[ing] that no fewer than 40% of [a board's] directors are selected by the corporation's employees";

Furthermore, the World Economic Forum has stated that "[i]ssues that were previously considered secondary for CEOs and boards — matters once handled by companies' stakeholder-relations, philanthropy, and information-technology departments — have become important determinants of firms' capacity to create and sustain economic value ... The talent and motivation of a firm's workforce, an innovative corporate culture, individual know-how, and data all are becoming increasingly important sources of value";

Proponents believe that our company can advance long-term value creation through a board that includes non-management employee involvement in company governance.

RESOLVED:    Shareholders of Boston Scientific Corporation urge the Board of Directors to prepare a report to shareholders describing any benefits to the company related to employee participation in company governance.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT:    The report should be prepared within one year, at reasonable cost and excluding proprietary and privileged information. The Board is encouraged to assess:

    1.
    Potential benefits and efficiencies associated with board membership of non-management employees;

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    2.
    Comparison of pros and cons of board participation against other options for employee participation in governance such as employee councils, joint labor-management committees, or labor unions;

    3.
    Procedures through which non-management employees could gain nomination to the board, such as allocation of board slots, special nomination processes, and/or changes to corporate articles of incorporation or bylaws that might help accomplish such changes;

    4.
    Any legal, technical, practical, or organizational impediments to non-management employees gaining board seats.

For purposes of this proposal, the term "non-management employees" should be understood to be employees that are neither management nor company executives.

The Company's Opposing Statement

Our Board and the Nominating and Governance Committee have considered this proposal and concluded that its adoption is unnecessary and not in the best interests of our stockholders or employees.

Our independent Nominating and Governance Committee, along with the full Board, is best positioned to identify, evaluate and recommend director nominees.

Our Board is composed of a diverse group of leaders in their respective fields. As described in more detail in the "Corporate Governance — Director Nomination Process" section of this Proxy Statement, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee looks for several critical qualities in screening and evaluating potential director candidates to serve our stockholders. Many of our directors have senior leadership experience at major domestic and international companies. In these positions, they have gained experience in core management skills, such as strategic and financial planning, public company financial reporting, compliance, risk management, and international business. Most of our directors also have experience serving on the boards of directors and board committees of other public companies and have an understanding of corporate governance practices and trends and different business processes, challenges, and strategies.

Our independent Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board have developed criteria and a process for identifying and recommending director candidates for election by our stockholders. In undertaking this responsibility, the Nominating and Governance Committee has a fiduciary duty to act in good faith for the best interests of the Company and all of our stockholders. This process is designed to identify and nominate director candidates who possess a combination of skills, professional experience and diversity of backgrounds necessary to oversee our business and who can contribute to the overall effectiveness of our Board. Through this process, we believe that our Nominating and Governance Committee and Board are able to achieve the optimal balance of director skills and qualifications that best serve the Company and all of our stockholders.

Employee engagement is a Board priority.

Our Board is engaged with our employees through formal and informal avenues. As described in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board encourages input from non-executive employees and the Board regularly receives presentations from, and interacts with, non-executive employees in the course of its normal meetings. For example, the Board interacts with leaders of our employee resource

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groups, including when such leaders are invited to address the Board at its meetings and when Board members are invited to speak at employee resource group sponsored events, specifically to help facilitate our diversity and inclusion strategic imperative and goals, and to better understand the specific challenges and opportunities affecting our diverse employee population. In sum, the Board is actively engaged in overseeing the Company's culture to ensure alignment with its views and values.

Our engaged workforce is a distinct competitive advantage.

We are consistently recognized as one of the world's most admired companies and best places to work. Our employees are the talented and dedicated force behind every milestone we achieve. Our top industry awards and rankings include Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America, FORTUNE World's Most Admired Companies, Forbes America's Most Just Companies, Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies, Culture Champion 2020 MIT Sloan Management Review/Glassdoor, the Human Rights Campaign's Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality, Disability Equality Index (DEI) Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion, Bloomberg-Gender Equality Index, NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women, and Working Mother Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index. We actively engage with, and seek a diversity of perspectives from, our employees on various initiatives, including managing our corporate social responsibility (CSR) proposals, conducting global employee engagement surveys, and driving change though our diversity and inclusion strategies. Details of these initiatives can be found in our Performance Report, which can be found here: https://www.bostonscientific.com/content/dam/bostonscientific/corporate/citizenship/sustainability/2019_Boston_Scientific_Performance_Report.pdf. We recognize that in 2019, the Business Roundtable (BRT) published a statement which has been the subject of considerable debate and opposition by entities like the Council of Institutional Investors. The statement describes revised BRT principles that focus on a mix of stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, the environment, communities and shareholders. We believe that the fundamental culture of the Company as well as the dynamic efforts undertaken by the Board and the Company as this landscape evolves match up well with the revised BRT principles.

Our stockholders and employees have the ability to communicate directly with the Board.

We pride ourselves on incorporating feedback from all stakeholders, including our employees, into our decision-making process at the Board and management level. We have multiple channels through which employees can provide feedback to management, and we believe this open communication is key in collecting valuable data that are factored into our decisions. See "Corporate Governance — Communications with the Board" section of this Proxy Statement and our Performance Report. We note that, based on input from our stockholders and benchmarking of corporate governance best practices, the Board adopted (i) proxy access, a process by which stockholders meeting certain requirements can nominate directors for election using the Company's proxy statement, (ii) a majority voting standard in director elections, and (iii) a requirement that women and racially/ethnically diverse candidates are among the initial slate of candidates presented for consideration in external searches for a Chief Executive Officer and new Board members.

Our stockholders can recommend prospective director candidates for the Nominating and Governance Committee's consideration.

As discussed above, the Nominating and Governance Committee will also consider director nominees proposed by our stockholders and other sources. Nominees proposed by stockholders for the Committee's consideration are considered and evaluated with the same degree of care and consideration as a nominee recommended by an independent Board member and our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Our Board believes the director nominating and evaluation process already allows the best and most qualified candidates to be elected to the Board.

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For the reasons explained above, our Board recommends that stockholders vote "AGAINST" this proposal.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a majority of shares with voting power present in person or represented by proxy and which have actually voted on the proposal is required to approve the stockholder proposal described in this Proxy Statement. You may vote "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN." If you "ABSTAIN," it will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present for conducting the Annual Meeting, but your vote will not count as a share actually voted with respect to determining if a majority vote is obtained and will have no effect on the determination of this proposal.


OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT
YOU VOTE "AGAINST" THE STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL.

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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND COMPANY INFORMATION

Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations

In accordance with Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and the advance notice provisions of our By-Laws, stockholder proposals and director nominations for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be received by our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive office on or before November 24, 2021. Under the proxy access by-law provisions of our By-Laws, director nominations submitted for inclusion in our 2022 Annual Proxy Statement must be received no earlier than October 25, 2021 and no later than November 24, 2021. Director nominations by our stockholders must also satisfy the other procedures and requirements set forth in the advance notice and proxy access provisions of our By-Laws, as appropriate. Any proposals or nominees received after this date will be considered untimely under Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and the advance notice provisions of our By-Laws.

Should you wish to submit a proposal or director nomination, have it addressed to our Corporate Secretary at Boston Scientific Corporation, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752. In order to be considered for inclusion in next year's Proxy Statement, proposals must also satisfy the other procedures set forth in Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act. Proposals that are submitted outside of Rule 14a-8, as well as director nominees, for presentation at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, but that will not be included in next year's Proxy Statement, must also satisfy the procedures set forth in the advance notice provision of our By-Laws.

Annual Report to Stockholders and Form 10-K

Our 2020 Annual Report to Stockholders, including financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, accompanies this Proxy Statement. The Annual Report is also available on our website at www.bostonscientific.com under "Financials & Filings" in the "Investor Relations" section. Copies of our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is on file with the SEC, are available to any stockholder free of charge who submits a request in writing to Investor Relations, Boston Scientific Corporation, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752, or by calling (508) 683-5670. Copies of any exhibits to the Form 10-K are also available upon written request and payment of a fee covering our reasonable expenses in furnishing the exhibits.

Householding of Proxy Materials

Applicable rules permit us and brokerage firms to send one Notice or Proxy Statement and Annual Report to multiple stockholders who share the same address unless we have received instructions to the contrary from one or more of the stockholders. This practice is known as householding. If you hold your shares through a broker, you may have consented to reducing the number of copies of materials delivered to your address. In the event that you wish to revoke a householding consent you previously provided to a broker, you must contact that broker to revoke your consent. If you (i) are eligible for householding and you currently receive multiple copies of either our Notice or Proxy Statement and our Annual Report but you wish to receive only one copy of each of these documents for your household or (ii) you currently receive only one set of these documents due to householding and wish to revoke your consent for future mailings, please contact Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. by mail at Householding Department, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717 or by telephone at (800) 542-1061.

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If you are currently subject to householding and wish to receive a separate Proxy Statement or Annual Report, you may find these materials on our website at www.bostonscientific.com under "Financial Information" in the "Investor Relations" section. You may also request printed copies of our Notice or Proxy Statement and Annual Report free of charge by contacting Investor Relations, Boston Scientific Corporation, 300 Boston Scientific Way, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752, or by calling (508) 683-5670. We will deliver promptly, upon written or oral request, a separate copy of the Notice, Proxy Statement or Annual Report to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.

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OTHER INFORMATION

Other Matters That May Come Before the Annual Meeting

We do not know of any other matters that may be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other business is properly presented for consideration before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies on the enclosed proxy card, or proxy voting instruction form, will vote as they deem in the best interests of the Company.

Solicitation of Proxies at the Annual Meeting

We will pay the costs of this solicitation. Our directors, officers or other employees may solicit proxies on behalf of the Board primarily by mail and via the Internet, but additional solicitations may be made in person, by electronic delivery, telephone, facsimile or other medium. No additional compensation will be paid to our directors, officers or other employees in connection with this solicitation. We may enlist the assistance of brokerage houses, fiduciaries, custodians and other third parties in soliciting proxies. We will, upon request, reimburse brokerage firms and other third parties for their reasonable expenses incurred for forwarding solicitation material to beneficial holders of our common stock. We have also retained Alliance Advisors, a proxy solicitation firm, to assist in the solicitation of proxies, as need be, for a fee of $12,500, plus reimbursement of expenses. All solicitation expenses, including costs of preparing, assembling and mailing proxy materials, will be borne by us.

Websites

Information on or connected to our website (or the website of any third party) referenced in this Proxy Statement is in addition to and not a part of or incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement. Such additional information speaks as of the date thereof and is not intended to be confirmed or updated by reference herein. Boston Scientific disclaims any liability or responsibility for or endorsement of the information on or connected to the website of a third party.

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ANNEX A

Reconciliations of GAAP Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Used as
Performance Metrics Under Certain of Our Short- and Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plans and Programs2

The following is a reconciliation of cash provided by operating activities prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP) to adjusted free cash flow as used in our 2020 Free Cash Flow Performance Share Program (2020 FCF PSP).

(in millions)
  2020
 
   

Cash Provided by (used for) Operating Activities

  $ 1,508  

Less: Purchases of property, plant and equipment

    376  

Add: Proceeds on disposals of property, plant and equipment

  12  

Free Cash Flow

  $ 1,144  

Add: Restructuring and restructuring-related payments

  110  

Add: Acquisition-related payments

    202  

Add: EU MDR payments

  29  

Add: Special tax payments (refunds/credits)

    76  

Add: Litigation-related settlements

  420  

Adjusted Free Cash Flow

  $ 1,980  

The following is a reconciliation of net sales prepared in accordance with GAAP to adjusted net sales as used in our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan:

(in millions)
  2020
 

As reported net sales

  $ 9,913  

Add: Impact of foreign currency fluctuations

    42  
 

Adjusted net sales

  $ 9,955  

The following is a reconciliation of earnings per share prepared in accordance with GAAP to adjusted earnings per share as used in our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan:

 
  2020
 

GAAP earnings (loss) per share available to common stockholders

  $ (0.08 )

Non-GAAP adjustments:

       

Amortization expense

  0.49  

Goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges

    0.32  

Acquisition-/divestiture-related net charges (credits)

  0.08  

Restructuring and restructuring-related net charges (credits)

    0.10  

Litigation-related net charges (credits)

  0.18  

Investment portfolio net losses (gains)

    (0.23 )

EU MDR implementation costs

  0.02  

Deferred tax expenses (benefits)

    0.03  

Discrete tax items

  0.05  

Adjusted earnings (loss) per share

  $ 0.96  

   


2
Amounts reported in millions in Annex A are computed based on the amounts in thousands. As a result, the sum of the components reported in millions may not equal the total amount reported in millions due to rounding. Certain columns and rows within tables may not add due to the use of rounded numbers.

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Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our consolidated financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, we disclose certain non-GAAP financial measures. To describe the relationship between pay and performance, we disclose certain non-GAAP financial measures used as performance metrics under certain of our short- and long-term incentive compensation plans and programs, including adjusted free cash flow, adjusted net sales and adjusted earnings per share (EPS). These non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP) and should not be considered in isolation from or as a replacement for the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Management uses these supplemental non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate performance period over period, to analyze the underlying trends in our business, to assess our performance relative to our competitors, and to establish operational goals and forecasts that are used in allocating resources. In addition, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to further its understanding of the performance of our operating segments.

Adjusted earnings (loss) per share excludes certain charges (credits) included in GAAP earnings (loss) per share available to common available to common stockholders as we believe these items are not indicative of future performance. Please refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an explanation of each of these adjustments and the reasons for excluding each item. These amounts are excluded by management in assessing our performance, as well as from our operating segments' measures of profit and loss used to make operating decisions and assess their performance. Accordingly, management excluded these items in calculating this non-GAAP financial measure under our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan to facilitate an evaluation of our performance relative to our internal financial plan in accordance with the 2020 Annual Bonus Plan.

Adjusted free cash flow as used in our 2020 FCF PSP is a non-GAAP measure that excludes net purchases of property plant and equipment, as well as the cash component of certain charges (credits) that are excluded from adjusted net income (loss) in addition to any cash tax benefits of such charges. Further, we exclude tax settlement payments that relate to prior periods. The GAAP measure that is most directly comparable to adjusted free cash flow is cash provided by operating activities. Accordingly, management excluded or included these cash items for purposes of reviewing our cash flow performance in calculating this non-GAAP financial measure under our 2020 FCF PSP to facilitate an evaluation of our cash flow performance relative to our internal financial plan in accordance with the 2020 FCF PSP.

Adjusted net sales as used in our 2020 Annual Bonus Plan excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations included in our GAAP net sales to align with measures that are considered by management to evaluate performance relative to our operating plan. Management excluded the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, which are highly variable and difficult to predict, by converting actual net sales from local currency to U.S. dollars using internally derived constant foreign currency exchange rates in the current and prior period. The GAAP financial measures most directly comparable to adjusted net sales is net sales on a GAAP basis.

We believe that presenting the non-GAAP financial measures that are used as performance metrics under certain of our short- and long-term incentive compensation plans and programs, in addition to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides investors greater transparency to information relevant to the relationship between pay and performance and allows investors to see our results "through the eyes" of management.

A-2


 

EXERCISING YOUR VOTE: VOTE BY INTERNET Before The Meeting - Go to www.proxyvote.com Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on May 5, 2021, the day before the meeting. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. During The Meeting - Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021 You may attend the meeting via the Internet and vote during the meeting. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions. VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903 Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on May 5, 2021, the day before the meeting. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and follow the instructions. VOTE BY MAIL Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION 300 BOSTON SCIENTIFIC WAY MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS 01752 If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years. TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: D36855-P51549 KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION The Board of Directors recommends a vote "For" all Director Nominees. For Withhold 1. Proposal to elect nine Director Nominees: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The Board of Directors recommends a vote "For" Proposals 2 and 3. 1a. Nelda J. Connors For Against Abstain ! ! ! 1b. Charles J. Dockendorff 2. To approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, named executive officer compensation. 1c. Yoshiaki Fujimori ! ! ! 3. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year. 1d. Donna A. James 1e. Edward J. Ludwig The Board of Directors recommends a vote "Against" Proposal 4. 1f. Michael F. Mahoney ! ! ! 4. To consider and vote upon a stockholder proposal requesting a report to stockholders describing any benefits to the company related to employee participation in company governance. 1g. David J. Roux 1h. John E. Sununu 1i. Ellen M. Zane NOTE: Such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. Sign exactly as your name appears on the Proxy. If the shares are registered in the names of two or more persons, each person should sign. Executors, administrators, trustees, partners, custodians, guardians, attorneys and corporate officers please add your full title(s). Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com. D36856-P51549 PROXY BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION Proxy for Annual Meeting of Stockholders on May 6, 2021 This Proxy is Solicited on Behalf of the Board of Directors The undersigned hereby appoints VANCE R. BROWN, ASHLEY MCGRANE and MAI-KHOI NGUYEN-THANH, and each of them acting solely, as proxies, with full power of substitution and with all powers the undersigned would possess if personally present, to represent and vote, as designated hereon, all of the shares of common stock of Boston Scientific Corporation (the "Company"), par value $.01 per share, and if applicable, hereby directs the trustees and fiduciaries of the employee benefit plans in which the undersigned participates to vote all of the shares of common stock allocated to the account of the undersigned, which the undersigned is entitled to vote at the virtual Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company to be held at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BSX2021 on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 8:00 A.M. (Eastern Time), and any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. THE UNDERSIGNED HEREBY REVOKES ANY PROXY PREVIOUSLY GIVEN AND ACKNOWLEDGES RECEIPT OF THE NOTICE AND PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING. THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED STOCKHOLDER. IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED "FOR" THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS, "FOR" PROPOSALS 2 AND 3, "AGAINST" PROPOSAL 4 AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE PROXIES ON SUCH OTHER BUSINESS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING OR ANY ADJOURNMENT OR POSTPONEMENT THEREOF. (Please sign and date on reverse side and return promptly in the enclosed envelope)