Board of Managers Certain Governance Matters Sample Clauses

Open Split View

Download

Share

Cite

Board of Managers Certain Governance Matters 

Sample 1Sample 2

Save

Copy

Related to Board of Managers Certain Governance Matters

• Governance Matters (a) The Company shall cause the Investor Designated Director to be elected or appointed on the Closing Date to the Board of Directors as well as the board of directors of the Bank (the “Bank Board”), subject to satisfaction of all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a member of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board. The Company shall recommend to its shareholders the election of the Investor Designated Director to the Board of Directors at the Company’s annual meeting, subject to satisfaction of all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a director of the Company. If the Investor no longer has the Qualifying Ownership Interest, it shall have no further rights under Sections 3.4(a), 3.4(b), 3.4(c) and 3.4(d) and, in each case, at the written request of the Board of Directors, the Investor shall use all reasonable best efforts to cause the Investor Designated Director to resign from the Board of Directors and the Bank Board as promptly as possible thereafter. The Board of Directors and the Bank Board shall cause the Investor Designated Director to be appointed to the committees of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board, as applicable, identified by the Investor, so long as the Investor Designated Director qualifies to serve on such committees subject to satisfaction of all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a committee member. (b) For so long as the Investor owns, in the aggregate with its Affiliates, ten percent (10%) or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (as adjusted from time to time for any reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, or other like changes in the Company’s capitalization) (the “Qualifying Ownership Interest”), the Investor Designated Director shall, subject to applicable Law, be the nominee of the Company and the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Nominating Committee”) to serve on the Board of Directors and on the Bank Board. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to have the Investor Designated Director elected as director of the Company by the shareholders of the Company and the Company shall solicit proxies for the Investor Designated Director to the same extent as it does for any of its other nominees to the Board of Directors. (c) For so long as the Investor owns, in the aggregate with its Affiliates, the Qualifying Ownership Interest, the Investor Designated Director shall, subject to applicable Law (including the applicable rules of the NYSE), be appointed to the committees of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board (or any other committees performing similar functions of the foregoing committees) identified by the Investor. (d) Subject to Section 3.4(a), upon the death, disability, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office of a Designated Investor Director, the Investor shall have the right to designate the replacement for the Investor Designated Director, which replacement shall be reasonably acceptable to the Company and shall satisfy all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a member of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board, as applicable. The Board of Directors shall use its reasonable best efforts to take all action required to fill the vacancy resulting therefrom with such person (including such person, subject to applicable Law, being the Company’s and the Nominating Committee’s nominee to serve on the Board of Directors, calling a special meeting of shareholders to vote on such person, using all reasonable best efforts to have such person elected as director of the Company by the shareholders of the Company and the Company soliciting proxies for such person to the same extent as it does for any of its other nominees to the Board of Directors). (e) For so long the Investor with its Affiliates owns, in the aggregate with its Affiliates, five percent (5%) or more of the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Common Stock (as adjusted from time to time for any reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, or other like changes in the Company’s capitalization), the Company shall, subject to applicable Law, invite a person designated by the Investor and reasonably acceptable to the Board of Directors (the “Observer”) to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board (including any meetings of committees thereof which the Investor Designated Director is a member) in a nonvoting observer capacity. If the Investor no longer beneficially owns the minimum number of Common Shares as specified in the first sentence of this Section 3.4(e), the Investor shall have no further rights under this Section 3.4(e). The Investor shall cause the Observer to agree to hold in confidence and trust and to act in a fiduciary manner with respect to all information provided to such Observer and the Company, the Board of Directors, the Bank Board and any committees thereof shall have the right to withhold any information and to exclude the Observer from any meeting or portion thereof (i) if doing so is, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, necessary to protect the attorney-client privilege between the Company and counsel or (ii) if the Board of Directors, the Bank Board or any committee thereof determines in good faith, after consultation with counsel, that fiduciary requirements under applicable Law would make attendance by the Observer inappropriate. The Observer shall have no right to vote on any matters presented to the Board of Directors, the Bank Board or any committee thereof. (f) The Investor Designated Director shall be entitled to the same compensation, including fees, and the same indemnification and insurance coverage in connection with his or her role as a director as the other members of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board, as applicable, and the Investor Designated Director shall be entitled to reimbursement for documented, reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board, or any committee thereof, to the same extent as the other members of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board, as applicable. The Company shall notify the Investor Designated Director of all regular meetings and special meetings of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board and of all regular and special meetings of any committee of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board of which the Investor Designated Director is a member in accordance with the applicable bylaws. The Company and the Bank shall provide the Investor Designated Director with copies of all notices, minutes, consents and other material that they provide to all other members of their respective boards of directors concurrently as such materials are provided to the other members. (g) Each of the Company and the Bank acknowledges that the Designated Investor Director may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by the Investor and/or certain of its Affiliates (collectively, the “Investor Indemnitors”). Each of the Company and the Bank hereby agrees (1) that it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to the Designated Investor Director are primary and any obligation of the Investor Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by the Designated Investor Director are secondary), and (2) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by the Designated Investor Director and shall be liable for the full amount of all expenses and liabilities incurred by the Designated Investor Director, in each case to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement and the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the Company and the Bank (and any other agreement regarding indemnification between the Company and/or the Bank, on the one hand, and the Designated Investor Director, on the other hand), without regard to any rights the Designated Investor Director may have against any Investor Indemnitor. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by any Investor Indemnitor on behalf of the Designated Investor Director with respect to any claim for which the Designated Investor Director has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Investor Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Designated Investor Director against the Company. The Company agrees that the Investor Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms of this Section 3.4(g). (h) For the purposes of the definition of “Change in Control” under the Benefit Plans, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor Designated Director shall be deemed to be an “Incumbent Director” as defined in the applicable Benefit Plans.

• Corporate Governance Matters (a) Holdco and Sorin shall take all actions within their power as may be necessary to cause (i) for a period beginning as of the Cyberonics Merger Effective Time and ending on the date of the first annual meeting of the members of Holdco following the completion of the second full fiscal year of Holdco (such period, the “Initial Period”) the number of directors constituting the Holdco board of directors as of the Effective Times to be nine (9) and (ii) the Holdco board of directors during the Initial Period to be composed as follows: (A) four (4) individuals designated by Cyberonics prior to the Closing Date (each, a “Cyberonics Designee”), (B) four individuals designated by Sorin prior to the Closing Date (each, a “Sorin Designee”) and (C) one (1) director mutually agreed to by Sorin and Cyberonics, who shall meet the independence standards of the NASDAQ applicable to non-controlled domestic U.S. issuers. (b) Sorin and Holdco shall take all corporate actions as may be necessary to cause, effective as of the Sorin Merger Effective Time and Cyberonics Merger Effective Time, as the case may be: (i) the Chief Executive Officer of Sorin as of immediately prior to the Sorin Merger Effective Time to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Sorin Merger Surviving Company immediately following the Sorin Merger Effective Time until the end of the Initial Period, (ii) the Chief Executive Officer of Cyberonics as of immediately prior to the Cyberonics Merger Effective Time to serve as the Chairman of the Holdco board of directors for the Initial Period, (iii) a Cyberonics Designee to serve as the Chairman of the audit and compensation committees of the Holdco board of directors for the Initial Period, (iv) each committee of the Holdco board of directors to have at least three (3) members and (v) a Sorin Designee to serve as a member of each committee of the Holdco board of directors during the Initial Period. (c) For as long as the Holdco Shares are listed on the NASDAQ, Holdco shall comply with all NASDAQ corporate governance standards set forth in Rule 5600 of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules applicable to non-controlled domestic U.S. issuers, regardless of whether Holdco is a foreign private issuer. For as long as the Holdco Shares are listed on the LSE, Holdco shall comply with all Listing Rules and any other Laws applicable to it. (d) Prior to the Closing Date, Sorin and Holdco shall procure the passing of resolutions of the shareholders of Holdco providing for the reregistration of Holdco as a public limited company. (e) Subject to applicable Law, Sorin and Cyberonics shall take all requisite action to cause the organizational documents of those entities that will be Subsidiaries of Holdco to be substantially in such form as agreed by Cyberonics and Sorin, effective as of the Cyberonics Merger Effective Time. (f) As promptly as practicable after the Effective Times, the Sorin Merger Surviving Company shall take all requisite action to cause the composition of the board of directors or other governing body of each of the Subsidiaries of the Sorin Merger Surviving Company to reflect representation by directors designated by Cyberonics immediately prior to the Effective Times, on the one hand, and directors designated by Sorin immediately prior to the Effective Times, on the other hand, that is proportionate to the relative representation of directors designated by such party on the Holdco board of directors as of the Effective Times as provided in Section 5.18(a), unless otherwise mutually agreed by Sorin and Cyberonics. (g) The Cyberonics Designees, the Sorin Designees and each of their respective successors on the Holdco board of directors during the first three (3) years following the Effective Times are express third-party beneficiaries of Sections 5.18(a) and 5.18(b).

• Audit Committee (A) The Audit Committee shall be composed of five members who shall be selected by the Board of Directors from its own members, none of whom shall be an officer of the Company, and shall hold office at the pleasure of the Board. (B) The Audit Committee shall have general supervision over the Audit Division in all matters however subject to the approval of the Board of Directors; it shall consider all matters brought to its attention by the officer in charge of the Audit Division, review all reports of examination of the Company made by any governmental agency or such independent auditor employed for that purpose, and make such recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect thereto or with respect to any other matters pertaining to auditing the Company as it shall deem desirable. (C) The Audit Committee shall meet whenever and wherever the majority of its members shall deem it to be proper for the transaction of its business, and a majority of its Committee shall constitute a quorum.

• Technical Advisory Committee (TAC The goal of this subtask is to create an advisory committee for this Agreement. The TAC should be composed of diverse professionals. The composition will vary depending on interest, availability, and need. TAC members will serve at the CAM’s discretion. The purpose of the TAC is to: • Provide guidance in project direction. The guidance may include scope and methodologies, timing, and coordination with other projects. The guidance may be based on: o Technical area expertise; o Knowledge of market applications; or o Linkages between the agreement work and other past, present, or future projects (both public and private sectors) that TAC members are aware of in a particular area. • Review products and provide recommendations for needed product adjustments, refinements, or enhancements. • Evaluate the tangible benefits of the project to the state of California, and provide recommendations as needed to enhance the benefits. • Provide recommendations regarding information dissemination, market pathways, or commercialization strategies relevant to the project products. The TAC may be composed of qualified professionals spanning the following types of disciplines: • Researchers knowledgeable about the project subject matter; • Members of trades that will apply the results of the project (e.g., designers, engineers, architects, contractors, and trade representatives); • Public interest market transformation implementers; • Product developers relevant to the project; • U.S. Department of Energy research managers, or experts from other federal or state agencies relevant to the project; • Public interest environmental groups; • Utility representatives; • Air district staff; and • Members of relevant technical society committees. • Prepare a List of Potential TAC Members that includes the names, companies, physical and electronic addresses, and phone numbers of potential members. The list will be discussed at the Kick-off meeting, and a schedule for recruiting members and holding the first TAC meeting will be developed. • Recruit TAC members. Ensure that each individual understands member obligations and the TAC meeting schedule developed in subtask 1.11. • Prepare a List of TAC Members once all TAC members have committed to serving on the TAC. • Submit Documentation of TAC Member Commitment (such as Letters of Acceptance) from each TAC member. • List of Potential TAC Members • List of TAC Members • Documentation of TAC Member Commitment

• Restrictions on chartering, appointment of managers etc The Borrower shall procure that no Owner shall: (a) let the Ship owned by it on demise charter for any period; (b) other than the relevant Initial Charterparty or Future Charterparty, enter into any time or consecutive voyage charter in respect of the Ship owned by it for a term which exceeds, or which by virtue of any optional extensions may exceed, 11 months; (c) change the terms on which the Ship owned by it is employed or the identity of the person by whom that Ship is employed; (d) enter into any charter in relation to the Ship owned by it under which more than 2 months’ hire (or the equivalent) is payable in advance; (e) charter the Ship owned by it otherwise than on bona fide arm’s length terms at the time when the Ship is fixed; (f) appoint a manager of the Ship owned by it other than an Approved Manager or agree to any alteration to the terms of an Approved Manager’s appointment; (g) de-activate or lay up the Ship owned by it; or (h) put the Ship owned by it into the possession of any person for the purpose of work being done upon her in an amount exceeding or likely to exceed $250,000 (or the equivalent in any other currency) unless that person has first given to the Security Trustee and in terms satisfactory to it a written undertaking not to exercise any lien on the Ship or her Earnings for the cost of such work or otherwise.

• Nominating Committee Subject to the provisions of Article X, the Nominating Committee shall consist of such number of Directors (none of whom shall be an employee of the Corporation) as may be determined from time to time by the Board. Subject to the provisions of Article X, the Committee shall review the qualifications of potential candidates for the Equity Directors and shall propose nominees for the Equity Directors who are nominated by the Board. Subject to the provisions of Article X, in making their nominations, the Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors shall take into consideration that (i) the Board of Directors shall have meaningful representation of a diversity of interests, including floor brokers, floor traders, futures commission merchants, producers, consumers, processors, distributors and merchandisers of commodities traded on Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (the “Exchange”) or Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. (the “CBOT”), participants in a variety of pits or principal groups of commodities traded on the Exchange or the CBOT and other market users or participants; (ii) at least 10% of the members of Board of Directors shall be composed of persons representing farmers, producers, merchants or exporters of principal commodities traded on the Exchange or the CBOT; and (iii) at least 20% of the members of the Board of Directors shall be composed of persons who do not possess trading privileges on either the Exchange or the CBOT, are not salaried employees of the Corporation and are not officers, principals or employees who are involved in operating the futures exchange related business of a firm entitled to members’ rates on either the Exchange or the CBOT. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Nominating Committee shall include the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation as a nominee for an Equity Director at any annual meeting of shareholders at which his or her term is scheduled to expire; provided, that if such term expiration occurs during the Transition Period, the Chief Executive Officer shall be nominated as a CME Director. Subject to the provisions of Article X, a majority of the Nominating Committee shall constitute a quorum necessary to transact business.

• Transitional Matters (a) Each of the parties acknowledges and agrees that the transition of the Business from the Selling Companies to Buyer will require that certain transactions and relationships will need to be entered into, restructured and reorganized in connection with the transition of the Business from the Selling Companies to Buyer. The parties agree that prior to the Closing Date, the parties shall cooperate with each other to identify all such transactions and relationships and negotiate in good faith to enter into a mutually acceptable Transitional Agreement effective as of the Closing Date, which agreement shall provide for all such transactions and relationships as are reasonably necessary to provide, (i) for (A) the operation of the Business and use of the Purchased Assets by Buyer, (B) the operation and use of the Excluded Assets by Sellers and the Selling Subsidiaries and (C) the separation of the Business, the Purchased Assets and the Assumed Liabilities from Parent and its Affiliates (including the Selling Companies), in each case during the period commencing on and after the Closing Date and ending no later than the one year anniversary of the Closing Date or such longer period as the parties may agree, including the following: (1) the transitioning of the financial systems, assets and hedging valuation systems, asset management systems, payroll and employee benefits systems and any other applicable business operating systems; (2) the provision of rights of access (provided that access to the ALSS Platform shall be governed and limited by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Services Agreement) to the Parent and its Affiliates to Intellectual Property currently owned (or licensed) by the Selling Companies (and included in the Purchased Assets) and used by Parent or the Selling Companies in the ordinary course of their business, or required by the Selling Companies for the operation and use of the Excluded Assets or Excluded Liabilities; provided, that access to the ALSS Platform and other Software shall be governed solely by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Services Agreement and, provided further, anything foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, Buyer shall not be required to disclose or deliver trade secret or confidential information regarding the ALSS Platform, Software or Acquired Intellectual Property unless required by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, the Services Agreement or required by law or legal proceedings and under the type of protective provisions in the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement. (3) the provision of rights of access (to the extent not covered by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement) to Buyer to Intellectual Property currently owned (or licensed) by Parent (or the Selling Companies) and used by the Selling Companies in connection with the Purchased Assets or Assumed Liabilities; (4) moving corporate records related to the Selling Companies; and (5) the provision of office space, computer equipment and supplies sufficient to enable the Selling Companies to complete any transition services; and (ii) for such services and facilities as Sellers and Selling Subsidiaries may require to monitor compliance with, and implementation of the Subservicing Agreement, during its term, including the provision of office space, computer equipment and supplies sufficient to enable Sellers to monitor compliance with the Retained Portfolio Subservicing Agreement throughout its term. (b) In addition to the matters to be identified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 5.12, the Transition Agreement shall specifically provide for the transactions and matters outlined in Section 5.12 of Sellers' Disclosure Schedule. (c) For the purpose of facilitating the transition of the financial system, on or prior to the 15th day prior to the Closing Date, the Selling Companies shall create on their general ledger, a separate general ledger company ("GL Company"), as well as accounts for such GL Company ("Buyer GL Accounts"), which accounts shall be duplicative of the Selling Companies' own accounts ("Seller GL Accounts") and are intended to be used by the Buyer in the operation of the Business, the Purchased Assets and the Assumed Liabilities from and after the Closing Date. From and after the creation of the Buyer GL Accounts, until Closing, the Selling Companies shall maintain such accounts (as duplicate entries on the books of the Selling Companies in the name of the GL Company). From and after Closing until the completion of the transition of the financial system of the Selling Companies, the Buyer shall operate the Business by recording entries using the Buyer GL Accounts, and shall maintain on behalf of the Selling Companies, the Seller GL Accounts on its general ledger. (d) The party receiving service under the Transitional Agreement shall pay to the party providing service the costs incurred by such providing party. Services provided under the Transitional Agreement shall be performed at the same standard as the providing party performs such service for its own account.

• Technical Committee 1. The Technical Committee shall comprise: (a) nine experts representing different regions of the Agreement Area, in accordance with a balanced geographical distribution; (b) one representative from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), one from the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau (IWRB) and one from the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC); and (c) one expert from each of the following fields: rural economics, game management, and environmental law. The procedure for the appointment of the experts, the term of their appointment and the procedure for designation of the Chairman of the Technical Committee shall be determined by the Meeting of the Parties. The Chairman may admit a maximum of four observers from specialized international inter- governmental and non-governmental organizations. 2. Unless the Meeting of the Parties decides otherwise, meetings of the Technical Committee shall be convened by the Agreement secretariat in conjunction with each ordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties and at least once between ordinary sessions of the Meeting of the Parties. 3. The Technical Committee shall: (a) provide scientific and technical advice and information to the Meeting of the Parties and, through the Agreement secretariat, to Parties; (b) make recommendations to the Meeting of the Parties concerning the Action Plan, implementation of the Agreement and further research to be carried out; (c) prepare for each ordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties a report on its activities, which shall be submitted to the Agreement secretariat not less than one hundred and twenty days before the session of the Meeting of the Parties, and copies shall be circulated forthwith by the Agreement secretariat to the Parties; and (d) carry out any other tasks referred to it by the Meeting of the Parties. 4. Where in the opinion of the Technical Committee there has arisen an emergency which requires the adoption of immediate measures to avoid deterioration of the conservation status of one or more migratory waterbird species, the Technical Committee may request the Agreement secretariat to convene urgently a meeting of the Parties concerned. These Parties shall meet as soon as possible thereafter to establish rapidly a mechanism to give protection to the species identified as being subject to particularly adverse threat. Where a recommendation has been adopted at such a meeting, the Parties concerned shall inform each other and the Agreement secretariat of measures they have taken to implement it, or of the reasons why the recommendation could not be implemented. 5. The Technical Committee may establish such working groups as may be necessary to deal with specific tasks.

• Determinations and Actions by the Board of Directors, etc For all purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of Common Shares outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding Common Shares of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in accordance with the last sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act. The Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically granted to the Board, or the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Agreement and (ii) make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement (including a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights or to amend the Agreement). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board in good faith, shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Rights Certificates and all other parties and (y) not subject the Board to any liability to the holders of the Rights.

• Function of Committee The Committee shall concern itself with the following general matters: a) Considering constructive criticisms of all activities so that better relations shall exist between the Employer and the employees. b) Improving and extending services to the public. c) Promoting safety and sanitary practices. d) Reviewing suggestions from employees, questions of working conditions and service (but not grievances). e) Correcting conditions which might cause grievances and misunderstandings.