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).
Governance (a) The HSP represents, warrants and covenants that it has established, and will maintain for the period during which this Agreement is in effect, policies and procedures: that set out a code of conduct for, and that identify the ethical responsibilities for all persons at all levels of the HSP’s organization; to ensure the ongoing effective functioning of the HSP; for effective and appropriate decision-making; for effective and prudent risk-management, including the identification and management of potential, actual and perceived conflicts of interest; for the prudent and effective management of the Funding; to monitor and ensure the accurate and timely fulfillment of the HSP’s obligations under this Agreement and compliance with the Enabling Legislation; to enable the preparation, approval and delivery of all Reports; to address complaints about the provision of Services, the management or governance of the HSP; and to deal with such other matters as the HSP considers necessary to ensure that the HSP carries out its obligations under this Agreement.
(b) The HSP represents and warrants that: it has, or will have within 60 Days of the execution of this Agreement, a Performance Agreement with its CEO that ties a reasonable portion of the CEO’s compensation plan to the CEO’s performance; it will take all reasonable care to ensure that its CEO complies with the Performance Agreement; it will enforce the HSP’s rights under the Performance Agreement; and a reasonable portion of any compensation award provided to the CEO during the term of this Agreement will be pursuant to an evaluation of the CEO’s performance under the Performance Agreement and the CEO’s achievement of performance goals and performance improvement targets and in compliance with Applicable Law. “compensation award”, for the purposes of Section 9.3(b)(4) above, means all forms of payment, benefits and perquisites paid or provided, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of a CEO who performs duties and functions that entitle him or her to be paid.
Compliance Matters (a) The Sub-Adviser understands and agrees that it is a “service provider” to the Trust as contemplated by Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act. As such, the Sub-Adviser agrees to cooperate fully with the Adviser and the Trust and its Trustees and officers, including the Fund’s CCO, with respect to (i) any and all compliance-related matters, and (ii) the Trust’s efforts to assure that each of its service providers adopts and maintains policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violation of the “federal securities laws” (as that term is defined by Rule 38a-1) by the Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser. In this regard, the Sub-Adviser shall:
(1) submit to the Board for its consideration and approval, prior to the effective date of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program, it being understood that the Sub-Adviser’s obligation under Section 2(e) of this Agreement to vote all proxies solicited by or with respect to the issuers of securities in which the assets of the Portfolio may be invested shall be subject to the fulfillment of the condition that the Board approve the Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures;
(2) submit annually (and at such other times as the Trust may reasonably request) to the Fund’s CCO and the Adviser for consideration by the Board, a report discussing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program, and fully describing any material amendments to such compliance program since the most recent such report;
(3) provide periodic reports, certifications and information concerning the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program including, but not limited to, the following;
(i) Quarterly Compliance Certifications, including any required attachments, no later than the tenth (10th) business day after each calendar quarter; and
(ii) Annual Report on Code of Ethics Matters, including any required attachments, no later than the fifteenth (15th) business day of October each year.
(4) provide the Adviser and the Trust and its Trustees and officers with reasonable access to information regarding the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Sub-Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time;
(5) permit the Adviser and the Trust and its Trustees and officers to maintain an active working relationship with the Sub-Adviser’s compliance personnel by, among other things, providing the Adviser and the Fund’s CCO and other officers with a specified individual within the Sub-Adviser’s organization to discuss and address compliance-related matters;
(6) provide the Adviser and its chief compliance officer and the Trust and its Trustees and officers, including the Fund’s CCO, with such certifications as may be reasonably requested; and
(7) reasonably cooperate with any independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Trust, ensure that all reasonably necessary information and the appropriate personnel are made available to such independent registered public accounting firm, to support the expression of the independent registered public accounting firm’s opinion, and each year provide the Adviser and such independent registered public accounting firm with a copy of the most recent SSAE 16 Report prepared by the Sub-Adviser’s independent auditors regarding the Sub-Adviser’s internal controls.
(b) The Sub-Adviser represents, warrants and covenants that it has implemented and shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act.
GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS Enforceability of the Agreement
Governance Structure The Academy shall be organized and administered under the direction of the Academy Board and pursuant to the governance structure as set forth in its Bylaws. The Academy’s Board of Directors shall meet at least six times per fiscal year, unless another schedule is mutually agreed upon by the University President or Designee and the Academy.
Organizational Matters The Partners agree as follows:
Corporate Governance (a) Prior to the Effective Time, the Board of Directors of NYCB shall take all actions necessary to adopt the NYCB Bylaws Amendment. Effective as of the Holdco Merger Effective Time, and in accordance with the NYCB Bylaws Amendment, the number of directors that will comprise the full Board of Directors of the Surviving Entity and the full Board of Directors of NYCB Bank shall each be twelve (12), of which (i) eight (8) shall be directors of NYCB immediately prior to the Effective Time, which shall include the Chief Executive Officer of NYCB immediately prior to the Effective Time, Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx, who shall serve as the Presiding Director, and such other directors as determined by NYCB and (ii) four (4) shall be directors of Flagstar immediately prior to the Effective Time (the “Flagstar Designated Directors”), which shall include the Chief Executive Officer of Flagstar immediately prior to the Effective Time, who shall serve as the non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of each of the Surviving Entity and the Board of Directors of NYCB Bank, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, who shall serve as the Risk Assessment Committee Chairman of the Surviving Entity and such other directors as mutually agreed to by Flagstar and NYCB, who shall be independent of NYCB in accordance with applicable stock exchange standards.
(b) At the Effective Time, NYCB shall invite all directors of Flagstar immediately prior to the Effective Time other than the Flagstar Designated Directors to become members of an Advisory Board of NYCB (the “Advisory Board”), and shall cause all such individuals who accept such invitation to be elected or appointed for a two (2)-year term as members of the Advisory Board. Such members of the Advisory Board will serve on the Advisory Board until the second (2nd) anniversary of the Closing Date or until their respective earlier death or resignation, during which period such members will each receive quarterly compensation of $10,000 per quarter served. The Chief Executive Officer of NYCB shall meet with the Advisory Board at least one time per quarter during the two (2) year period beginning on the Closing Date.
(c) Effective as of the Effective Time, the Board of Directors of NYCB shall take such actions as are necessary and appropriate to adopt the lending policies and procedures of Flagstar that were in effect immediately prior to the Closing with respect to the acquired Flagstar operations as the lending policies and procedures for such acquired Flagstar operations.
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.
Personnel Matters 7.1 Verbal or written complaints regarding an employee made to any member of the Administration by any parent, student or other person which is to be placed in any personnel file or which may be used to evaluate or discipline an employee shall be promptly investigated. The employee shall be given prompt notice of such complaint and shall be given the opportunity to respond to the complaint. Unsubstantiated complaints shall not be placed in an employee’s file.
7.2 Each employee shall be entitled to access to his/her personnel file. This review shall take place during an agreed upon time; requests to examine the file need to be made to the Superintendent or his/her designee at least 24 hours prior and shall not be unreasonably withheld. The employee may, if he/she wishes, have a representative of the Association accompany him/her during such review.
7.3 The employee shall have the right to make a response to any material contained in his/her personnel file and such response shall be made a part of said employee’s file. Reproductions of such material may be made by hand or copying machine, if available.
7.4 No disciplinary material will be placed in an employee's personnel file without written or electronic notification to the employee.
7.5 The Board agrees to maintain, as part of its general policy manual, job descriptions for members of the bargaining unit; said policy manual to be made available to each member of the bargaining unit and any new employee. Whenever the District contemplates any changes in job description, the District will notify the Association on the planned action and convene the Job Description Team per the Memorandum of Understanding included in Exhibit 1.
