Associate Directors (A) Any person who has served as a director may be elected by the Board of Directors as an associate director, to serve during the pleasure of the Board.
(B) An associate director shall be entitled to attend all directors meetings and participate in the discussion of all matters brought to the Board, with the exception that he would have no right to vote. An associate director will be eligible for appointment to Committees of the Company, with the exception of the Executive Committee, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee, which must be comprised solely of active directors.
Independent Director As long as any Obligation is outstanding, the Member shall cause the Company at all times to have at least two Independent Directors who will be appointed by the Member. To the fullest extent permitted by law, including Section 18-1101(c) of the Act, the Independent Directors shall consider only the interests of the Company, including its respective creditors, in acting or otherwise voting on the matters referred to in Section 9(j)(iii). No resignation or removal of an Independent Director, and no appointment of a successor Independent Director, shall be effective until such successor (i) shall have accepted his or her appointment as an Independent Director by a written instrument, which may be a counterpart signature page to the Management Agreement, and (ii) shall have executed a counterpart to this Agreement as required by Section 5(c). In the event of a vacancy in the position of Independent Director, the Member shall, as soon as practicable, appoint a successor Independent Director. All right, power and authority of the Independent Directors shall be limited to the extent necessary to exercise those rights and perform those duties specifically set forth in this Agreement. Except as provided in the second sentence of this Section 10, in exercising their rights and performing their duties under this Agreement, any Independent Director shall have a fiduciary duty of loyalty and care similar to that of a director of a business corporation organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. No Independent Director shall at any time serve as trustee in bankruptcy for any Affiliate of the Company.
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.
Alternate Directors (a) Subject to the remainder of this Section 8.12, each Class A Member entitled to nominate one or more Directors shall be entitled to nominate an alternate for each such Director that such Class A Member is entitled to nominate (each such alternate, an “Alternate Director”), who shall be deemed elected as such and shall have the right to serve, act and vote as a Director in the absence of the principal Director from time to time. Such Alternate Director shall be permitted to attend all meetings of the Board even if the principal Director is present at such meetings. If a principal Director is present at a meeting, the Alternate Director for such Director shall attend as an observer, shall not be counted towards the quorum at such meeting, and shall not have the right to act or vote as a Director at such meeting. If a principal Director is not present at a meeting, the Alternate Director for such Director shall attend as a full Director and be entitled to vote and act as a Director at such meeting and shall be counted toward the quorum at such meeting. If a principal Director attends a meeting, is counted toward the quorum, and, thereafter (i) recuses himself or herself from a vote on any particular matter, the Alternate Director for such Director, if present at such meeting, shall be allowed to vote as a Director on such matter, or (ii) leaves such meeting, the Alternate Director for such Director, if present at such meeting, shall sit as a Director for the remainder of such meeting, subject, in each case, to the provisions of Section 8.16 which would prohibit such Alternate Director from voting on a particular matter.
(b) If a Class A Member ceases to have the right to nominate a Director as provided in this Agreement, any Alternate Director nominated by such Class A Member shall immediately cease to be an Alternate Director.
(c) The Company shall provide to each Alternate Director copies of all notices, board materials, reports, minutes and consents at the time and in the manner as they are provided to the Directors; provided that each Alternate Director shall be subject to the confidentiality obligations set forth in Section 11.1.
(d) The provisions of Section 8.4(c), Section 8.4(d) and Section 8.8 shall apply to Alternate Directors, mutatis mutandis, as if the references to Directors therein were references to Alternate Directors.
(e) The initial Alternate Directors for the initial principal Directors shall be as set forth on Exhibit B.
Board Composition and Board Designations The Company shall ensure that: (i) the qualifications of the persons serving as members of the Board of Directors and the overall composition of the Board comply with the Sxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act, with the Exchange Act and with the listing rules of the Exchange or any other national securities exchange, as the case may be, in the event the Company seeks to have its Public Securities listed on another exchange or quoted on an automated quotation system, and (ii) if applicable, at least one member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined under Regulation S-K and the listing rules of the Exchange.
Board Observers At any time during which there is an outstanding balance on the Tranche A Term Loan (as such capitalized term is defined in that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated October 15, 2009 (the “Credit Agreement”), among Xxxxxx Communications Company, LLC, Xxxxxx Publishing Group, LLC, the Lenders party thereto, and Tranche Manager, LLC, as Administrative Agent), Tranche Holdings, LLC, or its designee, shall be entitled to designate one (1) nonvoting observer (the “Observer”) to the Company’s Board of Directors and to all committees thereof. Such Observer shall be entitled to attend all Board meetings (which meetings shall generally be held telephonically) but will not be entitled to vote at any Board meeting. Such Observer shall be entitled to receive all consents, proposed consents or Board actions, documents, materials, information and notices (whether or not in writing) provided to the Board; provided, however, that the Company reserves the right to exclude such Observer from access to any material or meeting or portion thereof (only if the Observer is notified of such withholding) if the Board votes in good faith after advice of counsel, that such exclusion is necessary (taking into account any confidentiality agreements that such Observer has executed or is willing to execute): (a) to preserve the attorney-client privilege; (b) to prevent a breach by the Board of Directors of its fiduciary duties; or (c) to avoid the impairment of the Company’s ability to enforce its rights under this Agreement in any bona fide dispute with the Observer. Such Observer may be removed from office only by Tranche Holdings, LLC, except that the Observer may be removed for cause by the Board of Directors in the event of willful misconduct or material breach of any confidentiality agreement with the Company or its affiliates; provided such Observer shall not be removed for cause until after Tranche Holdings, LLC has been notified of the Board’s intent to remove such person for cause and is given Tranche Holdings, LLC a reasonable amount of time to appoint another person as an Observer. Upon the payment and satisfaction in full of Tranche A Term Loan, Tranche Holdings, LLC shall cease to possess the right to designate an Observer, and any Observer so designated will automatically and without further action be removed from the Board. At any time during which there is an outstanding balance on the Tranche A Term Loan (as defined in the Credit Agreement), all travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by Tranche Holdings, LLC or its designee in connection with its rights in this Section 3.1.8 shall be reimbursed by the Company.
Board Observer (a) Priceline shall have the right, exercisable by delivering notice to the Company, to designate one observer to attend any meetings of the Board and each committee thereof (the “Board Observer”) for so long as (i) Priceline and its Subsidiaries beneficially own at least the Board Observer Threshold Shareholding in the Company, (ii) Priceline and its Subsidiaries comply in all material respects with the provisions of Section 2.1, (iii) Priceline and its Subsidiaries comply in all material respects with the provisions of Section 3.1(a) and (iv) the Marketing Agreement is in full force and effect and Xxxxxxx.xxx B.V. complies in all material respects with the provisions thereof (the “Board Observer Right”).
(b) The Board Observer shall be entitled (i) to receive notice of each meeting (including telephonic meetings) of the Board and any committee thereof in the same form and manner as is given to the members of the Board and the same materials as and when provided to such members (both before or after a meeting, including copies of minutes thereof), including materials provided other than in connection with a meeting, and neither the Board nor any committee thereof shall conduct any business by written consent without giving such prior notice to the Board Observer and a copy of the proposed consent, any exhibits, annexes or schedules thereto and any related materials and (ii) at the Board Observer’s discretion, to attend each Board meeting or meeting of any committee thereof, either in person or by telephonic conference, and to participate fully in all discussions among directors of the Board at such meetings, and the Company covenants to take reasonable measures to facilitate such attendance and discussion; provided that, notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 3.2, (A) the Board Observer shall agree to hold in confidence all information provided (provided that the Board Observer shall not be restricted in any confidential communications or discussions with or the confidential provision of information to Priceline and its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees, accountants, agents, counsel and other representatives), (B) such Board Observer and Priceline shall be subject to the Company’s xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policies and procedures and shall sign an acknowledgement form stating that he or she and it agree to comply with such policies and procedures (it being understood that such xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policies and procedures shall not restrict Priceline or its Affiliates from purchasing ADSs or Ordinary Shares during any “blackout” or similar non-trading period if such purchases are made pursuant to a purchase plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act) and (C) the Board Observer may be excluded from all or a portion of any meeting or from receiving all or a portion of any materials provided to the member of the Board (x) to the extent that the presence of the Board Observer at such meeting or any portion thereof or the receipt by the Board Observer of such materials or any portion thereof, as the case may be, could reasonably be expected to result in, based on the advice of the Company’s external counsel, the loss of attorney-client privilege in relation to the Company, its Subsidiaries or its Affiliates, or (y) to the extent the subject matter to be discussed at the meeting concerns (1) the Company’s rights under agreements with Priceline or its Subsidiaries or (2) matters related to business competition between the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and Priceline or its Subsidiaries, on the other hand, in the People’s Republic of China); it being understood that the Board Observer shall not constitute a member of the Board and shall not be entitled to vote on, or consent to, any matters presented to the Board. For the avoidance of doubt, subject to the first sentence of this Section 3.2(b), in the event that any regular or special meeting of the Board is convened, the Company shall be deemed to be in full compliance with the provisions of this Section 3.2(b), provided that the Board Observer is given the notice in the same form and manner as, and copies of the same materials as and when provided to, the members of the Board and the Company takes reasonable measures to facilitate the Board Observer’s attendance at any such meeting in accordance with this Section 3.2(b).
Preferred Stock Directors Whenever, at any time or times, dividends payable on the shares of Designated Preferred Stock have not been paid for an aggregate of six quarterly Dividend Periods or more, whether or not consecutive, the authorized number of directors of the Issuer shall automatically be increased by two and the holders of the Designated Preferred Stock shall have the right, with holders of shares of any one or more other classes or series of Voting Parity Stock outstanding at the time, voting together as a class, to elect two directors (hereinafter the “Preferred Directors” and each a “Preferred Director”) to fill such newly created directorships at the Issuer’s next annual meeting of stockholders (or at a special meeting called for that purpose prior to such next annual meeting) and at each subsequent annual meeting of stockholders until all accrued and unpaid dividends for all past Dividend Periods, including the latest completed Dividend Period (including, if applicable as provided in Section 3(a) above, dividends on such amount), on all outstanding shares of Designated Preferred Stock have been declared and paid in full at which time such right shall terminate with respect to the Designated Preferred Stock, except as herein or by law expressly provided, subject to revesting in the event of each and every subsequent default of the character above mentioned; provided that it shall be a qualification for election for any Preferred Director that the election of such Preferred Director shall not cause the Issuer to violate any corporate governance requirements of any securities exchange or other trading facility on which securities of the Issuer may then be listed or traded that listed or traded companies must have a majority of independent directors. Upon any termination of the right of the holders of shares of Designated Preferred Stock and Voting Parity Stock as a class to vote for directors as provided above, the Preferred Directors shall cease to be qualified as directors, the term of office of all Preferred Directors then in office shall terminate immediately and the authorized number of directors shall be reduced by the number of Preferred Directors elected pursuant hereto. Any Preferred Director may be removed at any time, with or without cause, and any vacancy created thereby may be filled, only by the affirmative vote of the holders a majority of the shares of Designated Preferred Stock at the time outstanding voting separately as a class together with the holders of shares of Voting Parity Stock, to the extent the voting rights of such holders described above are then exercisable. If the office of any Preferred Director becomes vacant for any reason other than removal from office as aforesaid, the remaining Preferred Director may choose a successor who shall hold office for the unexpired term in respect of which such vacancy occurred.
Continuing Director A "Continuing Director" shall mean a Director of the Company who (i) is not an Acquiring Person, an Affiliate or Associate, a representative of an Acquiring Person or nominated for election by an Acquiring Person, and (ii) was either a member of the Board of Directors of the Company on the date of this Agreement or subsequently became a Director of the Company and whose initial election or initial nomination for election by the Company's stockholders was approved by at least two-thirds of the Continuing Directors then on the Board of Directors of the Company.
Independent Directors Those Directors who are not “interested persons” of the Company as such term is defined in the 1940 Act.
