UNIVERSAL ELECTRONICS INC 8-K

What Happened Universal Electronics Inc. filed a Form 8‑K on December 30, 2025 announcing that its Board unanimously appointed Wade M. Jenke as Chief Financial Officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, effective December 30, 2025. Interim CFO Sui Man Ho (a.k.a. Raymond Ho) will remain with the company as Senior Vice President of Finance. The company attached an offer letter (dated November 17, 2025) and issued a press release announcing the appointment.

Key Details

• Base salary: $325,000 per year (per the offer letter).
• Equity: an option to purchase 100,000 shares vesting over three years (1/3 each year), plus two separate awards of 100,000 performance stock units each (total 200,000 PSUs) that vest on a combination of time-based (one-year cliff increments over three years) and stock-price performance conditions.
• Bonus: eligible for the management bonus program with a target of 40%, subject to continued employment.
• Background: Jenke, age 42, was CFO of Amtech Systems (Aug 2024–Dec 2025) and previously held senior finance roles at EMS Group and HES Inc.; he holds a B.S. and MBA from Arizona State University. Company expects to enter its standard indemnification agreement with him and reported no related-party or family relationships or reportable transactions.

Why It Matters A permanent CFO appointment is a material leadership change that affects who will oversee Universal Electronics’ financial reporting, forecasting and investor communications. The compensation structure (salary, stock options and performance stock units tied to service and stock performance) aligns part of his pay with the company’s stock performance, which investors often view as aligning management and shareholder interests. The filing contains concrete terms (salary, equity amounts and bonus target) but no forward-looking financial guidance or other strategic changes were disclosed.