Autodesk (ADSK) DEF 14ADefinitive proxy

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

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )

Check the appropriate box:

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

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May 6, 2020

Dear Autodesk Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend Autodesk’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Thursday, June 18, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., Pacific Time, at our San Francisco office, The Landmark, One Market Street, 2^ndFloor, San Francisco, California 94105. We are closely monitoring the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, and if it is not advisable to meet in person, we will meet by virtual meeting format only at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ADSK2020. If we meet virtually, Autodesk stockholders will have the opportunity to listen to the meeting live, submit questions, and vote online.

The 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held for the following purposes:

The accompanying Notice of 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement describe these proposals in greater detail. We encourage you to read this information carefully.

We are once again relying on the Securities and Exchange Commission rule that allows us to furnish our proxy materials to our stockholders over the internet rather than in paper form. We believe this delivery process reduces both our environmental impact and the costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials without hindering our stockholders' timely access to this important information.

We hope you will be able to attend this year's Annual Meeting. We will report on fiscal 2020, and there will be an opportunity for stockholders to ask questions. Even if you plan to attend the meeting, please ensure that you are represented by voting in advance. You can vote online or by telephone, or you can request, sign, date, and return a proxy card, to ensure your representation at the meeting. Your vote is very important.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our appreciation for your continued support of Autodesk.

Very truly yours,

Andrew Anagnost
President and Chief Executive Officer

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NOTICE OF 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

By Order of the Board of Directors,

Pascal W. Di Fronzo
SVP, Corporate Affairs, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

This notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and accompanying form of proxy card are being made available on or about May 6, 2020.

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PROXY STATEMENT FOR 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

PROXY STATEMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PROPOSALS AND BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposal		Board Recommendation	Page Number
1.	Election of Directors	FOR each Nominee	9
2.	Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	FOR	16
3.	Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation	FOR	18

Your vote is very important. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to read the Proxy Statement and to vote. You can vote online or by telephone, or you can request, sign, date and return your proxy card as soon as possible. For specific instructions on how to vote your shares, please refer to the section entitled “Questions and Answers About the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Procedural Matters” below and the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

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2020 Proxy Statement 2

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Name	Age	Director Since	Principal Occupation	Independent	Committee Memberships
					AC	CHRC	CGNC
Andrew Anagnost	55	2017	President and Chief Executive Officer, Autodesk, Inc.
Karen Blasing	63	2018	Former Chief Financial Officer, Guidewire Software, Inc.	✓	✓
Reid French	48	2017	Former Chief Executive Officer, Applied Systems, Inc.	✓		✓
Dr. Ayanna Howard	48	2019	Georgia Institute of Technology Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Professor and Chair of the School of Interactive Computing; CTO, Co-founder, Zyrobotics	✓
Blake Irving	60	2019	Former Chief Executive Officer, GoDaddy Inc.	✓		✓
Mary T. McDowell	55	2010	Chief Executive Officer, Mitel Networks Corporation	✓		C
Stephen Milligan	56	2018	Former Chief Executive Officer, Western Digital Corporation	✓	✓
Lorrie M. Norrington	60	2011	Adviser and Operating Partner, Lead Edge Capital Management, LLC	✓			C
Elizabeth (Betsy) Rafael	58	2013	Former Chief Transformation Officer, GoDaddy Inc.	✓	C
Stacy J. Smith	57	2011	Executive Chairman, Kioxia Corporation (formerly Toshiba Memory Corporation)	✓ CB			✓

CB  Non-Executive Chairman of Board

C  Committee Chair

✓  Member

Financial Expert

AC		Audit Committee
CHRC		Compensation and Human Resources Committee
CGNC		Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

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As reflected in the charts below, we have an experienced and balanced slate of Board nominees.

Tenure	Diversity	Age Distribution

 
Corporate Governance Guidelines

We believe the highest standards of corporate governance and business conduct are essential to running our business efficiently, serving our stockholders well, and maintaining our integrity in the marketplace. Over the years, we have devoted substantial attention to the subject of corporate governance and have developed Corporate Governance Guidelines (the “Guidelines”).

The Guidelines set forth the principles that guide our Board's exercise of its responsibility to oversee corporate governance, maintain its independence, evaluate its own performance and the performance of our executive officers, and set corporate strategy. On a regular basis, the Board reviews our governance practices, corporate governance developments and stockholder feedback to ensure continued effectiveness.

Stockholder Engagement

Our Board is committed to ensuring that stockholder feedback informs our strong governance practices. In fiscal 2020, members of our management team continued our annual outreach and contacted stockholders representing in total over 60% of the outstanding shares. Our team met with governance professionals from passive funds as well as portfolio managers from active funds to discuss our executive compensation programs, board composition, diversity and governance. The breadth of the Company’s outreach program enabled us to gather feedback from a significant cross-section of Autodesk’s stockholder base. We will continue to engage with stockholders to maintain an open dialogue and ensure that we have an in-depth understanding of our stockholders’ perspectives.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION HIGHLIGHTS

Compensation Guiding Principles

The executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate, and retain talented executives and should provide a rigorous framework that is tied to stockholder returns, Company performance, long-term strategic corporate goals, and individual performance. The general compensation objectives are to:

●	Recruit and retain the highest caliber of executives through competitive rewards;
●	Motivate executive officers to achieve business and financial goals;
●	Balance rewards for short- and long-term performance; and
●	Align rewards with stockholder value creation.

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Our executive compensation program emphasizes variable compensation with both annual and long-term performance components. In fiscal 2020, 92% of our CEO's and 86% of all other named executive officers’ total compensation were variable in nature and “at risk” and 84% of our CEO’s and 77% of all other named executive officers’ total compensation consisted of long-term equity. Our incentive programs reward strong annual financial and operational performance, as well as relative TSR over one-, two-, and three-year performance periods. The charts below demonstrate the fiscal 2020 pay mix between base salary, annual short-term incentives, and targeted long-term equity compensation for our CEO and all other named executive officers ("NEOs").

CEO	Other NEOs

During fiscal 2020, the Compensation and Human Resources Committee approved annual equity awards in the form of performance stock units ("PSUs") and restricted stock units ("RSUs") for the NEOs. The Compensation and Human Resources Committee elected to use the following mix of PSUs and RSUs to complement the performance aspects of PSUs with the long-term retention component of RSUs.

CEO	Other NEOs

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Elements of Executive Compensation

The principal elements of Autodesk’s annual executive compensation program for fiscal 2020 are described below.

Element	Purpose	Payout Range	Fiscal 2020 Performance Measures
Base Salary	Forms basis for competitive compensation package	N/A	None, although performance of the individuals is taken into account by the Committee when setting and reviewing base salary levels and merit increases
Short-term Incentive Opportunities	Motivate achievement of annual strategic priorities relating to the business model transition and profitability objectives	0% - 200% of target	Fiscal 2020: Performance against total ARR and non-GAAP total operating income
PSUs	Align compensation with key drivers of the business, operational performance and relative stockholder return	0% - 200% of target shares	Fiscal 2020: Performance against total ARR and free cash flow adjusted based upon Autodesk’s TSR relative to companies in the North American Technology Software Index with a market capitalization over $2 billion over one-, two-, and three-year performance periods
	Encourage focus on near-term and long-term strategic objectives	Change in Autodesk stock price	Autodesk stock price
RSUs	Encourage focus on long-term stockholder value creation	Change in Autodesk stock price	Autodesk stock price
	Promote retention

Leading Compensation Governance Practices

Autodesk’s executive compensation objectives are supported by policies and strong governance practices that align executives’ interests with the interests of our stockholders. Some of the program’s most notable features are highlighted in the table and summarized below.

What We Do		What We Do Not Do
	Robust stockholder outreach program		Allow hedging and trading in Autodesk derivative securities
	Significant percentage of NEO total pay tied to achievement of critical financial and stockholder value creation		Reprice stock options
	Representative peer group		Offer executive benefits and excessive perquisites
	Significant stock ownership requirements		Fixed-term employment agreements
	Clawback policy
	Double-trigger change in control arrangements with no excise tax gross-up
	Equity award grant policy
	Effective risk management
	Independent compensation committee and consultant

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IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 18, 2020.

The Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Stockholders are available at:

https://materials.proxyvote.com/052769

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PROPOSAL ONE - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Nominees

Autodesk's Bylaws permit our Board to establish by resolution the authorized number of directors, and ten directors are currently authorized. Accordingly, upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, the Board has nominated ten individuals to be elected at the Annual Meeting. All of the nominees are presently directors of Autodesk and have consented to being named in this Proxy Statement and to serving as directors if elected. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote the proxies received by them for the ten nominees named below. Your proxy cannot be voted for more than ten director candidates.

Summary of Director Nominee Experience, Qualifications, Attributes and Skills

We believe that our director nominees are highly qualified and well suited to continue providing effective oversight of our rapidly evolving business. Our director nominees provide our Board with a balance of critical relevant skills and an effective mix of experience, knowledge and diverse viewpoints, as summarized below.

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As reflected in the charts below, we have an experienced and balanced slate of Board nominees.

Tenure	Diversity	Age Distribution

See “Information and Qualifications” below for more detail regarding each director nominee’s qualifications and relevant experience.

Information and Qualifications

The name, age as of March 31, 2020, certain biographical information about each nominee and the nominees' unique qualifications to serve on the Board are set forth below. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

See “Corporate Governance” and “Executive Compensation—Compensation of Directors” below for additional information regarding the Board, including procedures for nominations of directors.

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Andrew Anagnost
	Director Age: 55 Director since 2017
Dr. Anagnost joined Autodesk in September 1997 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2017. Dr. Anagnost served as Co-CEO from February 2017 to June 2017, Chief Marketing Officer from December 2016 to June 2017 and as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Business Strategy & Marketing, from March 2012 to June 2017. From December 2009 to March 2012, Dr. Anagnost was Vice President, Product Suites and Web Services of the Company. Prior to this position, Dr. Anagnost served as Vice President of CAD/CAE products for the manufacturing division of the Company from March 2007 to December 2009. Previously, Dr. Anagnost held other senior management positions at the Company. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Anagnost held various engineering, sales, marketing and product management positions at Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company and EXA Corporation. He also served as an NRC post-doctoral fellow at NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Anagnost holds a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and holds both a MS in Engineering Science and a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering and Computer Science from Stanford University. Dr. Anagnost brings to the Board extensive experience in the technology industry and has spent nearly two decades in management roles within Autodesk. As our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Anagnost possesses a deep knowledge and understanding of Autodesk's business, operations, and employees; the opportunities and risks we face; and management's strategy and plans for accomplishing Autodesk's goals. Pursuant to Dr. Anagnost’s employment agreement, Autodesk has agreed to nominate Dr. Anagnost to serve as a member of the Board for as long as he is employed by Autodesk as CEO.

Stacy J. Smith
	Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, Autodesk, Inc. Age: 57 Director since 2011
Mr. Smith is the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Smith currently serves as the executive chairman of Kioxia Corporation (formerly Toshiba Memory Corporation). Mr. Smith previously served as Group President of Sales, Manufacturing and Operations at Intel Corporation from February 2017 to January 2018. He served as the Executive Vice President, Manufacturing, Operations and Sales of Intel Corporation from October 2016 to February 2017. From November 2012 to October 2016, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Mr. Smith served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer from January 2010 to November 2012; Vice President, Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2010; and Vice President, Assistant Chief Financial Officer from 2006 to 2007. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Smith served as Vice President, Finance and Enterprise Services and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Smith joined Intel in 1988. Mr. Smith has served on the board of directors of Kioxia Corporation since October 2018. Mr. Smith also serves on the board of directors of Metromile, Inc., The California Chapter of The Nature Conservancy Board of Trustees, and the University of Texas McCombs School of Business Advisory Board. Mr. Smith previously served on the boards of directors of Virgin America from February 2014 until it was acquired by Alaska Air Group in December 2016 and of Gevo, Inc. from June 2010 to June 2014. Mr. Smith is independent and his over two decades of experience in the technology industry provide him with a strong understanding of Autodesk's industry, business and international operational challenges. His management positions with Intel, including his finance and executive roles, and his time spent overseas, provided him with critical insight into the operational requirements of a global company and the management and consensus-building skills required to lead our Board as non-executive Chairman and to serve on our Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

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Karen Blasing
	Director Age: 63 Director since 2018
Ms. Blasing has over 25 years of executive operational and financial leadership experience in the technology industry. Ms. Blasing served as the chief financial officer of Guidewire Software, Inc. from 2009 to March 2015. Prior to Guidewire, Ms. Blasing served as the chief financial officer for Force 10 Networks and Senior Vice President of Finance for salesforce.com, Inc. Ms. Blasing also served as chief financial officer for Nuance Communications, Inc. and Counterpane Internet Security, Inc., and held senior finance roles for Informix (now IBM Informix) and Oracle Corporation. Ms. Blasing has also served on the boards of directors of Zscaler, Inc. since January 2017 and GitLab, Inc., since August 2019. Ms. Blasing previously served on the board of directors of Ellie Mae, Inc. from June 2015 - May 2019. Ms. Blasing is independent and has over 25 years of executive operational and financial experience in the technology industry. Ms. Blasing is independent and has over 25 years of executive operational and financial experience in the technology industry. Ms. Blasing's experience at Guidewire Software, Force 10 Networks, salesforce.com and Nuance Communications provides her with a strong understanding of Autodesk's business and international operational challenges. Her experience as a chief financial officer provides her with the financial acumen necessary to serve on our Audit Committee.

Reid French
	Director Age: 48 Director since 2017
Mr. French served as Chief Executive Officer of Applied Systems, Inc., a leading software provide to the insurance industry, from September 2011 to June 2019, and as a member of its Board of Directors from September 2011 to January 2020. Previously, Mr. French was Chief Operating Officer at Intergraph Corporation, a global geospatial and computer-aided design software company, from April 2005 until October 2010 when Intergraph was acquired by Hexagon AB. From October 2003 to April 2005, Mr. French was Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development at Intergraph. He sits on the Board of trustees for Davidson College and The Lovett School in Atlanta. Mr. French is independent and his executive operational and strategic leadership experience in the technology industry provide him with a deep understanding of Autodesk's technology and business. Mr. French’s years of service as an executive officer and his service on the board of directors of Applied provide him with the executive compensation knowledge necessary to serve on our Compensation and Human Resources Committee.

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Dr. Ayanna Howard
	Director Age: 48 Director since 2019
Dr. Howard has served as a director of the Company since September 2019. As an expert in the areas of robotics, human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence, Dr. Howard currently serves as the Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Professor and Chair of the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition, she is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Zyrobotics, a startup that designs AI-powered STEM tools for early childhood education. Prior to Georgia Tech, Dr. Howard served as Senior Robotics Researcher and Deputy Manager in the Office of the Chief Scientist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Howard has served on the advisory boards for numerous robotics and AI-based organizations, and holds a degree from Brown University, a M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, as well as an M.B.A. from the Drucker Graduate School of Management. Dr. Howard is independent and her executive, operational, academic, and strategic leadership experience in the technology industry provide her with a deep understanding of Autodesk's technology and business.

Blake Irving
	Director Age: 60 Director since 2019
Mr. Irving has over 25 years of executive leadership experience in the technology industry. Mr. Irving served as the chief executive officer of GoDaddy Inc. from January 2013 to January 2018, and served on the board of directors of GoDaddy from May 2014 to June 2018. From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Irving served as chief product officer of Yahoo! Inc. From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Irving was a Professor in the M.B.A. program at Pepperdine University. From 1992 to 2007, Mr. Irving served in various senior and management roles at Microsoft Corporation, including most recently as Corporate Vice President of Windows Live Platform Group. Mr. Irving has served on the boards of directors of DocuSign, Inc. since August 2018 and ZipRecruiter, Inc. since November 2018. Mr. Irving is independent and has over 25 years of executive operational and strategic leadership experience in the technology industry. Mr. Irving’s experience at GoDaddy, Yahoo! and Microsoft provides him with a strong understanding of Autodesk's industry, business and international operational challenges and with the executive compensation knowledge necessary to serve on our Compensation and Human Resources Committee.

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Mary T. McDowell
	Director Age: 55 Director since 2010
Ms. McDowell has served as the president and chief executive officer of Mitel Networks Corporation since October 2019. Previously, Ms. McDowell served as the Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors at Polycom, Inc. from September 2016 to July 2018, when the company was acquired by Plantronics, Inc. Prior to Polycom, Ms. McDowell was an Executive Partner at Siris Capital, LLC. She served as Executive Vice President in charge of Nokia’s Mobile Phone unit from July 2010 to July 2012 and as Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Nokia Corporation from January 2008 to July 2010. Previously, Ms. McDowell served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Solutions of Nokia from January 2004 to December 2007. Prior to joining Nokia in 2004, Ms. McDowell spent 17 years in various executive, managerial and other positions at Compaq Computer Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company, including serving as Senior Vice President, Industry-Standard Servers of Hewlett-Packard. Ms. McDowell has served as a director of Informa plc since June 2018. Ms. McDowell previously served as a director of UBM plc from August 2014 to June 2018. Bazaarvoice, Inc. from December 2014 to October 2016 and NAVTEQ Corporation, a subsidiary of Nokia, from July 2008 until July 2010. Ms. McDowell is independent and brings to our Board extensive management experience in the technology industry. Her two and a half decades of experience working for global technology companies focused on innovation and collaboration provide her with a firm understanding of Autodesk's core mission, business and technology. Her years of service as an executive officer at Polycom, Nokia and other technology companies, including Compaq Computer and Hewlett-Packard, provide her with the executive compensation knowledge necessary to serve as Chair of our Compensation and Human Resources Committee.

Stephen Milligan
	Director Age: 56 Director since 2018
Mr. Milligan served as Western Digital Corporation’s chief executive officer from January 2013 to March 2020, and as its president from March 2012 to October 2015. Previously, Mr. Milligan served as the chief financial officer of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (“HGST”) from 2007 to 2009, and as HGST’s chief executive officer from 2009 to 2012 when Western Digital acquired HGST. From January 2004 to September 2007, Mr. Milligan served as Western Digital’s chief financial officer after serving in other senior finance roles at Western Digital from September 2002 to January 2004. From April 1997 to September 2002, he held various financial and accounting roles of increasing responsibility at Dell Inc. and was employed at Price Waterhouse for 12 years prior to joining Dell. Mr. Milligan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Ohio State University. Mr. Milligan has served on the boards of directors of Ross Stores, Inc. since January 2015 and Western Digital Corporation since January 2013. Mr. Milligan is independent and has over 30 years of executive operational and financial leadership experience in the technology industry. Mr. Milligan’s experience at Western Digital and HGST, including his finance and executive roles, provides him with a strong understanding of Autodesk's industry, business and international operational challenges. His experience as a CFO and CEO provides him with the financial acumen necessary to serve on our Audit Committee.

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Lorrie M. Norrington
	Director Age: 60 Director since 2011
Ms. Norrington has over 35 years of operating experience in technology, software, and internet businesses. Ms. Norrington currently serves as an adviser and in an Operating Partner capacity for Lead Edge Capital. Lead Edge is a growth equity firm that partners with world-class entrepreneurs and exceptional technology businesses. Ms. Norrington served as President of eBay Marketplaces from July 2008 to September 2010. Previously, she served in a number of senior management roles at eBay from July 2006 until June 2008. Prior to joining eBay, Ms. Norrington served from June 2005 to July 2006 as President and CEO of Shopping.com, Inc., an online shopping comparison site. Prior to joining Shopping.com, Ms. Norrington served from August 2001 to January 2005, initially as Executive Vice President of small business, and later in the office of the CEO, at Intuit Inc., a business and financial management software company. Prior to joining Intuit, Ms. Norrington served in a variety of executive positions at General Electric Corporation over a twenty-year period, working in a broad range of industries and businesses. Ms. Norrington has served on the boards of directors of Eventbrite, Inc. since April 2015, Colgate-Palmolive since September 2015 and HubSpot since September 2013. Previously, she served on the boards of directors of DIRECTV from February 2011 until it was acquired by AT&T in July 2015; Lucasfilm, from June 2011 until it was acquired by Disney in December 2012; McAfee, Inc. from December 2009 until it was acquired by Intel in February 2011; and Shopping.com from November 2004 until it was acquired by eBay in August 2005. Ms. Norrington is independent and has extensive experience in online commerce SaaS, and valuable management experience in the technology and manufacturing industries. Her three decades of building businesses and adapting to and capitalizing on rapid technological advancement provide Ms. Norrington with a unique perspective. Her executive and board experiences have provided her with the corporate governance skills required to serve on our Board and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

Betsy Rafael
	Director Age: 58 Director since 2013
Ms. Rafael has over 30 years of executive financial experience in the technology industry. Ms. Rafael most recently served as Chief Transformation Officer at GoDaddy Inc. from May 2018 to November 2019, Principal Accounting Officer of Apple Inc. from January 2008 to October 2012, and as its Vice President and Corporate Controller from August 2007 until October 2012. From April 2002 to September 2006, Ms. Rafael served as Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Cisco Systems, Inc., and held the position of Vice President, Corporate Finance of Cisco Systems from September 2006 to August 2007. From December 2000 to April 2002, Ms. Rafael was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer of Aspect Communications, Inc., a provider of customer relationship portals. From April 2000 to November 2000, Ms. Rafael was Senior Vice-President and CFO of Escalate, Inc., an enterprise e-commerce application service provider. From 1994 to 2000, Ms. Rafael held a number of senior positions at Silicon Graphics International Corp. (“SGI”), culminating her career at SGI as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to SGI, Ms. Rafael held senior management positions in finance with Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Apple Computers. Ms. Rafael began her career with Arthur Young & Company. Ms. Rafael previously served on the boards of directors of Echelon Corporation from November 2005 until June 2018, GoDaddy Inc. from May 2014 to May 2018, and Shutterfly from June 2016 until September 2019 and PalmSource, Inc. Ms. Rafael is independent and has over 30 years of executive financial experience in the technology industry. Ms. Rafael’s experience at GoDaddy, Apple and Cisco, including her finance and executive roles, provides her with a strong understanding of Autodesk's industry, business and international operational challenges. Her experience as a principal accounting officer provides her with the financial acumen necessary to serve as the Chair of our Audit Committee.

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PROPOSAL TWO - RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee has selected Ernst & Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the consolidated financial statements of Autodesk for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2021, and recommends that the stockholders vote to ratify that appointment. In the event of a negative vote on this proposal, the Audit Committee will reconsider its selection. Even if the selection of Ernst & Young LLP is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the selection of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interests of Autodesk and its stockholders.

Ernst & Young LLP has been retained as our independent registered public accounting firm continuously since the fiscal year ended January 31, 1983.

We expect a representative of Ernst & Young LLP to be present at the Annual Meeting. The representative will have the opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The following table presents fees billed for professional audit services and other services rendered to Autodesk by Ernst & Young LLP and its affiliates for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 and 2019.

Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services

Generally, all audit and non-audit services provided by Ernst & Young LLP and its affiliates to Autodesk must be pre-approved by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is presented with a detailed listing of the individual audit and non-audit services and fees (separately describing audit-related services, tax services and other services) expected to be provided by Ernst & Young LLP and its affiliates during the year. The Audit Committee is also responsible for the audit fee negotiations associated with Autodesk's retention of Ernst & Young LLP. Periodically, the Audit Committee receives an update of all pre-approved audit and non-audit services conducted, and information regarding any new audit and non-audit services to be provided by Ernst & Young LLP and its affiliates. The Audit Committee reviews the update and approves the proposed services if they are deemed acceptable.

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To ensure prompt handling of unexpected matters, the Chair of the Audit Committee has authority to amend or modify the list of approved audit and non-audit services and fees so long as such additional or amended services do not affect Ernst & Young LLP's independence under applicable SEC rules. The Chair reports any such action taken at subsequent Audit Committee meetings.

Rotation

The Audit Committee periodically reviews and evaluates the performance of Ernst & Young LLP’s lead audit partner, oversees the required rotation of the lead audit partner responsible for our audit, and reviews and considers the selection of the lead audit partner.

At this time, the Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm is in the best interests of Autodesk and its stockholders.

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PROPOSAL THREE - NON-BINDING VOTE TO APPROVE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION

We are asking our stockholders to vote, on a non-binding advisory basis, to approve the compensation of our named executive officers as described in the section titled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” (or “CD&A”) below and the accompanying compensation tables and narrative discussion in this Proxy Statement (a “Say-on-Pay” vote). Stockholders are encouraged to read that information in its entirety to obtain a complete understanding of Autodesk's executive compensation program philosophy, design and linkage to stockholder interests.

Autodesk has designed its compensation programs to reward executives for producing strong results that are aligned with the interests of stockholders. We emphasize variable “long-term” and “at risk” compensation dependent upon prospective financial, strategic and stock price performance and a retrospective assessment of Autodesk's success to determine pay opportunities. In fiscal 2020, 92% of our CEO's and 86% of all other NEOs’ total compensation were variable in nature and “at risk” and 84% of our CEO’s and 77% of all other NEOs’ total compensation consisted of long-term equity.

Fiscal 2020 Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics

The software industry has undergone a transition from developing and selling perpetual licenses of on-premises software to selling subscriptions to access software delivered as a service, through cloud-enabled and mobile applications. Our strategy is to lead the industries we serve to flexible subscription offerings, the convergence of design and make processes, and the insights and automation that can be delivered using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Autodesk offers term-based subscriptions for our products, cloud service offerings, and flexible enterprise business agreements (collectively referred to as "subscription plan").

During fiscal 2020, we continued making progress on the three strategic priorities established by Dr. Anagnost in consultation with the Board: delivering on the promise of subscription, digitizing the company, and re-imagining construction, manufacturing, and production. The success of our business model transition was measured and evidenced by our subscription plan annualized recurring revenue (“ARR”) representing 91% of total ARR at fiscal year-end compared with 80% for fiscal 2019. We met or exceeded our revenue and operating margin targets, and set records for operating and free cash flow, reaching $1.42 billion and $1.36 billion, respectively for fiscal 2020. As we exited fiscal 2020, subscriptions represented approximately 85% of our revenue with maintenance contributing less than 10%. As of the end of fiscal 2020, Autodesk considers its business model transition effectively complete and we are entering the sustainable growth phase of our subscription journey. We continue to invest in our digital infrastructure to improve the digital experience of customers across a range of interactions and to create self-service capabilities for a variety of customer needs. Autodesk’s construction business has shown strong growth, we continue to gain share in manufacturing, our generative design and our Fusion product continue to attract global manufacturing leaders to partner with us, and we are making progress in monetizing our non-compliant users.

To incentivize long-term value creation and strong financial performance as we navigated our transition, our bonus and equity plans incorporated performance metrics that aligned with the key drivers of success during the respective phases of our business model transition and continued to reflect the health of the business coming out of the transition at the end of fiscal 2020.

The following performance metrics were used for our NEOs during fiscal 2020:

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Our executive officers’ continued successful implementation of our business model drove the followingfiscal2020 results:

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee (the “Committee”) considered those performance factors in reaching its decisions regarding pay for the NEOs forfiscal2020.

Stockholder Engagement Regarding Say-on-Pay and Actions Taken

Autodesk and the Committee value the input of our stockholders. In 2019, 95.5% of the votes cast on our Say-on-Pay proposal were favorable, which reflected strong stockholder support for our executive compensation programs. In fiscal 2020, members of our management team continued our annual outreach and contacted stockholders representing in total over 60% of the outstanding shares. Our team met with governance professionals from passive funds as well as portfolio managers from active funds to discuss our executive compensation programs, board composition, diversity and governance. The breadth of the Company’s outreach program enabled us to gather feedback from a significant cross-section of Autodesk’s stockholder base. Based on these discussions, the Committee found that our stockholders continued to be supportive of our executive compensation programs and the alignment between our CEO pay and Autodesk’s performance. The Committee carefully considered stockholder feedback as part of its ongoing review of our executive compensation programs, design and metrics.

Compensation Guiding Principles

The executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate, and retain talented executives and provide a rigorous framework that is tied to stockholder returns, Company performance, long-term strategic corporate goals, and individual performance. The general compensation objectives are to:

Within this framework, the total compensation for each executive officer varies based on multiple dimensions:

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Executive compensation is variable and balanced between short- and long-term performance, all of which is tied to Autodesk's absolute and relative financial and stock price performance.

CEO	Other NEOs

Our executive compensation program emphasizes variable compensation with both annual and long-term performance components. In fiscal 2020, 92% of our CEO's and 86% of all other NEOs’ total compensation was variable in nature and “at risk” and 84% of our CEO’s and 77% of all other NEOs’ total compensation consisted of long-term equity. Our incentive programs reward strong annual financial and operational performance, as well as relative TSR over one-, two-, and three-year performance periods.

Leading Compensation Governance Practices

Autodesk’s executive compensation objectives are supported by policies and strong governance practices that align executives’ interests with the interests of our stockholders. Some of the program’s most notable features are highlighted in the table below and summarized in the CD&A.

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Vote Recommendation

When casting the 2020 Say-on-Pay vote, we encourage our stockholders to consider our fiscal 2020 stockholder outreach and the collective changes we have made to the executive compensation program in recent years to more closely align the total direct compensation opportunity of the named executive officers with Autodesk's objectives of driving meaningful annual financial growth and maximizing long-term value. Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote “FOR” the advisory, non-binding Say-on-Pay proposal at the Annual Meeting.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Autodesk is committed to the highest standards of corporate ethics and diligent compliance with financial accounting and reporting rules. Our Board provides independent leadership in the exercise of its responsibilities. Our executive officers oversee a strong system of internal controls and compliance with corporate policies and applicable laws and regulations. Our employees operate in a climate of responsibility, candor and integrity.

Corporate Governance Guidelines; Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We believe the highest standards of corporate governance and business conduct are essential to running our business efficiently, serving our stockholders well, and maintaining our integrity in the marketplace. Over the years, we have devoted substantial attention to the subject of corporate governance and have developed Corporate Governance Guidelines (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines set forth the principles that guide our Board's exercise of its responsibility to oversee corporate governance, maintain its independence, evaluate its own performance and the performance of our executive officers, and set corporate strategy. On a regular basis, the Board reviews our governance practices, corporate governance developments and stockholder feedback to ensure continued effectiveness.

The Board first adopted the Guidelines in December 1995 and has refined them periodically since.

The Guidelines are available on our website atwww.autodesk.comunder “Investor Relations-Corporate Governance.”

In addition, we have adopted a Code of Business Conduct for directors and employees, and a Code of Ethics for Senior Executive and Financial Officers, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, all senior vice presidents, and all individuals reporting to our principal financial officer, to ensure that our business is conducted in a consistently legal and ethical manner. Our current Code of Business Conduct and Code of Ethics for Senior Executive and Financial Officers are available on our website atwww.autodesk.comunder “Investor Relations-Corporate Governance.” We will post on this section of our website any amendment to our Code of Business Conduct or Code of Ethics for Senior Executive and Financial Officers, as well as any waivers of these Codes that are required to be disclosed by the rules of the SEC or The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”).

Stock Ownership Guidelines

The Board believes directors and executive officers should have a meaningful financial stake in Autodesk in order to further align their interests with Autodesk’s stockholders. To that end, the Board has adopted mandatory ownership guidelines for the directors and executive officers. These mandatory ownership guidelines require all executive officers and directors to hold

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shares of Autodesk’s Common Stock equivalent in value to a multiple of his or her base salary or cash retainer. The current stock ownership guidelines are as follows:

The Board reviews progress against these guidelines and requirements annually and updates them as appropriate. See the section titled “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis” below for additional information regarding Autodesk's stock ownership guidelines.

Independence of the Board

As required by applicable Nasdaq listing standards, a majority of the members of our Board qualify as “independent.” The Board has determined that, with the exception of Andrew Anagnost, our President and CEO, all of its members are “independent directors” as that term is defined by applicable Nasdaq listing standards. That definition includes a series of objective tests, including that the director is not an employee of the company and has not engaged in various types of business dealings with the company.

In addition, as further required by applicable Nasdaq listing standards, the Board has made a subjective determination as to each independent director that no relationships exist that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In making its independence determinations, the Board considered that Mr. Milligan is a former executive officer and Mr. French a former member of the board of directors at entities that have arms-length, ordinary course commercial relationships with Autodesk and that amounts paid or received by those entities for products or services in fiscal 2020 were not material. The Board determined that the foregoing relationships would not interfere with the exercise of independent judgment by Messrs. French and Milligan in carrying out their responsibilities as directors.

The independent directors meet regularly in executive session, without executive officers present, as part of the quarterly meeting procedure. The Chairman presides at executive sessions, which are intended to facilitate open discussion among the independent directors.

Outside Board Memberships

We have a highly experienced and engaged Board of Directors. We value the diverse perspectives that our directors’ outside board memberships bring to our boardroom. Directors who serve on other public company boards offer advice and insights with regard to the dynamics and operation of a Board of Directors, the relations of a board with senior management and oversight of a changing mix of strategic, operational and compliance-related matters.

However, in order to ensure sufficient time and attention to meet the responsibilities of Board membership, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, as amended in March 2020, state that directors shall serve on no more than four boards of directors of publicly traded companies, including this Board, without consent of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Per our corporate governance guidelines, directors shall advise the Chairman of the Board or the Lead Independent Director, as applicable, and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee before accepting an invitation to serve on an additional for-profit corporate board of directors. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews on an annual basis, in the context of recommending a slate of directors for stockholder approval, the composition of the Board, including matters such as other board commitments.

Board Meetings and Board Committees

The Board held a total of five meetings (including regularly scheduled and special meetings) during fiscal 2020. Each director then serving attended 100% of the total number of meetings of the Board and committees of which he or she was a member during fiscal 2020. The Board currently has three standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation and Human Resources Committee, and a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Each committee has adopted a written charter

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approved by the Board. All three charters are available on Autodesk's website atwww.autodesk.comunder “Investor Relations-Corporate Governance.”

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee, which has been established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), currently consists of Betsy Rafael (Chair), Karen Blasing, and Stephen Milligan, each of whom is “independent” as such term is defined for audit committee members by applicable Nasdaq listing standards. The Board has determined that each current member of the Audit Committee is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in the rules of the SEC. Upon completion of the Annual Meeting, Dr. Howard will join the Audit Committee; she is “independent” as such term is defined for audit committee members by applicable Nasdaq listing standards.

The Audit Committee held eight meetings during fiscal 2020.

See “Report of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors” on page 64 for more information regarding the functions of the Audit Committee.

Compensation and Human Resources Committee

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee currently consists of Mary T. McDowell (Chair), Reid French and Blake Irving, each of whom qualifies as independent for compensation committee purposes under applicable Nasdaq listing standards, the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and SEC Rule 16b-3.

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee reviews compensation and benefits for our executive officers and has authority to grant stock options, RSUs and PSUs to executive officers and non-executive employees under our stock plans. As non-employee directors, the members of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee are not eligible to participate in Autodesk’s discretionary employee stock programs. RSUs are granted automatically to non-employee directors under the non-discretionary 2012 Outside Directors' Stock Plan.

See the section titled “Executive Compensation-Compensation Discussion and Analysis” below for a description of Autodesk's processes and procedures for determining executive compensation. The Compensation and Human Resources Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees when appropriate.

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee held five meetings during fiscal 2020.

The “Compensation Committee Report” is included in this Proxy Statement on page 45.

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee currently consists of Lorrie M. Norrington (Chair) and Stacy J. Smith, each of whom qualifies as an independent director under applicable Nasdaq listing standards.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for developing general criteria regarding the qualifications and selection of members of the Board, and for recommending candidates for election to the Board. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee also is responsible for developing overall governance guidelines, overseeing the performance of the Board, and reviewing and making recommendations regarding director composition and the mandates of Board committees. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider recommendations of candidates for the Board submitted by Autodesk stockholders. For more information, see the section titled “Corporate Governance-Nominating Process for Recommending Candidates for Election to the Board” below.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee held five meetings during fiscal 2020.

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Board Leadership Structure

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines direct the Board to fill the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer positions after considering a number of factors, including the current size of our business, composition of the Board, current candidates for such positions, and our succession planning goals. Currently, we separate the positions of Chief Executive Officer and non-executive Chairman of the Board. Since June 2018, Mr. Smith has served as our non-executive Chairman of the Board. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines also provide that, in the event the Chairman of the Board is not an independent director, the Board must elect a “Lead Independent Director.” The responsibilities of the Chairman of the Board or the Lead Independent Director include setting the agenda for each meeting of the Board, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer; presiding at executive sessions; and facilitating communication with the Board, executive officers and stockholders.

Separating the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board allows our President and Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing the Chairman of the Board to lead the Board in its fundamental role of providing independent advice to, and oversight of, management. The Board believes that having an independent director serve as Chairman is the appropriate leadership structure for Autodesk at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.

In addition, as described above, our Board has three standing committees consisting entirely of independent directors. The Board delegates substantial responsibility to these committees, which report their activities and actions back to the full Board. We believe having independent committees with independent chairpersons is an important aspect of the leadership structure of our Board.

Risk Oversight

Our Board, as a whole and through its committees, is responsible for the oversight of risk management. Our executive officers are responsible for the day-to-day management of the material risks Autodesk faces. In its oversight role, our Board must satisfy itself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by our executive officers are adequate and functioning as designed. The involvement of the full Board in setting our business strategy at least annually is a key part of its oversight of risk management, its consideration of our executive officers' appetite for risk, and its determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of risk. The full Board receives updates from our executive officers and outside advisers regarding certain risks Autodesk faces, including litigation, cyber security, data privacy, corporate governance best practices and various operating risks.

In addition, each Board committee oversees certain aspects of risk management. For example, our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks associated with Autodesk's financial reporting, accounting and auditing matters; our Compensation and Human Resources Committee oversees our executive officer succession planning and risks associated with our compensation policies and programs; and our Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee oversees the management of risks associated with director independence, conflicts of interest, composition and organization of our Board, and director succession planning. Board committees report their findings to the full Board.

Senior executive officers attend all meetings of the Board and its standing committees and are available to address any questions or concerns raised by the Board regarding risk management and any other matters. Annually, the Board holds strategic planning sessions with senior executive officers to discuss strategies, key challenges, and risks and opportunities for Autodesk.

Education, Sustainability and Philanthropic Programs

Education

Autodesk is committed to helping fuel a lifelong passion for design and making among students of all ages, both within and outside the classroom. We offer free educational licenses of Autodesk's professional software to students, educators, and accredited educational institutions worldwide. We inspire and support beginners with Tinkercad, a simple online 3D design and 3D printing tool. Through Autodesk Design Academy, we provide secondary and postsecondary schools hundreds of standards-aligned class projects to support design-based disciplines in Science, Technology, Engineering, Digital Arts, and Math (STEAM) using Autodesk's professional-grade design, engineering and entertainment software. Autodesk Design Academy curricula is also syndicated on iTunes U and Udemy, where millions of students go to learn online. Classes and projects are

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available on our Instructables website for anyone looking to expand their "making" skills. Our intention is to make Autodesk software ubiquitous and the design and making software of choice for those poised to become the next generation of professional users.

Sustainability Programs

To help our customers imagine, design, and make a better world, our sustainability initiatives focus our efforts on the areas where we can have the greatest positive impact: enabling sustainable practices through our products, delivering free sustainable-design learning and training resources, providing software grants to qualifying nonprofits and entrepreneurs, and leading by example with our sustainable business practices. Through our products and services, we are supporting our customers to better understand and improve the environmental performance of everything they make.

Climate Change

In addressing the global challenges posed by climate change, we make it possible for our customers to innovate and respond to associated changes in regulation, building code, physical climate parameters and other climate-related developments. This effort can directly and indirectly create more demand for existing and new Autodesk products and services in the short and long-term. Furthermore, our leadership is committed to taking climate action and that commitment goes hand-in-hand with our values and reputation in the marketplace.

Climate Change Management Actions

To drive continued progress and meet growing demand, we continue to expand the solutions, education, and support we offer, helping customers secure a competitive advantage for a low-carbon future by designing high-performance buildings, resilient cities and infrastructure, and more efficient transportation and products. To continue to grow this market, we provide software and support to early stage entrepreneurs and start-up companies who are designing clean technologies. We plan to expand these offerings in the future based upon demand and opportunity in response to challenges posed by climate change.

Internally, we are investing in best practices to mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions and climate change risk through investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, disaster management and recovery strategies, and materials innovation. We are on track to meet our previously announced goal of science-based greenhouse gas reduction target of 43% absolute emissions by the end of fiscal 2020 and have announced a new commitment to being net-zero emissions by the end of fiscal 2021. Our results will be published in our fiscal 2020 sustainability report in the second quarter of fiscal 2021.

Climate Change Governance

With oversight from our CEO, the Sustainability & Foundation Team has direct responsibility for setting and implementing our corporate sustainability strategy, including our climate change strategy.

Emissions Performance & Other Key Performance Indicators

By end of fiscal 2019, Autodesk had reduced its net greenhouse gas emissions for its operational boundary by 41% from our fiscal year 2009 baseline to 178,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This reduction was accomplished through increased investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency in our global real estate portfolio and investments with our customers to create carbon avoidance projects that generate verified emission reduction credits. More information about our sustainability commitment can be found in our annual sustainability reports, which we have published on our website since 2008. Our fiscal 2020 sustainability report will be published in the second quarter of fiscal 2021.

Philanthropy

The Autodesk Foundation (the "Foundation"), a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization established and solely funded by us, leads our philanthropic efforts. The purpose of the Foundation is twofold: to support employees to create a better world at work, at home, and in the community by matching employees' volunteer time and/or donations to nonprofit organizations; and to support organizations and individuals using design to drive positive social and environmental impact. In the latter case, we use grant funding, software donations, and training to accomplish this goal, selecting the most impactful and innovative organizations around the world, thus, leading to a better future for our planet. On our behalf, the Foundation also administers a discounted software donation program to nonprofit organizations, social and environmental entrepreneurs, and others who are developing design solutions that will shape a more sustainable future.

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Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

The current members of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee are Mary T. McDowell, Reid French and Blake Irving. In addition, Crawford W. Beveridge served on the committee for part of fiscal 2020. No director who served as a member of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee during fiscal 2020 is or was formerly an officer or employee of Autodesk or any of its subsidiaries. No interlocking relationship existed between any director who served as a member of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee during fiscal 2020 and the compensation committee of any other company, nor has any such interlocking relationship existed in the past.

Board Evaluations

The Board recognizes that a robust and constructive evaluation process is an essential part of good corporate governance and Board effectiveness. The evaluation process used by the Board is designed to assess the effectiveness and needs of the Board and its committees as well as individual director performance and contribution levels. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee considers the results of the annual evaluations in connection with its review of director nominees to ensure the Board continues to operate effectively. The evaluation results also are used to provide feedback to Board committees and individual directors. In fiscal 2020, the board used the services of third-party corporate governance experts in relation to the directors’ self-evaluation and peer evaluation questionnaires and to conduct individual director interviews. The evaluation process provides valuable information for the Chairman and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee to consider during the board evaluation process and on a go-forward basis to enhance board effectiveness.

Nominating Process for Recommending Candidates for Election to the Board

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for, among other things, determining the criteria for membership on the Board and recommending candidates for election to the Board. It is the policy of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee to consider recommendations for candidates to the Board from stockholders. Stockholder recommendations for candidates to the Board must be directed in writing to Autodesk, Inc., 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, California 94903, Attention: Chief Legal Officer, and must include the candidate's name, home and business contact information, detailed biographical data and qualifications; information regarding any relationships between the candidate and Autodesk within the last three years; and evidence that the nominating person owns Autodesk stock.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s criteria and process for evaluating and identifying the candidates that it selects, or recommends to the full Board for selection, as director nominees are as follows:

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The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee does not have a formal written policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees. However, as discussed above, diversity is one of the numerous criteria the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews before recommending a candidate. When searching for new directors, our Board endeavors to actively seek out highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups to include in the pool from which Board nominees are chosen. Our Board aims to create a team of directors with diverse experiences and backgrounds to provide our complex, global company with thoughtful and engaged board oversight. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee assesses the effectiveness of its diversity efforts through periodic evaluations of the Board’s composition.

Attendance at Annual Stockholders' Meetings by Directors

Autodesk does not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of the Board at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Directors are encouraged, but not required, to attend. All of our directors then serving attended the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders either in person or telephonically.

Contacting the Board

Communications from stockholders to the non-employee directors should be addressed to the non-executive Chairman as follows: Autodesk, Inc., c/o Chief Legal Officer, 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, California 94903, Attention: Non-Executive Chairman.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Throughout this proxy statement, the individuals included in the Summary Compensation Table and Narrative Disclosure beginning on page 46 are referred to as our “named executive officers” or “NEOs.” For fiscal 2020, our NEOs were:

The information in this discussion provides perspective and narrative analysis relating to, and should be read along with, the executive compensation tables beginning on page 46.

Our Compensation Discussion and Analysis provides an overview of our business performance in fiscal 2020, highlights the key components and structure of our executive compensation program, discusses the principles underlying our compensation policies and procedures, and addresses other matters we believe explain and demonstrate our performance-based compensation philosophy. Since it primarily describes the results of our executive compensation program for fiscal 2020, it does not address the impact of the coronavirus (or COVID-19) on the global economy, our business and financial results for fiscal 2021, or our executive compensation results for fiscal 2021. The Compensation Committee has considered the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic when reviewing certain fiscal 2021 executive compensation programs, as briefly discussed below. A more complete discussion of the decisions regarding and results of our fiscal 2021 executive compensation program will be included in our proxy statement for next year’s annual meeting.

Executive Summary

Fiscal 2020 Strategic Priorities and Performance Metrics

The software industry has undergone a transition from developing and selling perpetual licenses of on-premises software to selling subscriptions to access software delivered as a service, through cloud-enabled and mobile applications. Our strategy is to lead the industries we serve to flexible subscription offerings, the convergence of design and make processes, and the insights and automation that can be delivered using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Autodesk offers term-based subscriptions for our products, cloud service offerings, and flexible enterprise business agreements (collectively referred to as "subscription plan").

During fiscal 2020, we continued making progress on the three strategic priorities established by Dr. Anagnost in consultation with the Board: delivering on the promise of subscription, digitizing the company, and re-imagining construction, manufacturing, and production. The success of our business model transition was measured and evidenced by our subscription plan annualized recurring revenue (“ARR”) representing 91% of total ARR at fiscal year-end compared with 80% for fiscal 2019. We met or exceeded our revenue and operating margin targets, and set records for operating and free cash flow, reaching $1.42 billion and $1.36 billion, respectively for fiscal 2020. As we exited fiscal 2020, subscriptions represented approximately 85% of our revenue, with maintenance contributing less than 10%. As of the end of fiscal 2020, Autodesk considers its business model transition effectively complete and we are entering the sustainable growth phase of our subscription journey. We continue to invest in our digital infrastructure to improve the digital experience of customers across a range of interactions and to create self-service capabilities for a variety of customer needs. Autodesk’s construction business has shown strong growth, we continue to gain share in manufacturing, our generative design and our Fusion product continue to attract global manufacturing leaders to partner with us, and we are making progress in monetizing our non-compliant users.

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To incentivize long-term value creation and strong financial performance as we navigated our transition, our bonus and equity plans incorporated performance metrics that aligned with the key drivers of success during the respective phases of our business model transition and continued to reflect the health of the business coming out of the transition at the end of fiscal 2020. In fiscal 2019 the Compensation Committee established metrics that drove and aligned with progress toward completion of the business model transition, and the Committee believes that overall these metrics continued to reflect the health of our business and drive long-term value creation. Thus, the fiscal 2020 metrics are consistent with those for fiscal 2019, with the exception of Free Cash Flow per share which was replaced with Free Cash Flow for fiscal 2020 in order to better align incentives with corporate goals communicated internally and externally.

The following performance metrics were used for our NEOs during fiscal 2020:

Our executive officers’ continued successful implementation of our business model drove the following fiscal2020results including those related to specific performance metrics above:

The Committee considered these performance metrics in reaching its decisions regarding pay for the NEOs for fiscal 2020.

Say-on-Pay Results and Stockholder Outreach

Autodesk and the Committee value the input of our stockholders. In 2019, 95.5% of the votes cast on our Say-on-Pay proposal were favorable, which reflected strong stockholder support for our executive compensation programs. In fiscal 2020, members of our management team continued our annual outreach and contacted stockholders representing in total over 60% of the outstanding shares. Our team met with governance professionals from passive funds as well as portfolio managers from active funds to discuss our executive compensation programs, board composition, diversity, and governance. The breadth of our outreach program enabled us to gather feedback from a significant cross-section of Autodesk’s stockholder base. Based on these discussions, the Committee found that our stockholders continued to be supportive of our executive compensation programs and the alignment between executive pay and Autodesk’s performance. The Committee carefully considers stockholder feedback as part of its ongoing review of our executive compensation programs, design and metrics.

Emphasis on Variable “At Risk” Performance Executive Compensation

Our executive compensation program emphasizes variable compensation with both annual and long-term performance components. In fiscal 2020, 92% of our CEO's and 86% of all other NEOs’ total compensation was variable in nature and “at risk” and 84% of our CEO’s and 77% of all other NEOs’ total compensation consisted of long-term equity. Our incentive programs reward strong annual financial and operational performance, as well as relative TSR over one-, two-, and three-year

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performance periods. The charts below demonstrate the fiscal 2020 pay mix between base salary, targeted short-term incentives, and targeted long-term equity compensation for our CEO and all other NEOs.

CEO		Other NEOs

Fiscal 2020 Executive Compensation Decisions

Below is a description of the annual compensation decisions made for our CEO and other NEOs based on results for the just-completed fiscal year.

Compensation Guiding Principles

The Committee believes that Autodesk’s executive compensation program should be designed to attract, motivate, and retain talented executives and should provide a rigorous framework that is tied to stockholder returns, Company performance, long-term strategic corporate goals, and individual performance. The general compensation objectives are to:

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Within this framework, the total compensation for each executive officer varies based on multiple dimensions:

The Compensation-Setting Process

The Committee reviews and approves all components of each executive officer’s compensation.

CEO Pay Decisions

Throughout the year, the Committee and other independent members of the Board, including the Chairman, review the performance of, and provide feedback to the CEO at regularly scheduled meetings and through informal discussions. Annually, the Committee meets and discusses with other independent members of the Board the performance of the CEO in light of corporate goals and objectives. The Committee took this assessment into account, along with competitive compensation data and internal pay parity considerations. The Committee set target levels to be aggressive, yet achievable, with diligent effort during the fiscal year. The Committee formulated recommendations on CEO compensation in consultation with its independent consultant, consulted with the other independent directors, and then approved the CEO compensation.

Executive Officer Pay Decisions

The CEO makes recommendations to the Committee regarding the base salary, annual cash incentive awards, and equity awards for each executive officer other than himself. These recommendations are based on the CEO’s assessment of each executive officer’s performance during the year, competitive compensation data, internal pay parity and retention considerations. The CEO reports on the performance of the executive officers and their business functions during the year in light of corporate goals and objectives. The CEO bases his evaluation on his knowledge of each executive officer’s performance and from others with knowledge of their performance, including feedback provided by the executive officers and their direct reports. The Human Resources Group assists the CEO in assessing each executive officer’s performance and providing market compensation data for each role. In executing the responsibilities set forth in its charter, the Committee relies on a number of resources to provide input to the decision-making process.

Independent Consultant

The Committee retained Exequity LLP as its compensation adviser for fiscal 2020. Exequity provided advice and recommendations on many issues: total compensation philosophy; program design, including program goals, components, and metrics; peer data; compensation trends in the high technology sector and general market for senior executives; separation plans; the compensation of the CEO and the other executive officers; and disclosure of our executive pay programs. The Committee has considered the independence of Exequity in light of Nasdaq's listing standards for compensation committee independence and the rules of the SEC. The Committee requested and received a written confirmation from Exequity addressing the independence of the firm and its senior advisers working with the Committee. The Committee discussed these considerations and concluded that the work performed by Exequity did not raise any conflict of interest.

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Management

The Committee also consults with management and Autodesk’s Human Resources Group regarding executive and non-executive employee compensation plans, including administration of Autodesk’s equity incentive plans.

Competitive Compensation Positioning and Peer Group

To ensure our executive compensation practices are competitive and consistent with the Committee’s guiding principles, Exequity and management provide the Committee with compensation data for each executive role. This data is drawn from a group of companies in relevant industries that compete with Autodesk for executive talent (the “compensation peer group”). The Committee uses this data, as well as information about broader technology industry compensation practices, when deliberating on the compensation of the executive officers.

The compensation peer group is selected based upon multiple criteria, including industry positioning, competition for talent, revenue, market capitalization, financial results and geographic footprint.

The Committee reviews the compensation peer group each year to ensure that the comparisons remain meaningful and relevant.

Based on the Committee’s review, the fiscal 2020 compensation peer group consisted of the following companies:

In September 2019, the Committee reviewed the compensation peer group that would be used for fiscal 2021 compensation decision making. The Committee determined that for fiscal 2021 each of the peers was still appropriate, except for CA, Inc. and Red Hat, Inc., which were acquired in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

When determining the base salary, incentive targets, equity grants and target total direct compensation opportunity for each of our NEOs, the Committee references the median data from our compensation peer group for each component and in the aggregate. In practice, actual compensation awards may be above or below the median levels, depending on Autodesk’s financial and operational performance and each executive officer’s experience, skills and performance. The Committee believes that referencing the total compensation packages of the companies in the compensation peer group keeps Autodesk’s compensation competitive and within market norms. This also provides flexibility for variances in compensation where

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appropriate, based on each executive officer’s leadership, contributions and particular skills or expertise as well as retention considerations.

Principal Elements of the Executive Compensation Program

The principal elements of Autodesk’s annual executive compensation program are described below.

When setting the goals for the short-term incentive opportunity and the PSUs, the Committee considered the overlap of total ARR to be appropriate in light of the critical importance of this goal at the time. ARR has been a key performance metric to assess the health and trajectory of our business and the success of our business model transition. The use of free cash flow and relative TSR over one-, two-, and three-year performance periods against market indices further differentiates PSUs from the short-term incentive program and aligns those awards with the long-term interests of our stockholders.

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Base Salary

Base salary is used to provide the executive officers with a competitive amount of fixed annual cash compensation. The Committee views base salary as a reliable source of income for the executive officers and an important recruiting and retention tool. The Committee sets base salaries at a competitive level that recognizes the scope, responsibility, and skills required of each position, as well as market conditions and internal pay equity.

The Committee considered an analysis of the base salary for each executive role, an assessment of each executive officer’s experience, skills and performance level, and Autodesk’s performance. In particular, the Committee noted that Dr. Anagnost’s base salary was below the median market position of our compensation peer group, and the Committee’s expectation to increase his base salary over time, commensurate with performance. As a result, the Committee elected to increase Dr. Anagnost’s base salary in fiscal 2020 by 3.0% and other NEO base salaries in fiscal 2020 by 2.1% to 12.5%.

Annual Short-Term Incentive Compensation

At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Committee establishes target award opportunities, payout metrics and performance targets for the Autodesk, Inc. Executive Incentive Plan. This annual cash incentive is intended to motivate and reward participants for achieving company-wide annual financial and non-financial objectives as well as individual objectives.

Target Award Opportunities and Fiscal 2020 Executive Incentive Plan

The Committee sets the target annual cash incentive award opportunity for each eligible executive officer based on competitive assessments, the executive’s particular role, and internal parity considerations. Based on the Committee’s review of these factors, the Committee set the fiscal 2020 cash incentive target for each of the NEOs at the same percentage as it was in fiscal 2019. These target opportunities are expressed as a percentage of the NEO’s annualized base salary and range from 75% to 125%. A NEO may receive an earned award that is greater or less than the target award opportunity, depending upon Autodesk’s and the NEO's performance.

In fiscal 2020, bonus awards for each of our NEOs were funded under the Autodesk, Inc. Executive Incentive Plan (“fiscal 2020 EIP”). At the beginning of the fiscal year, the Committee established funding performance thresholds, which, if achieved, would establish the maximum fiscal 2020 EIP funding at 200% of target. For fiscal 2020, the Committee selected total ARR, non-GAAP operating income, and absolute TSR as the funding metrics. Autodesk’s fiscal 2020 performance of $3,429 million in total ARR, $803 million in non-GAAP operating income and 36% in TSR (based on a 31-day average closing stock price at the beginning and end of fiscal 2020) exceeded the funding threshold, resulting in the maximum bonus award funding for each executive. The Committee then exercised its negative discretion to reduce the actual bonus awards for each of the participants based on pre-established performance measures (as described below).

Company Performance Measures and Performance

At the beginning of fiscal 2020, the Committee approved fiscal 2020 EIP performance measures to align our CEO’s and other NEOs’ bonus opportunities with our strategic priorities. The metrics selected align our incentives with the key drivers of success. In its exercise of negative discretion, the Committee considered the performance attainment versus specific pre-established performance targets to determine payouts. For the CEO and other NEOs, the Committee assessed the performance of Autodesk against targets set at the beginning of the fiscal year based on the criteria below; the final award could range from 0% to 200% of the target award. This calculation yielded a bonus payout of 87.0% of target, as shown below:

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Based on the level of achievement of the performance objectives, in March 2020 the Committee approved short-term incentive awards for the NEOs as follows:

Fiscal 2021 Executive Incentive Plan

In fiscal 2021, the bonus awards for each of our NEOs will continue to be determined under the Autodesk, Inc. Executive Incentive Plan. Near the beginning of the fiscal year, the Committee established revenue, non-GAAP operating income and absolute TSR as the funding metrics.

If the funding metrics are achieved, in its exercise of discretion, the Committee will consider the performance attainment versus specific targets to determine payouts. The Committee will assess Autodesk's financial and operational performance based on the following metrics and weighting:

The Committee believes that the metrics selected for fiscal 2021 will align our incentives with the key drivers of success. The final awards for our NEOs could range from 0% to 200% of target, depending on achieved performance level. The Committee’s choice of metrics was also driven by stockholder feedback to minimize the overlap of metrics between the bonus and equity plans but considered the overlap of total revenue to be appropriate in light of the critical importance of this goal as we exit the business model transition and enter the growth phase of our business. For fiscal 2021, in consideration of the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee mitigated the impact of such uncertainty by reducing complexity, focusing on revenue as a significant performance metric, and retaining discretion over the bonus that otherwise would be payable based on actual performance, but in any event not to exceed allowable plan maximums.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation

Autodesk uses long-term incentive compensation in the form of equity awards to align executive pay opportunities with stockholder value creation, and to motivate and reward executive officers for effectively executing longer-term strategic and operational objectives.

March 2019 Equity Awards

During fiscal 2020, the Committee approved annual equity awards in the form of PSUs and RSUs for the NEOs. The Committee elected to use the following mix of PSUs and RSUs to complement the performance aspects of PSUs with the long-term retention component of RSUs. In doing so, the Committee increased the PSU level for other NEOs to 60% to be consistent with the PSU level for the CEO.

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CEO		Other NEOs

In arriving at the total number of PSUs and RSUs to award to an executive officer in fiscal 2020, the Committee considered Autodesk’s performance in fiscal 2019, competitive market data for the executive’s position, historical grants, unvested equity, individual performance of the executive and internal pay parity. At that time, the Committee noted Autodesk’s progress toward completion of the business model transition, which was indicative of strong execution and positioned us well for continued stockholder value creation. Key performance indicators reflecting progress in fiscal 2019 included:

As a result of this analysis, the following equity awards were approved:

PSU Awards

The current PSU design was adopted following extensive stockholder outreach and incorporates a number of features stockholders identified as being most important, namely, multiple performance metrics, TSR relative to peers, and a multi-year measurement period.

The PSU awards provide for a minimum, target and maximum number of shares to be earned based upon predetermined performance criteria.

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Performance Results for the relevant performance period could result in PSU attainment of 0% to 150% of target. Once the Performance Results percentage is established, it is multiplied by a percentage ranging from 67% to 133%, depending on Autodesk’s Relative TSR for the period. The combined impact of these performance criteria is that PSUs could be earned from 0% to 200% of target. The chart below illustrates the attainment mechanics for the PSUs approved in fiscal 2020.

An executive who has received PSU grants in three successive years will have a portion of the total PSU shares vesting in that third year be based on the combination of 3-year, 2-year and 1-year Relative TSR (see “Vesting of PSUs” below for an illustration of this cumulative effect of multiple PSU grants).

RSU Awards

March 2019: The time-based RSU awards granted to the CEO and NEOs in March 2019 vest in three equal annual installments from the date of grant. RSUs help us retain executives in a competitive environment and provide further incentive to focus on longer-term stockholder value creation.

Vesting of PSUs in 2020

In March 2020, the Committee reviewed and certified the attainment levels for performance measures for the third tranche of PSUs awarded in March 2017, the second tranche of PSUs awarded in March 2018, and the first tranche of PSUs awarded in March 2019. For each award, the Committee measured the following performance:

Fiscal 2020 financial goal attainment versus target was based on the criteria below:

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Autodesk’s Relative TSR was based on:

The combination of financial attainment and Relative TSR results yielded the following PSU attainments:

Based on this performance, the PSU awards were earned as follows:

Vesting of CEO Promotion Stock

In June 2017, in connection with his promotion to President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Anagnost received a grant of PSUs and RSUs. For the PSU grants, the number of shares vesting is based on Autodesk’s fiscal 2020 free cash flow per share and ARR performance.

Fiscal 2020 financial goal attainment versus target was based on the criteria below:

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Based on this performance, the PSU awards were earned as follows:

April 2020 Equity Awards

In April 2020, the Committee approved a mix of PSUs and RSUs for each of our NEOs. The fiscal 2021 PSU awards are structured in the same manner as the fiscal 2020 PSU awards; however, financial performance will be measured based on the following metric:

The payout for financial performance will continue to range from 0% - 200%. The Committee selected total revenue as the performance metric to align the company's incentives with this key driver of stockholder value and based on stockholder feedback to minimize the overlap of metrics between the bonus and equity plans. The Committee determined the overlap of total revenue to be appropriate for the reasons discussed above in the section titled, "Fiscal 2021 Executive Incentive Plan." In consideration of the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Compensation Committee mitigated the impact of such uncertainty by reducing complexity, focusing on revenue as the sole performance metric and retaining discretion over the PSUs that otherwise would be payable based on actual performance, but in any event not to exceed allowable plan maximums.

The financial performance results will continue to be adjusted based on Autodesk’s Relative TSR over one-, two- and three-year performance periods with a the relative TSR payout range of 67% - 133%. Relative TSR will be measured against companies in the S&P North American Technology Software Index with a market capitalization over $2B.

For fiscal 2021, the Committee elected to grant our NEOs 60% their annual equity in PSUs and 40% in RSUs to align their compensation with Company performance as shown below:

CEO		Other NEOs

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Executive Benefits

Welfare and Other Employee Benefits

Benefits provided to the executive officers are generally the same as those provided to all other eligible Autodesk employees. In the U.S., these benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, short-term disability salary continuation, long-term disability insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, basic life insurance coverage, and various paid time off and leaves of absence programs.

Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits

Autodesk does not, as a general practice, provide material benefits or special considerations to the executive officers that it does not provide to other employees. However, from time to time, when deemed appropriate by the Committee, certain executive officers receive perquisites and other personal benefits that are competitively prudent or otherwise in Autodesk’s best interest.

Employment Agreement and Post-Employment Compensation

Employment Agreement with CEO

The terms and conditions of Dr. Anagnost’s employment are set forth in his June 2017 employment agreement, which defines the respective rights of Autodesk and Dr. Anagnost. This agreement provided general protection for Dr. Anagnost in the event of termination without cause or resignation for good reason and has been a valuable tool to incentivize Dr. Anagnost to become our CEO and retain his services. The protections afforded to him in the event of a change of control provide Autodesk with an increased level of confidence that he would remain with Autodesk up to and for some period of time after a change of control. Continuity in the event of a change in control ultimately enhances stockholder value and discourages benefits simply for consummating a change in control. Details of the agreement with Dr. Anagnost can be found beginning on page 52.

Severance Plan

During fiscal 2019, the Committee adopted the Autodesk, Inc. Severance Plan to establish standard executive severance terms and minimize the need to negotiate individualized executive severance terms in the future. Each of the NEOs (other than our CEO), as well as our other Senior Vice Presidents, is a participant in the plan. If a participant’s employment is terminated without cause, or if a participant terminates his or her employment for good reason, then, in addition to payment of accrued base salary and vacation and any previously awarded but unpaid bonus, the participant is eligible to receive the following benefits:

All payments and other benefits under the Autodesk, Inc. Severance Plan are subject to applicable withholding obligations, the

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participant’s granting of a release of all claims, and compliance with certain non-disparagement, non-solicitation and confidentiality covenants.

An estimate of the potential payments and benefits payable in the event of a termination of employment other than for cause or good reason are set forth in “Change-in-Control Arrangements, Severance Plan and Employment Agreement -- Severance Plan” below.

Change in Control Program

To ensure the continued service of key executive officers in the event of a potential change in control of Autodesk, the Board has adopted the Autodesk, Inc. Executive Change in Control Program. Each of the NEOs, among other employees, is a participant in the program. The payments and benefits available under this program are designed to encourage the continued services of the NEOs in the event of a potential change in control of Autodesk and to allow for a smooth leadership transition thereafter. Further, these arrangements are intended to provide incentives to the NEOs to execute strategic initiatives that are aligned with stockholder value creation, even if these initiatives may result in the elimination of a NEO’s position.

The Executive Change in Control Program provides continuity in the event of a change in control transaction, which is designed to further enhance stockholder value. Payment and benefits under the Executive Change in Control Program are provided only in the event of a qualifying termination of employment following a change in control (“double trigger”). Autodesk does not offer tax reimbursement or “gross-up” payments under the Executive Change in Control Program.

The material terms and conditions of the Executive Change in Control Program, as well as an estimate of the potential payments and benefits payable in the event of a termination of employment in connection with a change in control of Autodesk, are set forth in “Change-in-Control Arrangements, Severance Plan and Employment Agreement” below.

Retirement Provisions in RSU and PSU Agreements

To ensure the continued long-term service of key executive officers through an orderly retirement, the Board has adopted retirement provisions in RSU and PSU agreements entered into with executive officers starting in March 2019. Each of the NEOs, among other employees, is eligible to participate in the program. The retirement benefit available under this program is limited to partial continued vesting of outstanding RSUs and PSUs following a qualified retirement and is designed to encourage the continued long-term services of the NEOs and to allow for a smooth leadership transition upon their retirement.

Continued vesting under the retirement provisions in RSU and PSU agreements is provided only in the event of a qualifying retirement.

The material terms and conditions of the retirement provisions, as well as an estimate of the potential benefit payable in the event of a qualifying retirement, are set forth in “Change-in-Control Arrangements, Severance Plan, Retirement Arrangements and Employment Agreement” below.

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Leading Compensation Governance Practices

Autodesk’s executive compensation objectives are supported by policies and strong governance practices that align executives’ interests with the interests of our stockholders. Some of the program’s most notable features are highlighted in the table and summarized below.

Mandatory Stock Ownership Guidelines

The Board believes that stock ownership by the executive officers is important to tie the risks and rewards inherent in stock ownership to the executive officers, and has adopted mandatory guidelines for stock ownership by executive officers. These mandatory ownership guidelines require each executive officer to hold shares of Autodesk’s Common Stock equivalent in value to a multiple of his or her base salary at the appropriate executive officer level. This is intended to create clear guidelines that tie a portion of the executive officer’s net worth to the performance of Autodesk’s stock price. The current stock ownership guidelines are as follows:

Executive officers have four years from the later of either (i) March 2017 or (ii) their hire or promotion to a new, higher-level position, to satisfy the required level of stock ownership. For purposes of satisfying the required stock ownership level, shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding RSU awards are counted as shares owned. Upon the most recent periodic review of attainment, each of the NEOs satisfied the mandatory stock ownership guidelines.

Clawback Policy

Executive officer cash incentive-based compensation may be recovered at the discretion of the Board if an executive officer has engaged in fraudulent or other intentional misconduct and the misconduct caused a material restatement of our financial statements.

Derivatives Trading and Anti-Hedging Policy

Executive officers, members of the Board, and all other employees are prohibited from investing in derivative securities related to Autodesk’s Common Stock and engaging in short sales or other short-position transactions in shares of Autodesk’s Common Stock. This policy does not restrict ownership of company-granted awards, such as options to purchase shares of Common Stock or PSU or RSU awards, which have been granted by the Committee. Autodesk’s insider trading policy prohibits the trading of derivatives or the hedging of Autodesk’s common equity securities by all employees, including the executive officers, and members of the Board.

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Equity Award Grant Policy

All equity awards granted to the executive officers are approved by the Committee. Approval of the equity awards for the executive officers generally occurs at the Committee’s regularly scheduled quarterly meeting although on occasion the Committee has approved new-hire, retention or promotion grants outside of that cycle.

Effective Risk Management

Each year, the Committee evaluates Autodesk’s compensation-related risk profile and the Committee has concluded that our fiscal 2020 compensation policies and practices did not create risks that were reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Autodesk.

Regulatory Considerations and Practices

Autodesk continuously reviews and evaluates the impact of the tax laws and accounting practices and related interpretations on the executive compensation program. For example, the Committee considers Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“ASC Topic 718”), which results in recognition of compensation expense for share-based payment awards, and Section 409A of the Code, which affects deferred compensation arrangements, as it evaluates, structures, and implements changes to the program.

Deductibility Limitation

Section 162(m) of the Code limits the deductibility of compensation in excess of $1 million paid to any one NEO during any fiscal year. Under the rules in effect before calendar 2018, compensation that qualified as “performance-based” under Section 162(m) was deductible without regard to this $1 million limit. To maintain flexibility in compensating executives in a manner designed to promote varying corporate goals, the Committee did not adopt a policy requiring all compensation to be deductible under Section 162(m) and continues to reserve the right to structure compensation arrangements and issue awards that may not be deductible under Section 162(m). However, the Committee historically has considered, among other factors, deductibility under Section 162(m) with respect to compensation arrangements for executives. Prior to 2018, we generally designed our annual and long-term incentive compensation programs for executives in a manner that was intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), with the understanding that these programs may not qualify from time to time.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law December 22, 2017, eliminated the performance-based compensation exception under Section 162(m), effective January 1, 2018, subject to a special rule that “grandfathers” certain awards and arrangements that were in effect on or before November 2, 2017. As a result, compensation that our Committee structured in calendar 2017 and prior years with the intent of qualifying as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) that is paid on or after January 1, 2018 may not be fully deductible, depending on the application of the special grandfather rules. Moreover, after January 1, 2018, compensation awarded in excess of $1 million to our NEOs, including our chief financial officer, generally will not be deductible. While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will limit the deductibility of compensation paid to our NEOs, our Committee will, consistent with its past practice, continue to retain flexibility to design compensation programs that are in the best long-term interests of Autodesk and our stockholders, with deductibility of compensation being one of a variety of considerations taken into account. We continue to analyze whether to redesign any of our compensation programs in light of the amendments to Section 162(m) and other sections of the that became effective in 2018.

Taxation of Deferred Compensation

Section 409A of the Code imposes significant additional taxes in the event an executive officer, director, or service provider receives “deferred compensation” that does not satisfy the restrictive conditions of the provision. Section 409A applies to a wide range of compensation arrangements, including traditional nonqualified deferred compensation plans, certain equity awards, and separation arrangements. To assist employees with avoiding additional taxes under Section 409A, Autodesk has structured equity awards in a manner intended to comply with the applicable Section 409A conditions.

Taxation of “Golden Parachute” Payments

Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code provide that executive officers and directors who hold significant equity interests and certain other service providers may be subject to an excise tax if, in connection with a change in control, they receive payments or benefits that exceed certain prescribed limits. In addition, the relevant company or a successor may forfeit a deduction on the

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amounts subject to this additional tax. Autodesk did not provide any executive officer with a “gross-up” or other reimbursement payment for any tax liability the executive might owe as a result of the application of Sections 280G or 4999 during fiscal 2019. In addition, Autodesk has not agreed and is not otherwise obligated to provide any NEO with such a “gross-up” or other reimbursement or to otherwise address the application of Sections 280G or 4999 in connection with payments or benefits arising from a change in control.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

Autodesk follows ASC Topic 718 for stock-based compensation awards. ASC Topic 718 requires Autodesk to measure the compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees (including executive officers) and members of the Board, including options to purchase shares of Common Stock, based on the grant date “fair value” of these awards. Fair value is calculated for accounting purposes and reported in the compensation tables below, even though the executive officers and directors may never realize any value from their awards. ASC Topic 718 also requires Autodesk to recognize the compensation cost of these share-based payment awards in the income statements over the period that an employee or director is required to render service in exchange for the stock option or other award.

Compensation Committee Report

The Compensation and Human Resources Committee of the Board of Directors, which is composed solely of independent members of the Board of Directors, assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities regarding compensation matters and, pursuant to its Charter, is responsible for determining the compensation of Autodesk’s executive officers. The Compensation and Human Resources Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis included in this Proxy Statement as required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with Autodesk’s management team. Based on this review and discussion, the Compensation and Human Resources Committee has recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

COMPENSATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary T. McDowell, Chair
Reid French
Blake Irving

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Summary Compensation Table and Narrative Disclosure

This narrative discussion, as well as the table and footnotes below, summarizes our named executive officers’ compensation for fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018. The named executive officers are Andrew Anagnost (President and Chief Executive Officer), R. Scott Herren (Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer) and the next three next most highly compensated individuals who were serving as executive officers of Autodesk on January 31, 2020, the last day of our most recent fiscal year. For information on our compensation objectives, see the discussion under the heading “Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”

Salary

Named executive officers are paid a cash-based salary. We did not provide equity or other non-cash items to our named executive officers as salary compensation during fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Bonus

This column represents payments made to our named executive officers for amounts that relate to: signing bonuses, as in the case of Ms. Galvin, who received a sign-on bonus in fiscal 2019; and other miscellaneous amounts, such as payments made in recognition of years of service as part of an Autodesk company-wide program.

Stock Awards

Amounts shown in this column do not reflect compensation actually received by our named executive officers. Instead, the amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair values of PSU awards and RSU awards, as determined pursuant to ASC Topic 718. The assumptions used in the valuation of these awards are set forth in Note 1, “Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our fiscal 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 19, 2020.

Equity and Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation

Non-equity incentive plan compensation represents amounts earned for services performed during the relevant fiscal year pursuant to our short-term cash incentive plan ("EIP") for all executive officers shown. The amounts shown in the Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation column below reflect the total cash amounts awarded. Cash amounts awarded under the EIP are payable in the first quarter of the following fiscal year.

All Other Compensation

This column represents all other compensation for the relevant fiscal year not reported in the previous columns, such as severance payments, payment of relocation and temporary housing expenses, reimbursement of certain tax expenses, authorized familial travel and gifts in connection with business trips, Autodesk’s matching contributions to pre-tax savings plans, insurance premiums, personal gifts and related tax gross ups. Generally, unless the items included in this category exceed the greater of $25,000 or 10% of the total amount of perquisites received by a given named executive officer, individual perquisites are not separately identified and quantified.

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The Summary Compensation Table below presents information concerning the total compensation of our named executive officers for fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018. Ms. Galvin was not an employee in fiscal 2018 so compensation is not presented for that period.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal 2020

Grants of plan-based awards reflect grants made to our named executive officers under our non-equity incentive plans and equity compensation plans during fiscal 2020.

The following tables include potential threshold, target and maximum amounts payable under our short-term cash incentive plan (EIP) for performance during fiscal 2020, and do not constitute compensation on top of the amounts included in the Summary Compensation Table. However, these amounts do not reflect amounts actually earned for fiscal 2020. The following table also includes amounts relating to PSUs and RSUs issued under our 2012 Stock Plan. See “Annual Incentive Award Decisions" and “Long-Term Incentive Compensation" in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section above foractual

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amounts earned in fiscal 2020 by the named executive officers and further discussion of the role of plan-based and other awards in our overall executive compensation program.

The following tables present information concerning grants of plan-based awards to each of the named executive officers during fiscal 2020:

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2020 Year End

The following table presents information concerning outstanding unvested RSU and PSU awards for each named executive officer as of January 31, 2020. This table includes RSUs and PSUs granted under the 2012 Stock Plan. Unless otherwise indicated, all RSU awards vest in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant.

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Option Exercises and Stock Vested at Fiscal 2020 Year End

There were no stock options exercised by any of the named executive officers during fiscal 2020. The following table presents information concerning the vesting of stock awards held by each of the named executive officers during fiscal 2020.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation for Fiscal 2020

Under our Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan, certain United States-based officers (including named executive officers) may defer compensation earned such as salary or awards under the short-term cash incentive plan (EIP). Deferral elections are made by eligible executive officers each year during an “open enrollment” period for amounts to be earned in the following year. Autodesk does not make any contribution for executive officers under the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan. Prior to April 2013, we maintained our Autodesk, Inc. Equity Incentive Deferral Plan, which permitted certain executive officers to defer up to 50% of their EIP award.

The following table presents information regarding non-qualified deferred compensation activity for each listed officer during fiscal 2020:

CEO PayRatio

In accordance with SEC rules, we are providing the ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the annual total compensation of our median employee (excluding our CEO). The fiscal2020annual total compensation of our CEO was

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$11,569,657. The fiscal 2020 annual total compensation of our median compensated employee was $114,999, and the ratio of these amounts was 100.6 to 1.

To identify the median employee, we examined the compensation of our full- and part-time employees (other than our CEO) as of the last day of our fiscal year. We used target total direct compensation as our consistently applied compensation measure. Target total direct compensation for this purpose consisted of each employee’s estimated salary earnings, target non-equity incentive opportunity, and the fair market value price of his or her equity incentive awards granted in fiscal 2020. We also converted all employee compensation, on a country-by-country basis, to U.S. dollars based on the applicable year-end exchange rate. After identifying the median employee, we calculated the annual total compensation for such employee using the same methodology that we used for our NEOs as set forth in the Summary Compensation Table. In fiscal 2020 the pay ratio increased year-over-year based largely upon an increase in variable stock-based compensation for our CEO.

The pay ratio reported above is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with SEC rules, based on our internal records and the methodology described above. The SEC rules for identifying the median compensated employee and calculating the pay ratio based on that employee’s annual total compensation allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable estimates and assumptions that reflect their employee populations and compensation practices. Accordingly, the pay ratio reported by other companies may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported above, as other companies have different employee populations and compensation practices and may use different methodologies, exclusions, estimates and assumptions in calculating their own pay ratios.

Change-in-Control Arrangements, Severance Plan, Retirement Arrangements and Employment Agreement

In an effort to ensure the continued service of our executive officers in the event of a change-in-control, each of our executive officers (other than our CEO) participate in an amended and restated Executive Change in Control Program (the “Program”) that was approved by the Board in March 2006 and amended most recently in December 2016. Dr. Anagnost has a change-in-control provision in his employment agreement, as noted below. Additionally, in August 2018, the Committee adopted the Autodesk, Inc. Severance Plan (the "Severance Plan") to establish standard executive severance terms and to minimize the need to negotiate individualized executive severance terms in the future. Each of our current executive officers (other than our CEO) has been designated by the Committee to participate in the Severance Plan. Finally, the Board adopted retirement provisions in RSU and PSU agreements entered into with executive officers starting in March 2019. Each of our current executive officers is eligible to receive the retirement benefit, although currently only three of our NEOs has served at Autodesk long enough to have a qualifying retirement under the provisions.

Executive Change in Control Program

Under the terms of the Program, if, within sixty days prior or twelve months following a "change in control," an executive officer who participates in the Program is terminated without "cause," or voluntarily terminates his or her employment for "good reason" (as those terms are defined in the Program), the executive officer will receive (among other benefits), following execution of a release and non-solicit agreement:

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As defined in the Program, a “change in control” occurs if any person acquires 50% or more of the total voting power represented by voting securities, if Autodesk sells all or substantially all its assets, if Autodesk merges or consolidates with another corporation, or if the composition of the Board changes substantially.

Severance Plan

Under the terms of the Severance Plan, if a participant in the Severance Plan is terminated without "cause" or voluntarily terminates his or her employment for "good reason" (as those terms are defined in the Severance Plan) then, in addition to payment of accrued base salary and vacation and any previously awarded but unpaid bonus, the participant will be eligible to receive the following benefits under the Severance Plan, subject to execution of a release and compliance with certain non-disparagement, non-solicitation and confidentiality covenants:

The Severance Plan does not provide for any excise tax payment. In the event that any payment or benefit payable to a participant under the Severance Plan would result in the imposition of excise taxes under the “golden parachute” provisions of Section 280G of the Code, then such payments and benefits will be (1) delivered in full, or (2) delivered to such lesser extent that would result in no portion of the benefits being subject to the excise tax, whichever results in the participant receiving the greatest amount of benefits.

Employment Agreement with Andrew Anagnost

In connection with Dr. Anagnost’s appointment as CEO, in June 2017, Dr. Anagnost entered into an employment agreement with the Company which provides for, among other things, certain payments and benefits to be provided to Dr. Anagnost in the event his employment is terminated without “cause” or he resigns for “good reason,” including in connection with a “change of control,” as each such term is defined in Dr. Anagnost's employment agreement.

In the event Dr. Anagnost's employment is terminated by Autodesk without cause or if Dr. Anagnost resigns for good reason and in each case such termination is not in connection with a change of control, Dr. Anagnost would receive (i) payment of 200% of his then current base salary for 12 months; (ii) payout of his pro-rata bonus for the fiscal year in which termination occurs, provided Autodesk bonus targets are satisfied, to be paid in one lump sum on or before March 15th of the succeeding fiscal year; (iii) fully accelerated vesting of all of his then outstanding, unvested equity awards (other than any awards that vest in whole or in part based on performance); (iv) with respect to his then outstanding unvested equity awards that vest in whole or in part based on performance, those awards will vest, as if he had remained continuously employed by Autodesk through the end of the performance period in which his employment is terminated, based on the extent, if any, that the underlying performance criteria for those awards are satisfied for that performance period, as prorated to reflect the number of days in which he was employed during such period; and (v) reimbursement for premiums paid for continued health benefits for Dr. Anagnost and his eligible dependents until the earlier of 12 months following termination or the date Dr. Anagnost becomes covered under similar health plans. In addition, Dr. Anagnost is subject to non-solicitation and non-competition covenants for 12 months following a termination that gives rise to the severance benefits discussed above.

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If, in connection with a change of control, Dr. Anagnost 's employment is terminated by Autodesk without cause or if Dr. Anagnost resigns for good reason, Dr. Anagnost would receive (i) a lump sum payment in an amount equal to 200% of his then current annual base salary and average annual bonus; (ii) payout of his pro-rata bonus for the fiscal year of Autodesk in which termination occurs provided Autodesk bonus targets are satisfied, to be paid in one lump sum on or before March 15th of the succeeding fiscal year; (iii) fully accelerated vesting of all of his then outstanding unvested equity awards, including awards that would otherwise vest only upon satisfaction of performance criteria; and (iv) reimbursement for premiums paid for continued health benefits for Dr. Anagnost and his eligible dependents until the earlier of 18 months following termination or the date Dr. Anagnost becomes covered under similar health plans.

Retirement Provisions in RSU and PSU Agreements

The RSU and PSU agreements entered into with our executive officers in March 2019 and after contain provisions that permit partial continued vesting of outstanding RSUs and PSUs following a qualified retirement, as follows:

For the purposes of this provision, “qualified retirement,” is defined as a voluntary termination of employment by an executive officer, which meets either of the following requirements: (i) one’s combined total age plus years of continuous employment with Autodesk is equal to or greater than 75 or (ii) one is at least 55 years of age and completes at least 10 years of continuous employment with Autodesk. Unless waived by the administrator of the applicable stock plan, in order for such voluntary termination to be deemed a qualified retirement, one must properly deliver written notice of his or her intent to resign employment with Autodesk in a qualified retirement at least 3 months prior to the effective date of such qualified retirement.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

The tables below list the estimated amount of compensation payable to each of the named executive officers in the event of voluntary termination, involuntary not-for-cause termination, for cause termination, termination following a change in control, and termination in the event of disability or death of the executive. The amounts shown assume that such termination was effective as of January 31, 2020, and include all components of compensation, benefits and perquisites payable under the Severance Plan and Executive Change in Control Program effective during the 2020 fiscal year or, in the case of Dr. Anagnost, pursuant to his employment agreement, discussed above.

Estimated amounts for share-based compensation are based on the closing price of our Common Stock on the Nasdaq on Friday, January 31, 2020, which was $196.85 per share. The actual amounts for all named executive officers to be paid out can only be determined at the time of such executive’s separation.

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Andrew Anagnost