Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors;
Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
(b), (c), (e)
On February 2, 2023, Iteris, Inc. (the "Company") announced that its Board of
Directors has appointed Kerry Shiba to serve as the Company's Senior Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer, effective February 3, 2023 (the "Start
Date"). Following the Start Date, Mr. Shiba will serve as the Company's
"principal financial officer" and "principal accounting officer" for U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") filing purposes.
Mr. Shiba most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Romeo Power, Inc.
(NYSE: RMO) ("Romeo"), from July 2021 until the sale of Romeo to its largest
customer. Romeo was a leading independent designer and producer of battery
modules and packs primarily used in commercial electric vehicles. From September
2017 until May 2020, Mr. Shiba was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: WAIR), a distributor and service
provider of aircraft hardware and chemicals. From October 2010 until June 2017,
Mr. Shiba served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and
Secretary of Superior Industries International, Inc. (NYSE: SUP), a globally
recognized manufacturer of aluminum wheels for the automotive industry. Prior to
that, Mr. Shiba served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and
Restructuring Officer and President of the Original Equipment Business Unit at
Remy International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of rotating electrical
components for the automotive industry. Earlier in his career, Mr. Shiba served
in various roles within the finance and accounting organizations at Kaiser
Aluminum Corporation, including as Chief Financial Officer, and at The BF
Goodrich Company. Mr. Shiba began his career at Ernst & Ernst, now Ernst &
Young, L.L.P., where he served on the audit staff, and later as a consultant. He
received bachelor's degrees in Accounting and Political Science from Baldwin
Wallace College.
Mr. Shiba is 68 years old and has no familial relationships with any executive
officer or director of the Company. There have been no transactions in which the
Company has participated and in which Mr. Shiba had a direct or indirect
material interest that would be required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of
Regulation S-K.
On January 30, 2023, Mr. Shiba entered into an employment offer letter agreement
with the Company (the "Shiba Agreement"). The Shiba Agreement provides that his
employment is "at will." Mr. Shiba's annual base salary is initially $425,000
and he will also be eligible to participate in the Company's executive bonus
plan, provided that Mr. Shiba's bonus for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023
will be $30,000 for the prorated portion of the fiscal year he will have served.
Mr. Shiba's target bonus for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024 will be 55%
of his base salary. The amount of any bonus will be based on the Company's
performance and the achievement of individual goals and objectives.
Mr. Shiba will receive an initial equity grant of 50% restricted stock units
("RSUs") and 50% options ("Options") with a total value of approximately
$250,000 (the "Initial Grant"). The RSUs vest in two equal annual installments
beginning on the second anniversary of the Start Date and the Options vest in
four equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the Start
Date. Mr. Shiba will also be eligible to receive annual equity grants (the
"Annual Grants") equal to approximately 60% of Mr. Shiba's base salary and to be
granted as part of the Company's equity award cycle, beginning in the fiscal
year ending March 31, 2024. Both the Initial Grant and the Annual Grants are
subject to the terms and conditions of the Company's Amended and Restated 2016
Omnibus Incentive Plan.
Mr. Shiba will be entitled to severance benefits pursuant to the Company's
Amended and Restated Executive Severance Plan (the "Severance Plan"). Pursuant
to the Severance Plan, if Mr. Shiba's employment with the Company is terminated
without Cause, Mr. Shiba will be entitled to receive salary continuation
payments for the 12 months following his termination and reimbursement for the
cost of COBRA coverage for a period of up to 12 months following the
termination. If Mr. Shiba is terminated without Cause or resigns for Good Reason
within 12 months following a Change in Control, he will be entitled to receive a
lump sum payment equal to his base salary for 12 months and reimbursement for
the cost of COBRA coverage for a period of up to 12 months following his
termination. In addition to the benefits pursuant to the Severance Plan, if Mr.
Shiba is terminated without Cause or resigns for Good Reason within six months
following a Change in Control, he will also be entitled to receive his prorated
annual bonus. As used herein, "Cause," "Good Reason," and "Change in Control"
are each defined in the Severance Plan. All of the separation benefits are
conditioned upon Mr. Shiba entering into a general release of claims in favor of
the Company and a non-solicitation covenant for one year following the
termination of his employment, in addition to non-disparagement and
confidentiality provisions.
Immediately prior to the effective time of Mr. Shiba's appointment, Doug Groves
will cease serving as Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial
Officer of the Company and will transition to the role of Senior Advisor until
June 2, 2023 (the "Separation Date"), specifically to assist with the transition
and preparation of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending
March 31, 2023. Mr. Groves' separation was not related to any disagreement with
the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies or
practices.
On January 30, 2023, in connection with Mr. Groves stepping down as Senior Vice
President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, the Company and
Mr. Groves entered into a letter amendment (the "Groves Amendment") to his
existing employment agreement, dated November 15, 2019. Under the Groves
Amendment, and in consideration for serving as Senior Advisor, Mr. Groves will
continue to receive the same base salary and employee benefits as set out in his
existing employment agreement through his Separation Date, his outstanding
performance stock units will continue to vest through June 2023 and he will be
eligible to receive an annual bonus for fiscal year 2023.
The foregoing summary of the material terms of the Shiba Agreement and Groves
Amendment are subject to the full and complete terms of the agreements, copies
of which are filed as Exhibit 10.1 and Exhibit 10.2, respectively, hereto and
are incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the press release regarding the
above matters is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by
reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) The following exhibits are being filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Exhibit Description
10.1 Employment Agreement, dated January 30, 2023, between Iteris, Inc.
and Kerry Shiba.
10.2 Letter Amendment to Employment Agreement, dated January 30, 2023,
between Iteris, Inc. and Douglas Groves.
99.1 Press release, dated February 2, 2023.
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL
document).
© Edgar Online, source Glimpses