SiliconBeat

Symyx Technologies of Santa Clara has paid bonuses to five senior executives despite the fact that targets under the company’s performance plan for the year were not met. Nevertheless, the board’s compensation committee “determined it was appropriate to provide a discretionary bonus to recognize performance by individuals,” according to a filing the company made today with the SEC.

The discretionary bonus payments come after the company began a 15 percent reduction in force in December.

Among those getting bonus cash were Chief Financial Officer Rex Jackson, who received $128,000 in addition to his $330,000 salary last year. That equaled about three-fifths of the target bonus set for him at the outset last year.

The biggest bonus was paid to Trevor Heritage, president of the company’s software division, who got a $141,728 bonus, equal to nearly half his $300,000 salary last year. The bonus was 73 percent of the target bonus he was to have been paid if the company performed according to plan.

Not taking any bonus money was the company’s chief executive, Isy Goldwasser, who was named CEO in June 2007 after serving as chief operating officer since 1998. His salary last year (and this) was $420,000 a year.

Symyx, which supplier of scientific research and development tools to life science, electronics and other companies, reported a 12 percent drop in sales during its fourth quarter, along with a $97.6 million net loss, including a $90.3 goodwill impairment charge.