UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 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

Proxy Statement
Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
STERIS

STERIS plc

(A public limited company incorporated in Ireland with company number 595593)

NOTICE OF 2020 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To the Holders of Ordinary Shares of STERIS plc:

The 2020 Annual General Meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) of shareholders of STERIS plc (the “Company”) will be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time at the Company’s U.S. headquarters at 5960 Heisley Road, Mentor, Ohio 44060. Due to public health concerns and continuing uncertainty in connection with COVID-19, this year we are also offering you the opportunity to attend the Annual Meeting virtually via live webcast over the Internet. We would encourage you to use this feature rather than attending the Annual Meeting in person. Those participating virtually can attend and submit questions via the Internet during the Annual Meeting by accessing www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/STE2020. The Company is monitoring COVID-19 developments and other circumstances. Should we determine that alternative Annual Meeting arrangements may be advisable or required, such as changing the date, time or location of the Annual Meeting, we will announce our decision by press release, post additional information at steris-ir.com, and make a public filing with the SEC.

You are being asked to consider and vote on the resolutions described below at the Annual Meeting. Shareholders of the Company will be asked to consider certain proposals that may not be familiar to them because, unlike many companies with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, we are incorporated under the laws of Ireland. The Irish Companies Act 2014, as amended (the “Irish Companies Act”) obligates us to propose certain matters to shareholders for approval that would generally not be subject to periodic approval by shareholders of companies incorporated in the United States but are considered routine items for approval by shareholders of companies incorporated in Ireland. Each of these proposals is described more fully below.

Proposal 1—Ordinary resolutions to elect directors of the Company:

Proposal 2—Ordinary resolution regarding ratification of independent registered public accounting firm:

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement

Proposal 3—Ordinary resolution to appoint Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants as our Irish statutory auditor:

Proposal 4—Ordinary resolution regarding our Irish statutory auditor’s remuneration:

Proposal 5—Advisory resolution (to be proposed as an ordinary resolution) on executive compensation:

Proposal 6—Other business:

Proposals 3 and 4 are items required to be approved by shareholders under the Irish Companies Act and generally do not have an analogous requirement under United States law.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS DETERMINED THAT ALL THE RESOLUTIONS TO BE VOTED UPON AT THE MEETING ARE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE COMPANY AND ITS SHAREHOLDERS AS A WHOLE. OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” FOR ALL RESOLUTIONS.

In accordance with our articles of association (the “Articles”), all resolutions will be taken on a poll. Voting on a poll means that each share represented in person or by proxy will be counted in the vote.

All resolutions will be proposed as ordinary resolutions under Irish law. In each case, provided that a quorum is present, the relevant resolution must be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast for or against such resolution, whether in person or by proxy, in order to be approved. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not affect the voting results for a resolution. In the case of joint holders, the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders (with seniority being determined by the order that the names of the joint holders appear in the Company’s share register). Explanatory notes regarding each of the proposals (and related resolutions) are set out in the relevant sections of the accompanying proxy materials relating to such proposals. Only shareholders of record of Ordinary Shares at the close of business in New York on May 29, 2020 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. In accordance with the provisions of the Irish Companies Act and in accordance with our Articles, a shareholder of record is entitled to appoint another person as his or her proxy (or, in the case of a corporation which is a shareholder of record, a corporate representative) to exercise all or any of their rights to attend and to speak and vote at the Annual Meeting. A shareholder of record may appoint more than one proxy in relation to the Annual Meeting (provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares). A proxy need not be a shareholder of record. When you vote by telephone, through the Internet or by returning a completed proxy card, this proxy will be given to the Directors and employees of the Company and its affiliates.

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement

Pursuant to the rules of the SEC, we provide access to our proxy materials through the Internet. As a result, on or before June 18, 2020, a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will be mailed to certain shareholders as of the close of business in New York on May 29, 2020. On the date of mailing of the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, shareholders will be able to access the proxy materials on a website referred to and at the URL address included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and in the proxy statement. These proxy materials will be available free of charge. In addition, on or before July 2, 2020, we will also mail paper copies of the proxy materials to those shareholders as of the close of business on May 29, 2020 who have not consented to alternative delivery under Irish law or who have previously requested paper copies of the proxy materials.

Please note that if you are a shareholder of record voting by proxy, your vote may not be counted unless it is received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time on Monday, July 27, 2020 (4:59 a.m. Dublin time on Tuesday July 28, 2020).

The results of the polls taken on the resolutions at the Annual Meeting and any other information required by the Irish Companies Act will be made available on the Company’s website as soon as reasonably practicable following the Annual Meeting and for a period of two years thereafter.

During the Annual Meeting, management will present, for consideration at the meeting, the Company’s statutory financial statements under Irish law for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 (and the report of the directors and the Irish statutory auditor thereon) together with a review of the Company’s affairs. There also will be an opportunity for questions and answers immediately following the formal portion of the Annual Meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

J. Adam Zangerle

Company Secretary

The Company’s registered office is at 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.

June 12, 2020

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting to be held on July 28, 2020. Our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting (which includes the notice of the Annual Meeting), the Annual Report to Shareholders (including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 and the Company’s statutory financial statements under Irish law for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 (and the report of the directors and the Irish statutory auditor thereon) are available at www.proxyvote.com if you are a shareholder of record. You can also view these materials in the “Online IR Kit” in the “Shareholder Resources” section of steris-ir.com.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to vote as promptly as possible by telephone, through the Internet or by requesting a paper proxy card to complete, sign and return by mail. Details of the deadlines for when your vote(s) must be submitted are described subsequently. If you attend the Annual Meeting in person, you may revoke your proxy and vote your shares in person.

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement

Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company

July 28, 2020—10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time

PROXY STATEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement    i

This summary highlights certain information contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement or in the other documents being distributed or made available to shareholders in conjunction with this Proxy Statement, but does not contain all the information you should consider prior to casting your vote. Therefore, you should read this entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting.

General Information

Financial and Operating Highlights

In fiscal 2020, we continued to execute our plans, as demonstrated by the following:

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Governance Highlights

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Chief Executive Officer Compensation Highlights

Our Fiscal 2020 Compensation Programs Reward the Performance of Our President and Chief Executive Officer (our “CEO”). Our 2020 compensation programs were intended to reward our CEO for generating value for our stockholders, as demonstrated by the following:

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Summary of Voting Proposals and Board Recommendations

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Proxy Voting and Solicitation of Proxies

This Proxy Statement was furnished on or about June 12, 2020, to the shareholders of STERIS plc (“STERIS” or the “Company”) of record as of the close of the stock transfer books on May 29, 2020. This Proxy Statement is provided in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of proxies for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time, on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at the Company’s U.S. headquarters, 5960 Heisley Road, Mentor, Ohio 44060 and held virtually at the same time over the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/STE2020. The cost of soliciting the proxies will be borne by the Company. Directors, officers, and designated employees of the Company and affiliates may solicit proxies in person, by mail, by telephone, fax, or e-mail. They will not receive any additional compensation for these activities. STERIS has engaged a professional proxy solicitation firm, Georgeson LLC (“Georgeson”), to assist in tracking voting with brokers, banks and other institutional holders. The Company will pay Georgeson a fee of approximately $13,500 for these services. Additional shareholder meeting services may be contracted for additional fees.

As permitted by rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), we are making this Proxy Statement, and our 2020 Annual Report to shareholders, which includes STERIS’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (sometimes referred to as “Annual Report”), and our statutory financial statements under Irish law for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, together with the report of the directors and the Irish statutory auditor thereon (sometimes referred to as the “Irish Statutory Accounts”) available at www.proxyvote.com. If you received a Notice regarding this availability, the Notice instructs you how to access and review the Proxy Statement, the Annual Report and our Irish Statutory Accounts, as well as the alternative methods to vote your shares—over the Internet, by telephone, or by mailing a completed form of proxy (if requested). If you received a Notice and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions in the Notice for requesting such materials.

If you received a printed copy of the proxy materials, the Company offers the opportunity to electronically receive future proxy statements and annual reports over the Internet. By using these services, you are not only able to access these materials more quickly, but you are also helping STERIS save resources and reduce printing and postage costs.

Voting and Annual Meeting Attendance

As of the record date set by the Board of Directors (May 29, 2020), the Company had 84,951,399 Ordinary Shares outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, each of which is entitled to one vote.

We encourage you to vote by proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting, even if you plan on attending in person or attending virtually.

Stockholders of record and beneficial owners as of the close of business on the record date may virtually attend the Annual Meeting on the Internet via live webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/STE2020. Instructions on how to attend and submit questions at the meeting will be posted on the website. Voting will not be permitted at the Annual Meeting for shareholders virtually attending. Participants attending virtually should ensure that they have a strong Wi-Fi connection at wherever they intend to be while virtually attending the Annual Meeting. Participants also should give themselves plenty of time to log in prior to the Annual Meeting. Participants intending to attend and submit questions at the virtual meeting will need to demonstrate

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proof of stock ownership by entering the 16 digit control number included on their notices, proxy cards or voting instruction forms received with their Notice or proxy materials.

In light of public health concerns, travel recommendations and restrictions, we strongly advise shareholders wishing to attend the Annual Meeting to virtually attend instead of attending in person at the principal meeting place. Also, in order to comply with suggested COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, we will limit the number of shareholders who may attend the meeting in person, and will require compliance with any then applicable governmental requirements or recommendations or facility requirements, such as the use of face coverings and maintaining appropriate social distancing.

To attend the meeting in person, you must present valid photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. If you are a beneficial owner and not a shareholder of record you also must present a letter from your broker or other nominee showing that you were the beneficial owner of the shares on the record date together with a legal proxy from your broker or other nominee to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting.

In accordance with the requirements of Irish law, shareholders of record who wish to participate in the Annual Meeting without leaving Ireland may also do so by attending in person at the offices of our Irish lawyers, Matheson, located at 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland, at the time of the meeting, where technological means will be made available to participate in the meeting. You will need to present the proxy card that you received, together with a form of personal photo identification, in order to be admitted. In light of the COVID-19 threat and local travel recommendations and restrictions in Ireland, we also strongly advise shareholders not to attend at the Matheson offices, but to vote in advance, and, if you wish to hear the proceedings and present questions, to do so virtually as described in this proxy statement.

If you are a shareholder of record, you may appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf using any of the following methods:

To be valid a proxy must be received by the Company using one of such procedures by no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time on Monday, July 27, 2020 (4:59 a.m. Dublin Time on Tuesday July 28, 2020) (or in the case of any adjournment or postponement thereof, such later time as may be announced by the Company, not being greater than 48 hours before the adjourned or postponed meeting).

We have retained Broadridge Financial Solutions (“Broadridge”) to host our virtual annual meeting and to distribute, receive, count and tabulate proxies. A toll-free technical support “help line” will be available on the morning of the Annual Meeting for any shareholder who is having challenges logging into or participating in the meeting. If you encounter technical difficulties, please call the technical support line number that will be posted on the virtual Annual Meeting login page at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/STE2020.

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement    7

Redomiciliation and Combination

On March 28, 2019, upon the consummation of a U.K. law Scheme of Arrangement (“the Redomiciliation”), the Company became the owner of the entire issued ordinary share capital of STERIS plc, a company organized under the laws of the United Kingdom and since renamed “STERIS Limited” (“Old STERIS”). Subsequently, Old STERIS became a wholly-owned subsidiary of STERIS Emerald IE Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. On November 2, 2015, pursuant to a Combination under U.K. law, STERIS Corporation became a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Old STERIS and Synergy Health plc became a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of Old STERIS.

References in this Proxy Statement to the actions of “the Company,” “us,” “we” or “STERIS” (or its Board of Directors, Committees of its Board of Directors, or its Directors and/or officers) or any similar references relating to periods from and after the consummation of the Redomiciliation should be construed as references to the actions of STERIS plc (or where appropriate, its Board of Directors, Committees of its Board or its directors and/or officers) unless the context requires otherwise, and references in this Proxy Statement to the actions of “the Company,” “us,” “we” or “STERIS” (or its Board of Directors, Committees of its Board of Directors, or any of its Directors and/or officers) or any similar references relating to periods before the consummation of the Redomiciliation should be construed as references to the actions of Old STERIS or STERIS Corporation, as applicable (or, where appropriate, their respective Boards of Directors, Committees of their respective Board of Directors, or their respective Directors and/or officers) unless the context requires otherwise.

STERIS’s Annual Report to Shareholders, which includes STERIS’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, including consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2020, but excluding exhibits, and STERIS’s Irish Statutory Accounts accompany this Proxy Statement. Requests for copies of exhibits to STERIS’s Annual Report on Form 10-K should be submitted to the Office of the Company Secretary, STERIS plc, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland. A nominal fee may be charged for Exhibits (which fee will be limited to the expenses we incur in providing you with the requested exhibits). STERIS’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, including exhibits, and STERIS’s Irish Statutory Accounts are also available free of charge through our website in the “Online IR Kit” in the “Shareholder Resources” section of steris-ir.com. Nothing contained on or accessible through that website shall be deemed to be part of this Proxy Statement.

Votes Required to Adopt Proposals

Ordinary Shares represented by properly executed proxies will be voted in accordance with the specifications made thereon. If no specification is made, proxies will be voted “FOR” all proposals contained in the foregoing Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Abstentions and broker non-votes are tabulated in determining the votes present at a meeting for purposes of determining a quorum. An abstention or a broker non-vote will have no effect with respect to the election of a director nominee. The proposal to elect directors is presented as separate ordinary resolutions. Each Director nominee will be elected, assuming a quorum is present, if a majority of the votes cast are in favor of his or her election. The other proposals are also proposed as ordinary resolutions requiring, assuming a quorum is present, a majority of the votes cast to be in favor of passage. Consequently, an abstention or broker non-vote also will have no effect on the passage of any of these proposals as the abstention or broker non-vote will not be counted in determining the number of votes cast.

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Shareholder votes will be tabulated by a representative of Broadridge, our independent inspector of elections for the Annual Meeting.

Purposes of Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting has been called for the purposes set forth in the foregoing Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. The persons named in the accompanying proxy form have been selected by the Board of Directors and will vote shares represented by valid proxies. They have indicated that, unless otherwise specified in the proxy, they intend to vote “FOR” for all proposals contained in the foregoing Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement    9

All of the current members of our Board of Directors (the “Board”) have been nominated for and are standing for re-election at the Annual Meeting. The Nominating and Governance Committee recommended the eight Directors for re-nomination to the full Board to serve for an additional term. All nominees for Director have consented to be named and have agreed to serve as Directors, if re-elected. We have no reason to believe that any of the nominees will not be available to serve as a Director. However, if any nominee should become unavailable to serve for any reason, the proxies will be voted for such substitute nominees as may be designated by the Board.

The term of each re-elected Director will expire at the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and each Director will continue in office until the election and qualification of his or her respective successor or until his or her earlier death, removal or resignation. Under the terms of the Company’s current Articles, the Board is authorized to have up to fifteen and not less than seven members. The Board currently has eight Directors. All of those Directors have been nominated for re-election. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of Directors than the eight nominees as identified in this Proxy Statement.

Each of the eight nominees for Director will be elected by the vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to such nominee, which means that the number of votes cast for a nominee must exceed the number of votes cast against that nominee. A shareholder may: (i) vote for the election of a nominee; (ii) vote against the election of a nominee; or (iii) abstain from voting for a nominee.

Unless a proxy contains instructions to the contrary, it is assumed that the proxy will be voted FOR the re-election of each nominee for Director named on the following pages.

STERIS values a number of attributes and criteria when identifying nominees to serve as a Director, including professional background, expertise, reputation for integrity, business, financial and management experience, leadership capabilities, time availability, and diversity. In addition to the specific experience and qualifications set forth below, we believe all of the nominees are individuals with a reputation for integrity, demonstrate strong leadership capabilities, and are able to work collaboratively to make contributions to the Board and Company.

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Nominees for Election as Directors

Biographical and other background information concerning each nominee for Directors is set forth below. This information includes each nominee’s principal occupation as well as a discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills of each nominee that led to the Board’s conclusion that such nominee should serve as a Director. Ages and other biographical information provided for all Directors are as of June 5, 2020. In addition, set forth below is the period during which each nominee has served as a Director of STERIS. For those persons who served as Directors or executives of Old STERIS immediately prior to the Redomiciliation and STERIS Corporation immediately prior to the Combination, the specified period includes their periods of service as Directors or executives of Old STERIS or STERIS Corporation, as the case may be, as STERIS plc’s predecessors. The information presented below has been confirmed by each nominee for purposes of its inclusion in this Proxy Statement.

Richard C. Breeden, age 70, director since April 2008, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Breeden Capital Management LLC, a registered investment advisor, since 2005. Since 1996 he has also been Chairman of Richard C. Breeden & Co., LLC, a professional services firm providing consulting services. From time to time Mr. Breeden also handles asset distributions to victims of unlawful conduct, typically on behalf of U.S. Government agencies. Since late 2012, Mr. Breeden has served as Special Master on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice to administer and distribute just over $4 billion in forfeited assets to victims of the fraud at Madoff Securities through the Madoff Victim Fund. Mr. Breeden is currently handling distributions of Fair Funds aggregating over $900 million for the SEC in cases involving British Petroleum’s disclosures involving the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and J.P. Morgan’s disclosures involving the so-called “London Whale,” and a case involving certain mortgage backed securities sold by Citicorp. Mr. Breeden has previously handled asset distributions to victims of unlawful conduct at WorldCom, Enron, Adelphia, Royal Dutch Shell, and other companies. Mr. Breeden served as Chairman of the SEC from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Breeden currently also serves on the Standing Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Cynthia L. Feldmann, age 67, director since March 2005 and President and Founder of Jetty Lane Associates, a consulting firm, from December 2005 to December 2011. Ms. Feldmann is a retired certified public accountant with 27 years of experience in two large global accounting firms. From 2003 to 2005, Ms. Feldmann served as the Life Sciences Business Development Officer for the Boston law firm Palmer & Dodge, LLP. From 1994 to 2002, Ms. Feldmann was a partner with KPMG LLP, primarily serving as Partner-in-Charge of its National Medical Technologies Practice. From 1975 to 1994, Ms. Feldmann was employed by Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP), and during that time was named Partner-in-Charge of its Life Sciences practice. Ms. Feldmann has a Bachelor of Science, Accounting, and holds a Master Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors. Ms. Feldmann served as a director of HeartWare International, Inc. until August 2016 and served as a director of Hanger, Inc. until January 2018. Ms. Feldmann is a director and chairs the audit committee of UFP Technologies, Inc.

Dr. Jacqueline B. Kosecoff, age 70, director since October 2003 and, since March 2012, Managing Partner, Moriah Partners, LLC, a private equity firm focused on health services and technology, and Senior Advisor to Warburg Pincus LLC, a private equity fund. She also has served as a member of the Executive Advisory Board of SAP America, Inc., a software and enterprise applications provider, from November 2010 through May 2017. From October 2007 to November 2011, Dr. Kosecoff served as Chief Executive Officer of OptumRx (formerly named Prescriptions Solutions), a pharmacy benefits management company and subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, and continued to serve as a senior

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advisor to OptumRx from December 2011 to February 2012. Dr. Kosecoff served as Chief Executive Officer of Ovations Pharmacy Solutions, a UnitedHealth Group company, from December 2005 to October 2007. From July 2002 to December 2005, Dr. Kosecoff served as Executive Vice President, Specialty Companies, of PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc., one of the nation’s largest consumer health organizations. From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Kosecoff was President and Founder of Protocare, Inc., a firm involved in the development and testing of drugs, devices, biopharmaceutical and nutritional products, and consulting and analytic services. Dr. Kosecoff is a director of Sealed Air Corporation,, Houlihan Lokey and Trinet Group, Inc. Dr. Kosecoff served as a director of athenahealth, Inc. until February 2019.

David B. Lewis, age 75, director since July 2010 and of counsel with Lewis & Munday since August 1, 2014, a Detroit based law firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York, NY. He was a partner in the firm from its creation in 1972 to August 2014, specializing in the issuance of municipal bonds for states and local governments. He served as its President and Chief Executive Officer from 1972 to 1982 and its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1982 to January 2011. He is a director of H&R Block, Inc. Previously, Mr. Lewis served on the Boards of Conrail, Inc., LG&E Energy Corp., M.A. Hanna, TRW, Inc., The Kroger Company, and Comerica, Inc. Mr. Lewis is a member of the committee which governs the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, a voluntary employee benefits trust which delivers medical/health benefits to retired employees of Fiat Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors and also chairs the audit subcommittee of the Trust.

Walter M Rosebrough, Jr., age 66, director and President and Chief Executive Officer since October 2007. From February 2005 to September 2007, Mr. Rosebrough served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Coastal Hydraulics, Inc., a hydraulic and pneumatic systems company he purchased in 2005, and he continues to serve on its board of directors. Previously, Mr. Rosebrough spent nearly 20 years in the healthcare industry in various roles as a senior executive with Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (at the time, Hillenbrand Industries, Inc.), a worldwide provider of medical equipment and related services, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Support Systems International and President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill-Rom. Mr. Rosebrough is a director of Varex Imaging Corp.

Dr. Nirav R. Shah, age 48, director since May 2018. Dr. Shah has served on the faculty of Stanford University since August 2018. Previously Dr. Shah served as Commissioner of Health of the State of New York from January 2011 to May 2014 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Clinical Operations for Kaiser Permanente Southern California from May 2014 to October 2017. Between October 2017 and August 2018, Dr. Shah was self-employed as a healthcare industry consultant.

Dr. Mohsen M. Sohi, age 61, director since July 2005, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of STERIS since July 28, 2018. Since July 2012, Dr. Sohi has served as Chief Executive Officer of Freudenberg and Co., a general multi-industry company serving industries that include automotive, medical, aerospace, oil and gas, and power generation and transmission. From July 2010 to June 2012, Dr. Sohi served as Managing Partner of Freudenberg and Co. From March 2003 through June 2010, Dr. Sohi served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Freudenberg-NOK, a privately-held joint venture partnership between Freudenberg and NOK Corp. of Japan, one of the world’s largest producers of elastomeric seals and custom molded products for automotive and other applications. From January 2001 to March 2003, Dr. Sohi was with NCR Corporation, a leading global technology company, most recently as the Senior Vice President, Retail Solutions Division. Prior to

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NCR, Dr. Sohi was with Honeywell International Inc. and its pre-merger constituent, Allied Signal, Inc., providers of aerospace, automation and control solutions, specialty materials, and transportation systems, for 14 years, serving from July 2000 to January 2001 as President, Honeywell Electronic Materials. Dr. Sohi previously served as a director of Aviat Networks, Inc. (formerly known as Harris Stratex Networks, Inc.) from 2007 until January 2015 and Hayes Lemmerz International from 2004 until 2009. Mr. Sohi serves as a member of the Supervisory Board of ZF Friedrichschafen AG.

Dr. Richard Steeves, age 58, director since November 2015. In connection with the closing of the Combination in November 2015, Dr. Steeves resigned as Chief Executive Officer and director of Synergy Health plc, a provider of specialty outsourced services to the healthcare and related industries, a position he had held since 1992. Dr. Steeves also served as non-executive Chairman of Toumaz plc, a semiconductor company focusing on digital radio, connected audio and wireless healthcare, between September 2013 and May 2015. Dr. Steeves served as a director of Gama Aviation plc from January 2018 to February 2019. Dr. Steeves has served since July 2017 as Executive Chairman of Advanced Research Cryptography Ltd., since October 2017 as Chairman of TrustFlight Ltd., and since April 2018 as Nonexecutive Chairman of Future Health Works.

The Board of Directors believes that each of the director nominees has the necessary personal and professional ethics, integrity, experience, commitment, judgment, diversity of background, and other attributes to make them well qualified to serve as a director of STERIS, including the following:

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The Audit Committee has appointed Ernst & Young LLP as STERIS’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. Ernst & Young LLP was retained in 2015 as the independent registered public accounting firm of our predecessor entity, Old STERIS, and was first retained in 1989 as the independent registered public accounting firm of Old STERIS’s predecessor entity, STERIS Corporation, and served in that capacity continuously through the Combination and the Redomiciliation. The appointment was based upon the considerations described in the Section “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” that begins on page 29, including the evaluation described therein.

Although the ratification of this appointment is not required to be submitted to a vote of the shareholders, the Board and Audit Committee believe it appropriate as a matter of corporate governance policy to request that the shareholders ratify the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. If this proposal does not receive the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote and present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting, the Audit Committee will reconsider the appointment.

We anticipate that the lead audit partner from Ernst & Young LLP will be present at the Annual Meeting. The lead audit partner (or other attending representative) will be given the opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to do so, and is expected to be available to respond to any appropriate questions that may be submitted by shareholders at the Annual Meeting.

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The Irish Companies Act requires that our statutory auditors be appointed at each annual general meeting of Shareholders, to hold office from the conclusion of the annual general meeting until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting. Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants has served as our Irish statutory auditor since the Redomiciliation and is affiliated with Ernst & Young LLP, who served as the U.K. statutory auditor of Old STERIS prior to the Redomiciliation from 2015 to 2019. Our Audit Committee has recommended that Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants be appointed as our Irish statutory auditor. If this resolution does not receive the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares cast in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, the Board may appoint a person or firm to fill the vacancy.

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Under the Irish Companies Act, the remuneration of our Ireland statutory auditor must be fixed by the shareholders in a general meeting or in such other manner as the shareholders may determine. We are asking our shareholders to authorize our Board or the Audit Committee to determine Ernst & Young Chartered Accountant’s remuneration as our Irish statutory auditor. It is expected that the Board would delegate the authority to determine the remuneration of the Irish statutory auditor for the Company’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 to the Audit Committee in accordance with the Board’s procedures and applicable law.

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We believe that our compensation policies and procedures are based on a pay-for-performance philosophy and are aligned with the long-term interests of our shareholders. However, to obtain the specific input of shareholders with respect to these policies and procedures in accordance with the provisions of the United States Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) and Section 14A of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), the proposal described below provides shareholders with the opportunity to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers.

This proposal, commonly known as a “Say on Pay” proposal, gives shareholders the opportunity to provide input to endorse or not endorse the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers. The Company’s predecessors, STERIS Corporation and Old STERIS, conducted say on pay votes every year beginning in 2010 and continuing through 2018. We held a say on pay vote in 2019 and expect to continue to hold our say on pay votes on an annual basis. We strongly encourage you to carefully review the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and compensation tables and narrative discussions and related material beginning on page 32 of this Proxy Statement. Thereafter, we request your input on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers through your vote on the following resolution:

“Resolved, that the shareholders approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to the disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and the tabular and narrative disclosures contained in the Company’s proxy statement dated June 12, 2020”

The non-binding resolution to approve the compensation of our named executive officers will be considered adopted if approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast by shareholders represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon. Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding upon the Board or the Compensation and Organization Development Committee. However, the Compensation and Organization Development Committee will take into account the outcome of the vote when considering future executive compensation decisions.

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The Board is not aware of any business to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting other than that described in this Proxy Statement. If any other business properly comes before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, the proxy holders (as indicated on the accompanying proxy card or cards) will vote the proxies according to their best judgment and to the extent permitted by applicable law with respect to such matters in their discretion.

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UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, THE PROXY HOLDERS WILL VOTE “FOR” FOR ALL

PROPOSALS.

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Board Meetings and Committees

Our Board of Directors met 5 times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. The Board has four standing committees—the Audit Committee, the Compensation and Organization Development Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Compliance Committee. Each committee has adopted a written charter that may be found at the “Corporate Governance” section of steris-ir.com. A copy of each charter will also be made available upon a request sent to the Company’s Secretary at 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland. From time to time, our Board may also establish various special committees.

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Meetings

Each incumbent director attended more than 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Committees on which he or she served while in office during fiscal 2020.    

Summary Table of Standing Committee Members

The following table summarizes the membership of the Board’s standing Committees during fiscal 2020 and the Committee Chairs at the end of fiscal 2020:

Directors		Audit		Compensation      and      Organization       Development		Compliance		Nominating      and      Governance
Richard C. Breeden				(1)
Cynthia L. Feldmann
Dr. Jacqueline Kosecoff
David B. Lewis
Sir Duncan K. Nichol				(2)				(2)
Walter M Rosebrough, Jr.
Dr. Nirav Shah				(1)
Dr. Richard M. Steeves
Loyal W. Wilson		(2)		(2)
Dr. Michael B. Wood				(2)		(2)

= Member

= Chairperson

(1) = Committee member during part of fiscal 2020

(2) = Committee member from April 1, 2019 through retirement on July 30, 2019

The Board and Oversight of Risk

The Board has determined that the existing leadership structure, with Mr. Sohi serving as Chairman of the Board and Mr. Rosebrough serving as President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as a director, is currently the most efficient and effective structure for the Company. The Board believes that separation of the Chairman of the Board and CEO roles provides an effective balance between management and director participation in the Board process.

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The Board of Directors and each of its standing Committees has oversight with respect to business risks identified by the Company or risks which the Directors may identify or consider based on their experience. Management of the Company is responsible for the operation of the business and the reasonable management of risks that may arise in the course of our business, and must provide the appropriate control environment, and procedures and programs to identify, detect, and reasonably manage risks encountered by the Company. While they do not conduct risk-related audits or implement risk-related procedures, the Board and its Committees endeavor to understand the Company’s strategies and drivers of success, engage in a constructive dialogue with management about potential risks and risk management, and monitor the Company’s internal control and compliance activities. For example: (1) the Audit Committee monitors internal controls and litigation; (2) the Compliance Committee monitors quality, regulatory and legal compliance risks; (3) the Compensation and Organization Development Committee provides risk oversight regarding the Company’s incentive and other compensation programs and practices; (4) the Nominating and Governance Committee provides oversight regarding potential conflicts, governance and succession risks; and (5) the Board provides oversight concerning the Company’s enterprise risk management process, which is our integrated, process-orientated, approach to managing key business risks. Each Committee also provides reports on risk oversight matters in its area of responsibility to the Board. In providing this oversight, the Board and Committees rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other data prepared or presented by officers or employees of the Company, legal counsel, independent accountants, or other professional or expert advisors.

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Governance Generally

Our business is managed by our employees under the oversight of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors directs and oversees the management of the business and affairs of the Company, and serves as the ultimate decision making body of the Company except for those matters reserved to our shareholders at law or under our Articles. The Board oversees the STERIS management team, to whom it has delegated responsibility for the Company’s day-to-day operations, as well as other matters. While the Board’s oversight role is very broad and may concentrate on different areas from time to time, its primary areas of focus are oversight of strategy, governance and compliance, as well as assessing management’s performance. In many of these areas, significant responsibilities are delegated to Board Committees. Except for Mr. Rosebrough, none of the Board members was an employee of the Company during fiscal 2020. The Board limits membership of the Audit Committee, Compensation and Organization Development Committee, and Nominating and Governance Committee to persons determined to be independent non-management directors.

The Board of Directors has established Governance Guidelines that, along with the charters of the Board committees, the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and the Director Code of Ethics, provide the framework for the governance of the Company. Our Director Code of Ethics, Governance Guidelines, Code of Business Conduct, Board Committee charters and other corporate governance information are available at the Corporate Governance section of steris-ir.com. Any shareholder also may request these items in print, without charge, by submitting a request to the Company Secretary, STERIS plc, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.

The Board of Directors has charged the Nominating and Governance Committee with helping the Company to remain in the forefront of good corporate governance. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors in connection with the Company’s governance principles and practices.

Independence Standards

The Board believes that independent directors must comprise a substantial majority of the Board. It is expected that at least two-thirds of the Board should be independent. Under our Governance Guidelines, an independent director is one who meets the definition of independence as defined by NYSE listing requirements. A director will not be considered independent if he or she has a material relationship with the Company. Generally, the Board will not consider a director to be independent under the following circumstances:

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Based upon the foregoing criteria, the Board of Directors determined that all of the following incumbent directors are independent within the meaning of NYSE listing requirements: Richard C. Breeden, Cynthia L. Feldmann, Dr. Jacqueline B. Kosecoff, David B. Lewis, Dr. Nirav R. Shah, Dr. Mohsen M. Sohi, and Dr. Richard M. Steeves. The Board of Directors also determined that each of the Compensation and Organization Development Committee members meets the additional requirements for independence required to be a member of a compensation committee under NYSE listing requirements and applicable law. The Board of Directors also has determined that each of the members of the Audit Committee meets the requirements for independence and financial literacy and possesses the accounting or related financial management expertise required to be a member of an audit committee under NYSE listing requirements and applicable law and is an audit committee financial expert as defined in SEC regulations.

Related Person Transactions

During fiscal 2020, we were not a participant in, and there are not currently proposed, any related person transactions (within the meaning of, and required to be disclosed under, Item 404(a) of SEC Regulation S-K).

Our Director Code of Ethics provides that STERIS directors may not receive any loans, consulting fees, or other material personal profit or benefit in connection with any transaction involving STERIS, other than compensation, expense payments and committee fees as a director (or in the case of a director employed by the Company, compensation as an employee), as approved by the full Board. Other than such payments, a director must disclose to the Company’s General Counsel any transaction, or proposed transaction, between a STERIS entity and the director, a member of the director’s immediate family, or a business the director or an immediate family member owns, controls, or has a substantial interest in. Directors also may not have a personal or family financial interest in any STERIS supplier, customer, consultant, reseller or competitor that has a reasonable potential for causing a conflict of interest or divided loyalty, or resulting in material personal gain.

Our Code of Business Conduct for employees requires that relationships with third parties, as well as all business decisions, be based on what is required by law and in the best interests of STERIS, and not be motivated or influenced by personal considerations. This Code also requires that employees

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement    25

discuss with their supervisor or the STERIS Legal Department any activity that might create a conflict of interest, including personal financial interests that might reasonably affect their business judgment on behalf of the Company. Our Conflicts of Interest Policy also contains prohibitions with respect to conflicts of interest or transactions involving personal financial gain.

In addition, our Board has adopted a policy with respect to related party transactions. In general, this policy requires that all transactions or proposed transactions between the Company and a related party that exceed $120,000 and in which the related party has a direct or indirect material interest, be disclosed to and ratified or approved by the Nominating and Governance Committee or by disinterested members of our full Board. Under this policy, related parties include all of our Directors and executive officers and their immediate family members, and entities owned (more than 5% ownership) by a Director, executive officer or their immediate family members. In fiscal year 2020, there were no related party transactions between us and related parties that required ratification or approval under this policy.

Governance Guidelines

Our Board adopted its Governance Guidelines to assist primarily with the proper management and governance of the activities of the Board. The following is a summary of those Guidelines. A complete copy of the Governance Guidelines may be found at the “Corporate Governance” section of steris-ir.com.

Term—There is no limitation on the number of terms a Director may serve. However, the Nominating and Governance Committee will not ordinarily recommend a nominee for election for a term beginning on or after the nominee’s 75^th birthday unless it has determined that under the circumstances such nomination would be in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. The Nominating and Governance Committee made this determination with respect to David B. Lewis for the 2020-21 term.

Annual Meeting of Shareholders—The Board of Directors encourages all of its members to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. All of the current Directors attended the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in person.

Executive Sessions—The independent Directors of the Board will meet separately as a group at least every other regularly scheduled Board meeting. During fiscal 2020, the independent Directors met in executive session four times. The Chairman or Lead Director (if the Chairman is not independent) will assume the chair of the meetings of independent Directors and assume such further tasks as set forth in the Governance Guidelines and as the independent Directors may determine from time to time. As indicated under “Independence Standards” above, the current Chairman has been determined to be independent.

Authority—Each member of the Board has complete and open access to management. Board members are expected to use their judgment so as to not distract management from the day-to-day operation of the Company. The Board and each Committee have the authority to obtain advice, reports or opinions from internal and external counsel and expert advisors and have the power to hire independent legal, finance and other advisors as they may deem necessary, without consulting with, or obtaining approval from, any officer in advance.

Board and Committee Evaluations—The Board has conducted self-evaluations as well as individual director evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the Board and its members. The Chairman (or Lead Director, if the Chairman is not independent) and the Nominating and

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Governance Committee coordinate these evaluations. The purpose of these self-evaluations is to increase the effectiveness of the Board and each Committee, as well as their individual members. Changes in Board committee structure, if any, are to be evaluated and recommended by the Nominating and Governance Committee, but require the concurrence of the full Board.

Majority Voting—If an incumbent nominee for Director in an uncontested election does not receive the vote of at least the majority of the votes cast at any meeting for the election of Directors at which a quorum is present, and no successor has been elected at such meeting, the Director will promptly offer his or her resignation as a Director to the Board of Directors. A majority of votes cast for the purposes of this provision means that the number of shares voted “for” a Director’s election exceeds 50% of the number of votes cast with respect to that director’s election.

The Nominating and Governance Committee will make a recommendation to the Board regarding whether to accept or reject the offered resignation or whether other action should be taken. The Board will consider the offer of resignation and disclose its decision regarding the offer and the rationale for its decision within 90 days from the date of the certification of the election results. If an incumbent Director’s offer of resignation is not accepted by the Board, such fact will be promptly communicated to the Director and such Director will continue to serve until a successor is duly elected, or such Director’s earlier resignation or removal.

If a director’s resignation is accepted by the Board then the resignation will be effective as of the date of acceptance, and the acceptance will be promptly communicated to the Director. If a Director’s resignation is accepted in the foregoing circumstances, or a director otherwise resigns or is removed or fails to be re-nominated, then the Board, in its sole discretion, may fill any resulting vacancy, or may decrease the size of the Board of Directors, pursuant to the Company’s Articles. If an election of directors is contested, a plurality voting standard shall apply to all directors.

New Director Orientation—All new Directors will be provided an orientation to acquaint them with the Company’s business, strategies, long-range plans, financial statements, the Governance Guidelines, and the Director Code of Ethics. New Directors will also be introduced to our senior management, internal auditor, and independent auditor. In addition, from time to time, Directors will receive information and updates on legal and regulatory changes that affect the Company, its employees and the operation of the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee will from time to time make other recommendations regarding further educational opportunities for directors.

Attendance at Meetings—In order to effectively oversee management, all Directors are expected to attend Board meetings and meetings of committees of which they are members. Directors who attend less than 75% of Board meetings and meetings of committees of which they are members for two consecutive years will be subject to assessment by the Board to determine continued eligibility for directorship.

Shareholder Communications—Shareholders and other interested parties may communicate with the Board of Directors as a group, with the non-management directors as a group, or with any individual director by sending written communications to STERIS plc, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland, Attention: Company Secretary. Complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters will be forwarded directly to the chairperson of the Audit Committee. All other communications will be provided to the individual Directors or group of Directors to whom they are addressed. Communications that are considered to be improper for submission to the intended recipients will not be provided to the directors. Examples of

Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2020 Proxy Statement    27

communications that would be considered improper for submission include, without limitation, solicitations, routine Customer matters, communications that do not relate, directly or indirectly, to our business and communications that relate to improper or irrelevant topics.

Insider Trading Policy—Hedging and Pledging of Company Securities

The Company maintains an Insider Trading Policy which restricts activities in or relating to Company stock by Directors, executive officers and employees, and their respective related persons. These restrictions include advance clearance requirements for Directors, executive officers and certain other employees for all transactions as well as “blackout” provisions. The Insider Trading Policy also includes a blanket prohibition that prevents Directors, executive officers, employees and their respective related persons from purchasing financial instruments (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars or exchange funds), or otherwise engaging in transactions, that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, decreases in the market value of the Company’s equity securities, whether granted as part of compensation to, or otherwise held directly or indirectly by, such Director, executive officer, employee or their respective related persons. The Insider Trading Policy further prohibits other types of speculative transactions in Company stock, including short-term trading, short sales, option trading and pledging (including margin purchases of Company stock).    

STERIS Ethics Line

Employees have been instructed that if they have any questions or concerns about compliance with the Company’s Policies, applicable laws, or principles as outlined in the STERIS Code of Business Conduct, or are unsure of the “right thing” to do, they should talk with their supervisor, their local or Corporate Human Resources department personnel, STERIS’s Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, Internal Audit or the STERIS Legal Department, or submit a report to the STERIS Ethics Line. The STERIS Ethics Line does not replace other communication channels already in place. However, if employees have an issue regarding an ethics or compliance related matter or believe they cannot communicate effectively using existing internal channels, they are instructed by the Code of Business Conduct to call the STERIS Ethics Line. Reports on the STERIS Ethics Line may be made anonymously and without reprisals for matters reported in good faith.

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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP was appointed as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, which appointment was ratified by the shareholders on July 30, 2019. Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants, an affiliate of Ernst & Young LLP, was first appointed by the Company’s shareholders as the Company’s statutory auditor under Irish law on July 30, 2019. The lead audit partner from Ernst & Young LLP is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting and will be given an opportunity to make a statement if so desired and to answer appropriate questions with respect to that firm’s audit of the Company’s financial statements and records for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. References that follow herein to “Ernst & Young” include both Ernst & Young LLP and Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants unless otherwise indicated by the context.

During fiscal 2020, the Audit Committee regularly evaluated the services provided by Ernst & Young. The Audit Committee discussed the services of Ernst & Young privately with the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer (“Controller”) outside of the presence of the firm, separately with the Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, Internal Audit, outside the presence of the firm and the CFO and Controller, and with the firm outside the presence of the foregoing individuals. These discussions generally occurred at each regular Audit Committee meeting, as well as at other times.

As part of the independent registered public accounting firm appointment process for fiscal 2020, the Audit Committee conducted, with the assistance of an independent third party, a comprehensive formal evaluation of Ernst & Young. The evaluation included an assessment of the following categories: quality of services provided; sufficiency of audit firm resources; communication and interaction; and independence, objectivity and professional skepticism. This evaluation was performed individually by each member of the Audit Committee. The Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, the Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, Internal Audit, and other members of management who regularly interacted with Ernst & Young undertook a similar assessment and provided their evaluation of Ernst & Young to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed the evaluation responses from the Committee members and from management.

Also, as part of its annual independent auditor appointment process, the Audit Committee considers whether to rotate its independent registered public accounting firm. Ernst & Young LLP has been the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm since the end of fiscal 2019 and was the independent registered public accounting firm for Old STERIS from the Combination until the Redomiciliation (and was first retained by the predecessor entity of Old STERIS, STERIS Corporation, beginning with the 1989 fiscal year). Ernst & Young LLP rotates its lead audit partner every five years; the Audit Committee interviews candidates proposed by Ernst & Young LLP and selects the lead audit partner from the proposed candidates. There are significant benefits to having an independent registered public accounting firm with an extensive history with the Company. These include:

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The Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures which are intended to control the non-audit or audit related services provided by Ernst & Young and to monitor their continuing independence. Under these policies, the Audit Committee must pre-approve all services performed by Ernst & Young. In addition, the Audit Committee may delegate authority to grant certain pre-approvals to a member of the Committee. Pre-approvals granted by a member of the Committee are reported to the full Audit Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

The aggregate fees for professional services by Ernst & Young for the Company for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 were:

All of the services provided by Ernst & Young in fiscal year 2020 were pre-approved in accordance with the Audit Committee’s pre-approval policies and procedures described above. In the above table, “Audit Fees” are fees paid to Ernst & Young for professional services for the audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in Form 10-K and in the Company’s Ireland Annual Report and review of financial statements included in Form 10-Qs, for the audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and for services that are provided by the accountant in connection with statutory audits; “Audit-Related Fees” include fees billed by Ernst & Young for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements, benefit plan audits and access to technical research tools; and “Tax Fees” include fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.

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Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee has been established in accordance with the Exchange Act. The Board of Directors of the Company has adopted a written Audit Committee charter. A copy of the Audit Committee’s charter may be found at the “Corporate Governance” section of steris-ir.com. Based on the review and determination of the Board, members of the Audit Committee meet the financial literacy and independence criteria to serve on the audit committee of a public company. The Audit Committee met 7 times during fiscal 2020 and holds executive sessions following each regular quarterly meeting.

The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with the Company’s management and Ernst & Young LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants, the audited financial statements of the Company contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2020 and Ireland Annual Report. The Audit Committee has also discussed with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Accounting Oversight Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Audit Committee has received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding Ernst & Young LLP’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with Ernst & Young LLP their independence. The Audit Committee has also concluded that Ernst & Young LLP’s provision of non-audit services to the Company is compatible with their independence.

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Audit Committee evaluated Ernst & Young in connection with its consideration of the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2021. Based upon the evaluation and considerations described in the Section “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” that begins on page 29, the Audit Committee recommends that the Company’s shareholders ratify the reappointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2021, and the Audit Committee recommends that Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants be appointed as the Company’s Irish Statutory Auditor.

Other actions regularly undertaken by the Audit Committee during the fiscal year include: pre-review and discussion with management of Form 10-Qs filed by the Company with the SEC, pre-review and discussion with management of Company earnings releases, annual review of internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR), critical accounting policies and pronouncements (including the recently implemented lease accounting standard) as well as other important financial accounting and reporting issues.

In addition, the Audit Committee, with the assistance of an independent third party, undertook a self-evaluation of its performance and effectiveness during fiscal 2020.

Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

David B. Lewis—Chair

Richard C. Breeden

Cynthia L. Feldmann

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Named Executive Officers

Our named executive officers for fiscal 2020, as shown in in the Fiscal 2020 Summary Compensation Table appearing on page 53, were as follows:

In portions of the remainder of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis we will discuss compensation paid and awarded to our named executive officers and the basis for the decisions that were made with respect thereto.

General Compensation Philosophy

Our management compensation programs are designed to align management’s interests with the long-term interests of shareholders and to support and promote the achievement of our goals and objectives by helping to recruit and retain executive talent required to successfully manage our business. Our management compensation programs also seek to align compensation with individual and Company performance to achieve the goals and objectives of the business by providing and balancing incentives for annual financial performance as well as the generation of long-term value, growth and profitability.

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Our general compensation philosophy includes the following principles:

The Committee also believes that it must maintain flexibility in establishing compensation practices to allow it to address compensation trends, competitive issues, business needs, industry and the broader economic environment, and special situations that will be encountered in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees. Therefore, the compensation practices approved by the Committee will likely vary from year to year and from person to person, depending on the particular circumstances.

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Compensation Governance Practices

The Company maintains several best practices in compensation governance, some of which are summarized in the table below. A more detailed discussion of certain of these practices appears subsequently in the “Compensation Governance” section of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis and other of these practices are mentioned in other portions of this Proxy Statement.

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Consideration of 2019 Say on Pay Vote Results

The Committee reviewed the results of our 2019 “say on pay” vote, in which our named executive officer compensation was supported by more than 98% of the shares voted on the matter. After taking into consideration the strong support for our executive compensation program reflected in our annual say on pay vote results, the Committee decided to continue to apply the same philosophy, compensation objectives, and governing principles as it has used in recent years when making subsequent decisions or adopting subsequent policies regarding named executive officer compensation. Also, after taking into consideration this strong support, the Committee decided to continue using the same executive pay structure of base salary, cash bonus and a mix of restricted stock and stock options, subject to the changes in option exercise prices described herein.

We received feedback in prior years that our equity award program could be enhanced by making modifications regarding performance based equity awards. After undertaking a lengthy review of potential performance based equity award designs, we decided to modify our stock option award program beginning in fiscal 2019 by providing stock options with a premium exercise price equal to 10% above grant date market value. Also beginning with fiscal 2019 awards, options comprised at least 50% in value of each executive officer’s equity awards. For fiscal 2020 options comprised 65% of the value of the CEO’s awards and 75% of the value of the CFO’s awards. Additionally, the Committee decided to eliminate certain benefits and perquisites provided to U.S. based executive officers effective beginning with the 2020 fiscal year.

The Committee has solicited the input of our shareholders regarding our executive compensation program at every Annual Meeting since the 2010 Annual Meeting of Shareholders through a non-binding advisory “say on pay” proposal, and will continue to seek shareholder input on our executive compensation in accordance with the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, at the Annual Meeting. The following table shows the results of the “say on pay” vote by the Company’s shareholders (and the shareholders of Old STERIS and STERIS Corporation, as applicable, in respect of periods prior to the Combination and Redomiciliation) for fiscal 2015 through 2019.

Recent Activity

Some of the recent executive compensation or related matters approved, decided, or supported by the Committee include:

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Roles and Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of our Compensation Committee, Compensation Consultant, CEO and other members of management with respect to compensation decisions are discussed throughout this Proxy Statement and in particular within this Compensation Discussion and Analysis. This collaborative process is summarized below.

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Compensation Consultant

Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. (“FW Cook”) has served as the Compensation Committee’s compensation consultant since November 2016. For fiscal year 2020, as required by the NYSE listing standards, the Compensation Committee considered various independence factors and potential conflicts of interest with respect to the compensation consultant and found the compensation consultant to be independent and that no conflicts of interest existed.

Principal Components of Compensation for Named Executive Officers

For the named executive officers, our compensation program is designed to recruit and retain management and align compensation with individual and Company performance on both an annual and longer-term basis. In addition, compensation of our named executive officers is generally structured to provide a significant portion of the compensation opportunity on the basis of the long-term performance of STERIS stock, as well as business performance and other factors that influence shareholder value. Based on this general compensation philosophy, the Committee has established compensation for our named executive officers consisting of the following principal components:

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The charts below illustrate the relative opportunities between fixed compensation, consisting of base salary, and variable compensation, consisting of bonus, stock options and restricted stock for fiscal 2020. The first chart shows the opportunity for the CEO and the second shows the average opportunities for the other named executive officers. Base salaries are those shown in the Fiscal 2020 Summary Compensation Table. Bonus amounts shown are for fiscal 2020. Values shown in the charts for restricted stock and stock option awards reflect the fair market value based upon the NYSE composite closing price and the grant date fair value under FASB ASC topic 718, respectively, as of the effective dates of grant. Differences in pay mix between the named executive officers are driven by market median pay levels that are used to determine named executive officer target pay opportunities, consistent with the Company’s pay philosophy and objectives, as well as other factors such as performance, experience and the complexity and responsibilities of the position.

Amounts shown are based upon figures appearing in the Fiscal 2020 Summary Compensation Table that begins on page 53.

The realized value of variable compensation will depend upon actual Company performance.

Process for Determining Senior Management Compensation

In General

Senior management compensation is generally reviewed and established on an annual basis by the Committee. Our fiscal year ends on March 31. Therefore, Committee members typically begin the assessment of compensation for senior management during the second half of the fiscal year. The Committee typically meets again early in the new fiscal year to evaluate the performance of the Company and our named executive officers, and based on that evaluation of Company performance and individual evaluations, to determine bonus amounts, if any, for the recently completed fiscal year, and finalize base salaries, set bonus criteria, and approve equity awards for senior management for the new fiscal year.

For fiscal year 2020, the Company’s compensation consultant assisted with the annual compensation reviews, providing historical and prospective views regarding total compensation for our executive

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officers. The consultant reports to the Committee for senior management compensation matters and is charged with providing the Committee with competitive pay data and compensation trends, analysis and recommendations. Base salaries, cash bonus levels, equity compensation, and total compensation of senior management are examined against data from multiple sources and surveys developed and provided by the consultant, as described below. The Committee targets the payment of base salaries, cash bonuses and equity compensation and total direct compensation within a general range of 10% above or below the market median of those components. Actual bonus payments and realized equity values will vary based upon Company performance. This is a guideline around which there is likely to be variation, depending on individual factors and business results. Factors used in the process of assessing and determining senior management compensation include individual and team performance, scope of responsibilities and accountability, competitive and other industry compensation data, special circumstances and expertise, business performance, and comparison with compensation of our other senior managers. The CEO also provides recommendations to the Committee for compensation adjustments for the other senior managers.

Peer Group and Survey Data

The Committee and the Committee’s compensation consultant review market data relating to compensation to help assess the compensation of our senior executives, including each of the named executive officers. This review includes the consultant’s analysis of proxy data from certain healthcare equipment and supply companies and other companies in similar businesses to those of the Company in a size range of roughly one-third to three times that of the Company (see peer listing below), information derived from compensation surveys, including companies from healthcare and technology industries, and other executive compensation data obtained by the consultant. This data is adjusted by the consultant to reflect the Company’s relative size. Peer group data is used for executive pay benchmarking purposes for the Company’s CEO and CFO. The survey data also is utilized for executive pay benchmarking purposes for all of the other named executive officers. The Committee evaluates this data with the assistance of its compensation consultant to develop for each executive position target ranges for base salary, incentive compensation (cash bonus), and long-term equity compensation, as well as total direct compensation. These target ranges reflect market median pay consistent with the Company’s pay philosophy.

In the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, FW Cook reviewed with the Committee the peer group proposed to be used for executive pay benchmarking purposes for the Company’s CEO and CFO for fiscal year 2020. The compensation consultant regularly reviews the group with the Committee to ensure that the companies comprising the peer group continue to be appropriate. In selecting recommended peers, the compensation consultant focused on companies that are in the health care equipment and supply industries and to a lesser extent, life sciences tools and services, and commercial services and supplies industries, markets reflective of the Company’s primary business and where we often compete for senior executive talent. Also, size measures considered to construct the peer group for fiscal year 2020 included:

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No relative weighting was given to any one of these factors in determining peers. Rather, potential peer companies were included based on how well they met all of these factors. In constructing the peer group, the consultant also endeavored to obtain a median peer company that was reflective of the Company’s size as a result of the Combination.

As a result of this analysis, the consultant recommended that Avanos Medical (formerly known as Halyard Health, Inc.) be deleted from the peer group due to its divestiture of its Surgical and Infection Prevention business and be replaced with Integra LifeSciences, and that the peer group otherwise remain unchanged from that approved for fiscal year 2019. These recommendations were considered and approved by the Committee. As a consequence, the Company’s peer group for fiscal 2020 was comprised of the following:

All of the peer group companies operate businesses generally similar to STERIS and to varying degrees met the Company’s peer group size criteria. On balance, STERIS’s actual or projected financial and other criteria at September 30, 2018 generally fell within a reasonable range around the peer group’s medians in terms of annual revenue (STERIS: $2.7 billion or 58^th percentile), market cap (STERIS: $10.0 billion or 54^th percentile) and Operating Income (STERIS: $437.0 million or 52^nd percentile).

The following table, which is based upon information provided by FW Cook, shows the metrics and the rankings of the Company relative to its fiscal 2020 peer group in the third quarter of fiscal 2019 when the fiscal 2020 peer group was selected:

2020 Compensation Decisions

The Committee’s consideration of the primary elements of compensation (base salary, incentive compensation (cash bonus) and equity compensation) for all of the named executive officers is based upon a combination of common criteria and measures applicable to all of the officers, as well as individual goals and objectives applicable specifically to each officer. For fiscal 2020, the Committee

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considered and applied a number of common criteria and measures to evaluate the named executive officers, including:

Individual goals and objectives varied for each named executive officer based on his area of responsibility. Although these goals and objectives are all considered important, they are not assigned any particular weight for incentive compensation purposes. In fiscal year 2020:

As CEO, Mr. Rosebrough has the broadest complexity and scope of responsibilities, as he has oversight for all aspects of our operations. Our other named executive officers, as well as other senior managers, report directly to Mr. Rosebrough (except for Mr. Majors who reports to Mr. Carestio). As a result of these various factors, individual performance against these factors, the individual’s roles and scope of responsibilities, and the Company’s performance, each element of compensation will necessarily vary between the named executive officers.

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The Committee believes that our underlying executive compensation program is appropriate to reflect annual financial performance as well as rewarding and motivating behaviors that can create long-term shareholder value. For fiscal year 2020, the Committee evaluated the performance of the named executive officers, applying in each case the common criteria and measures and individual goals and objectives described above, as well as the Company’s actual performance against the targeted financial performance for payment of the incentive compensation. As a result, the Committee approved the fiscal year 2020 compensation described in the following pages for each of the named executive officers.

Base Salary:

The payment of base salary is not directly tied to achievement of pre-established financial goals. The Committee considers a number of factors in determining base salary, including previous individual performance, the consultant’s data regarding compensation trends and practices, base salaries paid by other medical device, hospital supply, and other public operating companies, the complexity and responsibility of the executive’s position, and the executive’s overall experience and achievements against objectives, as well as the general and industry market for executive talent. While the market median may serve as a general guideline, other factors such as experience, time in position, complexity of functions, competitive environment, special skills and past performance are also considered. The Committee believes that base salaries for executives with significant experience and strong past performance should generally fall within the range of plus or minus 10% of the market median for similar positions of public operating companies based on survey data. Based on these considerations and the Company’s fiscal year operating plan (including the Company’s planned merit increase budget), information from the consultant, and recommendations of the CEO with respect to compensation adjustments for the other named executive officers, the Committee determines the appropriate salary level for the named executive officers. Changes in salary levels are generally effective at the end of the first fiscal quarter or beginning of the second fiscal quarter, with some exceptions for situations involving promotional increases. The Board of Directors also reviews the compensation actions of the Committee.

The CEO’s base salary was increased by $40,000 from $885,000 to $925,000, or approximately 4.5%, effective at the beginning of the second quarter of fiscal 2020. His salary increase reflected the Committee and Board’s assessment of his individual performance, his salary increase recommendations for other senior executives, and the Company’s overall salary increase budget for executives and other associates. Data provided by the compensation consultant indicates that after giving effect to the increase Mr. Rosebrough’s base salary was between the 25^th percentile and median of peer companies.

With respect to the other named executive officers, the Committee applied the common criteria and results of individual performance objectives described above under Executive Compensation Overview, including the evaluation and recommendation of the CEO regarding individual performance results as well as peer and other survey data from the consultant, to assess base salaries for each officer.

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The following table reflects fiscal 2019 and 2020 base salaries of the named executive officers and the percentage increase in base salary of each named executive officer for fiscal 2020.

Annual Incentive Compensation (cash bonus):

The Company’s Management Incentive Compensation Plan (“MICP” or “Plan”) is generally designed to set target bonus opportunities to reflect the market median for comparable positions and to produce median cash bonus compensation if target results are achieved. Bonus opportunities also are structured to be sufficient to produce top quartile cash compensation when maximum goals are achieved. If threshold levels of performance are not exceeded, executives earn no bonus and their resulting compensation levels are in the bottom quartile. The foregoing performance to compensation relationships are all consistent with the Company’s pay-for-performance philosophy.

In fiscal 2020, all executive officers of the Company were selected by the Committee for participation in the Company’s Management Incentive Compensation Plan (“MICP” or “Bonus Plan”) at the beginning of the fiscal year. At the same time, the Committee approved metrics for the MICP for fiscal 2020 participants. These metrics are described below and were essentially the same measures as those utilized by the Company in prior years. An individual’s annual incentive compensation target (target bonus level) was expressed as a percentage of base salary received. The incentive compensation target bonus level was based upon each participant’s level of responsibility.

Target bonus levels as a percentage of base salary received for fiscal 2020 were as follows for each named executive officer:

For fiscal 2020, the target bonus for our CEO was 120% of base salary, the same level as for fiscal 2019 and slightly below the median levels for target bonuses for CEOs of peer companies. His fiscal 2020 bonus was based on performance against full fiscal year 2020 financial objectives, and could range from 0% to 200% of his target bonus based on actual performance. Per the MICP provisions, the Committee also had the ability to modify Mr. Rosebrough’s bonus based upon performance against individual objectives.

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Financial targets were based on our operating plan financial metrics for the 2020 fiscal year, as reviewed with the Committee and approved by the Board. The Committee and the Board evaluate the annual operating plan and consider financial metrics important to shareholder value and that support the overall strength and success of the Company’s business. After consideration of the consultant’s compensation data, the recommendation of management, and approval of the Company’s operating plan, the Company financial performance metrics described below were identified and approved by the Committee to establish criteria for calculating bonus compensation targets under the Company’s MICP.

Consistent with STERIS’s practices for the past several years, for fiscal year 2020 the Committee determined applicable financial metrics and weighting to be:

excluding in each case the effect of amounts related to the following special items that the Committee considers not representative of ongoing operations: impairment and restructuring charges, goodwill impairment charges, amortization and impairment of purchased intangible assets, loss from fair value adjustment of acquisition related consideration, gains or losses on sales of assets outside the ordinary course of business, gain or loss on sales or divestiture of a subsidiary, costs associated with divestiture of discontinued operations, acquisition-related costs, and other special or one-time regulatory, tax, litigation, settlement, pension, benefit, or governmental charges, costs or expenses, and the effects of other such items. We chose the two metrics, EBIT and free cash flow, because we believe these two operating metrics are the most representative short-term measure of long-term shareholder value creation; we view EBIT as the key driver of our ultimate bottom line earnings and utilization of a free cash flow objective is intended to incent management to appropriately manage “non-income” cash/balance sheet items (in addition to earnings) like inventory, accounts receivable, accounts payable and capital spending.

Under the MICP, the fiscal year 2020 financial performance objectives were as follows: target performance for EBIT and free cash flow for 100% payout under the approved targets for the MICP for the year were $620.4 million and $302.2 million, respectively. The MICP also required a minimum EBIT of $558.4 million before any payment would be made under the Plan to any of the named executive officers; attainment of or below the minimum EBIT level would not result in any Plan payment, and spending lower than planned capital expenditures was limited to $10 million to increase free cash flow for bonus purposes. Free cash flow payout percentage was limited to the EBIT payout percentage until EBIT exceeded the target objective of $620.4 million, and a minimum free cash flow of $272.0 million was required before any payment could be made pursuant to the free cash flow metric. The maximum performance recognized, and incentive compensation payable was capped at 200% of target performance. To achieve this performance level, EBIT of $682.4 million and free cash flow of $332.5 million would have been required.

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The following table shows achievement of financial objectives for fiscal 2019, as adjusted, as well as fiscal 2020 performance objectives:

Actual financial performance against Plan criteria for fiscal year 2020 was EBIT of $536.9 million on a U.S. GAAP basis and free cash flow of $380.2. Actual financial performance against the MICP criteria for fiscal year 2020, as such criteria were adjusted for the special items discussed above, was EBIT of $630.5 million and free cash flow of $340.1 million. This performance resulted in a weighted aggregate performance achievement of 142.1% against targeted Plan criteria for the year. The following table shows the financial metrics for the year and Plan financial attainment percentages for the same period for named executive officers (the EBIT financial metric is largely consistent with the adjusted metrics contained in the Company’s announcement of its financial results for its fiscal 2020 fourth quarter and full fiscal year):

A reconciliation of the EBIT and free cash flow used to determine the targets and actual achievement for the year ending March 31, 2020 is provided below:

Following the end of the fiscal year, the Committee reviewed the incentive compensation plan terms and criteria and approved bonuses calculated using an aggregate 142.1% financial achievement level based upon the adjusted financial metrics described above. After also considering individual

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performance (including business unit performance where applicable) against the objectives for each named executive officer described above in the “2020 Compensation Decisions” section of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the Committee approved the following incentive compensation awards for fiscal year 2020:

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation:

Equity incentives are considered necessary to attract and retain employees critical to our continuing, long-term success, as well as providing employees significant alignment of interest with our shareholders. The Committee views nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units as a direct link between management and shareholders. Equity incentives are provided under the Company’s 2006 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan (the “2006 Plan”). The 2006 Plan was initially approved by shareholders of STERIS Corporation in July of 2006. The Plan has been approved by shareholders and amended and restated on several occasions.

Most recently, the Plan was assumed, amended and restated by the Company effective March 28, 2019 in conjunction with the Redomiciliation. Also, in connection with the Redomiciliation, all outstanding awards under the 2006 Plan in respect of Old STERIS ordinary shares were converted into equity awards for the same number of Company ordinary shares with the other terms and conditions of the awards remaining the same, except as otherwise required by law.

With respect to the amount and type of equity incentives provided to each recipient, the Committee generally considers its compensation consultant’s data regarding competitive trends and practices, the award recipient’s salary and level within our organization, the nature and complexity of the position, the recommendation of the CEO, and the Committee’s own evaluation of the performance of named executive officers, since the Committee members generally have an opportunity to observe their performance and have information on the level of past awards. The Committee ultimately decides the amount and mix of long-term compensation (stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, restricted share units and other types of equity awards) granted to each named executive officer, other corporate officers, and any other executives who report to the CEO, with input from the CEO.

For the past several years, long-term equity awards to each named executive officer have generally consisted of stock options and restricted stock. In keeping with the Company’s approach, the consultant has developed long-term equity awards guidelines for consideration by the CEO and Committee for senior management. The CEO and Committee also consider other factors in determining award mix, including retention concerns and the executive’s current equity holdings compared to the Officer Stock Ownership guideline requirements (discussed subsequently) for Company stock, since stock options do not count toward the Officer Stock Ownership guidelines.

The consultant’s long-term equity guidelines place more emphasis on options than restricted stock. This is consistent with the Company’s pay-for-performance philosophy as all value earned through stock options is solely dependent upon an increase of our stock price, which reflects investors’ views on the Company’s financial performance and long-term prospects. The Committee believes that

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options provide a strong linkage to the Company’s performance because the executive benefits only if and to the extent the Company’s stock price increases and the vesting provisions help prevent executives from fully capitalizing on near-term increases in stock values. The 2006 Plan provisions prohibit stock options from being granted at option prices less than 100% of fair market value of the underlying shares on the grant date and prohibit options from being re-priced. Beginning in fiscal 2019, option prices for employee stock option awards have been fixed at 110% of the grant date fair market value of the underlying ordinary shares.

The Committee believes that the vesting requirements for Company equity awards are more restrictive than those required generally by other companies both in terms of the length of the vesting period (generally four years) and the use of cliff vesting for the majority of restricted stock awards. Restricted stock awards made to employees who have attained age 55 and have at least five years of service generally vest on a prorata basis over a four year period. Restricted stock awards to employees who have at least twenty-five years of service also will generally vest on an annual prorata basis over a four year period.

The approval of long-term equity incentive compensation is typically made early in the fiscal year (April or May) and effective as of the first trading day after the date of filing of the Company’s 10-K filing for its prior fiscal year. The compensation consultant provides survey data for long-term incentives, reflecting market median data and provides the Committee with equity award guidelines in dollars based upon this data. For fiscal year 2020 pursuant to a new methodology approved by the Committee in fiscal 2019, share values utilized for annual awards were determined shortly before the grant dated based upon Company share price averages over a predetermined period following the Company’s announcement of its fiscal year 2019 financial results. These values and the other information were then used in determining the number of options and restricted shares to be awarded to recipients, and values were not modified to reflect any subsequent increase or decrease in value of the Company’s stock between the end of the predetermined period and the effective date of the grant.

The value of Mr. Rosebrough’s fiscal year 2020 equity grants was below the median of the peer group data provided by the consultant. Because of market factors and the broader complexity and scope of responsibilities of his position, Mr. Rosebrough’s long-term equity compensation is greater than the other named executive officers.

As part of its oversight of the long-term equity award program, the Committee and management annually review data from the compensation consultant regarding the cost of the program in terms of share usage and value transfer. The Company’s three year average share usage approximated the median. The Company’s three year average fair value transfer and fully diluted overhang were below median. On balance, the Committee believes it has prudently managed the equity program in support of the shareholders’ interests.

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Fiscal 2020 awards to the named executive officers under the 2006 Plan were as follows:

Benefit Programs and Perquisites:

Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in a number of benefit programs, including health, disability and life insurance programs and a qualified 401(k) plan, all of which also are available generally to employees in the United States. None of our U.S. based executive officers have special retirement benefit arrangements such as supplemental retirement plans or excess or restoration retirement benefit plans.

At one time the Company maintained a nonqualified deferred compensation plan permitting named executive officers and other management employees to defer their compensation. Contributions under that plan have been frozen. None of the named executive officers are participants in that plan. The Company maintains no other retirement or deferred compensation arrangements for named executive officers.

Named executive officers and other senior employees may also participate in other benefit programs, including an employee relocation program and a senior executive severance plan (see page 60 for a description). The Company’s severance arrangements cover all of the named executive officers.

Beginning with fiscal 2020, the Committee eliminated the provision of most allowances and other perquisites for executives including auto and tax preparation/financial planning allowances and club dues and limited personal use of private aircraft by the CEO. The values of the remaining perquisites and other benefits are included in the Fiscal 2020 Summary Compensation Table under “All Other Compensation” on page 53.

Agreements Regarding Named Executive Officer Compensation

The Committee reviews and approves, or makes recommendations to the Board to approve, any agreements with the named executive officers relating to compensation or separation payments. The Company (including its subsidiaries) has no employment agreements with U.S. executives. The named executive officers are party to equity award agreements and covered by a Senior Executive Severance Plan and other plans described in the succeeding pages. These agreements and plans are discussed, in part, in the section of this Proxy Statement entitled “Potential Payments to Named Executive Officers upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control.” The Committee believes that employment or other special agreements regarding senior management compensation for US-based executives should generally be limited to special circumstances.

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Compensation Governance

We maintain several compensation governance best practices, some of which are summarized in the table that begins on page 34. A more detailed discussion of certain of these practices appears below and other of these practices are mentioned in other portions of this Proxy Statement.

Risk Assessment

The Committee has reviewed the Company’s employee compensation policies and practices and determined that the same are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. This determination was based in part on a review of compensation practices and programs conducted by the Committee’s compensation consultant, FW Cook, and by management, with risk being evaluated from several perspectives, including pay mix, award time horizons, award limitations including caps, metric structure, metric alignment with business strategy, payout cliffs, and other practices or policies that mitigate risk-taking. Other risk mitigating factors reviewed included clawbacks, stock ownership guidelines and stock retention policies, anti-hedging and pledging policies and equity grant practices, as well as more specific factors with respect to sales and service incentive plans.

Clawback and Related Provisions for Annual Incentive Compensation and 2006 Plan Equity Awards

The Company’s Management Incentive Compensation Plan (cash incentives) contains “clawback” provisions. Under these provisions, if the Company’s financial statements for any fiscal year are required to be restated due to material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement as a result of intentional misconduct of a participant, the participant is required to forfeit or return, as applicable, at the request of the Board or Committee, all or a portion of the participant’s award. The amount to be recovered is the amount of the award in excess of that which would have been payable had the financial statements initially been filed as restated. The Company is entitled to obtain repayment by a variety of different methods.

The 2006 Plan (equity incentives) also contains forfeiture and recovery provisions for “Detrimental Conduct.” Detrimental Conduct includes acts of dishonesty intended to result in material personal gain or enrichment at the expense of the Company and other acts or conduct detrimental or prejudicial to the business, reputation, or other significant interest of the Company.

Restrictions on Securities Transactions

The Company maintains an Insider Trading Policy which restricts activities in or relating to Company stock by Directors, executive officers and employees and their respective related persons. These restrictions include advance clearance requirements for Directors, executive officers and certain other employees for all transactions as well as “blackout” provisions. The Insider Trading Policy also includes a blanket prohibition that prevents Directors, executive officers, employees and their respective related persons from purchasing financial instruments (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars or exchange funds), or otherwise engaging in transactions, that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, decreases in the market value of the Company’s equity securities, whether granted as part of compensation to, or otherwise held directly or indirectly by, such Director, executive officer, employee or their respective related persons. The Insider Trading Policy further prohibits other types of speculative transactions in Company stock, including short-term trading, short sales, option trading and pledging (including margin purchases of Company stock).    

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Officer Stock Ownership Guidelines

One of the primary objectives of the Company’s equity incentives is to build stock ownership among executives, thereby aligning their interests more closely with those of the shareholders. To reinforce this objective, the Committee first established stock ownership guidelines for senior managers of STERIS Corporation in 2006. The guidelines have been subsequently revised on several occasions. The Committee believes the guidelines further align the interests of senior management with those of the shareholders. Senior managers (including the named executive officers) are required to maintain a significant equity interest in the Company through ownership of stock that they acquire either with their own funds or through certain long-term incentive awards. The Committee believes that stock ownership helps create economic alignment with shareholders and is a factor in motivating our senior management to enhance shareholder value. The stock ownership requirements are expressed as a multiple of salary rather than a fixed number of shares, as was the case at one time. The Committee believes that this approach, which is consistent with the approach used in the Director Stock Ownership Guidelines, reflects prevailing market practices, and also has the benefit of adjusting for changing circumstances that should influence stockholding requirements. The following table outlines the required officer share ownership values at various levels within the Company, as defined by multiples of base salary for each officer:

The following share types are included under these guidelines (stock options do not count toward share ownership):

From the time a senior manager achieves a position subject to these guidelines, he or she has a five-year period to attain the applicable shareholding requirements. Likewise, if an officer already subject to the guidelines is promoted to a position with higher shareholding requirements, he or she has a five-year period in which to satisfy the higher requirements. A steady increase in share ownership over the five-year period is encouraged, subject to hardship exceptions. If the share ownership guideline is not achieved within the applicable five-year period, the CEO or the Committee is authorized to take into consideration the facts and circumstances with respect to that failure and take whatever action he or they consider appropriate, including restricting or eliminating future equity awards to the particular officer. Based on the closing price of the Company’s Ordinary Shares on the NYSE on March 31, 2020 and base salaries in effect at that date, the CEO and all of the other named executive officers satisfied these guidelines.

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Tax Deductibility of Compensation

Prior to the passage of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “TCJA”) on December 22, 2017, Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended the (“Code”) generally disallowed a tax deduction in publicly held companies for compensation paid to certain covered executive officers in excess of $1 million per officer, unless such compensation qualified as “performance-based.” Under the TCJA, the performance-based exception has been repealed with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, subject to a special rule that “grandfathers” certain compensation paid pursuant to a written binding contract in effect as of November 2, 2017 that is not materially modified thereafter. As a result of TCJA, most of the compensation paid to our named executive officers in excess of $1 million per officer in a year will not be deductible. While the TCJA may limit the deductibility of compensation paid to our named executive officers, the Committee will – consistent with past practice – retain flexibility to design compensation programs and take such other actions it believes to be in the best long-term interests of the Company and our shareholders.

Report of the Compensation and Organization Development Committee

The Compensation and Organization Development Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management. Based on this review and discussion, the Compensation and Organization Development Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement and in STERIS’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2020.

Compensation and Organization Development Committee of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Jacqueline B. Kosecoff, Chairman

Richard C. Breeden

Dr. Nirav R. Shah

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Compensation and Organization Development Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of the members of the Board who served on the Compensation and Organization Development Committee during fiscal year 2020 was ever an officer or employee of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries.. None of the members of the Board who served on the Compensation and Organization Development Committee during fiscal 2020 had any relationship requiring disclosure under any paragraph of Item 404 of SEC Regulation S-K.

Tabular and Other Executive Compensation Disclosure

The persons named in the below table are sometimes referred to in this Proxy Statement as the “named executive officers”.

FISCAL 2020 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE    

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GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS IN FISCAL 2020