UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

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Textron Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

 

 

To the Shareholders of Textron Inc.:

 

The 2011 annual meeting of shareholders of Textron Inc. will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at The Renaissance Providence Hotel, 5 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, Rhode Island for the following purposes:

 

1. To elect the four directors named in the proxy statement to hold office until the next annual shareholders’ meeting;

 

2. To hold an advisory vote on executive compensation;

 

3. To hold an advisory vote on the frequency of advisory votes on executive compensation;

 

4. To approve an amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation to provide a right for holders of not less than 25% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock to call a special meeting of shareholders;

 

5. To ratify the appointment by the Audit Committee of Ernst & Young LLP as Textron’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2011; and

 

6. To transact any other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.

 

You are entitled to vote all shares of common stock registered in your name at the close of business on March 4, 2011. If your shares are held in the name of your broker or bank and you wish to attend the meeting in person, you should request your broker or bank to issue you a proxy covering your shares.

 

Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, we urge you to complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it in the accompanying postage-paid envelope as soon as possible so that your shares may be represented at the meeting. Shareholders of record also have the option of voting their shares via the Internet or by using a toll-free telephone number. Instructions on how to vote either via the Internet or by telephone are included on the proxy card.

 

A list of shareholders entitled to vote at the 2011 annual meeting will be open to examination by any shareholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, for ten days prior to the meeting, at Textron’s principal executive office, 40 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.

By order of the Board of Directors,

 

 

Terrence O’Donnell

Executive Vice President,

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

 

Providence, Rhode Island

March [  ], 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

 

TEXTRON INC.

 

This proxy statement, which is being mailed on or about March [  ], 2011, to each person entitled to receive the accompanying notice of annual meeting, is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of Textron Inc. of proxies to be voted at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held on April 27, 2011, at 11:00 am, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof. Textron’s principal executive office is located at 40 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.

 

All shareholders of record at the close of business on March 4, 2011 will be entitled to vote. As of March 4, 2011, Textron had outstanding [          ] shares of common stock, each of which is entitled to one vote with respect to each matter to be voted upon at the meeting. Proxies are solicited to give all shareholders who are entitled to vote on the matters that come before the meeting the opportunity to do so whether or not they attend the meeting in person.

 

All shareholders may vote by mail. Shareholders of record may also vote via the Internet or by using the toll-free telephone number listed on the proxy card. Internet and telephone voting information is provided on the proxy card. A control number, located on the lower right portion of the proxy card, is designated to verify a shareholder’s identity and allow the shareholder to vote the shares and confirm that the voting instructions have been recorded properly. If you vote via the Internet or by telephone, please do not return a signed proxy card. Shareholders who hold their shares through a bank or broker can vote via the Internet or by telephone if these options are offered by the bank or broker.

 

If voting by mail, please complete, sign, date and return your proxy card enclosed with the proxy statement in the accompanying postage-paid envelope. You can specify how you want your shares voted on each proposal by marking the appropriate boxes on the proxy card. If your proxy card is signed and returned without specifying a vote or an abstention on any proposal, it will be voted according to the recommendation of the Board of Directors on that proposal. That recommendation is shown for each proposal on the proxy card.

 

You also may vote in person at the meeting. If your shares are held in the name of your broker or bank and you wish to vote in person at the meeting, you must request your broker or bank to issue you a proxy covering your shares.

 

If you are a participant in a Textron savings plan with a Textron stock fund as an investment option, the accompanying proxy card shows the number of shares allocated to your account under the plan. When you vote via the Internet or by telephone, or your proxy card is returned properly signed, the plan trustee will vote your proportionate interest in the plan shares in the manner you direct, or if you vote by mail and make no direction, in proportion to directions received from the other plan participants (except for any shares allocated to your Tax Credit Account under the Textron Savings Plan, which will be voted only as you direct). All directions will be held in confidence.

 

Whether voting by mail, via the Internet or by telephone, if you are a shareholder of record you may revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted by submitting a new proxy with a later date, voting via the Internet or by telephone at a later time, delivering a written notice of revocation to Textron’s corporate secretary, or voting in person at the meeting. If your shares are held in the name of your broker or bank, you may change or revoke your voting instructions by contacting the bank or brokerage firm or other nominee holding the shares or by obtaining a legal proxy from such institution and voting in person at the annual meeting.

 

A quorum is required to conduct business at the meeting. A quorum requires the presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting. Abstentions and broker “non-votes” are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. A broker non-vote occurs when you fail to provide voting instructions to your broker for shares owned by you but held in the name of your broker and your broker does not have authority to vote without instructions from you. Under those circumstances, your broker may be authorized to vote for you without your instructions on some routine matters but is prohibited from voting without your instructions on other non-routine matters. Routine matters include ratification of independent public accountants and the amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Non-routine matters include the election of directors and the advisory votes related to executive compensation. Those items for which your broker cannot vote result in broker non-votes.

 

Election of each of the four nominees for director requires a vote of the majority of the votes cast at the meeting, which means that the number of shares voted “for” a nominee for director must exceed the number of shares voted “against” that nominee. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not counted for this purpose and will have no effect on the outcome of the election.

 

The advisory resolution regarding the compensation of our named executive officers and the advisory vote regarding the frequency of a shareholder vote on the compensation of our named executive officers require the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Abstentions will have the same effect as negative votes, and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

 

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the matter will be required to approve the proposed amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation to provide for the right of 25% holders to call a special meeting. Abstentions will be counted toward the tabulation of votes and will have the same effect as negative votes.

 

Approval of the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Abstentions will have the same effect as negative votes.

 

Textron pays all the cost of this solicitation of proxies. Textron will request that persons who hold shares for others, such as banks and brokers, solicit the owners of those shares and will reimburse them for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for those solicitations. In addition to solicitation by mail, Textron employees may solicit proxies by telephone, by electronic means and in person, without additional compensation for these services. Textron has hired Alliance Advisors, LLC of Bloomfield, New Jersey, a proxy solicitation organization, to assist in this solicitation process for a fee of $14,000, plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Under Textron’s policy on confidential voting, individual votes of shareholders are kept confidential from Textron’s directors, officers and employees, except for certain specific and limited exceptions. Comments of shareholders written on proxies or ballots are transcribed and provided to Textron’s Corporate Secretary. Votes are counted by employees of American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (“AST”), Textron’s independent transfer agent and registrar, and certified by Inspectors of Election who are employees of AST.

 

If your shares are held in the name of your bank or broker and you plan to attend the meeting, please bring proof of ownership with you to the meeting. A bank or brokerage account statement showing that you owned voting stock of Textron on March 4, 2011, is acceptable proof to obtain admittance to the meeting. If you are a shareholder of record, no proof is required.

 

The Board of Directors is currently composed of twelve members split among three classes of directors, designated Class I, Class II and Class III. At our 2010 annual meeting, shareholders approved a resolution to phase out the classification of the Board of Directors and instead provide for the annual election of directors. Therefore, beginning with this annual meeting, directors will be elected to hold office until the next annual shareholders’ meeting and until successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified. It is the intention of the persons named on the accompanying proxy card, unless otherwise instructed, to vote “For” each of the following directors who have been nominated for election: Mr. Conway, Mr. Gagné, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Trotter. Each nominee presently serves as a Class III director of Textron, except for Mr. Conway who would be new to our Board. If any director nominee is unable or unwilling to serve as a nominee at the time of the annual meeting, the persons named as proxies may vote for a substitute nominee designated by the present Board to fill the vacancy or for the balance of the nominees, leaving a vacancy. Information is furnished below with respect to each nominee for election and each director continuing in office. Thomas B. Wheeler, a director since 1993, will retire from the Board of Directors effective as of the annual meeting. The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR each of the director nominees (Items 1 through 4 on the proxy card).

 

 

Class I — Terms Expiring in 2012

 

Class II — Terms Expiring in 2013

 

 

Experience, Qualifications, Attributes and Skills

 

The Board of Directors believes that the Board, as a whole, should possess a combination of skills, professional experience and diversity of backgrounds necessary to oversee the Company’s business. In addition, the Board believes that there are certain attributes that every director should possess, as reflected in the Board’s membership criteria. Accordingly, the Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consider the qualifications of directors and director candidates individually and in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition and the Company’s current and future needs.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for developing and recommending criteria for director nominees to the Board for approval. All of our current Board members share certain qualifications and attributes consistent with these criteria, which are set forth in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies and are summarized below under “Board Committees — Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee”. These criteria include possessing specific skills and experience aligned with Textron’s strategic direction and operating challenges and that complement the overall composition of the Board. In addition, each Board member has demonstrated core business competencies, including high achievement and a record of success. All of our Board members are enthusiastic about Textron and devote sufficient time to be fully engaged in their role as a Textron Board member. Finally, all of our directors, other than our current CEO, satisfy the independence standards established by the New York Stock Exchange.

 

As discussed below, Textron’s directors have experience with businesses that operate in industries in which Textron operates, such as the defense, aviation, manufacturing and finance industries, or that involve skills, such as marketing or product branding, that are implicated by Textron’s operations. The following highlights the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of our individual Board members that have led the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to conclude that these individuals should continue to serve on our Board and to nominate Mr. Conway for service on our Board:

 

 

 

 

Meetings and Organization

 

During 2010, the Board of Directors held seven meetings, and the Executive Committee of the Board met seven times. The Board has standing Audit, Nominating and Corporate Governance, and Organization and Compensation committees. Directors are expected to regularly attend Board meetings and meetings of committees on which they serve and also the annual meeting of shareholders. All directors attended at least 75% of the total number of Board and applicable committee meetings. All directors attended the 2010 annual meeting of shareholders.

 

Corporate Governance

 

Textron’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies, originally adopted in 1996 and most recently revised in September 2010, meet or exceed the listing standards adopted by the New York Stock Exchange and are posted on Textron’s website, www.textron.com, under “Investor Relations — Corporate Governance/Governance Guidelines and Policies,” and are also available in print upon request to Textron’s Corporate Secretary.

 

Code of Ethics

 

Textron’s Business Conduct Guidelines, originally adopted in 1979 and most recently revised in September 2010, are applicable to all employees of Textron including the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer and the principal accounting officer. The Business Conduct Guidelines are also applicable to directors with respect to their responsibilities as members of the Board of Directors. The Business Conduct Guidelines are posted on Textron’s website, www.textron.com, under “About Textron — Our Commitment/Code of Ethics,” and are also available in print upon request to Textron’s Corporate Secretary. Any amendments to the Business Conduct Guidelines or the grant of a waiver from a provision of the Business Conduct Guidelines requiring disclosure under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules will be disclosed on our website, at the address specified above.

 

Director Independence

 

The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Bader, Messrs. Clark, Evans, Fish, Ford, Gagné, Hancock, Trotter, Wheeler and Ziemer and Lord Powell, are independent, and anticipates that it will determine that Mr. Conway is independent, as defined under the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, based on the criteria set forth in the Textron Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies which are posted on Textron’s website as described above. In making its determination, the Board examined relationships between directors or their affiliates with Textron and its affiliates and determined that each such relationship did not impair the director’s independence. Specifically, the Board considered the fact that: (a) in 2008, Mr. Ford’s company, Wooster Capital, LLC, purchased a 6.25% interest in a business jet from CitationAir (formerly Citation Shares), a Textron company; and (b) in each of 2008, 2009 and 2010, the Textron Charitable Trust made a $10,000 donation to the Atlantic Partnership for which Lord Powell serves as Chairman.

 

Other Directorships

 

Textron’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies limit the number of other public company boards on which non-management directors may serve to five in the case of a director who is not a public company chief executive officer and three in the case of a director who is a chief executive officer of a public company.

 

Leadership Structure

 

Historically, as reflected in the Textron Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies, the Board has determined that the practice of combining the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

serves the best interests of Textron and its shareholders. This is because, due to the size and multi-industry nature of the Company’s business, the Board believes that the CEO, with his extensive knowledge of the Company’s businesses and full time focus on the business affairs of the Company, makes a more effective Chairman than an independent director. The Board has committed to review, at least once every two years, whether combining these positions serves the best interests of Textron and its shareholders.

 

The functions of the Board are carried out by the full Board, and when delegated, by the Board committees, with each director being a full and equal participant. The Board is committed to high standards of corporate governance and its Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies were designed, in part, to ensure the independence of the Board and include a formal process for the evaluation of CEO performance by all non-employee Board members. The evaluation is used by the Organization and Compensation Committee as a basis to recommend the compensation of the CEO. In addition, the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Organization and Compensation Committee are composed entirely of independent directors. Each of these committees’ charters provides that the committee may seek the counsel of independent advisors and each routinely meets in an executive session without management present. The Board and each of its three principal committees perform an annual self-evaluation.

 

The independent Directors annually designate a director from among the chairs of the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Organization and Compensation Committee to serve as Lead Director who will, among other functions, preside at all meetings of the Board at which the Chairman is not present, serve as liaison, when needed, between the CEO and the independent Directors, and approve Board meeting agendas and the type of materials to be distributed to the Board. Textron’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies also require that the Board meet in executive session for non-management directors without management present at each regularly scheduled Board meeting. Textron’s Lead Director presides at such sessions. Additional executive sessions may be convened at any time at the request of a director, and, in such event, the Lead Director presides. During 2010, the independent directors met in executive session without management present during each of the Board’s seven meetings. Currently, Lord Powell serves as Lead Director. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reassesses on an annual basis the continuing effectiveness of the role of Lead Director.

 

Risk Management

 

The Board oversees the Company’s enterprise risk management process. Management reviews the process, including identification of key risks and steps taken to address them, with the full Board on a periodic basis. These reviews occur at an annual dedicated risk management session and as part of the Board’s annual review of the Company’s strategy. Although the full Board is responsible for this oversight function, the Organization and Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Audit Committee assist the Board in discharging its oversight duties.

 

The Organization and Compensation Committee reviews risks related to the subject matters enumerated in its charter, including risks associated with the Company’s compensation programs, to provide incentive compensation arrangements for senior executives that do not encourage inappropriate risk taking. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers risks related to the subject matters for which it is responsible as identified in its charter, including risks associated with corporate governance. Similarly, the Audit Committee will discuss with management and the independent auditor, as appropriate, (i) risks related to its duties and responsibilities as described in its charter, (ii) management’s policies and processes for risk assessment and risk management and (iii) in the period between the Board’s risk oversight reviews, management’s evaluation of the Company’s major risks and the steps management has taken or proposes to take to monitor and mitigate such risks.

 

Accordingly, while each of the three committees contributes to the risk management oversight function by assisting the Board in the manner outlined above, the Board itself remains responsible for the oversight of the Company’s risk management program.

Shareholder Communications to the Board

 

Shareholders or other interested parties wishing to communicate with the Board of Directors, the Lead Director, the non-management directors as a group or with any individual director may do so by calling (866) 698-6655 (toll-free) or (401) 457-2269, writing to Board of Directors at Textron Inc., 40 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, or by e-mail to textrondirectors@textron.com. The telephone numbers and addresses are also listed on the Textron website. All communications received via the above methods will be sent to the Board of Directors, the Lead Director, the non-management directors or the specified director.

 

Compensation of Directors

 

During 2010, for their service on the Board, non-employee directors were paid an annual retainer of $215,000. Non-employee directors who served on the Executive Committee, the Special Committee or one of the standing committees, other than the Audit Committee, received $1,500 for each committee meeting attended. Textron reimburses each director for his or her expenses in attending Board or committee meetings. Non-employee directors who served on the Audit Committee received $2,500 for each committee meeting attended. The chairmen of the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Organization and Compensation Committee received, respectively, an additional $15,000, $10,000 and $12,500, and the Lead Director an additional $15,000.

 

Textron maintains a Deferred Income Plan for Non-Employee Directors (the “Directors Deferred Income Plan”) under which they can defer all or part of their cash compensation until retirement from the Board. Deferrals are made either into an interest bearing account which bears interest at a monthly rate that is one-twelfth of the greater of 8% and the average for the month of the Moody’s Corporate Bond Yield Index, but in either case, not to exceed a monthly rate equal to 120% of the Applicable Federal Rate as provided under Section 1274(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, or into an account consisting of Textron stock units, which are equivalent in value to Textron common stock. Textron credits dividend equivalents to the stock unit account. Each year, directors are required to defer a minimum of $100,000 of their annual retainer into the stock unit account.

 

Textron sponsors a Directors Charitable Award Program which contributes up to $1,000,000 to the Textron Charitable Trust on behalf of each participating director upon his or her death, and the Trust donates 50% of that amount in accordance with the director’s recommendation among up to five charitable organizations. In most cases, payment of the contributions ultimately is recoverable from life insurance policies that Textron maintains on the lives of directors for this purpose. In 2010, Textron paid a total of $111,848 in premiums on these policies. The directors do not receive any direct financial benefit from this program since the insurance proceeds and charitable deductions accrue solely to Textron. The program was closed to new participants in 2004. Non-employee directors also are eligible to participate in the Textron Matching Gift Program under which Textron will match contributions of directors and full-time employees to eligible charitable organizations at a 1:1 ratio up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

 

In February 2010, Textron restructured its program for allowing non-employee directors access to personal use of its aircraft. In order to reduce the cost of the program, increase available flight hours and improve scheduling flexibility, Textron conveyed management and control of a Citation X to CitationAir in return for CitationAir operating a program which bases the hourly expense for use of its aircraft upon the direct and indirect operating expenses to Textron of the Citation X. Non-employee directors are required to reimburse Textron per flight hour based upon this hourly expense multiplied by a ratio factor assigned to the various aircraft in the CitationAir fleet. During 2010, Lewis Campbell reimbursed the Company $156,409 for his personal use of CitationAir aircraft.

 

Non-employee directors are eligible to receive awards of options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance stock, performance share unit or other awards granted under the Textron Inc. 2007 Long-Term Incentive Plan, although, other than the grant of restricted stock received upon joining the Board, they have not received any such awards.

 

In order to align the financial interests of our directors with the interests of our shareholders, we require that our directors maintain a specified level of stock ownership equal to eight times the portion of their annual retainer payable in cash; toward this end, we require all non-employee directors to defer a minimum of $100,000 of their annual retainer into the stock unit account of the Directors Deferred Income Plan. All

directors currently meet the stock ownership requirement which allows them to achieve the required level of ownership over time in the case of directors who have more recently joined the Board. We also have a stock retention policy restricting non-management directors from transferring stock units or restricted stock while they serve on the Board.

 

In December 2010, following a review of the non-employee directors’ compensation and benefits program by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, on recommendation of the committee, the Board determined not to make any modifications to the program for 2011.

 

Employee directors do not receive fees or other compensation for their service on the Board or its committees.

 

 

The following table provides 2010 compensation information for our directors other than Mr. Donnelly, whose compensation is reported in the Summary Compensation Table on page 27.

 

 

 

 

Audit Committee

 

The Audit Committee pursuant to its charter, as amended in December 2010, assists the Board of Directors with its oversight of (i) the integrity of Textron’s financial statements, (ii) Textron’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (iii) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (iv) the performance of Textron’s internal audit function and independent auditor. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, retention, compensation and oversight of Textron’s independent auditors. A

copy of the charter is posted on Textron’s website under “Investor Relations — Corporate Governance/Board Committees and Charters,” and is also available in print upon request to Textron’s Corporate Secretary. The following five independent directors presently comprise the committee: Mr. Ziemer (Chairman), Ms. Bader, Mr. Clark, Mr. Gagné and Mr. Hancock. The Board has determined that each member of the committee is independent as independence is defined for audit committee members in the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. No member of the committee simultaneously serves on the audit committees of more than three public companies. The Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Gagné and Mr. Ziemer each are “audit committee financial experts” under the criteria adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. During 2010, the committee met ten times and a subcommittee of the Audit Committee met once.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee pursuant to its charter, as amended in July 2010, (i) identifies individuals to become Board members, and recommends that the Board select the director nominees for the next annual meeting of shareholders, (ii) develops and recommends to the Board a set of corporate governance principles applicable to Textron and (iii) makes recommendations on compensation of the Board of Directors. A copy of the committee’s charter is posted on Textron’s website under “Investor Relations — Corporate Governance/Board Committees and Charters,” and is also available in print upon request to Textron’s Corporate Secretary.

 

In making its recommendations on director nominees to the Board, the committee will consider suggestions regarding possible candidates from a variety of sources, including shareholders. Nominees suggested by shareholders will be communicated to the committee for consideration in the committee’s selection process. Shareholder-recommended candidates are evaluated using the same criteria used for other candidates. The committee also periodically retains a third-party search firm to assist in the identification and evaluation of candidates. Though the committee does not have a formal policy for considering diversity in identifying nominees for director, it seeks a variety of occupational and personal backgrounds on the Board in order to obtain a range of viewpoints and perspectives.

 

Textron’s Amended and Restated By-Laws contain a provision which imposes certain requirements upon nominations for directors made by shareholders at the annual meeting of shareholders or a special meeting of shareholders at which directors are to be elected. Shareholders wishing to nominate an individual for director at the annual meeting must submit timely notice of nomination within the time limits described below under the heading “Shareholder Proposals and Other Matters for 2012 Annual Meeting” on page 49, to the committee, c/o Textron’s Corporate Secretary, along with the information described in our By-Laws.

 

The committee annually reviews the Board of Directors’ composition, the appropriate size of the Board, the results of the review of the Board’s overall performance and the strategy of the Company to determine future requirements for Board members over the next year or two. All candidates are evaluated against those requirements and the criteria for membership to the Board set forth in the Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies including: (i) exemplary personal ethics and integrity; (ii) specific skills and experience aligned with Textron’s strategic direction and operating challenges and that complement the overall composition of the Board; (iii) core business competencies of high achievement and a record of success; (iv) financial literacy and a history of making good business decisions and exposure to best practices; (v) interpersonal skills that maximize group dynamics, including respect for others; (vi) strong communications skills and confidence to ask tough questions; and (vii) enthusiasm for Textron and sufficient time to be fully engaged. In addition, the Guidelines and Policies provide that no more than three of the Company’s directors will not be independent under the standards of the New York Stock Exchange. All recommendations of nominees to the Board by the committee are made solely on the basis of merit.

 

In making its recommendations on Board compensation, the committee annually reviews the director compensation and benefits program and consults with outside board compensation advisors, as appropriate.

 

The following five directors presently comprise the committee: Mr. Fish (Chairman), Ms. Bader, Mr. Ford, Mr. Trotter and Mr. Wheeler. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the committee is independent under the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. During 2010, the committee met four times.

Organization and Compensation Committee

 

The Organization and Compensation Committee pursuant to its charter, as revised in July 2010, (i) approves compensation arrangements, including merit salary increases and any annual and long-term incentive compensation, with respect to the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers of the Company; (ii) oversees and, where appropriate, approves compensation arrangements applicable to other corporate officers; (iii) amends any executive compensation plan or nonqualified deferred compensation of the Company and its subsidiaries to the same extent that the plan may be amended by the Board; (iv) administers the executive compensation plans and nonqualified deferred compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries; (v) approves the Chief Executive Officer’s and other executive officers’ responsibilities and performance against pre-established performance goals; and (vi) plans for the succession of the Company’s management. A copy of the committee’s charter is posted on Textron’s website under “Investor Relations — Corporate Governance/Board Committees and Charters,” and is also available in print upon request to Textron’s Corporate Secretary. See the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A), beginning on page 17 for more information on the committee’s processes and the role of management and consultants in determining the form and amount of executive compensation. The following five directors presently comprise the committee: Lord Powell (Chairman), Mr. Clark, Mr. Evans, Mr. Gagné and Mr. Trotter. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the committee is independent under the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. During 2010, the committee met seven times.

 

Special Committee

 

At its September 2008 meeting, the Board of Directors designated a Special Committee to review and report to the full Board on Textron Financial Corporation (“TFC”) strategic and operational issues; the Board appointed Mr. Trotter as Chairman, and Mr. Campbell, Mr. Fish, Mr. Gagné, Mr. Powell and Mr. Ziemer as members of the Committee. At its February 2009 meeting, the Board reconstituted the Special Committee such that it was comprised of Mr. Trotter, as Chairman, Mr. Fish, Mr. Gagné and Mr. Ziemer, and its charge was to assist the Board in its review and oversight of Textron’s liquidity plan, the liquidation of TFC’s non-captive finance business and such other matters as the Board may from time to time assign. At the beginning of the 2010 fiscal year, the Special Committee met once and was deemed to have completed its assignment, and these matters were again assumed by the full Board.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

The members of the Organization and Compensation Committee during fiscal year 2010 consisted of Lord Powell, who served as the Chairman, Mr. Clark, Mr. Evans, Mr. Gagné and Mr. Trotter. No member of the Organization and Compensation Committee is or has been an executive officer or employee of Textron (or any of its subsidiaries), and no “compensation committee interlocks” existed during fiscal year 2010.

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of January 1, 2011, unless otherwise noted, by:

 

 

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and generally includes any shares over which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment power. Shares of common stock subject to options that are exercisable, or restricted stock units that will vest, within 60 days of January 1, 2011, and shares held for the executive officers by the trustee under the Textron Savings Plan, are considered outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding the option or unit or participating in the Plan but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

 

Each stockholder listed below has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned, except in those cases in which the voting or investment power is shared with the trustee or as otherwise noted.