UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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

Check the appropriate box:

HOLLYFRONTIER CORPORATION

(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):

2018

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

AND PROXY STATEMENT

Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Lakeshore Convention Centre, Clarkson Room, 806 Southdown Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5J 2Y4, Canada

March 22, 2018

NOTICE OF 2018 ANNUAL MEETING

AND PROXY STATEMENT

Dear Stockholder:

You are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of stockholders of HollyFrontier Corporation (the “Company”). The meeting will be held as shown below.

Information about the meeting is presented in the following proxy statement. Please read the enclosed information and our 2017 Annual Report carefully before voting your proxy.

Your vote is important to us. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please sign, date and return the proxy card (if you have requested a paper copy of the proxy materials) or vote using the internet or telephone voting procedures described on the Notice of Internet Availability.

Thank you for your continued support of the Company. We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.

Michael C. Jennings Chairman of the Board		George J. Damiris Chief Executive Officer and President

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2018 Proxy Statement    1

2    HollyFrontier Corporation

2018 Proxy Statement    3

4    HollyFrontier Corporation

2018 Proxy Statement    5

6    HollyFrontier Corporation

HollyFrontier Corporation

2828 North Harwood

Suite 1300

Dallas, Texas 75201

Proxy Statement

for

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

To Be Held May 9, 2018

General Information

Purpose, Place, Date and Time

This proxy statement provides information in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of HollyFrontier Corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) for use at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or any postponement or adjournment thereof (the “Annual Meeting”). The Annual Meeting will be held on May 9, 2018, at 12:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, at Lakeshore Convention Centre, Clarkson Room, 806 Southdown Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5J 2Y4, Canada. This proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are being first made available to stockholders on or about March 22, 2018. All stockholders are invited to attend the Annual Meeting.

Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

The Company will continue to take advantage of the “Notice and Access” rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which allow public companies to deliver a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Notice of Internet Availability”) and provide internet access to the proxy materials and annual report to their stockholders. The use of Notice and Access generates significant cost savings for the Company.

In lieu of paper copies of the proxy statement and other materials, most of our stockholders will receive a Notice of Internet Availability containing instructions on how to access the proxy materials and annual report and vote online. Please follow the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability for requesting paper or e-mail copies of our proxy materials and annual report. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by e-mail, you will receive an e-mail next year with instructions with links to the proxy materials, annual report and to the proxy voting site. Your election to receive proxy materials by e-mail will remain in effect until you instruct us otherwise. Choosing to receive your future proxy materials by e-mail will save the Company the cost of printing and mailing documents to you.

Voting Rights and Proxy Information

Who is entitled to vote?

Stockholders of record at the close of business on March 12, 2018 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to receive notice of and the right to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the close of business on the Record Date, there were 177,039,839 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to be voted at the Annual Meeting. Each outstanding share of common stock is entitled to one vote.

2018 Proxy Statement    7

If your shares are registered in your name with EQ Shareowner Services (formerly known as Wells Fargo Shareowner Services), the Company’s transfer agent, you are considered the “stockholder of record” of those shares. If your shares are held in an account with a broker, bank or other nominee, you are considered the “beneficial owner” or holder in “street name” of those shares. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares.

What am I voting on, and how does the Board recommend that I vote?

How do I vote if I am a stockholder of record?

If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in person at the Annual Meeting or by proxy using any of the following methods:

If you vote by internet or telephone, do not return your proxy card. Submitting your proxy by internet or telephone will not affect your right to vote in person should you decide to attend the Annual Meeting. The telephone and internet voting procedures are designed to authenticate stockholders’ identities, to allow stockholders to give their voting instructions and to confirm that stockholders’ instructions have been recorded properly.

How do I vote if I hold my shares in street name?

If you hold your shares in street name, you will receive instructions from your broker, bank or other nominee describing how to vote your shares. In addition, you may be eligible to vote by internet or telephone if your broker, bank or other nominee participates in the proxy voting program provided by Broadridge. If your bank, brokerage firm or other nominee is participating in Broadridge’s program, your voting form will provide instructions. Beneficial owners voting by telephone or internet are subject to the same deadlines as described above for holders of record.

What can I do if I change my mind after I submit my proxy?

If you are a stockholder of record, you can revoke your proxy prior to the completion of voting at the Annual Meeting by:

8    HollyFrontier Corporation

If you are a beneficial owner of shares, you may submit new voting instructions by contacting your broker, bank or other nominee. You may also vote in person at the Annual Meeting if you obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee.

What happens if I do not give specific voting instructions?

All properly executed proxies, unless revoked as described above, will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions on your proxy. If a properly executed proxy gives no specific instructions, your shares will be voted in the manner recommended by the Board on all matters presented in this proxy statement and as the proxy holders may determine in their discretion with respect to any other matters properly presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting.

If you are a beneficial owner of shares and do not provide your broker, bank or other nominee with specific voting instructions, the rules of the New York Stock Exchange require that these institutions only vote on matters for which they have discretionary power to vote. If your broker, bank or other nominee does not receive instructions from you on how to vote your shares and they do not have discretion to vote on the matter, then the broker, bank or other nominee will inform the inspector of election that it does not have the authority to vote on the matter with respect to your shares, resulting in a “broker non-vote.”

Your broker, bank or other nominee is not permitted to vote on your behalf in the election of directors (Proposal 1) or the advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 2) unless you provide specific instructions to them. Accordingly, if you do not provide timely voting instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares, that institution will be prohibited from voting on all of the proposals in its discretion, except the ratification of the appointment of the independent public accounting firm (Proposal 3).

How many votes must be present to hold the meeting?

A quorum is necessary for conducting a valid meeting. Holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock must be present, in person or by proxy, to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions (shares of the Company’s common stock for which proxies have been received but for which the holders have abstained from voting) will be counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum.

What are the voting requirements for each of the matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting?

2018 Proxy Statement    9

How are proxies being solicited and who pays the solicitation expenses?

Proxies are being solicited by the Board on behalf of the Company. All expenses of the solicitation, including the cost of preparing and mailing this proxy statement, will be borne by the Company. The Company has retained MacKenzie Partners, Inc. to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the Annual Meeting. For these services, the Company will pay MacKenzie Partners $17,500 and will reimburse MacKenzie Partners for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. Additionally, proxies may be solicited by our officers, directors and employees personally or by telephone, e-mail or other forms of communication. The Company may also request banks, brokerage firms, custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward proxy materials to beneficial owners of the Company’s common stock. The costs of the solicitation, including reimbursements of any forwarding expenses, will be paid by the Company.

10    HollyFrontier Corporation

Election of Directors

(Proposal 1)

Currently, the Board consists of eleven directors. Each of the Company’s directors stands for election each year at the annual meeting.

Each director nominee identified below is an incumbent director whose nomination to serve on the Board was recommended by the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee and approved by the Board. The director nominees, if elected, will serve until the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, or until their earlier resignation or removal. Each director nominee has indicated a willingness to serve if elected.

Required Vote and Recommendation

The election of directors requires the approval of a majority of the votes cast for each director.

				THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE DIRECTOR NOMINEES LISTED BELOW.

2018 Proxy Statement    11

12    HollyFrontier Corporation

2018 Proxy Statement    13

14    HollyFrontier Corporation

2018 Proxy Statement    15

None of our directors reported any litigation for the period from 2008-2018 that is required to be reported in this proxy statement.

16    HollyFrontier Corporation

Corporate Governance

The Board and senior management believe that one of their primary responsibilities is to promote a corporate culture of accountability, responsibility and ethical conduct throughout the Company. The Company is committed to maintaining the highest standard of business conduct and corporate governance, which we believe is essential to operating our business efficiently, maintaining our integrity in the marketplace and serving our stockholders.

Consistent with these principles, the Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and Corporate Governance Guidelines. These documents, together with our certificate of incorporation, by-laws and Board committee charters, form the framework for our governance. Copies of these documents are publicly available on our website at www.hollyfrontier.com and may also be obtained free of charge upon written request to HollyFrontier Corporation, 2828 North Harwood, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75201, Attention: Director, Investor Relations.

Board Leadership Structure

In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board is responsible for selecting the Board leadership structure that is in the best interests of the Company. Our Board, at this time, has determined that a leadership structure consisting of separate Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board roles, together with a strong lead independent director, is appropriate for the Company. Currently, Mr. Jennings serves as our Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Damiris serves as our Chief Executive Officer and President.

The Board believes that at this time the separation of these positions enhances both the oversight of management by the Board and the Company’s overall leadership structure. In addition, as a result of his former role as our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jennings has Company-specific experience and expertise and as Chairman of the Board can identify strategic priorities, lead the discussion and execution of strategy, and facilitate the flow of information between management and the Board.

In order to give a significant voice to our non-management directors and to reinforce effective, independent leadership on the Board, and in recognition of his demonstrated leadership skills, the Board has appointed Mr. Bech as lead director. The lead director’s responsibilities are set forth in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and include:

The Board has established a policy that its non-management directors periodically meet in executive session, without members of management present. If the lead director is unable to attend a meeting of the non-management directors, then the non-management directors will designate an independent director to preside at the meeting.

2018 Proxy Statement    17

We believe that the foregoing structure, policies and practices, when combined with the Company’s other governance policies and procedures, provide appropriate opportunities for oversight, discussion and evaluation of decisions and direction from the Board, and are in the best interest of our stockholders.

Board Oversight of Risk Management

The Board oversees management of risk. The Board regularly reviews information regarding the Company’s business and operations, including the key operational and/or financial risks. As described below, consistent with SEC regulations and New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) requirements, the Board committees are also engaged in overseeing risk associated with the Company.

While each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of those risks, the full Board is ultimately responsible for overseeing the Company’s risk exposures and management thereof, and the Board is regularly informed on these matters through committee and senior management presentations.

The Board also receives input from the Company’s Risk Management Oversight Committee on management’s views of the risks facing the Company. This committee is made up of management personnel and monitors the risk environment for the Company as a whole. This committee also supports the efforts of the Board and the Board committees to monitor and evaluate guidelines and policies governing the Company’s risk assessment and management.

Director Independence

Board of Directors. NYSE listing requirements and our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that at least a majority of the Board meet the NYSE criteria for independence. The Board has determined that each of Mses. Ainsworth and Catalano and Messrs. Bech, Echols, Hardage, Kostelnik, Lee, Myers and Rose is independent under the NYSE independence standards. The Board previously determined that Mr. Valenta was independent under the NYSE independence standards during his service on the Board. Mr. Damiris is deemed not to be independent because he is an employee of the Company, and Mr. Jennings is not independent because he does not meet the independence requirements under the NYSE listing standards.

Audit Committee. The Board has determined each member of the Audit Committee is “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards and Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). The Board previously determined that Mr. Valenta was “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act during his service on the Audit Committee. The Board has also determined that Mr. Echols’ service as a member of the audit committees of Trinity Industries, Inc., EnLink Midstream GP, LLC and EnLink Midstream Manager, LLC does not impair his ability to effectively serve on the Audit Committee of the Company.

Compensation Committee. The Board has determined each member of the Compensation Committee is “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards. For each member of the Compensation Committee, the Board considered all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to the Company that is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a Compensation Committee member, including the sources of such director’s compensation, such as any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fees paid by the Company, and whether the director has an affiliate relationship with the Company, a subsidiary of the Company or an affiliate of a subsidiary of the Company.

18    HollyFrontier Corporation

Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. The Board has determined each member of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards.

Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee. The Board has determined each member of the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee, other than Mr. Jennings, is “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards. The Board previously determined that Mr. Valenta was “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards during his service on the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee.

Finance Committee. The Board has determined each member of the Finance Committee is “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards.

Independence Determination. In making its independence determinations, the Board considered certain transactions, relationships and arrangements. In determining Mr. Hardage’s independence, the Board considered that Mr. Hardage is a non-controlling manager and member of TCTC Holdings, LLC (which may be deemed to beneficially own 8.07% of the Company’s common stock) and holds various other positions with TCTC’s subsidiaries. The Board has determined that this relationship does not impair the independence of Mr. Hardage.

Director Nominations

Qualifications

In considering nominees for election as director, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee considers a number of factors, with an objective of having a board with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is also responsible for recommending the nomination of incumbent directors it deems appropriate for re-election to the Board and, if applicable, reappointment to any committees of the Board on which such director serves.

Characteristics expected of all directors include integrity, exceptional talent and judgment, and the ability and willingness to commit adequate time to the Board. In evaluating the suitability of individual board members, the committee takes into account many factors, including the candidate’s knowledge of the communities in which the Company does business, the Company’s industry, or other industries relevant to the Company’s business or other organizations of comparable size; as well as personal qualities, background and reputation. The Board also considers the diversity of race, gender, culture, age, knowledge, viewpoints, background, experience and skill when evaluating candidates. Subject to its fiduciary duties, applicable law and regulations and membership of the Board at the applicable time, when searching for new Board members, the Committee shall endeavor to identify highly qualified diverse candidates, including women and individuals from minority groups, to include in the pool of candidates as provided in the immediately preceding sentence from which Board nominees may be chosen.

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will not recommend to the Board the nomination of any director or nominee who has attained or will attain the age of 75 prior to the annual meeting at which he or she would be elected or re-elected. The Board may approve an exception to this policy on a case by case basis.

Stockholder Recommendations

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will consider recommendations of potential director candidates from stockholders based on the same criteria as a candidate identified by the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. Stockholders may submit such a recommendation by sending a letter to the Secretary of the Company at the Company’s principal executive offices. The mailing envelope must contain a clear notation indicating that the enclosed letter is a “Director Nominee Recommendation.”

To be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement, recommendations must be submitted in writing no less than 90 days and no more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders in compliance with the notice procedures and informational requirements set forth in Article III, Section 12 of the Company’s By-Laws. A stockholder’s notice must include the following:

2018 Proxy Statement    19

For more information, see “Additional Information—Stockholder Proposals.”

Director Search Process

As a result of Mr. Valenta’s death in February 2017, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee began a process to identify potential candidates to appoint to the Board. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee retained Heidrick & Struggles in July 2017 to assist with a search for a new director. Heidrick & Struggles was instructed to identify highly qualified diverse candidates, including women and individuals from minority groups, to include in the pool of candidates. Heidrick & Struggles assisted the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee in developing the position specification and initiated a search. While Ms. Catalano was initially recommended to our Chief Executive Officer by a third party, her name was provided to Heidrick & Struggles, who reviewed her qualifications in the same manner as other potential candidates identified by Heidrick & Struggles, including Ms. Ainsworth. Heidrick & Struggles also assisted the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee in interviewing potential candidates to appoint to the Board. At the conclusion of the process, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee nominated, and the Board appointed, Mses. Ainsworth and Catalano to the Board.

Communications with the Board

Any stockholder or other interested party may communicate with the non-management directors by e-mailing the lead director at presiding.director.HFC@hollyfrontier.com or writing to: Lead Director, c/o Secretary, HollyFrontier Corporation, 2828 N. Harwood, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75201. Communications to the Board generally may be sent certified mail to HollyFrontier Corporation, 2828 N. Harwood, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75201, Attention: Secretary. The Secretary will forward all communications to the appropriate director or directors, other than those communications that are merely solicitations for products or services or relate to matters that are of a type that are clearly improper or irrelevant to the functioning of the Board or the business and affairs of the Company.

Code of Conduct

The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all directors, officers and employees. The purpose of this Code is to, among other things, affirm the Company’s commitment to the highest standards of business conduct and ethics, integrity and compliance reporting in accordance with all applicable laws. The Code sets forth a common set of values and standards to which all of the Company’s directors, officers and employees must adhere. The Company will post information regarding any amendment to, or waiver from, its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on its website under the Investor Relations tab.

20    HollyFrontier Corporation

The Board, Its Committees and Its Compensation

The Board

Under the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, Board members are expected to devote the time reasonably necessary to discharge their responsibilities and to prepare for and, to the extent reasonably practicable, attend and participate in all meetings of the Board and Board committees on which they serve. During 2017, the Board held 15 meetings. Each director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board and committees on which he or she served during the period he or she was a director.

The Company does not have a policy regarding director attendance at the annual stockholder meeting. All of our then-current directors attended the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders.

Board Committees

The Company currently has six standing committees:

Other than the Executive Committee, each of these committees operates under a written charter adopted by the Board. The Executive Committee operates pursuant to authority that is specifically delegated to it by the Board, and such delegated authority may be revoked at any time.

Upon the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee’s recommendations, the Board elects committee members annually. The table below sets forth the number of meetings held by each Committee in 2017:

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the Company’s financial statements. In addition, the Audit Committee oversees management of exposure to financial risks and data system risks, including cyber security, and monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of the Company’s risk management and risk assessment guidelines and policies. The functions and responsibilities of the Audit Committee pursuant to its charter include:

2018 Proxy Statement    21

Our independent registered public accounting firm reports directly to the Audit Committee. Each member of the Audit Committee, including Mr. Valenta during his service on the Audit Committee, has or had the ability to read and understand fundamental financial statements, and each of Mr. Echols and Mr. Rose meets the requirements of an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the rules of the SEC.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee establishes and administers the Company’s policies, programs and procedures for compensating executive officers and the Board and oversees the management of risks relating to the Company’s executive compensation plans and arrangements. The Compensation Committee may form and delegate some or all of its authority and responsibilities to subcommittees as it deems appropriate. The functions and responsibilities of the Compensation Committee pursuant to its charter include:

The Compensation Committee also has the authority to retain, compensate, direct, oversee and terminate outside counsel, compensation consultants and other advisors hired to assist the Committee. Since September 2011, the

22    HollyFrontier Corporation

Compensation Committee has retained Pearl Meyer & Partners (“Pearl Meyer”) as its independent compensation consultant for matters related to executive and non-management director compensation. In selecting Pearl Meyer as its independent compensation consultant, the Compensation Committee assessed the independence of Pearl Meyer pursuant to SEC rules and considered, among other things, whether Pearl Meyer provides any other services to us, the fees paid by us to Pearl Meyer as a percentage of Pearl Meyer’s total revenues, the policies of Pearl Meyer that are designed to prevent any conflict of interest between Pearl Meyer, the Compensation Committee and us, any personal or business relationship between Pearl Meyer and a member of the Compensation Committee or one of our executive officers and whether Pearl Meyer owned any shares of our common stock. In addition to the foregoing, the Compensation Committee received an independence letter from Pearl Meyer, as well as other documentation addressing the firm’s independence. Pearl Meyer reports exclusively to the Compensation Committee and does not provide any additional services to us. The Compensation Committee has discussed these considerations and has concluded that Pearl Meyer is independent and that we do not have any conflicts of interest with Pearl Meyer.

In December 2017, the Compensation Committee engaged Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian”) to provide advice relating to executive compensation matters beginning with the 2018 fiscal year. Meridian did not provide any information or advice to the Compensation Committee with respect to matters related to executive and non-management director compensation in 2017.

Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board in overseeing that the Company is governed in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. In addition, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee oversees the Company’s ethics and compliance programs. The functions and responsibilities of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee pursuant to its charter include:

Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee

The Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee oversees the Company’s environmental, health, safety and public policy matters. In addition, the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee oversees the management of risks associated with such matters. The functions and responsibilities of the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Public Policy Committee pursuant to its charter include:

2018 Proxy Statement    23

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee oversees the Company’s capital allocation and capital investment strategies, including implementation and cost of capital. The functions and responsibilities of the Finance Committee include:

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee has such authority as the Board shall delegate to the committee from time to time.

Director Compensation

The Compensation Committee annually evaluates the compensation program for members of the Board who are not our officers or employees (“non-management directors”) in light of then-current market practices. Based on a recommendation from the Compensation Committee and in light of the fact that Mr. Jennings ceased to be an employee of the Company, effective January 1, 2017, the Board approved an annual retainer of $200,000 for the Chairman of the Board. The components of non-management director compensation for 2017 are set forth below. Members of the Board who also serve as our officers or employees do not receive additional compensation in their capacity as directors.

For 2017, non-management directors were entitled to receive Board and Board committee retainers and meeting fees payable in cash and the other compensation described in the following table. We also reimburse directors for all reasonable expenses incurred in attending Board and Board committee meetings upon submission of appropriate documentation.

24    HollyFrontier Corporation

Equity Awards

Non-management directors receive an annual equity award grant in the form of restricted stock units having a fair market value of approximately $135,000 on the date of grant. These annual grants are made in the fourth quarter of the year preceding the year to which the award relates in order to align the timing of the equity award grants with the timing of the other compensation decisions made for non-management directors and with the timing of long-term equity incentive award grants for our executive officers.

Continued service on the Board through the stated vesting date for the restricted stock units, which is in most cases approximately one year following the date of grant, is required in order for the restricted stock units to become vested. The restricted stock units granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year vested on December 1, 2017. The restricted stock units granted in November 2017 for the 2018 fiscal year will vest on December 1, 2018. Accelerated vesting of outstanding restricted stock units will occur upon a change in control (subject to the director serving as a member of the Board immediately prior to the change in control) or the director’s death, disability or retirement. Settlement of the restricted stock units in shares of our common stock occurs within 30 days of the event that caused the restricted stock units to vest. Directors do not have the rights of a stockholder with respect to the shares underlying the restricted stock units until the award vests and is settled in shares. However, directors are entitled to the payment of dividend equivalents on outstanding restricted stock units in the form of cash in an amount equal to the dividends that would have been paid with respect to the underlying shares after January 1 of the year following the year in which the date of grant occurs. These dividend equivalents are not subject to forfeiture.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

Our non-management directors are eligible to participate in the HollyFrontier Corporation Executive Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan, which is not tax-qualified under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code and allows participants to defer receipt of certain compensation (the “NQDC Plan”). The NQDC Plan allows non-management directors the ability to defer up to 100% of their cash retainers and meeting fees for a calendar year. Participating directors have full discretion over how their contributions to the NQDC Plan are invested among the offered investment options, and earnings on amounts contributed to the NQDC Plan are calculated in the same manner and at the same rate as earnings on actual investments. We do not subsidize a participant’s earnings under the NQDC Plan.

Mr. Myers was the only non-management director that participated in the NQDC Plan in 2017. During 2017, no above market or preferential earnings were paid to Mr. Myers under the NQDC Plan and, therefore, none of the earnings received by Mr. Myers during 2017 are included in the Director Compensation Table below. For additional information on the NQDC Plan, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of our Executive Compensation Program—Retirement Benefits and Perquisites—Retirement Plans—Deferred Compensation Plan” and “Executive Compensation—Nonqualified Deferred Compensation.”

2018 Proxy Statement    25

Stock Ownership and Retention Policy for Non-Management Directors

Non-management directors are expected to acquire and hold during their service on the Board shares of our common stock equal in value to at least three times the annual Board cash retainer paid to our non-management directors (excluding any retainer paid for service on a Board committee). Directors have five years from their initial election to the Board to meet the target stock ownership requirements.

Directors are required to continuously own sufficient shares to meet the stock ownership requirements once attained. Until the directors attain compliance with the stock ownership policy, the directors will be required to hold 50% of the shares of common stock received from any equity award. If a director attains compliance with the stock ownership policy and subsequently falls below the requirement because of a decrease in the price of our common stock, the director will be deemed in compliance provided that the director retains the shares then held.

As of December 31, 2017, all of our non-management directors were in compliance with the stock ownership policy or were within the five year grace period provided under the stock ownership policy.

Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policy

All of our directors are subject to our Insider Trading Policy, which, among other things, prohibits such directors from entering into short sales or hedging or pledging shares of our common stock.

Director Compensation Table

The table below sets forth the compensation earned by each of our non-management directors in 2017.

26    HollyFrontier Corporation

2018 Proxy Statement    27

Advisory Vote on the Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers

(Proposal 2)

Section 14A(a)(1) of the Exchange Act requires that we provide our stockholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on an advisory (non-binding) basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC, including the compensation discussion and analysis, the compensation tables and any related material contained in this proxy statement.

In accordance with the preference expressed by our stockholders at our annual meeting in 2017, the Board determined that we would provide this opportunity annually until the next non-binding stockholder advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation. As described in detail under the heading “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” our executive compensation programs are primarily designed to (i) attract, motivate and retain our named executive officers, who are critical to our success, (ii) provide incentives for our named executive officers to achieve and exceed our operational, financial, and strategic goals, and (iii) align the interests of our named executive officers with those of our stockholders. Under these programs, compensation for our named executive officers is tied to performance, including our financial results and stockholder returns. Please read the information under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” and review the compensation tables and narratives that follow, for additional details about our executive compensation programs, including information about the compensation of our named executive officers in 2017.

This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the compensatory philosophy, policies and practices described in this proxy statement. Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding on the Compensation Committee, the Board or the Company. However, the Board and the Compensation Committee will review the voting results and take those results into consideration when making future decisions regarding executive compensation.

Required Vote and Recommendation

The advisory vote on the compensation of named executive officers requires the approval of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal.

				THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AS DISCLOSED PURSUANT TO THE COMPENSATION DISCLOSURE RULES OF THE SEC, INCLUDING AS DISCLOSED IN THE “COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS” SECTION, THE ACCOMPANYING COMPENSATION TABLES AND ANY RELATED MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.

28    HollyFrontier Corporation

Executive Officers

The following sets forth information regarding the executive officers of the Company as of March 7, 2018:

Information regarding Mr. Damiris is included above under “Election of Directors.”

Richard L. Voliva, III has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company since March 2017. He served as Senior Vice President, Strategy of the Company from June 2016 to March 2017. Mr. Voliva has also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HLS since March 2017. Mr. Voliva served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HLS from July 2016 to March 2017, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HLS from October 2015 until July 2016, Vice President, Corporate Development of HLS from February 2015 until October 2015 and as Senior Director, Business Development of HLS from April 2014 until February 2015. Prior to joining HLS, Mr. Voliva was an analyst at Millennium Management LLC, an institutional asset manager, from April 2011 until April 2014, an analyst at Partner Fund Management, L.P., a hedge fund, from March 2008 until March 2011 and Vice President, Equity Research at Deutsche Bank from June 2005 to March 2008. Mr. Voliva is a CFA Charterholder.

Thomas G. Creery has served as Senior Vice President, Commercial of the Company since January 2016 and as President of HollyFrontier Refining and Marketing since February 2017. He previously served as Vice President, Crude Supply from October 2008 to January 2016 and Vice President, Crude Supply and Planning from January 2006 to October 2008. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Creery served at Unocal Corporation for 25 years in a variety of locations based in Calgary, Los Angeles, Singapore and Houston.

James M. Stump has served as Senior Vice President, Refining (formerly called Senior Vice President, Refinery Operations) of the Company since the merger in July 2011. During his 21 years at Frontier, Mr. Stump held various positions, including serving as Vice President—Refining Operations for Frontier Refining and Marketing from 2009 until July 2011 and as Vice President and Refining Manager from 2002 to 2009.

Denise C. McWatters has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company since January 2013. She previously served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from May 2008 until January 2013 and Deputy General Counsel from October 2007 until May 2008. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. McWatters served as the General Counsel of The Beck Group from 2005 through October 2007. Ms. McWatters also has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of HLS since January 2013, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of HLS from May 2008 until January 2013 and Deputy General Counsel of HLS from October 2007 to April 2008.

2018 Proxy Statement    29

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Executive Summary

This compensation discussion and analysis provides information about our compensation objectives and policies, as determined by the Compensation Committee. In addition, the compensation discussion and analysis is intended to place in perspective the information contained in the executive compensation tables that follow this discussion.

Overview

We hold our executive officers accountable for our performance and for maintaining a culture of strong ethics and exemplary safety. For 2017, our “named executive officers” or “NEOs” were:

The compensation of our named executive officers is also presented in the tables and related information provided under “Executive Compensation” below.

Certain of our named executive officers also provide services to our wholly-owned subsidiary, HLS, and HEP. HLS is the general partner of HEP Logistics Holdings, L.P., which is the general partner of HEP. We own a 57% limited partner interest and a non-economic general partner interest in HEP. For all or a portion of 2017, Messrs. Damiris, Voliva and Aron and Ms. McWatters also served as executive officers of HLS and split their professional time between HEP and us. Mr. Damiris, Mr. Voliva, Mr. Aron and Ms. McWatters did not receive any compensation from HLS or HEP during 2017. For 2017,Mr. Damiris, Mr. Voliva and Ms. McWatters were also named executive officers of HLS, and, in accordance with SEC rules, a portion of the compensation paid by us to them for 2017 was allocated to the services they each performed for HLS and HEP during 2017 and was included in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and the accompanying narratives and tables contained in HEP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The total compensation paid and other benefits made available to Mr. Damiris, Mr. Voliva, and Ms. McWatters by us, including amounts disclosed in HEP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, are disclosed below.

2017 Business Highlights

The Compensation Committee believes that our executive management team has created significant value for our stockholders in 2017. The following are key highlights of our achievements in 2017:

30    HollyFrontier Corporation

These achievements were taken into account in awarding 2017 annual incentive bonuses to our named executive officers. We believe the total compensation received by our named executive officers for 2017 was reflective of the Company and individual performance for the year.

Say-on-Pay Vote

At our 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, our stockholders had an opportunity to cast an advisory vote on executive compensation. At that meeting, over 94% of the votes cast by our stockholders were voted in support our executive pay program. The Compensation Committee believes this affirms stockholders’ support of our approach to executive compensation, and the Compensation Committee did not make any material changes to its executive compensation program in 2017 based on the results of the advisory vote. The Compensation Committee will continue to consider the outcome of the Company’s say-on-pay votes when making future compensation decisions for the named executive officers.

Stockholder-Friendly Features of Our Executive Compensation Program

The following are highlights of our compensation programs, which continue to contain stockholder-friendly features:

Philosophy and Objectives of Executive Compensation Program

Pay-for-Performance Philosophy

Our compensation programs are designed to remunerate named executive officers in accordance with a pay-for-performance philosophy. As such, the compensation programs are intended to provide incentives to our named executive officers, as well as other employees, to maximize operational performance and stockholder value, which in turn affects the overall compensation earned by our management.

2018 Proxy Statement    31

Each named executive officer’s total direct compensation is heavily influenced by company and individual performance measures.

Objectives

In designing the compensation program for named executive officers, the Compensation Committee sought to achieve the following key objectives:

Components of Our Executive Compensation Program

The components of the compensation program for our named executive officers are:

32    HollyFrontier Corporation

Each of these components is described in further detail in the narrative that follows. Specific information regarding 2017 compensation is included below in the section titled “2017 Executive Compensation Decisions.”

Base Salary

Base salaries provide named executive officers with a predictable level of income. The Compensation Committee reviews base salaries annually and determines base salaries on the basis of market practices and each executive’s position, level of responsibility, individual performance, and position relative to other executives and other compensation elements. The Compensation Committee also reviews competitive market data relevant to each position provided by the compensation consultant.

Annual Incentive Cash Compensation

Under our annual incentive cash compensation program, named executive officers are eligible for cash bonuses that are designed to attract and retain senior leadership, reward achievement of financial and business goals and align executives’ interests with stockholders. Annual incentive cash opportunities for our named executive officers are reviewed annually and differ with the level of responsibility of each executive.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

Equity awards are provided under our Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (the “LTIP”) and, until April 26, 2016, were also provided under our Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Omnibus Plan”). For ease of discussion, the LTIP and the Omnibus Plan are collectively referred to in this proxy statement as the “Equity Plans.” The term of the Omnibus Plan expired on April 26, 2016 and was not extended. As a result, no additional awards will be granted under the Omnibus Plan. The Compensation Committee oversees the administration of the Equity Plans and grants equity incentive awards to qualifying employees at its discretion. Annual awards are typically made during the fourth quarter of the year preceding the year to which the awards relate.

We view long-term equity incentive compensation as the cornerstone of the executive compensation program because we believe:

In determining the appropriate amount and type of long-term equity incentive awards to be made, the Compensation Committee considers a named executive officer’s position, scope of responsibility, base salary, performance and market compensation information for executives in similar positions in similar companies and prior awards. In addition, the Compensation Committee has historically considered the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer, except in regard to his own equity awards.

Severance and Change in Control Benefits

Severance and change in control protections are provided to our named executive officers pursuant to the terms of outstanding awards granted under the Equity Plans and pursuant to change in control severance agreements. The award agreements related to outstanding restricted stock and performance share units granted to our named executive officers include accelerated vesting provisions in the event of certain terminations of employment, including in connection with a change in control. For additional information about these provisions, see “Executive Compensation—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.” In addition, we have entered into change in control severance agreements with each of our named executive officers, as described below. These agreements are designed to provide benefits only in the event of a qualifying termination of employment following a

2018 Proxy Statement    33

change in control transaction, and do not provide any benefits without a termination of employment. None of the change in control severance agreements we have with our named executive officers, including the change in control severance agreement we had with Mr. Aron while he was an employee of the Company, contain any tax reimbursement provisions in the event a named executive officer receives potential parachute payments under Section 280G of the Code. Mr. Aron’s change in control severance agreement terminated upon his retirement on February 28, 2017, at which time we entered into a Retirement Agreement. For additional information about the severance benefits provided under the change in control agreements and Mr. Aron’s Retirement Agreement, see “Executive Compensation—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.”

Retirement Benefits and Perquisites

Retirement Plans

Defined Contribution Plan. For 2017, our named executive officers were able to participate in the HollyFrontier Corporation 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, which is a tax-qualified defined contribution plan (the “401(k) Plan”). Employees who are not eligible to participate in the NQDC Plan may contribute amounts between 0% and 75% of their eligible compensation to the 401(k) Plan, while employees who are eligible to participate in the NQDC Plan may contribute amounts between 0% and 50% of their eligible compensation to the 401(k) Plan. Employee contributions that were made on a tax-deferred basis were generally limited to $18,000 for 2017, with employees 50 years of age or over able to make additional tax-deferred contributions of $6,000.

For 2017, we made a retirement contribution of 3% to 8% of the participating employee’s eligible compensation under the 401(k) Plan, subject to applicable limitations under the Code, based on years of service, as follows:

In addition to the retirement contribution, in 2017, we made matching contributions to the 401(k) Plan equal to 100% of the first 6% of each participating employee’s eligible compensation up to compensation limits. In 2017, all of our named executive officers participated in the 401(k) Plan and received matching contributions and the retirement contribution. Matching contributions vest immediately and retirement contributions are subject to a three-year cliff-vesting period.

Deferred Compensation Plan. Certain of our employees, including our named executive officers, were also eligible to participate in the NQDC Plan in 2017. The NQDC Plan provides certain members of management and other highly compensated employees an opportunity to defer compensation in excess of qualified retirement plan limitations on a pre-tax basis and accumulate tax-deferred earnings to achieve their financial goals.

Participants in the NQDC Plan can contribute between 1% and 50% of their eligible earnings, which includes base salary and bonuses, to the NQDC Plan. Participants in the NQDC Plan are also eligible to receive certain employer-provided contributions, including but not limited to matching contributions, retirement contributions, and nonqualified nonelective contributions. Matching contributions and retirement contributions represent contribution amounts that could not be made under the 401(k) Plan due to limitations on tax-qualified plans under the Code. We do not provide any subsidized returns or guarantee of returns on compensation deferred by our named executive officers or other participants in the NQDC Plan. For more information regarding this plan, see “Executive Compensation—Nonqualified Deferred Compensation.”

34    HollyFrontier Corporation

Other Benefits and Perquisites

All of our executive officers are eligible to participate in the same benefit plans available generally to our salaried employees, such as medical, dental, vision, long-term and short-term disability and life insurance. We do not maintain separate “executive” plans for any of these benefits.

During 2017, Messrs. Damiris, Aron (until his retirement) and Voliva (beginning March 1, 2017) were permitted to use the company aircraft for personal travel, subject to a requirement that they reimburse us for all aggregate incremental costs associated with their personal use, including fuel costs, landing fees, catering charges, pilot overnight expenses and other similar charges incurred by us. In addition, we permit a named executive officer’s family member to accompany the executive on a flight when the executive is traveling for business. No additional direct operating cost is incurred by us in such situations, but to the extent that Internal Revenue Service guidelines cause us to impute income to the named executive officer for such family member travel, and that travel is not business-related, the associated tax liability is the responsibility of the executive.

In addition, for security reasons as a result of our increased size and value, we reimburse our executive officers up to $9,500 per year for any out-of-pocket expenses related to security training, consulting or technology. During 2017, we also reimbursed monthly club dues for Messrs. Damiris, Aron (until his retirement) and Stump. The Compensation Committee believes that a club membership assists these named executive officers in performing their responsibilities by providing a means for business entertainment and networking. We also provide reserved parking spaces for our executive officers.

Role of Compensation Committee in Establishing Compensation

The Compensation Committee administers our executive compensation programs. The role of the Compensation Committee is to review and approve the compensation to be paid to executive officers, including the named executive officers, and to review the compensation policies and practices for all of our employees to verify that they do not create unreasonable risks for us or our stockholders.

In setting compensation for executive officers, the Compensation Committee considers, among other things, recommendations by its independent compensation consultant and management and the compensation of similarly situated executives in comparable businesses. In addition, the Compensation Committee annually reviews total compensation paid to the named executive officers for the prior year and, with the assistance of management, proposes long-term incentive compensation awards.

Role of Executive Officers in Establishing Compensation

Our Chief Executive Officer makes compensation recommendations to the Compensation Committee for the executive officers, including the named executive officers (except with respect to his own compensation). Management provides financial and compensation data to the Compensation Committee for its review in setting compensation and gives guidance as to how the data impacts performance goals set by the Compensation Committee. This data includes:

In addition, management may recommend and provide rationale for discretionary bonuses for named executive officers (other than for the Chief Executive Officer) to the Compensation Committee. Given the day-to-day familiarity that management has with the work performed by the named executive officers, the Compensation Committee values management’s recommendations. However, the Compensation Committee makes all final decisions as to the compensation of the named executive officers.

2018 Proxy Statement    35

Role of Compensation Committee Consultant in Establishing Compensation

Since September 2011, the Compensation Committee retained Pearl Meyer as its independent compensation consultant to advise the Compensation Committee on matters related to executive and non-management director compensation. The Compensation Committee periodically meets independently with Pearl Meyer. In 2017, the Compensation Committee received competitive market data and related observations and advice from Pearl Meyer with respect to the development and structure of our executive compensation program. As discussed above under “The Board, its Committees and its Compensation—Board Committees—Compensation Committee,” the Compensation Committee has concluded that we do not have any conflicts of interest with Pearl Meyer.

In December 2017, the Compensation Committee engaged Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian”) to provide advice relating to executive compensation matters beginning with the 2018 year. Meridian did not provide any information or advice to the Compensation Committee with respect to 2017 compensation for the NEOs.

Market Review

We regularly compare our executive compensation program with market information regarding salary levels and incentive awards and programs. The purpose of this analysis is to provide a frame of reference in evaluating the reasonableness and competitiveness of our executive compensation as compared to that of companies within the energy industry that are generally comparable in size and scope of operations to us.

Market pay levels for our named executive officers are obtained from the SEC filings of the companies in our comparator group. We supplement this data for our named executive officers with, and obtain data for our named executive officers from, various sources, including published compensation surveys, which cover our industry sector and labor market. As a component of setting 2017 compensation, in September 2016, the Compensation Committee reviewed a study of compensation paid to our named executive officers prepared by Pearl Meyer. The following companies comprised the 2017 comparator group reviewed by the Compensation Committee:

The 2017 comparator group remained the same as the 2016 comparator group. The 2017 comparator group is different than the 2017 incentive peer group, which is used as a market comparison when determining payouts of certain performance-based incentive awards granted to named executive officers. See “—2017 Executive Compensation Decisions—Annual Incentive Cash Compensation” for a further discussion of the 2017 incentive peer group and the reasons for the differences from the 2017 comparator group.

2017 Executive Compensation Decisions

The Compensation Committee established 2017 total direct compensation, including base salary, annual incentive cash compensation, and long-term equity incentive compensation awards, for our named executive officers at pay levels approximating the middle range of market compensation. The Compensation Committee utilized the market data provided by Pearl Meyer and internal evaluations of the named executive officers to establish total compensation opportunities for the named executive officers that are consistent with this objective.

36    HollyFrontier Corporation

Based on the 2017 annual review of compensation, the Compensation Committee believes that 2017 compensation for the named executive officers reflects appropriate allocation of compensation between salary, bonuses and equity compensation.

Base Salary

The Compensation Committee establishes base salaries within a competitive range to provide our named executive officers with compensation consistent with their responsibilities, their experience, their individual performance and our peers. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Compensation Committee conducted its annual review of base salaries and market survey data for our named executive officers, other than Mr. Voliva, and determined that increases in the base salaries of the named executive officers, other than Mr. Damiris and Mr. Aron, were warranted based on factors such as our financial performance, market levels of compensation for comparable positions and internal pay equity. In the first quarter of 2017, in connection with Mr. Voliva’s appointment as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the Compensation Committee determined an increase in his salary was warranted in light of his additional responsibilities and market levels of compensation for comparable positions. The following table sets forth the base salaries for 2016 and 2017 of our named executive officers:

Annual Incentive Cash Compensation

In the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017 (with respect to Mr. Voliva), the Compensation Committee approved target award levels as well as all other terms of the annual incentive cash compensation awards granted to our named executive officers for 2017. These awards were subject to our achievement of specified levels of performance with respect to certain financial and environmental, health and safety measures, as well as individual performance measures for certain named executive officers.

2018 Proxy Statement    37

After considering target awards for comparable positions at our comparator group companies, for 2017, the Compensation Committee:

In addition, the Compensation Committee set the terms of the annual incentive cash compensation awards for Mr. Voliva and Mr. Creery, who did not participate in the plan in previous years. No other changes were made to the annual incentive cash compensation for 2017 as compared to 2016. The following table sets forth the minimum, target and maximum award opportunities (as a percentage of annual base salary) for our named executive officers for 2017, and the portion of each named executive officer’s target award opportunity that is allocated to each performance measure (as percentage of the annual bonus awards and as a percentage of annual base salary).

The financial measures are weighted more heavily than the environmental, health and safety measures in order to incentivize and reward the named executive officers for overall company performance as compared to its peers and to promote stockholder value creation. Awards are capped to avoid encouraging an excessive short-term focus, potentially at the expense of long-term performance.

To facilitate timely determination of award payouts, the measurement period for each of the above metrics covers four consecutive quarters starting with the fourth quarter of the preceding year (2016) and ending with the third quarter of the following year (2017).

Financial Measures. The Compensation Committee allocates the majority of each named executive officer’s bonus opportunity to financial performance in order to align the financial interests of our executive officers with the interests of our stockholders and our Business Improvement Plan. The following equally-weighted criteria are used to determine overall performance under the financial measures metric:

38    HollyFrontier Corporation

The return on capital employed metric is compared to the performance of the 2017 incentive peer group, which includes the following:

The companies included in the 2017 incentive peer group are the same companies included in the 2016 incentive peer group. We compare the return on capital employed metric against that of these companies because their collective performance reflects external economic conditions we are facing as a company and as an industry as a whole, and they are also companies with which both management and investment analysts compare our results. The 2017 incentive peer group differs from the 2017 comparator group because the 2017 incentive peer group includes companies that are too large in size or that significantly differ in ownership and management composition from us to be suitable comparisons for determining and establishing competitive pay data for our executives. Alon USA Energy, Inc. and Western Refining Company both ceased to be public companies prior to the end of the measurement period. As a result, both companies were treated as if they had not been an incentive peer for the entire measurement period.

The table below sets forth the threshold, target and maximum performance levels for each financial metric and the actual results for the financial metrics in 2017:

In addition, for the financial metrics:

2018 Proxy Statement    39

Environmental, Health and Safety Measures. The Compensation Committee selected this metric because it reflects one of our key business objectives, drives our overall performance and promotes accountability. Our performance with respect to the following equally-weighted criteria, as compared to our performance for the prior year, is used to determine performance under the environmental, health and safety metric:

For environmental, health and safety measures, the incident rate or the number of incidents for each component, as applicable, will be compared to the incident rate or the number of incidents, as applicable, in the prior 12-month period and the total percentage change will determine the environmental, health and safety performance. The table below sets forth the threshold, target and maximum payout levels for environmental, health and safety measures based on the percentage change in the incident rate or the number of incidents, as applicable, as compared to the prior 12-month period and the actual results for the environmental, health and safety metrics in 2017:

In addition, for the environmental, health and safety metrics:

Individual Performance Measures. In addition to the metrics mentioned above, a portion of the award for each of the named executive officers (other than Mr. Damiris) who were eligible to participate in the annual incentive cash compensation program for 2017 was based on the Compensation Committee’s evaluation of the executive officer’s individual performance during the year. The Compensation Committee considers various criteria such as interpersonal effectiveness, business conduct, professional and technical development, leadership, and results orientation. The evaluation is discretionary and based on a wide range of considerations which often change over the course of the year. Further, the Compensation Committee may exercise its discretion and increase, decrease, or eliminate awards based on individual performance for any named executive officer.

40    HollyFrontier Corporation

2017 Performance. The following table sets forth the named executive officers’ target bonus as a percentage of base salary and the actual payouts to the named executive officers for 2017 as a percentage of base salary, including payments made based on our achieving 85.5% of the target financial measures and 67.7% of the target environmental, health and safety measures and the bonuses awarded for individual performance.

In addition, for 2017, we awarded special bonuses to each of the following named executive officers in recognition of their extraordinary efforts and contributions to us in 2017, including with respect to closing the acquisition of, and integrating, Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc., in the following amounts: Mr. Damiris ($126,290), Mr. Voliva ($25,193), Mr. Stump ($22,439), Ms. McWatters ($19,288) and Mr. Creery ($68,894).

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

Prior to November 2017, including for equity awards intended to cover the 2017 calendar year, our long-term equity incentive program consisted of annual grants of restricted stock and performance share unit awards for our named executive officers. Beginning in November 2017 with our equity grants that are intended to cover the 2018 calendar year, our annual grants for our named executive officers consist of restricted stock units and performance share unit awards. The long-term incentive awards were allocated between award types as reflected below:

Annual grants of long-term equity incentive awards are made in the fourth quarter of the preceding year, rather than in the first quarter of the year to which the award relates, in order to align the timing of the long-term equity incentive award grants with the timing of the other compensation decisions made for our named executive officers and, with respect to performance share unit awards, to align the timing of the grant with the quarter in which the performance period commences. Pursuant to SEC rules, the long-term equity incentive awards granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year are disclosed as 2016 compensation in the Summary Compensation Table and are not included in the 2017 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table included in this proxy statement; however, because these awards relate to the 2017 fiscal year, they are described in greater detail below. The long-term equity incentive awards granted in November 2017 for the 2018 fiscal year are discussed below under “—2018 Executive Compensation Decisions.”

Annual grants of long-term equity incentive awards are initially approved by the Compensation Committee as a dollar amount established according to the pay grade of the named executive officer. The award is then converted into a number of shares by dividing the dollar amount by the closing price of our common stock on the grant date of the award, with half of the shares being granted as restricted stock (or restricted stock units beginning in November 2017) and half of the shares being granted as performance share units. The following table sets forth:

2018 Proxy Statement    41

Restricted Stock Awards

The restricted stock awards granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year vest in three equal annual installments on December 15, 2017, 2018 and 2019 (or the first business day thereafter if December 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday), subject to continued employment. Each named executive officer has the right to receive dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such shares of restricted stock, and these dividend and other distributions are paid at approximately the same time as dividends are received by our common stockholders.

Performance Share Unit Awards

The Compensation Committee determined that performance metrics for the November 2016 grants would consist of return on capital employed and total shareholder return during the performance period as measured against that of the 2017 incentive peer group. See “—2017 Executive Compensation Decisions—Annual Incentive Cash Compensation” for a discussion of the 2017 incentive peer group.

The performance period for these performance share unit awards runs from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2019. Each named executive officer (other than Mr. Aron who has forfeited the performance share units granted in November 2016) has the right to receive dividend equivalents and other distributions with respect to such performance share units based on the target level of payout, and these dividend equivalents are paid at approximately the same time as dividends are received by our common stockholders.

For the performance share unit awards granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year:

42    HollyFrontier Corporation

The actual number of performance share units earned at the end of the performance period will be equal to (a) the target number of performance share units granted multiplied by (b) our average performance unit payout with respect to the performance metrics. The average performance unit payout is determined by adding our performance unit payout percentage with respect to each performance metric and dividing the sum by two.

For the return on capital employed metric and the total shareholder return metric, an ordinal ranking of our return on capital employed versus the return on capital employed of each entity in our incentive peer group and our total shareholder return versus the total shareholder return of each entity in our incentive peer group, respectively, will be calculated at the end of the performance period and payout is determined in accordance with the following table:

Alon USA Energy, Inc. and Western Refining Company both ceased to be public companies prior to the end of the performance period. As a result, the above table was adjusted by the Compensation Committee, as permitted by the award agreements governing the performance share units, to reflect the change in the number of companies in the incentive peer group as follows:

The named executive officer must be employed by us on December 15, 2019 (or the first business day thereafter if such date falls on a Saturday or Sunday) to receive payment of the earned performance share unit awards, except as described below in “Executive Compensation—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.” Earned performance share unit awards will be paid in the form of fully vested shares of our common stock.

2018 Proxy Statement    43

Stock Ownership Policy

Our Board, the Compensation Committee and our executive officers recognize that ownership of our common stock is an effective means by which to align the interests of our directors and officers with those of our stockholders. In February 2012, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee recommended, and the Board approved, a new stock ownership policy. The terms of the stock ownership policy for our executive officers are summarized below.

Under the stock ownership policy, our executive officers are required to hold shares of our common stock as follows:

		10.1x base salary The value of shares held by Mr. Damiris as of March 7, 2018.

Our executive officers are required to meet the applicable requirements within five years of employment or promotion.

Executive officers are required to continuously own sufficient shares to meet the stock ownership requirements once attained. Until the executive officers attain compliance with the stock ownership policy, the executive officers will be required to hold 50% of the shares of common stock received from any equity award, net of any shares used to pay tax withholdings. If an executive officer attains compliance with the stock ownership policy and subsequently falls below the requirement because of a decrease in the price of our common stock, the executive officer will be deemed in compliance provided that the executive officer retains the shares then held.

As of December 31, 2017, all of our named executive officers were in compliance with the stock ownership policy.

Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policy

All of our employees, including our named executive officers, are subject to our Insider Trading Policy, which, among other things, prohibits employees from entering into short sales or hedging or pledging shares of our common stock.

Recoupment of Compensation

To date, the Board has not adopted a formal clawback policy to recoup incentive based compensation upon the occurrence of a financial restatement, misconduct, or other specified events. However, our change in control severance agreements with our named executive officers include language providing that amounts paid or payable pursuant to such agreements may be forfeited and/or recouped to the extent required by applicable law or any clawback policy that we adopt.

In addition, the 2017 and 2018 award agreements for awards under our long-term equity incentive program provide that the award, including amounts paid or realized with respect to the award, may be subject to reduction, cancelation, forfeiture or recoupment to the extent required by applicable law or any clawback policy that we adopt. The Compensation Committee will continue to evaluate the practical, administrative and other implications of adopting, implementing and enforcing a clawback policy.

Impact of Regulatory Compliance

In designing and implementing programs applicable to executives, the Compensation Committee considers the anticipated tax treatment to us and our executive officers of various payments and benefits, and the effects of applicable provisions of the Code, including Section 162(m) and Section 280G.    

With respect to the 2017 year, Section 162(m) limited the deductibility by a company of compensation in excess of $1,000,000 paid to certain executive officers. “Performance-based compensation” that satisfied certain stockholder approval requirements was excluded from the $1,000,000 limit if, among other requirements, the compensation was payable only upon attainment of pre-established, objective performance goals. We intended that certain awards granted under our Equity Plans (such as the performance share unit grants) qualified as “performance-based

44    HollyFrontier Corporation

compensation” that was intended to be exempt from the limitations of Section 162(m) to the extent practicable. However, the deductibility of compensation depends on the timing of an executive’s vesting or exercise of previously granted awards, as well as interpretations and changes in the tax laws and other factors beyond the Compensation Committee’s control. For these and other reasons, including the need to maintain flexibility in compensating our executive officers in a manner designed to promote varying corporate goals, the Compensation Committee may decide to award compensation that is not deductible under Section 162(m). In December 2017, Section 162(m) was modified by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to delete the exception for performance-based compensation over the $1,000,000 limit; therefore, we do not currently expect that decisions relating to the 2018 year will be significantly impacted by Section 162(m) considerations.    

Section 280G of the Code prohibits the deduction of any “excess parachute payment.” Benefits payable under the change in control severance agreements entered into with certain of our executives, including all of our named executive officers, as well as accelerated vesting under restricted stock and performance share unit awards could result in “excess parachute payments” that are not deductible by us. For more information regarding amounts payable and benefits available upon the occurrence of a change in control, see “Executive Compensation—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.” None of the change in control severance agreements we have with our named executive officers contain any tax reimbursement provisions in the event a named executive officer receives potential parachute payments under Section 280G of the Code.

2018 Executive Compensation Decisions

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation for Named Executive Officers

In November 2017, the Compensation Committee approved grants of restricted stock units with time-based vesting conditions and performance share units to our named executive officers, other than Mr. Aron, for the 2018 fiscal year.

Pursuant to SEC rules, the long-term equity incentive awards granted in November 2017 for the 2018 fiscal year are disclosed as 2017 compensation in the Summary Compensation Table and are reported in the 2017 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table included in this proxy statement. These awards are described in greater detail below.

The following table sets forth:

Restricted Stock Unit Awards

In November 2017, the Compensation Committee approved grants of restricted stock units with time-based vesting conditions to our named executive officers, other than Mr. Aron, for the 2018 fiscal year. The number of restricted stock units awarded to our named executive officers who received restricted stock unit awards was determined in the same manner as previously described for the restricted stock awards granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal

2018 Proxy Statement    45

year. The restricted stock units with time-based vesting awarded in November 2017 for the 2018 fiscal year to each of the named executive officers, which will vest in three equal installments on December 15 of 2018, 2019 and 2020 (or the first business day thereafter if December 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday), subject to continued employment.

Each named executive officer has the right to receive dividend equivalents and other distributions paid with respect to such restricted stock units, and these dividend equivalents are paid at approximately the same time as dividends are received by our common stockholders.

Performance Share Unit Awards

In November 2017, the Compensation Committee granted performance share unit awards to our named executive officers, other than Mr. Aron, for the 2018 fiscal year. Each named executive officer who received performance share unit awards was granted a target number of performance share units, which was determined in the same manner as previously described for the performance share unit awards granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year.

The Compensation Committee determined that performance metrics for the November 2017 grants would consist of return on capital employed and total shareholder return during the performance period as measured against that of the 2018 incentive peer group. The 2018 incentive peer group consists of:

The performance period for these performance share unit awards runs from October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2020. Each named executive officer has the right to receive dividend equivalents and other distributions with respect to such performance share units based on the target level of payout, and these dividend equivalents are paid at approximately the same time as dividends are received by our common stockholders.

For the performance share unit awards granted in November 2017 for the 2018 fiscal year, “return on capital employed” and “total shareholder return” are calculated in the same manner as they are calculated for the performance share units granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year.

The actual number of performance share units earned at the end of the performance period will be determined in the same manner as the performance share unit awards granted in November 2016 for the 2017 fiscal year.

For the return on capital employed metric and the total shareholder return metric, an ordinal ranking of our return on capital employed versus the return on capital employed of each entity in our incentive peer group and our total shareholder return versus the total shareholder return of each entity in our incentive peer group, respectively, will be calculated at the end of the performance period and payout is determined in accordance with the following table: