In fiscal 2024 and 2025, the Compensation Committee engaged GGA to undertake a review of the Company’s executive compensation program. GGA was engaged to review the components of the Company’s executive compensation in comparison to a peer group of companies and recommend a compensation design and levels that are in line with the Company’s compensation philosophy as well as current market standards.
Based on GGA’s review and recommendations, an approach focused on equity compensation was adopted at the current stage of the Company’s commercial development. This includes granting a mix of multi-year vesting stock options and immediately exercisable options to certain executives with minimal adjustments to base salary, and, in the case of the Chief Executive Officer and certain other executives, also in lieu of short-term cash incentives. This approach is intended to align executive compensation with shareholder value creation, while ensuring market-competitive total compensation. This is also aligned with the Company’s liquidity management as it advances towards the commercialization of its technology.
Fiscal 2025 Executive Compensation Program Components
Overview
The following describes each component of our executive compensation program, the rationale for each, and how the compensation amounts and awards were determined for fiscal 2025.
Base Salary
Base salary is the primary fixed component of our executive compensation program. We use base salary to compensate our named executive officers for services rendered during the fiscal year and to ensure that we remain competitive in attracting and retaining executive talent. Generally, we establish the initial base salaries of our executive officers through arm’s-length negotiation at the time we hire the individual executive officer, taking into account his or her position, qualifications, experience, salary expectations, market compensation data and the base salaries of our other executive officers.
Thereafter, the Compensation Committee periodically reviews the base salaries of each named executive officer and makes adjustments as it determines to be reasonable and necessary to reflect our performance, the scope of a named executive officer’s performance, contributions, responsibilities, experience, current salary level, position (in the case of a promotion), and market pay positioning, as appropriate.
In connection with the amendment and restatement of Mr. Solomita’s employment agreement in fiscal 2019, the Compensation Committee reviewed his compensation package, including his base salary. In addition to the market-based study provided by Pay Governance, the Compensation Committee also considered other relevant factors, including, among others, Mr. Solomita’s critical importance to the Company’s success, performance and contributions, and the continued competition for experienced leadership in our industry. Based on this review, in June 2018, the Compensation Committee recommended, and the Board approved, an updated compensation package for Mr. Solomita, including his base salary of $598,905 CAD, effective as of March 1, 2018 (the first day of the Company’s 2019 fiscal year).
Upon his hire in April 2023, Mr. Mansour received a one-time signing bonus of $75,000 CAD, and his base salary was set at $360,000 CAD, which was increased to $371,918 CAD in March 2024 following a cost of living adjustment. Mr. Champagne’s base salary was set at $250,000 CAD upon his hire in March 2020, which was increased to $258,000 CAD in March 2022 following a cost of living adjustment, to $300,000 CAD in March 2023 following a review of his compensation package, and to $311,400 CAD in March 2024 following a cost of living adjustment. The base salary for each of these named executive officers was approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board and determined based on arm’s-length negotiations between the named executive officer and our Chief Executive Officer.
The base salaries paid to our named executive officers in fiscal 2025 are set forth in the section entitled “Summary Compensation Table” below.
Short-Term Incentive Compensation
We use short-term incentive compensation to motivate our named executive officers to achieve our annual financial and operational objectives, while making progress towards our longer-term strategic and growth goals. Our short-term incentive program allows the Compensation Committee to provide cash incentive awards to the executive officers, which are based upon performance goals established by the Board and the Compensation Committee.