Helix Energy Solutions Group (HLX) executive compensation, 2026 proxy

Owen Kratz, President and Chief Executive Officer, was paid $5.1M in 2025, down 11% from $5.7M the year before. The CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio was 57:1, on median employee pay of $88,825.

Filed
April 1, 2026
Annual meeting
May 13, 2026
Pay year
2025
Named executives
4
CEO total pay
$5.1M-11% vs prior year
CEO to median employee
57:1median $88,825
CEO pay in equity
76%$3.8M in awards
Prior say-on-pay support
93%of votes cast
CEO Base Salary
$800,000Unchanged from prior year
CEO Target STI Opportunity
$1,200,000Short-term incentive opportunity
Global Employee Population
2,212As of December 31, 2025

How Kratz was paid

$5.1M in total for 2025, as reported in the Summary Compensation Table. Equity awards are valued at grant, not at what they turned out to be worth.

Salary16%Stock awards76%Non-equity incentive8%All other compensation0%

Named executive officers

ExecutiveTotal
Owen KratzPresident and Chief Executive Officer$5,067,269
Scotty SparksExecutive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer$2,087,099
Erik StaffeldtExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer$2,207,805
Ken NeikirkExecutive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary$1,588,699

What changed and why

  • $5.7MCEO total compensation decreased from $5,675,840 in 2024 to $5,067,269 in 2025 primarily due to lower non-equity incentive plan payouts.
  • $20,000Base salaries remained unchanged for CEO and COO, while CFO and General Counsel each received $20,000 increases.
  • Long-term incentive awards continued to be split evenly between time-vesting RSUs and performance-based stock units.
  • 93%The 2025 executive compensation program received a 93% favorable say-on-pay vote from shareholders.

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.