Ciena (CIEN) executive compensation, 2026 proxy

Gary B. Smith, President and CEO, was paid $18.5M in fiscal 2025, up 32% from $14.1M the year before. The CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio was 166:1, on median employee pay of $111,613.

Filed
February 12, 2026
Annual meeting
March 26, 2026
Pay year
fiscal 2025
Named executives
6
CEO total pay
$18.5M+32% vs prior year
CEO to median employee
166:1median $111,613
CEO pay in equity
79%$14.6M in awards
Prior say-on-pay support
94%of votes cast
FY25 Revenue
$4.77BRecord performance
FY25 Orders
$7.8BRecord orders
Free Cash Flow
$665MGenerated in fiscal 2025
CEO Target Equity
60%Performance-based

How Smith was paid

$18.5M in total for fiscal 2025, as reported in the Summary Compensation Table. Equity awards are valued at grant, not at what they turned out to be worth.

Salary6%Stock awards79%Non-equity incentive15%All other compensation0%

Named executive officers

ExecutiveTotal
Gary B. SmithPresident and CEO$18,530,396
Marc D. GraffSVP and CFO$12,997,299
James E. Moylan, Jr.SVP and CFO (former)$1,427,067
Dino DiPernaSVP, Global R&D$3,797,684
Jason M. PhippsSVP, Global Customer Engagement$5,242,937
David M. RothensteinSVP, Chief Strategy Officer and Secretary$4,231,335

What changed and why

  • $18.5MCEO total compensation increased to $18,530,396 in fiscal 2025 due to higher stock awards and non-equity incentive payouts.
  • $4.77BCompany achieved record revenue of $4.77 billion and record orders of $7.8 billion in fiscal 2025.
  • 60%Approximately 60% of the CEO target award value was allocated to at-risk, performance-based equity.
  • $1.9MMarc D. Graff was hired as Chief Financial Officer with a sign-on bonus of $1,950,000.

About this page

Figures are automated and can be wrong; check the filing for the exact numbers. Totals follow SEC rules, which value stock and option awards at grant. Read the DEF 14A proxy statement for footnotes and the compensation committee's full reasoning.