Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Late last year, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Deborah Skinner verbally communicated to the Board of Directors of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (the "Company") that she was considering the possibility of retiring at the end of 2024. In response to this possibility, the Board of Directors and Executive Management Team immediately initiated action steps in response to this potential succession event. Internal and external candidates were identified and preliminarily vetted. On September 3, 2024, in compliance with the terms of her executive employment contract, Deborah Skinner officially notified the Board of Directors in writing of her intention to retire effective December 31, 2024. The search committee immediately undertook final vetting procedures on a number of internal and external candidates, including a series of interviews. The selection process is in the final stages. The Company expects to announce the replacement candidate in time to allow for an orderly orientation and transition of this important Named Executive Officer position prior to Deborah Skinner's departure from the company. The Company's long-standing succession planning strategies have insured orderly transition of all Executive Officer vacancies over the past 27 years.