Reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted financial measures used in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section and elsewhere in this Proxy Statement, other than as part of disclosure of target levels, can be found in Appendix A.

Applied’s Board of Directors is elected each year at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Applied currently has 11 directors. Dennis D. Powell is retiring from the Board, and his service on our Board will end upon completion of his current term in March 2020. The Board has authorized a reduction in the size of the Board from 11 to ten directors, effective upon the election of directors at the Annual Meeting. Upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, the Board has nominated the ten individuals listed below for election at the Annual Meeting, each of whom currently serves as a director of Applied. These nominees bring a wide variety of relevant skills, professional experience and backgrounds, as well as diverse viewpoints and perspectives to represent the long-term interests of shareholders, and to fulfill the leadership and oversight responsibilities of the Board.

If any nominee listed below becomes unable to stand for election at the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies may vote for any person designated by the Board to replace the nominee. Alternatively, the proxies may vote for the remaining nominees and leave a vacancy that the Board may fill later, or the Board may reduce the authorized number of directors. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, the Board is not aware of any nominee who is unable or will decline to serve as a director.

Each director elected at the Annual Meeting will serve until Applied’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until he or she is succeeded by another qualified director who has been elected, or, if earlier, until his or her death, resignation or removal.

James C. Morgan became Chairman Emeritus in March 2009, following his retirement as our director and Chairman of the Board. Mr. Morgan spent more than 31 years as a director and employee of Applied, including over 20 years as Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Morgan first joined Applied in 1976 and served as Chief Executive Officer from 1977 to 2003. As Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Morgan does not attend any Board or Committee meetings, has no voting rights and receives no retainer or meeting fees.

Nominee Skills and Experience

Our director nominees have a wide variety of relevant skills, professional experience and backgrounds, and collectively bring to our Board diverse viewpoints and perspectives that

strengthen its ability to represent the long-term interests of shareholders. The chart below illustrates broad categories of skills and expertise that our director nominees offer that we believe contribute to the effective leadership and exercise of oversight responsibilities by the Board.

Diversity. Our Board values having a Board that reflects diverse perspectives, including those based on gender, ethnicity, skills, experience at policy-making levels in areas that are relevant to the Company’s global activities, and functional, geographic or cultural backgrounds. In 2019 the Board adopted a Policy on Board Diversity within our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which reflects the Board’s commitment to actively seek out women and ethnically diverse director candidates and to consider the factors above, among others, in the context of the current composition of the Board and needs of the Company when identifying and evaluating director candidates.

The 10 director nominees for election at our 2020 Annual Meeting bring to our Board a variety of different backgrounds, skills, professional and industry experience and other attributes and perspectives that contribute to the overall diversity of our Board.

Independence. The Governance Committee expects each non-employee director to be free of relationships, interests or affiliations that could give rise to conflicts of interest or interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment. Applied’s Corporate Governance Guidelines require that a majority of our directors must be independent, and that our

Audit, Human Resources and Compensation, and Governance Committees must consist solely of independent directors.

Director independence is determined under Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules. The Board has affirmatively determined that all members of the Board who served during 2019 and all director nominees, other than Mr. Dickerson, our Chief Executive Officer, are independent under applicable Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules.

Tenure. The Board believes that new ideas and perspectives are critical to a forward-looking and strategic Board, as are the valuable experiences and deep understanding of Applied’s business and industries that longer-serving directors offer. Our Governance Guidelines do not impose a term limit on Board service; our directors are not typically nominated for re-election after they reach the age of 70. Feedback from the annual Board evaluations and individual discussions between each non-employee director and our Chairman is an important determinant of Board tenure. Our ongoing Board refreshment has added two new directors to the Board over the last two years and has resulted in a balanced range of tenures which ensures both continuity and fresh perspectives among our director nominees.

Board Composition and Refreshment

Identification of New Director Candidates. Identifying and recommending individuals for nomination and election to our Board is a principal responsibility of our Governance Committee, which performs this function through an ongoing, year-round process.

The Governance Committee regularly considers the size and composition of the Board and assesses whether the composition appropriately aligns with the Company’s evolving business and strategic needs. The focus is on ensuring that the Board is composed of directors who possess a wide variety of relevant skills, professional experience and backgrounds, bring diverse viewpoints and perspectives, and effectively represent the long-term interests of shareholders.

In its consideration of potential director candidates, the Governance Committee reviews the short- and long-term strategies and interests of the Company to determine what current and future skills and experiences are required of the Board in exercising its oversight function. Specific search criteria evolve over time to reflect the Company’s dynamic business and strategic needs and the changing composition of the Board, and may include such factors as:

In accordance with the Policy on Board Diversity, the Governance Committee actively seeks out women and ethnically diverse director candidates.

The Governance Committee also considers succession planning in light of anticipated retirements, and for Board and Committee Chair roles, to maintain relevant expertise and depth of experience.

In addition, all director candidates are also expected to possess or demonstrate:

The Governance Committee may retain a search firm to assist in identifying and evaluating new candidates for director nominees and may also consider referrals from directors, shareholders or other sources. Ms. McGill, who joined our Board in July 2019, was identified and vetted as a potential candidate by a third-party search firm for consideration by the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee evaluates and interviews potential Board candidates and makes appointment recommendations to the full Board. All members of the Board may interview candidates.

Recent Board Refreshment. As a result of the foregoing process, the Board has added two new directors over the last two years, each of whom have brought valuable and diverse backgrounds and perspectives to the overall composition of the Board. The most recent appointment was Ms. McGill in July 2019. Ms. McGill is a segment chief financial officer for Dell Technologies, Inc. who brings to our Board executive leadership and management experience, as well as global business, industry and operational experience in the technology sector. Her financial and accounting background provides key experience and expertise to the Board, as Mr. Dennis Powell, Chair of the Audit Committee, prepares to retire upon completion of his current term in March 2020.

Regular Review of Board Composition

Drives Refreshment

1 Assess Develop a search profile of relevant skills, background and experience sought in new directors 2 Identify Information provided to third-party search firms Potential candidates identified by independent directors, shareholders, independent search firm, our people 3 Evaluate Governance Committee screens candidates for qualifications, skills, diversity, independence and potential conflicts Candidates meet with directors 4 Recommend Governance Committee recommends selected candidates to the Board Results Two new directors over the last two years

Re-nomination of Directors for Election at Annual Meeting. In considering whether to recommend re-nomination of a director for election at our Annual Meeting, the Governance Committee considers factors such as:

Based on the Governance Committee’s recommendation, the Board selects director nominees and recommends them for election by Applied’s shareholders.

Shareholder Recommendations or Nominations. The evaluation procedures described above apply to all candidates for director nomination, including candidates submitted by shareholders. Shareholders wishing to recommend a candidate for consideration by the Governance Committee should submit the candidate’s name, biographical data and a description of his or her qualifications in light of the criteria listed above to Christina Y. Lai, Corporate Secretary, Applied Materials, Inc., 3225 Oakmead Village Drive, M/S 1268, P.O. Box 58039, Santa Clara, CA 95052, or by e-mail at corporatesecretary@amat.com.

Shareholders wishing to nominate a director should follow the specific procedures set forth in our Bylaws.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

Applied’s Corporate Governance Guidelines establish the governance framework within which the Board conducts its business and fulfills its responsibilities. These guidelines and other important governance materials are available on our website at:  http://www.appliedmaterials.com/company/

investor-relations/governance-documents. The Board regularly reviews our Corporate Governance Guidelines in light of legal and regulatory requirements, evolving best practices and other developments. In December 2019, the Board formalized its focus on diversity by adopting a Policy on Board Diversity within our Corporate Governance Guidelines as described above on page 7 under “Diversity.”

Board Leadership

Our corporate governance framework provides the Board flexibility to determine the appropriate leadership structure for the Company, and whether the roles of Chairman and CEO should be separated or combined. In making this determination, the Board considers many factors, including the needs of the business, the Board’s assessment of its leadership needs from time to time and the best interests of shareholders. If the role of Chairman is filled by a director who does not qualify as an independent director, the Board will designate a Lead Independent Director.

The Board believes that it is currently appropriate to separate the roles of Chairman and CEO. The CEO is responsible for setting our strategic direction and the day-to-day leadership of our business, while the Chairman, along with the rest of our independent directors, ensures that the Board’s time and attention are focused on effective oversight of the matters most critical to Applied. Mr. Iannotti, an independent director, currently serves as the Chairman of the Board. Mr. Iannotti has significant experience and knowledge of Applied, working with two CEOs and different management teams at Applied, and the Board believes that his deep knowledge of the Company and industry, as well as his strong leadership and governance experience, enable him to lead the Board effectively and independently.

Director Onboarding and Education

When new directors join the Board, they participate in a comprehensive onboarding program to learn about our industry, business, strategies and policies. The multi-day onboarding program includes meetings with senior executives to discuss our businesses, strategy, operations and our corporate functions such as finance, technology, information systems and legal, and a tour of the Maydan Technology Center, our state-of-the-art R&D facilities. New directors also meet with the executives and staff supporting the Committees on which they sit, as well as the Committees’ external consultants and advisors. Each new director is also partnered with an experienced fellow director “mentor” to facilitate the integration of the new director to the Board.

For continued education regarding our business and industry, we provide presentations by internal and external experts during Board meetings on topics such as technology inflections, industry trends, changes in the geopolitical and macroeconomic landscape, and the ESG landscape, with particular focus on the implications and impact to the

Company. Our Board and Committees also regularly review developments in corporate governance to continue enhancing the Board’s effectiveness. We encourage directors to participate in external continuing director education programs and provide reimbursement for expenses associated with this participation. Throughout the year, Board members also attend Company events, including Analyst Day, our Engineering and Technology (ET) Conference, and Diversity Day. In addition, in 2019, the Board held Board and Committee meetings at our offices in Taiwan, where directors attended the grand opening of our new Display Equipment Manufacturing Center and R&D Laboratory, participated in a local employee all-hands meeting and met with our regional executives. These interactions, along with meetings with leaders below the CEO Executive Staff level throughout the year, give directors additional visibility to provide oversight of the Company’s culture, strategies and operations.

Board and Committee Evaluations

Our Board recognizes that a thorough, constructive evaluation process enhances our Board’s effectiveness and is an essential element of good corporate governance. Each year, the Governance Committee, in consultation with our independent Board Chairman, reviews and determines the design, scope, content and execution of the evaluation process, including whether to engage a third party to facilitate the evaluation.

The evaluation process consists of assessments of the Board, each standing committee of the Board, and individual directors. Written questionnaires solicit feedback on a range of issues, including Board and Committee structure and composition; meeting process and dynamics; execution of key responsibilities; interaction with management; and information and resources.

Following completion of the written questionnaires, aggregated results, including all written comments, together with data analyzing results compared to the prior year, are provided to the Chairman, who meets with each director individually to discuss additional input on these topics and to provide individual feedback. Committee chairs lead a discussion of evaluation results for their respective Committees, and a summary of Board and Committee evaluation results is discussed with the full Board, including suggestions for updating policies and practices per evaluation results. Director suggestions for improvements to the evaluation questionnaires and process are considered for incorporation for the following year.

Applied has implemented an enterprise risk management (“ERM”) program, overseen by the Audit Committee, which provides an enterprise-wide perspective on Applied’s risks. The risks identified are reported to the Board, with a focus on the most significant risks facing the Company, including strategic,

operational, financial, and legal and compliance risks. Oversight responsibility for a particular risk may fall within an area of responsibility and expertise of one of the Board Committees. Management reviews the ERM program activities regularly with the Audit Committee, presents an analysis of risk mitigation

strategies to the Board or the respective Committee with oversight responsibility for the risk, and provides annual risk mitigation updates to the full Board.

Risk Assessment of Compensation Programs. We have assessed our compensation policies, plans and practices, and determined that they do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Applied. To make this determination, our management reviewed our compensation policies, plans and practices, and assessed the following aspects: design, payment methodology, potential payment volatility, relationship to our financial results, length of performance period, risk-mitigating features, performance measures and goals, oversight and controls, and plan features and values compared to market practices. Management reviewed its analysis with the Human Resources and Compensation Committee, which agreed with this determination. Applied also has in place various controls to mitigate risks relating to compensation policies, plans and practices, such as executive stock ownership guidelines and a clawback policy that enables the recovery of certain incentive compensation payments in certain circumstances.

Management Succession Planning

The Board has delegated to the Human Resources and Compensation Committee (“HRCC”) primary responsibility for overseeing management succession planning and executive organizational development, as well as human capital management programs. Management updates the HRCC on programs and developments every quarter and reports to the full Board at least annually.

The HRCC reviews and advises on management’s succession and development programs for the CEO and other senior executives, with an eye toward ensuring development of the talent needed to lead Applied today and in the future and readiness of succession candidates who can assume top management positions without undue interruption. Board members have opportunities throughout the year to engage with members of senior management and other high-potential leaders in a variety of formal and informal settings, including Board meetings and events, preparatory meetings, analyst meetings and internal and external business and technology conferences.

The HRCC and Board also regularly discuss matters related to organizational health and discuss individual executive transitions as the need arises over the course of the year. The Board’s goal is to have a long-term and continuing process for effective senior leadership development and succession and to ensure that there are ready choices available when the time is right. The HRCC also receives quarterly reports from the Group Vice President of Human Resources, covering a range of topics relating to corporate culture and human capital management, including the

Company’s diversity and inclusion practices and initiatives and its sexual harassment policies.

Shareholder Rights

In addition to direct engagement through our recurring shareholder engagement program discussed below, Applied has instituted a number of mechanisms that allow shareholders to advance their points of view, including:

Right to Call a Special Meeting. Our Bylaws permit shareholders holding at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock to call a special meeting.

Proxy Access. Our Bylaws permit proxy access. Any shareholder (or group of up to 20 shareholders) owning 3% or more of Applied’s common stock continuously for at least three years may nominate up to two individuals or 20% of our Board, whichever is greater, as director candidates for election to the Board, and require us to include such nominees in our annual meeting proxy statement if the shareholders and nominees satisfy the requirements contained in our Bylaws.

Majority Voting. Under our Bylaws, in any uncontested election of directors (an election in which the number of nominees does not exceed the number of directors to be elected), any nominee who receives a greater number of votes cast “for” his or her election than votes cast “against” his or her election will be elected.

Our Bylaws provide that in the event an incumbent director receives more “against” than “for” votes, he or she shall tender his or her resignation after certification of the shareholder vote. Our Governance Committee, composed entirely of independent directors, will consider the offer of resignation, taking into consideration all factors it deems relevant, and recommend to the Board the action to be taken. The Board must take action on the recommendation within 90 days following certification of the shareholder vote. No director who tenders an offer of resignation may participate in the vote on the Governance Committee’s recommendation or the Board’s determination of whether to accept the resignation offer. Applied will publicly disclose the Board’s decision, including, if applicable, the reasons for rejecting an offer to resign.

Right to Act by Written Consent. Currently our Certificate of Incorporation prohibits shareholder action by written consent. However, after consideration of the results of last year’s shareholder proposal on shareholder action by written consent and the shareholder feedback we received, we are submitting to shareholders for approval an amendment and restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to allow shareholder action by written consent. See “Proposal 4—Approval of an Amendment and Restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to Allow Shareholders to Act by Written Consent” on page 50 for additional information.

Shareholder Engagement

We believe that strong corporate governance should include regular engagement with our shareholders to enable us to understand and respond to shareholder concerns.

Investor Relations. Our senior management team, including our CEO, CFO and members of our Investor Relations team, maintain regular contact with a broad base of investors, including through quarterly earnings calls, individual meetings and other channels for communication, to understand their concerns. In 2019, senior management participated in over

286 meetings with investors, including more than 121 meetings with the CFO and more than 24 with our CEO.

Shareholder Outreach Program. In addition, we have a robust shareholder outreach program, which is a recurring, year-round effort, led by a cross-functional team that includes members of our Investor Relations, Global Rewards, Culture of Inclusion, Environmental, Health & Safety and Legal functions, with participation of our independent directors, where appropriate. This engagement enables us to build meaningful relationships and trust over time with our shareholders.

We engage with a significant cross-section of our shareholder base, including large institutional investors, pension funds, and other investors. Topics of discussion include key business, Board, governance, executive compensation, environmental, sustainability and diversity and inclusion matters, as well as other subjects of interest to our shareholders. Based on feedback from shareholders, we

have over the last few years adopted proxy access and a special meeting right and implemented changes to our executive compensation programs. During the fall of 2019, we contacted the holders of approximately 62% of our outstanding shares, and engaged in active discussions on these topics with investors who requested meetings, representing approximately 20% of our shares outstanding.

Responsiveness to 2019 Shareholder Action by Written Consent Proposal. In response to the high level of shareholder support at the 2019 Annual Meeting for the proposal on shareholder action by written consent, and at the direction of our Governance Committee, we reached out to shareholders for their views on shareholder action by written consent, as well as our existing special meeting process. We contacted the holders of approximately 57% of our outstanding shares. Our independent Chairman of the Board and our independent Chair of the Governance Committee participated in the discussions with several of our shareholders. Feedback received from the shareholders was shared and discussed with the Board.

After careful consideration of the results of the 2019 shareholder action by written consent proposal and the shareholder feedback, as well as a comprehensive review of market practices and provisions adopted by other companies with respect to a shareholder right to act by written consent, the Board is submitting for shareholder approval an amendment and restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to allow shareholder action by written consent, as further described in “Proposal 4—Approval of an Amendment and Restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to Allow Shareholders to Act by Written Consent” on page 50.

Disclosure of Diversity Data. In September 2018, we disclosed key diversity data for the first time, including the gender and ethnic composition of our workforce, as well as new goals for increasing our global diversity and ensuring we have an inclusive work environment, which include increasing women and underrepresented minorities in our workforce. The disclosures not only reflect the importance of this issue to Applied, but also the input that we received from our shareholders. Shareholder feedback to the information was universally positive, with the view that it demonstrated our commitment to diversity and inclusion, transparency in disclosing data and accountability in working towards our goals.

In 2019, we provided an update of the diversity data published the previous year, as well as additional information regarding our engineering women employees in the U.S. and globally, to communicate the progress we are making towards our goals of increasing representation of women globally and underrepresented minorities in our U.S. workforce.

Shareholder Communications

Any shareholder wishing to communicate with any of our directors regarding Applied may write to the director, c/o Christina Y. Lai, Corporate Secretary, Applied Materials, Inc., 3225 Oakmead Village Drive, M/S 1268, P.O. Box 58039, Santa Clara, CA 95052, or by e-mail at corporatesecretary@amat.com. The Corporate Secretary reviews correspondence directed to the Board and, at the Corporate Secretary’s discretion, forwards items that she deems appropriate for the Board’s consideration. The independent directors of the Board review and approve the shareholder communication process periodically in order to enable an effective method by which shareholders can communicate with the Board.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

The Board has adopted stock ownership guidelines to align the interests of our directors and executive officers with those of our shareholders. The guidelines provide that non-employee directors should each own Applied stock with a value of at least five times the annual base retainer for non-employee directors. Applied’s Chief Executive Officer should own Applied stock with a value of at least six times his annual base salary. Each Section 16 officer on the CEO Executive Staff should own Applied stock with a value of at least three times his or her annual base salary. As of December 31, 2019, all of our directors and executive officers were in compliance with the stock ownership guidelines.

Standards of Business Conduct

Applied’s Standards of Business Conduct embody our commitment to ethical and legal business practices. The Board expects Applied’s directors, officers and all other members of its workforce to act ethically at all times and to acknowledge their commitment to Applied’s Standards of Business Conduct. The Standards of Business Conduct are available on our website at: http://www.appliedmaterials.com/company/investor-relations/governance-documents.

The Board met five times in fiscal 2019. Each director attended over 75% of all Board and applicable committee meetings held during fiscal 2019. Directors are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, and all of the directors serving on our Board at the time attended our 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The Board has three principal committees performing the functions required by applicable SEC rules and Nasdaq listing standards to be performed by independent directors: the Audit Committee, the Human Resources and Compensation Committee, and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Each of these committees meets regularly and

has a written charter approved by the Board that is reviewed annually by the respective committee and by the Board. The Board also has a Strategy Committee and an Investment Committee, whose roles and responsibilities are described in Applied’s Corporate Governance Guidelines

In addition, at each regularly-scheduled Board meeting, the Chair of each committee reports on any significant matters addressed by the committee since the last Board meeting. Each director who serves on the Audit Committee, Human Resources and Compensation Committee, or Corporate

Governance and Nominating Committee is an independent director under applicable Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules.

Copies of the current charters for the Audit, Human Resources and Compensation, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees can be found on our website at: http://www.appliedmaterials.com/company/investor-relations/governance-documents. The roles and responsibilities of the Strategy Committee and the Investment Committee are described in Applied’s Corporate Governance Guidelines.

 Audit Committee

 Human Resources and Compensation Committee

 Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

We compensate our non-employee directors for their service on the Board with a combination of cash and equity awards. Directors who are employees of Applied do not receive any compensation for their service as directors.

Retainer and Meeting Fees

Each non-employee director receives an annual cash retainer for his or her service on the Board, as well as additional cash retainers if he or she serves as the Chairman of the Board, on a committee or as the chair of a committee. Annual retainers are paid quarterly and are prorated based on the director’s service during the fiscal year. The following table sets forth cash compensation for non-employee directors in effect during fiscal 2019.

In addition, non-employee directors receive $2,000 per meeting for service on the Investment Committee or other ad-hoc committee of which they are a member, or $3,000 per meeting if they are the chair of such a committee. Non-employee directors are reimbursed for travel and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to attendance at Board and committee meetings, business events on behalf of Applied, and seminars and programs on subjects related to their Board responsibilities.

Equity Compensation

Initial Grant. Upon initial appointment or election to the Board, a non-employee director receives a grant of restricted stock units with respect to a number of shares of Applied common stock with a fair market value on the date of grant equal to $225,000 (rounded down to the nearest whole share), pro-rated based on the period starting on the day of initial appointment or election and ending on the day of the next scheduled annual meeting of shareholders.

Annual Grant. Each non-employee director elected at an annual meeting receives on that date a non-discretionary grant of restricted stock units with respect to a number of shares of Applied common stock with a fair market value on the date of grant equal to $225,000 (rounded down to the nearest whole share). A non-employee director who is initially appointed or elected to the Board on the day of an annual meeting of shareholders receives only an annual grant. Each of our non-employee directors re-elected at the 2019 Annual Meeting received a grant of 5,988 restricted stock units on that date.

Vesting. Grants made to our non-employee directors vest in full on the earlier of March 1 of the year following the date of grant or the next annual meeting, provided the non-employee director remains on the Board through the scheduled vesting date. Vesting of these grants will be accelerated in full upon a non-employee director’s earlier termination of service on the Board due to disability or death, or upon a change of control of Applied if the director ceases to be a non-employee director (and does not become a member of the board of directors of any successor corporation or its parent). Non-employee directors may elect in advance to defer receipt of vested shares until their termination of service on the Board.

Limit on Awards. Under our amended and restated Employee Stock Incentive Plan, grants of equity awards to any individual non-employee director may not exceed a fair market value totaling more than $400,000 in any fiscal year.

Charitable Matching Contributions

Non-employee directors are eligible to participate in The Applied Materials Foundation Matching Gift Program, under which the Foundation annually will match up to $3,000 of a non-employee director’s donations to eligible non-profit and educational organizations, as well as match an unlimited amount of donations to our annual food drive. In addition,

non-employee directors are eligible to participate in a matching program under the Applied Materials, Inc. Political Action Committee, under which the Company annually will match up to $2,500 of a non-employee director’s contributions for the benefit of eligible non-profit organizations

and kindergarten to 12th grade public and non-profit private schools in the U.S. Non-employee directors are subject to the same maximum matching amounts and other terms as those for Applied’s employees.

Pursuant to Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), we are asking shareholders to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our NEOs, as described in this Proxy Statement. We seek this approval each year. Our annual “say-on-pay” proposals have been supported by our shareholders each year since we began providing this vote in 2011, and received the support of 96% of votes cast in 2019.

Our Board of Directors believes that our compensation policies and practices promote a performance-based culture and align our executives’ interests with those of our shareholders through a strong emphasis on at-risk compensation tied to the achievement of performance objectives and shareholder value. Our executive compensation program is also designed to attract and retain highly-talented executives who are critical to the successful implementation of Applied’s strategic plan.

Pay and Performance. We align compensation with our business objectives, performance and shareholder interests. See pages 26 and 35 for charts illustrating the connection between key financial and Company performance metrics and the compensation paid to our CEO during the last five fiscal years.

Significant Portion of CEO Pay Consists of Variable Compensation and Long-Term Incentives. In fiscal 2019, 92% of our CEO’s compensation comprised variable compensation elements, and 84% of his overall

compensation was delivered in equity with multi-year vesting. Performance objectives include financial and market objectives relating to adjusted operating margin, adjusted gross margin, WFE market share and relative TSR, as well as strategic and operational objectives, as described on pages 32 and 33.

Please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section for further discussion of our executive compensation program and the fiscal 2019 compensation of our NEOs.

We are asking our shareholders to approve the compensation of our NEOs as described in this Proxy Statement by voting in favor of the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the shareholders approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section, the Summary Compensation Table, other compensation tables, narrative discussion and related disclosure.”

Even though this say-on-pay vote is advisory and therefore will not be binding on the Company, the HRCC and the Board value the opinions of our shareholders, and will consider the results of the vote when making future compensation decisions for our NEOs.