UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 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  ☑                            Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

MKS INSTRUMENTS, INC.

2 Tech Drive, Suite 201

Andover, Massachusetts 01810

March 27, 2020

Dear Shareholder:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of MKS Instruments, Inc. to be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, at MKS Instruments, Inc., 2 Tech Drive, Suite 201, Andover, Massachusetts 01810.

The attached notice of Annual Meeting and proxy statement describe the business to be transacted at the Annual Meeting and provide additional information about us that you should know when voting your shares. The principal business at the Annual Meeting will be (i) the election of two Class III Directors, each for a three-year term, (ii) the approval, on an advisory basis, of executive compensation and (iii) the ratification of the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020.

Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please carefully review the attached proxy materials and take the time to cast your vote. If you attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote in person if you wish, even if you have previously voted, in which case your proxy vote will be revoked.

On behalf of MKS, I would like to express our appreciation for your continued interest in our Company.

Sincerely,

JOHN T.C. LEE

President and Chief Executive Officer

MKS INSTRUMENTS, INC.

2 Tech Drive, Suite 201

Andover, Massachusetts 01810

NOTICE OF 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON MAY 12, 2020

To our Shareholders:

The 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of MKS INSTRUMENTS, INC., a Massachusetts corporation, will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, at MKS Instruments, Inc., 2 Tech Drive, Suite 201, Andover, Massachusetts 01810 for the following purposes:

The shareholders will also act on any other business as may properly come before the meeting.

We provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s “notice and access” rules. As a result, we mail to our shareholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, which we refer to as the Notice. We are mailing the Notice on or about March 27, 2020, and it contains instructions on how to access the proxy statement and our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which we refer to as the 2019 Annual Report, over the Internet. The Notice also contains instructions on how each of our shareholders can receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, including this proxy statement, our 2019 Annual Report, and a form of proxy card or voting instruction card. All shareholders who do not receive the Notice, including shareholders who have previously requested to receive paper copies of proxy materials, will receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail unless they have previously requested delivery of proxy materials electronically.

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 4, 2020 as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. Your vote is important no matter how many shares you own. Whether you expect to attend the meeting or not, please vote your shares by using the Internet as described in the instructions included in your Notice, by calling the toll-free telephone number, or, if you received a paper copy of the proxy materials, by completing, signing, dating and returning your proxy card or voting instruction card. Your prompt response is necessary to ensure that your shares are represented at the meeting. You can change your vote and revoke your proxy any time before the polls close at the meeting by following the procedures described in the accompanying proxy statement.

If you would like to attend the Annual Meeting and your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee, you must bring to the Annual Meeting a letter from the nominee confirming your beneficial ownership of such shares. In order to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting, you must obtain from the nominee a proxy issued in your name. You must also bring a form of personal identification.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

KATHLEEN F. BURKE

Secretary

Andover, Massachusetts

March 27, 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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MKS INSTRUMENTS, INC.

2 Tech Drive, Suite 201

Andover, Massachusetts 01810

PROXY STATEMENT

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of MKS Instruments, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation, for use at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, at MKS Instruments, Inc., 2 Tech Drive, Suite 201, Andover, Massachusetts 01810, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof, which we refer to as the 2020 Annual Meeting. References in this proxy statement to “we,” “us,” the “Company” or “MKS” refer to MKS Instruments, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

All proxies will be voted in accordance with the applicable shareholder’s instructions. If no choice is specified in the proxy, the shares will be voted in favor of the matters set forth in the accompanying Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Any proxy may be revoked by a shareholder at any time before its exercise by delivery of written revocation to the Secretary of MKS. Attendance at the 2020 Annual Meeting will not in itself be deemed to revoke a proxy unless the shareholder gives affirmative notice at the 2020 Annual Meeting that the shareholder intends to revoke the proxy and vote in person.

We provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the “notice and access” rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC. As a result, we mail to our shareholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, which we refer to as the Notice. We are mailing the Notice on or about March 27, 2020, and it contains instructions on how to access the proxy statement and our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which we refer to as the 2019 Annual Report, over the Internet. The Notice also contains instructions on how each of our shareholders can receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, including this proxy statement, our 2019 Annual Report, and a form of proxy card or voting instruction card. All shareholders who do not receive the Notice, including shareholders who have previously requested to receive paper copies of proxy materials, will receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail unless they have previously requested delivery of proxy materials electronically.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MAY 12, 2020

This proxy statement and the 2019 Annual Report to Shareholders are available for viewing, printing and downloading at http://investor.mksinst.com/financial-information/annual-reports.

A COPY OF OUR ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 AS FILED WITH THE SEC, EXCLUDING EXHIBITS, WILL BE FURNISHED WITHOUT CHARGE TO ANY SHAREHOLDER UPON WRITTEN REQUEST TO: INVESTOR RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, MKS INSTRUMENTS, INC., 2 TECH DRIVE, SUITE 201, ANDOVER, MA 01810. EXHIBITS WILL BE PROVIDED UPON WRITTEN REQUEST AND PAYMENT OF AN APPROPRIATE PROCESSING FEE.

VOTING OF SECURITIES AND VOTES REQUIRED

At the close of business on March 4, 2020, the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the 2020 Annual Meeting, there were issued and outstanding and entitled to vote 54,871,406 shares of our common stock, no par value per share, which we refer to as our Common Stock. Each outstanding share entitles the record holder to one vote on each matter submitted at the 2020 Annual Meeting.

In order to transact business at the 2020 Annual Meeting, we must have a quorum. Under our Amended and Restated By-Laws, the holders of a majority of the shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the 2020 Annual Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the 2020 Annual Meeting. Shares of Common Stock held by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy (including “broker non-votes” and shares that abstain or do not vote with respect to a particular proposal to be voted upon) will be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists at the 2020 Annual Meeting. If a quorum is not present, the meeting will be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.

The affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the votes cast on the matter is required for the election of directors (Proposal One); provided, however, any director nominee who receives a greater number of withhold votes than affirmative votes, which we refer to as a Majority Withhold Vote, in an uncontested election must offer to tender to the Board of Directors his or her resignation promptly following the certification of election results. The Board of Directors must accept or reject a resignation within 90 days following the certification of election results and publicly disclose its decision. Accordingly, the nominees who receive the highest number of votes of the shares present, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote shall be elected to the available Class III Director positions, and in the event any nominee receives a Majority Withhold Vote, the resignation policy will apply as summarized here and as set forth in Section B.4 of our Corporate Governance Guidelines which are posted on our website at investor.mksinst.com in the Corporate Governance tab. The advisory vote on executive compensation (Proposal Two) and the ratification of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Proposal Three) require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast on the matter. Proposal Two is a non-binding proposal.

Shares held by shareholders who abstain from voting as to a particular matter, and “broker non-votes,” which are shares held in “street name” by banks, brokers or nominees, who indicate on their proxies that they do not have discretionary authority to vote such shares as to a particular non-routine matter, including the election of directors and the advisory vote on executive compensation, will not be counted as votes in favor of, or as votes cast for, a matter. Accordingly, abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the voting on a matter that requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter. If the shares you own are held in street name by a bank or brokerage firm, your bank or brokerage firm, as the record holder of your shares, is required to vote your shares according to your instructions. In order to vote your shares, you will need to follow the directions your bank or brokerage firm provides you.

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PROPOSAL ONE – ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our Amended and Restated By-Laws provide for a Board of Directors that is divided into three classes. The term of the Class I Directors expires at the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the term of the Class II Directors expires at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and the term of the Class III Directors expires at the 2020 Annual Meeting. Our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, has nominated Joseph B. Donahue and Janice K. Henry to serve as Class III Directors for a term to expire at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Each nominee has consented to being named herein and, if elected, to serve as a director until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.

Shares represented by all proxies received by the Board of Directors and not so marked as to withhold authority to vote for an individual director will be voted (unless one or more nominees are unable or unwilling to serve) for the election of the nominees named below. The Board of Directors expects that each of the nominees named below will be available for election, but if either of them is not a candidate at the time the election occurs, it is intended that such proxies will be voted for the election of a substitute nominee to be designated by the Board of Directors.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BELIEVES THAT APPROVAL OF THE ELECTION OF JOSEPH B. DONAHUE AND JANICE K. HENRY TO SERVE AS CLASS III DIRECTORS IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF MKS AND OUR SHAREHOLDERS AND THEREFORE RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” BOTH NOMINEES.

DIRECTORS

Set forth below are the names and ages of each member of our Board of Directors and our two director nominees, Joseph B. Donahue and Janice K. Henry, the positions and offices held, principal occupation and business experience during at least the past five years, the names of other publicly held companies on which the individual currently serves, or in the past five years has served, as a director and the year each member of our Board of Directors joined our Board. We have also included information about each individual’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes, or skills that led the Board of Directors to conclude that he or she should serve as a director of MKS. Information with respect to the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by each individual, directly or indirectly, as of January 1, 2020, appears in this proxy statement under the heading “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.” John R. Bertucci, Gregory R. Beecher and Rick D. Hess, who currently serve as Class III Directors, are not standing for re-election to the Board of Directors and, accordingly, their tenure as directors will end as of the date of our 2020 Annual Meeting on May 12, 2020. For this reason, their biographical information and qualifications have been omitted below.

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Director Skills, Experience and Background

MKS is a global provider of instruments, systems, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes to improve process performance and productivity for our customers. Many of the markets for our products are cyclical and highly competitive. As we discuss below under Corporate Governance – Director Candidates, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for evaluating the appropriate skills, experience and background that MKS seeks in Board members in the context of our business and the existing composition of the Board. This evaluation includes numerous factors, such as integrity, business acumen, knowledge of our business and industry, effectiveness, experience, diligence, conflicts of interest and the ability to act in the interests of all shareholders.

Listed below are the skills and experience that we consider important for our directors given our current business and organizational structure. The continuing directors’ and director nominees’ biographies and the matrix below note each director’s and director nominee’s relevant experience, qualifications and skills relative to this list.

Skills/Competencies

A significant portion of our sales are derived from products sold to semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers and semiconductor device manufacturers. In addition, our products are used in the industrial technologies, life and health sciences, as well as research and defense markets. Directors who have education and experience in semiconductor technology and other industrial technologies are valuable for their perspectives on our research and development efforts, competing technologies, the products and processes we develop, our manufacturing and assembly and the markets in which we compete.

Directors with a background in mergers and acquisitions, and business development provide insights into developing and implementing strategies for growing our business. Useful experience in this area includes skills in assessing and analyzing the “fit” of a proposed acquisition with our long-term strategy, valuing transactions and assessing management’s integration plans with existing operations.

Directors who have served in senior leadership positions are important to us because they have the experience and perspective to analyze, shape, and oversee the execution of important operational and policy issues.

Directors with public company board experience understand the dynamics and operation of a corporate board, the relationship of a public company board to the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers, the legal and regulatory landscape in which public companies must operate, and how to oversee an ever-changing mix of strategic, operational, and compliance-related matters.

We are a global organization with manufacturing, research and development, and sales offices in many countries. We sell our products to thousands of customers worldwide and a significant portion of our revenues are from sales to customers in international markets. Our manufacturing facility locations include Austria, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. Because of these factors, directors with international experience can provide valuable business, regulatory and cultural perspectives regarding many important aspects of our business.

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Functional Background

Knowledge of financial markets, financing operations, and accounting and financial reporting processes is very important as it assists our directors in understanding, advising on, and overseeing our capital structure, financing and investing activities as well as our financial reporting and internal controls.

Our products incorporate sophisticated technologies to measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control complex semiconductor and advanced manufacturing processes, thereby enhancing uptime, yield and throughput for our customers. We have developed, and continue to develop, new products to address industry trends. Directors with education and experience in engineering, and research and development provide valuable perspectives regarding our research and development efforts, competing technologies, the products and processes we develop, our manufacturing and assembly and the markets in which we compete.

Directors with a regulatory, legal or governance background can assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities regarding our compliance, engagement with regulatory authorities, and governance structure.

Directors with marketing, brand management and sales experience can provide expertise and guidance as we seek to grow sales, expand the markets in which we compete, and strengthen our brands.

As we operate in many cyclical markets, with rapid demand changes, and have a broad footprint of international manufacturing operations, understanding of and experience with manufacturing and other operational processes are valuable assets to our Board.

The markets we serve increasingly rely on digitization and electronic connectivity as growth drivers, including, for example, the Internet of Things, or IoT. Further, we rely on various information technology networks and systems, some of which are managed by third parties, to process, transmit and store electronic information and to carry out and support a variety of business activities, and the safety and security of our digital information is paramount to our success. Directors who have a sophisticated understanding of global digitization, and/or cybersecurity literacy can assist with the Board’s oversight of driving future growth and securing our digital information in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Personal Demographics

Representation of a mix of ages, gender and racially diverse perspectives expand the Board’s understanding of the needs and perspectives of our customers, suppliers, employees and stockholders. In addition, we consider the tenure each director has on our Board.

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Board Skills Matrix

Listed below are the skills and competencies that we consider important for our directors and director nominees to ensure effective oversight of the Company’s business. The continuing directors’ and director nominees’ biographies note each continuing director’s and director nominee’s relevant experience, qualifications and skills relative to this list.

Current Members

Nominees

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1

2

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

•  Industry Experience

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

•  M&A Business Development Experience

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

•  CEO/COO/CFO Experience

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

•  Experienced Director

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

•  International Experience

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

FUNCTIONAL BACKGROUND

•  Accounting/Finance

✓

✓

✓

•  Engineering/R&D

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

•  Regulatory/Legal/Governance

✓

✓

✓

•  Marketing/Sales

✓

✓

✓

•  Operations

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

•  Digitization/Cybersecurity/IoT

✓

✓

✓

PERSONAL DEMOGRAPHICS

•  Tenure (years)

50

2

14

6

3

4

8

1

0

0

0

•  Age

79

52

62

63

66

66

59

53

57

68

61

•  Gender (Female/Male/Nonbinary)

M

M

M

M

M

F

F

F

M

F

M

•  Racial Diversity (Caucasian/Non-Caucasian)

C

N

C

C

C

C

C

C

N

C

C

Demographic Ratio Graphs

The following demographic ratio graphs show data for our continuing directors and director nominees.

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PROPOSAL TWO – ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act, enables our shareholders to vote to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our 2019 Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this proxy statement under the heading “Executive Compensation” including “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” the tabular disclosure regarding such compensation, and the accompanying narrative disclosure. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our 2019 Named Executive Officers and the philosophy, policies and practices of executive compensation described in this proxy statement. The advisory vote is not a vote on our compensation practices for non-executive employees or our Board of Directors. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the Company to hold the advisory vote on executive compensation at least once every three years, but we have elected to submit the advisory vote to shareholders annually.

As described in detail under the heading “Executive Compensation — Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” our executive compensation programs are designed to attract, motivate, and retain our executive officers, who are critical to our success. Under these programs, our executive officers are rewarded for the achievement of specific short-term and long-term goals. Please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” for additional details about our executive compensation philosophy and programs, including information about the compensation of our 2019 Named Executive Officers.

The Compensation Committee continually reviews the compensation programs for our executive officers to ensure they achieve the desired goals of aligning our executive compensation structure with our shareholders’ interests and current market practices.

Our Board of Directors is asking shareholders to approve a non-binding advisory vote on the following resolution:

RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s 2019 Named Executive Officers, as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and any related material disclosed in this proxy statement, is hereby approved.

This vote on the compensation of our 2019 Named Executive Officers is advisory, and therefore not binding on the Company, the Compensation Committee or our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors and our Compensation Committee value the opinions of our shareholders and to the extent there is any significant vote against the 2019 Named Executive Officers’ compensation as disclosed in this proxy statement, we will consider our shareholders’ concerns and the Compensation Committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BELIEVES THAT THE PROPOSAL TO APPROVE, ON A NON-BINDING ADVISORY BASIS, THE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION CONTAINED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF MKS AND OUR SHAREHOLDERS AND THEREFORE RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THIS PROPOSAL.

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PROPOSAL THREE – RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC

ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our Audit Committee has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, or PwC, as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. PwC was our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Representatives of PwC are expected to be present at the 2020 Annual Meeting and will have the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from shareholders. In the event that the ratification of the selection of PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm is not obtained at the 2020 Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors will reconsider its appointment.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BELIEVES THAT THE PROPOSAL TO RATIFY THE SELECTION OF PWC AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2020 IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF MKS AND OUR SHAREHOLDERS AND THEREFORE RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THIS PROPOSAL.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board Independence

The Board of Directors has determined that all of the members of the Board of Directors, other than Mr. Colella and Dr. Lee, are independent as defined under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, or Nasdaq.

Board Leadership Structure

Since 2005, we have separated the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors in recognition of the differences between the two roles. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Company and the day-to-day leadership and performance of the Company, while the Chairman of the Board of Directors provides guidance to the Chief Executive Officer, sets the agenda for Board meetings and presides over meetings of the full Board of Directors. Mr. Bertucci, who has been our Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1995, will not be standing for re-election to the Board and, accordingly, his tenure as a director and Chairman will end as of the date of our 2020 Annual Meeting on May 12, 2020. Mr. Colella, our former Chief Executive Officer and current member of our Board of Directors, will assume the role as Chairman at that time.

In addition, the Board of Directors has established the position of Lead Director. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that during any period in which the Chairman of the Board of Directors is not an independent director, and in such other instances as the Board of Directors may determine from time to time, a Lead Director shall be elected by and from the independent directors. While we are not currently obligated under our Corporate Governance Guidelines to have a Lead Director, as our Chairman of the Board of Directors is independent, we will be required to have a Lead Director in May 2020 when Mr. Colella, our former Chief Executive Officer and a non-independent member of our Board of Directors, assumes the role of Chairman. Mr. Beecher, who has been our Lead Director since 2012, will not be standing for re-election to the Board and, accordingly, his tenure as a director and Lead Director will end as of the date of our 2020 Annual Meeting on May 12, 2020. The Board will appoint a new Lead Director at that time.

The primary role of the Lead Director is to serve as a liaison between the independent directors and the Chairman of the Board of Directors and/or the Chief Executive Officer and to represent the interests of the independent directors, as appropriate. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which are posted on our website at investor.mksinst.com in the Corporate Governance tab, the Lead Director shall, among other matters:

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Our Board of Directors believes that its leadership structure is appropriate at this time for our Company because it strikes an effective balance between management and independent leadership participation in the Board of Directors’ process.

Communications from Shareholders

The Board of Directors will give attention to written communications that are submitted by shareholders and will respond if appropriate. The Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, with the assistance of our General Counsel, is primarily responsible for monitoring communications from shareholders and for providing copies or summaries to the other directors as he or she considers appropriate. Communications are forwarded to all directors if they relate to important substantive matters and include suggestions or comments that the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers to be important for the directors to know. In general, communications relating to corporate governance and long-term corporate strategy are more likely to be forwarded than communications relating to ordinary business affairs, personal grievances and matters as to which we tend to receive repetitive or duplicative communications.

Shareholders who wish to send communications on any topic to the Board of Directors should address such communications to the Board of Directors in care of Kathleen F. Burke, Esq., Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, MKS Instruments, Inc., 2 Tech Drive, Suite 201, Andover, MA 01810.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees (including the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions), which is posted on our website at investor.mksinst.com in the Corporate Governance tab. We intend to disclose on our website any amendments to, or waivers for our executive officers or directors from, our code of business conduct and ethics.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks the Company faces, while the Board of Directors, as a whole and through its committees, has the ultimate responsibility for the oversight of risk management. Senior management attends quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors, provides presentations on operations, including significant risks, and is available to address any questions or concerns raised by the Board of Directors. Additionally, our three standing board committees assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee coordinates the Board of Directors’ oversight of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures, and code of business conduct and ethics. The Audit Committee also is responsible for discussing the

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Company’s policies with respect to financial risk assessment and financial risk management. Management regularly reports to the Audit Committee on these areas. The Compensation Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks arising from our compensation policies and programs as well as succession planning. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks associated with board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our directors, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. In addition, from time to time, the Board of Directors may constitute a special committee to focus on a particular matter or risk. When any of the committees receives a report related to material risk oversight, the chair of the relevant committee reports on the discussion to the full Board of Directors.

Transactions with Related Persons

Our code of business conduct and ethics sets forth the general principle that our directors, officers and employees should refrain from engaging in any activity having a personal interest that presents a conflict of interest. The code of business conduct and ethics prohibits directors, officers and employees from engaging in any activity that may reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest or to adversely affect our interests. The code of business conduct and ethics provides that all employees are responsible to disclose to their managers, the Human Resources Department or the Legal Department any material transaction or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to a material conflict of interest, and officers and directors must report such transactions to the Board of Directors, which shall be responsible for determining whether such transaction or relationship constitutes a material conflict of interest.

In addition, our written Related Person Transaction Procedures set forth the procedures for reviewing transactions that could be deemed to be “related person transactions” (defined as transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K of applicable SEC regulations). In accordance with these procedures, directors and executive officers are required to submit annual certifications regarding interests and affiliations held by them and certain of their family members. We then review our records to determine whether we have engaged in any transactions since the beginning of our prior fiscal year with such affiliated persons and entities or with any person or entity known by MKS to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our voting securities, and provide a summary to the Audit Committee of any such material transaction in which the related person has a direct or indirect interest. In accordance with the procedures, the Audit Committee reviews any such transactions (including, but not limited to, transactions constituting related person transactions). In reviewing any such transaction, the Audit Committee considers, among other things, the related person’s interest in the transaction, the approximate dollar value of the transaction, whether the transaction was undertaken in the ordinary course of business, whether the terms of the transaction were at arm’s length, the purpose and potential benefits to the Company of the transaction, and whether the transaction is in the best interests of the Company. The Audit Committee may, in its sole discretion, impose such conditions as it deems appropriate in connection with any related person transaction. In accordance with the Audit Committee charter, the Audit Committee reviews the Related Person Transaction Procedures from time to time.

Wellington Management Group, LLP, Wellington Group Holdings LLP, Wellington Investment Advisors Holdings LLP, and Wellington Management Company LLP, which we refer to collectively as the Wellington Group, collectively beneficially owned approximately 7% of the Company’s outstanding voting shares as of December 31, 2019, according to a filing they have made with the SEC. Wellington Management LLP, an affiliate of the Wellington Group, manages cash accounts of MKS, in the aggregate amount of approximately $164 million as of December 31, 2019. In 2019, MKS paid Wellington Management LLP approximately $300,000 for these cash management services. Wellington Management LLP must manage the MKS cash accounts in accordance with, and subject to, the Company’s Corporate Investment Policy, which establishes clear guidelines for acceptable investments. As part of our Related Person Transaction Procedures, our Audit Committee reviewed the foregoing relationship with Wellington Management LLP.

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Board of Director Meetings and Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors held four meetings in 2019. During 2019, each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors and the total number of meetings of all committees of the Board of Directors on which he or she served. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, directors are encouraged to attend our annual meeting of shareholders. All of the directors then serving on the Board of Directors, other than Messrs. Chute and Hanley, who were not standing for re-election at the 2019 Annual Meeting, attended the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The Board of Directors has established three standing committees — Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Corporate Governance — each of which operates under a charter that has been approved by the Board of Directors. Each committee’s current charter is posted on our website at investor.mksinst.com in the Corporate Governance tab.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee consists of Mr. Beecher (Chair), Ms. Moloney and Ms. Mora. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the three current members of the Audit Committee is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC regulations. Each member of the Audit Committee also meets the requirements for independence under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include:

The Audit Committee held five meetings in 2019.

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Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee consists of Ms. Mora (Chair), Mr. Batra and Mr. Hess. Dr. Peter R. Hanley also served on the Compensation Committee until May 2019 when his tenure as a director ended. Each member of the Compensation Committee meets the requirements for independence under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include:

The Compensation Committee held six meetings in 2019. See the section below entitled “Executive Compensation — Compensation Discussion and Analysis” for further information about the role of the Compensation Committee and the scope of its activities.

Compensation Risk Assessment

Our Compensation Committee engaged its independent compensation consultant, Pearl Meyer, to conduct a risk assessment of our compensation programs and practices to understand if any risks exist that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our Company, and the results were reviewed by our Compensation Committee. Based on this assessment, our Compensation Committee concluded that our compensation programs and practices, as a whole, are appropriately structured and do not pose a material risk to our Company. Our compensation programs are intended to reward our executive officers and other employees for strong performance over the long-term, with consideration to short-term actions and results that strengthen and grow our Company. We believe our compensation programs provide the appropriate balance between short-term and long-term incentives, focusing on sustainable and profitable growth for our Company.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

In 2019, the Compensation Committee was comprised of Ms. Mora (Chair), Mr. Hess, Mr. Batra and Dr. Hanley, who stepped down in May 2019 when his tenure as a director ended. None of the members of the Compensation Committee during 2019 were, at any time, officers or employees of MKS or our subsidiaries, and none of them had any relationship with us requiring disclosure under applicable SEC rules and regulations. None of our executive officers serves, or has served, as a member of the Board of Directors or Compensation Committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity which has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of Ms. Moloney (Chair), Mr. Batra and Ms. Warner. Mr. Batra and Ms. Warner replaced Dr. Hanley and Richard S. Chute, each of whom stepped down in May 2019 when his tenure as a director ended. Each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee meets the requirements for independence under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include:

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held five meetings in 2019.

For information relating to the nomination of directors, see “Director Candidates” below.

Director Candidates

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the director nominees be nominated by the Board of Directors for election as Class III Directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee utilizes a number of processes to identify and evaluate director candidates, including the engagement of a third-party executive search firm and other resources to identify potential director candidates, as needed. Activities relating to identifying and selecting nominees include Board assessments of each incumbent director nominee for the current year, requests to Board members and others for recommendations of potential candidates, meetings from time to time to evaluate biographical information and background material relating to potential candidates and interviews of selected candidates by the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board of Directors. In the case of Mr. Donahue, he was identified as a potential candidate by a non-management member of our Board of Directors. In the case of Ms. Henry, she was identified as a potential candidate by a non-management member of our Board of Directors, by our Chief Executive Officer and by one of our other executive officers. Mr. Donahue and Ms. Henry were recognized for their experience and expertise, which were complementary to the existing Board’s skillsets. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee recommended to the Board of Directors the nomination of Mr. Donahue and Ms. Henry.

In considering whether to recommend any particular candidate for inclusion in the Board of Directors’ slate of recommended director nominees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee applies the criteria attached to the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines. These criteria include the candidate’s integrity, business acumen, knowledge of our business and industry, effectiveness, experience, diligence, conflicts of

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interest and the ability to act in the interests of all shareholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not assign specific weights to particular criteria and no particular criterion is a prerequisite for each prospective nominee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also assesses the candidate’s professional background and skills against those of the existing Board members to ensure a breadth and diversity of expertise that suits the Company’s current and future business risks, industries and challenges. See “Directors — Board Skills Matrix.” Nominees shall not be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or any other basis proscribed by law. In considering director candidates, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee takes into account the value of diversity on the Board of Directors. While the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity, the Board of Directors and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believe that it is essential that the members of the Board of Directors represent diverse viewpoints. In considering candidates for the Board of Directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the entirety of each candidate’s credentials in the context of these standards. We believe that the backgrounds and qualifications of our directors, considered as a group, should provide a composite mix of experience, knowledge and abilities that will allow the Board of Directors to fulfill its responsibilities.

Shareholders may recommend individuals to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for consideration as potential director candidates by submitting their names, together with appropriate biographical information and background materials and a statement as to whether the shareholder or group of shareholders making the recommendation has beneficially owned at least $2,000 in market value or 1% of our Common Stock, whichever is less, for at least a year as of the date such recommendation is made, to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, in care of Kathleen F. Burke, Esq., Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, MKS Instruments, Inc., 2 Tech Drive, Suite 201, Andover, MA 01810. Assuming that appropriate biographical and background material has been provided on a timely basis, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will evaluate shareholder-recommended candidates by following substantially the same process, and applying the same criteria, as it does in considering other candidates.

Shareholders also have the right under our Amended and Restated By-Laws to directly nominate director candidates, without any action or recommendation on the part of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee or the Board of Directors, by following the procedures set forth under the heading “Deadline for Submission of Shareholder Proposals for the 2021 Annual Meeting” below.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Cash Compensation

The following table summarizes the cash compensation payable by us to non-employee directors in 2019:

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In February 2020, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, approved several changes to our non-employee director cash compensation program. The Compensation Committee recommended these changes after reviewing a competitive analysis of director compensation programs of our peer group prepared by the Committee’s independent compensation consultant, Pearl Meyer, and finding that certain components of board compensation fell below the median of our peer group. The table below sets forth the cash compensation payable by us to non-employee directors under the new cash compensation program effective as of January 1, 2020:

In addition, from time to time, the Board of Directors may establish special committees related to specific matters and may include a retainer for service on such special committees in its discretion.

Equity Compensation

Non-employee directors are eligible for awards under our 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, which is administered by the Compensation Committee. In 2019, under our director compensation program, non-employee directors received automatic grants of restricted stock units, or RSUs, on the date of the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, with a grant date value of $170,000, which RSUs shall vest in full on the day prior to the 2020 Annual Meeting. In February 2020, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, increased the value of the annual RSU grant to $200,000 for each non-employee director, effective on the date of the 2020 Annual Meeting. Our Compensation Committee recommended this increase after reviewing the board compensation analysis discussed above under Director Compensation — Cash Compensation and finding that the equity compensation paid to non-employee members of our Board fell below the median of our peer group.

If a new non-employee director joins our Board of Directors after our annual meeting of shareholders but before January 1st of the following year, he or she will be entitled to an initial RSU grant with a value equal to the annual RSU grant. In the event a non-employee director joins our Board of Directors during the period from January 1st through the date of that year’s annual meeting of shareholders, he or she will not be entitled to an initial RSU grant but will be entitled to the annual RSU grant on the date of the annual meeting of shareholders.

Mr. Bertucci

Mr. Bertucci resigned from his employment as our Executive Chairman effective December 31, 2006. At that time, he remained a Class III Director and became non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement, Mr. Bertucci receives retiree medical benefits for life for himself and his spouse, which had a net present value of $326,082 as of December 31, 2019. Mr. Bertucci also receives a car allowance for life, which had a net present value of $169,444 as of December 31, 2019. Mr. Bertucci receives no other retirement benefits.

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The following table summarizes compensation paid to non-employee directors in 2019. Mr. Colella is excluded from the table because he was an executive officer in 2019, and his compensation is set forth in the Executive Compensation section below, under the heading “Executive Compensation Tables — Summary Compensation Table for 2019.”

Director Compensation Table for 2019

AUDIT AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING OVERSIGHT

Audit Committee Report

The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors has reviewed our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and discussed them with our management.

The Audit Committee has also received from, and discussed with, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, or PwC, our independent registered public accounting firm, various communications that our registered public accounting firm is required to provide to the Audit Committee, including the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Commission.

The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from our independent registered public accounting firm required by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Commission, and has discussed with our registered public accounting firm its independence.

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Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to our Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Respectfully submitted,

Gregory R. Beecher, Chair

Jacqueline F. Moloney

Elizabeth A. Mora

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, aggregate fees for professional services rendered by our independent registered public accounting firm, PwC, in the following categories were as follows:

Audit Fees

Audit fees billed for both years consisted of fees for professional services rendered for: (i) the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, (ii) statutory audits, (iii) the review of our consolidated financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, (iv) audit services related to other reports filed with the SEC, and (v) the audit of our internal controls over financial reporting as required by the rules and regulations promulgated under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Audit-Related Fees

Audit-Related fees for the year ended December 31, 2018 were for due diligence performed in connection with our acquisition of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. and for professional services associated with a new leasing accounting standard.

Tax Fees

Tax Fees for the years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 were for services related to tax compliance, including the preparation of tax returns, and tax planning and tax advice, including assistance with foreign operations and foreign tax audits.

All Other Fees

All Other Fees for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were for accounting research software.

In 2019 and 2018, all Audit Fees, Audit-Related Fees, Tax Fees and All Other Fees were pre-approved pursuant to the Audit Committee’s pre-approval requirements, described below.

Pre-Approval Policy and Procedures

The Audit Committee’s charter sets forth the Audit Committee’s obligations relating to the approval of all audit and non-audit services that are to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. The

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charter provides that we will not engage our independent registered public accounting firm to provide audit or non-audit services unless the service is pre-approved by the Audit Committee. In addition, we will not engage any other accounting firm to provide audit services unless such services are pre-approved by the Audit Committee. It is the Audit Committee’s policy that with respect to services performed or to be performed by PwC in connection with each fiscal year of the Company, the annual fees for non-audit services in such year shall not exceed one half of the aggregate fees payable to PwC for such year, without the prior express approval of the Audit Committee.

In connection with the foregoing, the Audit Committee may approve specific services in advance. In addition, from time to time, the Audit Committee may pre-approve specified types of services that are expected to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm during the next 12 months. Any such pre-approval of types of services is detailed as to the particular service or type of service to be provided and is also generally subject to a maximum dollar amount.

The Audit Committee has also delegated to the Chair of the Audit Committee the authority to approve any audit or non-audit services to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm. Any approval of services by the Chair of the Audit Committee pursuant to this delegated authority is reported on at the next meeting of the Audit Committee.

The Audit Committee has considered and determined that the provision of the non-audit services noted in the foregoing table is compatible with maintaining PwC’s independence.

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL

OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock by (i) each shareholder known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock; (ii) the Named Executive Officers named in the Summary Compensation Table below; (iii) each of our current directors and director nominees; and (iv) all of our directors, director nominees and executive officers as a group. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to the table, all equity amounts set forth in the table are as of January 1, 2020; and the address for each of our directors and executive officers is: c/o MKS Instruments, Inc., 2 Tech Drive, Suite 201, Andover, Massachusetts 01810.

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To our knowledge, there are no voting trusts or similar arrangements among any of the foregoing persons or entities with respect to the voting of shares of Common Stock.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following is a brief summary of the background of each of our current executive officers, other than Dr. Lee, whose background is described under the heading “Directors” above:

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Our executive officers are appointed by the Board of Directors on an annual basis and serve until their successors are duly appointed and qualified. There are no family relationships among any of our executive officers or directors.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Introduction

The purpose of this section of our proxy statement is to provide an overview of our executive compensation program, our compensation philosophy and objectives, and the material decisions we made with respect to each element of our executive compensation program.

In May 2019, we announced our Chief Executive Officer succession plan. Pursuant to that plan, on January 1, 2020, our then Chief Executive Officer, Gerald G. Colella, retired and our then President, John T.C. Lee, succeeded Mr. Colella as Chief Executive Officer and continued to serve as President. Mr. Colella continues to serve on our Board of Directors and, as previously announced, will assume the role of Chairman of our Board in May 2020.

Throughout this proxy statement, we refer to the “2019 Named Executive Officers” listed below.

Following this Compensation Discussion and Analysis, you will find a series of tables containing specific information about the compensation earned or paid in 2019 to our 2019 Named Executive Officers. When we announced Mr. Abrams’ retirement in May of 2018, we entered into a Transition and Retirement Agreement with Mr. Abrams, which set forth, among other things, Mr. Abrams’ compensation upon his retirement. As a result, we did not make any compensation decisions with respect to Mr. Abrams during 2019 and he was not eligible for a salary adjustment or a 2019 cash bonus, and he did not receive any equity awards. For this reason, Mr. Abrams is not included in the discussion that follows. We refer to our 2019 Named Executive Officers who did serve through December 31, 2019 as the “Named Executive Officers” throughout the discussion below. References to “2019 Named Executive Officers” include Mr. Abrams. For a detailed discussion of the material terms of Mr. Abrams’ Transition and Retirement Agreement, see “Executive Compensation Tables — Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control.”

Executive Summary

Our Business

We are a global provider of instruments, systems, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes to improve process performance and productivity for our customers. Our products are derived from our core competencies in pressure measurement and control, flow measurement and control, gas and vapor delivery, gas composition analysis, electronic control technology, reactive gas generation and delivery, power generation and delivery, vacuum technology, lasers, photonics, optics, precision motion control, vibration control and laser-based manufacturing systems solutions. We also provide services relating to the maintenance and repair of our products, installation services and training. Our primary served markets include semiconductor, industrial technologies, life and health sciences, research and defense.

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Company Performance in 2019

The first half of 2019 was challenging for MKS due to the continued downturn in our Semiconductor Market, where our customers continued to experience excess production capacity, which drove lower capital expenditures negatively impacting our business. In our Advanced Markets, heightened geopolitical and trade headwinds led to more cautious spending. In addition, the consumer electronics market also underwent a prolonged period of digestion of excess capacity. However, in the second half of the year, we saw improved fundamentals within the Semiconductor Market and stabilization in our Advanced Markets, as trade tensions started to ease. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we delivered strong net revenues of $500 million and experienced strong sequential growth in our Semiconductor Market net revenues, which increased 22% in the quarter. This growth was driven by strong foundry and logic spending, as well as early signs of recovery in memory.

In February 2019, MKS completed the acquisition of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc., or ESI, a worldwide leader in advanced manufacturing processes within the printed circuit board, electronic thin film and electronic component markets. Our acquisition of ESI represents a significant step in broadening our market reach and expanding our addressable market by approximately $2.2 billion. The acquisition also provides MKS with a more balanced portfolio, with approximately 51% of our combined revenue in 2019 coming from Advanced Markets, and 49% from the Semiconductor Market. We expect the addition of ESI to further strengthen our expertise in the lasers, photonics and optics markets, enabling us to develop systems that provide unique and cost-effective solutions to meet the challenges of our customers’ evolving technology needs.

In 2019, key results include:

2019 Compensation Outcomes

Our executive compensation program is designed to reward our Named Executive Officers for performance and to align their interests with those of our shareholders. As a result of our financial results in 2019, our Named Executive Officers received 91% of their target variable cash compensation tied to non-GAAP operating income and 82% of their target performance-based equity compensation tied to non-GAAP cash flow from operations. We believe these financial performance metrics are important to our shareholders because each is an indicator of how well we manage the operations and capital of our Company. The rigor of our performance goals for 2019 is evidenced by the fact that both our variable cash and our performance-based equity compensation plans funded

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below target. In 2019, the variable cash compensation for all our executive officers was tied to the financial performance of our Company, excluding the financial performance of the Company’s Equipment and Solutions Division, which division was formed as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc., or ESI, in 2019.

When our Compensation Committee set 2019 executive compensation in early 2019, long-term equity incentive compensation comprised 65% of total target compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and 59.2% of total target compensation, on average, for our other Named Executive Officers. Total target compensation is defined as the sum of base salary, target annual cash incentive compensation and target long-term equity incentive compensation. By making equity a substantial component of executive officer compensation, we align our executive officers’ long-term interests with those of our shareholders. Also, at least 50% of each Named Executive Officer’s target long-term equity incentive compensation is based on a measure of Company performance.

Our annual cash incentive plan is designed to complement our long-term equity incentive plan by focusing on our Company’s annual financial performance as measured by non-GAAP operating income. In 2019, our target annual cash incentive compensation comprised 19.1% of total target compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and 17.7% of total target compensation, on average, for our other Named Executive Officers.

In 2019, base salary accounted for 15.9% of total target compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and 23.1% of total target compensation, on average, for our other Named Executive Officers. In 2019, our Chief Executive Officer had 84.1% of his total target compensation opportunity tied to annual and long-term incentive compensation and our other Named Executive Officers, on average, had 76.9% of their total target compensation opportunity tied to annual and long-term incentive compensation.

Consideration of 2019 Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation

At our 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, held on May 8, 2019, we submitted to our shareholders an advisory vote on executive compensation. Although annual advisory “say-on-pay” votes are non-binding, our Compensation Committee has considered, and will continue to consider, the outcome of this vote each year when making compensation decisions for our Named Executive Officers. At the 2019 Annual Meeting, our shareholders overwhelmingly approved our executive compensation, with approximately 96.5% of the votes cast voting in favor of the “say-on-pay” proposal.

The Compensation Committee considered the results of the 2019 say-on-pay vote, and based upon the strong shareholder support, does not believe that our executive compensation program requires material changes. The Compensation Committee will continue to consider the views of our shareholders in connection with our executive compensation program and will consider changes based upon evolving best practices, market compensation information and changing regulatory requirements. The Compensation Committee believes that the 2019 shareholder vote was an endorsement of our compensation and pay decisions made in relation to our performance.

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

The primary objectives of our executive compensation program are to:

We target each of the various compensation elements, including base salary, annual cash incentive compensation, and long-term equity incentive compensation, to be within a competitive range around median levels for the individual position in the market. The competitive range is considered alongside other key factors when setting compensation levels, and final values may range from approximately the 25th percentile to approximately the 75th percentile, as appropriate. In considering the compensation of our Named Executive

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Officers relative to the market, we also look qualitatively at the individual’s overall performance, tenure and potential contributions to MKS’ ongoing growth. Currently, all of our Named Executive Officers are paid within the competitive range of our peer group.

Base salaries are designed to provide executives with a level of predictability and stability with respect to a portion of their total compensation package. Base salaries are a relatively small component in the overall pay packages of our Named Executive Officers because we believe the significant majority of executive compensation should be variable and based on performance.

Our annual cash incentive compensation program is designed to reward the attainment of short-term earnings goals that drive the long-term growth of MKS. We believe that our program goals are aligned with significant value creation, and that our plan creates a strong link between pay and performance while providing meaningful incentive for our Named Executive Officers to exceed our financial goals.

We provide our Named Executive Officers with long-term equity incentive compensation in the form of restricted stock units, or RSUs, approximately half of which are performance-based, in order to:

In order to further underscore our compensation values, and enhance the efficacy of our pay programs, we have also implemented the following practices:

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The following charts show the components of total target compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and our other Named Executive Officers as a group for 2019.

When the Compensation Committee met in July 2018 to review peer companies to be used to determine 2019 executive compensation, the Committee elected to make no changes to the peer group with the exception of Microsemi Corporation, which was removed because it was acquired by Microchip Technology, Inc. in 2018. The 18 peer companies were selected based on similar industry, market capitalization and revenue, with a revenue and market capitalization range relative to our trailing 12-month revenue as of June 30, 2018 of between .3 to 3 times. Publicly available compensation data from the following comparable peer companies was used in determining executive compensation for 2019:

Our Compensation Committee also considered size and industry-appropriate broad survey data from the 2019 Radford Global Technology Survey.

Elements of Compensation

The following summarizes the compensation elements for our Named Executive Officers:

Base Salary

When our Compensation Committee set 2019 annual executive compensation in February 2019, it approved a salary increase of approximately 4% for each of Mr. Colella, our former Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Lee, our President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bagshaw, our Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and Ms. Burke, our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. These increases were based on the compensation data collected from our peer group.

Annual Cash Incentive Compensation

For 2019, the Compensation Committee did not make any changes to our annual cash incentive program compared to 2018. Under our annual cash incentive plan, each Named Executive Officer was eligible to receive a performance bonus based on a specified percentage of eligible earnings, which is defined as eligible W-2

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earnings received during the 2019 calendar year (i.e., base salary, including regular, holiday, vacation and sick pay, but excluding bonus payments). Bonus payouts in 2019 were based entirely on non-GAAP operating income after bonus and excluding any charges or income not related to the operating performance of the Company.

In 2019, payouts under the annual cash incentive plan were determined by multiplying a Named Executive Officer’s “Target Bonus Amount” by the Company’s percentage achievement of the financial performance objective, each as discussed below. Target Bonus Amount is the amount determined by multiplying each Named Executive Officer’s eligible earnings in 2019 by the Target Bonus Percentages determined by our Compensation Committee each year. When our Compensation Committee set 2019 annual executive compensation in early 2019, it did not approve any changes to Target Bonus Percentages for our Named Executive Officers compared to 2018.

Listed below is the 2019 Target Bonus Percentage for each Named Executive Officer.

In 2019, our Compensation Committee approved goals and associated incentive payout opportunities related to our 2019 non-GAAP operating income performance. As we operate in the highly cyclical semiconductor market, our Compensation Committee views it of paramount importance to set performance goals that are rigorous but attainable given the outlook for the semiconductor market and the other markets in which we serve for the coming year. The rigor of our performance goals for 2019 is evidenced by the fact that our funding for the 2019 annual incentive plan was below target despite the fact we had a strong performance year.

In 2019, participants in the annual cash compensation plan would not receive any portion of their Target Bonus Amount if non-GAAP operating income (before the calculation of bonus) was less than $195.9 million. Participants would receive 50% of their Target Bonus Amount if such non-GAAP operating income was $195.9 million, would receive 100% of their Target Bonus Amount if such non-GAAP operating income was $391.7 million, and would receive the maximum 200% if such non-GAAP operating income was $550.3 million or more, with proportional payments for achievement in between these levels. In 2019, because our non-GAAP operating income, after bonus and excluding amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges, acquisition costs and related term loan fees and costs, integration costs, a legal settlement, impairment of investment charges, a gain on the sale of property, executive retirement costs, and costs related to unanticipated tariffs and trade restrictions, was $355.2 million, participants were eligible to receive 91% of their Target Bonus Amounts under this formula.

Listed below are our Chief Executive Officer’s and other Named Executive Officers’ earned cash bonus payouts.

Our Compensation Committee has the authority to make other cash bonus awards to our executive officers as it deems appropriate. Our Compensation Committee did not make any discretionary cash bonus awards to our Named Executive Officers in 2019.

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Except as noted below, our Compensation Committee did not make any design changes to our 2020 annual cash incentive program. For all eligible participants, Company performance will be measured using the same financial metric as in previous years – non-GAAP operating income after bonus and excluding any charges or income not related to the operating performance of the Company.

Incorporation of Profit Improvement Bonus Plan for Calendar Years Beginning in 2020

In February 2020, our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of our Compensation Committee, approved a profit improvement component to our annual cash incentive plan designed to incentivize profitability improvements during cyclical downturns in our business. Individuals who are eligible to participate in our annual incentive bonus plan are also eligible for the profit improvement cash bonus plan. In order to receive any payout under this plan, MKS must achieve specified profit enhancements or cost reductions by the end of the applicable calendar year. A participant’s maximum bonus under this plan is 25% of his or her eligible earnings (using the same definition as used in our annual cash incentive plan). Participants are only eligible to receive a payout under the profit improvement cash bonus plan if the participant receives less than 100% of his or her Target Bonus Amount under our annual incentive bonus plan, and any payout under the profit improvement cash bonus plan is capped such that the combined payout under our annual incentive bonus plan and under the profit improvement cash bonus plan will not exceed an amount equal to 100% of the participant’s Target Bonus Amount under our annual incentive bonus plan.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

When our Compensation Committee set 2019 annual executive compensation in early 2019, it awarded the following time-based and performance-based RSUs to our Chief Executive Officer and our other Named Executive Officers. These RSUs vest in three equal annual installments. The performance-based RSUs are subject to a one-year performance metric described below.

With respect to performance-based RSUs, our goal is to select a Company financial performance metric that best aligns with our Company objectives. Recently, including in 2019, our Company financial performance metric for performance-based RSUs has been non-GAAP cash flow from operations (defined as net income plus depreciation, amortization and non-cash stock-based compensation and excluding any charges or income not related to the operating performance of the Company) set at varying revenue levels. Our Compensation Committee believes this financial metric is an appropriate indicator of how effectively we manage the operations of our Company in light of the cyclical nature of the markets we serve as well as providing incentives to continuously improve our financial operating model independent of revenue levels.

We use RSUs as our form of equity incentive compensation because we believe RSUs help to ensure that our executive officers’ interests are aligned with our shareholders’ interests in both a rising and a declining stock market. We believe RSUs are preferable to options, which have a relatively high accounting cost as compared to their potential value to the executive officer, and are preferable to restricted stock, which gives the executive officer voting and dividend rights prior to full vesting. Also, because RSUs are worth more than options on the date of grant, we are able to grant fewer of these as compared to options, resulting in less dilution to shareholders’ holdings.

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In 2019, our Named Executive Officers would have forfeited all of their performance-based RSUs if our non-GAAP cash flow from operations was less than $264.9 million at a revenue level of $1.5 billion, or if such cash flow was less than $448.8 million at a revenue level of $2.3 billion (with intermediate non-GAAP cash flow minimum thresholds at different revenue levels in between). However, if we did achieve these non-GAAP operating cash flow threshold levels at the respective revenue levels identified, our Named Executive Officers would receive 50% of their target performance-based RSUs. If our non-GAAP cash flow from operations was at or above $357.5 million at a revenue level of $1.5 billion, or was at or above $605.7 million at a revenue level of $2.3 billion (with proportional thresholds in between), then our Named Executive Officers would receive the maximum of 150% of their target performance-based RSUs. Proportional achievement levels would be made for non-GAAP cash flow between the minimum and maximum levels. In 2019, because our revenue was $1.73 billion, after excluding revenue from our Equipment and Solutions Division, which was formed as a result of our acquisition of ESI in 2019, and including revenue amounts unrecorded due to trade restrictions, and our non-GAAP cash flow was $343.4 million, after excluding restructuring charges, executive retirement costs, costs related to tariff and trade restrictions, a legal settlement, acquisition costs and related term loan fees and costs, integration costs, impairment of investment charges, a gain on the sale of property, and the tax effect of each of these excluded costs, in addition to amortization of intangible assets, depreciation of fixed assets, stock-based compensation expense and tax adjustments resulting from additional guidance from the IRS regarding 2017 tax reform, our Named Executive Officers received 82% of their target performance-based RSUs. These performance-based RSUs, along with the time-based RSUs granted to our Named Executive Officers, vest in equal annual installments over three years from the original date of grant.

It is our practice to make an initial equity-based grant to all of our Named Executive Officers at the time they commence employment in an amount that is consistent with amounts granted to other executive officers in the industry at similar levels of seniority. In addition, we typically make an annual grant of equity-based compensation to our Named Executive Officers during the first fiscal quarter of each year. Discretionary equity-based awards may also be made throughout the year to provide an incentive to achieve a specific goal or to reward a significant achievement or for other reasons that the Compensation Committee determines. In October 2019, our Compensation Committee made a discretionary equity-based award to two of our Named Executive Officers as set forth below.

Our Compensation Committee made these awards to Mr. Bagshaw and Ms. Burke to incentivize their continued services during a time of significant transition of the management team, including the retirement of our Chief Executive Officer, Gerald Colella, whose tenure at MKS spanned more than three decades, culminating with his service as our Chief Executive Officer for the last six years. These awards differ from typical awards in two ways. First, vesting is back-weighted to promote retention during the leadership transition period, with the first installment vesting on the second anniversary of the date of grant and the second equal installment vesting on the third anniversary of the date of grant. Second, these awards are not subject to favorable vesting treatment upon a qualifying retirement from the Company.

Supplemental Retirement Benefits

We provide supplemental retirement benefits, including supplemental lifetime retiree medical benefits, to our former Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Colella, or, in the event of his death, to his spouse. These supplemental retirement benefits were designed to reward Mr. Colella’s long service with us and to serve as a significant incentive for Mr. Colella to remain employed with us until age 62. Mr. Colella, who first joined our Company in 1983 as our Materials Planning and Logistics Manager, served in numerous capacities over the course of the next thirty-six years to ultimately become our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Colella retired on January 1, 2020 at age 63. As a result, Mr. Colella vested in full as to all of his supplemental retirement benefits. See “Executive

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Compensation Tables — Retirement and Post-Employment Tables — Pension Benefits” below for a description of the supplemental retirement benefits we provide to Mr. Colella. Since 2011, it has been our policy not to offer these types of retirement benefits to other executive officers. While these benefits were attractive elements to retain certain of our most senior executive officers historically, the elimination of these benefits more closely meets our objective to align executive compensation with Company financial performance.

Perquisites

We offer certain perquisites to our executive officers, including our 2019 Named Executive Officers, to allow executives to focus on corporate strategy and enhancing shareholder value and to provide competitive pay packages. These perquisites include car payments, company paid health and life insurance, reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket healthcare costs, golf club memberships, financial planning benefits and executive physicals. We believe offering these benefits is important to maintaining a competitive position in attracting and retaining key personnel and these benefits are consistent with market practices.

Severance and Change-in-Control Provisions

Each of our Named Executive Officers is entitled to certain payments and benefits in the event his or her employment terminates under specified circumstances as described in the applicable agreement. In exchange for these payments and benefits, each Named Executive Officer is restricted from competing with the Company during and following his or her termination of employment for a twelve-month period. In addition, RSU agreements with our Named Executive Officers provide for acceleration of vesting in the event the executive’s employment is terminated without cause or the executive resigns for good reason within 24 months after a change-in-control. The severance and change-in-control provisions are designed to be competitive in the marketplace, to provide security for our Named Executive Officers in the event that we are acquired and his or her respective position is impacted and to provide an incentive for the Named Executive Officer to stay with us through such a change-in-control event. These provisions are also intended to protect us from competitive harm, by compensating our Named Executive Officers for agreeing to substantial non-compete provisions after employment termination. See “Executive Compensation Tables — Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control” for more information about these agreements.

Transition and Retirement Agreement

On May 9, 2018, Mr. Abrams entered into a Transition and Retirement Agreement with the Company. Mr. Abrams retired on February 28, 2019. Mr. Abrams’ Transition and Retirement Agreement superseded and replaced the Employment Agreement that he entered into with the Company effective August 1, 2016. For a detailed discussion of the material terms of the Transition and Retirement Agreement, see “Executive Compensation Tables — Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control.”

Compensation of our Chief Executive Officer

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Colella upon his becoming Chief Executive Officer and President in January 2014. The terms of Mr. Colella’s employment agreement reflected his role as the leader of our Company and the experience he brought to the position having served more than 30 years at MKS. For a detailed discussion of the material terms of Mr. Colella’s employment agreement, including all amendments to this employment agreement, see “Executive Compensation Tables — Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control.”

Compensation of our Other Named Executive Officers

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our other Named Executive Officers. For a detailed discussion of the material terms of these executive employment agreements, including all amendments to these employment agreements, see “Executive Compensation Tables — Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control.”

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Compensation Consultant

We engage a compensation consultant to serve as an independent advisor to the Compensation Committee regarding compensation for our directors and our executive officers. The Compensation Committee utilizes the compensation consultant in the following ways:

From October 2014 through May 2019, the Compensation Committee engaged Meridian as its compensation consultant. The Compensation Committee determined that the engagement of Meridian as a compensation consultant did not raise any conflicts of interest with MKS. In May 2019, the Compensation Committee elected to engage a new compensation consultant, Pearl Meyer. The Compensation Committee has determined that the engagement of Pearl Meyer as a compensation consultant does not raise any conflicts of interest with MKS.

Role of our Chief Executive Officer

Our Chief Executive Officer reviews with the Compensation Committee the performance of all other Named Executive Officers and makes recommendations relating to compensation of such executive officers. Management develops proposed company financial goals for review and approval by the Compensation Committee for the annual cash incentive plan and long-term performance-based equity incentive compensation, develops proposals relating to potential changes in compensation programs for review and approval by the Compensation Committee and provides the Compensation Committee and its advisors with information necessary to evaluate and implement compensation proposals and programs. Our Chief Executive Officer does not participate in discussions regarding his own compensation.

Governance Policies

Stock Ownership Guidelines

The Stock Ownership Guidelines for 2019, which were applicable to members of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer and any other person who is or was a named executive officer while the guidelines were effective, provided that:

These guidelines were based, in each case, on values in effect as of December 31 of the applicable year. The Stock Ownership Guidelines provide for a phase-in period over five years to achieve the respective ownership goals.

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In October 2019, our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of our Compensation Committee, made the following changes to our Stock Ownership Guidelines, which changes are effective as of January 1, 2020:

The purpose of these changes was to: (i) facilitate self-monitoring by adding a fixed goal to the holding requirements that was not dependent on variable stock price calculations and (ii) increase our Chief Executive Officer’s ownership goal from three times his annual base salary to five times his annual base salary to align with shareholder interests. All Named Executive Officers and directors were in compliance with the Stock Ownership Guidelines as of the end of December 2019.

Clawback Policy

Our Clawback Policy, which is applicable to incentive-based compensation (specifically our cash incentive plan and our performance-based RSUs) that is awarded to our current and former executive officers, provides that in the event we are required to prepare an accounting restatement due to material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements, we will use reasonable efforts to recover any amount in excess of what would have been paid to such executive officers (or such former executive officers) under the accounting restatement for any such incentive-based compensation during the three-year period preceding the restatement.

Prohibition on Hedging and Pledging

Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits any of our directors or employees from engaging in transactions involving financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the market value of our securities (including pre-paid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds), and prohibits such individuals from purchasing our securities on margin or pledging such securities as collateral for a loan.

Impact of Accounting and Tax on Executive Compensation

Impact of Code Section 162(m)

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, generally disallows a tax deduction to public companies for compensation in excess of $1 million paid in any one year to each of certain current and former executive officers of the company. Historically, compensation that qualified under Section 162(m) as performance-based compensation was exempt from the deduction limitation. However, subject to certain transition rules, tax legislation signed into law on December 31, 2017 eliminated the performance-based compensation exemption. As a result, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, all compensation in excess of $1 million paid in any one year to each of the specified officers that is not covered by the transition rules will not be deductible by us. The Compensation Committee reviews the potential effect of Section 162(m) periodically and uses its judgment to authorize compensation payments that may be subject to the limit when the Compensation Committee believes such payments are appropriate and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

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Impact of ASC 718

We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with the requirements of ASC 718. The Compensation Committee considers the impact of ASC 718 on our use of equity incentives as a key retention tool. The Compensation Committee regularly reviews its choice of equity incentives, taking into account both tax and accounting considerations.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management. Based on such review and discussions, the Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” be included in this proxy statement.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth A. Mora, Chair

Rajeev Batra

Rick D. Hess

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES

Summary Compensation Table for 2019

The following table sets forth the aggregate amounts of compensation earned by our Named Executive Officers in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017. The titles for Mr. Colella and Dr. Lee in the table below are as of December 31, 2019. Pursuant to our previously announced Chief Executive Officer succession plan, on January 1, 2020, Mr. Colella retired as our Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Lee succeeded him as Chief Executive Officer while continuing to serve as our President.

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Health and Disability Benefits include Company paid medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability and life insurance as well as reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket health care costs capped at $4,500 annually and a Company-paid annual physical. With respect to the “Other” column, amount indicated for Mr. Colella represents a service award and amount indicated for Mr. Abrams included the $830,000 payment Mr. Abrams received in connection with his retirement on February 28, 2019 pursuant to the terms of his Transition and Retirement Agreement dated May 9, 2018 and a payment of $40,298 representing his accumulated vacation.

CEO Pay Ratio

We are required by Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act and Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K to disclose the ratio of our median employee’s annual total compensation to the annual total compensation of our principal executive officer.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a measure of the equitability of pay within our Company. We believe our compensation philosophy and process yield an equitable result for all of our employees. During 2019, our principal executive officer was our Chief Executive Officer, Gerald Colella. For 2019, the combined annual total compensation for Mr. Colella was $9,669,644, and for our median employee was $79,505, resulting in a pay ratio of approximately 122:1.

We previously identified our median employee in 2017. We are required to identify the median employee once every three years unless re-calculation of the median employee is necessary or appropriate in light of material changes to our workforce composition or compensation arrangements. In February 2019, we acquired Electro Scientific Industries, Inc., or ESI. As a result of the ESI acquisition, we increased our employee population by 14%. Given this change to our employee population, we re-calculated our median employee identified for purposes of our 2019 CEO pay ratio. In accordance with applicable SEC rules, we identified the median employee as of December 18, 2019 (the median employee determination date) by (i) aggregating for each applicable employee (A) annual base salary for salaried employees (or hourly rate multiplied by expected annual work schedule for hourly employees), (B) the actual bonus, commissions and overtime or double-time received for 2019, and (C) the accounting value of any equity granted during 2019, and (ii) ranking this compensation measure for our employees from lowest to highest. This calculation was performed for all employees, excluding Mr. Colella, whether employed on a full-time, part-time, or seasonal basis. For purposes of identifying the median employee, we converted amounts paid in foreign currencies to United States Dollars based on the applicable 2019 average exchange rates as of December 18, 2019.

The pay ratio reported above is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with SEC rules based on our internal records and the methodology described above. Because the SEC rules for identifying the median compensated employee and calculating the pay ratio based on that employee’s annual total compensation

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allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable estimates and assumptions that reflect their employee populations and compensation practices, the pay ratio reported by other companies may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported above, as other companies have different employee populations and compensation practices and may utilize different methodologies, exclusions, estimates and assumptions in calculating their own pay ratios.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table in Fiscal Year 2019

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Outstanding Equity Awards at 2019 Fiscal Year-End Table

Option Exercises and Stock Vested in Fiscal Year 2019 Table

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Retirement and Post-Employment Tables

Pension Benefits

Pursuant to an employment agreement, we provide supplemental retirement benefits to Mr. Colella or, in the event of Mr. Colella’s death, to his spouse. These supplemental retirement benefits are designed to reward Mr. Colella’s long-term service with us and were intended to serve as a significant incentive for Mr. Colella to remain with us. In addition, these benefits are designed to provide for supplemental retirement benefits that are not available under our Company-wide employee benefits due to regulatory limitations on benefit accruals.

The benefits vest upon (a) Mr. Colella reaching both (i) specified ages, and (ii) 25 years of service with us, in each case while employed with us, or (b) Mr. Colella’s earlier death, disability, termination without cause (as defined in his employment agreement) or a qualifying termination in connection with a change-in-control (as defined in his employment agreement), and are forfeited in the event of termination for cause. When vested, the benefits provide for a lump sum payment of an aggregate amount calculated in accordance with actuarial tables, payable not sooner than six months after the date of termination (except in the case of death or disability). The actuarial calculations include assumptions for decreased benefit continuation for Mr. Colella’s surviving spouse in the event of Mr. Colella’s death. The supplemental retirement benefits are not subject to any deduction for social security or other offset amounts. The benefit amount is based upon the final average compensation, which is equal to the average of Mr. Colella’s three highest years of compensation (salary plus bonus) during the 10 years prior to Mr. Colella’s year of retirement (or other qualifying termination). The benefits for Mr. Colella are currently vested at 100%.

The table below sets forth the present value as of December 31, 2019 of the accumulated benefits under Mr. Colella’s supplemental pension arrangement. As previously disclosed, Mr. Colella retired from the Company on January 1, 2020 and the benefits under Mr. Colella’s employment agreement were fully vested in 2018. He will be entitled to a lump sum payment of these supplemental retirement benefits on or after July 2, 2020.

None of our other Named Executive Officers are eligible for supplemental retirement benefits.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control

In May 2019, we announced our Chief Executive Officer succession plan. Pursuant to that plan, on January 1, 2020, our then Chief Executive Officer, Gerald G. Colella, retired and our then President, John T.C. Lee, succeeded Mr. Colella as Chief Executive Officer and continued to serve as President. Mr. Colella continues to serve on our Board of Directors and will assume the role of Chairman of our Board in May 2020.

Pursuant to applicable rules of the SEC, this section, including the tables below, summarizes the estimated payments and other benefits that each Named Executive Officer would be eligible to receive if his or her employment had terminated on December 31, 2019, under the circumstances set forth below.

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Mr. Colella

Pursuant to the terms of Mr. Colella’s employment agreement dated as of October 22, 2013, as amended, in addition to his base salary, Mr. Colella was eligible to participate in the Company’s annual cash incentive compensation program, with a targeted goal of 120% of base salary subject to meeting performance goals determined by our Compensation Committee, and long-term equity incentive plan, subject to meeting vesting and/or performance goals determined by our Compensation Committee. Mr. Colella’s employment term was month-to-month, with termination upon 30 days’ notice by either party, or upon death, disability, or at the Company’s election if Mr. Colella failed to perform his duties or committed any other act constituting cause (as defined below).

In the event Mr. Colella’s employment was terminated by the Company without cause, he was entitled to the following: (i) continuation of base salary for a period of 18 months, (ii) 1.5 times his target annual cash incentive plan bonus, (iii) payment of any annual cash incentive plan bonus earned for the prior calendar year but not yet paid, (iv) payment for continuation of medical, dental or vision insurance for 18 months and (v) reimbursement for premiums he paid (if any) for continuation of life insurance for 12 months if he elected the Company’s group life insurance conversion feature. Payment of such benefits was conditioned upon execution of a release by Mr. Colella and his full compliance with the restrictive covenants described below.

In the event Mr. Colella’s employment was terminated due to death or total disability, or Mr. Colella voluntarily terminated his employment (other than for “good reason” within two years of a “change-in-control,” each as defined in his employment agreement), we would have paid his base salary accrued through the last date of employment, plus any annual cash incentive plan bonus earned for the prior calendar year, but not yet paid.

In the event Mr. Colella’s employment was terminated without cause or was terminated by Mr. Colella for good reason, in either case upon or at any time within two years following a change-in-control, Mr. Colella would have received a lump sum payment equal to 36 months of his base salary and three times his target annual bonus amount, payment of any annual cash incentive plan bonus earned for the prior calendar year, but not yet paid, and continued participation in the Company’s medical, dental, vision and life insurance plans for 36 months. In the event such payments were determined to be subject to an excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, such payments would have been payable in full or, if applicable, reduced so that no portion of the payments was subject to the excise tax, whichever of the foregoing amounts resulted in receipt by Mr. Colella on an after-tax basis of the greater amount, taking into account all applicable taxes, including the penalty tax. Mr. Colella was not entitled to any gross-up payment for any such excise tax due on such payments.

The Employment Agreement requires Mr. Colella to return all or a portion of any incentive pay for the performance period in which his termination of employment occurred and any performance period ending within the 36 month period prior to his termination of employment, if it is later determined that these awards were calculated on the basis of inaccurate information that results in a restatement of our financial statements, or for other required reasons.

The Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Colella may not, for two years from the termination of his employment, (i) engage in any competitive business or activity, (ii) work for any person who was our executive, officer or agent, or establish any business or partnership with such person that is competitive to the Company, (iii) give, sell or lease any competitive services or goods to any of our customers, or (iv) have any material financial interest in or be a director, officer, partner, executive or consultant to, or exceed specified shareholding limitations in, any of the Company’s competitors.

Mr. Colella is also subject to non-solicitation restrictions. During the term of his employment and for a period of two years after termination, Mr. Colella may not solicit any customer to become a customer, distributor or supplier of any other person or entity or to cease doing business with the Company; or solicit or hire any of our executives, officers or agents to terminate such person’s employment or engagement with the Company or to work for a third party.

In addition, the Employment Agreement provided Mr. Colella with supplemental retirement benefits, which vested in 2018 when Mr. Colella reached the age of 62 and had served for 25 years with the Company, and which

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will terminate upon violation of the non-competition, non-disclosure, or non-solicitation provisions contained in the Employment Agreement. When vested, subject to his execution of and compliance with a customary release, the supplemental retirement benefit provides for a lump sum payment to Mr. Colella (or in the event of his death, his spouse) of an aggregate amount calculated based upon actuarial assumptions, payable not sooner than six months after the date of termination (except in the case of death). The benefit amount is determined based upon the actuarial equivalent value of an annuity equal to 50% of Mr. Colella’s final average compensation, which is equal to the average of his three highest years of compensation (salary plus bonus) during the 10 calendar years prior to the year of retirement (or other qualifying termination). The actuarial calculations include assumptions for decreased benefit continuation (determined as a 50% survivor annuity) for Mr. Colella’s surviving spouse in the event of Mr. Colella’s death. In the event that any payment under the supplemental retirement benefit would subject Mr. Colella to any excise tax, interest or penalties imposed under Internal Revenue Code Section 4999, we have agreed to make Mr. Colella gross-up payments for such amounts.

In addition, subject to his execution of and compliance with a customary release, Mr. Colella will receive retiree medical benefits for life. Mr. Colella (or his surviving spouse) will pay an annual contribution of $1,500, and, because he retired before age 65, he (or his surviving spouse) will pay a decreasing percentage of the costs of the benefit (from 30% to 10%) until he reaches age 65. The retiree medical benefit is coordinated with any continuation of medical benefits described above to avoid duplication of benefits.

Mr. Colella’s RSU agreements provided for the full acceleration of vesting of all shares (or, in the case of performance-based RSUs that were still subject to performance criteria, the actual number of RSUs to vest based upon satisfaction of performance criteria) upon retirement.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control Table — Gerald G. Colella

The following table sets forth the estimated benefits that Mr. Colella would have been entitled to receive upon termination of his employment effective December 31, 2019: