UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.     )

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                            Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

Genuine Parts Company

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

Genuine Parts Company

GENUINE PARTS COMPANY

2999 Wildwood Parkway

Atlanta, Georgia 30339

April 22, 2019

TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF GENUINE PARTS COMPANY:

The 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Genuine Parts Company, a Georgia corporation, will be held at the Company’s headquarters, 2999 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339, on Monday, the 22nd day of April 2019, at 10:00 a.m., for the following purposes:

Information relevant to these matters is set forth in the attached proxy statement. Only holders of record of the Company’s Common Stock at the close of business on February 13, 2019 will be entitled to vote at the meeting.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Shareholder Meeting to be held on April 22, 2019.

The Proxy Statement and the 2018 Annual Report to Shareholders are available at

http://www.proxydocs.com/gpc

Atlanta, Georgia

March 5, 2019

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT!

ANNUAL MEETING — APRIL 22, 2019

This proxy statement is being furnished to the shareholders of Genuine Parts Company in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of the Company for use at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Monday, April 22, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. local time and at any reconvened meeting following any adjournment thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held at the Company’s headquarters, 2999 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

This proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are first being mailed to shareholders and made available on our website on or about March 5, 2019. The Company’s 2018 annual report to the shareholders, including consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, is enclosed.

VOTING

Shareholders of record can simplify their voting and reduce the Company’s costs by voting their shares via telephone or the Internet. Instructions for voting via telephone or the Internet are set forth on the enclosed proxy card. The telephone and Internet voting procedures are designed to authenticate votes cast by use of a personal identification number. These procedures enable shareholders to appoint a proxy to vote their shares and to confirm that their instructions have been properly recorded. If your shares are held in the name of a bank or broker (in “street name”), the availability of telephone and Internet voting will depend on the voting processes of the applicable bank or broker; therefore, it is recommended that you follow the voting instructions on the form you receive from your bank or broker. If you do not choose to vote by telephone or the Internet, please mark your choices on the enclosed proxy card and then date, sign and return the proxy card at your earliest opportunity.

All proxies properly voted by telephone or the Internet and all properly executed written proxy cards that are delivered to the Company (and not later revoked) will be voted in accordance with instructions given in the proxy. When voting on the election of directors, you may (1) vote FOR all nominees listed in this proxy statement, (2) WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to vote for all nominees, or (3) WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to vote for one or more nominees but vote FOR the other nominees. When voting on the approval of the Company’s executive compensation program and the ratification of the selection of independent auditors, you may vote FOR or AGAINST the proposal or you may ABSTAIN from voting.

If a signed proxy card is received which does not specify a vote or an abstention, the shares represented by that proxy card will be voted FOR all nominees to the Board of Directors listed in this proxy statement, FOR the proposal to approve the Company’s executive compensation program, and FOR the ratification of the selection of independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. The Company is not aware, as of the date hereof, of any matters to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting other than those stated in this proxy statement and the accompanying Notice of 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. If any other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the enclosed proxy card gives discretionary authority to the persons named as proxies to vote the shares represented thereby in their discretion.

If you hold your shares in street name and you do not instruct your bank or brokerage firm in accordance with their directions how to vote your shares prior to the date of the Annual Meeting, your bank or brokerage firm cannot vote your shares (referred to as “broker non-votes”) on the following proposals: “Proposal 1 — Election of Directors,” or “Proposal 2 — Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation,” and such shares will be considered “broker non-votes” and will not affect the outcome of these votes. However, your bank or brokerage firm may vote your shares in its discretion on “Proposal 3 — Ratification of Selection of Independent Auditors” if you do not provide voting instructions.

A shareholder of record who submits a proxy pursuant to this solicitation may revoke it at any time prior to its exercise at the Annual Meeting. Such revocation may be by delivery of written notice to the Corporate Secretary of the Company at the Company’s address shown above, by delivery of a proxy bearing a later date (including a later vote by telephone or the Internet), or by voting in person at the Annual Meeting. Street name holders may revoke their proxies prior to the Annual Meeting by following the procedures specified by their bank or brokerage firm.

Only holders of record of the Company’s Common Stock at the close of business on the record date for the Annual Meeting, which is February 13, 2019, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Persons who hold

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Voting

shares of Common Stock in street name as of the record date may vote at the Annual Meeting only if they hold a valid proxy from their bank or brokerage firm. At the close of business on February 13, 2019, the Company had 145,943,765 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

On each proposal presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting, each shareholder is entitled to one vote per share of Common Stock held as of the record date. A quorum for the purposes of all matters to be voted on shall consist of shareholders representing, in person or by proxy, a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Shares represented at the Annual Meeting that are abstained or withheld from voting and broker non-votes will be considered present for purposes of determining a quorum at the Annual Meeting. If less than a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock are represented at the Annual Meeting, a majority of the shares so represented may adjourn the Annual Meeting to another date, time or place to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies or other measures to obtain a quorum.

The vote required for (1) the election of directors, (2) the advisory vote on executive compensation, and (3) the ratification of the selection of independent auditors is the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of Common Stock outstanding and entitled to vote on such proposal which are represented at the Annual Meeting. Because votes withheld and abstentions will be considered as present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting but will not be voted “for” these proposals, they will have the same effect as votes “against” these proposals.

Although the advisory vote on executive compensation is non-binding as provided by law, the Company’s Board of Directors will review the results of the vote and take it into consideration when making future determinations concerning executive compensation.

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PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors of the Company currently consists of eleven directorships. The Board has approved the recommendation of its Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee to nominate the eleven nominees named below to serve as directors until the 2020 Annual Meeting and the election and qualification of their successors.

In the event that any nominee is unable to serve (which is not anticipated), the Board of Directors may:

If any incumbent director nominee in an uncontested election should fail to receive the required affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote which are represented at the Annual Meeting, under Georgia law, the director remains in office as a “holdover” director until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or death. In the event of a holdover director, the Board of Directors in its discretion may request the director to resign from the Board. If the director resigns, the Board of Directors may:

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF ALL OF THE NOMINEES.

Set forth below is certain information about each of the eleven nominees for director, including the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that our Board believes makes them well qualified to serve as directors. Information about our director independence requirements, our director nominating process, our board leadership structure, and other corporate governance matters can be found in the “Corporate Governance” section.

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Proposal 1    Election of Directors

NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR

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Proposal 1    Election of Directors

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Proposal 1    Election of Directors

6				2019 Proxy Statement

Proposal 1    Election of Directors

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Proposal 1    Election of Directors

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Proposal 1    Election of Directors

Board Diversity

GENDER 3 27.3% WOMEN DIRECTORS 3 out of our 11 director nominees are women TENURE 5 33 0-4 yrs 5-9 yrs 10+ yrs 45.5% UNDER 5 YEARS 5 out of our 11 director nominees have a tenure of less than 5 years INDEPENDENCE 9 81.8% INDEPENDENT 9 out of our 11 director nominees are independent

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Independent Directors

The Company’s Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GPC.” The NYSE requires that a majority of the directors, and all of the members of certain committees of the board of directors be “independent directors,” as defined in the NYSE corporate governance standards. Generally, a director does not qualify as an independent director if the director (or in some cases, members of the director’s immediate family) has, or in the past three years has had, certain material relationships or affiliations with the Company, its external or internal auditors, or other companies that do business with the Company. The Board has affirmatively determined that nine of the Company’s eleven current directors and nine of the eleven director nominees have no other direct or indirect relationships with the Company and therefore are independent directors according to the NYSE corporate governance standards and an analysis of all facts specific to each director.

The independent directors and nominees are: Elizabeth W. Camp, Gary P. Fayard, P. Russell Hardin, John R. Holder, Donna W. Hyland, John D. Johns, Robert C. “Robin” Loudermilk, Wendy B. Needham, and E. Jenner Wood.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

The Board of Directors has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that give effect to the NYSE’s requirements related to corporate governance and various other corporate governance matters. The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, as well as the charters of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee and the Audit Committee, are available on the Company’s website at www.genpt.com.

Non-Management Director Meetings and Presiding Independent Director

Pursuant to the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Company’s non-management directors meet separately from the other directors in regularly scheduled executive sessions at least annually and at such other times as may be scheduled by the Chairman of the Board or by the presiding independent director or as may be requested by any non-management director.

The independent directors serving on the Company’s Board of Directors appointed John D. Johns to serve as the Board’s presiding independent director effective in April 2017. As the presiding independent director, Mr. Johns presides at all meetings of non-management and independent directors and serves as a liaison between the Chief Executive Officer and the non-management and independent directors. During 2018, the independent directors held four meetings without management. Mr. Johns presided over all of these meetings.

Board Leadership Structure

The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines allow the independent directors flexibility to split up or combine the roles of Chairman and CEO. The directors annually review the Board’s leadership structure to determine the structure that is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. Currently, and during all of 2018, Paul Donahue serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Thomas C. Gallagher, the former CEO of the Company, serves as its Non-Executive Chairman. As former CEO, Mr. Gallagher had primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Company; as Non-Executive Chairman, he sets strategic priorities for the Board (with input from the presiding independent director) and presides over its meetings. The Board believes that this leadership structure is currently the most effective structure for the Company and is in the best interests of its shareholders.

As noted earlier, the independent directors have appointed a presiding independent director, which provides balance to the Board’s structure. With a supermajority of independent directors, an Audit Committee and a Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee each comprised entirely of independent directors, and a presiding independent director to oversee all meetings of the non-management directors, the Company’s Board of Directors is comfortable that its current leadership structure provides for an appropriate balance that best serves the Company and its shareholders. The Board of Directors periodically reviews its leadership structure to ensure that it remains the optimal structure for the Company.

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Corporate Governance

Director Nominating Process

Shareholders may recommend a director nominee by writing to the Corporate Secretary specifying the nominee’s name and the other required information as set forth in the Company’s By-laws. The By-laws require, among other things, that the shareholder making the nomination: (1) notify us in writing no later than the close of business on the 90^th day and no earlier than the close of business on the 120^th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the Company’s notice of annual meeting sent to shareholders in connection with the previous year’s annual meeting; (2) include certain information about the nominee, including his or her name, occupation and Company share ownership; (3) include certain information about the shareholder proponent and the beneficial owner, if any on whose behalf the nomination is made, including such person or entity’s name, address, Company share ownership and certain other information regarding the relationship between the shareholder and beneficial owner, if applicable, and any derivative or hedging positions in Company securities; and (4) update the required information as of the record date and after any subsequent change. The notice must comply with all requirements of the By-laws and, if the nomination is to be included in next year’s proxy statement, the requirements of SEC Rule 14a-8 and must be timely received by the Corporate Secretary at Genuine Parts Company, 2999 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

On November 19, 2018, the Board of Directors adopted and approved an amendment to the Company’s By-laws to implement proxy access. The Company’s By-laws, as amended and restated, provide that whenever the Board of Directors solicits proxies with respect to the election of directors at an annual meeting of shareholders, subject to certain requirements, a shareholder, or a group of up to 20 shareholders, owning 3% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years can require the Company to include in its proxy materials for such annual meeting director nominations for up to the greater of (i) 20% of the number of directors up for election, rounding down to nearest whole number, or (ii) two directors. Shareholder requests to include shareholder nominees in the Company’s proxy materials for the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders must be received by the Corporate Secretary no earlier than October 7, 2019 and no later than November 6, 2019 and must satisfy the requirements specified in the Company’s By-laws.

The Company’s Board of Directors has established the following process for the identification and selection of candidates for director. The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board, annually reviews the appropriate experience, skills and characteristics required of Board members in the context of the current membership of the Board to determine whether the Board would better be enhanced by the addition of one or more directors. This review includes, among other relevant factors in the context of the perceived needs of the Board at that time, issues of experience, reputation, judgment, diversity and skills. With regard to diversity, the Board and the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee believe that sound governance of the Company in an increasingly complex international marketplace requires a wide range of viewpoints. As a result, although the Board does not have a formal policy regarding Board diversity, the Board and the Committee believe that the Board should be comprised of a well-balanced group of individuals with diverse backgrounds, educations, experiences and skills that contribute to board diversity, and the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee considers such factors when reviewing potential candidates.

If the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee determines that adding a new director is advisable, the Committee initiates a search, working with other directors, management and, if it deems appropriate or necessary, a search firm retained to assist in the search. The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee considers all appropriate candidates proposed by management, directors and shareholders. Information regarding potential candidates is presented to the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee, and the Committee evaluates the candidates based on the needs of the Board at that time. Potential candidates are evaluated according to the same criteria, regardless of whether the candidate was recommended by shareholders, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee, another director, Company management, a search firm or another third party. The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee then submits any recommended candidate(s) to the full Board of Directors for approval and recommendation to the shareholders for approval at the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders.

The Company’s Board of Directors is comprised of individuals with diverse experience at policy-making levels in a variety of businesses, as well as in education and non-profit organizations, in areas that are relevant to the Company’s activities. Each director was nominated on the basis of the unique experience, qualifications,

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Corporate Governance

attributes and skills that he or she brings to the Board, as well as how those factors blend with those of the others on the Board as a whole.

Communications with the Board

The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines provide for a process by which shareholders or other interested parties may communicate with the Board, a Board committee, the presiding independent director, the non-management directors as a group, or individual directors. Shareholders or other interested parties who wish to communicate with the Board, a Board committee or any such other individual director or directors may do so by sending written communications addressed to the Board of Directors, a Board committee or such individual director or directors, c/o Corporate Secretary, Genuine Parts Company, 2999 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. This information is also available on the Company’s website at www.genpt.com. All communications will be compiled by the Secretary of the Company and forwarded to the members of the Board to whom the communication is directed or, if the communication is not directed to any particular member(s) of the Board, the communication shall be forwarded to all members of the Board of Directors.

Annual Performance Evaluations

The Board recognizes that a robust and constructive evaluation process is an essential part of good corporate governance and Board effectiveness. The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that the Board of Directors shall conduct an annual evaluation to determine, among other matters, whether the Board and the Committees are functioning effectively. The Audit Committee and the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee are also required to each conduct an annual self-evaluation. The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing this self-evaluation process. Through the performance evaluations, directors review the Board’s and Committees’ performances, including areas where the Board and Committees feel they function effectively, and importantly, areas where the Board and Committees believe they can improve. Results requiring additional consideration are addressed at subsequent board and committee meetings.

The Board, Audit Committee, and Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee each conducted an annual self-evaluation process during 2018, and feedback from the process was reported to and discussed by the Board. Changes to processes and procedures of the Board and Committees based on such feedback were implemented and will be monitored in future evaluations.

Board Oversight of Risk

The Company’s Board of Directors recognizes that, although risk management is primarily the responsibility of the Company’s management team, the Board plays a critical role in the oversight of risk. The Board believes that an important part of its responsibilities is to assess the major risks the Company faces and review the Company’s options for monitoring and controlling these risks. The Board assumes responsibility for the Company’s overall risk assessment.

The Board as a whole examines specific business risks in its regular reviews of the individual business units and also on a Company-wide basis as part of its regular strategic reviews. In addition to periodic reports from two committees (discussed below) about risks, the Board receives presentations throughout the year from various business units that include discussion of significant risks specific to such business unit as necessary. Periodically, at Board meetings, management discusses matters of particular importance or concern, including any significant areas of risk requiring Board attention.

The Audit Committee has specific responsibility for oversight of risks associated with financial accounting and audits, internal control over financial reporting, and information technology/cyber security risk. The Audit Committee monitors and reviews applicable enterprise risks identified as part of the Company’s enterprise risk management program, including the Company’s risk assessment and management policies, the Company’s major financial risk exposure and cyber and information security exposure and the steps taken by management to monitor and mitigate such exposure. The Audit Committee receives quarterly updates at Committee meetings specific to the Company’s cyber security program and IT security risk, and the Board receives periodic updates from the Audit Committee Chair on cyber security and IT security risk and also receives an update directly from the Chief Information Officer at least once per year.

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Corporate Governance

The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee oversees the risks relating to the Company’s compensation policies and practices as well as management development and leadership succession in the Company’s various business units.

The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee annually reviews with management the design and operation of the Company’s incentive compensation arrangements for all employees, including executive officers, for the purpose of determining whether such programs might encourage inappropriate risk-taking that could have a material adverse effect on the Company. In advance of such review, the Company identifies internal and external factors that comprise the Company’s primary business risks, and management compiles an inventory of incentive compensation arrangements, which are then summarized for the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee and reviewed for the purpose of identifying any aspects of such programs that might encourage behaviors that could exacerbate the identified business risks.

In conducting this assessment for 2018, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee considered the performance objectives and target levels used in connection with these incentive awards and also the features of the Company’s compensation program that are designed to mitigate compensation-related risk. Based on such assessment, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee concluded that the Company’s compensation policies and practices for its employees are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Code of Conduct and Ethics

The Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees, Contract and/or Temporary Workers, Officers and Directors and a Code of Conduct and Ethics for Senior Financial Officers, both of which are available on the Company’s website at www.genpt.com. These Codes of Conduct and Ethics comply with NYSE and Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) requirements, including procedures for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees or others of any complaints or concerns about the Company or its accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters. The Company will post any amendments to or waivers from the Code of Conduct and Ethics (to the extent applicable to the Company’s executive officers and directors) on its website.

Environmental & Social Sustainability

The Company is committed to operating our business with integrity, contributing to our local communities, promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion, and using our natural resources thoughtfully and responsibly. In 2018 the Company issued its inaugural Sustainability Report, which provides detailed information on the Company’s environmental and social sustainability initiatives. The report can be found on www.genpt.com.

Board Attendance

The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that all directors are expected to attend all meetings of the Board and committees on which they serve and are also expected to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. During 2018, the Board of Directors held six meetings. Two directors missed one meeting; otherwise, all of the directors attended all of the Board of Director meetings. All committee members attended all of the committee meetings on which they served. All of the Company’s directors attended the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting.

Board Committees

The Board presently has three standing committees. Information regarding the functions of the Board’s committees, their present membership and the number of meetings held by each committee during 2018 is set forth below:

Executive Committee.    The Executive Committee is authorized, to the extent permitted by law, to act on behalf of the Board of Directors on all matters that may arise between regular meetings of the Board upon which the Board of Directors would be authorized to act. The current members of the Executive Committee are Thomas C. Gallagher (Chair), Paul D. Donahue, John D. Johns and Wendy B. Needham. During 2018, this committee held four meetings.

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Corporate Governance

Audit Committee.    The Audit Committee’s main role is to assist the Board of Directors with oversight of (1) the integrity of the Company’s financial statements, (2) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence and (4) the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and independent auditors. As part of its duties, the Audit Committee assists in the oversight of (a) management’s assessment of, and reporting on, the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, (b) the independent auditor’s integrated audit, which includes expressing an opinion on the conformity of the Company’s audited financial statements with United States generally accepted accounting principles, (c) the independent auditor’s audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting which includes expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, (d) the Company’s risk assessment and risk management, and (e) the Company’s cyber security program. (See “Board Oversight of Risk” above.) The Audit Committee oversees the Company’s accounting and financial reporting process and has the authority and responsibility for the appointment, retention and oversight of the Company’s independent auditors, including pre-approval of all audit and non-audit services to be performed by the independent auditors. The Audit Committee annually reviews and approves the firm to be engaged as independent auditors for the Company for the next fiscal year, reviews with the independent auditors the plan and results of the audit engagement, reviews the scope and results of the Company’s procedures for internal auditing and monitors the design and maintenance of the Company’s internal accounting controls. Additionally, as noted above, the Audit Committee oversees the Company’s cyber security program and receives updates on IT security/cyber risk and mitigation initiatives at least quarterly. The Audit Committee Report appears later in this proxy statement. A current copy of the written charter of the Audit Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.genpt.com.

The current members of the Audit Committee are Wendy B. Needham (Chair), Elizabeth W. Camp, Gary P. Fayard, Donna W. Hyland, Robert C. Loudermilk, Jr. and E. Jenner Wood. All members of the Audit Committee are independent of the Company and management, as required by the NYSE listing standards and SEC requirements. The Board has determined that all members of the Audit Committee meet the financial literacy requirements of the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. During 2018, the Audit Committee held six meetings.

The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Camp, Mr. Fayard, Ms. Hyland, Ms. Needham, and Mr. Wood meet the requirements adopted by the SEC for qualification as an “audit committee financial expert.” Ms. Camp currently oversees all aspects of business as President and CEO of a private investment and commercial real estate management company. She also has previous experience in accounting, tax, and legal matters as a tax attorney as well as extensive finance and accounting experience as a director for over 10 years of Synovus, serving as former chair of its Audit Committee. Mr. Fayard retired in 2014 as CFO of The Coca-Cola Company, where he held various financial leadership positions since joining the company in 1994. Previous to his role at Coca-Cola, he was a partner at a major public accounting firm. Mr. Fayard brings a wealth of financial, accounting, and auditing knowledge from his finance roles at Coca-Cola. Mr. Fayard also has served as director and audit committee member on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards, giving him direct exposure to the finance and accounting of a wide variety of businesses and industries. Ms. Hyland currently acts as the President and CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and oversees all functions of the hospital, including its finances. As former CFO of the organization, Ms. Hyland gained significant experience with the details of the finance and accounting areas of the business. Her professional experience as well as her directorship at Cousins Properties and chair of Cousins’ Audit Committee, as well as memberships on many non-profit boards exposed her to a broad spectrum of finance and accounting issues in a variety of businesses and industries. Ms. Needham was formerly Managing Director, Global Automotive Research for Credit Suisse First Boston from August 2000 to June 2003. Prior to that, Ms. Needham was a Principal, Automotive Research for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette for six years. In both of these positions, Ms. Needham actively reviewed financial statements and prepared various financial analyses and evaluations of such financial statements and related business operations. Mr. Wood retired in 2016 as Corporate Executive Vice President of SunTrust Banks, Inc. and prior to that, he held the position of Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Division of SunTrust Bank. Mr. Wood has direct insight and extensive experience with respect to financial issues and the financial services industry.

Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee.    The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for (1) determining and evaluating the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers and key employees and approving and monitoring our executive compensation plans,

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Corporate Governance

policies, and programs, (2) identifying and evaluating potential nominees for election to the Board and recommending candidates for consideration by the Board and shareholders, (3) developing and recommending to the Board a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines, as well as periodically reevaluating those Corporate Governance Guidelines, and (4) overseeing the evaluation of the Board of Directors and management. The Committee also periodically reviews and evaluates the risk involved in the Company’s compensation policies and practices and the relationship of such policies and practices to the Company’s overall risk and management of that risk. The Committee has and may exercise the authority of the Board of Directors as specified by the Board and to the extent permitted under the Georgia Business Corporation Code, and the Committee has the authority to delegate its duties and responsibilities to subcommittees as it deems necessary and advisable. A brief description of the Committee’s policy regarding director candidates nominated by shareholders appears in “Director Nominating Process” above, and a full version can be found in the Company’s By-Laws.

For 2018, the Committee independently retained a compensation consultant, Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC, to assist it in its review of executive compensation practices, including the competitiveness of pay levels, design issues, market trends and technical considerations.

During the year, Meridian assisted the Committee with the development of competitive market data for executives and a related assessment of the Company’s executive compensation levels, a risk assessment of the Company’s incentive compensation, and also provided legislative and regulatory updates and guidance regarding reporting of executive compensation under the SEC’s proxy disclosure rules. Our Chief Executive Officer, with input from our Senior Vice President — Human Resources and Meridian, recommended to the Committee base salary, target bonus levels, actual bonus payouts and long-term incentive grants for our senior executives. The Committee considered, discussed, modified as appropriate, and took action on such proposals. The Committee has agreed that Meridian will play a similar role for 2019.

The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee annually considers whether the work of any compensation consultant raised any conflict of interest. For 2018, the Committee considered various factors, including the six factors mandated by SEC rules, and determined that with respect to executive and director compensation-related matters, no conflict of interest was raised by the work of Meridian. The Committee also considers the six independence factors mandated by SEC rules before engaging any other compensation advisers.

The current members of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee are John D. Johns (Chair), P. Russell Hardin, John R. Holder, and E. Jenner Wood. All members of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee are independent of the Company and management, as required by the NYSE listing standards and the SEC. During 2018, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee held five meetings. A current copy of the written charter of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.genpt.com.

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS

The following table sets forth information as of February 13, 2019, as to all persons or groups known to the Company to be beneficial owners of more than five percent of the outstanding Common Stock of the Company.

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT

Based on information provided to the Company by the named persons, set forth in the table below is information regarding the beneficial ownership of Common Stock of the Company held by the Company’s directors and nominees for director, the named executive officers (as defined in “Executive Compensation” below) and all directors, nominees for director and executive officers of the Company as a group as of February 13, 2019:

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Security Ownership of Management

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

In this section, an overview and analysis is provided of our executive compensation programs and policies, the material compensation decisions we have made under those programs and policies, and the material factors that we considered in making those decisions. Later in this proxy statement under the heading “Additional Information Regarding Executive Compensation” you will find a series of tables containing specific information about the compensation earned or paid in 2018 to the following individuals, who are referred to as our named executive officers:

The discussion below is intended to explain the detailed information provided in those tables and put that information into context within the Company’s overall compensation program.

2018 In Brief

During 2018, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee actions and our pay-for-performance program operated such that compensation actually earned by executives reflected the performance of the Company. Highlights for 2018 are as follows:

Performance

Long Term Incentive Program Change

Plan Payouts

As a result of the above and other performance results, 2018 bonus payouts were generally above target and earning of performance-based restricted stock units were slightly below target.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

2018 Pay Opportunities

Any 2018 base salary increases higher than 3-4% and any increases in 2018 target bonus percentage were made in order to recognize expansion of roles or meaningful gaps to market levels.

Best Practices

Our compensation programs reflect a “best practices” approach to pay and governance:

Consideration of Last Year’s Advisory Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation

At the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, approximately 94% of the shares present and entitled to vote were cast in support of the compensation of the Company’s executive officers, as discussed and disclosed in the 2018 Proxy Statement.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

In light of the strong shareholder support of the compensation paid to our executive officers evidenced by the results of this advisory vote, the Board and the Committee did not make any specific changes to our executive compensation program for 2018. Future advisory votes on executive compensation will serve as an additional tool to guide the Board and the Committee in evaluating the alignment of the Company’s executive compensation program with the interests of the Company and its shareholders.

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our overall goal in compensating executive officers is to attract, retain and motivate key executives of superior ability who are critical to our future success. We believe that short-term and long-term incentive compensation opportunities provided to executive officers should be directly aligned with our performance, and our compensation is structured to ensure that a significant portion of executives’ compensation opportunities is directly related to achievement of financial and operational goals and other factors that increase shareholder value.

Our compensation decisions with respect to executive officer salaries, annual incentives, and long-term incentive compensation opportunities are influenced by (a) the executive’s level of responsibility and function within the Company, (b) the overall performance and profitability of the Company, (c) our assessment of the competitive marketplace, including other peer companies, and (d) the economic environment. Our philosophy is to focus on total direct compensation opportunities through a mix of base salary, annual cash bonus and long-term incentives, including stock-based awards.

We also believe that the best way to directly align the interests of our executives with the interests of our shareholders is to make sure that our executives acquire and retain a significant level of stock ownership throughout their tenure with the Company. Our compensation program pursues this objective in two ways: through our equity-based long-term incentive awards and our stock ownership guidelines for our senior executives, as described in more detail below.

Overview of Executive Compensation Components

The Company’s executive compensation program consists of several compensation elements, as described in the table below.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

The use of these programs enables us to reinforce our pay for performance philosophy, as well as strengthen our ability to attract and retain highly qualified executives. We believe that this combination of programs provides an appropriate mix of fixed and variable pay, balances short-term operational performance with long-term shareholder value and encourages executive recruitment and retention.

Determination of Appropriate Pay Levels

Pay Philosophy and Competitive Standing

In general, we evaluate the competitiveness of compensation for our executive officers relative to the size-adjusted 50^th percentile of market data.

Determinations of one element of pay tend not to affect determinations of other pay elements.

We also design our incentive plans to pay more or less than the target amount when performance is above or below target performance levels. Thus, our plans are designed to result in payouts that are commensurate with the Company’s performance for that year or period.

For 2018, with the assistance of the Committee’s compensation consultant, Meridian, we reviewed and analyzed competitive market data to be used as background for 2018 pay decisions and to obtain a general understanding of current compensation practices. This data was referenced when targeting the positioning for compensation discussed above. Data sources included public company proxy statements, broad-based, published compensation surveys and a private total compensation database maintained by Aon Hewitt.

We compared compensation opportunities for our named executive officers with pay opportunities available to executive officers in comparable positions at similar companies (our “Comparison Group”). During 2018 the Comparison Group included companies from industry segments in which we compete: automotive parts, industrial parts, specialty retail and office products. The Comparison Group companies used in 2018 are shown below. While the companies are either larger or smaller than us, Meridian used various statistical techniques to size-adjust the data to our revenue size. The list of companies below is reevaluated annually to take into account changes in our own operations, our size and our industry. Changes made for 2018 were the removal of Johnson Controls due to its merger with Tyco, Staples due to its privatization, and the addition of Lear Corporation, Cummins Inc. and Adient plc.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

2018 Base Salary

Our base salary levels reflect a combination of factors, including the pay posture discussed above, the executive’s experience and tenure, our overall annual budget for both pay increases and pre-tax profit, the executive’s individual performance and changes in responsibility. We review salary levels annually to recognize these factors.

The following base pay increases for 2018 were effective on April 1, 2018:

Mr. Donahue’s salary was increased to get him more in line with the market.

2018 Annual Incentive Plan

Our annual incentive plan (the “Annual Incentive Plan”) provides our executive officers with an opportunity to earn annual cash bonuses based on our achievement of certain pre-established performance goals. The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee sets target bonus opportunities for each named executive officer to be earned based on achievement of such goals. Similar to the process for setting base salaries, we consider a combination of factors in establishing the annual target bonus opportunities for our named executive officers. Target bonus opportunities for 2018 were set as a percentage of each named executive officer’s base salary, as follows: Mr. Donahue, 130%; Ms. Yancey, 110%; Mr. Breen, 100%; Mr. Maher, 100% and Mr. Neill, 85%.

For 2018, we utilized generally the same performance metrics as in 2017, with an emphasis on pre-tax profit, together with working capital improvements and, with respect to our named executive officers with specific operational responsibilities, sales and inventory turnover metrics. We set the profit goals for 2018 bonus opportunities at levels that are intended to be challenging yet achievable, and reflect better than average growth within our competitive industry.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

The performance goals on which each executive officer’s 2018 bonus opportunity is determined vary depending on the individual’s role in the Company. Performance criteria and relative weights for 2018 are shown below for each executive. The combination of goals for each executive is intended to have a strong correlation with shareholder value. Goals for Corporate, Automotive and Industrial Products are each set based upon (i) prior year performance by store, branch, or distribution center; (ii) the overall economic outlook of the region served by a particular store, branch, or distribution center; and (iii) specific market conditions.

The ranges of bonus payout possibilities for the various pre-tax profit goals and the U.S. Automotive and Industrial Products sales goals are shown below. Straight-line interpolation is used between data points. The 2018 Corporate pre-tax profit goal was $1,139,038,000.

In addition, for Mr. Breen, bonus opportunity was provided for attainment of inventory turnover, and working capital improvement, with a goal of various levels of improvement versus the prior year. Bonus opportunity was provided from 50% of target to 150% of target based on the achievement of the various levels of improvement.

For Mr. Maher, bonus opportunity was provided for attainment of inventory turnover and working capital improvement goals, with a goal of various levels of improvement versus the prior year. Bonus opportunity for inventory turnover was provided from 15% of target to 150% of target based on the achievement of the various levels of improvement, and for working capital improvement goals, 50% of target to 150% of target based on the achievement of improvement.

For 2018, the Company’s pre-tax profit was $1,111,717,000, representing 97.6% of the target level set for executive officer incentive bonuses, and working capital improvement performance was improved 10%, representing 150% of the target level set for the executive officer incentive bonuses resulting in bonus payments equal to 105.8% of the total target bonus opportunity for Mr. Donahue, Ms. Yancey and Mr. Neill.

As noted above, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee approved a full-year actual bonus payout of Mr. Breen’s program to his spouse, following his death in August 2018.

Mr. Maher’s program produced a bonus payment equal to 74% of target earned based on U.S. Automotive Parts Group performance. That Group’s pre-tax profit was 90% of target, while its sales performance was 98% of target. The additional goal pertaining to inventory turnover was partially met while working capital improvement goal was exceeded.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Except for Mr. Breen’s payout, when calculating the payout figures, formulas were applied strictly. The Committee did not exercise discretion to increase or decrease 2018 bonus payments for the named executive officers.

For additional information about the Annual Incentive Plan, please refer to the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table, which shows the threshold, target and maximum bonus amounts payable under the plan for 2018, and the Summary Compensation Table, which shows the actual amount of bonuses paid under the plan to our named executive officers for 2018.

2018 Long-Term Incentives

During 2018, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee granted long-term equity-based incentive compensation to our executive officers in the form of Performance Restricted Stock Units (“PRSUs”) and Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”). These grants align executive performance and achievement with shareholder interests.

The sizes of grants to individual named executive officers were subjectively determined by considering the following factors:

Comparison to market data suggests that the value of the 2018 PRSUs and RSUs awarded to our named executive officers was below the median relative to our Comparison Group. Grants in 2018 were weighted approximately 67% PRSUs and 33% RSUs.

All NEOs earned 88% of their PRSUs in 2018, based on the Company’s actual 2018 pre-tax profit of $1,111,717,000, which represented 97.6% of the Company’s pre-tax profit goal of $1,139,038,000. As discussed above, Mr. Breen earned 100% of his PRSUs in 2018, which vested immediately effective with his date of passing in August 2018.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Please refer to the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” and “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End” tables and the related footnotes for additional information about long-term stock awards.

Change in Control Arrangements

Severance protections, particularly in the context of a change in control transaction, can play a valuable role in attracting and retaining key executive officers. Accordingly, the Company has entered into change in control agreements with each of the named executive officers. Information regarding these agreements and the benefits they provide is included in the Post Termination Payments and Benefits section of this Proxy Statement.

The Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee evaluates the level of severance benefits to each such officer on a case-by-case basis, and in general, we consider these severance protections an important part of our executives’ compensation and consistent with competitive practices.

The potential occurrence of a change in control transaction would create uncertainty regarding the continued employment of our executive officers. This uncertainty results from the fact that many change in control transactions result in significant organizational changes, particularly at the senior executive level. In order to encourage our senior executive officers to remain employed with the Company during an important time when their prospects for continued employment are often uncertain, we provide our executive officers with severance benefits if the executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by the executive for “good reason” in connection with a change in control. Because a termination by the executive for good reason may be conceptually the same as a termination by the Company without cause, and because in the context of a change in control, potential acquirers would otherwise have an incentive to constructively terminate the executive’s employment to avoid paying severance, it is appropriate to provide severance benefits in these circumstances.

The change in control agreements do not provide for any tax gross-ups with respect to excise taxes under Internal Revenue Code Section 4999 that may be due on such payments.

Factors Considered in Decisions to Materially Increase or Decrease Compensation

Market data, individual performance, retention needs and internal pay equity have been the primary factors considered in decisions to adjust compensation materially. We do not target any particular weight for base salary, annual bonus and long-term incentive as a percent of total direct compensation. We tend to follow market practice in allocating between the various forms of compensation, but with greater emphasis on performance-based incentive bonus opportunities because doing so results in pay opportunity that is heavily performance-based, as shown below, and results in compensation that is directly aligned with Company performance, is market-competitive and allows us to attract and retain competent executives.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

2018 Variable versus Fixed Compensation:

The following charts show the allocation of the CEO and NEOs base salary and short-term and long-term incentive compensation opportunities between fixed and performance-based compensation (at the target levels).

2018 Short-Term versus Long-Term Incentive Compensation:

The following table shows the allocation between each Executive’s target short-term and long-term incentive compensation opportunities (each at the target level) as a percentage of each Executive’s base salary.

Timing of Compensation

Base salary adjustments, annual incentive plan opportunities, and PRSU/RSU grants were approved at the March 27, 2018 meeting of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee. The compensation adjustments were effective April 1, 2018, and the PRSU and RSU grants were effective May 1, 2018.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

We have adopted stock ownership guidelines for the named executive officers identified above and for other key executives designated by the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee. The ownership guidelines are reviewed at least annually by the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee, which also has the authority to evaluate whether exceptions should be made for any executive on whom the guidelines would

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

impose a financial hardship. The current guidelines as determined by the Committee include: (i) CEO — ownership equal to seven times prior year’s salary; (ii) Named Executive Officers — ownership equal to three times prior year’s salary; and (iii) Corporate Senior Vice Presidents and Subsidiary Presidents — ownership equal to one times the prior year’s salary.

The covered executives have a period of five years in which to satisfy the guidelines from the date of appointment to a qualifying position. Shares counted toward this requirement will be based on shares beneficially owned by such executive (as beneficial ownership is defined by the SEC’s rules and regulations) including PRSUs, but excluding unexercised options and measured against the average year-end stock price for the preceding three fiscal years. The guidelines also call for the covered executive to retain 50% of the net shares obtained through the exercise of options or when a restricted stock award vests for at least six months. The covered executives are encouraged to retain stock ownership per the guidelines for a period of six months following the date of retirement.

Impact of Accounting and Tax Treatments of Compensation

The accounting and tax treatment of compensation generally has not been a factor in determining the amounts of compensation for our executive officers. However, the Committee and management have considered the accounting and tax impact of various program designs to balance the potential cost to the Company with the benefit/value to the executive.

Code 162(m) places a limit of $1 million on the amount of compensation that a company may deduct in any year with respect to certain executive officers. It is the Committee’s intent to maximize deductibility of executive compensation while retaining some discretion needed to compensate executives in a manner commensurate with performance and the competitive landscape for executive talent. The 2015 Incentive Plan was approved by shareholders and permits the award of stock options, SARs and other performance-based equity awards that are intended to be fully deductible as “performance based” compensation under Code Section 162(m). The exemption from Code Section 162(m)‘s deduction limit for performance-based compensation, however, has been repealed, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, such that compensation paid to our covered executive officers in excess of $1 million will not be deductible unless it qualifies for transition relief applicable to certain arrangements in place as of November 2, 2017.

Clawback Provisions

The Company has clawback provisions in its Annual Incentive program and its Long Term Incentive program. If at any time after payment of an executive’s bonus or after performance units are earned, the Company and its auditors determine that it was calculated on financial results that subsequently were restated or were otherwise based on incorrect data, the executive may be required to repay or relinquish the unearned portion to the Company upon notice from the Company. Outside of the U.S., clawback provisions are subject to local law.

Role of Executive Officers in Determining Compensation

Our Chief Executive Officer, with input from our Senior Vice President — Human Resources, recommend to the Compensation, Nominating, and Governance Committee base salary, target bonus levels, actual bonus payouts and long-term incentive grants for our senior officer group (other than themselves). Mr. Donahue makes these recommendations to the Committee based on data and analysis provided by our independent compensation consultant and qualitative judgments regarding individual performance. Mr. Donahue is not involved with any aspect of determining his own compensation.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

2018 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

2018 CEO PAY RATIO

As required by item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, the Compensation, Nominating, and Governance Committee reviewed a comparison of our CEO’s annual total compensation in fiscal year 2018 to that of our median employee, which we identified in 2017. We identified our median employee by examining 2017 Box 1 W-2 and foreign equivalent taxable income amounts for all individuals, excluding our CEO, who were employed by us on December 31, 2017 whether on a full-time, part-time, or seasonal basis. As permitted by disclosure rules, we omitted approximately 7,000 employees that were added to the Company through acquisitions during 2017. We

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Additional Information Regarding Executive Compensation

did not annualize the compensation for any full-time employees that were not employed by us for all of 2017. We applied a foreign currency to U.S. dollar exchange rate to the compensation paid in foreign currency. After identifying the median employee, we calculated annual total compensation for such employee using the same methodology we use for our named executive officers as set forth in the 2018 Summary Compensation Table above.

As permitted by the regulation, we are using the same median employee for 2018. After performing an analysis of our employee population after 2017 mergers and acquisitions activity was taken into account, we concluded that there has been no change in our employee population or employee compensation arrangements that we believe would significantly impact the pay ratio disclosure.

For fiscal year 2018, the annual total compensation for our CEO was $5,300,329 as noted in the table above and for our median employee it was $38,485. The resulting ratio of our CEO’s pay to the pay of our median employee for fiscal year 2018 is 138 to 1.

2018 GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS

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Additional Information Regarding Executive Compensation

2018 OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END

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Additional Information Regarding Executive Compensation

2018 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table gives information as of December 31, 2018 about the common stock that may be issued under all of the Company’s existing equity compensation plans: