UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Check the appropriate box:

FORUM ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

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

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

2017

PROXY STATEMENT AND NOTICE OF
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN & CEO TO OUR STOCKHOLDERS

April 3, 2017

Dear Fellow Stockholders:

On behalf of your board of directors and management, we are pleased to invite you to attend the annual meeting of stockholders of Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (the “Company” or “Forum”), which will be held at 8:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time, on May 16, 2017, at our offices at 920 Memorial City Way, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77024.

Challenging Economic Environment in Our Industry:

The level of demand for our products and services is directly related to activity levels and the capital and operating budgets of our customers, which in turn are influenced heavily by energy prices and the expectation as to future trends in those prices. Depressed oil and natural gas prices since the middle of 2014 and throughout 2016 resulted in reduced levels of operations and spending by our customers. Despite these significant challenges, 2016 was a successful year for Forum. Highlighted below are some of our most noteworthy successes. I encourage you to review the entire proxy statement for a more comprehensive look at our achievements.

Strong Free Cash Flow and Total Shareholder Return:

To further protect the core of our business, we continued to take decisive steps to keep costs in line with low activity levels by limiting capital expenditures and maintaining company-wide cost reduction programs. In addition, we continued to implement lean manufacturing and coordinated procurement initiatives to position the company for an eventual market upturn. We believe these efforts proved worthwhile during 2016 as reflected by our strong free cash flow of $57.7 million, or $64.7 million of cash flow from operating activities, continued support by the syndicate making up our $140 million credit facility and exceptional one, two and three year total shareholder return relative to our performance peers. Most importantly, safety continues to be a top priority and a Forum core value. Forum achieved exceptional performance in this area on a year over year basis.

Alignment of Compensation and Performance:

Our compensation program continues to appropriately reward employees for producing sustainable growth consistent with our long-term goals. We are striving to further enhance the link between pay and long-term performance, and align our executive compensation program with long-term shareholder interests. In 2016, approximately 87% of total executive compensation was at-risk and tied to the Company’s performance.

CEO Transition:

Effective May 16, 2017, as part of a long planned transition, our board of directors appointed Mr. Prady Iyyanki as President and Chief Executive Officer. In connection with this transition, I will become Executive Chairman of the board of directors. It has been a privilege to serve as Chief Executive Officer since Forum’s inception six and a half years ago. Three years ago Mr. Iyyanki was appointed as Chief Operating Officer to create a more professional, streamlined, and efficient organization and to provide a long-term transition process at the top of the organization. Since then he has proven himself at every turn to be an excellent leader with strong business judgement. I was pleased to recommend this move to our board of directors, and I look forward to the continued growth and prosperity of the Company under Mr. Iyyanki’s leadership.

Looking Forward:

There are signs that the market may be beginning to recover from the recent downturn, although market cycle predictions in the energy sector are notoriously difficult to predict. It has been our strategy to be an early-cycle, activity-driven, and scalable company with a strong balance sheet and low capital intensity. We believe the Company’s performance reflects our successful execution of that strategy and are confident that our actions over the past few years have positioned the Company well to take advantage of the eventual upturn in activity levels. I am proud of all that we have achieved during these challenging market conditions, the strong

culture we are building and, most importantly, the resolve our employees have shown. Thank you for your continued support and interest in Forum Energy Technologies.

Sincerely,

C. Christopher Gaut
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

FORUM ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

 

NOTICE OF 2017 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held on May 16, 2017

The annual meeting of stockholders of Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. will be held at 8:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time, on May 16, 2017, at our offices at 920 Memorial City Way, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77024, for the following purposes:

Attached to this notice is a proxy statement setting forth information with respect to the above items and certain other information. Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting, please sign, date and return the proxy card in the accompanying envelope. If you do attend the meeting and desire to vote in person, you may do so even though you have previously submitted your proxy.

Forum’s board of directors has established March 20, 2017 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. For a period of 10 days prior to the annual meeting, a complete list of stockholders of record entitled to vote at the annual meeting will be available at our executive offices for inspection by stockholders during ordinary business hours for proper purposes.

We are utilizing the Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow issuers to furnish proxy materials to their stockholders over the Internet. We believe these rules allow us to provide our stockholders with the information they need, while lowering the costs of delivery. On or about the date hereof, we are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access our 2017 proxy statement and our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. The notice provides instructions on how you can request a paper copy of these documents if you desire. Stockholders, whether or not they expect to be present at the meeting, are urged to vote their shares as promptly as possible by following the instructions in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. Any person giving a proxy has the power to revoke it at any time, and stockholders present at the meeting may withdraw their proxies and vote in person.

By order of the Board of Directors

James L. McCulloch
Secretary

April 3, 2017
920 Memorial City Way, Suite 1000
Houston, Texas 77024

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. Please note that space limitations make it necessary to limit attendance at the meeting to stockholders, though each stockholder may be accompanied by one guest. Please bring photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, and if you hold your shares in brokerage accounts, a copy of a brokerage statement reflecting stock ownership as of the record date. Please keep in mind that cameras, recording devices and other electronic devices are not permitted at the meeting.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORUM ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
920 Memorial City Way, Suite 1000
Houston, Texas 77024

 

PROXY STATEMENT
FOR
2017 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our board of directors for use at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (“Forum” or the “Company”) to be held on May 16, 2017, or at any adjournment or postponement thereof, at the time and place and for the purposes specified in the accompanying notice of annual meeting.

We have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet and are sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to our stockholders of record. All stockholders will have the ability to access the proxy materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet, or to request a printed copy, may be found on the Notice.

All properly executed written proxies delivered pursuant to this solicitation, and not later revoked, will be voted at the annual meeting in accordance with the instructions given in the proxy. When voting regarding the election of directors, stockholders may vote in favor of all nominees, withhold their votes as to all nominees or withhold their votes as to specific nominees. When voting regarding the approval of the compensation of our named executive officers, the approval of our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm, stockholders may vote for or against the proposal or may abstain from voting. Stockholders should vote their shares on the proxy card we have provided. If no choice is indicated, proxies that are signed and returned will be voted as recommended by our board of directors.

All shares of our common stock represented by properly executed and unrevoked proxies will be voted if such proxies are received in time for the meeting.

QUORUM, VOTE REQUIRED AND REVOCATION OF PROXIES

The board of directors has established March 20, 2017 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. As of the record date, 96,443,422 shares of common stock were outstanding. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote upon each matter to be voted on at the meeting. The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock at the annual meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum.

The four nominees for director who receive the greatest number of votes cast at the meeting will be elected as directors. If any nominee for director receives a greater number of votes “withheld” than votes “for” such election, our board of directors requires that such person must tender his or her resignation. Cumulative voting is not permitted in the election of directors. The approval of the compensation of our named executive officers on an advisory basis, the approval of our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm is subject to the approval of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the matter.

Brokers holding shares of our common stock must vote according to specific instructions they receive from the beneficial owners of those shares. If brokers do not receive specific instructions, brokers may in some cases vote the shares in their discretion. The New York Stock Exchange, however, precludes brokers from exercising voting discretion on certain proposals without specific instructions from the beneficial owner. Under NYSE rules, brokers holding shares in “street name” for their beneficial holder clients will have discretion to vote only on the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm. Brokers cannot vote on the other matters to be considered at the meeting without instructions from the beneficial owners. If you do not instruct your broker how to vote on those matters, your broker will not vote on your behalf.

Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present in determining whether the quorum requirement is satisfied. For purposes of determining the outcome of any question as to which the broker has indicated that it does not have discretionary authority to vote, these shares will be treated as not present with respect to that question, even though those shares are considered present for quorum purposes and may be entitled to vote on other questions. Because the four nominees for director who receive the greatest number of votes cast at the meeting will be elected as directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of the voting on the elections. Because the approval of the compensation of our named executive officers on an advisory basis, the approval of our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm requires the approval of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the matter, abstentions will have the same effect as votes against these proposals. Broker non-votes, on the other hand, will not affect the outcome of the voting with respect to such proposals.

Any holder of our common stock has the right to revoke his or her proxy at any time prior to the voting thereof at the annual meeting by: (1) filing a written revocation with the Secretary prior to the voting of such proxy, (2) giving a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, or (3) attending the annual meeting and voting in person. Attendance by a stockholder at the annual meeting will not itself revoke his or her proxy. If you hold your shares in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee, you should follow the instructions provided by your bank, broker or nominee in revoking your previously granted proxy.

If your properly executed proxy does not indicate how you wish to vote your common stock, the persons named on the proxy card will vote as follows:

Proposal 1: “FOR ALL”;

Proposal 2: “FOR”;

Proposal 3: “FOR”; and

Proposal 4: “FOR”.

COST AND METHOD OF PROXY SOLICITATION

We will bear the cost of the solicitation of proxies. In addition to solicitation by mail, our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies from stockholders by telephone or facsimile or in person. Proxy materials will be furnished without cost to brokers, dealers and other custodian nominees and fiduciaries to forward to the beneficial owners of shares held in their names.

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The board of directors currently comprises ten members. The ten members are divided into three classes having three members in each of Class I and II and four members in Class III. Each class is elected for a term of three years, so that the term of one class of directors expires at each annual meeting of stockholders. The term of the three current Class II directors will expire at the annual meeting. On February 20, 2017, we announced the appointment of Mr. Prady Iyyanki as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective May 16, 2017. In connection with his appointment, the board of directors nominated Mr. Iyyanki to stand for election as a Class II director and, subject to his election as a director by the Company’s stockholders, approved an increase in the size of the board of directors from ten to eleven directors. The terms of the Class I directors expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2019 and the terms of the Class III directors expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2018.

Nominees for Election

The board of directors, upon the recommendation of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee, or the “Committee,” has nominated for submission to the stockholders Ms. Angelle and Messrs. Carrig, Iyyanki and Waite as Class II directors for a term of three years, each to serve until the annual meeting of stockholders in 2020 or until his or her successor is elected and qualified. If any of the nominees becomes unavailable for any reason, which is not anticipated, the board of directors, in its discretion, may designate a substitute nominee. If you have filled out the accompanying proxy card, your vote will be cast for the substitute nominee. Our board of directors has determined that Ms. Angelle and Messrs. Carrig and Waite are “independent” as that term is defined by the applicable NYSE listing standards. If elected, Mr. Iyyanki will not be independent given his status as an executive officer of the Company.

Vote Required and Board Recommendation

If a quorum is present at the annual meeting, the four nominees receiving the greatest number of votes cast will be elected as directors. Your board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR ALL” of the aforementioned four director nominees.

OUR DIRECTORS

Our board of directors is divided into three classes of directors serving staggered three-year terms. Set forth below are the names of, and certain information as of March 20, 2017 with respect to, the four nominees for election as Class II directors and the other members of the board of directors.

Nominees — Class II Directors

Evelyn M. Angelle

Ms. Angelle was appointed as a director of Forum in February 2011 and currently serves as the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. Ms. Angelle has served as Chief Financial Officer of BJ Services, a provider of North American land pressure pumping services, since January 2017. From January 2015 to December 2016, Ms. Angelle was a private investor and philanthropist. From January 2014 through January 2015, Ms. Angelle served as Senior Vice President — Supply Chain for Halliburton, responsible for global procurement, materials, logistics and manufacturing. From January 2011 until December 2013, Ms. Angelle was Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer for Halliburton, responsible for financial reporting, planning, budgeting, financial analysis and accounting services. From January 2008 until January 2011, Ms. Angelle was Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer for Halliburton. From December 2007 until January 2008, Ms. Angelle was Vice President of Operations Finance for Halliburton, leading finance employees located around the world. From April 2005 until November 2007, she also served as Vice President of Investor Relations, overseeing Halliburton’s communications and relationships with investors and analysts. Prior to that, she was responsible for internal and external reporting of consolidated financial statements, technical accounting research and consultation, and income tax accounting. Before joining Halliburton in 2003, Ms. Angelle worked for 15 years in the audit department of Ernst & Young LLP, where she specialized in serving large, multinational public companies and provided technical accounting and consultation to clients and other professionals. She is a certified public accountant in Texas and a certified management accountant. Ms. Angelle is associated with various charitable organizations, including serving on the board of directors and executive committees of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas and Junior Achievement USA. The board of directors is nominating Ms. Angelle because of her professional experience and her particular knowledge in finance, internal controls and public company disclosure compliance. In addition, she brings added judgment about supply chain, investor relations and the financial management of a large organization.

John A. Carrig

Mr. Carrig was appointed as a director of Forum in July 2011 and currently serves as a member of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee. He retired from ConocoPhillips on March 1, 2011, having most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer since 2008, where he was responsible for global Exploration and Production, Refining and Marketing, Commercial, Project Development and Procurement and the Health, Safety and Environment functions. Mr. Carrig served as Executive Vice President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer from 2002 to 2008. Prior to the merger with Conoco Inc. in 2002, Mr. Carrig was with Phillips Petroleum Company, where he was named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2001. In 2000, he joined Phillips’ management committee as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. From 1996 to 2000, he was Vice President and Treasurer. Mr. Carrig served as Treasurer in 1995 and Assistant Treasurer in 1994. He joined Phillips in 1978 as a tax attorney. He has been a private investor and engaged in charitable endeavors since his retirement from ConocoPhillips. Mr. Carrig serves on the board of directors of Skanska AB, a construction and development company; TRC Companies Inc., an engineering, consulting, and construction management company; and WPX Energy, Inc., an oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids producer. The board of directors is nominating Mr. Carrig because of the length and breadth of his experience in the oil and gas industry, the perspective he brings as a result of his long service as an executive of a major public company with global reach and his strategic, financial and management acumen. In addition, Mr. Carrig brings valuable insight as a result of his long history as a customer for oilfield equipment and services.

Prady Iyyanki

Mr. Iyyanki has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Forum since May 2016. From January 2014 to May 2016, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Forum. On February 17, 2017, the board of directors appointed Mr. Iyyanki to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Forum, effective May 16, 2017. Mr. Iyyanki was a private investor from March 2013 to December 2013. From April 2011 to March 2013, Mr. Iyyanki served as Vice President of GE Oil and Gas, a manufacturer of capital equipment and service provider for the oil and gas industry, and from April 2011 to December 2012 he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the GE Oil and Gas Turbo Machinery business. From June 2006 to April 2011, Mr. Iyyanki served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the GE Power and Water Gas Engines business. Mr. Iyyanki holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University and an M.S. in Engineering from South Dakota State University. The board of directors is nominating Mr. Iyyanki because of his extensive strategic operations and manufacturing experience, long service as an executive in various roles with a Fortune 50 manufacturing company, experience with global operations and because he has been elected as our Chief Executive Officer, effective May 16, 2017.

Andrew L. Waite

Mr. Waite was appointed as a director in August 2010. Mr. Waite is Co-President of LESA, the ultimate general partner of SCF, our largest stockholder, and has been an officer of that company since 1995. He was previously Vice President of Simmons & Company International, where he served from August 1993 to September 1995. From 1984 to 1991, Mr. Waite held a number of engineering and project management positions with the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, an integrated energy company. Mr. Waite currently serves on the board of directors of Nine Energy Service, Inc., a provider of downhole completion solutions, and Atlantic Navigation Holdings, an operator of offshore vessels. He has also served on the board of directors of Complete Production Services, Inc., a provider of specialized oil and gas completion and production services, from 2005 to 2009; Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc., a provider of marine services to exploration and production, oilfield service, offshore construction and military customers, from 2000 to 2006; and Oil States International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of equipment for deepwater production facilities and subsea pipelines and a leading service provider to the oil and gas industry, from 1995 to 2006. The board of directors is nominating Mr. Waite because of his experience in identifying strategic growth trends in the energy industry and evaluating potential transactions. Further, his service as Co-President of LESA provides a valuable perspective into the insights and interests of our largest stockholder.

Class I and Class III Members

C. Christopher Gaut

Mr. Gaut has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors of Forum since May 2016. On February 17, 2017, the board of directors appointed Mr. Gaut to serve as Executive Chairman of the board of directors of Forum, effective May 16, 2017, at which time he will step down as Chief Executive Officer. From August 2010 to May 2016 he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors of Forum, and as one of our directors since December 2006. He served as a consultant to LESA, the ultimate general partner of SCF, our largest stockholder, from November 2009 to August 2010. Mr. Gaut served at Halliburton Company, a leading diversified oilfield services company, as President of the Drilling and Evaluation Division and prior to that as Chief Financial Officer, from March 2003 through April 2009. From April 2009 through November 2009, Mr. Gaut was a private investor. Prior to joining Halliburton Company in 2003, Mr. Gaut was the Co-Chief Operating Officer of Ensco International, a provider of offshore contract drilling services. He also served as Ensco’s Chief Financial Officer from 1988 until 2003. Mr. Gaut is currently a member of the board of directors of Ensco plc, the successor to Ensco International, and Key Energy Services Inc., a well services provider. Mr. Gaut’s experience as our chief executive officer, previous executive leadership roles with energy companies; operational and financial expertise in the oil and gas business; knowledge of the demands and expectations of our customers; and service as a board member of other public companies make him well qualified to serve on our board of directors.

David C. Baldwin

Mr. Baldwin was appointed as a director of Forum in May 2005. Mr. Baldwin is Co-President of LESA, the ultimate general partner of SCF, our largest stockholder, and has been an officer of that company since 1991. Prior to joining LESA, Mr. Baldwin was a drilling and production engineer with Union Pacific Resources, an independent natural gas and oil exploration and production company. Mr. Baldwin serves as a director of Nine Energy Service, Inc., a provider of downhole completion solutions, Rockwater Energy Solutions, Inc., a private energy services company; Oil Patch, Inc., a private energy services company; and served as a director of Complete Production Services, Inc., a provider of specialized oil and gas completion and production services. Mr. Baldwin assists the board of directors through his extensive experience in identifying strategic growth trends in the energy industry and evaluating potential transactions. Further, his service as a Co-President of the general partner of our largest stockholder provides a valuable perspective into its insights and interests.

Michael McShane

Mr. McShane was appointed as a director of Forum in September 2010 and currently serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee. Mr. McShane also currently serves as an Operating Partner to Advent International, an international private equity fund. Mr. McShane was a director of Spectra Energy Corp., a natural gas infrastructure company, from April 2008 until February 2017; and has served as a director of Enbridge, Inc., an energy infrastructure company, since the completion of Enbridge’s acquisition of Spectra Energy Corp. in February 2017. He was also a director of Complete Production Services, Inc., a provider of specialized oil and gas completion and production services, from March 2007 until February 2012 and has served as a director of Superior Energy Services, Inc., a provider of specialized oilfield services and equipment, since the completion of Superior Energy’s acquisition of Complete Production Services in February 2012; and has also been a director of Oasis Petroleum Inc., an exploration and production company, since May 2010. Previously, Mr. McShane served as a director, and President and Chief Executive Officer, of Grant Prideco, Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of oilfield drill pipe and other drill stem products, from June 2002 until April 2008, having also served as Chairman of the Board from May 2003 through April 2008. Prior to joining Grant Prideco, Mr. McShane was Senior Vice President — Finance and Chief Financial Officer and director of BJ Services Company, a provider of pressure pumping, cementing, stimulation and coiled tubing services for oil and gas operators, from 1990 to June 2002, and Vice President — Finance from 1987 to 1990 while BJ Services Company was a division of Baker Hughes Incorporated. Mr. McShane joined BJ Services Company in 1987 from Reed Tool Company, where he was employed for seven years in various financial management positions. The board of directors selected Mr. McShane because of his expansive knowledge of the oil and gas industry, as well as relationships with chief executives and other senior management at oil and natural gas companies and oilfield service companies throughout the world. He brings to the board of directors his experience as a senior leader and chief financial officer within the oilfield service industry, as well as his leadership as chairman and chief executive officer of a leading North American drill bit technology and drill pipe manufacturer. Mr. McShane also provides the board of directors with a producer perspective that is valuable in strategic discussions.

Franklin Myers

Mr. Myers was appointed as a director of Forum in September 2010 and the Lead Independent Director of the board of directors in December 2011. He serves as a member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Myers is a Senior Advisor to Quantum Energy Partners, a Houston-based private equity firm. Previously, Mr. Myers served as Senior Advisor to Cameron International Corporation, a publicly traded provider of flow equipment products, from April 2008 through March 2009, prior to which, from 2003 through March 2008, he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From 1995 to 2003, he was Senior Vice President and President of a division within Cooper Cameron Corporation, as well as General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to joining Cooper Cameron Corporation in 1995, Mr. Myers served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Baker Hughes Incorporated, and as attorney and partner at the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright). Mr. Myers is currently on the board of directors of ION Geophysical Corporation, a technology-focused seismic solutions company, Comfort Systems USA, Inc., a national heating, ventilation and cooling company, and HollyFrontier Corporation, a refining and marketing company. Mr. Myers was also an operating adviser for Paine Partners, a private equity fund, from 2009 through December 2012. Mr. Myers’s extensive experience as both a financial and legal executive makes him uniquely qualified as a valuable member of our board of directors. Mr. Myers has been responsible for numerous successful finance and acquisition transactions throughout his career, and his expertise gained through those experiences has proven to be a significant resource for our board of directors. In addition, Mr. Myers’s service on boards of directors of other NYSE-listed companies enables him to observe and advise on favorable governance practices pursued by other public companies.

Terence M. O’Toole

Mr. O’Toole was appointed as a director of Forum and has served as a member of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee since April 2012. Mr. O’Toole is a Vice President of Tinicum Incorporated, the management company of each of Tinicum L.P., Tinicum Capital Partners II, L.P., and Tinicum Capital Partners II Add-On, L.P. (and each of their affiliated partnerships), together all such partnerships referred to herein as the “Tinicum Partnerships”. Prior to joining the Tinicum Partnerships in January 2006, Mr. O’Toole spent twenty-one years at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he was a partner, a member of the investment committee and the partnership committee, and the chief operating officer of the principal investment area. Mr. O’Toole is currently a member of the board of directors of various privately held companies in which Tinicum has an investment, including Specialty Waste Partners, Inc., a waste removal company; Skyway Towers Holdings II LLC, a developer, owner and operator of wireless communications towers in the United States; F&W Media, Inc., a content and e-commerce company to enthusiast communities; Pontos Aqua Holdings, LLC, an aquaculture company; and Ashby Street Outdoor Holdings, LLC, an owner and operator of outdoor advertising structures. His experience in evaluating and completing numerous acquisitions, and his extensive knowledge of financial markets, make him well qualified to serve on our board of directors. In addition, Mr. O’Toole’s experience serving on the boards of directors of other companies provides him with exposure to a variety of governance practices and has proven valuable in board deliberations.

Louis A. Raspino

Mr. Raspino was elected as a director of Forum in January 2012 and currently serves as a member of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee. He currently is Chairman of Clarion Offshore Partners LLC, a position he has held since October 2015. Mr. Raspino was named President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Pride International, Inc., a contract drilling company, in June 2005 and served in that capacity until its acquisition by Ensco plc in May 2011. Mr. Raspino was a private investor and consultant from June 2011 to October 2015. He joined Pride International in December 2003 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From July 2001 until December 2003, he served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Grant Prideco, Inc. From February 1999 until March 2001, he held various senior financial positions, including Vice President of Finance for Halliburton Company. From October 1997 until July 1998, he was a Senior Vice President at Burlington Resources, Inc. From 1978, until its merger with Burlington Resources, Inc. in 1997, he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility at Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, most recently as Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Raspino was a director of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, an oil and natural gas company, from March 2013 to March 2016 and Dresser-Rand Group Inc., a supplier of custom-engineered rotating equipment for applications in the oil, gas, process and power industries, from December 2005 until Dresser-Rand’s merger with Siemens AG in June 2015. Mr. Raspino’s significant experience as an executive officer of other energy companies, service as a member of other boards of directors, and his operational, strategic and financial expertise in the oil and gas business make him well qualified to serve on our board of directors.

John Schmitz

Mr. Schmitz was appointed as a director of Forum in September 2010 and is a member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Schmitz currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Select Energy Services, Inc., an oil and gas services company, a position he has held since January 2007. In addition to his Board service at Forum and Select Energy, Mr. Schmitz sits on the boards of Silver Creek Oil & Gas, LLC (the surviving entity of the merger of Alta Natural Resources, LLC and HEP Oil Company, Ltd.), Nine Energy Service, Inc., CP Energy Holdings, LLC, and Synergy Energy Holdings, LLC, among others. Prior to his current involvement at Select Energy Services, Inc., Mr. Schmitz was the North Texas Division Manager for Complete Production Services, Inc., a provider of specialized services and products focused on helping oil and gas companies develop hydrocarbon reserves, reduce costs and enhance production. Mr. Schmitz is also the President of Sunray Capital GP, LLC, a Texas limited liability company, the general partner of Sunray Capital, LP, and President of Schmitz & Schmitz Properties, Inc., a Texas limited partnership, the general partner of B-29 Investments, LP. Mr. Schmitz’ keen insight into emerging trends in North American shale plays and the types of equipment needed to service producers’ requirements make him well qualified to serve on our board of directors. He also has knowledge of other manufacturers’ capabilities and their reputations for quality and deliverability, providing a valuable perspective on our evaluation of potential acquisitions.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP

The following table sets forth information as of March 20, 2017 with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock by (1) each of our stockholders who is known by us to be a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock, (2) our directors and director nominees and the persons named in the “Summary Compensation Table” below and (3) all of our current executive officers and directors as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, all of such stock is owned directly, and the indicated person or entity has sole voting and investment power.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Generally

Our non-employee director compensation program consists of an annual cash retainer and a value-based equity grant for all non-employee directors. We believe the cash retainer and annual equity awards provide us with an essential and valuable tool to ensure that the board of directors can recruit talented members and ensure that such directors’ interests are aligned with our stockholders. The Committee periodically commissions Pearl Meyer & Partners (“Pearl Meyer”), its independent compensation consultant, to conduct a market-based director compensation study. In December 2014 and December 2015, the study prepared by Pearl Meyer indicated that total compensation for our directors was positioned below the compensation peer group median. It was Pearl Meyer’s recommendation in December 2014 that the value-based equity grant be increased for each director to bring total compensation into alignment with the median. The Committee determined, however, not to increase non-employee director compensation in light of market conditions. In December 2016, the study prepared by Pearl Myer indicated that total compensation for our directors was positioned competitively with the compensation peer group median as a result of reductions in the value of awards made in 2016 by our peers. As a result, the Committee concluded that it was appropriate to maintain non-employee director compensation at its current level.

Directors’ fees

All non-employee directors received an annual base cash retainer of $70,000. C. Christopher Gaut has not received an annual retainer or any other form of compensation for his service on the board of directors, but will receive compensation for his service as the Executive Chairman beginning in May 2017, as determined by the board of directors. If Mr. Iyyanki is elected as a director by our stockholders he will not receive an annual retainer or any other form of compensation for his service on the board of directors. The Chairperson of the Audit Committee received an additional annual retainer of $20,000, and the other members of that committee received an additional annual retainer of $10,000, in each case prorated as applicable. The Chairperson of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee received an additional annual retainer of $15,000, and the other members of that committee received an additional annual retainer of $7,500, in each case prorated as applicable. The Lead Independent Director received an additional retainer of $20,000. We have not paid meeting fees to our directors.

Director equity-based compensation

Each non-employee director receives equity-based compensation in the form of restricted stock or restricted stock units. The form of award to a director is at the election of that director. Awards of restricted stock and restricted stock units for 2016 are more fully described in the table below. For the 2016 annual award made in February 2016, the award totaled an amount equal to $125,000 (rounded up to the nearest whole share), calculated based on the stock price at the close of trading on the grant date. The 2016 annual awards vested twelve months from the date of grant. A director may elect to defer settlement of restricted stock units, in which case such settlement will occur upon termination of service or, if earlier, up to 10 years following the date of grant.

The following table provides information on Forum’s compensation for non-employee directors in 2016:

As of December 31, 2016, the total number of shares of common stock subject to outstanding stock option awards, and restricted stock or restricted stock unit awards held by each director is as follows:

Director deferred compensation

Non-employee directors are eligible to participate in our deferred compensation plan. The plan provides that a director may defer all or any portion of his or her cash retainer paid for services as a director. All deferred cash amounts are credited with earnings through the date paid based on one or more benchmark rates selected by the Committee with a minimum return rate equal to the prime rate as published in the Wall Street Journal plus one percentage point. Upon a “change of control” within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, all account balances will be fully vested. The definition of a change of control event is the same as the definition under the Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. 2016 Stock and Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan”).

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board of Directors.  The board of directors is responsible for oversight of our business and affairs. To assist it in carrying out its duties, the board of directors has delegated certain authority to our Audit Committee and Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee. The board of directors also delegated, and may in the future delegate, certain authority to other committees of the board of directors from time to time. During 2016, the board of directors held five meetings. Each current director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the board of directors and committees of the board of directors on which he or she served that were held during his or her term of service. Directors are expected to attend meetings of the board of directors and meetings of committees on which they serve, and to spend as much time and meet as frequently as necessary to properly discharge their responsibilities. In addition, directors are encouraged to attend annual meetings of our stockholders. All of our directors attended the annual meeting of stockholders in 2016. The board of directors has established a culture that results in the arrival at decisions through meaningful and fulsome discussion, where all views are considered and readily challenged. The directors hold management to the highest standards and challenge them to ensure the maximization of shareholder value.

The chart below explains the purpose of each level of hierarchy in our board of director’s leadership structure. More detail with regard to the composition, meetings and activities of each of the committees can be found below under “— Board Committees”.

Code of Conduct.  Our board of directors has adopted a Code of Conduct, which describes the responsibility of our employees, officers, directors and agents to:

Employees, officers and directors are required to certify annually that they have read, understand and will comply with the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is available on our website at www.f-e-t.com under “Corporate Governance” in the “Investors” section.

Stock Ownership Requirements.  To further align the interests of the directors with the long-term interests of stockholders, our board of directors has adopted a Stock Ownership Requirements Policy that requires non-employee directors to own shares equal to five times the annual base cash retainer in effect as of January 1 of each year. Directors are expected to reach this level of target ownership within five years of joining our board of directors in an individual capacity (other than pursuant to an agreement with a stockholder of the Company) or February 21, 2018, whichever is later. Actual shares of stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units (including deferred stock units) and earned but unvested performance shares may be counted in satisfying the stock ownership guidelines. Each of our directors meets the requirements set forth in the policy. In addition, as described more fully in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis section under “Other practices, policies and guidelines,” our named executive officers are required to own specified amounts of our stock, set at a multiple of each such officer’s base annual salary. Each of our named executive officers satisfies the stock ownership requirements set forth in the policy. Given the very significant amount of shares required to be held, we believe the policy is effective in aligning the interests of our directors and executive officers with those of our stockholders without imposing a minimum holding period or other requirement after vesting.

Corporate Governance Guidelines.  The board of directors is committed to sound principles of corporate governance and has established Corporate Governance Guidelines that it believes are consistent with our values, and that assist the board of directors in effectively exercising its responsibilities. The guidelines provide a framework for our company’s governance and the board of director’s activities, covering such matters as determining director independence, director orientation and continuing education, director responsibilities, director access to independent advisers and management, annual evaluations of the board of directors and other corporate governance practices and principles. Our board of directors periodically, and at least annually, reviews and revises, as appropriate, the guidelines to ensure they reflect the board of director’s corporate governance objectives and commitments. The guidelines are available on our website at www.f-e-t.com under “Corporate Governance” in the “Investors” section.

Director Independence.  Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a majority of the members of the board of directors and all of the members of the Audit Committee and the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee qualify as “independent directors” in accordance with the NYSE listing standards. In addition, it is the policy of the board of directors that all the members of the Audit Committee also satisfy the criteria for independence under applicable provisions of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and applicable SEC rules. No director is considered independent unless the board of directors affirmatively determines that he or she has no material relationship with us, either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us. The NYSE listing standards include objective tests that can disqualify a director from being treated as independent, as well as a subjective element, under which the board of directors must affirmatively determine that each independent director has no material relationship with us, either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us. The board of directors considers all relevant facts and circumstances in making independence determinations.

Our board of directors has determined that all nine of our current non-management directors (Ms. Angelle and Messrs. Baldwin, Carrig, McShane, Myers, O’Toole, Raspino, Schmitz and Waite) qualify as “independent directors” in accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE and that each member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee qualifies as “independent” under the Exchange Act and applicable SEC rules. Mr. Gaut does not qualify as independent given his current position as our Chief Executive Officer. If elected, Mr. Iyyanki will not qualify as independent given his position as an executive officer of the Company.

In making its subjective determination that each such director is independent, the board of directors reviewed and discussed information provided by the directors and us with regard to each director’s business and personal activities as they may relate to our company and management. The board of directors considered the transactions in the context of the NYSE’s objective listing standards, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the additional standards established for members of audit committees and the SEC and U.S. Internal Revenue Service standards for compensation committee members.

In connection with its determination as to the independence of Messrs. Baldwin and Waite, our board of directors considered the relationships between Forum and SCF and its affiliates, our largest stockholder. In addition, in connection with its determination as to the independence of Messrs. O’Toole and Schmitz, our board of directors considered the relationships between us and each of Tinicum and companies affiliated with Mr. Schmitz. For a description of the agreements and transactions between us and each of SCF and its affiliates, Tinicum and its affiliates, and Mr. Schmitz and his affiliates, please see “Conflicts of Interest and Related Person Transactions.” Our board of directors believes that these transactions and relationships do not adversely affect Messrs. Baldwin’s, O’Toole’s, Schmitz’s or Waite’s ability or willingness to act in the best interests of Forum and its stockholders or otherwise compromise each such director’s independence. None of our directors serves as a director, executive officer or employee of a non-profit organization to which we made payments or contributions in excess of $25,000 over the last three fiscal years.

Separation of Chairman and CEO Roles.  Our bylaws give the board of directors the flexibility to determine whether the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer should be combined or separate. Historically, our board of directors chose to combine the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, both of which were held by Mr. Gaut. The board of directors believed that having Mr. Gaut fill both roles

was the best leadership structure for us at the time. During such periods in which the offices of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer were combined, and in accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the board of directors appointed a Lead Independent Director. Mr. Myers has served as our Lead Independent Director since December 2011. As Lead Independent Director, he presides over the executive sessions of the independent and non-management directors. In connection with Mr. Iyyanki’s appointment as our President and Chief Executive Officer, effective May 16, 2017, the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer will be separated. Upon Mr. Iyyanki’s new appointment, Mr. Gaut will serve as Executive Chairman. The board of directors will continue to utilize the services of a Lead Independent Director.

Executive Sessions.  The non-management directors meet regularly in executive session without management participation after regularly scheduled board of directors meetings. In addition, our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, if the group of non-management directors includes a director who is not independent under NYSE listing standards, the independent directors will meet in executive session at least once annually. Currently, the director who presides at these meetings is the Lead Independent Director. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, if the Lead Independent Director ceases to be independent, then the presiding director will be chosen by a vote of the non-management directors or independent directors, as the case may be.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight.  Our board of directors is actively involved in oversight of risks that could affect us. This oversight function is conducted primarily through committees of our board of directors, but the full board of directors retains responsibility for general oversight of risks. The Audit Committee is charged with oversight of our system of internal controls and risks relating to financial reporting, legal, regulatory and accounting compliance. Our board of directors satisfies its oversight responsibility through full reports from the Audit Committee chairperson regarding the committee’s considerations and actions, as well as through regular reports directly from officers responsible for oversight of particular risks. Management has implemented an enterprise risk management process which is reviewed on a periodic basis by the Audit Committee to ensure consistency of risk considerations in making business decisions. In addition, we have internal audit systems in place to review adherence to policies and procedures, which are supported by a separate internal audit department. The Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee also oversees risks related to our compensation programs, management retention and development, the composition and leadership structure of the board of directors, and corporate governance risks. Regular assessments of risk are a priority for us.

Accounting and Auditing Concerns.  The Audit Committee has established procedures to receive, retain and treat complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and to allow for the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.

Communication with the Board.  Stockholders and other interested parties may make their concerns known confidentially to the board of directors or the non-management directors by submitting a communication in an envelope addressed to the “Board of Directors,” a specifically named non-management director or the “Non-Management Directors” as a group, in care of the Secretary. All such communications will be conveyed, as applicable, to the full board of directors, the specified non-management director or the non-management directors as a group.

Organization of the Committees of the Board of Directors

Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee.  The Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee currently consists of Michael McShane (Chairperson), John A. Carrig, Terence M. O’Toole and Louis A. Raspino. Each of Messrs. Carrig, McShane and Raspino is a “non-employee director” as defined under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act and each of the committee members is an “outside director” as defined in section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The purposes of the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee are, among others, to:

The committee held four meetings during 2016. The board of directors has adopted a written charter for the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee, which is available on our website at www.f-e-t.com as described above.

Although the board of directors does not have a formal diversity policy, the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee, when assessing the qualifications of prospective nominees to the board of directors, considers diversity in its broadest sense, including persons diverse in perspectives, personal and professional experiences, geography, gender, race and ethnicity. This process has resulted in a board of directors that is comprised of highly qualified directors that reflect diversity as we define it.

Each nominee’s personal and professional integrity, experience, skills, ability and willingness to devote the time and effort necessary to be an effective board member, and commitment to acting in the best interests of our company and our stockholders, are also factors. The board of directors does not select director nominees on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, citizenship, marital status or religious affiliation.

The Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee will consider director candidates recommended by stockholders. If a stockholder wishes to recommend a director for nomination by the committee, the stockholder should submit the recommendation in writing to the Chairperson, Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee, in care of the Secretary, Forum Energy Technologies, Inc., 920 Memorial City Way, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77024. The recommendation should contain the following information:

Candidates recommended by stockholders are evaluated on the same basis as candidates recommended by our directors, executive officers, third-party search firms or other sources.

Audit Committee.  The Audit Committee currently consists of Ms. Evelyn M. Angelle (Chairperson) and Messrs. Franklin Myers and John Schmitz. The board of directors has determined that Ms. Angelle and Mr. Myers each is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by applicable SEC rules. The committee’s purposes are to assist the board of directors with overseeing:

The committee held eight meetings during 2016. The board of directors has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, which is available on our website at www.f-e-t.com as described above.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation.  During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, none of our executive officers served as (1) a member of the compensation committee (or other board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee, (2) a director of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee or (3) a member of the compensation committee (or other board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served as one of our directors. In addition, none of the members of our Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee (1) was an officer or employee of Forum during 2016, (2) was formerly an officer of the Company, or (3) had any relationship requiring disclosure under any paragraph of Item 404 of Regulation S-K. As described below, a secondary offering of 300,000 shares of our common stock was completed on behalf of Tinicum FET on December 8, 2016. Mr. O’Toole is a co-managing member of Tinicum Lantern III, the manager of Tinicum FET. The secondary offering was completed in conjunction with an offering of common stock by us and a piggyback registration by Tinicum. For additional information, see “Conflicts of Interest and Related Party Transactions — Tinicum Registration Rights Agreement.”

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

Procedures for approval of related person transactions

A “related person transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship in which we or any of our subsidiaries was, is or will be a participant, the amount of which involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any related person had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. A “related person” means:

Our board of directors has adopted a written related person transactions policy, pursuant to which the Audit Committee reviews all material facts of all related party transactions and either approves or disapproves entry into the transaction, subject to certain limited exceptions. In determining whether to approve or disapprove entry into a related party transaction, the Audit Committee takes into account, among other factors, the following: (1) whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances, (2) the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction and (3) whether the transaction is material to us.

SCF Registration Rights Agreement

Demand Registration Rights.  Under the Registration Rights Agreement dated August 2, 2010 we entered into with SCF (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), SCF currently has the right to demand on four occasions that we register with the SEC all or any portion of SCF’s Registrable Securities (as such term is defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) so long as the Registrable Securities proposed to be sold on an individual registration statement have an aggregate gross offering price of at least $20 million (or at least $10 million if we are then eligible to register such sale on a Form S-3 registration statement (or any comparable or successor form) (a “Demand Registration”). Holders of SCF’s Registrable Securities may not require us to effect more than one Demand Registration in any six-month period. Any demand request by SCF with a reasonably anticipated aggregate offering price of $100 million may be for a “shelf” registration statement pursuant to Rule 415 under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”); provided that any such “shelf” registration statement demand request will count as two demand requests.

Piggyback Registration Rights.  If we propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act, relating to an offering of our common stock (other than a registration statement filed relating to securities offered in connection with benefit plans or acquisitions or any registration statement filed in connection with an exchange offer or offering solely to our stockholders), holders of Registrable Securities can request that we include in such registration, and any related underwriting, all or a portion of their Registrable Securities.

Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement and a piggyback registration made by SCF, a secondary offering of 3,200,000 shares of our common stock was completed on behalf of SCF on December 8, 2016 (the “SCF Offering”). In connection with the secondary offering we completed a primary offering of 4,025,000 shares of our common stock (together with the SCF Offering, the “Offering”).

Holdback Agreements.  Each holder of Registrable Securities is subject to certain lock-up provisions that restrict transfer during the period beginning 14 days prior to, and continuing for a period not to exceed 90 days

from any underwritten public offering of our equity securities, except as part of such registration (subject to an extension of such lock-up period in certain circumstances).

Registration Procedures and Expenses.  The Registration Rights Agreement contains customary procedures relating to underwritten offerings and the filing of registration statements. We have agreed to pay all registration expenses incurred in connection with any registration. All underwriting discounts and selling commissions and stock transfer taxes applicable to securities registered by holders and fees of counsel to any such holder (other than as described above) will be payable by holders of Registrable Securities.

Indemnification and Contribution.  The Registration Rights Agreement also contains customary indemnification and contribution provisions by us for the benefit of holders participating in any registration. Each holder participating in any registration agrees to indemnify us in respect of information provided by such holder to us for use in connection with such registration; provided that such indemnification will be limited to the net proceeds actually received by such indemnifying holder from the sale of Registrable Securities.

Tinicum Registration Rights Agreement

Concurrently with our initial public offering, we issued 2,666,666 shares of our common stock at the public offering price less the underwriting discount in a private placement to Tinicum. In connection with the private placement, Tinicum obtained piggyback registration rights on the same terms described above with respect to SCF.

Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement and a piggyback registration made by Tinicum, a secondary offering of 300,000 shares of our common stock was completed on behalf of Tinicum on December 8, 2016 in conjunction with the Offering.

Transactions with our significant stockholders, directors and officers

During 2016, a subsidiary of Forum sold certain products and equipment to Site Energy Services Partnership and Nine Energy Service, Inc., and Forum recognized revenue in an amount totaling approximately $0.2 million and $1.2 million, respectively. Each of these companies is a portfolio company of SCF, and Messrs. David C. Baldwin and Andrew L. Waite are Co-President of LESA, the ultimate general partner of SCF. These sales were made based on arms-length terms between the parties and represent less than 1% of the consolidated gross revenues for 2016 for Forum, Site Energy Services and Nine Energy Service.

Also during 2016, a subsidiary of Forum purchased products from and sold equipment to Bell Supply in an amount totaling in the aggregate approximately $0.7 million. Mr. Schmitz is the Chairman of the board of managers of Synergy Energy Holdings, LLC, Bell Supply’s parent. These purchases were made on arms-length terms between the parties and represent less than 1% and 2% of the consolidated gross revenues for 2016 for Forum and Bell Supply, respectively.

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors and beneficial owners of more than ten percent of any class of equity securities to file initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock with the SEC and, pursuant to rules promulgated under Section 16(a), such individuals are required to furnish us with copies of Section 16(a) reports they file. Based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us during the year ended December 31, 2016 and written representations from our officers and directors, all Section 16(a) reports applicable to our officers and directors and any beneficial owners of ten percent or more of a class of equity securities were filed on a timely basis except for one late Form 4 filing by T. Kipp Schmitt, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, with respect to an incentive award grant of 12,780 restricted stock units.

PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY RESOLUTION TO APPROVE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

In accordance with Section 14A of the Exchange Act and the related rules of the SEC, we are providing our stockholders with the opportunity to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers. This item, commonly referred to as a “say-on-pay” vote, provides you, as a stockholder, the opportunity to express your views regarding the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement.

Our executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate and retain our named executive officers, who are critical to our success. Under our program, our named executive officers are rewarded for strong corporate performance, the achievement of annual goals and the realization of increased stockholder value. Please read “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” and “Executive Compensation” for additional details about our executive compensation programs, including information about the fiscal year 2016 compensation of our named executive officers.

The Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee continually reviews the compensation program for our named executive officers to ensure the program achieves the desired goals of aligning our executive compensation structure with our stockholders’ interests and current market practices. We believe our executive compensation program achieves the following objectives:

We are asking our stockholders to indicate their support for our named executive officers’ compensation as described in this proxy statement and ask that our stockholders approve the following non-binding resolution at the annual meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the stockholders of Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and the other narrative discussion in the proxy statement for the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company.”

As an advisory resolution, our stockholders’ vote on this proposal is not binding on the board of directors or us. The board of directors could, if it concluded it was in our best interests to do so, choose not to follow or address the outcome of the advisory resolution. Decisions regarding the compensation and benefits of our named executive officers remain with our board of directors and the Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee. We expect, however, that our Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee will review the voting results on this proposal and give consideration to the outcome when making future decisions regarding compensation of our named executive officers.

Vote Required and Board Recommendation

Approval of the proposal requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the shares of our common stock present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote. Your board of directors recommends a vote “FOR” the approval of the advisory resolution on executive compensation.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This compensation discussion and analysis, or CD&A, provides information about our compensation objectives and policies for the executives who served as our principal executive officer, our principal financial officer and each of the next three most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as executive officers on December 31, 2016, and is intended to place in perspective the information contained in the executive compensation tables that follow this discussion. This CD&A provides a general description of our compensation program and specific information about its various components.

Throughout this discussion, the following individuals are referred to as the “Named Executive Officers” or “NEOs” and are included in the Summary Compensation Table:

Executive Summary

We have adopted an executive compensation program that is designed to attract and retain talented executive officers, and align their interests with those of our stockholders over the long-term, taking into account the volatile markets in which we do business. In addition to holding management accountable for accomplishing financial results, we insist on the highest standards of ethical conduct and operational safety, which we believe will position us for long-term success.

Business Highlights

Faced with one of the most dramatic downturns in energy prices in decades, in 2016 we accomplished the following under the direction of management:

Free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures for property and equipment net of proceeds from sale of property and equipment and other. We believe that this measure is important because it encompasses both profitability and capital management in evaluating results. Free cash flow represents the business’s contribution in the generation of funds available to pay debt outstanding, invest in other areas or return funds to our stockholders.

A reconciliation of free cash flow, before acquisitions, to cash flow from operating activities is as follows (in millions):

Compensation Highlights

With respect to our 2016 compensation programs, several key actions impacting our NEOs were taken, including the following:

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation and Shareholder Outreach

At our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, we received 79,931,464 votes in favor of our executive compensation program, 1,043,841 votes in opposition, and 2,015,429 abstentions, for total support of 96.3%. Our Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) believes this affirms stockholders’ continued support of the Company’s approach to executive compensation.

The Committee values stockholders’ input on the design of our executive compensation program. The Committee also believes that our programs are structured to deliver pay that is commensurate with performance. Plan and performance-based equity awards can generate a range of payouts based on the attainment of established goals, thus holding management accountable for producing profitable growth and creating value for our stockholders.

Based upon the strong level of stockholder support for our programs expressed through our 2016 vote, and the views of our Committee on our current approach to executive compensation, we did not make any significant structural or philosophical changes to our programs this year. Our Chief Executive Officer and each other Named Executive Officer did, however, volunteer to temporarily reduce their salaries, and Forum continued the suspension of deferred compensation and 401(k) matching, in recognition of significantly depressed market conditions.

Compensation Highlights

Compensation and Governance Highlights

Our pay practices emphasize good compensation, governance and market practice. In order to support our compensation and governance philosophy, we adopted the following practices:

Key Components of our Compensation Philosophy

Our overall compensation philosophy is to provide competitive pay to our executives that rewards strong corporate performance over the longer-term, in alignment with stockholder interests. Our philosophy with respect to cash compensation is that target total cash should be at or near the market median. Base salaries will typically be set below the market median while our annual incentive award targets are designed to be above the market median. The result of this design is to provide our executives the opportunity to earn cash compensation at or near the market median in a year in which our performance has met our target goals. We believe that this philosophy provides a strong incentive for our executives to achieve our annual corporate goals. The chart below illustrates the pay-for-performance philosophy by comparing the CEO’s 2014 through 2016 actual total direct compensation relative to stock performance.

In granting our annual equity awards, we consider the competitive market level for awards, as well as individual and corporate performance, when determining the appropriate amount of equity to grant to each NEO. We believe that long-term, variable compensation should account for a significant portion of total compensation. Our objective is to continue to be a high growth, high performing oilfield products company and we therefore link a significant portion of our executives’ compensation to the long-term interests of our stockholders through the issuance of performance-based shares using total stockholder return, or “TSR,” as our measure, stock options, and restricted stock units or restricted stock. We anticipate that the capital accumulation opportunities resulting from our long-term grants will be at or above the market median and will represent a significant portion of total compensation to each NEO.

The charts below illustrate our emphasis on incentivizing our executives through long-term, variable compensation awards. Overall, the pay mix for our Chief Executive Officer is very well aligned with the market, with approximately 87% of the Chief Executive Officer’s target compensation taking the form of variable compensation.

Overall, our compensation program is designed to pay our executives near the market median in a target performance year and reward them with higher than median total compensation in years of superior performance relative to both our internal performance metrics and our direct competitors. This compensation philosophy is intended to allow us to attract and retain executives who will be committed to our strategic corporate plan.

Elements of Our Executive Compensation Program

Material elements of total direct compensation for 2016 for NEOs are listed below, together with the objectives that we believe each element supports.

Other elements of executive compensation, which are designed to be market-competitive and are necessary to attract and retain key talent, include:

Compensation Methodology and Process

The process established for determining executive compensation for each of the NEOs includes open discussions among the Committee, the Committee’s compensation consultant, the CEO and the board of directors.

Role of Management in Setting Compensation

Our CEO is consulted in the Committee’s determination of compensation matters related to the executive officers reporting directly to the CEO. Each year, the CEO makes recommendations to the Committee regarding such components as salary adjustments, target annual incentive opportunities and the value of long-term incentive awards. In making his recommendations, the CEO considers such components as experience level, individual performance, overall contribution to company performance and market data for similar positions. The Committee takes the CEO’s recommendations under advisement, but the Committee makes all final decisions regarding such individual compensation. Our CEO’s compensation is reviewed and discussed by the Committee, which then makes recommendations regarding his compensation to the independent members of our board of directors, led by the Lead Independent Director. Our board of directors ultimately makes decisions regarding the CEO’s compensation.

Our CEO attends Committee meetings as necessary. He is excused from any meeting when the Committee deems it advisable to meet in executive session or when the Committee meets to discuss items that would impact the CEO’s compensation. The Committee may also consult other employees, including the remaining Named Executive Officers, when making compensation decisions, but the Committee is under no obligation to involve the Named Executive Officers in its decision-making process.

Role of the Compensation Committee in Setting Compensation

The Committee is, under its charter, responsible for designing, implementing and administering our executive compensation programs and, in doing so, the Committee is guided by the compensation philosophy stated above. In 2016, the Committee was composed of Messrs. McShane (Chairperson), Carrig, O’Toole and Raspino.

On an annual basis the Committee reviews and approves total compensation for our executive officers, and recommends CEO compensation to the independent members of our board of directors, through a process including:

A complete listing of our Committee’s responsibilities is included in the Committee’s charter, which is available for review on our corporate website at www.f-e-t.com.

Role of the Compensation Consultant in Setting Compensation

The Committee has engaged the services of Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC (“Pearl Meyer”) as its independent executive compensation consultant. Pearl Meyer operates exclusively as a compensation consultant and has more than twenty years of experience as an organization. Many of its senior consultants have experience of longer than thirty years. It serves a large number of companies and compensation committees in the energy industry, and as a result it maintains an extensive compensation database that it uses to supplement information obtained from publicly available sources. Certain of the Committee members have worked with representatives of Pearl Meyer in the past and value the firm’s collective knowledge and capabilities, and its ability to develop compensation programs that incentivize executives and align performance with company strategies and stockholders’ interests. The Committee selected Pearl Meyer on the basis of its reputation, capabilities and experience.

Pearl Meyer’s current role is to advise the Committee on matters relating to executive compensation to help guide, develop and implement our executive compensation programs. Pearl Meyer reports directly to the Committee. Pearl Meyer may perform work for Forum outside of the scope of its engagement by the Committee, but the Committee reviews and approves all such assignments to ensure that the independence of its compensation consultant is not compromised. In 2016, the Company did not pay Pearl Meyer for any services outside the scope of the Committee’s engagement. The Committee regularly reviews the services provided by its outside consultants and believes that Pearl Meyer is independent in providing executive compensation consulting services. The Committee conducted a review of its relationship with Pearl Meyer in 2016 and determined that Pearl Meyer’s work for the Committee did not raise any conflicts of interest, consistent with the guidance provided under the Dodd-Frank Act, and by the SEC and the NYSE. In making this determination, the Committee noted that during 2016:

The Committee continues to monitor the independence of its compensation consultant on a periodic basis.

Comparator Compensation Peer Group

We have developed a comparator compensation peer group, which is composed of specific peer companies within the energy industry. Our peer group was developed with the assistance of Pearl Meyer and is used to analyze our NEO compensation levels and overall program design. This compensation peer group is used to determine direct market levels of the main elements of executive compensation (base salary, annual incentives, long-term incentives, as well as total direct compensation). The peer group is also used to gauge industry practices regarding the structure and mechanics of annual and long-term incentive plans, employment agreements, severance and change in control policies and employee benefits. The composition of the peer group is reviewed by the Committee on an annual basis to ensure that we have and maintain an appropriate group of

comparator companies. In August 2015, with the advice of Pearl Meyer, the Committee assessed the compensation peer group and determined to remove Dresser-Rand Corporation in light of its merger with Siemens.

Criteria for selecting peer companies for compensation benchmarking is based on a number of factors. The peer companies selected should reflect an optimum mix of the criteria listed below in their relative order of importance:

Competitive market:

Size and demographics:

The Committee, based on Pearl Meyer’s analysis and our internal analysis, determined to use the following peer group of 14 companies to evaluate and compare our compensation practices in 2016:

Performance Peer Group

We have also developed a performance peer group with the assistance of Pearl Meyer. The performance peer group is only used to determine payouts for our performance share awards by measuring our TSR relative to that of the performance peer group. The composition of the performance peer group is also reviewed by the Committee on an annual basis to ensure that we have and maintain an appropriate group of companies. See “— Performance Shares” below for a description of performance award payouts.

The performance peer selections were primarily based on who we believe are our most direct competitors — those companies who are in the same industry sector, and compete with us in regards to the products or services we offer and/or for investment capital. Given that the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Oil Service Sector is designed to track the performance of the overall oilfield services sector, the Committee believes it is a useful measure of the company’s performance. Our performance peer group, which was used to determine payout levels for our 2016 performance based awards is as follows:

Our performance peer group, which will be used to determine payout levels for our 2017 performance based awards, was changed slightly from the 2016 group. The use of FMC Technologies, Inc. as a performance peer was replaced with TechnipFMC plc to reflect its merger with Technip, and Tesco Corporation was added as a performance peer.

Role of Market Data

Pearl Meyer uses compensation data gathered from the compensation peer group as well as supplemental data from published market surveys to benchmark our executive compensation. The supplemental survey data allow the Committee to consider compensation levels through the broader energy industry compared to the oilfield services industry focused data of the peer group. Survey data also provides market norms for executive positions, which may not be reported as named executive officers in the peer group data.

Our review of market data focuses on the main elements of executive compensation: base salary, annual incentive opportunity, long-term compensation and total direct compensation. The graphic below defines the data we consider:

We review both target and actual compensation paid, but our primary focus is on target compensation because we want to provide our executives with the opportunity to earn competitive levels of compensation. How our plans ultimately payout is contingent upon management’s performance.

The Committee periodically commissions Pearl Meyer to conduct a market-based compensation study. The most recent study used in connection with the determination of total compensation in 2016 was completed in December 2015 and reviewed again in February 2016. That study indicated that our NEO base salaries, target total cash and target total direct compensation are on average below the market median. The Committee determined not to meaningfully adjust executive compensation due to market conditions.

Elements of Compensation for Our Named Executive Officers

Base Salary

Base salary is the fixed annual compensation we pay to each Named Executive Officer for performing specific job responsibilities and is based on the executive’s experience and requisite skills. It represents the minimum income a Named Executive Officer may receive in any year. Base salaries are determined for each Named Executive Officer based on the executive’s position and responsibility. We review the base salaries for each Named Executive Officer annually as well as at the time of any promotion or significant change in job responsibilities. In connection with each review, we also consider individual and company performance over the course of that year. The employment agreements we maintain with the Named Executive Officers (described in greater detail below) provide that base salaries will generally not be reduced during the annual review unless the decrease is in connection with a similar reduction applicable to all of our executive officers, and if so, the decrease could be a reduction of up to 10% of the executive’s base salary. Effective January 2016, in light of depressed commodity prices and reduced operating activity, each Named Executive Officer voluntarily reduced his base salary by 10%. Base salaries for the Company’s Named Executive Officers were frozen since 2014. Salaries for each of these officers were reinstated to 2014 levels on January 1, 2017 in anticipation of an increase in market activity and in order to provide more competitive compensation levels.

The table below shows base pay amounts for each Named Executive Officer as of March 20, 2017:

Annual Incentive Awards

Our annual incentive awards are formulaic and performance based. The payout potential at each level of our plan is expressed as a percentage of an executive’s base salary as set forth in the table below. Each year the Committee reviews bonus targets as well as target and actual total cash compensation paid to the named executive officers of our peer group to gauge the competitive level of our targets and ultimate payouts.

Management Incentive Plan

Our Management Incentive Plan (the “MIP”) for 2016 was designed to incentivize and reward key executives who had a significant impact on our achievement of overall corporate performance goals. The Committee approved NEO participants and their target bonus levels for the MIP and will continue to do so in future years.

The following table sets out our target and maximum bonus levels for 2016 for our NEOs expressed as a percentage of annual base salary:

2016 MIP

The 2016 MIP has a built-in threshold such that zero bonus is paid if we achieve anything less than the entry level of the established performance goals for the year. When actual performance is greater than the target performance level in an amount set forth in the 2016 MIP, referred to as “over-achievement,” the participant is eligible to receive the maximum bonus in the above table, an amount of up to two times (2X) the target award. The following graph summarizes the payout of the established performance goals.

MIP Performance Metrics

Performance for the 2016 MIP was measured in terms of EBITDA, free cash flow, personal performance and safety. These metrics were chosen because the Committee concluded that using EBITDA and free cash flow as measures align the interests of the executives with those of our stockholders, specific personal performance would reward management for focusing on key individual performance criteria that are only indirectly captured through financial metrics and because safety is an overriding value of our company. The weightings for the four metrics in 2016 were as follows:

EBITDA and Free Cash Flow

The EBITDA and free cash flow measures were derived from the 2016 financial plan set by our board of directors, adjusted for acquisitions during the year. EBITDA was added as a replacement for the Operating Income measure as it is considered to be a more appropriate measure in terms of the short-term incentive nature of the MIP program. In addition, free cash flow was added as a replacement for the Working Capital Ratio measure in order to place emphasis on our ability to generate cash flow in a challenging market environment. Given the need to reduce costs in 2016, including compensation expense, the Committee set the target performance levels for EBITDA and free cash flow at high levels that were not expected to be achieved in 2016 unless there was a sharp, unexpected recovery during the year.

Personal Performance Award

The Personal Performance Award is intended to encourage an increased focus on each participant’s impact on our overall objectives, including maximizing shareholder return. Each Named Executive Officer’s personal performance is evaluated in terms of both quantity and quality of achievement relative to their individual areas of responsibility, and such other factors deemed relevant by the Chief Executive Officer and the Committee or the board of directors, as applicable.

Safety Performance

The safety measure was based on the Total Recordable Incident Rate (“TRIR”), which is a measure of the recordable workplace injuries that occur during the year, calculated by multiplying the number of recordable injuries in a calendar year by 200,000 (100 employees working 2,000 hours per year), and dividing this value by the total man-hours actually worked in the year. The safety measures were designed to incentivize improvements in TRIR for the Company as a whole and for each product line. The safety measure for Messrs. Gaut, Harris, Iyyanki, McCulloch and Danford is based on the Company’s consolidated TRIR safety performance.

The targets for each product line were established with reference to past safety performance and the average TRIR for the oil and gas manufacturing industry, as reported in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Labor. Threshold and over-achievement levels were set at points recommended by management to create stretch goals while at the same time maintaining the incentive of each product line throughout the year, and not as percentages of target TRIR.

2016 MIP Payout

The table below sets forth the EBITDA targets and actual achievements for 2016:

The table below sets forth the free cash flow targets and actual achievements for 2016:

The table below sets forth the Personal Performance Award for 2016:

The table below sets forth the safety targets and actual achievements for 2016:

In accordance with the terms of the MIP, each performance measure other than personal performance is adjusted as necessary for acquisitions consummated during the year. Based on the MIP measures for each executive, financial, safety and personal performance resulted in the payments set forth above, and no discretionary adjustments were made thereto by the Committee.

Awards under our 2016 MIP were determined following an analysis of our financial results for 2016. Actual MIP payments are greater than target level for the Safety measure because our actual performance for this measure used under the MIP for 2016 was better than the target set by the Committee and our board of directors.

2017 MIP

For the 2017 plan year, the Committee approved three performance bands (threshold, target and overachievement) for each of the measures under the MIP. Working Capital, derived from a calculation of Gross Days Sales Outstanding and Gross Days of Inventory On Hand, was added as a replacement for the Free Cash Flow measure in order to emphasize working capital efficiency during the expected market upturn. EBITDA, Personal Performance and Safety will continue to be measures utilized in the 2017 MIP.

The table below sets out our NEO target and maximum bonus levels for 2017, expressed as a percentage of annual base salary. These targets have been approved by the Committee and are consistent with our philosophy of targeting market median pay opportunities.

The following graph summarizes the payout of the established performance goals for the 2017 MIP.

Long-Term Equity Based Incentives

We believe that long-term equity awards are the strongest link between executive pay and stockholder interests and, therefore, they represent a significant portion of our NEO total compensation. Long-term equity awards are granted pursuant to the 2016 Plan. Options are inherently performance based and we believe provide a strong link between our executives’ and stockholders’ long-term interests. We typically also grant restricted stock units as part of our equity based incentive package for competitive purposes, to balance the compensation risk associated with options and to provide value in equity which is tied to retention by placing a vesting requirement on the restricted stock unit grants. Another reason we grant restricted stock units, and may increase them in the future as a percentage of our equity package, is to conserve our share pool. Fewer full value shares are required to deliver a targeted equity value than would be required if the grant were made in options alone. We include performance based awards in the mix of equity granted to our NEOs. To date, and for the 2017 awards, the percentages of each year’s grant have been made up of one-third each of stock options, restricted stock units and performance based shares as a balanced approach, which considers the motivation of our executives, the interests of our stockholders, as well as the common practice within our peer group. In addition, subject to exceptional circumstances, incentive awards include double-trigger vesting provisions. While single-trigger vesting is prevalent among members of our peer group, we believe double trigger vesting is more in line with the expectations of our stockholders and would still permit us to offer attractive compensation to our Named Executive Officers. It has been our historical practice and expectation that on a going forward basis incentive awards will also include multi-year vesting provisions.

Performance Shares

Performance shares provide an additional incentive to our NEOs. Performance share payout will be calculated at the end of each year over a three year period based on TSR relative to our performance peer group. The table below shows the award multipliers applied to our target based upon relative TSR performance. The table below shows the impact on payout multipliers as peers are removed from the group. Please see the “— Performance Peer Group” section above for a description of our performance peer group.

The resulting multipliers shown above, and ultimate number of shares delivered to our NEOs, are determined at the conclusion of each year in the three-year performance period. The first measurement will be the one-year relative TSR, the second measurement will be cumulative two-year TSR, and the third measurement will be the cumulative three-year TSR relative to the performance peer group. Under each performance share agreement, the payout is capped at a multiplier of 1.00 if absolute total shareholder return is negative, even if our TSR performance is ranked higher relative to our peers. In addition, the agreements provide for a payout with a minimum multiplier of 1.00 if absolute TSR is greater than or equal to 20%.

2016 Awards

Our Committee, and our board of directors in respect of Mr. Gaut, granted equity-based compensation awards in 2016 to each of the Named Executive Officers.

Our equity-based compensation awards granted in 2016 were approximately equal to the median as compared to our compensation peer group. We do not time the release of material nonpublic information for the purpose of affecting the value of executive compensation, and we do not grant options with a grant date prior to the date of Committee approval of the grant.

Update on Performance Awards

Our 2016 TSR, 2015 through 2016 TSR and 2014 through 2016 TSR were 78.5%, 12.1% and -16.6%, respectively, which ranked first among our one- and two-year, and second among our three-year, performance peer groups (shown below). This performance resulted in the application of a 2.00x multiplier to our target on the first tranche of the 2016 performance award, 2.00x multiplier to our target on the second tranche of the 2015 performance award, 1.00x multiplier to our target on the third tranche of the 2014 performance award (the applicable multiplier was reduced to 1.00x from 1.75x due to negative TSR).

2017 Awards

Our Committee, and our board of directors in respect of Mr. Gaut, granted equity-based compensation awards in February 2017. The table below summarizes the amount of such grants to each Named Executive Officer.

Our equity-based compensation awards granted in February 2017 were approximately at the market median as compared to our compensation peer group and maintained the same mix and structure as our 2016 awards.

Employee Benefits

Our 401(k) Plan is designed to allow all employees, including the participating Named Executive Officers, to contribute on a pre-tax or Roth after-tax basis. Each participant may elect to contribute up to 75% of his compensation to the 401(k) Plan as pre-tax or Roth after-tax contributions (but limited by the statutory maximum of $18,000 for 2016). Additionally, participants age 50 years and older may make a “catch-up contribution” to the 401(k) Plan each year up to an amount set by statute ($6,000 for 2016). In 2016, in light of the decline in oil prices since the second half of 2014, we continued the suspension of our 401(k) matching contribution program. We believe the program’s suspension was in our stockholders’ best interests given then current market conditions and served to preserve cash flow for potential investment opportunities. In January 2017, we resumed the Company’s 401(k) matching contribution program in order to ensure the retention of our employees.

We have the discretion to provide a profit sharing contribution to each participant depending on our company’s performance for the applicable year. There were no profit sharing contributions made in 2016. Due to statutory limits on the amounts contributed to qualified plans, our Named Executive Officers generally did not receive the full potential matching contribution under the 401(k) Plan.

We also provide medical, dental and vision coverage to all of our full-time employees, as well as basic life and disability coverage.

Other Practices, Policies and Guidelines

Perquisites

We do not provide for any perquisites or any other personal benefits for our executive officers that are not available to other employees.

Clawbacks

Payments made under our non-equity incentive plan are subject to a clawback to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act or any other SEC guidelines.

Risk Assessment

Our board of directors has reviewed our compensation policies as generally applicable to our employees and believes that our policies do not encourage excessive and unnecessary risk-taking, and that the level of risk that they do encourage is not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us. The Committee performs this assessment annually and if a likelihood of a material risk exists, it will enlist additional resources for a full assessment.

Our compensation philosophy and culture support the use of base salary, certain performance-based compensation and benefit plans that are generally consistent in design and operation throughout our organization and with all levels of employees. These compensation policies and practices are centrally designed and administered. In addition, the following specific factors, in particular, reduce the likelihood of excessive risk-taking:

In summary, although a portion of the compensation provided to Named Executive Officers is based on our performance, we believe our compensation programs do not encourage excessive and unnecessary risk-taking by executive officers (or other employees) because these programs are designed to encourage employees to remain focused on both our short-term and long-term operational and financial goals. We set performance goals that we believe are reasonable in light of our past performance and market conditions.

Executive Stock Ownership Requirements

To further align the interests of our NEOs with the long-term interests of stockholders, our board of directors adopted a Stock Ownership Requirements Policy which requires our executive officers to own shares equal to specified amounts of our common stock, set at a multiple of the officers’ base annual salary in effect as of January 1 of each applicable year. Targets are based on the following multiples of base salary:

NEOs are expected to reach this level of target ownership within five years of becoming subject to the policy, three years of a promotion to a higher target multiple or February 21, 2018, whichever is later. Actual shares of stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units (including deferred stock units) and earned but unvested performance shares may be counted in satisfying the stock ownership guidelines. Shares issuable upon exercise of unexercised stock options are not counted. An NEO who is not in compliance with the policy may only sell shares to pay the applicable taxes related to an award of restricted stock or restricted stock units, the value of which does not exceed such tax liability, or to pay the exercise price or applicable taxes upon the exercise of stock options, retaining shares received upon exercise net of shares sold to cover the exercise prices or taxes, as

applicable. As of January 1, 2017, each of our NEOs was in compliance with the requirements set forth under the policy. We believe the significant amount of shares required to be held pursuant to the policy aligns the interests of our executives and those of our stockholders. We further believe that this is more effective than imposing a minimum holding period and that imposing such a holding period would be unduly restrictive for executive officers and impact our ability to attract and retain top talent.

Employment Agreements

We entered into employment agreements with Messrs. Gaut and Harris, effective August 2, 2010. We entered into employment agreements with Messrs. McCulloch and Iyyanki effective October 25, 2010 and January 13, 2014, respectively. Mr. Danford is not a party to an employment agreement with us. In January 2016, Messrs. Gaut, Harris, Iyyanki, McCulloch and Danford voluntarily agreed to a ten percent reduction in their annual base salary and waived the cash incentive payment that was earned for 2015 performance and payable in March 2016, in order to support our cost reduction initiatives, and waived any claims under their employment agreements related thereto, as applicable. None of the contracts provide for excise tax protections in the event of a change in control.

The employment agreements currently in effect set forth the manner by which the employment relationship may be extended or terminated, the compensation and benefits that we provide during the term of employment and the obligations each party has in the event of termination of the officer’s employment. We believe that severance protections, particularly in the context of a change in control transaction, play a critical role in attracting and retaining key executive officers. Providing this type of protection is common in the oilfield services industry. In addition, these benefits serve our interests by promoting a continuity of management and aligning management’s interests with those of our stockholders in the context of an actual or threatened change in control transaction.

Other material terms of these agreements are set forth below under “Executive Compensation.” The severance provisions within the employment agreements are set forth in detail in “Executive Compensation — Potential payments upon termination and change in control” below.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan

Our non-qualified deferred compensation plan permits eligible participants, including our NEOs, to make contributions (and to receive matching contributions) in excess of the Internal Revenue Code limitations. The plan was adopted in consultation with Pearl Meyer, which advised the Committee that such a plan was a competitive practice. In light of the continued suspension of the Company’s 401(k) matching program, the suspension of matching contributions on participant deferrals under the deferred compensation plan was also continued.

The plan provides that an officer may defer up to 50% of his base compensation and all or any portion of his bonus. All deferred amounts are credited with earnings through the date paid. The Committee recommends to the board of directors annually the interest rate to be paid on all deferred compensation amounts for the year. The interest rate on deferred compensation for 2016 was 7.5% per annum.

Each NEO is 100% vested in all matching contributions as a result of having satisfied the service requirements provided under the plan. Benefits under the plan are paid at the participant’s election upon termination of employment in a cash lump sum or in annual installments over a period not longer than five years. The Committee is responsible for administering this plan. In addition to those employees designated by the plan, our CEO is permitted to designate additional employees who may participate in this plan.

Upon a “change of control” within the meaning of the 2010 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2010 Plan”), all account balances will be fully vested.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In 2013, we adopted an employee stock purchase plan, which provides our eligible employees, including our Named Executive Officers, an option to purchase our common stock through payroll deductions and is designed to comply with Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code. Generally, the purchase price is equal to 85% (or such other percentage that is not lower than 85% as designated by the Committee prior to the commencement of an offering period) of the market price of common stock on one of the following dates: (i) the offering date, (ii) the purchase date or (iii) the offering date or the purchase date, whichever is lower, as designated by the Committee from time to time. Offering periods generally consist of six-month periods, or such other periods as may be determined from time to time by the Committee. Employees will be limited to a maximum payroll deduction of up to 30% of eligible compensation and may not purchase more than $12,500 in shares each offering period. Proposal 3 to this proxy statement seeks stockholder approval of our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, amended and restated effective as of July 1, 2017, which reserves and provides for the issuance of 900,000 shares of our common stock.

Accounting and Tax Considerations

Under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, a limitation was placed on tax deductions of any publicly-held corporation for individual compensation to certain executives of such corporation exceeding $1,000,000 in any taxable year, unless the compensation is performance-based. An exception applies to this deductibility limitation for a limited period of time in the case of companies that become publicly-traded.

We reserve the right to use our judgment to authorize compensation payments that do not comply with the exemptions in Section 162(m) when we believe that such payments are appropriate and in the best interest of the stockholders, after taking into consideration changing business conditions or the executive’s individual performance and/or changes in specific job duties and responsibilities.

If an executive is entitled to nonqualified deferred compensation benefits that are subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, and such compensation does not comply with Section 409A, then the benefits are taxable in the first year they are not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and are subject to certain additional adverse tax consequences. We intend to design such arrangements to comply with (or be exempt from) Section 409A to the extent that the design is also appropriate for our business goals with respect to that arrangement.

All equity awards to our employees, including executive officers, and to our directors will be granted and reflected in our consolidated financial statements, based upon the applicable accounting guidance, at fair market value on the grant date in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification, Topic 718, “Compensation — Stock compensation.”

NOMINATING, GOVERNANCE & COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Nominating, Governance & Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with Forum’s management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis included in this proxy statement. Based on that review and discussion, the Committee has recommended to the board of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael McShane, Chairperson
John A. Carrig
Terence M. O’Toole
Louis A. Raspino

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following tables provide information regarding the compensation awarded to or earned during the 2014, 2015 and 2016 fiscal years by our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and each of the next three most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as executive officers on December 31, 2016. The tables following the summary compensation table provide additional detail with respect to actual compensation, grants of plan-based awards, the value of outstanding equity awards as of December 31, 2016, the value of options exercised and stock awards that vested during 2016, deferred compensation and estimates of changes in post-employment benefits.

Summary compensation table

Summary of actual CEO compensation

Grants of plan-based awards for 2016

Outstanding equity awards at 2016 fiscal year end

The table below sets forth awards that were granted under the 2016 Plan and prior to the adoption thereof. Expiration dates are also shown for each individual award. Additionally, no performance-based equity grants were made prior to 2013.