---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001018164-25-000034"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: "WLFC"
cik: "0001018164"
company_name: "WILLIS LEASE FINANCE CORP"
filed_at: "2025-03-19T23:59:59+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-05-24T11:32:00.260015+00:00"
event_type: "leadership"
sentiment: "neutral"
materiality_score: 0.8
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.8
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# Willis Lease Finance renews Executive Chairman Charles F. Willis IV with $1.27M base salary and $8M equity grant

## Summary
- New 5-year employment agreement; base salary $1,269,000 retroactive to Jan 1, 2025; target annual bonus 150% of base.
- Sign-On Restricted Stock Award of $8M (38k-55k shares) fully vested on March 19, 2025.
- Option Award for 231,000 shares vesting in three equal annual installments, 5-year term, exercise price at FMV on grant date.
- Severance on without-cause/good reason termination: 3x base salary + 3x avg bonus + immediate equity vesting + 3 years benefits.
- Change-in-control definition expanded to include unapproved majority board composition change.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001018164-25-000034
- form_type: 8-K
- ticker: WLFC
- cik: 0001018164
- company_name: WILLIS LEASE FINANCE CORP
- filed_at: 2025-03-19T23:59:59+00:00
- event_type: leadership
- sentiment: neutral
- materiality_score: 0.8
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.8
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 5.02, 9.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018164/000101816425000034/0001018164-25-000034-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018164/000101816425000034/wlfc-20250313.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001018164-25-000034
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001018164-25-000034.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001018164-25-000034.txt

This AI-assisted summary is a reading aid. Review the linked SEC EDGAR filing before relying on any specific claim.