Symantec 2014 Annual Report Download - page 7

Dear Fellow Shareholders:
Our primary focus is to create long-term, sustainable value for our shareholders through our
commitment to world-class corporate governance, ensuring we have the right CEO to lead our company,
creating performance based compensation plans for our executives, fostering a diverse and independent
board, and developing a long term strategy that leverages our unique assets in an ever changing
landscape.
Hiring the Most Capable Leader for Our Business: The markets we serve are some of the most
exciting, competitive, and fast growing in software. The threat landscape is increasingly complex and
customers need our solutions more than ever. We are actively engaged with management in a thorough
strategic review of the Company as the basis for identifying the right new CEO to lead Symantec. To
spearhead the search, we formed a three-person committee that is leading this effort with the expert
assistance of Russell Reynolds. We are seeking an executive with a deep understanding of the evolving
technology landscape, expertise growing multi-product businesses at scale, and a track record of building
shareholder value through collaborative leadership.
Aligning Compensation with Performance: We remain committed to rewarding our executives
based on performance. Our Compensation and Leadership Development Committee rigorously reviews
proposed executive compensation plans to ensure they are fair and sufficient to attract and retain
experienced, talented leaders. The Committee ties compensation to both short and long-term company
and individual performance using formulaic annual and long-term performance-based incentive plans.
Each plan is scrutinized to ensure it avoids creating risks that may have a materially adverse effect on our
company. Our compensation review process includes a comprehensive performance evaluation
comparison with other companies’ practices as well as consultation with independent experts. As we
prepare to hire a new CEO, we are committed to developing a compensation package consistent with
these principles.
Ensuring Depth and Breadth of Board Experience: We believe that having a variety of
independent viewpoints in the boardroom is essential for Symantec’s success. As such, over the past year,
we recruited Anita Sands and Suzanne Vautrinot, who bring broad experience in financial services,
government, and cyber security. We are confident that having a balance of new and tenured board
members allows us to evaluate Symantec’s opportunities with a fresh perspective without sacrificing
long-term continuity. We remain committed to refreshing our Board as necessary, reflecting the evolving
market and competitive conditions. In the Board’s succession planning, we will continue to emphasize
diversity and a demonstrated ability to address the major technological trends impacting our business.
Looking into fiscal 2015, we are enthusiastic about Symantec’s prospects and highly confident that
the Company will continue to execute on our transformation, improve financial and operating
performance, and create long-term shareholder value. Thank you for your continued support.
Regards, the Board of Directors of Symantec Corporation
Daniel H. Schulman,
Chairman of the Board, Symantec
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