Lauren McNamara

About Lauren McNamara

Lauren McNamara is Senior Vice President of Business Management at SunOpta (appointed December 2023). She joined SunOpta in March 2017 as Director of Brand Marketing, advanced to Vice President and Assistant General Manager for Plant-Based Foods and Beverages in March 2020, and was promoted to SVP in December 2023; age 42 in the 2025 proxy (41 in 2024) . Prior experience includes brand marketing roles at Flagstone Foods and General Mills; no public company directorships in the last five years . Company performance during her tenure has shown double‑digit revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth in 2025: Q2 revenue +12.9% to $191.5M and Adjusted EBITDA $22.7M; Q3 revenue +16.8% to $205.4M and Adjusted EBITDA $23.6M . The 2022 LTIP PSUs vested at 117% of target based on TSR at the 67th percentile versus peer group, evidencing pay‑for‑performance alignment .

Past Roles

External Roles

Company Performance Context (during McNamara’s SVP tenure)

Fixed Compensation

• Not individually disclosed for Ms. McNamara (proxy tables list only Named Executive Officers). Stock ownership guidelines for Senior Leadership Team (which includes Ms. McNamara) require 1x base salary in SunOpta stock, with a five‑year transition period to comply .

Performance Compensation

Short‑Term Incentive Plan (STIP) – applies to managers and above

• STIP design: two components, 50% company (Adjusted EBITDA) and 50% individual; managers and above receive an equity‑hybrid payout with PSUs valued at 50% of STIP target and remaining 50% in cash; if payout exceeds 100%, the excess is cash only (no additional PSUs) .
• No STIP individual metrics for Ms. McNamara are disclosed.

Long‑Term Incentives (LTIP) – program structure

• Peer‑relative TSR result: 2022 LTIP PSUs vest at 117% of target (67th percentile TSR vs peer group) with vest date May 5, 2025 .
• Executives were offered a 3:1 option‑for‑RSU exchange for 2024 LTIP RSUs; none elected the exchange .

Equity Ownership & Alignment

• Stock ownership guidelines: CEO 5x salary; other NEOs 2x; Senior Leadership Team 1x; Independent Directors 5x annual cash retainer; five‑year compliance window; if not compliant after five years, 50% of STIP paid in equity until compliant .
• Compliance status: As of March 27, 2025, all but two executive officers were in compliance; those not compliant remained within their transition period .
• Hedging & pledging: Prohibited for executives and directors per company policy; company does not allow hedging or pledging of company stock .
• Insider trading policy and 10b5‑1 compliance procedures are in place; Section 16 filings believed timely for fiscal 2024 .

Employment Terms

• Individual employment agreement terms for Ms. McNamara are not disclosed.
• Program governance: Double‑trigger change‑in‑control provisions for non‑pro‑rata payouts under cash and equity plans; no tax gross‑ups; no option repricing; caps on incentive payouts; clawback policy compliant with regulatory requirements (three‑year lookback for restatements) .

Compensation Peer Group (used for benchmarking)

• 2024 peer group (16 companies): BellRing Brands; Beyond Meat; BRC; Calavo Growers; Hain Celestial; J&J Snack Foods; John B. Sanfilippo & Son; Lancaster Colony; Seneca Foods; The Real Good Food Company; The Simply Good Foods Co; Vita Coco; Treehouse Foods; Utz Brands; Vital Farms; Whole Earth Brands .

Say‑On‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback

Investment Implications

• Alignment signals: Ms. McNamara, as Senior Leadership Team, is subject to ownership guidelines (1x salary), equity‑hybrid STIP (50% PSUs) tied to Adjusted EBITDA, and LTIP architecture using PSUs on revenue/ROIC or TSR—collectively strong pay‑for‑performance and shareholder alignment; hedging/pledging is prohibited, reducing misalignment risk .
• Vesting and selling pressure: Time‑based RSUs/options vesting 1/3 annually create a predictable cadence; equity‑hybrid STIP PSUs add performance gating—this tends to moderate forced selling pressure relative to all‑cash bonuses; absence of personal ownership disclosures limits precision on near‑term selling overhang for Ms. McNamara .
• Retention risk: Absence of publicly disclosed individual contract terms for Ms. McNamara (severance/CoC specifics) constrains direct retention risk analysis; however, company‑wide governance features (no tax gross‑ups, double‑trigger CoC, clawbacks) and positive shareholder support for pay practices suggest disciplined frameworks that support talent retention and investor alignment .
• Performance backdrop: Ongoing double‑digit revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth in 2025 underscores operational execution in categories aligned with McNamara’s prior responsibilities, supporting confidence in continued value creation; TSR‑based LTIP payouts above target further validate performance linkage to compensation .