DEF 14A 1 d840547ddef14a.htm DEF 14A DEF 14A
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(RULE 14a-101)

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                             Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

 

  Preliminary Proxy Statement.
  Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)).
  Definitive Proxy Statement.
  Definitive Additional Materials.
  Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12.

J.Jill, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

N/A

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

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Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

 

     

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  Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
  Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
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LOGO

4 Batterymarch Park

Quincy, Massachusetts 02169

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD September 16, 2020

To the Stockholders of J.Jill, Inc.:

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of J.Jill, Inc. (the “Company,” “J.Jill” or “we”) will be held on September 16, 2020 at 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169 at 8:00 AM EDT. The meeting is called for the following purposes:

1.    To elect two directors to our Board of Directors, each to serve as a Class III director for a term of three years expiring at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2023 and until such director’s successor has been duly elected and qualified;

2.    To ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year ending January 30, 2021; and

3.    To consider and take action upon such other matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

These matters are more fully described in the Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice.

If you were a stockholder of record of J.Jill, Inc. common stock as of the close of business on July 20, 2020, you are entitled to receive this Notice and vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and any adjournments or postponements thereof, provided that our Board of Directors may fix a new record date for an adjourned meeting. Our stock transfer books will not be closed. A list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting may be examined at our principal executive offices in Quincy, Massachusetts during ordinary business hours or on a reasonably accessible electronic network as provided by applicable law in the 10-day period preceding the meeting for any purposes related to the meeting.

We are pleased to take advantage of the Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow us to furnish these proxy materials (including an electronic Proxy Card for the meeting) and our 2019 Annual Report (including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 1, 2020) to stockholders via the Internet. On or about August 4, 2020, we will mail to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access our Proxy Statement and 2019 Annual Report to Stockholders and how to vote. We believe that posting these materials on the Internet enables us to provide stockholders with the information they need to vote more quickly, while lowering the cost and reducing the environmental impact of printing and delivering annual meeting materials.


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You are cordially invited to attend the meeting. Whether or not you expect to attend, our Board of Directors respectfully requests that you vote your stock in the manner described in the Proxy Statement. You may revoke your proxy in the manner described in the Proxy Statement at any time before it has been voted at the meeting.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors of J.Jill, Inc.,

Michael Rahamim

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Quincy, Massachusetts
Dated: July 28, 2020

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON September 16, 2020: J.Jill, Inc.’s Proxy Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 are also available at www.astproxyportal.com/ast/JJill.


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J.JILL, INC.

Proxy Statement

for the

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

To Be Held September 16, 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Information Concerning Solicitation and Voting

     1  

Questions and Answers about the 2020 Annual Meeting

     2  

Proposal One Election of Directors

     6  

Directors and Executive Officers

     7  

Corporate Governance Matters

     11  

Director Compensation

     16  

Executive Compensation

     18  

Proposal Two Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     25  

Audit Committee Report

     27  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

     28  

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

     30  

Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions

     31  

Stockholder Proposals

     34  

Householding Matters

     34  

Annual Report on Form 10-K

     35  

Other Matters

     36  


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J.JILL, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD September 16, 2020

Information Concerning Solicitation and Voting

This Proxy Statement is furnished to the holders of our common stock in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of our Board of Directors for use at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on September 16, 2020 at 8:00 AM EDT at 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169, or for use at any adjournment or postponement thereof, for the purposes set forth herein and in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Only stockholders of record at the close of business on July 20, 2020 are entitled to notice of and to vote at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”).

In accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are furnishing proxy materials, including the Notice, this Proxy Statement, our 2019 Annual Report to Stockholders, including financial statements, and a Proxy Card for the Annual Meeting, by providing access to them on the Internet to save printing costs and benefit the environment. These materials were first available on the Internet on July 28, 2020. We mailed a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials on or about August 4, 2020 to our stockholders of record and beneficial owners as of July 20, 2020, the record date for the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement and the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contain instructions for accessing and reviewing our proxy materials on the Internet and for voting by proxy over the Internet. You will need to obtain your own Internet access if you choose to access the proxy materials and/or vote over the Internet. If you prefer to receive printed copies of our proxy materials, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions on how to request the materials by mail. You will not receive printed copies of the proxy materials unless you request them. If you elect to receive the materials by mail, you may also vote by proxy on the Proxy Card or Voter Instruction Card that you will receive in response to your request.

Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held as of the record date with respect to all matters that may be considered at the Annual Meeting. Stockholder votes will be tabulated by persons appointed by our Board of Directors to act as inspectors of election for the Annual Meeting.

We bear the expense of soliciting proxies. Our directors, officers, or employees may also solicit proxies personally or by telephone, telegram, facsimile, or other means of communication. We do not intend to pay additional compensation for doing so. In addition, we might reimburse banks, brokerage firms, and other custodians, nominees, and fiduciaries representing beneficial owners of our common stock, for their expenses in forwarding soliciting materials to those beneficial owners.

 

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING

Q:    Why am I receiving these proxy materials?

A:    We are furnishing you these proxy materials in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of our Board of Directors for use at the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement includes information that we are required to provide under Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules and is designed to assist you in voting your shares.

Proxies in proper form received by us at or before the time of the Annual Meeting will be voted as specified. Stockholders may specify their choices by marking the appropriate boxes on their Proxy Card. If a Proxy Card is dated, signed and returned without specifying choices, the proxies will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our Board of Directors set forth in this Proxy Statement, and, in their discretion, upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting. Business transacted at the Annual Meeting will be confined to the purposes stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting. Shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, cannot be voted at the Annual Meeting unless the holder is present in person or represented by proxy.

Q:    Who may vote at the Annual Meeting?

A:    Our Board of Directors set July 20, 2020 as the record date for the Annual Meeting. If you owned shares of our common stock at the close of business on July 20, 2020, you may attend and vote at the Annual Meeting. On all matters to be voted on, each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held by such stockholder. As of July 20, 2020, there were 44,288,129 shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Q:    What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner?

A:    If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, you are considered, with respect to those shares, a stockholder of record. As a stockholder of record, you have the right to vote in person at the Annual Meeting. You will need to present a form of personal photo identification in order to be admitted to the Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by another nominee or trustee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name. In that case, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or proxy materials have been forwarded to you by your broker, bank or other holder of record who is considered, with respect to those shares, the stockholder of record. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other holder of record on how to vote your shares by using the voting instructions included in the Notice of Internet Availability or proxy materials.

Q:    What is the quorum requirement for the Annual Meeting?

A:    A majority of our outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote as of the record date must be present at the Annual Meeting in order for us to hold the Annual Meeting and conduct business. This is called a quorum. Your shares will be counted as present at the Annual Meeting if you:

 

   

Are present and entitled to vote in person at the Annual Meeting; or

 

   

Properly submitted a Proxy Card or Voter Instruction Card.

If you are present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, but withhold your vote or abstain from voting on any or all proposals, your shares are still counted as present and entitled to vote. Each of the proposals listed in this Proxy Statement identifies the votes needed to approve the proposed action.

 

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Q:    What proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting?

A:    The two proposals to be voted on at the Annual Meeting are as follows:

1.    To elect two directors to our Board of Directors, each to serve as a Class III director for a term of three years expiring at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2023 and until such director’s successor has been duly elected and qualified; and

2.    To ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 30, 2021.

We will also consider any other business that properly comes before the Annual Meeting. As of the record date, we are not aware of any other matters to be submitted for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the proxy named in the Proxy Card or Voter Instruction Card will vote the shares it represents using its best judgment.

Q:    What is the vote required for each proposal and what are my voting choices?

A:    With respect to Proposal 1, the election of directors, you may vote FOR or WITHHOLD. A plurality of the votes cast is required to be elected as a director. A “plurality of the votes cast” means that the two director nominees that receive the most number of votes cast “FOR” will be elected. If you WITHHOLD from voting on Proposal 1, the withhold vote will have no effect on the outcome of the vote (only because the outcome is determined by the number of affirmative votes for each director).

With respect to Proposal 2, you may vote FOR, AGAINST or ABSTAIN, and the vote required is the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote and present or represented by proxy. If you ABSTAIN from voting on Proposal 2, the abstention will have the same effect as an AGAINST vote.

Q:    How does our Board of Directors recommend that I vote?

A:    Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote:

1.    FOR the election of the two director nominees named in this proxy statement; and

2.    FOR the ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 30, 2021.

Q:    What is the effect of a broker non-vote?

A:    Brokers or other nominees who hold shares for a beneficial owner have the discretion to vote on routine proposals when they have not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner at least ten days prior to the Annual Meeting. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker or other nominee does not receive instructions from the beneficial owner regarding how to vote on a particular proposal and does not have the discretion to direct the voting of the shares. Broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of calculating whether a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting but will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of votes present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote with respect to certain proposals. Accordingly, a broker non-vote will not impact our ability to obtain a quorum or the outcome of voting on Proposal 1. Because brokers may exercise discretion to vote on Proposal 2, we do not anticipate any broker non-votes with regard to this proposal. If you hold shares in street name and do not vote on Proposal 1, your shares will not be voted in respect of Proposal 1 and will be counted as broker non-votes.

Q:    Can I access these proxy materials on the Internet?

A:    Yes. The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement, and 2019 Annual Report to Stockholders (including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 1, 2020) are available for viewing, printing, and

 

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downloading at www.astproxyportal.com/ast/JJill. They are also available under the Investor Relations—Financial Information—SEC Filings section of our website at www.jjill.com and through the SEC’s EDGAR system at http://www.sec.gov . All materials will remain posted on www.astproxyportal.com/ast/JJill at least until the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.

Q:    How may I vote my shares in person at the Annual Meeting?

A:    If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, you are considered, with respect to those shares, the stockholder of record. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to vote in person at the Annual Meeting. You will need to present a form of personal photo identification in order to be admitted to the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by another nominee or trustee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name. As the beneficial owner, you are also invited to attend the Annual Meeting. Because a beneficial owner is not the stockholder of record, you may not vote these shares in person at the Annual Meeting unless you obtain a “legal proxy” from the broker, nominee, or trustee that holds your shares, giving you the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting. Please contact your broker, nominee or trustee if you wish to obtain such a “legal proxy.”

Q:    How can I vote my shares without attending the Annual Meeting?

A:    If your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee, they should send you instructions that you must follow in order to have your shares voted. If you hold shares in your own name, you may vote by proxy in any one of the following ways:

 

   

Via the Internet by following the instructions provided in the Notice of Internet Availability; or

 

   

By requesting that printed copies of the proxy materials be mailed to you pursuant to the instructions provided in the Notice of Internet Availability and completing, dating, signing and returning the Proxy Card that you receive in response to your request.

Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to vote in advance by Internet or mail so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting.

The Internet voting procedures are designed to authenticate stockholders’ identities by use of a control number to allow stockholders to vote their shares and to confirm that stockholders’ instructions have been properly recorded. Voting via the Internet must be completed by 11:59 PM EDT on September 15, 2020. Of course, as described in the immediately preceding question and answer, you can always come to the Annual Meeting and vote your shares in person. If you submit or return a Proxy Card without giving specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted as recommended by our Board of Directors, as permitted by law.

Q:    How can I change my vote after submitting it?

A:    If you are a stockholder of record, you can revoke your proxy before your shares are voted at the Annual Meeting by:

 

   

Filing a written notice of revocation bearing a later date than the proxy with our Secretary and General Counsel at 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169 at or before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting;

 

   

Duly executing a later-dated proxy relating to the same shares and delivering it to our Secretary and General Counsel at 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169 at or before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting;

 

   

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); or

 

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If you voted via the Internet, voting again by the same means prior to 11:59 PM EDT on September 15, 2020 (your latest Internet vote, as applicable, will be counted and all earlier votes will be disregarded).

If you are a beneficial owner of shares, you may submit new voting instructions by contacting your bank, broker, or other holder of record. You may also vote in person at the Annual Meeting if you obtain a legal proxy from them.

Q:    Is TowerBrook entitled to designate any director nominees for election to our Board of Directors?

A:    Under the Stockholders Agreement, dated as of March 14, 2017 (the “Stockholders Agreement”), TI IV JJill Holdings, LP (“TI IV”), an affiliate of TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P. (“TowerBrook”), based on its beneficial ownership of 58.9% of our outstanding common stock as of July 20, 2020, has the right to designate as nominees (the “TowerBrook Nominees”) a majority of director nominees for election to our Board of Directors.

Q:    Where can I find the voting results of the Annual Meeting?

A:    We will announce the preliminary voting results at the Annual Meeting. We will publish the results in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days of the Annual Meeting. If the official results are not available at that time, we will provide preliminary voting results in the Form 8-K and will provide the final results in an amendment to the Form 8-K as soon as they become available.

Q:    For how long can I access the proxy materials on the Internet?

A:    The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement, 2019 Annual Report to Stockholders, and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 will remain posted on this website until the conclusion of the Annual Meeting, and also are and will remain available, free of charge, in PDF and HTML format under the Investor Relations—Financial Information—SEC Filings section of our website at www.jjill.com.

Q:    What are the implications of being an “emerging growth company”?

A:    We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and therefore permitted to take advantage of certain reduced public company reporting requirements. As an emerging growth company, we provide in this proxy statement the scaled disclosure permitted under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the “JOBS Act,” including certain executive compensation disclosures required of a “smaller reporting company,” as that term is defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act.” In addition, as an emerging growth company, we are not required to conduct votes seeking approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of our named executive officers or the frequency with which such votes must be conducted. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: (a) January 29, 2023; (b) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.07 billion in annual gross revenue; (c) the end of the fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year; or (d) the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities.

 

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PROPOSAL ONE

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

At the Annual Meeting, stockholders will vote to elect the two nominees named in this proxy statement as Class III directors. Each of the Class III directors elected at the Annual Meeting will hold office until the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until his successor has been duly elected and qualified. Our Board of Directors has nominated Michael Rahamim and Andrew Rolfe to serve as Class III directors for terms expiring at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until each of their successors has been duly elected and qualified. The persons named as proxies will vote to elect Michael Rahamim and Andrew Rolfe unless a stockholder indicates that his or her shares should be withheld with respect to one or both nominees.

In the event that any nominee for Class III director becomes unavailable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies will vote the proxies in their discretion for any nominee who is designated by the current Board of Directors to fill the vacancy. All the nominees are currently serving as directors and we do not expect that the nominees will be unavailable or will decline to serve.

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name and you do not provide your broker with voting instructions, your broker may not vote your shares on the election of directors. Therefore, it is important that you vote.

In connection with our initial public offering in March 2017 (our “IPO”), we entered into the Stockholders Agreement with TI IV, an affiliate of TowerBrook, which provides that TI IV, for so long as TI IV beneficially owns at least 50% of our common stock, is entitled to designate for nomination a majority of our Board of Directors. When TI IV beneficially owns less than 50% of our common stock but owns at least 10% of our common stock, TI IV is entitled to designate for nomination a number of directors in proportion to its ownership of our common stock, rounded up to the nearest whole person. When TI IV owns less than 10% of our common stock but owns at least 5% of our common stock, TI IV is entitled to designate for nomination the greater of (i) a number of directors in proportion to its ownership of our common stock, rounded up to the nearest whole person, and (ii) one director.

Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR each of the nominees for our Board of Directors in this Proposal 1.

 

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DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth certain information about our directors and executive officers as of the date of this proxy statement. There is no family relationship between any director or executive officer of the Company. The business address for each nominee for matters regarding the Company is 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169. Kelly Mooney resigned from our Board of Directors and from all committees of the Board of Directors on which she served, effective as of April 5, 2020.

 

Name

   Age     

Position(s) with J.Jill, Inc.

  

Director Since

James Scully

     55      Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director   

August 2017

Mark Webb

     48      Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer   

N/A

Brian Beitler

     47      Chief Marketing and Brand Development Officer   

N/A

Michael Eck

     57      Director   

February 2017

Marka Hansen

     67      Director   

February 2017

Shelley Milano

     64      Director   

June 2019

Travis Nelson

     49      Director   

February 2017

Michael Rahamim

     67      Chairman of the Board of Directors   

February 2017

Michael Recht

     40      Director   

February 2017

Andrew Rolfe

     54      Director   

February 2017

Deanna Steele      50      Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Digital Officer    N/A

Set forth below is a brief biography of each of our directors and executive officers.

Directors

Class III Directors

The term of the following two Class III directors will expire at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Michael Rahamim and Andrew Rolfe are the only nominees for election at the 2020 Annual Meeting, for a term that will expire at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until each of their successors has been duly elected and qualified.

Michael Rahamim has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of J.Jill since our conversion to a corporation in February 2017 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of our former parent company since May 2015. From January 2011 through January 2014, Mr. Rahamim served as the Executive Chairman of Phase Eight (Fashion & Designs) Limited (“Phase Eight”), a portfolio company of TowerBrook, our principal stockholder, and remained Chairman of the Board until January 2015, when Phase Eight was sold. Mr. Rahamim has over 20 years of experience in the fashion retail industry. In 1992, Mr. Rahamim developed the UK franchise of Kookai S.A., a French high fashion business, and introduced the Sandro and Maje French high fashion brands to the UK. Mr. Rahamim has previously worked in soft commodities and financial futures and was one of the founding seat holders on the London International Financial Futures Exchange. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1977. Mr. Rahimim currently serves as a director of Kaporal Jeans and has served as a director of Whistles Limited from March 2009 until April 2016. He is also a member of the Senior Advisory Board of TowerBrook. Mr. Rahamim was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive understanding of the International fashion retail industry through his experience in leadership positions and his investments with other retailers.

Andrew Rolfe has served as a director of J.Jill since our conversion to a corporation in February 2017 and served on the Board of Directors of our former parent company since May 2015. Mr. Rolfe has served as a

 

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Managing Director and the Head of Private Equity, USA of TowerBrook, our principal stockholder, since January 2011. Mr. Rolfe is also the Chairman of the Portfolio Committee and a member of the Management Committee at TowerBrook. Prior to joining TowerBrook, Mr. Rolfe served as President of The Gap Inc.’s International Division from November 2003 until February 2006, where he also served as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Mr. Rolfe has also held roles as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pret A Manger (Europe) Ltd and the Chief Executive Officer of Booker Foodservice. He previously served as a director of True Religion Apparel, Inc. and Wilton Industries, Inc.. He currently serves as a director of Kaporal Jeans and Beverages & More, Inc and as a manager of KeHe Distributors Holdings, LLC. Mr. Rolfe received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his B.A. from Oxford University. He was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive experience in leadership positions in the retail industry.

Class I Directors

The term of the following three Class I directors will expire at the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Marka Hansen has served as a director of J.Jill since our conversion to a corporation in February 2017 and served on the board of directors of our former parent company since May 2015. Ms. Hansen previously served as a Retail Consultant at Stitch Fix, Inc. from February 2013 to August 2013. Prior to that, she was the President of Gap North America from February 2007 until February 2011. Ms. Hansen served as the President of Banana Republic, LLC, a division of The Gap, from June 2003 until February 2007, and served in various leadership positions at The Gap after joining the company in 1987. Ms. Hansen served as a director of True Religion Apparel, Inc., from September 2013 until October 2017. She currently serves as a director of Stitch Fix, Inc. and The Orvis Company, Inc. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies from Loyola Marymount University. Ms. Hansen was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of her extensive experience in leadership positions in the retail industry.

Travis Nelson has served as a director of J.Jill since our conversion to a corporation in February 2017 and previously he served on the board of directors of our former parent company since May 2015. Since March 2018, Mr. Nelson has served as the Managing Member of Eclipse Investors LLC, an independent investment management firm. Mr. Nelson served as a Managing Director at TowerBrook, our principal stockholder, from July 2005 until January 2018 and currently serves as a member of TowerBrook’s Management Advisory Board. Prior to joining TowerBrook, Mr. Nelson co-founded Pacific Partners LLC (“Pacific Partners”), a private equity firm specializing in software and technology services investments and served as a Managing Director from 2000 to 2005. Prior to Pacific Partners, Mr. Nelson served as an investment professional at Oak Hill Capital Management and Freeman Spogli & Co., working on private investments in a wide range of companies, and served as a consultant to the CEO of NetJets. Mr. Nelson began his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Nelson earned his B.A. from DePauw University and received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of his broad business and investment experience, including extensive experience in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.

James Scully was appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer of J.Jill in December 2019 and has served as a director of J.Jill since August 2017. Mr. Scully is a private investor and business consultant. Previously, he served as Avon Products, Inc.’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from January 2016 to September 2017. He also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Avon from March 2015 to December 2016. Prior to his role at Avon, Mr. Scully served as the Chief Operating Officer of the J. Crew Group, Inc., a specialty apparel and accessories retailer. Mr. Scully served as J. Crew’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from September 2005 to May 2012 and Chief Administrative Officer from April 2008 to April 2013. His responsibilities at J. Crew included all aspects of Finance (Accounting, Financial Planning and Analysis, Treasury and Investor Relations) as well as Operations (Information Technology, Global Supply Chain, Production/Sourcing, Legal, Real Estate, Planning and Construction, Loss Prevention and Facilities). Prior to joining J. Crew in 2005, Mr. Scully served in key roles at Saks Incorporated from 1997 to

 

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2005, most recently serving as Executive Vice President-Human Resources and Strategic Planning. During his tenure at Saks Incorporated, Mr. Scully also held the positions of Senior Vice President-Strategic and Financial Planning, and Senior Vice President-Treasurer. Mr. Scully currently serves as a director of BHCosmetics Services, LLC. Mr. Scully began his career at Connecticut National Bank and later became Senior Vice President-Corporate Finance at NationsBank (now Bank of America). Mr. Scully was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive experience in leadership positions in the retail industry.

Class II Directors

The term of the following three Class II directors will expire at the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Michael Eck has served as a director of J.Jill since our conversion to a corporation in February 2017 and served on our Board of Directors of our former parent company since November 2016. Mr. Eck was the Global Head of the Consumer and Retail Investment Banking Group at Morgan Stanley from 2008 until his retirement in 2014. Prior to that, Mr. Eck worked at Citigroup from 1993 to 2008, where he was the Global Head of the Consumer and Retail Banking Group, and at Credit Suisse First Boston from 1987 to 1993. In January 2016, Mr. Eck joined M. Klein and Company, a global strategic advisory firm, as a Senior Advisor. From December 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018 Mr. Eck served as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of The Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, a company developing a multi-use destination attraction and media platform in association with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In February 2020, Mr. Eck became a member of the Board of Directors of Churchill Capital Corp III, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “CCXX.” From 2015 to April 2018 he served as an independent Board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc., a publicly-held leading natural pet food company, until Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc. was acquired by General Mills Inc. in April 2018. Mr. Eck is also the co-founder and board member of Steer for Student Athletes. In addition, he previously served as a Board member of USA Ultimate and as a member of the Senior Advisory Board of Shopkick. Mr. Eck received his Masters in Management from Northwestern University and his B.S. in Business from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. He was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive knowledge of corporate strategy, corporate financing and accounting, capital investment and operations and the consumer sector.

Shelley Milano has served as a director of J.Jill since June 2020. Ms. Milano currently serves as an Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer at L Brands, Inc., where she previously served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to that, Ms. Milano served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc from June 2005 to July 2007. Ms. Milano has also held executive leadership positions with Starbucks Corporation and Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. Ms. Milano is a member of the Boards of Directors of Urban Hardwoods and Bartell Drugs. Ms. Milano received her J.D. from University of California Berkeley School of Law and her B.A. from Adrian College. The Board appointed Ms. Milano for her expertise in the areas of Human Resources, her legal knowledge and her prior experience in the retail industry qualify her to serve as a director.

Michael Recht has served as a director of J.Jill since our conversion to a corporation in February 2017 and served on our Board of Directors of our former parent company since May 2015. Mr. Recht is a Managing Director at TowerBrook, our principal stockholder, where he has worked since August 2013. From August 2010 to August 2013, Mr. Recht was a Senior Associate with the Retail & Consumer team at Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”). Prior to joining Apax, Mr. Recht was an Associate at Thoma Cressey Bravo where he focused on investments in the consumer products and services sector. Prior to that, Mr. Recht was a member of the Technology & Defense teams at CIBC World Markets. He currently serves as a director of Wilton Industries, Inc and as a manager at KeHe Distributors Holdings, LLC. He received his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his B.A. from Williams College. Mr. Recht was selected to serve on our Board of Directors because of his broad finance experience, particularly in the retail and consumer products industry.

 

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Required Vote

The three Class III director nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes of our common stock present or represented, shall be elected as directors. In accordance with Delaware law, votes withheld from any nominee are counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business, but they have no legal effect on the election of directors. While broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum, they will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of shares represented and voted with respect to the particular proposal on which the broker has expressly not voted and, accordingly, will not affect the election of directors.

Executive Officers

James Scully was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer of J.Jill in December 2019. See Mr. Scully’s biography above under the heading “Class I Directors.”

Mark Webb has served as J.Jill’s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer since May 1, 2019. Before joining J.Jill, Mr. Webb served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Planning & Analysis and Treasury Officer at Hudson’s Bay Company since January 2018. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Gap Brand and Intermix, at Gap, Inc. from February 2013 to April 2017. Mr. Webb received his BSBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona.

Brian Beitler has served as J.Jill’s Chief Marketing and Brand Development Officer since September 2018. Before joining J.Jill, Mr. Beitler was Chairman of the Executive Board of the Global Retail Marketing Association, an organization that provides education and events for C-level executives in retail, restaurant, hospitality, financial and insurance services from November 2017 to August 2018. He previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of the Plus Fashion Segment (Lane Bryant & Catherine’s), a division of Ascena Retail Group, from 2014 to October 2017. Prior to that Mr. Beitler was Chief Marketing Officer at David’s Bridal, Inc. from 2010 to 2014. Before David’s Bridal, he was Senior Vice President of Marketing for Kohl’s department store and led all aspects of marketing strategy. He has also previously held senior leadership roles at Bath and Body Works, Toys R Us, and Mattel. He received his M.B.A. from Brigham Young University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Utah.

Deanna Steele has served as J.Jill’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer since July 2019. Before joining J.Jill, Ms. Steele served as Chief Information Officer at Ingram Content Group from February 2017 to May 2019. She previously served as Chief Information Officer at Ascena Retail Group from 2013 to February 2017. During her tenure at Ascena Retail Group, Ms. Steele’s duties included overseeing Lane Bryant, Catherine’s Stores and Justice brands. Ms. Steele also previously served as a director of Women in Technology Tennessee, TechBridge and Circle of Friends. She received her Bachelor’s in Science from Pepperdine University.

 

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Information about our Board

In accordance with our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws, a majority of our Board of Directors may fix the number of directors, which is currently set at eight. Each director is to hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. At any meeting of our Board of Directors, the presence in person of a majority of the total number of directors then in office will constitute a quorum for all purposes. Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, TI IV currently has the ability to designate as nominees five directors.

Director Independence

We are a “controlled company” for the purposes of the NYSE’s rules and corporate governance standards because more than 50% of the voting power of our common stock is owned by TI IV. As a “controlled company,” we may elect not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance requirements, including those that would otherwise require our Board of Directors to have a majority of independent directors and require that we either establish Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, each comprised entirely of independent directors, or otherwise ensure that the compensation of our executive officers and nominees for directors are determined or recommended to our Board of Directors by the independent members of our Board of Directors.

Our Board of Directors has determined that Michael Eck, Marka Hansen, Travis Nelson and Michael Rahamim are “independent directors,” as defined by the applicable NYSE rules. Our Board of Directors has also determined that Kelly Mooney, who served as a director until April 5, 2020, was independent.

Family Relationships

There is no family relationship between any director, executive officer or person nominated to become our director or executive officer.

Selection of Nominees for our Board of Directors

The Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee of our Board of Directors has the responsibility of identifying individuals qualified to become members of our Board of Directors, consistent with criteria approved by our Board of Directors. The committee also recommends to our Board of Directors for approval director nominees, consistent with our director qualification criteria and any obligations under our contractual arrangements, including the Stockholders Agreement.

With respect to director nominee procedures, the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee utilizes a broad approach for identification of director nominees and may seek recommendations from our directors, officers or stockholders, or it may choose to engage a search firm. In evaluating and determining whether to ultimately recommend a person as a candidate for election as a director, the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee considers the qualifications set forth in our corporate governance guidelines, including the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, demonstrated business acumen, experience and ability to use sound judgment to contribute to effective oversight of our business or financial affairs, strategic planning, diversity and independence from management. It also takes into account specific characteristics and expertise that it believes will enhance the diversity of knowledge, expertise, background and personal characteristics of our Board of Directors. The Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee may engage a third party to conduct or assist with the evaluation. Ultimately, the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee seeks to recommend to our Board of Directors those nominees whose specific qualities, experience and expertise will augment our current Board of

 

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Directors’ composition and whose past experience evidences that they will: (1) dedicate sufficient time, energy and attention to ensure the diligent performance of Board of Directors duties; (2) comply with the duties and responsibilities set forth in our corporate governance guidelines and in our by-laws; (3) comply with all duties of care, loyalty and confidentiality applicable to them as directors of publicly traded corporations organized in our jurisdiction of incorporation; and (4) adhere to our Code of Conduct and Ethics, including, but not limited to, the policies on conflicts of interest expressed therein.

The Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee considers stockholder recommendations of qualified nominees when such recommendations are submitted in accordance with the procedures described in our by-laws. Each notice of nomination submitted in this manner must contain the information specified in our by-laws, including, but not limited to, information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock or derivative securities that have a value associated with our common stock held by the proposing stockholder and its associates and any voting or similar agreement the proposing stockholder has entered into with respect to our common stock. To be timely, the notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the prior year’s annual meeting of stockholders. If the annual meeting of stockholders is advanced by more than 30 days, or delayed by more than 60 days, from the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders, or if no annual meeting of stockholders was held in the preceding year, notice by the stockholder, to be timely, must be received no earlier than the 120th day prior to the annual meeting of stockholders and no later than the later of (1) the 90th day prior to the annual meeting of stockholders and (2) the tenth day following the day on which we notify stockholders of the date of the annual meeting of stockholders, either by mail or other public disclosure. See our by-laws for additional information regarding stockholder nominees.

Information Regarding Meetings of our Board and Committees

During fiscal year 2019, our Board of Directors held 12 meetings, and its three permanent committees, the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee, collectively held 22 meetings. In June of 2019, our Board of Directors established the Finance Committee (a temporary committee of the Board of Directors) and dissolved such committee in December 2019. The duties and responsibilities of the Finance Committee were absorbed by the Board of Directors.

All of our directors attended at least 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of our Board of Directors and the committees on which he or she served during 2019. Under our corporate governance guidelines, a copy of which is available in the Investors—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents section of our website at www.jjill.com, members of our Board of Directors are expected to participate in the Annual Meeting.

 

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Board Committees

Committees of our Board of Directors

In March 2017, our Board of Directors adopted written charters for each of its permanent committees, all of which are available in the Investors—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents section of our website at www.jjill.com. Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, TI IV has the right to designate the members of the committees of our Board of Directors in proportion to the number of director nominees TI IV is entitled to designate to our Board of Directors. The following table provides membership information of our directors in each committee of our Board as of July 28, 2020.

 

     Audit
Committee
   Compensation
Committee
   Nominating,
Governance and
Corporate
Responsibility
Committee

Michael Eck

   LOGO      

Marka Hansen

      LOGO    LOGO

Shelley Milano

      LOGO    LOGO

P. Kelly Mooney(1)

   LOGO       LOGO

Travis Nelson

   LOGO       LOGO

Michael Rahamim

   LOGO    LOGO    LOGO

Michael Recht

      LOGO   

Andrew Rolfe

      LOGO    LOGO

James Scully

        

 

LOGO = Member

  (1)

Kelly Mooney served on our Audit Committee and our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee until April 5, 2020.

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee consists of Michael Eck, Travis Nelson and Michael Rahamim. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Eck qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Eck, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Rahamim are independent within the meaning of the NYSE listing rules and meet the additional test for independence for Audit Committee members imposed by SEC regulation and the NYSE listing rules. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, our Audit Committee is fully independent and is in compliance with the applicable SEC and NYSE rules and regulations. Kelly Mooney served on our Audit Committee and met the same independence requirements during 2019 fiscal year.

Our Audit Committee met 11 times during our 2019 fiscal year. Our Audit Committee assists our Board of Directors in monitoring the audit of our financial statements, our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, the performance of our internal audit function and systems of internal controls, our independent auditors and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee has direct responsibility for the appointment, compensation, retention (including termination) and oversight of our independent auditors, and our independent auditors report directly to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee also reviews and approves related party transactions as required by the applicable NYSE rules.

Compensation Committee

Our Compensation Committee consists of Marka Hansen, Shelley Milano, Michael Rahamim, Michael Recht and Andrew Rolfe. Because we are a controlled company under the NYSE listing rules, our Compensation Committee is not required to be fully independent. Our Compensation Committee met six times during our 2019 fiscal year. Our Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending policies relating to the

 

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compensation and benefits of our directors and employees, including our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers.

The Compensation Committee has the sole authority to retain and terminate any compensation consultant to assist in the evaluation of employee compensation and to approve the consultant’s fees and the other terms and conditions of the consultant’s retention. The Compensation Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees where appropriate, provided that the subcommittees are composed entirely of directors who satisfy the applicable independence requirement of our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the NYSE listing rules, subject to any applicable controlled company or other exemption.

The Compensation Committee has engaged the services of Pearl Meyer & Partners LLC (“Pearl Meyer”) as its outside independent compensation consultant. Pearl Meyer provides general executive compensation consulting services to the Compensation Committee and advises it on a range of executive and director compensation matters including plan design, competitive market assessments, trends, best practices and technical and regulatory developments. Pearl Meyer provides services to the Compensation Committee related only to executive and director compensation, and provides no other services to the Compensation Committee or the Company.

In accordance with the Compensation Committee’s charter, our Chief Executive Officer may not be present during voting or deliberations of the Committee regarding his or her compensation and the Committee reserves the right to request any executive officer present during voting or deliberations of the Committee regarding such executive officer’s compensation to recuse himself or herself.

Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee

Our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee consists of Marka Hansen, Shelley Milano, Travis Nelson, Michael Rahamim and Andrew Rolfe. In addition, Kelly Mooney served on our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee during 2019 fiscal year. Because we are a controlled company under the NYSE listing rules, our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee is not required to be fully independent. Our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee met five times during our 2019 fiscal year. Our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee is responsible for selecting or recommending that our Board of Directors select candidates for election to our Board of Directors, developing and recommending to our Board of Directors corporate governance guidelines that are applicable to us and overseeing Board of Director and management evaluations. Our Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee is also responsible for reviewing and providing guidance to us on corporate responsibility and sustainability issues.

Board Leadership Structure and Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that the roles of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer may be combined or separated. Our Board of Directors believes that the Company and its stockholders are best served by maintaining flexibility to have any director serve as Chairman and therefore believes that a permanent policy on whether the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer positions should be separated or combined is not appropriate.

As of the date hereof, Mr. Scully serves as our Interim Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Rahamim serves as our Chairman of the Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors believes that this leadership structure, separating the Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer roles, is appropriate for the Company at this time, since it allows Mr. Scully to focus on the operational leadership and strategic direction of the Company. At the same time, Mr. Rahamim can focus on leadership of the Board of Directors, including calling and presiding over Board meetings and executive sessions of the independent directors, preparing meeting agendas in collaboration with the Interim Chief Executive Officer and serving as a liaison and supplemental channel of communication between independent directors and the Interim Chief Executive Officer.

 

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Our Board of Directors has an oversight role, as a whole and also at the committee level, in overseeing management of our risks. The Audit Committee regularly reviews information regarding our credit, liquidity and operations, as well as the risks associated with each. The Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks relating to its employee compensation plans and arrangements, and the Audit Committee oversees the management of financial risks. While each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of such risks, the entire Board of Directors is regularly informed through committee reports about such risks.

Executive Sessions of our Board of Directors

In order to promote open discussion among non-management directors, and as required under applicable NYSE rules, the non-management members of our Board of Directors meet in regularly scheduled executive sessions at least quarterly without management directors or any other members of the Company’s management present. In addition, the independent members of our Board of Directors meet in a regularly scheduled executive session at least annually. Our Chairman of our Board of Directors, Michael Rahamim, presides at all regularly scheduled executive sessions.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of the members of our Compensation Committee in fiscal year 2019 was, at any time during fiscal year 2019 or at any other time, an officer or employee of the Company. None of our executive officers serves, or in the past has served, as a member of the Board of Directors or compensation committee of any entity, or other committee serving an equivalent function, of any entity that has one or more executive officers who serve as members of our Board of Directors or our compensation committee.

Code of Conduct and Ethics

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees and is intended to comply with the relevant listing requirements for a code of conduct as well as qualify as a “code of ethics” as defined by the rules of the SEC. The Code of Conduct and Ethics contains general guidelines for conducting our business consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. We intend to disclose any future amendments to certain provisions of our Code of Conduct and Ethics, or waivers of such provisions applicable to any principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer and controller, or persons performing similar functions, and our directors, on our website at www.jjill.com . The Code of Conduct and Ethics is available on our website under Governance Documents in the Investor Relations—Corporate Governance section of our website at www.jjill.com.

Communications with our Board of Directors from Stockholders or Other Interested Parties

Any stockholder or other interested party may contact our Board of Directors as a group, our independent directors as a group, or any individual director by sending written correspondence to them in care of our Secretary and General Counsel at our principal executive offices at 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169. Such communication will be forwarded to the intended recipient(s). We currently do not intend to have our Secretary and General Counsel screen this correspondence, but we may change this policy if directed by our Board of Directors due to the nature or volume of the correspondence.

 

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Non-employee members of our Board of Directors (our “Board”), (other than Andrew Rolfe and Michael Recht), are compensated for a full year of service as follows; directors who serve less than a full year are entitled to a pro-rated portion of the applicable compensation.

 

Board Position

   Annual
Cash
Retainer
($)
     Annual
Equity
Award
Value
($)
 

Chairman of the Board

     80,000        100,000  

Board Member (other than the Chairman of the Board)

     50,000        100,000  

Finance Committee Chair

     80,000        n/a  

Audit Committee Chair

     20,000        n/a  

Other Committee Chair

     10,000        n/a  

Audit Committee Member

     7,500        n/a  

Other Committee Member

     5,000        n/a  

Board members also receive reimbursement of expenses for travel to Board and Board Committee meetings.

Director Compensation Table

The following table sets forth the total compensation paid to each of our non-employee directors (other than Andrew Rolfe and Michael Recht) for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020.

 

Name(1)

   Fees
Earned or
Paid in
Cash(2)

($)
     Stock
Awards(3)
($)
     Total
($)
 

Michael Rahamim

     90,000        123,003        213,003  

Marka Hansen

     65,000        123,003        188,003  

Michael Eck

     70,000        123,003        193,003  

James S. Scully(4)

     97,500        123,003        220,503  

Travis Nelson(5)

     62,500        100,003        162,503  

Kelly Mooney(6)

     46,072        75,002        121,074  

 

(1)

Andrew Rolfe and Michael Recht, each of whom was an employee or partner of TowerBrook as of February 1, 2020, did not receive any compensation in respect of their services to our Board of Directors.

(2)

Amounts set forth in the Fees Earned or Paid in Cash column represent the aggregate dollar amount of all fees earned or paid in cash for services as a director, including annual retainer fees and committee and/or chairmanship fees.

(3)

Amounts set forth in the Stock Awards column represent the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. In fiscal 2019, Messrs. Rahamim, Hansen, Eck, Scully, and Nelson each received a grant of 19,570 Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) on March 22, 2019 and a grant of 4,167 Dividend Equivalent Units (DEUs) on April 1, 2019. Ms. Mooney received a pro-rated grant of 13,915 RSUs on April 2, 2019.

(4)

The compensation shown above reflects compensation earned by Mr. Scully prior to his appointment as our Interim President and Chief Executive Officer.

(5)

Fees for Travis Nelson in fiscal 2019 were paid to Eclipse Investors, LLC.

(6)

Ms. Mooney resigned from our Board of Directors and from all committees of the Board of Directors on which she served, effective as of April 5, 2020.

 

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The following table provides information about the outstanding equity awards held by our Board members as of February 1, 2020.

 

Name(1)

   Number of Restricted
Stock Units or
Restricted Shares
that Have Not Vested
($)
 

Michael Rahamim(2)

     72,044 (3) 

Marka Hansen(2)

     37,061 (4) 

Michael Eck

     19,570 (5) 

Travis Nelson

     19,570 (5) 

Kelly Mooney

     13,915 (6) 

James Scully

     19,570 (5) 

 

(1)

Andrew Rolfe and Michael Recht, each of whom was an employee or partner of TowerBrook as of February 2, 2019, do not directly hold any equity awards, whether in the form of restricted shares or RSUs.

(2)

In connection with the acquisition of our business by investment funds affiliated with TowerBrook on May 8, 2015, Mr. Rahamim and Ms. Hansen were issued Class A Common Interests of JJill Topco Holdings, LP (“Topco” and such interests, “Common Interests”). In connection with the IPO, Topco was liquidated and a distribution was made to each of Mr. Rahamim and Ms. Hansen in respect of his or her Common Interests consisting of (i) fully vested shares and (ii) restricted shares subject to vesting conditions consistent with the schedule previously applicable to the Common Interests.

(3)

The award of 52,474 restricted shares vested on May 8, 2020. The award of 19,570 RSUs vested on March 22, 2020.

(4)

The award of 17,491 restricted shares vested on May 8, 2020. The award of 19,570 RSUs vested March 22, 2020.

(5)

This award of RSUs vested on March 22, 2020.

(6)

This award of RSUs vested on April 2, 2020.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following summary compensation table sets forth information regarding the compensation paid to, awarded to, or earned by our Interim Chief Executive Officer, our Former President and Chief Executive Officer and our two other most highly compensated executive officers, for services rendered in all capacities during the years ended February 2, 2019, and February 1, 2020.

 

Name and Principal Position

  Fiscal
Year
    Salary(1)
($)
    Bonus(2)
($)
    Stock
Awards(3)

($)
    Option
Awards(3)

($)
    Non-Equity
Incentive

Plan
Compensation(4)
($)
    All Other
Compensation(5)
($)
    Total
($)
 

James Scully(6)

Interim Chief Executive Officer

    2019       193,846       100,000       223,200       —         —         0       517,046  

Linda Heasley(7)

    2019       754,616         1,967,965       —         —         247,778       2,970,358  

Former President and Chief Executive Officer

    2018       726,923       —         4,091,696       1,753,114       —         158,334       6,730,067  

Mark Webb(8)

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

    2019       456,923       418,462       906,003       —         —         165,358       1,946,746  

Brian Beitler

    2019       515,415         254,558       —         —         142,314       937,141  

Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Brand Development Officer

    2018       205,962       123,577       510,002       —        
—  
 
    39,396       878,937  

 

(1)

Amounts set forth in the Salary column reflect the amount actually paid to each named executive for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 and includes the effect of any mid-year adjustments to their base salaries, if applicable. As of the end of fiscal year 2019, the annual base salary rates for Mr. Webb, and Mr. Beitler were $600,000, and $516,400, respectively. Mr. Scully became Interim CEO on December 5, 2019, receiving $100,000 per month as base salary. The amounts reported above reflect his base salary as Interim CEO from December 5, 2019 through the end of our fiscal year, February 1, 2020.

 

(2)

Amounts shown in the Bonus column for fiscal year 2019 represent the following: Mr. Scully sign-on bonus ($100,000 ) and Mr. Webb sign-on bonus ($100,000 ) and guaranteed bonus for fiscal year 2019 ($318,462). Amounts shown in the Bonus column for fiscal year 2018 for Mr. Beitler represents his guaranteed annual bonus for fiscal year 2018 of no less than $123,577, which was paid to him as a sign-on bonus pursuant to his offer letter.

 

(3)

Represents the aggregate grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the year in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (“FASB ASC”) Topic 718, Stock Compensation (disregarding any forfeiture assumptions). These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be realized by our NEOs for these awards. The NEOs were granted awards during fiscal year 2019 as follows: for Mr. Scully, 180,000 RSUs on December 5, 2019, for Ms. Heasley, 195,695 RSUs on March 22, 2019; for Mr. Webb, 128,677 RSUs on May 1, 2019 and 200,000 RSUs on December 12, 2019; for Mr. Beitler, 35,226 RSUs on March 22, 2019 and 13,506 Dividend Equivalent Units on April 1, 2019. The NEOs were granted awards during fiscal year 2018 as follows: for Ms. Heasley, 835,040 RSUs on April 16, 2018 and 796,870 options on April 16, 2018; for Mr. Beitler, 86,441 RSUs on September 10, 2018. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates-Equity-based Compensation” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the assumptions made in determining these values.

 

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(4)

The Company’s Annual Incentive Plan for fiscal year 2019 was measured based on the Company’s adjusted EBITDA. Threshold and target adjusted EBITDA performance goals were established along with their corresponding payout opportunities. To the extent that actual adjusted EBITDA exceeds the target performance goal, the payout for fiscal year 2019 is capped at a payout multiplier of 2.0x. The annual target bonus (as a % of base salary) for each of Messrs. Webb and Beitler under the Company’s Annual Incentive Plan for fiscal year 2019 was 70% and 60%, respectively. The following table outlines the adjusted EBITDA performance objectives and the payout multiplier for fiscal year 2019:

 

           

Above Threshold but

   

Below Threshold

 

Threshold

 

Below Target

 

Target

 

Above Target

 

Well Above Target

Adjusted EBITDA   < $103.5 million   $103.5 million  

>$103.5 million,

but

< $114.5 million

  $114.5 million  

> $114.5 million

but

< $118.1 million

  > $118.1 million
Payout Multiplier / Bonus Pool Increment   No payout   0.25x   $0.36 added to the bonus pool for every $1.00 of adjusted EBITDA generated   1.0x  

$0.48 added to the bonus pool for

every $1.00 of adjusted EBITDA generated

 

$0.21 added to the bonus pool for

every $1.00 of adjusted EBITDA generated

In fiscal year 2019, the Company achieved an adjusted EBITDA of $65.48 million (which did not exceed the adjusted EBITDA threshold, resulting in no payout of cash bonuses).

 

(5)

Amounts shown in the All Other Compensation column for fiscal year 2019 represent the following: For Mr. Scully, ($0); for Ms. Heasley, 401(k)-matching contribution ($8,400), severance payments ($145,385), Relocation & Related Tax Gross-ups ($38,117), vacation payout ($55,385), and subsidized COBRA premiums of $491; for Mr. Webb, 401(k)-matching contribution ($4,327), Relocation & Related Tax Gross-ups ($161,032); for Mr. Beitler, 401(k)-matching contribution ($9,641), Relocation & Related Tax Gross-ups ($132,072), reimbursement for business use of mobile device ($600)

 

(6)

Prior to Mr. Scully’s appointment as Interim CEO on December 5, 2019, he received compensation for his role as a director on our Board of Directors. The amounts reported above are those that relate to his service as Interim CEO. Mr. Scully’s compensation for services as a director are reported on the Director Compensation Table.

 

(7)

Ms. Heasley stepped down as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a director on our Board of Directors, effective December 4, 2019.

 

(8)

Mr. Webb received a grant of 128,677 RSUs on May 1, 2019 per the terms of his offer letter, and received a grant of 200,000 RSUs on December 12, 2019.

Employment Agreements

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our named executive officers. In addition to customary terms and provisions, the employment agreements set forth the annual base salary, target bonus percentage, equity grants, terms of severance and eligibility for employee benefits.

Offer Letter Agreement with James Scully, Our Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

We entered into an offer letter, which became effective on December 4, 2019, as amended March 4, 2020, and June 2, 2020 with Mr. Scully, which provides that he will serve as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer effective on December 5, 2019 until the earlier of the date that a permanence Chief Executive Officer commences employment and September 5, 2020 (the “Initial Term”), and thereafter may be extended on a month-to-month basis. Pursuant to his offer letter agreement, Mr. Scully is entitled to the following compensation: (i) monthly cash compensation of $100,000; (ii) a sign-on bonus of $100,0000; (iii) up to $10,000 per month in travel expenses for travel to Quincy, Massachusetts; (iv) an annual bonus for fiscal year 2020 with a target bonus of $1.2 million (prorated for any partial year of service beginning on March 4, 2020); provided, that the actual amount of Mr. Scully’s annual bonus in respect of the Company’s 2020 fiscal year will not be less than $600,000, and (v) reimbursement of up to $17,500 in legal fees related to the negotiation of the offer letter amendment and related arrangements. In addition, the Company also granted a sign-on equity award of 180,000 restricted stock units to Mr. Scully on December 5, 2019 which vested on March 4, 2020. In addition, upon the termination of the Initial Term, Mr. Scully will receive a transition bonus of $200,000, payable within 60 days following the expiration of the Initial Term.

 

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Employment and Separation Agreements with Linda Heasley, Our Former President and Chief Executive Officer

We entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Heasley, which provided for the following compensation: (i) an annual base salary of $900,000; (ii) eligibility to receive an annual bonus with a target of 100% of her base salary; (iii) up to $150,000 in aggregate moving and housing expenses for up to 12 months related to Ms. Heasley’s relocation from Atlanta, Georgia to Quincy, Massachusetts; and (iv) reimbursement of up to $20,000 in legal and consulting fees related to the negotiation of her employment agreement and related arrangements. In addition, the Company also agreed to grant a sign-on equity award to Ms. Heasley on her start date with a grant date fair market value of $6,000,000. Seventy percent of the award was granted in the form of RSUs and 30% of the award was granted in the form of stock options. In addition, Ms. Heasley is entitled to reimbursement for expenses reasonably incurred in connection with an annual physical with a provider of her choice and up to $25,000 of professional fees incurred in connection with income tax planning and return preparation per year.

On December 4, 2019, the Company entered into a separation agreement with Ms. Heasley, which provides that Ms. Heasley’s departure from the Company will be treated as a “termination of employment by the Company without Cause” for all purposes under her employment agreement. The separation agreement also provides that Ms. Heasley will make herself reasonably available as may be requested by the Chief Executive Officer or our Board of Directors from time to time to cooperate with matters that pertain to her past employment with the Company.

Ms. Heasley’s employment with the Company terminated, effective as of December 4, 2019. See “Estimated Payments Upon Termination of Employment of Change in Control” for a discussion of Ms. Heasley’s payments received in connection with her termination of employment.

Offer Letter Agreement with Mark Webb, Our Chief Financial Officer

We are party to an offer letter, which became effective on April12, 2019, with Mr. Webb, to serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Pursuant to the terms of the offer letter Mr Webb is entitled to the following compensation (i) an annual base salary of $600,000; (ii) a one-time sign-on bonus of $100,000; and (iii) eligibility to receive an annual bonus with a target of 70% of Mr. Webb’s base salary and up to 200% of his target bonus for exceptional performance (with a guaranteed bonus for fiscal year 2019 of no less than $318,462, which represents his target bonus prorated for the partial year of employment). In addition, the Company also agreed to grant a sign-on equity award in the form of restricted stock units to Mr. Webb on his start date with a grant date fair market value of $700,000., which vest in equal installments on each of the first four anniversaries of the date of grant. Mr. Webb will also receive in a guaranteed Annual Incentive Plan payment of $319,846, which represents his prorated bonus for fiscal 2019 at the target of 70%.

Mr. Webb’s offer letter includes customary terms and conditions, including confidentiality and assignment of intellectual property provisions, a 12-month post-employment prohibition on competition, a 12-month post-employment prohibition on solicitation of customers, and a 12-month post-employment prohibition on solicitation of employees, agents, or contract workers with whom Mr. Webb had material business contact during the course of her employment.

Mr. Webb is also entitled to severance upon certain terminations of employment, as described below under “Potential Payments Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control.”

Employment Agreement with Brian Beitler, Our Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Brand Development Officer

We are party to an offer letter, which became effective on August 2, 2018, with Brian Beitler to serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Brand Development Officer. The offer letter provides that Mr. Beitler will report to the Chief Executive Officer.

 

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Pursuant to the terms of his offer letter, as amended, Mr. Beitler is entitled to a base salary equal to $510,000 per year and a target bonus of at least 60% of his annual base salary and up to 200% of his target bonus for exceptional performance, and eligibility to participate in, and receive grants of equity awards under, the Company’s equity compensation plans. The Company also agreed to pay Mr. Beitler a guaranteed annual bonus for fiscal year 2018 of no less than $123,577 for fiscal 2018, which represented his target bonus, prorated for the partial year of employment and subsequently amended his offer letter to pay this amount as a sign-on bonus in November of 2018. The offer letter provided that Mr. Beitler would be entitled to participate in all of our benefit plans and programs (including four weeks of vacation).

Mr. Beitler’s offer letter includes customary terms and conditions, including confidentiality and assignment of intellectual property provisions, a 12-month post-employment prohibition on competition, a 12-month post-employment prohibition on solicitation of customers, and a 12-month post-employment prohibition on solicitation of employees, agents, or contract workers with whom Mr. Bietler had material business contact during the course of her employment.

Mr. Beitler is also entitled to severance upon certain terminations of employment, as described below under “Potential Payments Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control.”

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table provides information about the outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of February 1, 2020.

 

     Option Awards     Stock Awards  

Name

   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable

(#)
     Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable

(#)
     Option
Exercise
Price

($)
     Option
Expiration
Date
    Number of
Shares
that have not
Vested (#)
    Market
Value of
Restricted
Shares or
Units of
Stock that
Have Not
Vested(1)

($)
 

James Scully

     —                  180,000 (2)      214,200  

Linda Heasley

     199,217.50        —          3.75        3/4/2020 (3)      —         —    

Mark Webb

     —          —          —          —         128,677 (4)      153,126  
                200,000 (5)      238,000  

Brian Beitler

     —          —          —          —         64,831 (6)      77,148  
                35,226 (7)      41,919  
                13,506 (8)      16,072  

 

(1)

The market value of the restricted shares and RSUs shown above is based on the $1.19 closing market price of our common stock on January 31, 2020.

(2)

The award of RSUs vests on the earlier of (i) the date that a permanent (non-interim) Chief Executive Officer commences employment and (ii) the date that is 90 days from December 5, 2019.

(3)

The vested portion of Ms. Heasley’s options may be exercised for 90 days following her termination of employment with the Company.

(4)

This award of RSUs vests 25% on each of the first four anniversaries of May 1, 2019

(5)

This award of RSUs vests 25% on each of the first four anniversaries of December 12, 2019.

(6)

This award of RSUs vests with respect to 21,610.25 RSUs on each of September 10, 2020, September 10, 2021 and September 10, 2022.

(7)

This award of RSUs vests 25% on each of the first four anniversaries of March 22, 2019.

(8)

This award is for the Dividend Equivalent Units issued on April 1, 2019. The DEUs vest with respect to 4,502 RSUs on each of September 10, 2020, September 10, 2021 and September 10, 2022.

 

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Retirement Benefits

We sponsor a 401(k) plan, which is a qualified retirement plan offered to all eligible employees, including our named executive officers, and which permits eligible employees to elect to defer a portion of their compensation on a pre-tax basis. Pursuant to the terms of the 401(k) plan, we provide a company match of 50% of a named executive’s contributions to the plan, up to a maximum of 6% of such executive’s eligible annual compensation. We do not maintain any defined benefit pension plans or any nonqualified deferred compensation plans.

Potential Payments Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control

Mark Webb

Termination without “Cause” and/or “Good Reason” Resignation: The Company’s offer letter with Mr. Webb provides that, upon a termination of employment by us without “cause” or a resignation Mr. Webb for “good reason,” then upon the execution of an irrevocable release of claims and continued compliance with the terms of the restrictive covenants set forth in his offer letter, Mr. Webb would be entitled to:

 

   

payment of any accrued benefits including accrued base salary and benefits;

 

   

any unpaid annual bonus earned but not yet paid for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which employment was terminated;

 

   

base salary continuation for a period of 12 months following the date of termination; and

 

   

medical and dental coverage continuation for 12 months following the date of termination with the costs of the premiums shared in the same proportion as before the termination of such executive’s employment (unless such coverage is otherwise obtained through a new employer).

If the severance payments and vesting described above would be a “parachute payment” resulting in a lost tax deduction for the Company under Section 280G of the Code and excise tax to the executive under Section 4999 of the Code, such payments and vesting would be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid the imposition of any excise tax or loss in tax deduction.

Pursuant to the terms of the RSU award agreement, if such termination occurs within 12 months following a change in control, he is entitled to full acceleration of his outstanding RSUs.

Termination without “Good Reason” and/or Death/Disability. Mr. Webb’s offer letter provides that, upon termination of employment due to death or disability or resignation without “good reason,” Mr. Webb will be entitled to accrued base salary, any unpaid annual bonus earned but not yet paid for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which employment was terminated and benefits through the date of termination.

All other terminations of employment: Mr. Webb’s offer letter provides that, upon any other termination of employment, Mr. Webb will be entitled only to accrued base salary and benefits through the date of termination.

Brian Beitler

Termination without “Cause” and/or “Good Reason” Resignation: The Company’s offer letter with Mr. Beitler provides that, upon a termination of employment by us without “cause” or a resignation Mr. Beitler for “good reason,” then upon the execution of an irrevocable release of claims and continued compliance with the terms of the restrictive covenants set forth in his offer letter, Mr. Beitler would be entitled to:

 

   

payment of any accrued benefits including accrued base salary and benefits;

 

   

any unpaid annual bonus earned but not yet paid for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which employment was terminated;

 

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base salary continuation for a period of 12 months following the date of termination; and

 

   

medical and dental coverage continuation for 12 months following the date of termination with the costs of the premiums shared in the same proportion as before the termination of such executive’s employment (unless such coverage is otherwise obtained through a new employer).

If the severance payments and vesting described above would be a “parachute payment” resulting in a lost tax deduction for the Company under Section 280G of the Code and excise tax to the executive under Section 4999 of the Code, such payments and vesting would be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid the imposition of any excise tax or loss in tax deduction.

Pursuant to the terms of the RSU award agreement, if such termination occurs within 12 months following a change in control, he is entitled to full acceleration of his outstanding RSUs.

Termination without “Good Reason” and/or Death/Disability. Mr Beitler’s offer letter provides that, upon termination of employment due to death or disability or resignation without “good reason,” Mr. Beitler will be entitled to accrued base salary, any unpaid annual bonus earned but not yet paid for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which employment was terminated and benefits through the date of termination.

All other terminations of employment: Mr Beitler’s offer letter provides that, upon any other termination of employment, Mr. Beitler will be entitled only to accrued base salary and benefits through the date of termination.

Definitions of “Cause” and “Good Reason” and “Change in Control”

Messrs. Webb and Beitler’s offer letters defined “cause” generally as such executive’s (i) breach of any material provisions of his or her employment agreement or offer letter; (ii) failure to follow a lawful directive of his or her reporting officer; (iii) negligence in the performance or nonperformance of any of his or her duties or responsibilities; (iv) dishonesty, fraud, or willful misconduct with respect to our business or affairs; (v) conviction of or plea of no contest to any misdemeanor involving theft, fraud, dishonesty, or act of moral turpitude or to any felony; or (vi) use of alcohol or drugs in a manner that materially interferes with the performance of his or her duties.

Messrs. Webb and Beitler’s offer letter defined “good reason” generally as (i) a reduction in such executive’s title below the level of Executive Vice President, as applicable; (ii) a material reduction in his or her base salary; or (iii) a relocation of their principal work location outside of the Quincy, Massachusetts area. Ms. Heasley’s employment agreement defined “good reason” generally as: (i) a material diminution in her duties or responsibilities; (ii) (A) she is not the senior most executive officer of our Company, (B) she does not report directly to the Board or (C) any officer does not report to her; (iii) a reduction in her title below the title of Chief Executive Officer; (iv) a material reduction in her base salary; (v) the relocation of her principal work location outside of the Quincy, Massachusetts, area or (vi) any other material breach of the employment agreement.

A change in control, as defined in the 2017 Plan and the employment and equity arrangements, generally means (i) the acquisition by any person of beneficial ownership of 50% or more (on a fully diluted basis) of either (A) the then outstanding shares of common stock of the Company or (B) the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote in the election of directors, but excluding acquisitions by the Company, TI IV and its permitted transferees or any of their respective affiliates or by any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or any of its affiliates, (ii) a change in the composition of our Board of Directors such that members of our Board of Directors during any consecutive 12- month period cease to constitute a majority of our Board of Directors, (iii) the approval by the shareholders of the Company of a plan of complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or (iv) the consummation of a reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or similar form of corporate transaction involving the Company or sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company to an entity that is not an affiliate of the Company, unless immediately following such transaction.

 

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Estimated Payments Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control

The description below shows the severance payments and benefits that each named executive officer would, if applicable, have received had his or her employment been terminated, (1) due to his or her resignation without “good reason” or (2) by us without “cause” or pursuant to a resignation with “good reason,” whether prior to or following a “change in control.” The amounts (other than for Ms. Heasley) are calculated as if the date of termination and, as applicable, the change in control, occurred on February 1, 2020.

James Scully

 

   

On a termination for any reason prior to the end of the Initial Term, Mr. Scully would be entitled to $106,154, which represents his monthly cash compensation through March 4, 2020, the end of the Initial Term.

Linda Heasley

 

   

Ms. Heasley stepped down from her position as President and Chief Executive Officer on December 4, 2019, her departure was treated as a “termination without Cause” and pursuant to her separation agreement with the Company she was entitled to $1,155,187, which represents the sum of (i) $900,000 in base salary continuation for a period of 12 months following the date of termination, (ii) $13,077 in continued medical and dental coverage for a period of 12 months following the date of termination, (iii) reimbursement for expenses she reasonably incurred in connection with one annual physical and up to $25,000 of professional fees incurred in connection with income tax planning and return preparation for 2019 and (iv) $217,110 in respect of the acceleration of equity awards that otherwise vested on April 16, 2020. No bonus payable based on actual results.

Mark Webb

 

   

Termination without “Cause” and/or “Good Reason” Resignation: $618,339, which represents the sum of (x) $600,000 in base salary continuation for a period of 12 months following the date of termination and (y) $18,339 in continued medical and dental coverage for a period of 12 months following the date of termination. In the event that such termination were to occur within 12 months following a change in control, Mr. Webb would be entitled to an additional $391,126 in respect of the acceleration of his then-unvested RSUs.

Brian Beitler

 

   

Termination without “Cause” and/or “Good Reason” Resignation: $527,463, which represents the sum of (i) $510,000 in base salary continuation for a period of 12 months following the date of termination and (ii) $17,463 in continued medical and dental coverage for a period of 12 months following the date of termination. In the event that such termination were to occur within 12 months following a change in control, Mr. Beitler would be entitled to an additional $135,139 in respect of the acceleration of his then-unvested RSUs.

 

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PROPOSAL TWO

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT

REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our Board of Directors, including our Audit Committee, has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), Boston, Massachusetts, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 30, 2021, and recommends that our stockholders vote to ratify this appointment. If our stockholders ratify this appointment, our Audit Committee, in its discretion, may appoint a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it believes that doing so would be in the best interests of our stockholders. If our stockholders do not ratify this appointment, our Audit Committee may reconsider, but might not change, its appointment.

PwC has audited our annual financial statements or those of our predecessor, Jill Intermediate LLC, since 2009. A representative of PwC is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting with the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Summary of Fees

The Audit Committee has adopted a policy for the pre-approval of all audit and permitted non-audit services that may be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. Under the policy, the Audit Committee must give prior approval for any amount or type of service within four categories-audit, audit-related, tax services or, to the extent permitted by law, other services-that the independent auditor provides. Prior to the annual engagement, the Audit Committee may grant general pre-approval for independent auditor services within these four categories. During the year, circumstances may arise when it may become necessary to engage the independent auditor for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval and, in those instances, such service will require separate pre-approval by the Audit Committee if it is to be provided by the independent auditor. For any pre-approval, the Audit Committee will consider whether such services are consistent with the SEC’s rules on auditor independence, whether the auditor is best-positioned to provide the most cost-effective and efficient service and whether the service might enhance our ability to manage or control risk or improve audit quality. The Audit Committee may delegate to one or more of its members authority to approve a request for pre-approval, provided the member reports any approval so given to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. All fees incurred subsequent to our IPO were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

The following table summarizes the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by PwC to us for the fiscal years ended February 2, 2019 and February 1, 2020. A description of these various fees and services follows the table.

 

Name

   Fiscal 2018      Fiscal 2019  

Audit Fees

   $ 933,890      $ 1,202,439  

Audit-Related Fees

   $ 100,100        —    

Tax Fees

     —          —    

All Other Fees

     —          —    

Total

   $ 1,849,816      $ 1,202,349  

Audit Fees

The aggregate fees billed to us by PwC in fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019 reflected as audit fees above consist of fees billed related to the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K and the review of our quarterly consolidated financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

 

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Audit-Related Fees

The aggregate fees billed to us by PwC in fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019 reflected as audit-related fees above consist of aggregate fees for accounting consultations and other services that were reasonably related to the performance of audits or reviews of our consolidated financial statements and were not reported above under “Audit Fees.” These services include accounting consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards.

Vote Required

Approval of the ratification of the appointment of PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are present or represented at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions will be counted for purposes of determining the number of shares present or represented at the Annual Meeting and, accordingly will affect the outcome of this proposal.

Our Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote FOR the ratification of the appointment of PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 30, 2021.

 

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Our Audit Committee has (1) reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements for the year ended February 1, 2020, (2) discussed with PwC, our independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 61, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and (3) received the written disclosures and the letter from PwC concerning applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding PwC’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with PwC its independence. Based upon these discussions and reviews, the Audit Committee recommended to our Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020, which is filed with the SEC.

Our Board of Directors has determined that Michael Eck, Kelly Mooney and Travis Nelson are independent within the meaning of the NYSE listing rules and meet the additional requirements for independence for Audit Committee members imposed by Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Audit Committee Independence Requirements”). As a result, our Audit Committee is composed entirely of directors who are independent within the meaning of the NYSE listing rules and meet the Audit Committee Independence Requirements. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Eck qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K. Our Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by our Board of Directors, a copy of which is available under Governance Documents in the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance section of our website at www.jjill.com.

PwC is responsible for performing an independent audit of the consolidated financial statements and expressing an opinion on the conformity of those financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Audit Committee’s responsibility is to monitor, evaluate and oversee these processes. The Audit Committee members are not our employees, and are not professional accountants or auditors. The Audit Committee’s primary purpose is to assist our Board of Directors to fulfill its oversight responsibilities by reviewing the financial information provided to stockholders and others, the systems of internal controls that management has established to preserve the Company’s assets and the audit process. It is not the Audit Committee’s duty or responsibility to conduct auditing or accounting reviews or procedures or to determine that our financial statements are complete and accurate and in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements with management. In giving the Audit Committee’s recommendation to our Board, it has relied on management’s representations that the consolidated financial statements have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and on the representations of the independent registered public accounting firm, PwC, included in its report on our consolidated financial statements.

PwC has served as our independent registered public accounting firm or the independent registered public accounting firm of our predecessor, Jill Intermediate LLC, since 2009.

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Eck

Travis Nelson

Michael Rahamim

 

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of July 20, 2020 unless otherwise noted below for the following:

 

   

each person, or group of affiliated persons, who we know to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock;

 

   

each of our named executive officers;

 

   

each of our directors; and

 

   

all of our executive officers and directors as a group.

The percentage of ownership is based on 44,288,129 shares of common stock outstanding as of July 20, 2020.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. These rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to such securities. Except as otherwise indicated, all persons listed below have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each person or entity named in the table below is c/o J.Jill, Inc., 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169.

 

5% Stockholders

   Shares
Beneficially
Owned
     Percentage
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned
 

Entities affiliated with TowerBrook1

     25,770,647             58.2

Named Executive Officers and Directors

     

James Scully

     327,717.67        *  

Mark Webb

     32,170             *  

Brian Beitler2

     57,644.08        *  

Michael Eck

     104,635.67        *  

Marka Hansen

     179,452.67        *  

Shelley Milano

     —             —    

Kelly Mooney3

     30,765             *  

Travis Nelson4

     129,132             *  

Michael Rahamim5

     596,994.67        *  

Michael Recht

     —          —    

Andrew Rolfe

     —          —    

Deanna Steele

     25,500             —    

Linda Heasley6

     210,195.63        0.5

All directors and executive officers as a group

     1,694,207.39        3.8

 

*

Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1% of shares outstanding.

 

1

The shares are held directly by TI IV JJill Holdings, LP. The general partner of TI IV JJill Holdings, LP is TI IV JJ GP, LLC. The sole member of TI IV JJ GP, LLC is TowerBrook Investors IV (Onshore), L.P. The general partner of TowerBrook Investors IV (Onshore), L.P. is TowerBrook Investors GP IV, L.P., and its ultimate general partner is TowerBrook Investors, Ltd. The natural persons that have voting or investment power over shares of common stock beneficially owned by TowerBrook Investors GP IV, L.P. and TowerBrook Investors, Ltd. are Neal Moszkowski and Ramez Sousou. The address of each of the entities and natural persons identified in this footnote is c/o TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P., 65 East 55th Street, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10022.

 

2

Represents shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units that will vest within the next 60 days.

 

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3

Ms. Mooney served on our Board of Directors until April 5, 2020.

 

4 

Of the shares shown, 100,000 shares of common stock are directly held by Eclipse Investors LLC, of which Mr. Nelson is the sole member.

 

5

Includes 106,291 shares directly held by Mr. Rahamim’s spouse.

 

6

Ms. Heasley was our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board until December 4, 2019.

 

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DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of a registered class of our common stock or other equity securities to file with the SEC certain reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our securities. Executive officers, directors and stockholders who hold more than 10% of our outstanding common stock are required by the SEC to furnish us with copies of all required forms filed under Section 16(a). Based solely on a review of this information and written representations from these persons that no other reports were required, we believe that, during the prior fiscal year, all of our executive officers, directors, and to our knowledge, 10% stockholders complied with the filing requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, except that a Form 3 of Ms. Steele filed on March 24, 2020, a Form 4 filed on March 24, 2020, reporting a grant of an aggregate of 35,226 restricted stock units, a Form 4 of Mr. Eck filed on June 12, 2019 reporting purchases of an aggregate of 30,000 shares of our common stock and a Form 4 of Mr. Rahamim filed on March 19, 2020 reporting purchases of an aggregate of 150,000 of our common stock, were filed late due to administrative oversight.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Other than compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors, we describe below each transaction or series of similar transactions, since February 2, 2019, to which we were a party or will be a party, in which:

 

   

the amounts involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000; and

 

   

any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of our capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors are described in the sections entitled “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation.”

Indemnification arrangements for our named executive officers and directors are described below under “—Indemnification Agreements.”

Policies and Procedures for Related Party Transactions

We have adopted a written Related Person Transaction Policy (the “policy”), which sets forth our policy with respect to the review, approval, ratification and disclosure of all related person transactions by our Audit Committee. In accordance with the policy, our Audit Committee has overall responsibility for the implementation and compliance with the policy.

For purposes of the policy, a “related person transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which we were, are or will be a participant and the amount involved exceeded, exceeds or will exceed $120,000 and in which any related person (as defined in the policy) had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. A “related person transaction” does not include any employment relationship or transaction involving an executive officer and any related compensation resulting solely from that employment relationship that has been reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

The policy requires that notice of a proposed related person transaction be provided to our legal department prior to entering into such transaction. If our legal department determines that such transaction is a related person transaction, the proposed transaction will be submitted to our Audit Committee for consideration at its next meeting. Under the policy, only our Audit Committee will be permitted to approve those related person transactions that are in, or not inconsistent with, our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders. In the event we become aware of a related person transaction that has not been previously reviewed, approved or ratified under the policy and that is ongoing or is completed, the transaction will be submitted to our Audit Committee so that it may determine whether to ratify, rescind or terminate the related person transaction.

The policy also provides that our Audit Committee will review certain previously approved or ratified related person transactions that are ongoing to determine whether the related person transaction remains in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders. Additionally, we will make periodic inquiries of directors and executive officers with respect to any potential related person transaction of which they may be a party or of which they may be aware.

Stockholders Agreement

In connection with our IPO, on March 14, 2017 we entered into a Stockholders Agreement with TI IV, which, as further described below, contains certain rights for TI IV.

 

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Consent Rights

For so long as TI IV beneficially owns at least 50% of our common stock, TI IV will have prior approval rights over the following transactions:

 

   

Any increase or decrease in the size of our Board of Directors;

 

   

Any incurrence of indebtedness (other than (i) debt existing as of the date of the Stockholders Agreement or refinancing thereof, (ii) capital leases approved by our Board of Directors and (iii) intercompany debt) in excess of $10.0 million;

 

   

Any authorization, creation (by way of reclassification, merger, consolidation or otherwise) or issuance of equity securities (including preferred stock) other than issuances (i) pursuant to an equity compensation plan, (ii) by a subsidiary to us or another wholly owned subsidiary or (iii) upon conversion of convertible securities or exercise of options or warrants outstanding as of the date of the Stockholders Agreement or issued in compliance with the Stockholders Agreement;

 

   

Any redemption or repurchase of our equity securities, other than (i) from any director, officer, independent contractor or employee in connection with the termination of the employment or services of such director, officer or employee as contemplated by the applicable equity compensation plan or award agreement or (ii) pursuant to an offer made pro rata to all stockholders party to the Stockholders’ Agreement;

 

   

Any material acquisition of the assets or equity interests of any other entity in any single transaction or series of related transactions;

 

   

Any fundamental changes to the nature of our business that involve the entry into any new line of business;

 

   

The adoption, approval or issuance of any “poison pill,” stockholder or similar rights plan by us or our subsidiaries or any amendment of such plan;

 

   

Any amendment, restatement or modification of our certificate of incorporation or by-laws;

 

   

Any payment or declaration of any dividend or other distribution on any of our equity securities or entering into a recapitalization transaction the primary purpose of which is to pay a dividend, other than dividends required to be made pursuant to the terms of any outstanding preferred stock;

 

   

Appointment or removal of the chairperson of our Board of Directors;

 

   

The consummation of a change of control or entry into any contract or agreement the effect of which would be a change of control; and

 

   

Our or any of our subsidiaries’ entry into any voluntary liquidation, dissolution or commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, the adoption of a plan with respect to any of the foregoing or the decision not to oppose any similar proceeding commenced by a third party.

The effect of the Stockholders Agreement will be that TI IV may maintain control over our significant corporate transactions even if it holds less than a majority of our common stock.

Composition of our Board of Directors

The Stockholders Agreement also provides TI IV with certain rights with respect to the designation of directors to serve on our Board of Directors. As set forth in the Stockholder’s Agreement, for so long as TI IV beneficially owns at least 50% of our common stock, it is entitled to designate for nomination a majority of our Board of Directors. When TI IV beneficially owns less than 50% of our common stock but owns at least 10% of our common stock, TI IV is entitled to designate for nomination a number of directors in proportion to its ownership of our common stock, rounded up to the nearest whole person. When TI IV owns less than 10% of our

 

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common stock but owns at least 5% of our common stock, TI IV is entitled to designate for nomination the greater of (i) a number of directors in proportion to its ownership of our common stock, rounded up to the nearest whole person, and (ii) one director.

Registration Rights Agreement

In connection with our IPO, we entered into a registration rights agreement on March 14, 2017 that provides TI IV an unlimited number of “demand” registrations and customary “piggyback” registration rights, and provides certain members of our management with customary “piggyback” registration rights. The registration rights agreement also provides that we will pay certain expenses relating to such registrations and indemnify the registration rights holders against certain liabilities which may arise under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Services Agreement

We are party to a services agreement with TowerBrook, pursuant to which TowerBrook has performed and will perform management support advisory services, planning and finance services for us. Under the services agreement, we agreed to pay and reimburse reasonable out of pocket expenses to TowerBrook for conducting these advisory services. In fiscal year 2019, we reimbursed TowerBrook $51,127 in relation to these services.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into customary indemnification agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide, in general, that we will provide them with customary indemnification in connection with their service to us or on our behalf.

These indemnification agreements require us, among other things, to indemnify our directors and officers against liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers, other than liabilities arising from willful misconduct. These indemnification agreements also require us to advance any expenses incurred by the directors or officers as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified and to obtain directors’ and officers’ insurance, if available on reasonable terms.

 

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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

To be considered for inclusion in next year’s proxy statement and form of proxy, stockholder proposals for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be received at our principal executive offices no later than the close of business on June 18, 2021 unless the date of the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is more than 30 days before or after September 16, 2021 in which case the proposal must be received a reasonable time before we begin to print and mail our proxy materials.

For any proposal or director nomination that is not submitted for inclusion in next year’s proxy statement pursuant to the process set forth above, but is instead sought to be presented directly at the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, stockholders are advised to review our by-laws as they contain requirements with respect to advance notice of stockholder proposals and director nominations. To be timely, the notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the prior year’s annual meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, any such stockholder proposal or director nomination must be received between May 19, 2021 and the close of business on June 18, 2021 for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. In the event that the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is convened more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than 60 days after September 16, 2021, notice by the stockholder, to be timely, must be received no earlier than the 120th day prior to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and no later than the later of (1) the 90th day prior to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and (2) the tenth day following the day on which we notify stockholders of the date of the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, either by mail or other public disclosure.

All proposals should be sent to our principal executive offices at J.Jill, Inc., Attn: Secretary and General Counsel, 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169.

We advise you to review our by-laws for additional stipulations relating to the process for identifying and nominating directors, including advance notice of director nominations and stockholder proposals. Copies of the pertinent by-law provisions are available on request to the Secretary and General Counsel at the address set forth above.

HOUSEHOLDING MATTERS

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies to deliver a single Notice of Internet Availability or a single copy of proxy materials to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless a company has received contrary instructions from one or more of the stockholders at that address. This means that only one copy of the Annual Report, this Proxy Statement and Notice may have been sent to multiple stockholders in your household. If you would prefer to receive separate copies of the Notice of Internet Availability and/or Proxy Statement either now or in the future, please contact our Secretary and General Counsel by mailing a request to Attn: Secretary and General Counsel, 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169. Upon written or oral request to the Secretary and General Counsel, we will promptly provide a separate copy of the Annual Report and this Proxy Statement and Notice. In addition, stockholders at a shared address who receive multiple Notices of Internet Availability or multiple copies of proxy statements may request to receive a single Notice of Internet Availability or a single copy of proxy statements in the future in the same manner as described above.

 

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ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 as filed with the SEC is accessible free of charge on our website at www.jjill.com under Investor Relations—Financial Information—SEC Filings. The Annual Report on Form 10-K contains our audited consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), of members’ equity and of cash flows as of February 1, 2020 and February 2, 2019 and the results of their operations and cash flows for the years ended February 1, 2020, February 2, 2019 and February 3, 2018. You can request a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K free of charge by sending a written request to J.Jill, Inc., Attn: Secretary and General Counsel, 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169. Please include your contact information with the request.

 

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OTHER MATTERS

Other than those matters set forth in this Proxy Statement, we do not know of any additional matters to be submitted at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy to vote the shares they represent as the Board of Directors recommends.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dated: July 28, 2020

 

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LOGO

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF J.JILL, INC. September 16, 2020 1. 1. To elect two directors O Michael Rahamim O Andrew Rolfe FOR ALL NOMINEES WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ALL NOMINEES FOR ALL EXCEPT (See instructions below) NOMINEES: FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 2. To ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year ending January 30, 2021 The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the election of each of the director nominees listed in Proposal 1 and FOR Proposal 2. The shares represented by this proxy will be voted as specified herein, or if no choice is specified, such shares will be voted FOR each of the director nominees listed in Proposal 1 and FOR Proposal 2. In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting and any postponements or adjournments thereof. If you vote your proxy by Internet, you do NOT need to mail back your proxy card. Your Internet vote authorizes the named proxies to vote the shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed and returned your proxy card. Signature of Stockholder Date: Signature of Stockholder Date: Note: Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person. To change the address on your account, please check the box at right and indicate your new address in the address space above. Please note that changes to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted via this method. INSTRUCTIONS: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “FOR ALL EXCEPT” and fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold, as shown here: JOHN SMITH 1234 MAIN STREET APT. 203 NEW YORK, NY 10038 INTERNET—Access “www.voteproxy.com” and follow the on-screen instructions or scan the QR code with your smartphone. Have your proxy card available when you access the web page. Vote online until 11:59 PM EST the day before the meeting. MAIL—Sign, date and mail your proxy card in the envelope provided as soon as possible. IN PERSON—You may vote your shares in person by attending the Annual Meeting. GO GREEN—e-Consent makes it easy to go paperless. With e-Consent, you can quickly access your proxy material, statements and other eligible documents online, while reducing costs, clutter and paper waste. Enroll today via www.astfinancial.com to enjoy online access. PROXY VOTING INSTRUCTIONS Please detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope provided IF you are not voting via the Internet. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE DIRECTOR NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL 1 AND “FOR” PROPOSAL 2. PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE x 20230000000000001000 9 091620 COMPANY NUMBER ACCOUNT NUMBER NOTICE OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS: The Notice of Meeting, Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Stockholders are available at http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/JJill MARK “X” HERE IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING.


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LOGO

Important Notice of Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting of J.JILL, INC. To Be Held On: September 16, 2020 beginning at 8:00 AM EDT at 4 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169 1. To elect two directors Michael Rahamim Andrew Rolfe 2. To ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year ending January 30, 2021 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE DIRECTOR NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL 1 AND “FOR” PROPOSAL 2. NOMINEES: This communication presents only an overview of the more complete proxy materials that are available to you on the Internet. We encourage you to access and review all of the important information contained in the proxy materials before voting. If you want to receive a paper or e-mail copy of the proxy materials you must request one. There is no charge to you for requesting a copy. To facilitate timely delivery please make the request as instructed below before 09/4/20. Please visit http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/JJill, where the following materials are available for view: Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders Proxy Statement Form of Electronic Proxy Card Annual Report on Form 10-K TO REQUEST MATERIAL: TELEPHONE: 888-Proxy-NA (888-776-9962) 718-921-8562 (for international callers) E-MAIL: info@astfinancial.com WEBSITE: https://us.astfinancial.com/OnlineProxyVoting/ProxyVoting/RequestMaterials TO VOTE: ONLINE: To access your online proxy card, please visit www.voteproxy.com and follow the on-screen instructions or scan the QR code with your smartphone. You may enter your voting instructions at www.voteproxy.com up until 11:59 PM Eastern Time the day before the cut-off or meeting date. IN PERSON: You may vote your shares in person by attending the Annual Meeting. MAIL: You may request a card by following the instructions above. COMPANY NUMBER ACCOUNT NUMBER CONTROL NUMBER JOHN SMITH 1234 MAIN STREET APT. 203 NEW YORK, NY 10038 Please note that you cannot use this notice to vote by mail.