SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
STOCKHOLDER INVITATION

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January 28, 2008

 

Dear Stockholder:

 

I am pleased to invite you to attend the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders of Skyworks Solutions, Inc. to be held at 2:00 p.m., local time, on Thursday, March 27, 2008, at the DoubleTree Bedford Glen Hotel, 44 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts (the “Annual Meeting”). We look forward to your participation in person or by proxy. The attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement describe the matters that we expect to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting.

 

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please check the designated box on the enclosed proxy card. Or, if you utilize our telephone or Internet voting systems, please indicate your plans to attend the Annual Meeting when prompted to do so. If you are a stockholder of record, you should bring the top half of your proxy card as your admission ticket and present it upon entering the Annual Meeting. If you are planning to attend the Annual Meeting and your shares are held in “street name” by your broker (or other nominee), you should ask the broker (or other nominee) for a proxy issued in your name and present it at the meeting.

 

Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, and regardless of how many shares you own, it is important that your shares be represented at the Annual Meeting. Accordingly, we urge you to complete the enclosed proxy and return it to us promptly in the postage-prepaid envelope provided, or to complete your proxy by telephone or via the Internet in accordance with the instructions on the proxy card. If you do attend the Annual Meeting and wish to vote in person, you may withdraw a previously submitted proxy at that time.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

Dwight W. Decker
Chairman of the Board

 

 

SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

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SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.

 

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008

 

To the Stockholders of Skyworks Solutions, Inc.:

 

The 2008 annual meeting of stockholders of Skyworks Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), will be held at 2:00 p.m., local time, on Thursday, March 27, 2008, at the DoubleTree Bedford Glen Hotel, 44 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts (the “Annual Meeting”) to act upon the following proposals:

 

1. To elect three members of the Board of Directors of the Company to serve as Class III directors with terms expiring at the 2011 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

2. To approve the adoption of the Company’s 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan.

 

3. To approve an amendment to the Company’s 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan to increase the aggregate number of shares authorized for issuance under the plan by 2.25 million shares.

 

4. To ratify the selection by the Company’s Audit Committee of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for fiscal year 2008.

 

5. To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on January 28, 2008, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting. To ensure your representation at the Annual Meeting, however, we urge you to vote promptly in one of the following ways whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting: (1) by completing, signing and dating the accompanying proxy card and returning it in the postage-prepaid envelope enclosed for that purpose, (2) by completing your proxy using the toll-free number listed on the proxy card, or (3) by completing your proxy via the Internet by visiting the website address listed on your proxy card. Should you receive more than one proxy card because your shares are held in multiple accounts or registered in different names or addresses, please complete, sign, date and return each proxy card, or complete each proxy by telephone or the Internet, to ensure that all of your shares are voted. Your proxy may be revoked at any time prior to the Annual Meeting. Any stockholder attending the Annual Meeting may vote at the meeting even if he or she previously submitted a proxy by mail, telephone or via the Internet. If your shares are held in “street name” by your broker (or other nominee), your vote in person at the Annual Meeting will not be effective unless you have obtained and present a proxy issued in your name from the broker.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

MARK V.B. TREMALLO
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

 

Woburn, Massachusetts
January 28, 2008

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PROXY STATEMENT

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SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.

 

 

PROXY STATEMENT

 

This Proxy Statement is being furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of Skyworks Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Skyworks” or the “Company”), for use at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders to be held at 2:00 p.m., local time, on Thursday, March 27, 2008, at the DoubleTree Bedford Glen Hotel, 44 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, Massachusetts or at any adjournment or postponement thereof (the “Annual Meeting”). The Company’s Annual Report, which includes financial statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2007, is being mailed together with this Proxy Statement to all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement and form of proxy are being first mailed to stockholders on or about February 4, 2008.

 

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on January 28, 2008 (the “Record Date”), are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of January 28, 2008, there were 162,101,356 shares of Skyworks’ common stock issued and outstanding. Pursuant to Skyworks’ certificate of incorporation and by-laws, and applicable Delaware law, each share of common stock entitles the holder of record at the close of business on the Record Date to one vote on each matter considered at the Annual Meeting. As a stockholder, you may vote in one of the following three ways whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting: (1) by completing, signing and dating the accompanying proxy card and returning it in the postage-prepaid envelope enclosed for that purpose, (2) by completing your proxy using the toll-free telephone number listed on the proxy card, or (3) by completing your proxy via the Internet at the website address listed on the proxy card. If you attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote in person at the meeting even if you have previously completed your proxy by mail, telephone or via the Internet. If your shares are held in “street name” by your broker (or other nominee), the broker (or other nominee) is required to vote those shares in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give instructions to your broker, the broker will be entitled to vote the shares with respect to “discretionary” matters as described below but will not be permitted to vote the shares with respect to “non-discretionary” matters (in which case any shares voted by the broker will be treated as “broker non-votes”). If your shares are held in “street name” by your broker (or other nominee), please check your proxy card or contact your broker (or other nominee) to determine whether you will be able to vote by telephone or via the Internet.

 

Any proxy given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by the person giving it at any time before it is voted at the Annual Meeting. Proxies may be revoked by (i) delivering to the Secretary of the Company, before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting, a written notice of revocation bearing a later date than the proxy, (ii) duly completing a later-dated proxy relating to the same shares and presenting it to the Secretary of the Company before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting or (iii) attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person (although attendance at the Annual Meeting will not in and of itself constitute a revocation of a proxy). Any written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy should be delivered to the Company’s principal executive offices at Skyworks Solutions, Inc., 20 Sylvan Road, Woburn, MA 01801, Attention: Secretary, or hand delivered to the Secretary of the Company, before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

The representation in person or by proxy of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding common shares entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Shares that abstain from voting on any proposal and “broker non-votes” will be counted as shares that are present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists at the Annual Meeting. For purposes of determining the

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PROXY STATEMENT

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outcome of any matter as to which a broker (or other nominee) has indicated that it does not have discretionary voting authority, those shares will be treated as not present and not entitled to vote with respect to that matter (even though those shares are considered entitled to vote for quorum purposes and may be entitled to vote on other matters).

 

Pursuant to the Company’s by-laws, directors are elected by a plurality vote and, therefore, the three nominees who receive the most votes will be elected. Stockholders will not be allowed to cumulate their votes in the election of directors. Accordingly, abstentions, which will not be voted, will not affect the outcome of the election of the nominees to the Board of Directors. In addition, the election of directors is a “discretionary” matter on which a broker (or other nominee) is authorized to vote in the absence of instruction from the beneficial owner.

 

Regarding Proposals 2, 3 and 4, an affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting, and entitled to vote on such matter, is required for approval. Whereas Proposals 2 and 3 involve matters on which a broker (or other nominee) does not have discretionary authority to vote, a broker (or other nominee) does have discretionary authority to vote on Proposal 4. With respect to Proposals 2, 3 and 4, an abstention will have the same effect as a “no” vote. An automated system administered by the Company’s transfer agent tabulates the votes. The vote on each matter submitted to stockholders will be tabulated separately.

 

The persons named as attorneys-in-fact in the proxies, David J. Aldrich and Mark V.B. Tremallo, were selected by the Board of Directors and are officers of the Company. Each executed proxy returned in time to be counted at the Annual Meeting will be voted. Where a choice has been specified in an executed proxy with respect to the matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting, the shares represented by the proxy will be voted in accordance with the specifications. If no such specifications are indicated, such proxies will be voted FOR the three nominees to the Board of Directors, FOR the approval of the adoption of the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan, FOR the approval of an amendment to the 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and FOR the ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the 2008 fiscal year.

 

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please be sure to check the designated box on your proxy card indicating your intent to attend, and save the admission ticket attached to your proxy (the top half); or, indicate your intent to attend through Skyworks’ telephone or Internet voting procedures, and save the admission ticket attached to your proxy. If your shares are held in “street name” by your broker (or other nominee), please check your proxy card or contact your broker (or other nominee) to determine whether you will be able to indicate your intent to attend by telephone or via the Internet. In order to be admitted to the Annual Meeting, you will need to present your admission ticket, as well as provide a valid picture identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. If your shares are held in “street name” by your broker (or other nominee), you should contact your broker (or other nominee) to obtain a proxy in your name and present it at the Annual Meeting in order to vote.

 

Some brokers (or other nominees) may be participating in the practice of “householding” proxy statements and annual reports. This means that only one copy of this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report may have been sent to multiple stockholders in your household. If you are a stockholder and your household or address has received only one Annual Report and one Proxy Statement, the Company will promptly deliver a separate copy of the Annual Report and the Proxy Statement to you, upon your written request to Skyworks Solutions, Inc., 5221 California Avenue, Irvine, CA 92617, Attention: Investor Relations, or oral request to Investor Relations at (949) 231-4700. If you would like to receive separate copies of our Annual Report and Proxy Statement in the future, you should direct such request to your broker (or other nominee). Even if your household or address has received only one Annual Report and one Proxy Statement, a separate proxy card should have been provided for each stockholder account. Each individual proxy card should be signed, dated, and returned in the enclosed postage-prepaid envelope (or voted by telephone or via the Internet, as described therein). If your household has received multiple copies of our Annual Report and Proxy Statement, you can request the delivery of single copies in the future by contacting your broker (or other nominee), or the Company at the address or telephone number above.

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PROXY STATEMENT

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If you are a participant in the Skyworks 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan, you will receive a proxy card for the Skyworks shares you own through the 401(k) Plan. That proxy card will serve as a voting instruction card for the trustee of the 401(k) Plan, and your 401(k) Plan shares will be voted as you instruct.

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be Held on March 27, 2008

 

The Proxy Statement and the Company’s Annual Report are available at www.proxydocs.com/swks.

SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

 

To the Company’s knowledge, the following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock as of January 20, 2008, by the following individuals or entities: (i) each person who beneficially owns 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock as of January 20, 2008; (ii) the Named Executive Officers (as defined herein under the heading “Compensation Tables for Named Executive Officers”); (iii) each director and nominee for director; and (iv) all current executive officers and directors of the Company, as a group.

 

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose, and does not constitute an admission that the named stockholder is a direct or indirect beneficial owner of those shares. As of January 20, 2008, there were 162,064,389 shares of Skyworks common stock issued and outstanding.

 

In computing the number of shares of Company common stock beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of Company common stock that are subject to stock options or other rights held by that person that are currently exercisable or that will become exercisable within 60 days of January 20, 2008, are deemed outstanding. These shares are not, however, deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

 

 

 

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PROXY STATEMENT

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PROXY STATEMENT

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PROPOSALS TO BE VOTED

 

PROPOSAL 1

 

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

The Company’s certificate of incorporation and by-laws provide that the Board of Directors shall be divided into three classes, each class consisting, as nearly as possible, of one-third of the total number of directors, with each class having a three-year term. The Board of Directors currently is composed of ten (10) members: three Class I directors, three Class II directors and four Class III directors. The terms of these three classes are staggered in a manner so that only one class is elected by stockholders annually.

 

Messrs. Aldrich, Beguwala and McGlade have been nominated for election as Class III directors to hold office until the 2011 annual meeting of stockholders and thereafter until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting. Shares represented by all proxies received by the Board of Directors and not so marked as to withhold authority to vote for the nominees will be voted FOR the election of the three nominees.

 

Each person nominated for election has agreed to serve if elected, and the Board of Directors knows of no reason why any nominee should be unable or unwilling to serve, but if such should be the case, proxies will be voted for the election of some other person. No director, director nominee or executive officer is related by blood, marriage or adoption to any other director or executive officer. No arrangements or understandings exist between any director or person nominated for election as a director and any other person pursuant to which such person is to be selected as a director or nominee for election as a director.

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PROXY STATEMENT

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Set forth below is summary information for each person nominated and each person whose term of office as a director will continue after the Annual Meeting, including the year such nominee or director was first elected a director, the positions currently held by the nominee and each director with the Company, the year each nominee’s or director’s term will expire and class of director of each nominee and each director. This information is followed by additional biographical information about these individuals, as well as the Company’s other executive officers.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS
A VOTE “FOR” THE NOMINEES LISTED BELOW

 

 

 

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PROXY STATEMENT

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DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

The following table sets forth for each director and executive officer of the Company, his age and position with the Company as of January 28, 2008:

 

 

Dwight W. Decker, age 57, has served as a director and been Chairman of the Board since June 2002. Dr. Decker has also served as Chairman of the Board of Conexant Systems, Inc. (a publicly traded broadband communication semiconductor company) since December 1998 and has served as a director of Conexant since 1996. From November 2004 until June 2007, Dr. Decker served as Conexant’s Chief Executive Officer, a position he also previously held from December 1998 until March 2004. He served as Senior Vice President of Rockwell International Corporation (now, Rockwell Automation, Inc.) and President, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems (now Conexant) from July 1998 to December 1998; Senior Vice President of Rockwell; and President, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and Electronic Commerce prior thereto. Dr. Decker is also a director of Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. (a publicly traded networking infrastructure semiconductor provider), Pacific Mutual Holding Company (a privately held life insurance company), BCD Semiconductor (a privately held analog component semiconductor provider), and Newport Media (a privately held semiconductor company). He is also a director or member of numerous professional and civic organizations.

 

David J. Aldrich, age 50, has served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of the Company since April 2000. From September 1999 to April 2000, Mr. Aldrich served as President and Chief Operating Officer. From May 1996 to May 1999, when he was appointed Executive Vice President, Mr. Aldrich served as Vice President and General Manager of the semiconductor products business unit. Mr. Aldrich joined the Company in 1995 as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. From 1989 to 1995, Mr. Aldrich held senior management positions at M/A-COM, Inc. (a developer and manufacturer of radio frequency and microwave semiconductors, components and IP networking solutions), including Manager Integrated Circuits Active Products, Corporate Vice President Strategic Planning, Director of Finance and Administration and Director of Strategic Initiatives with the Microelectronics Division.

 

Kevin L. Beebe, age 48, has been a director since January 2004. Since November 2007, he has been President and Chief Executive Officer of 2BPartners, LLC (a partnership that provides strategic, financial and operational advice to investors and management, and whose clients include TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners). Previously,

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beginning in 1998, he was Group President of Operations at ALLTEL Corporation, a telecommunications services company. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Beebe served as Executive Vice President of Operations for 360° Corporation, a wireless communication company. He has held a variety of executive and senior management positions at several divisions of Sprint, including Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Marketing and Administration for Sprint Cellular, Director of Marketing for Sprint North Central Division, Director of Engineering and Operations Staff and Director of Product Management and Business Development for Sprint Southeast Division, as well as Staff Director of Product Services at Sprint Corporation. Mr. Beebe began his career at AT&T/Southwestern Bell as a Manager.

 

Moiz M. Beguwala, age 61, has been a director since June 2002. He served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless Communications business unit of Conexant from January 1999 to June 2002. Prior to Conexant’s spin-off from Rockwell International Corporation, Mr. Beguwala served as Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Communications Division, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Inc. from October 1998 to December 1998; Vice President and General Manager Personal Computing Division, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Inc. from January 1998 to October 1998; and Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Inc. from October 1995 to January 1998. Mr. Beguwala serves on the Board of Directors of SIRF Technology (a publicly traded GPS semiconductor solutions company) and Powerwave Technologies, Inc. (a publicly traded wireless solutions supplier for communications networks worldwide).

 

Timothy R. Furey, age 49, has been a director since 1998. He has been Chief Executive Officer of MarketBridge (a privately owned sales and marketing strategy and technology professional services firm) since 1991. His company’s clients include organizations such as IBM, British Telecom and other global Fortune 500 companies selling complex technology products and services into both OEM and end-user markets. Prior to 1991, Mr. Furey held a variety of consulting positions with Boston Consulting Group, Strategic Planning Associates, Kaiser Associates and the Marketing Science Institute.

 

Balakrishnan S. Iyer, age 51, has been a director since June 2002. He served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Conexant Systems, Inc. from October 1998 to June 2003, and has been a director of Conexant since February 2002. Prior to joining Conexant, Mr. Iyer served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of VLSI Technology Inc. Prior to that, he was corporate controller for Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and Director of Finance for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Mr. Iyer serves on the Board of Directors of Conexant, Invitrogen Corporation, Power Integrations, QLogic Corporation, and IHS, Inc. (each a publicly traded company).

 

Thomas C. Leonard, age 73, has been a director since August 1996. From April 2000 until June 2002 he served as Chairman of the Board of the Company, and from September 1999 to April 2000, he served the Company as Chief Executive Officer. From July 1996 to September 1999, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Leonard joined the Company in 1992 as a Division General Manager and was elected a Vice President in 1994. Mr. Leonard has over 30 years’ experience in the microwave industry, having held a variety of executive and senior level management and marketing positions at M/A-COM, Inc., Varian Associates, Inc. and Sylvania.

 

David P. McGlade, age 47, has been a director since February 2005. Since April 2005, he has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Intelsat, Ltd. (a privately held worldwide provider of fixed satellite services). Previously, Mr. McGlade served as an Executive Director of mmO2 PLC and as the Chief Executive Officer of O2 UK, a subsidiary of mmO2, a position he held from October 2000 until March 2005. Before joining O2 UK, Mr. McGlade was President of the Western Region for Sprint PCS. He also serves as a director of WildBlue Communications, Inc. (a privately held satellite broadband services provider).

 

David J. McLachlan, age 69, has been a director since 2000. Mr. McLachlan served as a senior advisor to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genzyme Corporation (a publicly traded biotechnology company) from 1999 to 2004. He also was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Genzyme from 1989 to 1999. Prior to joining Genzyme, Mr. McLachlan served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Adams-Russell Company (an electronic component supplier and cable television franchise owner). Mr. McLachlan also serves on the Board of Directors of Dyax Corp. (a publicly traded biotechnology company) and HearUSA, Ltd. (a publicly traded hearing care services company).

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Robert A. Schriesheim, age 47, has been a director since 2006. Mr. Schriesheim has been Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Financial Officer of Lawson Software, Inc. (a publicly traded ERP software provider) since October 2006, and a director since May 2006. Previously, he was affiliated with ARCH Development Partners, LLC (a seed stage venture capital fund) since August 2002, and served as a managing general partner since January 2003. From February 1999 to March 2002, Mr. Schriesheim served in various capacities including as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Chief Financial Officer, and a director, of Global Telesystems, Inc. (a London, England-based, publicly traded provider of telecommunications, data and related services). From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Schriesheim was President and Chief Executive Officer of SBC Equity Partners, Inc. (a private equity firm). From 1996 to 1997, Mr. Schriesheim was Vice President of Corporate Development for Ameritech Corporation (a communications company). From 1993 to 1996, he was Vice President of Global Corporate Development for AC Nielsen Company, a subsidiary of Dunn & Bradstreet. Mr. Schriesheim is also a director of MSC Software Corp. (a publicly traded provider of integrated simulation solutions for designing and testing manufactured products), Chairman of the Board of Alyst Acquisition Corp. (a publicly traded entity targeting an acquisition in the telecommunications industry), and a director of Enfora (a privately held provider of intelligent wireless machine-to-machine modules and integrated platform solutions).

 

Donald W. Palette, age 50, joined the Company as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Skyworks in August 2007. Previously, from May 2005 until August 2007, Mr. Palette served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Controller of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (a publicly traded semiconductor equipment manufacturer). Prior to May 2005, he was Axcelis’ Controller beginning in 1999, Director of Finance beginning August 2000, and Vice President and Treasurer beginning in 2003. Before joining Axcelis in 1999, Mr. Palette was Controller of Financial Reporting/Operations for Simplex, a leading manufacturer of fire protection and security systems. Prior to that, Mr. Palette was Director of Finance for Bell & Howell’s Mail Processing Company, a leading manufacturer of high speed mail insertion and sorting equipment.

 

Bruce J. Freyman, age 47, has served as Vice President of Worldwide Operations since May 2005. Previously, he served as president and chief operating officer of Amkor Technology (a leading provider of semiconductor test and assembly services) and also held various senior management positions, including executive vice president of operations from 2001 to 2004. Earlier, Freyman spent 10 years with Motorola managing their semiconductor packaging operations for portable communications products.

 

Liam K. Griffin, age 41, joined the Company in August 2001 and serves as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Previously, Mr. Griffin was employed by Vectron International, a division of Dover Corp., as Vice President of Worldwide Sales from 1997 to 2001, and as Vice President of North American Sales from 1995 to 1997. His prior experience included positions as a Marketing Manager at AT&T Microelectronics, Inc. and Product and Process Engineer at AT&T Network Systems.

 

George M. LeVan, age 62, has served as Vice President, Human Resources since June 2002. Previously, Mr. LeVan served as Director, Human Resources, from 1991 to 2002 and has managed the human resource department since joining the Company in 1982. Prior to 1982, he held human resources positions at Data Terminal Systems, Inc., W.R. Grace & Co., Compo Industries, Inc. and RCA.

 

Stanley A. Swearingen, Jr., age 48, joined the Company in August 2004 and serves as Vice President and General Manager, Linear Products. Prior to joining Skyworks, from November 2000 to August 2004, Mr. Swearingen was Vice President and General Manager of Agere Systems’ Computing Connectivity division, where he was responsible for the design and manufacturing of wired and wireless connectivity solutions. Prior to this, from July 1999 to November 2000, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Quantex Microsystems (a direct provider of personal computers, servers and Internet infrastructure products). He has also held senior management positions at National Semiconductor, Cyrix and Digital Equipment Corp.

 

Mark V.B. Tremallo, age 51, joined the Company in April 2004 and serves as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Previously, from January 2003 to April 2004, Mr. Tremallo was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at TAC Worldwide Companies (a technical workforce solutions provider). Prior to TAC, from May 1997 to May 2002, he was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Acterna Corp. (a global communications test

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equipment and solutions provider), which filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S.B.C. on May 6, 2003. Earlier, Mr. Tremallo served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Cabot Safety Corporation.

 

Gregory L. Waters, age 47, joined the Company in April 2003, and has served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Front-End Solutions since October 2006, Executive Vice President beginning November 2005, and Vice President and General Manager, Cellular Systems as of May 2004. Previously, from February 2001 until April 2003, Mr. Waters served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Agere Systems and, beginning in 1998, held positions there as Vice President of the Wireless Communications business and Vice President of the Broadband Communications business. Prior to working at Agere, Mr. Waters held a variety of senior management positions within Texas Instruments, including Director of Network Access Products and Director of North American Sales.

 

As part of the terms of the merger of the wireless communications business of Conexant Systems, Inc. with and into Alpha Industries, Inc. on June 25, 2002 (the “Merger”), four designees of Conexant — Donald R. Beall (who retired as a director in April 2005), Moiz M. Beguwala, Dwight W. Decker and Balakrishnan S. Iyer — were appointed to our Board of Directors. Only two of the remaining three Conexant designees to our Board of Directors continue to have a business relationship with Conexant. Mr. Decker currently serves as the chairman of the board of Conexant and Mr. Iyer currently serves as a non-employee director of Conexant.

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

General

 

Board of Director and Stockholder Meetings:  The Board of Directors met seven (7) times during the fiscal year ended September 28, 2007 (“fiscal year 2007”). Each director attended at least 75% of the Board of Directors meetings and the meetings of the committees of the Board of Directors on which he served in fiscal year 2007. The Company’s policy is that directors are encouraged to attend the annual meeting of stockholders and expected to do so when such meeting is held in conjunction with a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors. Three (3) members of the Board of Directors attended the 2007 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

Director Independence:  Each year, the Board of Directors reviews the relationships that each director has with the Company and with other parties. Only those directors who do not have any of the categorical relationships that preclude them from being independent within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. Marketplace Rules (the “NASDAQ Rules”) and who the Board of Directors affirmatively determines have no relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director, are considered to be independent directors. The Board of Directors has reviewed a number of factors to evaluate the independence of each of its members. These factors include its members’ current and historic relationships with the Company and its competitors, suppliers and customers; their relationships with management and other directors; the relationships their current and former employers have with the Company; and the relationships between the Company and other companies of which a member of the Company’s Board of Directors is a director or executive officer. After evaluating these factors, the Board of Directors has determined that a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, namely, Kevin L. Beebe, Moiz M. Beguwala, Dwight W. Decker, Timothy R. Furey, Balakrishnan S. Iyer, Thomas C. Leonard, David J. McLachlan, David P. McGlade and Robert A. Schriesheim, do not have any relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out their responsibilities as a director and are independent directors of the Company within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Rules.

 

Corporate Governance Guidelines:  The Board of Directors has adopted corporate governance practices to help fulfill its responsibilities to the stockholders in overseeing the work of management and the Company’s business results. These guidelines are intended to ensure that the Board of Directors has the necessary authority and practices in place to review and evaluate the Company’s business operations, as needed, and to make decisions that are independent of the Company’s management. In addition, the guidelines are intended to align the interests of directors and management with those of the Company’s stockholders. A copy of the Company’s Corporate

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Governance Guidelines is available on the Investor Relations portion the Company’s website at: http://www.skyworksinc.com.

 

In accordance with these Corporate Governance Guidelines, independent members of the Board of Directors of the Company met in executive session without management present four (4) times during fiscal year 2007. Members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee rotate as presiding director for these meetings.

 

Stockholder Communications:  Our stockholders may communicate directly with the Board of Directors as a whole or to individual directors by writing directly to those individuals at the following address: 20 Sylvan Road, Woburn, MA 01801. The Company will forward to each director to whom such communication is addressed, and to the Chairman of the Board in his capacity as representative of the entire Board of Directors, any mail received at the Company’s corporate office to the address specified by such director and the Chairman of the Board.

 

Codes of Ethics:  The Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors (the “Code”), as well as a Code of Ethics for Principal Financial Officers. Links to these codes of ethics are on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website at: http://www.skyworksinc.com.

 

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

The Board of Directors has a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

 

Audit Committee:  Skyworks has established a separately designated Audit Committee in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The members of the Audit Committee are Mr. McLachlan, who currently serves as the chairman, and Messrs. Beebe, Iyer, McGlade and Schriesheim. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of the committee is independent within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Rules and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the Chairman of the Audit Committee, Mr. Iyer, and Mr. Schriesheim, is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 401(h) of Regulation S-K. The Audit Committee met nine (9) times during fiscal year 2007. Upon Mr. McLachlan becoming chairman of the board following the 2008 Annual Meeting, Mr. Schriesheim will become the chairman of the Audit Committee.

 

The primary responsibility of the Audit Committee is the oversight of the quality and integrity of the Company’s financial statements, the Company’s internal financial and accounting processes, and the independent audit process. Additionally, the Audit Committee has the responsibilities and authority necessary to comply with Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. The committee meets privately with the independent registered public accounting firm, reviews their performance and independence from management and has the sole authority to retain and dismiss the independent registered public accounting firm. These and other aspects of the Audit Committee’s authority are more particularly described in the Company’s Audit Committee Charter, which the Board of Directors adopted and is reviewed annually by the committee and is available on the Investor Relations portion of our website at: http://www.skyworksinc.com.

 

The Audit Committee has adopted a formal policy concerning approval of audit and non-audit services to be provided to the Company by its independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP. The policy requires that all services provided by KPMG LLP, including audit services and permitted audit-related and non-audit services, be pre-approved by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee pre-approved all audit and non-audit services provided by KPMG LLP for fiscal year 2007.

 

Compensation Committee:  The members of the Compensation Committee are Mr. Furey, who serves as the chairman, and Messrs. Beebe, McGlade and Schriesheim, each of whom the Board of Directors has determined is independent within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Rules. The Compensation Committee met six (6) times during fiscal year 2007. The functions of the Compensation Committee include establishing the appropriate level of compensation, including short and long-term incentive compensation, of the Chief Executive Officer, all other executive officers and any other officers or employees who report directly to the Chief Executive Officer. The

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Compensation Committee also administers Skyworks’ equity-based compensation plans. The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee, and it is available on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website at: http://www.skyworksinc.com.

 

The Compensation Committee has engaged Aon/Radford Consulting to assist it in determining the components and amount of executive compensation. The consultant reports directly to the Compensation Committee, through its chairperson, and the Compensation Committee retains the right to terminate or replace the consultant at any time.

 

The process and procedures followed by the Compensation Committee in considering and determining executive and director compensation are described below under the heading “Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee:  The members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, each of whom the Board of Directors has determined is independent within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Rules, are Mr. Beebe, who serves as the chairman, and Messrs. Furey, McGlade, and McLachlan. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met four (4) times during fiscal year 2007. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for evaluating and recommending individuals for election or re- election to the Board of Directors and its committees, including any recommendations that may be submitted by stockholders, the evaluation of the performance of the Board of Directors and its committees, and the evaluation and recommendation of the corporate governance policies. These and other aspects of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s authority are more particularly described in the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter, which the Board of Directors adopted and is available on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website at: http://www.skyworksinc.com.

 

Director Nomination Procedures:  The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee evaluates director candidates in the context of the overall composition and needs of the Board of Directors, with the objective of recommending a group that can best manage the business and affairs of the Company and represent the interests of the Company’s stockholders using its diversity of experience. The committee seeks directors who possess certain minimum qualifications, including the following:

 

 

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In addition, the committee will consider that a majority of the Board of Directors must meet the independence requirements promulgated by the applicable NASDAQ Rules. The Company expects that a director’s existing and future commitments will not materially interfere with such director’s obligations to the Company. For candidates who are incumbent directors, the committee considers each director’s past attendance at meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities of the Board of Directors. The committee identifies candidates for director nominees in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Chairman of the Board of Directors, through the use of search firms or other advisors or through such other methods as the committee deems to be helpful to identify candidates. Once candidates have been identified, the committee confirms that the candidates meet all of the minimum qualifications for director nominees set forth above through interviews, background checks, or any other means that the committee deems to be helpful in the evaluation process. The committee then meets to discuss and evaluate the qualities and skills of each candidate, both on an individual basis and taking into account the overall composition and needs of the Board of Directors. Based on the results of the evaluation process, the committee recommends candidates for director nominees for election to the Board of Directors.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider director candidates recommended by stockholders provided the stockholders follow the procedures set forth below. The committee does not intend to alter the manner in which it evaluates candidates, including the criteria set forth above, based on whether the candidate was recommended by a stockholder or otherwise. To date, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has not received a recommendation for a director nominee from any stockholder of the Company’s voting stock.

 

Stockholders who wish to recommend individuals for consideration by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to become nominees for election to the Board of Directors may do so by submitting a written recommendation to the committee not later than October 8, 2008, in accordance with the procedures set forth below in this Proxy Statement under the heading “Stockholder Proposals.” For nominees for election to the Board of Directors proposed by stockholders to be considered, the recommendation for nomination must be in writing and must include the following information:

 

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Nominations may be sent to the attention of the committee via U.S. mail or expedited delivery service to Skyworks Solutions, Inc., 20 Sylvan Road, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801, Attn: Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, c/o Secretary of Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

 

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

 

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors currently comprises Messrs. Beebe, Furey, McGlade and Schriesheim. No member of this committee was at any time during the past fiscal year an officer or employee of the Company, was formerly an officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or had any employment relationship with the Company or any of its subsidiaries. No executive officer of Skyworks has served as a director or member of the compensation committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity, one of whose executive officers served as a director of or member of the Compensation Committee of Skyworks.

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PROPOSAL 2

 

APPROVAL OF ADOPTION OF 2008 DIRECTOR LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

 

The Company’s 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2008 Plan”) was adopted by Skyworks’ Board of Directors on November 6, 2007, subject to approval by the stockholders. A total of 600,000 shares are to be authorized for issuance under the 2008 Plan to Skyworks’ non-officer directors. If approved by the stockholders, the 2008 Plan will replace the 2001 Directors’ Stock Option Plan (the “2001 Plan”) and no further options will be granted under the 2001 Plan. Upon termination, any shares remaining in the 2001 Plan will be added to the 2008 Plan. There are currently 120,000 shares remaining in the 2001 Plan.

 

Since 1994, Skyworks has granted equity-awards to directors, upon their first election to the Board of Directors and annually upon re-election. Few shares remain available for equity awards to the directors under the 2001 Plan. THEREFORE, UNLESS THE 2008 DIRECTOR LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN IS APPROVED, IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ISSUE EQUITY AWARDS TO SKYWORKS’ DIRECTORS IN THE FUTURE UNDER THE 2001 PLAN.

 

The 2008 Plan is intended to advance the interests of the Company’s stockholders by enhancing the Company’s ability to attract and retain the services of experienced and knowledgeable directors, and to provide additional incentives for such directors to continue to work for the best interests of Skyworks and its stockholders through continuing ownership of its common stock. Competition for highly qualified individuals to serve as company directors is intense, and to successfully attract and retain the best candidates, the Company must continue to offer a competitive equity incentive program as an essential component of the directors’ compensation. Without the proposed authorization of shares available for directors’ stock options and restricted stock, Skyworks may be unable to continue to attract and retain the best individuals to serve as directors.

 

In addition, the 2008 Plan, among other things:

 

 

Description of the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan

 

This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the 2008 Plan, a copy of which is attached to the electronic copy of this Proxy Statement filed with the SEC (www.sec.gov). In addition, a copy of the 2008 Plan may be obtained from the Secretary of the Company.

 

Types of Awards

 

The 2008 Plan provides for the grant of nonqualified stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock-based awards, including the grant of shares based upon certain conditions such as performance-based conditions and the grant of securities convertible into common stock (collectively, “Awards”).

 

Nonqualified Stock Options.  Optionees receive the right to purchase a specified number of shares of common stock at a specified option price and subject to such other terms and conditions as are specified in connection with

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the option grant. Options may be granted at an exercise price that is no less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. Options may not be granted for a term in excess of ten (10) years. The 2008 Plan permits the following forms of payment of the exercise price of options: (i) payment by cash, check or in connection with a “cashless exercise” through a broker, (ii) surrender to the Company of shares of common stock which have been held by the optionees for at least six months, or (iii) any combination of these forms of payment.

 

Unless such action is approved by the Company’s stockholders: (1) no outstanding option may be amended to provide an exercise price per share that is lower than the then-current exercise price per share of the option (other than adjustments to reflect stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations, spin-offs and other similar changes in capitalization) and (2) the Board of Directors may not cancel any outstanding option and grant in substitution therefor new Awards under the Plan covering the same or a different number of shares of common stock and having an exercise price per share lower than the then-current exercise price per share of the cancelled option. No option shall contain any provision entitling the optionee to the automatic grant of additional options in connection with any exercise of the original option.

 

Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units.  Restricted stock awards entitle recipients to acquire shares of common stock, subject to the right of the Company to repurchase all or part of such shares from the recipient in the event that the conditions specified in the applicable Award are not satisfied prior to the end of the applicable restriction period established for such Award. Instead of issuing common stock that is subject to repurchase, the Board may grant Awards known as restricted stock units that entitle recipients to receive unrestricted shares of common stock in the event that the conditions specified in the applicable Award are satisfied prior to the end of the applicable restriction period established for such Award.

 

Other Stock-Based Awards.  Under the 2008 Plan, the Board of Directors has the right to grant other Awards based upon the common stock having such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors may determine, including the grant of shares based upon certain conditions such as performance-based conditions and the grant of securities convertible into common stock.

 

Eligibility to Receive Awards

 

Each member of the Board of Directors who is not also an officer of the Company is eligible to be granted Awards under the 2008 Plan. Each non-officer director when first elected to serve as a director shall automatically be granted a nonqualified stock option to purchase 25,000 shares of common stock, at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant, and a restricted stock award for 12,500 shares of common stock. In addition, beginning with the Company’s 2008 annual meeting of stockholders, each non-officer director continuing in office shall receive a restricted stock award for 12,500 shares following each annual meeting of stockholders or special meeting of stockholders in which one or more directors are elected in lieu of an annual meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors, the foregoing nonqualified stock options will vest in four (4) equal annual installments and the foregoing restricted stock awards will vest in three (3) equal annual installments. All other granting of Awards under the 2008 Plan is discretionary, and the Company cannot now determine the number or type of Awards to be granted in the future to any particular director. On January 22, 2008, the last reported sale price of the Company common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was $8.32.

 

Administration

 

The 2008 Plan is administered by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has the authority to adopt, amend and repeal the administrative rules, guidelines and practices relating to the 2008 Plan and to interpret the provisions of the 2008 Plan. Pursuant to the terms of the 2008 Plan, the Board of Directors may delegate authority under the 2008 Plan to one or more committees or subcommittees of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has authorized the Compensation Committee to administer certain aspects of the 2008 Plan.

 

Except for the automatic grants of nonqualified stock options and restricted stock awards discussed above, and subject to any applicable limitations contained in the 2008 Plan, the Board of Directors, the Compensation Committee, or any other committee to whom the Board of Directors delegates authority, as the case may be, selects

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the recipients of Awards and determines (i) the number of shares of common stock covered by options and the dates upon which such options become exercisable, (ii) the exercise price of options (which may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock), (iii) the duration of options (which may not exceed ten (10) years) and (iv) the number of shares of common stock subject to any restricted stock or other stock-based Awards and the terms and conditions of such Awards, including conditions for repurchase, issue price and repurchase price.

 

The Board of Directors is required to make appropriate adjustments in connection with the 2008 Plan and any outstanding Awards to reflect stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations, spin-offs and other similar changes in capitalization. The 2008 Plan also contains provisions addressing the consequences of any Reorganization Event, which is defined as (i) any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity as a result of which all of the common stock of the Company is converted into or exchanged for the right to receive cash, securities or other property or (ii) any exchange of all of the common stock of the Company for cash, securities or other property pursuant to a share exchange transaction. Upon the occurrence of a Reorganization Event, all outstanding options are to be assumed, or substituted for, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation. However, if the acquiring or succeeding corporation does not agree to assume, or substitute for, outstanding options, then the Board of Directors must either accelerate the options to make them fully exercisable prior to consummation of the Reorganization Event or provide for a cash out of the value of any outstanding options. Upon the occurrence of a Reorganization Event, the repurchase and other rights of the Company under each outstanding restricted stock award will inure to the benefit of the acquiring or succeeding corporation. The Board of Directors will specify the effect of a Reorganization Event on any other Award at the time the Award is granted.

 

If a Change in Control Event occurs, except to the extent specifically provided to the contrary in any Award agreement or any other agreement between a Participant and the Company, any options outstanding as of the date the Change of Control occur and not then exercisable shall automatically become fully exercisable and all restrictions and conditions on all restricted stock awards shall automatically be deemed terminated or satisfied. A “Change in Control Event” occurs if the Continuing Directors (as defined below) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the Board. A “Continuing Director” will include any member of the Board as of the effective date of the Plan and any individual nominated for election to the Board by a majority of the then Continuing Directors.

 

If any Award expires or is terminated, surrendered, canceled or forfeited, the unused shares of common stock covered by such Award will again be available for grant under the 2008 Plan.

 

Amendment or Termination

 

The Board of Directors may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the 2008 Plan, except that no amendment may (i) increase the number of shares authorized under the 2008 Plan, (ii) materially increase the benefits provided under the 2008 Plan, (iii) materially expand the class of participants eligible to participate in the 2008 Plan, (iv) expand the types of Awards provided under the 2008 Plan or (v) make any other changes that require stockholder approval under the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market unless and until such amendment shall have been approved by the Company’s stockholders. No Award may be granted under the 2008 Plan after March 27, 2018, but Awards previously granted may extend beyond that date.

 

If stockholders do not approve the 2008 Plan, the 2008 Plan will not go into effect. In such event, the Board of Directors will consider whether to adopt alternative arrangements based on its assessment of the needs of the Company.

 

Federal Income Tax Consequences

 

The following summarizes the United States federal income tax consequences that generally will arise with respect to awards granted under the plan. This summary is based on the tax laws in effect as of the date of this Proxy Statement. Changes to these laws could alter the tax consequences described below.

 

Nonqualified Stock Options.  A participant will not have income upon the grant of a nonqualified stock option. A participant will have compensation income upon the exercise of a nonqualified stock option equal to the

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value of the stock on the day the participant exercised the option less the exercise price. Upon sale of the stock, the participant will have capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the sales proceeds and the value of the stock on the day the option was exercised. This capital gain or loss will be long-term if the participant has held the stock for more than one year and otherwise will be short-term.

 

Restricted Stock; Restricted Stock Units.  A participant will not have income upon the grant of restricted stock unless an election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”) is made within 30 days of the date of grant. If a timely 83(b) election is made, then a participant will have compensation income equal to the value of the stock less the purchase price. When the stock is sold, the participant will have capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the sales proceeds and the value of the stock on the date of grant. If the participant does not make an 83(b) election, then when the stock vests the participant will have compensation income equal to the value of the stock on the vesting date less the purchase price. When the stock is sold, the participant will have capital gain or loss equal to the sales proceeds less the value of the stock on the vesting date. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term if the participant held the stock for more than one year and otherwise will be short-term. The tax treatment of a restricted stock unit and the stock issued upon the vesting of a restricted stock unit is the same as described above for restricted stock, except that no Section 83(b) election may be made with respect to restricted stock units.

 

Tax Consequences to the Company.  There will be no tax consequences to the Company when grants are made under the 2008 Plan except that we will be entitled to a tax deduction when a participant has compensation income.

 

Plan Benefits Table.  The following 2008 Plan Benefits Table discloses the benefits that would be allocated to the persons listed in the table in 2008 if the 2008 Plan were adopted. All other granting of the remaining Awards under the 2008 Plan is discretionary pursuant to the formula provisions in the 2008 Plan.

 

Plan Benefits
2008 Plan

 

 

 

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE
APPROVAL OF THE ADOPTION OF THE 2008 DIRECTOR LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

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PROPOSAL 3

 

APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2002 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

 

The Board of Directors believes it is in the best interest of the Company to encourage stock ownership by employees of the Company. The 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) affords employees of the Company the opportunity to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at a discount through regular payroll deductions. The Company believes the ESPP enhances its ability to seek and retain the services of highly skilled and competent persons to serve as employees of the Company, and at the same time, encourages employee stock ownership. Under the Company’s ESPP, the Company has currently reserved 3,880,000 shares of common stock to provide eligible employees with opportunities to purchase shares. Anticipating that there would be an insufficient number of shares available for continuing the ESPP into fiscal year 2008, on May 8, 2007, the Board of Directors adopted, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment to the ESPP increasing the number of shares of common stock authorized for purchase under the ESPP by 2.25 million shares to a total of 6,130,000 shares. With the approval of the amendment to the Skyworks ESPP by the stockholders, it is the intention of the Company to have the ESPP continue to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the IRC, which may provide certain tax benefits to employees as described below. In addition, if the amendment to the ESPP is approved, the Company intends to continue providing non-U.S. employees with the opportunity to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at a discount pursuant to Skyworks’ Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“NQ ESPP”). If this amendment is not approved by the stockholders, the Company will not be able to offer employees an opportunity to participate in the ESPP (or the NQ ESPP) in the future because of the limited number of shares that would otherwise remain available for issuance under the ESPP. As of December 31, 2007, there were only 569,159 shares available for future purchase under the ESPP.

 

Description of the ESPP

 

This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the ESPP, a copy of which is attached to the electronic copy of this Proxy Statement filed with the SEC (www.sec.gov). In addition, a copy of the ESPP may be obtained from the Secretary of the Company.

 

Eligibility

 

All employees of the Company and its participating subsidiaries who are employed by the Company at least ten (10) business days prior to the first day of the applicable offering period are eligible to participate in the ESPP, except for any employee who owns stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of Company stock. An employee’s rights under the ESPP will terminate when he or she ceases to be an employee. The Company’s non-employee directors are not eligible to participate in the ESPP.

 

Participation in the ESPP

 

The number of shares that participants may purchase under the ESPP is discretionary and the value of the Company’s common stock purchased by participants under the ESPP will vary based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on an offering period’s commencement date or termination date. Accordingly, the number of shares that will be purchased by our employees and executive officers in the future are not currently determinable.

 

Stock Subject to the ESPP

 

Without giving effect to the proposed amendment, an aggregate of 3,880,000 shares of common stock have been authorized for issuance under the ESPP since its inception. If there are any unexercised options granted under the ESPP that expire or terminate or options that cease to be exercisable, the unpurchased shares subject to such option will again be available under the ESPP. If the number of shares of common stock available for any offering period is insufficient to satisfy the requirements for that offering period, the available shares for that offering period

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shall be apportioned among participating employees in proportion to their options. As of December 31, 2007, there were only 569,159 shares available for future purchase under the ESPP.

 

Offering Periods

 

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors establishes the offering periods; however, an offering period may not extend for more than twenty-four (24) months. Subject to the foregoing, the offering periods will generally consist of six month periods commencing on each August 1 and February 1 and terminating on each January 31 and July 31, respectively.

 

Stock Options

 

On the commencement date of each offering period, the Company will grant to each participant an option to purchase on the termination date of each offering period at the Option Exercise Price (as defined below), that number of full shares of common stock equal to the amount of each participant’s accumulated payroll deductions made during the offering period, up to a maximum of 1,000 shares. This maximum may be increased or decreased as set forth in the ESPP. If the participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on the termination date would result in a purchase of more than the maximum allowed under the plan, the excess deductions will be refunded to the participant, without interest.

 

The Option Exercise Price for each offering period is the lesser of: (i) eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value (as defined in the ESPP) of the common stock on the offering commencement date, or (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of the common stock on the offering termination date, in either case rounded up to the next whole cent. If the participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on the last day of the offering period would otherwise enable the participant to purchase common stock in excess of the limitation prescribed under Section 423(b)(8) of the IRC, the excess will be refunded by the Company, without interest.

 

Option Exercise

 

Each participant in the ESPP on the termination date of each offering period will be deemed to have exercised his or her option on such date and to have purchased from the Company such number of full shares of common stock reserved for the ESPP as his or her accumulated payroll deductions on such date will pay for at the Option Exercise Price, subject to the maximums and limitations set forth in the ESPP.

 

Entering the ESPP and Participation

 

An eligible employee may enter the ESPP by enrolling and authorizing payroll deductions not later than ten (10) business days before the next commencement date. Unless the participant files a revised authorization, or withdraws from the ESPP, his or her participation under the enrollment on file will continue as long as the ESPP remains in effect.

 

A participant may withdraw in full from the ESPP prior to the termination date, in which event the Company will refund without interest the entire balance of such participant’s deductions not previously used to purchase common stock under the ESPP. Upon termination of the participant’s employment because of death, the person(s) entitled to receipt of the common stock and/or cash shall have the right to elect, either (i) to withdraw, without interest, all of the payroll deductions credited to the participant’s account under the ESPP, or (ii) to exercise the participant’s option for the purchase of shares of common stock on the next offering termination date following the date of the employee’s death.

 

The Company will accumulate and hold for the employee’s account the amounts deducted from his or her pay. No interest will be paid thereon.

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Deduction Amounts

 

An employee may authorize payroll deductions from 1% to 10% (in whole number percentages only) of his or her eligible compensation (as defined in the ESPP). An employee may not make any additional payments into such account. Only full shares of common stock may be purchased. Any balance remaining in an employee’s account after a purchase will, to the extent not refunded as set forth above, be carried forward to the next offering period. Payroll deductions may not be increased, decreased or suspended by a participant during an offering period.

 

ESPP Termination and Amendment

 

The ESPP may be terminated at any time by the Company’s Board of Directors. It will terminate in any case on the earlier of December 31, 2012, or when all of the shares of common stock reserved for the ESPP have been purchased. The Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors may from time to time adopt amendments to the ESPP, subject to certain restrictions set forth in the ESPP.

 

Sale of Stock Purchased Under the ESPP

 

An employee may sell stock purchased under the ESPP at any time the employee chooses, subject to compliance with Company trading policies, any applicable federal or state securities laws, and subject to certain restrictions imposed under the ESPP.

 

ESPP Administration and Cost

 

The Company will bear all costs of administering and carrying out the ESPP, and the ESPP may be administered by the Compensation Committee, or such other committee as may be appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

The Company will indemnify each member of the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee to the fullest extent permitted by law with respect to any claim, loss, damage or expense (including counsel fees) arising in connection with their responsibilities under the ESPP.

 

Application of Funds

 

The proceeds received by the Company from the sale of common stock pursuant to options granted under the ESPP may be used for any corporate purposes, and the Company is not be obligated to segregate participating employees’ payroll deductions.

 

Changes of Common Stock

 

If the Company should subdivide or reclassify the common stock, or should declare thereon any dividend payable in shares of such common stock, or should take any other action of a similar nature affecting such common stock, then the number and class of shares of common stock which may thereafter be optioned (in the aggregate and to any individual participating employee) shall be adjusted accordingly.

 

Merger or Consolidation

 

If the Company should merge into or consolidate with another corporation, the Board of Directors may, at its election, either (i) terminate the ESPP and refund without interest the entire balance of each participant’s deductions, or (ii) entitle each participant to receive on the offering termination date upon the exercise of such option for each share of common stock as to which such option shall be exercised the securities or property to which a holder of one share of the common stock was entitled upon and at the time of such merger or consolidation. A sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company shall be deemed a merger or consolidation for the foregoing purposes.

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Federal Income Tax Consequences

 

The following summarizes certain United States federal income tax considerations for employees participating in the ESPP and certain tax effects to the Company. This summary, however, does not address every situation that may result in taxation. For example, it does not discuss foreign, state, or local taxes, or any of the tax implications arising from a participant’s death. This summary is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning, and each employee is urged to consult with and rely on his or her own advisors with respect to the possible tax consequences (federal, state, local and foreign) of exercising his or her rights under the ESPP.

 

The amounts deducted from an employee’s pay under the ESPP will be included in the employee’s compensation subject to United States federal income tax, and the Company will withhold taxes on these amounts. Generally, the employee will not recognize any additional income at the time options are granted pursuant to the ESPP or at the time the employee purchases shares under the ESPP.

 

If the employee disposes of shares purchased pursuant to the ESPP within two years after the first business day of the offering period in which the employee acquired such shares, the employee will recognize ordinary compensation income (i.e., not capital gain income) at the time of such disposition in an amount equal to the excess, of the fair market value of the shares on the day the shares were purchased over the amount the employee paid for the shares. In addition, the employee generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the sale of the shares and the employee’s tax basis in the shares (generally, the fair market value of the shares on the day of purchase). Capital gain or loss recognized on a disposition of shares will be long-term capital gain or loss if the employee’s holding period for the shares exceeds one year. The holding period for determining whether the gain or loss realized is short or long term will not begin until the employee is deemed to have purchased shares under the ESPP.

 

If the employee disposes of shares purchased pursuant to the ESPP more than two years after the first business day of the offering period in which the employee acquired the shares, the employee will recognize ordinary compensation income at the time of such disposition in an amount equal to the lesser of:

 

(a) the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the shares at the time of disposition over the amount the employee paid for the shares; or

 

(b) 15% of the fair market value of the shares measured as of the first business day of the offering period in which the shares were purchased.

 

In addition, the employee generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the sale of shares and the employee’s tax basis in the shares. Capital gain or loss recognized on a disposition of shares will be long-term capital gain or loss if the employee’s holding period for the shares exceeds one year and otherwise will be short-term capital gain or loss.

 

If the employee disposes of shares purchased pursuant to the ESPP within two years after the first business day of the offering period in which such shares were purchased, the Company generally will be entitled to a deduction for United States federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the ordinary compensation income recognized by the employee as a result of such disposition. If the employee disposes of shares purchased pursuant to the ESPP more than two years after the first business day of the offering period in which the employee acquired the shares, the Company will not be entitled to any deduction for United States federal income tax purposes with respect to the options or the shares issued upon their exercise.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL
OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE 2002 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

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PROPOSAL 4

 

RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The Audit Committee has selected KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year ending October 3, 2008 (“fiscal year 2008”), and has further directed that management submit the selection of the independent registered public accounting firm for ratification by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting. KPMG LLP was the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2007, and has been the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company’s predecessor, Alpha Industries, Inc., since 1975. We are asking the stockholders to ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year 2008.

 

Representatives of KPMG LLP are expected to attend the Annual Meeting. They will have an opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate stockholder questions.

 

Stockholder ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is not required by the Company’s by-laws or other applicable legal requirements. However, the Audit Committee is submitting the selection of KPMG LLP to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. In the event stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee may reconsider this appointment. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the Company’s and stockholders’ best interests.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR”
THE RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF KPMG LLP
AS THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM OF THE COMPANY

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REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

 

The Audit Committee of Skyworks’ Board of Directors is responsible for providing independent, objective oversight of Skyworks’ accounting functions and internal controls. The Audit Committee is composed of five directors, each of whom is independent within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Rules. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board of Directors.

 

Management is responsible for the Company’s internal control and financial reporting process. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of Skyworks’ consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and for issuing a report concerning such financial statements. The Audit Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and oversee these processes.

 

In connection with these responsibilities, the Audit Committee met with management and representatives of KPMG LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, and reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for the year ended September 28, 2007 results of the internal and external audit examinations, evaluations of the Company’s internal controls and the overall quality of Skyworks’ financial reporting. The Audit Committee also discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the matters required by Statement of Auditing Standards No. 61 (Communications with Audit Committees). The Audit Committee also received written disclosures and a letter from the independent registered public accounting firm required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), and the Audit Committee discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm such firm’s independence vis-à-vis the Company.

 

Based upon the Audit Committee’s review and discussions described above, the Audit Committee recommended that the Board of Directors include the audited consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 28, 2007, as filed with the SEC.

 

The Audit Committee

 

Kevin L. Beebe
Balakrishnan S. Iyer
David P. McGlade
David J. McLachlan, Chairman
Robert A. Schriesheim

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AUDIT FEES

 

KPMG LLP provided audit services to the Company consisting of the annual audit of the Company’s 2007 consolidated financial statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and reviews of the financial statements contained in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for fiscal year 2007. The following table summarizes the fees of KPMG LLP billed to the Company for the last two fiscal years.

 

 

 

 

In 2003, the Audit Committee adopted a formal policy concerning approval of audit and non-audit services to be provided to the Company by its independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP. The policy requires that all services to be provided by KPMG LLP, including audit services and permitted audit-related and non-audit services, must be pre-approved by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee pre-approved all audit and non-audit services provided by KPMG LLP during fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006.

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REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

 

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis that follows with management, and based on the review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement for the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

The Compensation Committee

 

Kevin L. Beebe
Timothy R. Furey, Chairman
David P. McGlade
Robert A. Schriesheim

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INFORMATION ABOUT EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

 

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

 

Who Sets Compensation for Senior Executives?

 

The Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of independent directors within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ Rules, outside directors within the meaning of Section 162 of the IRC and non-employee directors within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, is responsible for determining all components, and amounts, of compensation to be paid to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer and each of the Company’s other executive officers, as well as any other officers or employees who report directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

 

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis section discusses the compensation policies and programs for our Chief Executive Officer, our current Chief Financial Officer, our former Chief Financial Officer and our three next most highly paid executive officers as determined under the rules of the SEC. We refer to this group of executive officers as our “Named Executive Officers.”

 

What are the Objectives of Our Compensation Program?

 

The objectives of our executive compensation program are to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified executives to operate our business, and to link the compensation of those executives to improvements in the Company’s financial performance and increases in stockholder value. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee’s goals in establishing our executive compensation program include:

 

(1) ensuring that our executive compensation program is competitive with a group of companies in the semiconductor industry with which we compete for executive talent;

 

(2) providing a base salary that serves as the foundation of a compensation package that attracts and retains the executive talent needed to obtain our business objectives;

 

(3) providing short-term variable cash compensation that motivates executives and rewards them for achieving financial performance targets;

 

(4) providing long-term stock-based compensation that aligns the interest of our executives with stockholders and rewards them for increases in stockholder value; and

 

(5) ensuring that our executive compensation program is perceived as fundamentally fair to all of our employees.

 

How Do We Determine the Components and Amount of Compensation to Pay?

 

The Compensation Committee sets compensation for the Named Executive Officers, including salary, short-term cash incentives and long-term stock-based awards, at levels generally intended to be competitive with the compensation of comparable executives in semiconductor companies with which the Company competes for executive talent.

 

Retention of Compensation Consultant

 

The Compensation Committee has engaged Aon/Radford Consulting to assist the Compensation Committee in determining the components and amount of executive compensation. The consultant reports directly to the Compensation Committee, through its chairperson, and the Compensation Committee retains the right to terminate or replace the consultant at any time. The consultant advises the Compensation Committee on such compensation matters as are requested by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee considers the consultant’s advice on such matters in addition to any other information or factors it considers relevant in making its compensation determinations.

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Role of Chief Executive Officer

 

The Compensation Committee also considered the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of each of his direct reports, including the other Named Executive Officers. These recommendations included an assessment of each individual’s responsibilities, experience, individual performance and contribution to the Company’s performance, and also generally took into account internal factors such as historical compensation and level in the organization, in addition to external factors such as the current environment for attracting and retaining executives.

 

Establishment of Comparator Group Data

 

In determining compensation for each of the Named Executive Officers, the committee utilizes “Comparator Group” data for each position. For fiscal year 2007, the Compensation Committee approved Comparator Group data consisting of a 50/50 blend of (i) Aon/Radford survey data of 88 semiconductor companies¹ and (ii) the public “peer” group data for 16 publicly-traded semiconductor companies with which the Company competes for executive talent:

 

 

Utilization of Comparator Group Data

 

The Compensation Committee annually compares the components and amounts of compensation that we provide to our Chief Executive Officer and other Named Executive Officers with the components and amounts of compensation provided to their counterparts in the Comparator Group and uses this comparison data as a guideline in its review and determination of base salaries, short-term cash incentives and long-term stock-based compensation awards. In addition, in setting fiscal year 2007 compensation, the Compensation Committee sought and received input from its consultant regarding the base salaries for the Chief Executive Officer and each of his direct reports, the award levels and performance targets relating to the short-term cash incentive program for executive officers, and the individual stock-based compensation awards for executive officers, as well as the related vesting schedules.

 

After reviewing the data and considering the input, the Compensation Committee established a base salary, short-term cash incentive target and long-term stock-based compensation award for each Named Executive Officer. In establishing individual compensation, the Compensation Committee also considered the input of the Chief Executive Officer, as well as the individual experience and performance of the executive. In determining the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, our Compensation Committee focused on (i) competitive levels of compensation for chief executive officers who are leading a company of similar size and complexity, (ii) the importance of retaining a chief executive officer with the strategic, financial and leadership skills to ensure our continued growth and success and (iii) the Chief Executive Officer’s role relative to other Named Executive Officers and the considerable length of his 13-year service to the Company. Aon/Radford advised the Compensation Committee that the base salary, annual performance targets and short-term cash incentive target opportunity, and equity-based compensation for 2007 were competitive for chief executive officers in the sector. The Chief Executive Officer was not present during voting or deliberations of the Compensation Committee concerning

 

 

¹ Where sufficient data was not available in the semiconductor survey data — for example, for a VP/General Manager position — the Comparator Group data reflected survey data regarding high-technology companies, which included a larger survey sample. Semiconductor companies included in the survey had average annual revenue of approximately $1 billion, whereas the high-technology companies included in the survey were segregated based on the annual revenue of the general manager’s business unit.

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his compensation. As stated above, however, the Compensation Committee did consider the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of all of his direct reports, including the other Named Executive Officers.

 

What are the Components of Executive Compensation?

 

The key elements of compensation for our Named Executive Officers are base salary, short-term cash incentives, long-term stock-based incentives, 401(k) plan retirement benefits, medical and insurance benefits. Consistent with our objective of ensuring executive compensation is perceived as fair to all employees, the Named Executive Officers do not receive any retirement benefits beyond those generally available to our full-time employees, and we do not provide medical or insurance benefits to Named Executive Officers that are significantly different from those offered to other full-time employees.

 

Base Salary

 

Base salaries provide our executive officers with a degree of financial certainty and stability. The Compensation Committee determines a competitive base salary for each executive officer using the Comparator Group data and input provided by its consultant. Based on these factors, base salaries of the Named Executive Officers were generally targeted at the Comparator Group median, and in certain instances were targeted closer to the 75th percentile based on role, responsibility, performance and length of service. After considering all these factors, the only base salary adjustment made for a Named Executive Officer for fiscal year 2007 was for the Vice President and General Manager, Linear Products, who received a 5% base salary increase.

 

Short-Term Cash Incentives

 

Our short-term cash incentive compensation plan for executive officers is established annually by the Compensation Committee. For fiscal year 2007, the Compensation Committee adopted the 2007 Executive Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”). The Incentive Plan established short-term cash incentive awards that could be earned semi-annually by certain officers of the Company, including the Named Executive Officers, based on the Company’s achievement of certain corporate performance metrics established on a semi-annual basis. Short-term cash incentives are intended to motivate and reward executives by tying a significant portion of their total cash compensation to the Company’s achievement of pre-established performance metrics that are generally short-term (i.e., less than one year). In establishing the short-term cash incentive plan, the Compensation Committee first determined a competitive short-term cash incentive target for each Named Executive Officer based on the Comparator Group data, and then set threshold, target and maximum cash incentive payment levels. At the target payout level, Skyworks’ short-term cash incentive was designed to result in a cash incentive payout equal to the median of the Comparator Group, while a maximum incentive payout for exceeding the corporate performance metrics would result in a payout above the median of the Comparator Group, and a threshold payout for meeting the minimal corporate performance metrics would result in a payout below the median. The following is the cash incentive payment levels the Named Executive Officers could earn in fiscal year 2007 (shown as a percentage of base salary), depending on the Company’s achievement of the performance metrics. Actual performance between the threshold and the target metrics or between the target and maximum metrics was determined based on linear sliding scale.

 

 

For fiscal year 2007, in establishing the Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee considered the fact that our primary corporate goal was to increase revenue in excess of the market growth rate by gaining market share, while at the same time leveraging our fixed cost structure to generate higher earnings. Our primary objective in the first half of fiscal year 2007 was to improve our cost structure by successfully implementing and executing the restructuring plan that was announced publicly early in the fiscal year. Our primary objective in the second half of the year was to leverage our improved cost structure by increasing revenue through market share gains and the successful ramping of new product programs. Consequently, for fiscal year 2007, the Compensation Committee

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split the Incentive Plan into two six month performance periods, with the first half performance metrics focused on achieving specified non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin targets and a Six Sigma quality metric.

 

For the first half of the year, each of the non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin metrics was given a weighting of 45%, and the remaining 10% was tied to achieving the quality metric. Because the Company exceeded each of its target performance metrics for the first half of the year, the Chief Executive Officer earned a first half incentive award equal to approximately 75% of his annual base salary and each of the other Named Executive Officers earned a first half incentive award equal to approximately 45% of his respective annual base salary. In accordance with the provisions of the Incentive Plan, cash incentive payments for the first six month performance period were capped at 80% of the award earned, with 20% of the award earned held back until the end of the fiscal year to ensure sustained financial performance. The amount held back was subsequently paid after the end of the fiscal year as the Company sustained its financial performance throughout fiscal year 2007.

 

For the second half of fiscal year 2007, the Committee established performance metrics based on achieving specified revenue, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP gross margin targets and a Six Sigma quality metric.

 

The weighting of the different metrics for the second half of fiscal year 2007 is set forth as follows.

 

 

In determining the weightings among the Named Executive Officers, the Compensation Committee’s goal was to align the incentive compensation of each Named Executive Officer with the performance metrics such executive could most impact. For instance, the performance metrics for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer were designed to focus such executives on improving the Company’s competitive position and achieving profitable growth overall. The performance metrics for Vice President and General Manager, Linear Products and Executive Vice President and General Manager, Front-End Solutions were designed to focus such executives on their respective business unit revenue (ramping of their respective products), and the performance metrics for the Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing were designed to focus such executive on increasing overall corporate revenue while at the same time increasing gross margin.

 

In the second half of the year, the Company met or exceeded its target non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP gross margin and quality metrics, and exceeded its threshold revenue metric. Accordingly, the Chief Executive Officer earned a second half incentive award equal to approximately 50% of his annual base salary, and the other Named Executive Officers earned second half incentive awards ranging from approximately 26% to 38% of their respective annual base salaries.

 

For the full fiscal year, the total payments under the Incentive Plan to the Chief Executive Officer, the current Chief Financial Officer, the former Chief Financial Officer, the Executive Vice President and General Manager,

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Front-End Solutions, the Vice President and General Manager, Linear Products, and Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing were approximately 125%, 75%, 75%, 72%, 84% and 81% of their respective annual base salaries.

 

The target financial performance metrics established by the Compensation Committee under the Incentive Plan are based on our historical operating results and growth rates as well as our expected future results, and are designed to require significant effort and operational success on the part of our executives and the Company. The maximum financial performance metrics established by the Committee have historically been difficult to achieve and are designed to represent outstanding performance that the Committee believes should be rewarded. The Compensation Committee retains the discretion, based on the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer, to make payments even if the threshold performance metrics are not met or to make payments in excess of the maximum level if the Company’s performance exceeds the maximum metrics. The Compensation Committee believes it is appropriate to retain this discretion in order to make short term cash incentive awards in extraordinary circumstances. No such discretion was exercised under the Incentive Plan for fiscal year 2007.

 

Long-Term Stock-Based Compensation

 

The Compensation Committee makes stock-based compensation awards to executive officers on an annual basis. Stock-based compensation awards are intended to align the interests of our executive officers with stockholders, and reward them for increases in stockholder value over long periods of time (i.e., greater than one year). It is the Company’s practice to make stock-based compensation awards to executive officers in November of each year at a pre-scheduled Compensation Committee meeting. For fiscal year 2007, the Compensation Committee made awards to executive officers, including certain Named Executive Officers, on November 7, 2006, at a regularly scheduled Compensation Committee meeting. Stock options awarded to executive officers at the meeting had an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the meeting date.

 

In making stock-based compensation awards to certain executive officers for fiscal year 2007, the Compensation Committee first reviewed the Comparator Group data to determine the percentage of the outstanding number of shares that are typically used for employee compensation programs (i.e., “burn rate” and “overhang”). The Compensation Committee then set the number of Skyworks shares of common stock that would be made available for executive officer awards at approximately the median of the Comparator Group based on the business need, internal and external circumstances and ISS guidelines. The Compensation Committee then reviewed the Comparator Group by executive position to determine the allocation of the available shares among the executive officers. The Compensation Committee then attributed a long-term equity-based compensation value to each executive officer. One-half of that value was converted to a number of stock options using an estimated Black-Scholes value, and the remaining half was converted to a number of restricted stock awards based on the fair market value of the common stock. The Compensation Committee’s rationale for awarding restricted shares included providing an award that would have a fixed monetary value for retention purposes, while at the same time providing an incentive to the executive management team towards the common goal of increasing stockholder value.²

 

Other Compensation and Benefits

 

We also provide other benefits to our executive officers that are intended to be part of a competitive overall compensation program and are not tied to any company performance criteria. Consistent with the Compensation Committee’s goal of ensuring that executive compensation is perceived as fair to all stakeholders, the Company offers medical plans, dental plans, vision plans, life insurance plans and disability insurance plans to executive officers under the same terms as such benefits are offered to all other employees. Additionally, executive officers are permitted to participate in the Company’s 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan under the same terms as all other employees. The Company does not provide executive officers with any enhanced retirement benefits (i.e., executive officers are subject to the same limits on contributions as other employees, as we do not offer any SERP or other similar non-qualified deferred compensation plan), and they are eligible for 401(k) company-match contributions under the same terms as other employees.

 

 

² The restricted stock granted in November 2006 contained both performance and service vesting conditions as described in footnote 2 of the “Grant of Plan-Based Awards Table” below.

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Although certain Named Executive Officers were historically provided an opportunity to participate in the Company’s Executive Compensation Plan (the “Executive Compensation Plan”) — an unfunded, non-qualified deferred compensation plan, under which participants were allowed to defer a portion of their compensation — as a result of deferred compensation legislation under Section 409A of the IRC, effective December 31, 2005, the Company no longer permits employees to make contributions to the plan. Although the Company had discretion to make additional contributions to the accounts of participants while the Executive Compensation Plan was active, it never did so.

 

Severance and Change of Control Benefits

 

None of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, has an employment agreement that provides a specific term of employment with the Company. Accordingly, the employment of any such employee may be terminated at any time. We do provide certain benefits to our Named Executive Officers upon certain qualifying terminations and in connection with terminations under certain circumstances following a change of control. A description of the material terms of our severance and change of control arrangements with the Named Executive Officers can be found under the “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control — Severance/Change of Control Agreements” section of the Proxy Statement.

 

The Company believes that severance protections can play a valuable role in recruiting and retaining superior talent. Severance and other termination benefits are an effective way to offer executives financial security to incent them to forego an opportunity with another company. These agreements also protect the Company as the Named Executive Officers are bound by restrictive non-compete and non-solicit covenants for two years after termination of employment. Outside of the change in control context, severance benefits are payable to the Named Executive Officers if their employment is involuntarily terminated by the Company without cause, or if a Named Executive Officer terminates his own employment for a good reason (as defined in the agreement). In addition, provided he forfeits certain equity awards and agrees to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors for a minimum of two (2) years, the Chief Executive Officer is entitled to certain severance benefits upon termination of his employment for any reason on or after January 1, 2010. The Compensation Committee believes that this provision facilitates his retention with the Company. The level of each Named Executive Officer’s severance or other termination benefits is generally tied to his respective annual base salary and targeted short term cash incentive opportunity (or past short term cash incentive earned).

 

Additionally, the Named Executive Officers would receive enhanced severance and other benefits if their employment terminated under certain circumstances in connection with a change in control of the Company which benefits are described in detail under the “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control — Severance/Change of Control Agreements” section of the Proxy Statement below. The Named Executive Officers are also entitled to receive a tax gross-up payment (with a $500,000 cap for Named Executive Officers other than the Chief Executive Officer) if they become subject to the 20% golden parachute excise tax imposed by Section 280G of the IRC, as the Company believes that the executives should be able to receive their contractual rights to severance without being subject to punitive excise taxes. The Company further believes these enhanced severance benefits are appropriate because the occurrence, or potential occurrence, of a change in control transaction would likely create uncertainty regarding the continued employment of each Named Executive Officer, and these enhanced severance protections encourage the Named Executive Officers to remain employed with the Company through the change in control process and to focus on enhancing stockholder value both before and during the change in control process.

 

Lastly, each Named Executive Officer’s outstanding unvested stock options and restricted stock awards fully vest upon the occurrence of a change in control. The Company believes this accelerated vesting is appropriate given the importance of long-term equity awards in our executive compensation program and the uncertainty regarding the continued employment of Named Executive Officers that typically occurs in a change in control context. The Company’s view is that this vesting protection helps assure the Named Executive Officers that they will not lose the expected value of their options and restricted stock awards because of a change in control of the Company.

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Compensation Tables for Named Executive Officers

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table summarizes certain compensation earned by, or awarded or paid to, our Named Executive Officers for fiscal year 2007.

 

 

 

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Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table

 

The following table summarizes all grants of plan-based awards made to the Named Executive Officers in fiscal year 2007, including cash incentive awards payable under our Fiscal Year 2007 Executive Incentive Plan.

 

 

 

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End Table

 

The following table summarizes the unvested stock awards and all stock options held by the Named Executive Officers as of September 28, 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

triggered as the Company exceeded the 60th percentile of it peers on the basis of stock performance. The May 10, 2005 grant vests 25% per year over 4 years.

 

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Option Exercises and Stock Vested Table

 

The following table summarizes the Named Executive Officers’ option exercises and stock award vesting during fiscal year 2007.

 

 

 

 

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table

 

In prior fiscal years, certain executive officers were provided an opportunity to participate in the Company’s Executive Compensation Plan, an unfunded, non-qualified deferred compensation plan, under which participants were allowed to defer a portion of their compensation, as a result of deferred compensation legislation under Section 409A of the IRC. Effective December 31, 2005, the Company no longer permits employees to make contributions to the Executive Compensation Plan. Mr. Aldrich is the only Named Executive Officer that participated in the Executive Compensation Plan. Mr. Aldrich’s contributions are credited with earnings/losses based upon the performance of the investments he selects. Upon retirement, as defined, or other separation from service, or, if so elected, upon any earlier change in control of the Company, a participant is entitled to a payment of his or her vested account balance, either in a single lump sum or in annual installments, as elected in advance by the participant. Although the Company had discretion to make additional contributions to the accounts of participants while it was active, it never made any company contributions.

 

The following table summarizes the aggregate earnings in the fiscal year 2007 for Mr. Aldrich under the Executive Compensation Plan.

 

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Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

In January 2008, the Company entered into an amended and restated Change of Control / Severance Agreement with Mr. David J. Aldrich (the “Aldrich Agreement”), the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Aldrich Agreement sets out severance benefits that become payable if, within two (2) years after a change of control, Mr. Aldrich either (i) is involuntarily terminated without cause or (ii) voluntarily terminates his employment. The severance benefits provided to Mr. Aldrich in such circumstances will consist of the following: (i) a payment equal to two and one-half (21/2) times the sum of (A) his annual base salary immediately prior to the change of control and (B) his annual short term cash incentive award (calculated as the greater of (x) the average short term cash incentive awards received for the three years prior to the year in which the change of control occurs or (y) the target annual short cash incentive award for the year in which the change of control occurs); (ii) all then outstanding stock options will remain exercisable for a period of thirty (30) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms); and (iii) continued medical benefits for a period of eighteen (18) months after the termination date. The foregoing payments are subject to a gross-up payment for any applicable excise taxes incurred under Section 4999 of the IRC. Additionally, in the event of a change of control, Mr. Aldrich’s Agreement provides for full acceleration of the vesting of all then outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards and partial acceleration of any outstanding performance share awards.

 

The Aldrich Agreement also sets out severance benefits outside of a change of control that become payable if, while employed by the Company, Mr. Aldrich either (i) is involuntarily terminated without cause or (ii) terminates his employment for good reason. The severance benefits provided to Mr. Aldrich under either of these circumstances will consist of the following: (i) a payment equal to two (2) times the sum of (A) his annual base salary immediately prior to such termination and (B) his annual short term cash incentive award (calculated as the greater of (x) the average short term cash incentive awards received for the three years prior to the year in which the termination occurs or (y) the target annual short cash incentive award for the year in which the termination occurs); and (ii) full acceleration of the vesting of all outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards, with such stock options to remain exercisable for a period of two (2) years after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms), and, with respect to any performance share awards outstanding, shares subject to such award will be deemed earned to the extent any such shares would have been earned pursuant to the terms of such award as of the day prior to the date of such termination (without regard to any continued service requirement) (collectively, “Severance Benefits”). In the event of Mr. Aldrich’s death or disability, all outstanding stock options will vest in full and remain exercisable for a period of twelve (12) months following the termination of employment (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms).

 

In addition, the Aldrich Agreement provides that if Mr. Aldrich voluntarily terminates his employment after January 1, 2010, subject to certain notice requirements and his availability to continue to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company and as chairman of a committee thereof for up to two (2) years, he shall be entitled to the Severance Benefits; provided however, that all Company stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, and any other equity-based awards, which were both (a) granted to him in the eighteen (18) month period prior to such termination and (b) scheduled to vest more than two (2) years from the date of such termination, will be forfeited.

 

The Aldrich Agreement is intended to be compliant with Section 409A of the IRC and has a three (3) year term. Additionally, the Aldrich Agreement requires Mr. Aldrich to sign a release of claims in favor of the Company before he is eligible to receive any benefits under the agreement, and contains non-compete and non-solicitation provisions applicable to him while he is employed by the Company and for a period of twenty-four (24) months following the termination of his employment.

SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT

46

 

 

Other Named Executive Officers

 

In January 2008, the Company entered into new Change of Control / Severance Agreements with each of Liam K. Griffin, Donald W. Palette, Stanley A. Swearingen and Gregory L. Waters (the “COC Agreement”). Each COC Agreement sets out severance benefits that become payable if, within twelve (12) months after a change of control, the executive either (i) is involuntarily terminated without cause or (ii) terminates his employment for good reason. The severance benefits provided to the executive in such circumstances will consist of the following: (i) a payment equal to two (2) times the sum of (A) his annual base salary immediately prior to the change of control and (B) his annual short term cash incentive award (calculated as the greater of (x) the average short term cash incentive awards received for the three years prior to the year in which the change of control occurs or (y) the target annual short cash incentive award for the year in which the change of control occurs); (ii) all then outstanding stock options will remain exercisable for a period of eighteen (18) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms); and (iii) continued medical benefits for eighteen (18) months after the termination date. The foregoing payments are subject to a gross-up payment limited to a maximum of $500,000 for any applicable excise taxes incurred under Section 4999 of the IRC. Additionally, in the event of a change of control, each COC Agreement provides for full acceleration of the vesting of all then outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards and partial acceleration of any outstanding performance share awards.

 

Each COC Agreement also sets out severance benefits outside a change of control that become payable if, while employed by the Company, the executive is involuntarily terminated without cause. The severance benefits provided to the executive under such circumstance will consist of the following: (i) a payment equal to the sum of (x) his annual base salary and (y) any short term cash incentive award then due; and (ii) all then vested outstanding stock options will remain exercisable for a period of twelve (12) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms). In the event the executive’s death or disability, all outstanding stock options will vest and remain exercisable for a period of twelve (12) months following the termination of employment (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms).

 

Each COC Agreement is intended to be compliant with Section 409A of the IRC and has an initial two (2) year term, which is thereafter renewable on an annual basis for up to five (5) additional years upon mutual agreement of the Company and the executive. Additionally, each COC Agreement requires that the executive sign a release of claims in favor of the Company before he is eligible to receive any benefits under the agreement, and contains non-compete and non-solicitation provisions applicable to the executive while he is employed by the Company and for a period of twenty-four (24) months following the termination of his employment.

 

The terms “change in control,” “cause,” and “good reason” are each defined in the above-referenced agreements. Change in control means, in summary: (i) the acquisition by a person or a group of 40% or more of the outstanding stock of Skyworks; (ii) a change, without Board of Directors approval, of a majority of the Board of Directors of Skyworks; (iii) the acquisition of Skyworks by means of a reorganization, merger, consolidation or asset sale; or (iv) the approval of a liquidation or dissolution of Skyworks. Cause means, in summary: (i) deliberate dishonesty that is significantly detrimental to the best interests of Skyworks; (ii) conduct constituting an act of moral turpitude; (iii) willful disloyalty or insubordination; or (iv) incompetent performance or substantial or continuing inattention to or neglect of duties. Good reason means, in summary: a material diminution in (i) base compensation or (ii) authority, duties or responsibility, (iii) a material change in office location, or (iv) any action or inaction constituting a material breach by Skyworks of the terms of the agreement.

 

The following table summarizes payments and benefits that would be made to the Named Executive Officers under their current change of control/severance agreements with the Company in the following circumstances as of September 28, 2007:

 

SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT

47

 

 

 

The following table does not reflect any equity awards made after September 28, 2007.