As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2019

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(RULE 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                             Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS 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):

PROXY STATEMENT AND NOTICE OF

2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

April 25, 2019

3550 Lenox Road

Atlanta, Georgia 30326

(770) 829-8000

March 13, 2019

Dear Shareholder:

The board of directors and officers of Global Payments Inc. join me in extending to you a cordial invitation to attend our 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, at our offices at 3550 Lenox Road, Atlanta, GA 30326. At the annual meeting, shareholders will be asked to vote on three proposals set forth in the Notice of 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and the proxy statement following this letter.

Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting, it is important that your shares are represented and voted regardless of the size of your holdings. We urge you to vote promptly and submit your proxy via the internet, by telephone or by signing, dating and returning the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed envelope. If you decide to attend the annual meeting, you will be able to vote in person, even if you have submitted your proxy previously.

If you have any questions concerning the annual meeting and you are the shareholder of record of your shares, please contact our Investor Relations department at Investor.Relations@globalpay.com or (770) 829-8478. If your shares are held by a broker or other nominee (that is, in “street name”), please contact your broker or other nominee for questions concerning the annual meeting.

We look forward to seeing you on April 25.

Items of Business

The shareholders may also transact any other business that may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

Record Date

Close of business on March 4, 2019.

On March 13, 2019, we mailed a notice of electronic availability of proxy materials to our shareholders. Only shareholders of record at the close of business on March 4, 2019 are entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. If you do not attend the annual meeting, you may vote your shares via the internet or by telephone, as instructed in the Notice of Electronic Availability of Proxy Materials, or if you received your proxy materials by mail, you may also vote by mail.

Submitting your proxy does not affect your right to vote in person if you attend the annual meeting. Therefore, we urge you to submit your proxy as soon as possible, regardless of whether or not you expect to attend the annual meeting. You may revoke your proxy at any time before its exercise by (i) delivering written notice of revocation to our Corporate Secretary, David L. Green, at 3550 Lenox Road, Suite 3000, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, (ii) submitting to us a duly executed proxy card bearing a later date, (iii) voting via the internet or by telephone at a later date, or (iv) appearing at the annual meeting and voting in person; provided, however, that no such revocation under clause (i) or (ii) shall be effective until written notice of revocation or a later dated proxy card is received by the Corporate Secretary at or before the annual meeting, and no such revocation under clause (iii) shall be effective unless received on or before 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on April 24, 2019.

When you submit your proxy, you authorize Jeffrey S. Sloan and David L. Green, or either one of them, each with full power of substitution, to vote your shares at the annual meeting in accordance with your instructions or, if no instructions are given, for the election of the director nominees; for the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of our named executive officers; and for the ratification of the reappointment of Deloitte as the Company’s independent public accounting firm. The proxies, in their discretion, are further authorized to vote on any adjournments or postponements of the annual meeting, for the election of one or more persons to the board of directors if any of the nominees becomes unable to serve or for good cause will not serve, on matters which the board does not know a reasonable time before making the proxy solicitations will be presented at the annual meeting, or any other matters which may properly come before the annual meeting and any postponements or adjournments thereto.

Table of Contents

Proxy Summary

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement, but does not contain all of the information you should consider before voting your shares. For complete information regarding the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which we refer to as the “annual meeting,” the proposals to be voted on at the annual meeting, and our performance during the year ended December 31, 2018, please review the entire proxy statement and our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, or the Annual Report on Form 10-K. In this proxy statement, the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Global Payments Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

Information About Our 2019 Annual Meeting

Proposals and Voting Recommendations

Business and Strategy

We are a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions delivering innovative services to our customers globally. Our technologies, services and employee expertise enable us to provide a broad range of solutions that allow our customers to accept various payment types and operate their businesses more efficiently. We distribute our services across a variety of channels in 32 countries throughout North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and Brazil and operate in three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Our payment technology solutions are similar around the world in that we enable our customers to accept card, electronic, check and digital-based payments. We offer high touch services that provide our customers with reliable and secure payment solutions coupled with high quality and responsive support services.

We seek to leverage the adoption of, and transition to, card, electronic and digital-based payments by expanding share in our existing markets through our distribution channels and service innovation, as well as through acquisitions to improve our offerings and scale. We also seek to enter new markets through acquisitions, alliances and joint ventures around the world. We intend to continue to invest in and leverage our technology infrastructure and our people to increase our penetration in existing markets.

The key tenets of our strategy include the following:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 1

Our board and its committees provide support and oversight to management in the operation of our business and strategy, as further described in this proxy.

2018 Performance Highlights

We experienced strong business and financial performance around the world during the year ended December 31, 2018. Highlights related to our financial condition and results of operations as of December 31, 2018 and for the year then ended include the following:

The following graph compares the cumulative shareholder returns of $100 invested in the S&P 500 Index, our Company and the average of our performance peer group from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2018, assuming reinvestment of dividends.

The graph excludes peer group performance for PayPal, Inc. and First Data Corp., because these companies were not publicly traded for the full period presented above.

2 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Board and Corporate Governance Highlights (Page 19)

We have adopted leading governance practices that establish strong independent leadership in our boardroom and provide our shareholders with meaningful rights. Highlights include:

The board has taken a thoughtful and deliberate approach to board composition to ensure that our directors have backgrounds that collectively add significant value to the strategic decisions made by the Company and enable them to provide oversight of management to ensure accountability to our shareholders. The composition of our board consists of:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 3

The board has identified the following key qualifications and experience that are important to be represented on the board as a whole in light of our current business strategy and expected needs. The charts below indicate how these qualifications are represented on our board based on information provided by our directors. Information regarding each director’s skills and qualifications can be found within their individual biographies on pages 14-18.

indicates board representation of the qualification

4 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Shareholder Outreach (Page 27)

We believe in providing transparent and timely information to our investors. Each year we routinely engage shareholders and analysts in various forums, which may include industry conferences, road-shows, meetings at our offices or at our shareholders’ offices, conference calls and investor day events. Throughout the year, we held meetings with many of our top institutional investors. In our meetings, we discussed a variety of topics that are important to investors, including industry trends, corporate governance, Company performance and operations and short and long-term strategic direction. We hosted our 2018 investor day on March 1, 2018, which provided an opportunity for shareholders and analysts to hear directly from management on the Company’s long-term strategy and ask questions of the management team. In 2018, we again engaged directly across the spectrum of our active shareholder base on the Company’s performance, operations and strategic direction.

Recent Corporate Governance Developments

As a result of engaging with our shareholders and keeping abreast of leading practices, we have taken actions with respect to corporate governance matters, including the following:

Diversity and Inclusion

Our Company has always prided itself on inclusiveness and embraces the diversity of its employees in all of our geographies. We currently do business in nearly 60 countries around the world, with employees living and working in 32 of them. We have always believed, and continue to believe, that our business is strengthened by a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate.

In 2018, we built on our history of diversity and inclusion by formally launching a diversity and inclusion initiative. As part of this initiative, we became a signatory to the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion™, which is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In 2018, we also:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 5

In addition to the above initiatives, we augmented the existing diversity and inclusion components of our talent management program to ensure that diversity and inclusion is integrated into every aspect of our programs including talent acquisition, performance management, leadership training and development, and succession planning.

We will continue to measure our progress to ensure our initiatives and programs continue to support our diversity and inclusion goals.

Compensation Philosophy (Page 36)

6 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Core Compensation Components

		Core Component		Objective/Features		Page
		Base Salary		Base salaries are intended to provide compensation consistent with our named executive officers’, or NEOs, responsibilities, experience and performance in relation to the marketplace.				40
		Annual Cash Incentives		Our annual performance plan rewards short-term Company performance, while aligning the interests of our NEOs with those of our shareholders. For 2018, awards under our annual performance plan were determined based on specified goals for adjusted EPS, adjusted net revenue plus network fees and adjusted operating margin, which are non-GAAP financial measures and are described on Appendix A to this proxy statement.				40
		Performance Units		Performance units are performance-based restricted stock units that, after a three-year performance period, may convert into a number of unrestricted shares depending on the average of the growth of our annual adjusted EPS for each of the three years in the performance period.   In 2018, the Compensation Committee modified the performance units’ structure to enhance the alignment between executive rewards and long-term gains for the Company and its shareholders by tying the achievement of the NEOs’ compensation to both business objectives and shareholder return. Under the new design, performance units are earned based on an achievement of an annual adjusted EPS growth target, as modified by the Company’s total shareholder return performance rank relative to the S&P 500 index over the three year performance period.				43
		Stock Options		Stock options vest in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date. Stock options are intended to provide a strong incentive for creation of long-term shareholder value, as stock options may be exercised for a profit only to the extent the price of our stock appreciates after the grant date.				45
		Restricted Stock		Restricted stock granted as part of our annual compensation program vest in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date. Time-based restricted stock provides a retentive element to our compensation program, while tying the value of the award to the performance of our stock.				45

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 7

2018 Compensation Highlights

The following charts show the mix of total target compensation in 2018 (excluding restricted stock awards granted in June 2018) for our Chief Executive Officer and the average of all the other NEOs (excluding David Mangum, our former President and Chief Operating Officer who, as of August 27, 2018, no longer served in this position and subsequently left the Company, effective September 15, 2018), as well as the portion of compensation that is subject to forfeiture (“at risk”) or performance-based.

Director Nominees (Page 14)

Name

Tenure (Years)

Principal Occupation

Non- Employee

Audit Committee

Compensation Committee

Governance and Nominating Committee

Risk Oversight Committee

Technology Committee

Mitchell L. Hollin

3

Managing Partner, LLR Management, L.P.

Yes

Ruth Ann Marshall*

12

Former President – Americas, Master Card

Yes

Named Executive Officers (page 37)

Beginning on page 37, we provide specific data about the compensation of our NEOs as defined by rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, for 2018. Our NEOs for the year ended December 31, 2018 were:

8 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Questions and Answers About Our Annual Meeting and this Proxy Statement

1. Why did I receive these materials?

This proxy statement is being furnished to solicit proxies on behalf of the board of directors of our Company for use at the 2019 annual meeting of shareholders and at any adjournments or postponements thereof. The annual meeting will be held at our offices at 3550 Lenox Road, Atlanta, Georgia, 30326 on Thursday, April 25, 2019 at 9:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

2. What am I voting on and how does the board of directors recommend that I vote?

Our board of directors recommends that you vote FOR each of the following three proposals scheduled to be voted on at the meeting:

3. Could other matters be decided at the annual meeting?

Yes. The shareholders may transact any other business that may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. If any other matter properly comes before the meeting and you have submitted your proxy, the proxy holders will vote as recommended by the board or, if no recommendation is made, in their own discretion.

4. Why did I receive a mailed notice of internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of proxy materials?

As permitted by the SEC, we are making this proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K available to our shareholders electronically via the internet. The notice contains instructions on how to access this proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K and how to vote online or submit your proxy over the internet or by telephone. You will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials in the mail unless you request one, which you may do by following the instructions contained in the notice. We encourage you to take advantage of the electronic availability of proxy materials to help reduce the cost and environmental impact of the annual meeting.

5. How do I vote?

If you received a notice of electronic availability, that notice provides instructions on how to vote by internet, by telephone or by requesting and returning a paper proxy card. You may submit your proxy voting instructions via the internet or telephone by following the instructions provided in the notice. The internet and telephone voting procedures are designed to authenticate your identity, to allow you to vote your shares, and to confirm that your voting instructions are properly recorded. If your shares are held in the name of a bank or a broker, the availability of internet and telephone voting will depend on the voting processes of the bank or broker. Therefore, we recommend that you follow the instructions on the form you receive. If you received a printed version of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by following the instructions provided with your proxy materials and on your proxy card.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 9

6. What if I change my mind after I vote?

Your submission of a proxy via the internet, by telephone or by mail does not affect your right to attend the annual meeting in person. You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is exercised in any of the following ways:

7. Who is entitled to vote?

All shareholders who owned shares of our common stock at the close of business on March 4, 2019 are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. On that date, there were 157,850,344 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, held by approximately 2,089 shareholders of record. Shareholders are entitled to one vote per share.

8. How many votes must be present to hold the annual meeting?

In order for any business to be conducted, the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote at the annual meeting must be present, either in person or by proxy. This is referred to as a “quorum.” Abstentions and broker non-votes (described below) will be treated as present for purposes of establishing a quorum. If a quorum is not present, the annual meeting may be adjourned by the holders of a majority of the shares represented at the annual meeting. The annual meeting may be rescheduled at the time of the adjournment with no further notice of the reconvened meeting if the date, time and place of the reconvened meeting are announced at the adjourned meeting before its adjournment; provided, however, that if a new record date is or must be fixed, notice of the reconvened meeting must be given to the shareholders of record as of the new record date. An adjournment will have no effect on the business to be conducted at the meeting.

9. What are the voting standards for the proposals?

Each of the three scheduled proposals must be approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast. This means that a proposal is approved if the number of shares voted “for” the proposal exceeds the number of shares voted “against” the proposal.

10. What is the difference between a “shareholder of record” and a “beneficial owner of shares held in street name?”

Shareholders of record.    If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare, you are the shareholder of record with respect to those shares, and we sent the notice of electronic availability directly to you. If you request copies of the proxy materials by mail, you will receive a proxy card.

Beneficial owners of shares held in street name.    If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and the notice of electronic availability was forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding your account is considered the shareholder of record for purposes of voting at the annual meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct that organization on how to vote the shares held in your account. If you request copies of the proxy materials by mail, you will receive a voting instruction form.

10 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

11. What happens if I do not return a proxy or do not give specific voting instructions?

Shareholders of record.    If you are a shareholder of record and you do not vote via the internet, by telephone or by mail, your shares will not be voted unless you attend the annual meeting to vote them in person. If you are a shareholder of record and you sign and return a proxy card without giving specific voting instructions, then your shares will be voted in the manner recommended by the board of directors on all matters presented in this proxy statement and as the proxy holders may determine in their discretion with respect to any other matters properly presented for a vote at the annual meeting.

Beneficial owners of shares held in street name.    If you hold your shares in street name and do not provide voting instructions to your broker, your broker will have the discretionary authority to vote your shares only on proposals that are considered “routine.” The only proposal at the annual meeting that is considered routine is the ratification of the reappointment of our independent auditor. All of the other proposals are considered “non-routine,” which means that your broker will not have the discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to such proposals. Shares for which you do not provide voting instructions and a broker lacks discretionary voting authority are referred to as “broker non-votes.” Broker non-votes are counted as present for the purpose of establishing a quorum, but whether they are counted for purpose of voting on proposals depends on the voting standard for the particular proposal. Since each of the scheduled proposals requires approval by a majority of votes cast, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes “for” or “against” the proposal. As a result, although abstentions and broker non-votes may be counted for the purpose of establishing a quorum for the meeting, they have no effect on the voting results.

12. What should I do if I receive more than one proxy or voting instruction card?

Shareholders may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of the notice of electronic availability, these proxy materials and proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, shareholders who hold shares in more than one brokerage account may receive separate notices for each brokerage account in which shares are held. Shareholders of record whose shares are registered in more than one name will receive more than one notice. You should vote in accordance with all of the notices you receive to ensure that all of your shares are counted.

13. Who pays the cost of proxy solicitation?

The cost of soliciting proxies will be borne by us. However, shareholders voting electronically (via phone or the internet) should understand that there may be costs associated with electronic access, such as usage charges from internet service providers or telephone companies. In addition to solicitation of shareholders of record by mail, telephone or personal contact, arrangements will be made with brokerage houses to furnish proxy materials to their principals, and we may reimburse them for mailing expenses. Custodians and fiduciaries will be supplied with proxy materials to forward to beneficial owners of common stock.

14. May I propose actions for consideration at next year’s annual shareholder meeting?

Proposals for Inclusion in Next Year’s Proxy Statement (Rule 14a-8):    SEC rules permit shareholders to submit proposals for inclusion in our proxy statement if the shareholder and the proposal meet the requirements specified in Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act. Proposals submitted in accordance with Rule 14a-8 for inclusion in our proxy statement for the 2020 annual shareholder meeting must be received by our Corporate Secretary no earlier than October 15, 2019 and no later than November 14, 2019, which is 120 days before the one year anniversary of the mailing of this proxy statement.

Director Nominees for Inclusion in Next Year’s Proxy Statement (Proxy Access):    Our bylaws permit a shareholder (or a group of no more than 20 shareholders) owning 3% or more of our common stock continuously for at least three years to nominate up to an aggregate limit of two candidates or 20% of our board (whichever is greater) for inclusion in our proxy statement. Notice of such nominees must be received no earlier than October 15, 2019 and no later than close of business on November 14, 2019.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 11

Other Business Proposals/Director Nominees:    Our bylaws also set forth the procedures that a shareholder must follow to nominate a candidate for election as a director or to propose other business for consideration at shareholder meetings, in each case, not submitted for inclusion in next year’s proxy statement (either under proxy access or Rule 14a-8), but instead to be presented directly at shareholder meetings. In each case, director nominations or proposals for other business for consideration at the 2020 annual shareholder meeting submitted under these bylaw provisions must be received by our Corporate Secretary between October 15, 2019 and November 14, 2019. Special notice provisions apply under the bylaws if the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or 60 days after the anniversary date.

Our Corporate Secretary address is: 3550 Lenox Road, Suite 3000, Atlanta, GA 30326. Notice must include the information required by our bylaws, which are available without charge upon written request to our Corporate Secretary.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This proxy statement contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Exchange Act and is subject to the safe harbors created therein. The forward-looking statements contained herein are generally identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” “committed,” “ensure,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management and on currently available information. Accordingly, our future plans and expectations may not be achieved and our results could differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements as a result of many known and unknown factors, many of which are beyond our ability to predict or control. A detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. We undertake no responsibility to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.

12 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Proposal One: Election of Directors

Our board of directors, upon the recommendation of the Governance and Nominating Committee, has nominated directors Mitchell L. Hollin and Ruth Ann Marshall, each a Class I director, to be elected to serve until the 2022 annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each nominee has agreed to serve as a director if elected. For information on the factors the board considers when evaluating candidates for nomination, see “Board and Corporate Governance — Board Membership Criteria” on page 20.

Our board of directors currently consists of nine members who are divided into three classes, with the term of office of each class ending in successive years. Each class of directors serves staggered three-year terms. Of the Class I directors, the board has determined to nominate only Mr. Hollin and Ms. Marshall for re-election at the 2019 annual meeting of shareholders. At the annual meeting, proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of individuals than the two nominees named in this proxy statement.

The Company has a majority voting standard to elect directors in uncontested elections of directors, such as this election. Under the majority voting standard, if the votes cast “against” a director exceed the number of votes cast “for” the director, the director is not elected. Under Georgia law, to ensure that a board’s power to act continues uninterrupted, the failure to receive the required number of votes for re-election would not automatically result in a vacancy. Instead, the director who failed to receive the required number of votes would continue to serve as director until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office, or death. Such a director is referred to as a “holdover” director. If one of the Company’s directors fails to receive the required number of votes for reelection, the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines require the director to promptly tender his or her written resignation to the board following certification of the shareholder vote. If the tendered resignation does not expressly require acceptance by the board, the resignation will become effective immediately, or on the date set forth in the resignation, and there will be a vacancy on the board upon the effective date of the resignation. If the tendered resignation specifies that it is not effective until accepted by the board, the board has the discretion to accept or reject the resignation. In such a case, the Governance and Nominating Committee will promptly consider the tendered resignation and, based on any factors deemed relevant by the members of the Governance and Nominating Committee, recommend to the board whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation.

In considering the Governance and Nominating Committee’s recommendation, the board may consider any factors deemed relevant by the members of the board. If the board does not accept the resignation, the director will continue to serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office, or death. The Company will publicly disclose the board’s decision within 90 days from the date of the certification of the election results. To the extent that one or more directors’ resignations are accepted by the board, the Governance and Nominating Committee will recommend to the board whether to fill such vacancy or vacancies or to reduce the size of the board.

The composition of our board of directors is currently as follows:

In each case, the director nominee, if elected, will serve a shorter term in the event of his or her resignation, retirement, disqualification, or removal from office or death. In the event that any of the nominees is unable to serve (which is not anticipated), the persons designated as proxies will cast votes for such other person(s) as they may select. The affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast with respect to the director nominee at the annual meeting at which a quorum is present is required for the election of each of the nominees. If a choice is specified on the proxy card by a shareholder, the shares will be voted as specified. If no specification is made, the shares will be voted “FOR” each of the two nominees.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 13

Nominees for Election as Directors with Terms Expiring in 2022

Biographical and other information about each director nominated for election is set forth below:

14 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Other Directors

Biographical information with respect to our other directors is set forth below:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 15

16 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 17

There is no family relationship between any of our NEOs or directors. There are no arrangements or understandings between any of our directors and any other person pursuant to which any of them was elected as a director, other than arrangements or understandings with the directors solely in their capacities as such.

18 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Board and Corporate Governance

Board Leadership

Our board of directors is chaired by Mr. Jacobs, one of our independent directors. Our board believes that Mr. Jacobs’ service as Chairman enhances the independent oversight of management, while continuing to provide the decisive leadership necessary for an effective Chairman. From his 18-year tenure as a member of our board and 16-year tenure as either Chairman of the board or lead director, Mr. Jacobs has acquired a deep knowledge of our history and culture as well as the issues, opportunities and challenges facing our business. As a result, our board believes that Mr. Jacobs is well-positioned to ensure that the board’s time and attention is focused on the most critical matters. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines do not express a formal policy on whether the same person should serve as the Chairman of the board and the Chief Executive Officer. Although our Chairman of the board is an independent director, if in the future a non-independent director serves as Chairman of the board, the board will appoint a lead director to fulfill many of the responsibilities of the Chairman listed below.

Chairman of the Board Duties

Board Independence

At least a majority of our directors, and all of the members of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Governance and Nominating Committee, must be “independent” based on the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE. Each year, our board of directors reviews the independence of our directors and considers, among other things, relationships and transactions during the past three years between each director or any member of his or her immediate family, on the one hand, and our Company and our subsidiaries and affiliates, on the other hand.

The purpose of the review is to determine whether any such relationships or transactions were inconsistent with a determination that the director is independent as defined under the NYSE listing standards.

The NYSE listing standards provide that to qualify as an “independent” director, in addition to satisfying certain bright-line criteria, our board of directors must affirmatively determine that a director has no material relationship with our Company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with our Company). Additional independence requirements established by the SEC and the NYSE apply to members of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee.

Using these standards for determining the independence of its members, the board determined that the following directors are independent:

In addition, each member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee is independent.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 19

Board Membership Criteria

Our board currently consists of nine directors divided into three equal classes, who each serve a three-year term.

The Governance and Nominating Committee believes that diversity is an important factor in determining the composition of the board and considers it in making nominee recommendations, although it does not have a formal diversity policy. The Governance and Nominating Committee considers candidates for director who are recommended by other members of the board of directors and by management, as well as those identified by any outside consultants who are periodically retained by the committee to assist in identifying possible candidates. The committee will evaluate potential nominees for open board positions suggested by shareholders in accordance with our policies for shareholder proposals and on the same basis as all other potential nominees. See “Questions and Answers About Our Annual Meeting and this Proxy Statement — May I Propose Actions for Consideration at Next Year’s Annual Shareholder Meeting?” for additional information about our policies for shareholder proposals.

Key factors the Governance and Nominating Committee considers when determining whether to appoint directors include:

20 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

The board has identified the following key qualifications and experience that are important to be represented on our board as a whole in light of our current business strategy and expected needs. The charts below indicate how these qualifications are represented on our board based on information provided by our directors. Information regarding each director’s skills and qualifications can be found within their individual biographies on pages 14-18.

indicates board representation of the qualification

Board Refreshment

We periodically review our board’s composition to ensure that we continue to have the right mix of skills, background and tenure. The board currently believes that an appropriate size is seven to twelve members, allowing, however, for changing circumstances that may warrant a higher or a lower number. The Governance and Nominating Committee considers director candidates suggested by members of the committee, other directors, shareholders and management, and has engaged the services of third party firms to assist in identifying and evaluating director candidates.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 21

As a result of healthy refreshment over recent years, as of the date of this proxy statement, 50% of our non-employee board members have joined the board in the last five years, and 38% joined the board in the last three years. The background and skills of these directors contribute meaningfully to the Company’s strategy for future growth and long-term value creation.

In addition, we amended our bylaws in May 2017 to permit a shareholder (or a group of up to 20 shareholders) who has owned at least 3% of our stock continuously for at least three years to submit director nominees for the greater of two individuals or 20% of the board for inclusion in our proxy statement if the shareholder(s) and nominee(s) meet the requirements of the bylaws.

The board also believes that directors develop an understanding of the Company and an ability to work effectively as a group over time that provides substantial value, and therefore a significant degree of continuity year-over-year is beneficial to shareholders and generally should be expected.

The current tenure, independence and diversity composition of our board is as follows:

Board and Committee Membership — Director Attendance at Meetings

Our full board of directors met five times during 2018. All of our directors attended at least 75% of the meetings of the board during 2018, including meetings of the committees of which they were members. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, all of our directors are expected to attend the annual meeting of shareholders, and all of our directors attended the 2018 annual meeting.

Our board of directors has established five standing committees, which include the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Governance and Nominating Committee, the Risk Oversight Committee and the Technology Committee, all of which are comprised exclusively of non-employee directors. The Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Governance and Nominating Committee are comprised exclusively of independent non-employee directors.

22 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Our board has adopted written charters for each of these committees. Each committee charter and our corporate governance guidelines are available in the investor relations section of our website, www.globalpaymentsinc.com. The following table summarizes the primary responsibilities of the committees:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 23

The following table provides information about current committee membership and number of meetings held during 2018:

                                              Chair             Member          Financial Expert⁽¹⁾

24 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Board Oversight of Risk Management

Our board of directors views the oversight of risk management as one of its key functions, regularly engaging with management to maintain a risk-aware culture where risk management is deeply and pervasively embedded in all of our activities worldwide. Through its oversight of our enterprise risk management program, our board takes a multi-layered approach to this oversight role. The full board engages directly with management to set high level policy. At least annually, the board discusses with management the appropriate level of risk relative to our strategy and objectives and reviews with management our existing risk management processes and their effectiveness. In addition, the board receives periodic reports on risk management activities from each committee chair while relying on each of its five standing committees to provide more in-depth oversight of specific key risk exposures.

The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Our board has delegated to the Risk Oversight Committee the responsibility to directly oversee our enterprise risk management program. Specifically, subject to oversight by the full board of directors, the Risk Oversight Committee is responsible for overseeing the process for identifying, assessing and managing the key risks our Company faces, receiving recommendations from management with respect to such risks, and making recommendations to the full board of directors. The committee’s responsibilities related to oversight of the enterprise risk management program are process-oriented, meaning the committee takes steps to ensure that an effective process is in place to identify and manage key risk exposures, develop a risk mitigation plan and ensure proper reporting on compliance with such plan.

Under the direction of the Risk Oversight Committee, we established a management risk committee comprised primarily of executive management that is responsible for identifying, assessing, prioritizing and developing action plans to mitigate key risks. The management risk committee reports to the full board or appropriate board committee periodically and more frequently as needed.

Risk oversight responsibilities related to the substance of each identified key risk exposure, such as the application of the board’s risk tolerance in a particular area, are in some cases carried out by the full board without any delegation to a committee. For example, the full board directly oversees our risk management

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 25

activities with respect to risks associated with our strategic direction. More frequently, oversight of defined risk exposures is carried out by the board committee with the most relevant subject-matter expertise. In these cases, the relevant board committee carries out these responsibilities utilizing the process established by the Risk Oversight Committee, with reporting obligations to the full board. Our board has delegated risk oversight responsibilities for certain key risk exposures to its committees as follows:

The Board’s Role in Overseeing Cyber Risk

We employ multiple methods and technologies to secure the Company’s computing environment and ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our information assets. As noted above, technology and cyber-security qualifications and experience is one of the key factors that our Governance and Nominating Committee considers in its assessment of the board membership criteria.

Our board has delegated to the Technology Committee the responsibility to oversee the Company’s Information Security Program and cyber-security risk. Specifically, subject to oversight by the full board of directors, the Technology Committee periodically receives reports from the Company’s Chief Information Security Officer, or CISO, on the Company’s cyber risk profile and information security initiatives. The Company’s Information Security Program is administered by the CISO, who maintains a direct reporting line to both the Technology Committee and the board. At least annually, the Technology Committee receives a formal, enterprise-wide information technology and cyber-security risk assessment and reviews and recommends the Company’s information security program supporting policies to the full board for evaluation and approval. The Technology Committee regularly reviews and discusses the Company’s technology strategy with the Chief Information Officer and recommends the Company’s technology strategic plan to the full board for evaluation and approval.

In addition, the board and the Risk Committee regularly receive information about these topics from the Chair of the Technology Committee, the CISO and management and are apprised directly of incidents exceeding certain risk tolerances.

26 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Evaluation of Board and Committee Effectiveness

Each year, our board and its committees conduct self-evaluations to ensure they are performing effectively and to identify opportunities to improve board and committee performance. The written self-assessment is conducted under the oversight of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Anonymous evaluation responses are reviewed and assessed during board and committee executive sessions and where appropriate, addressed with management. As part of the board’s self-assessment process, directors consider various topics related to board composition, structure, effectiveness and responsibilities, as well as the overall mix of director skills, experience, diversity and backgrounds.

Shareholder Outreach

The Company values the input and insights of its shareholders and is committed to continued engagement on a wide variety of topics that are important to investors. Our senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, routinely provide information to and receive feedback from our investors in a wide variety of formats, including in our quarterly SEC filings, quarterly earnings conference calls, our Annual Report and proxy statement, regular investor conferences and road-shows, and meetings with individual investors. We have a staff of professionals in our Investor Relations department who are dedicated full time to respond to questions from shareholders and other investors about the Company and its performance.

We hosted our 2018 investor day on March 1, 2018, which provided an opportunity for shareholders and analysts to hear directly from management on the Company’s long-term strategy and ask questions of the management team. In 2018, we again engaged directly across the spectrum of our active shareholder base on the Company’s performance, operations and strategic direction.

In 2017, after thoughtful discussions with shareholders and considering the viewpoints of governance experts and advisors, we adopted a bylaw allowing shareholders to nominate directors and to have such nominees included in the proxy statement. Consistent with market practice and many other S&P 500 companies, our bylaws now permit a shareholder or a group of up to twenty shareholders owning three percent or more of the Company’s voting stock continuously for at least three years to nominate and include in the Company’s proxy materials for an annual meeting of shareholders director candidates constituting up to the greater of two directors or 20% of the board; provided that the shareholder (or group) and each nominee satisfy the requirements for proxy access as specified in the bylaws. We believe these parameters balance the benefit to our shareholders with the challenges related to possible proxy contests, turnover in board seats and the challenges of integrating new qualified directors.

Director Compensation

Our non-employee director compensation plan is designed to attract, retain and compensate highly-qualified directors by providing them with competitive compensation and an equity interest in our Company to align their interests with those of our shareholders. In lieu of per-meeting fees, we pay our non-employee directors annual cash and stock retainers, which are payable in advance on the first business day after each annual meeting of shareholders (prorated for partial periods for new directors). We do not pay additional compensation to directors who are also our employees for their service as a director.

Our Governance and Nominating Committee periodically reviews our non-employee director compensation plan and makes recommendations as necessary to our full board of directors. The annual cash and stock retainers we pay our non-employee directors are as set forth below:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 27

The number of fully-vested shares of our common stock granted as the annual stock retainer is based on the market price of our common stock on the grant date. As a result, on April 30, 2018, Mr. Jacobs received 1,725 shares of common stock, and each of the other non-employee directors received 1,372 shares of common stock. Directors are also reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at board and committee meetings.

All of the non-employee directors are eligible to participate in our Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan described under “Board and Corporate Governance — Director Compensation — Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan” below. During 2018, only Ms. Marshall and Mr. Silberstein participated, and they did not receive any interest on deferred compensation at an above-market rate of interest.

2018 Director Compensation Table

The following table summarizes the compensation of our non-employee directors during 2018.

28 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan

The non-employee directors are eligible to participate in our non-qualified deferred compensation plan, or the deferred compensation plan. Ms. Marshall and Mr. Silberstein are the only two directors who participated in the deferred compensation plan during 2018. Pursuant to the deferred compensation plan, non-employee directors are permitted to elect to defer up to 100% of their annual cash retainer. Participant accounts are credited with earnings based on the participant’s investment allocation among a menu of investment options selected by the deferred compensation plan administrator. Participants are 100% vested in the participant deferrals and related earnings. We do not make contributions to the deferred compensation plan and do not guarantee any return on participant account balances. Participants may allocate their plan accounts into sub-accounts that are payable upon separation from service or on designated specified dates. Except in the case of death or disability, participants may elect in advance to have their various account balances pay out in a single lump sum or in installments over a period of two to ten years. In the event a participant separates from service by reason of death or disability, the participant or his or her designated beneficiary will receive the undistributed portion of his or her account balances in a lump-sum payment. Subject to approval by the deferred compensation plan administrator, in the event of an unforeseen financial emergency beyond the participant’s control, a participant may request a withdrawal from an account up to the amount necessary to satisfy the emergency (provided the participant does not have the financial resources to otherwise meet the hardship).

Target Stock Ownership Guidelines

Our board of directors has implemented stock ownership guidelines for our directors in order to foster equity ownership and align the interests of our directors with our shareholders. Within five years of becoming a director, each director is expected to beneficially own a number of shares of our common stock at least equal in value to 500% of the director’s annual cash retainer.

Contacting Our Board of Directors

Any interested party may contact any individual director, our non-employee or independent directors as a group, or all of our directors by directing such communications to the applicable directors in care of the Corporate Secretary at our address at 3550 Lenox Road, Suite 3000, Atlanta, Georgia 30326. Any correspondence received by the Corporate Secretary in accordance with the foregoing will be forwarded to the applicable director or directors.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 29

Common Stock Ownership

Common Stock Ownership by Management

The following table sets forth information as of February 14, 2019 with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock by (i) each of our directors, (ii) each of our NEOs, and (iii) the 12 persons, as a group, who were directors or NEOs of our Company on February 14, 2019.

30 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Common Stock Ownership by Non-Management Shareholders

The following table sets forth information as of February 14, 2019 with respect to the only persons who are known by us, based exclusively on such persons’ filings with the SEC under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act, to be the beneficial owners of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 31

Biographical Information About Our Named Executive Officers

Biographical and other information about each of our current NEOs is set forth below, except for Mr. Sloan, our Chief Executive Officer, whose biographical information is provided above under “Other Directors” beginning on page 16.

There are no arrangements or understandings between any of our NEOs and any other person pursuant to which any of them was appointed an officer, other than arrangements or understandings with our officers acting solely in their capacities as such.

Codes of Conduct and Ethics

The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers that is applicable to the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, and an Employee Code of Conduct and Ethics that is applicable to all employees. The codes deter wrongdoing and promote honest and ethical conduct, compliance with laws, rules and regulations and internal reporting of possible legal or ethics violations. In addition, the Company has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics applicable to directors. The Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers, the Employees Code of Conduct and Ethics and the Director Code of Conduct and Ethics are available on the Company’s website at: https://investors.globalpaymentsinc.com/corporate-governance.

32 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Proposal Two: Advisory Vote to Approve the 2018 Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers

In accordance with Section 14A of the Exchange Act, our board of directors is asking shareholders to approve an advisory resolution on executive compensation. The advisory vote is a non-binding vote to approve the compensation of our NEOs in 2018. The vote, which is known as a “say-on-pay” vote, is intended to give our shareholders the opportunity to express their views on our NEOs’ compensation. The vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our NEOs and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this proxy statement. At last year’s annual meeting of shareholders, approximately 98% of the votes cast were cast in support of the compensation of our NEOs. The text of the resolution is as follows:

Resolved, that the Company’s shareholders APPROVE, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s NEOs as disclosed in this proxy statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the summary compensation table and related compensation tables and narrative discussion.

We urge you to read the Compensation Discussion and Analysis in this proxy statement, which discusses how our compensation policies and procedures implement our compensation philosophy. You should also read the summary compensation table and other related compensation tables and narrative disclosure which provide additional details about the compensation of our NEOs in 2018. We have designed our compensation and benefits program and philosophy to attract, retain and motivate talented, qualified and committed executive officers who share our philosophy and desire to work toward our goals. We believe that for 2018, our executive compensation program aligned individual compensation with the short-term and long-term performance of our Company in ways such as the following:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 33

The vote regarding the compensation of the NEOs described in this Proposal No. 2 is advisory, and therefore, is not binding on us or our board. Although non-binding, our board values the opinions that shareholders express in their votes and will review the voting results and take them into consideration as it deems appropriate when making future decisions regarding our executive compensation programs. Our board of directors has adopted a policy providing for an annual say-on-pay vote. Unless our board of directors modifies this policy, the next say-on-pay vote will be held at our next annual shareholder meeting in 2020.

34 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

2018 Performance Highlights

We experienced strong business and financial performance around the world during the year ended December 31, 2018. Highlights related to our financial condition and results of operations as of December 31, 2018 and for the year then ended include the following:

The following graph compares the cumulative shareholder returns of $100 invested in the S&P 500 Index, our Company and the average of our performance peer group from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2018, assuming reinvestment of dividends.

The graph excludes peer group performance for PayPal, Inc. and First Data Corp., because these companies were not publicly traded for the full period presented above.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 35

Named Executive Officer Compensation Design, Elements and Pay Mix

The following charts show the mix of total target compensation in 2018 (excluding the restricted stock awards granted in June 2018) for our Chief Executive Officer and the average of all the other NEOs (excluding David Mangum, our former President and Chief Operating Officer who, as of August 27, 2018, no longer served in this position and subsequently left the Company, effective September 15, 2018), as well as the portion of compensation that is subject to forfeiture (“at risk”) or performance-based.

Our compensation program is aligned with short- and long-term Company performance and reflects best practices to ensure sound corporate governance. As illustrated above, with the exception of base salary and time-based restricted stock awards, all target compensation is performance-based. NEOs are also subject to stock ownership guidelines, and the securities they are required to hold under those guidelines will continue to fluctuate with our share price.

2018 Compensation Highlights

The short-term cash incentives awarded under our annual performance plan incent and reward our NEOs for achievement of short-term goals aligned with our 2018 operating plan. The long-term incentive plan incents and rewards our NEOs for achievement of long-term goals measured over a multi-year period. Together, these plans support our strategy of facilitating the adoption of, and transition to, card, electronic and digital-based payments by expanding our share in existing markets through our distribution channels, new products and services and acquisitions to improve our scale of offerings, while simultaneously seeking expansion into new markets through acquisitions around the world.

Short-Term Cash Incentives

The short-term cash incentives awarded under our annual performance plan are 100% based on achievement of Company performance goals, equally weighted among adjusted earnings per share, which we refer to as adjusted EPS, adjusted net revenue plus network fees and adjusted operating margin. For 2018, each of our NEOs earned 129% of his target under the annual performance plan. These performance goals are discussed below under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Short-Term Incentive Plan” beginning on page 40.

Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards

The Compensation Committee grants equity-based compensation to our NEOs to provide long-term incentives and align management and shareholder interests.

Performance Units.    Awards under our long-term incentive plan include performance-based restricted stock units, which we refer to as “performance units,” stock options and time-based restricted stock. For 2018, the Compensation Committee, after consultation with its independent compensation consultant, Frederick W. Cook & Co., or FWC, modified the design under which performance units are earned to enhance the alignment between executive rewards and long-term gains for the Company and its shareholders by tying the achievement of the NEOs’ compensation to both business objectives and shareholder return. Under the new design,

36 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

performance units are earned based on the achievement of an annual adjusted EPS growth target each year averaged over a three-year performance period, modified up or down by the Company’s total shareholder return performance rank relative to the S&P 500 index, or the TSR modifier, over the three-year performance period. The maximum possible payout is four times the target number of the performance units and the minimum payout is zero. To the extent earned, performance units convert into unrestricted shares after performance results for the three-year performance period are certified by the Compensation Committee.

Stock Options and Restricted Stock.    Stock options and restricted stock vest in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the respective grant dates. The value of each of the long-term incentive awards changes as our share price changes, thereby aligning the interests of our NEOs with those of our shareholders. Awards under our long-term incentive plan for 2018 are discussed below under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Long-Term Incentive Plan” beginning on page 42.

Named Executive Officers

The following individuals are identified as NEOs pursuant to SEC rules for the purpose of describing our compensation for 2018:

The discussion below explains the detailed information provided in the tables contained in this section and places that information within the context of our overall compensation program. See “Compensation of Named Executive Officers” below for a series of tables containing specific information about the compensation earned or paid to the NEOs.

How Compensation Decisions Are Made

Objectives of Compensation Policies

Our Compensation Committee designs and at least annually reviews our compensation program with a view to retaining and attracting executive leadership of a caliber and level of experience necessary to manage our complex, growth-oriented and global businesses. Our objective is to maintain a compensation program that will allow us to:

In order to achieve these results, our Compensation Committee believes our program must:

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 37

Our Compensation Committee also considers and assesses potential risk and risk mitigation factors in our compensation program. For 2018, our Compensation Committee concluded that our compensation practices are balanced, do not encourage excessive risk taking by our NEOs, and are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our Company.

Role of the Independent Compensation Consultant

Our Compensation Committee retained FWC as its independent compensation consultant. The Compensation Committee assessed the independence of FWC and whether its work raised any conflict of interest, taking into consideration the independence factors set forth in applicable SEC and NYSE rules, and determined that FWC is independent. FWC took guidance from and reported directly to the Compensation Committee. FWC advised the Compensation Committee on current and future trends and issues in executive compensation and on the competitiveness of the compensation structure and levels of our NEOs during 2018. At the request of the Compensation Committee and to provide context for the Compensation Committee’s compensation decisions made for 2018, FWC performed the following services:

All services performed for us by FWC during 2018 were related to executive and non-employee director compensation.

Market Data

Our Compensation Committee considers the compensation programs and practices and resulting NEO compensation opportunities and levels of selected other companies to assist it in setting our NEOs’ compensation to ensure that it remains competitive. For 2018, our peer group remained the same as the peer group selected in 2017. The companies in the peer group were chosen because (i) each company in the peer group is in the transaction processing or data services business; (ii) each company in the peer group is publicly traded; (iii) at the time the peer group was constructed, our revenues were near the median of the group as a whole; and (iv) we compete for talent with many of these companies.

For 2018, our peer group included the following companies:

In connection with the Compensation Committee setting the NEO compensation for 2018, FWC collected and analyzed comprehensive market data for the committee. FWC presented market figures representing competitive ranges for base salary, target short-term incentive opportunity, and long-term incentive opportunity.

38 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

Role of Named Executive Officers

In 2018, our Chief Executive Officer developed compensation recommendations for the NEOs based on market data supplied by FWC, our Company’s performance relative to goals approved by the Compensation Committee and other individual contributions to our performance. FWC examined market data from our peer group and analyzed compensation for comparable positions to our NEOs. The Compensation Committee considered the Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations, in conjunction with the counsel of FWC and the market data, in determining the compensation elements for these NEOs. In considering the FWC report, the Compensation Committee primarily considered and reviewed the median level of compensation within the peer group. In setting actual compensation levels for our NEOs, however, the Compensation Committee did not target any element of compensation at a particular percentile or percentile range of the peer group data. Rather, the Compensation Committee uses this information as one input in its decision-making process. The Compensation Committee determined all aspects of Mr. Sloan’s compensation as Chief Executive Officer in consultation with FWC. Mr. Sloan did not participate in the Compensation Committee’s determination of his compensation.

As of August 27, 2018, Mr. Mangum no longer served in his position as the Company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, and subsequently left the Company, effective September 15, 2018. See “Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control” on page 59 for a discussion of his separation arrangements.

Shareholder Say-on-Pay Vote for 2017 and Compensation Actions Taken

At last year’s annual meeting of shareholders, approximately 98% of the votes cast were cast in support of the compensation of our NEOs. The Compensation Committee considered this a positive result and concluded that the shareholders support the compensation paid to our NEOs and our overall pay practices. In light of this support, the Compensation Committee decided to retain the overall design of our executive compensation program, subject to, as described above, the restructuring of the design by which performance units are earned in order to enhance the alignment between executive rewards and long-term gains for the Company and its shareholders.

The Compensation Committee will continue to monitor best practices, future advisory votes on executive compensation and other shareholder feedback to guide it in evaluating our NEOs compensation program. The Compensation Committee invites our shareholders to communicate any concerns or opinions on executive pay directly to our board of directors. Please refer to “Board and Corporate Governance — Contacting Our Board of Directors” on page 29 for information about communicating with the board of directors.

Elements of Executive Compensation Program

The following executive pay at target levels was set by the Compensation Committee for 2018:

The annual compensation program also includes other benefits, including limited perquisites and non-qualified deferred compensation plan.

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement  – 39

Base Salary

Base salary provides our NEOs with a level of compensation consistent with their responsibilities, experience and performance in relation to comparable positions in the marketplace. Base salary represented 7% of our Chief Executive Officer’s total compensation target and 18% of the total compensation target for our other NEOs (on an average basis). It is the one component of compensation that does not fluctuate with either our Company’s performance and/or the value of our stock. The Compensation Committee reviews the base salaries of our NEOs annually. After an evaluation by the Compensation Committee of the factors described above under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — How Decisions Are Made — Market Data” on page 38, Messrs. Mangum, Bready and Green and Dr. Sacchi received increases in their base salaries for 2018 as compared to 2017.

The base salaries for our NEOs for 2018, compared to their base salaries in effect at the end of 2017, are set forth below:

The Compensation Committee considers adjustments to base salary for our NEOs on an annual basis and may do so more frequently upon a change in circumstances. The Compensation Committee determined to increase the salaries of Messrs. Mangum, Bready and Green and Dr. Sacchi for 2018 after considering, among other inputs, the market data on comparable positions from our peer group set forth in the FWC report, including but not limited to the median level of compensation for comparable positions, retention, internal equity, individual development and succession planning. The Compensation Committee also considered Mr. Sloan’s assessment of Messrs. Mangum, Bready and Green and Dr. Sacchi. The Compensation Committee does not use a specific formula for evaluating the individual performance of each NEO. The Compensation Committee makes each assessment taking into consideration the competitiveness of each NEO’s pay opportunity, the quality and effectiveness of each NEO’s leadership and their respective contribution to the Company’s financial and operational success, as well as the totality of the executive’s performance.

Short-Term Incentive Plan

Under our short-term incentive plan, we provide our NEOs with short-term incentive opportunities to motivate and reward them for the achievement of our defined business goals and objectives. Our short-term incentive plan provides an opportunity for NEOs to earn variable at-risk cash.

Target Bonus Opportunities

For 2018, after review of the market data, our Compensation Committee approved the following target bonus opportunities for each of the NEOs, expressed as a percentage of base salary:

In determining the target bonus opportunities for each NEO for 2018, the Compensation Committee considered the market data for bonus target opportunity and target total cash compensation opportunity for comparable

40 – GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. | 2019 Proxy Statement

positions within our peer group, as reflected in the FWC report, the Compensation Committee’s general assessment of the Chief Executive Officer, and the Chief Executive Officer’s assessment and recommendations with respect to the other NEOs. The Compensation Committee does not use a specific formula for evaluating the individual performance of each NEO. The Compensation Committee makes each assessment taking into consideration the quality and effectiveness of each NEO’s leadership and their respective contribution to the Company’s financial and operational success, as well as the totality of the executive’s performance.

Performance Metrics

For 2018, the Compensation Committee allocated the target opportunity under the short-term incentive plan evenly among the following three performance metrics: adjusted EPS, adjusted net revenue plus network fees and adjusted operating margin, which are non-GAAP financial measures. See Appendix A to this proxy statement for a description of the calculation of these measures. We use these non-GAAP financial measures to set goals for and measure the performance of the business and to determine incentive compensation.

Because these performance metrics are calculated for the sole purpose of determining compensation, they may differ from similar non-GAAP financial measures reported elsewhere in Company filings. For each of these separately-calculated performance metrics, each NEO could earn from 0% to 200% of the target opportunity.

The following table sets forth the range of goals for the performance measures for 2018, our actual performance results for such period and the resulting payouts.

Payouts for Short-Term Incentive Plan

The following table summarizes the final short-term incentive plan payouts for each NEO based on performance in 2018 for each performance metric and in total: