At the current stage of our development, we are dependent upon a small team of key executives to support Mr. Solomita in pursuing our business objectives, including the continued development of our technology and the development and implementation of our commercialization plan.
We continue to operate within an overall compensation framework and philosophy which was established in 2018 and which is described herein. This philosophy, as well as Mr. Solomita’s compensation, was established at the time with reference to a benchmark group of comparable companies and using external advisors. Within this framework, we use judgement on a case-by-case basis when hiring new executives, in order to attract the management talent required to support the needs of the business, bearing in mind both external market conditions in the Montreal market and internal compensation equity within the company.
Fiscal 2024 Executive Compensation Program Components
Overview
For fiscal 2024, the Compensation Committee reviewed the base salary, short-term incentive compensation opportunity, and long-term incentive compensation opportunity for all named executive officers. The Compensation Committee also considered the pay levels of Messrs. Solomita, Mansour and Champagne as compared to the overall market, their performance, and the continued competition for experienced leadership in our industry.
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 2024.
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’s base salary was set at $360,000 CAD and he received a one-time signing bonus of $75,000 CAD. Mr. Champagne’s base salary was set at $250,000 CAD upon his hire in March 2020, increased to $258,000 CAD in March 2022 following a cost of living adjustment and increased to $300,000 CAD in March 2023 following a review of his compensation package. 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 2024 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