Retention Bonus (a) Subject to Sections 2(b), 2(c) and 2(d) below and your continued employment through the Determination Date (as defined below), you will be eligible to receive a Retention Bonus equal to the annual bonus you would have been eligible to receive under the Company’s Annual Incentive Plan based on the Company’s actual performance for 2023, as determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Committee”) following the completion of 2023, had you been a participant in the Annual Incentive Plan with a target bonus opportunity of up to 40% of your base salary (such amount as determined by the Committee, the “Retention Bonus”), which determination shall occur between January 1, 2024 and March 15, 2024 (the date of such determination, the “Determination Date”). The Retention Bonus, if any, will be paid in cash in a lump sum between January 1, 2025 and March 15, 2025. You will continue to be considered an employee of the Company for purposes of this letter agreement if you are on a Company- approved leave of absence.
(b) In the event of a Change in Control during 2024, subject to your continued employment through the earlier of: (1) the Determination Date; or (2) the date of the Change in Control, you will be eligible to receive your Retention Bonus in cash in a lump sum within 10 days following the date of the Change in Control.
(c) In the event of your Involuntary Termination (as defined in the Employment Agreement) on or after the Determination Date but on or prior to the date you have received the Retention Bonus, you will be eligible to receive your Retention Bonus in cash in a lump sum within 10 days following the effective date of your Release (as defined below). As a condition to your receipt of the Retention Bonus pursuant to this Section 2(c), you shall execute and not revoke a general release of all claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates (the “Release”) in the form attached to the Employment Agreement as Exhibit A. In the event the Release does not become effective within the 55-day period following the date of your Involuntary Termination, you shall not be entitled to the Retention Bonus.
(d) If your employment terminates prior to the Determination Date for any reason, then this letter agreement will terminate, and you will forfeit any right you may have to receive the Retention Bonus.
Vesting of RSUs (a) The following vesting provisions shall apply to the RSUs:
(i) Subject to the Grantee’s continued Employment through the Service Vesting Date or Service Vesting Dates, as applicable, as specified in the RSU Grant Certificate attached hereto, the RSUs shall become vested on such date or dates, as applicable, as to the percentage(s) set forth in such RSU Grant Certificate.
(ii) If, prior to the date the RSUs are vested as provided in Section 2.1(a)(i) above or otherwise terminate and are forfeited pursuant to Section 2.1(b) and (c) below: (A) the Grantee’s Employment terminates due to the Grantee’s Retirement, if applicable, then all Retirement RSUs shall, in the discretion of the Administrator, be fully vested as a result thereof; (B) the Grantee dies or experiences a Disability, then all unvested RSUs shall be vested as a result thereof, provided that if the Grantee is not an employee of the KKR Group, then any vesting of unvested RSUs described in this clause (B) shall be in the discretion of the Administrator; or (C) there occurs a Change in Control prior to any termination of the Grantee’s Employment, then all or any portion of any unvested RSUs may, in the discretion of the Administrator, be vested as a result thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Corporation receives an opinion of counsel that there has been a legal judgment and/or legal development in the Grantee’s jurisdiction that would likely result in the favorable treatment applicable to the Retirement RSUs pursuant to this Section 2.1(a)(ii) being deemed unlawful and/or discriminatory, then the Corporation will not apply the favorable treatment at the time the Grantee’s Employment terminates due to the Grantee’s Retirement under clause (A) above, and the RSUs will be treated as set forth in Section 2.1(a)(i), 2.1(b), 2.1(c) or the other provisions of this Section 2.1(a)(ii), as applicable.
(iii) All RSUs that become vested under this Section 2.1(a) are eligible to be Settled pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Agreement.
(b) If the Grantee’s Employment terminates for any reason other than due to the Grantee’s death, Disability or Retirement, each as provided for in Section 2.1(a) above, all then unvested RSUs (including any RSUs that are not Retirement RSUs) shall immediately terminate and be forfeited without consideration, and no Class A Common Stock shall be delivered hereunder.
(c) The Grantee’s right to vest in the RSUs under the Plan, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that the Grantee is no longer actively providing services (even if still considered employed or engaged under local Law) and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under local Law (e.g., active Employment would not include a period of “garden leave” or similar period pursuant to local Law) except as may be otherwise agreed in writing by the Corporation or the Designated Service Recipient with the Grantee; the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when the Grantee is no longer actively employed or engaged for purposes of the RSUs.
Vesting of PSUs The PSUs granted pursuant to this Award shall vest, if at all, as follows:
(a) The Committee, in its sole discretion, has established, or within 90 days following the Date of Grant will establish, Performance Goals based on factors consistent with Section 3.1(e)(ii) of the Executive Employment Agreement by and between NIL, NII and the Grantee effective as of January 2, 2020, as amended from time to time (the “Employment Agreement”), which will be measured over a one-year performance period commencing on _____________ and ending on _____________ (such period, the “Performance Period”).
(b) Up to 200% of the Target PSUs subject to this Award are eligible to become earned based upon achievement of the applicable Performance Goals. The Committee shall have sole discretion to determine the level of achievement of the applicable Performance Goals and the percentage of the Target PSUs subject to this Award that shall become earned based on such performance (the “Earned PSUs”). The Committee’s determinations pursuant to the exercise of discretion with respect to all matters described in this paragraph shall be final and binding on the Grantee. The Committee shall make this determination within 60 days following the end of the Performance Period or as soon as administratively practicable thereafter (the “Performance Determination Date”).
(c) If, on the Performance Determination Date or any other applicable date as set forth in this Section 3, the Committee determines that any of the PSUs subject to this Award shall not become Earned PSUs, then any such PSUs that did not become Earned PSUs (and all rights arising from such PSUs and from being a holder thereof) will terminate automatically without any further action by the Company and will be forfeited without further notice and at no cost to the Company.
(d) One-third of the Earned PSUs shall become vested on each of the first three anniversaries of the Date of Grant if the Grantee remains continuously employed by NIL and/or NII from the Date of Grant through the applicable vesting date; provided that any Earned PSUs scheduled to vest prior to the Performance Determination Date shall instead vest upon the Performance Determination Date; provided further, that if the preceding calculation results in any fractional shares, such fractional shares shall be rounded down to the next whole number of shares, with the remainder of shares due to be paid in the third annual instalment.
(e) In the event of a Change in Control of NIL (as defined in the Employment Agreement), notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Employment Agreement, all of the Earned PSUs subject to this Award that remain unvested shall become vested as of the date of such Change in Control if the Grantee remains continuously employed by NIL and/or NII from the Date of Grant through the date of such Change in Control; provided that, if such Change in Control of NIL occurs prior to the Performance Determination Date, the Earned PSUs shall be deemed to equal 100% of the Target PSUs.
(f) In the event of the Grantee’s Termination due to the Grantee’s death or Disability (as defined in the Employment Agreement), all of the Earned PSUs subject to this Award that remain unvested shall become vested as of the date of such Termination; provided that, if the date of such Termination occurs prior to the conclusion of the Performance Period, then the Grantee shall forfeit all PSUs subject to this Award, and if the date of such Termination occurs after the conclusion of the Performance Period but prior to the Performance Determination Date, then the number of Earned PSUs shall be determined based on actual performance.
(g) In the event of the Grantee’s Termination either due to the Grantee’s Constructive Termination Without Cause or by the Company Without Cause (each as defined in the Employment Agreement), all of the Earned PSUs subject to this Award that remain unvested shall become vested as of the date of such Termination; provided that, if the date of such Termination occurs prior to the conclusion of the Performance Period, then the Grantee shall forfeit all PSUs subject to this Award, and if the date of such Termination occurs after the conclusion of the Performance Period but prior to the Performance Determination Date, then the number of Earned PSUs shall be determined based on actual performance.
(h) Anything herein notwithstanding, in the event of the Grantee’s Termination by the Company for Cause or by the written voluntary resignation of the Grantee (each as defined or contemplated, as applicable, in the Employment Agreement), the Grantee shall forfeit any PSUs subject to this Award that remain unvested as of the date of such Termination.
Accelerated Vesting of Equity Awards One hundred percent (100%) of Executive’s then-outstanding and unvested Equity Awards will become vested in full. If, however, an outstanding Equity Award is to vest and/or the amount of the award to vest is to be determined based on the achievement of performance criteria, then the Equity Award will vest as to one hundred percent (100%) of the amount of the Equity Award assuming the performance criteria had been achieved at target levels for the relevant performance period(s).
Retention Bonuses Provided Executive becomes and remains an active employee of Mercantile, Mercantile will pay Executive retention bonuses in accordance with the following schedule:
(i) $42,750.00 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following the Effective Time,
(ii) $42,750.00 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following six (6) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile,
(iii) $42,750.00 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following twelve (12) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile. After twelve (12) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile, Executive will not be entitled to any further Severance or Retention benefits. The above-listed payments and benefits are in lieu of any and all payments and benefits to which Executive may otherwise have been entitled under the CIC Agreement or any other agreement or practice.
Vesting of Award Subject to Section 2(b) below and the other terms and conditions of this Agreement, this Award shall become vested in three equal annual installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date hereof. Unless otherwise provided by the Company, all dividends and other amounts receivable in connection with any adjustments to the Shares under Section 4(c) of the Plan shall be subject to the vesting schedule in this Section 2(a).
Vesting of Restricted Stock Units The restrictions and conditions of Section 1 of this Agreement shall lapse on the Vesting Date or Dates specified in the following schedule so long as the Grantee remains in a Business Relationship (as defined in Section 3 below) on such Dates. If a series of Vesting Dates is specified, then the restrictions and conditions in Section 1 shall lapse only with respect to the number of Restricted Stock Units specified as vested on such date. Incremental Number of Restricted Stock Units Vested Vesting Date The Administrator may at any time accelerate the vesting schedule specified in this Section 2.
Vesting of Units For purposes of this Agreement, “Vesting Date” means any date, including the Scheduled Vesting Dates specified in the Vesting Schedule on the cover page of this Agreement, on which Units subject to this Agreement vest as provided in this Section 4.
Vesting of Restricted Stock The restrictions and conditions in Paragraph 2 of this Agreement shall lapse on the Vesting Date or Dates specified in the following schedule. If a series of Vesting Dates is specified, then the restrictions and conditions in Paragraph 2 shall lapse only with respect to the number of shares of Restricted Stock specified as vested on such date.
Vacation Bonus Employees shall receive one day's base pay (or adjusted earnings) for each year of service beyond twenty-five (25) years, to a maximum of ten (10) days’ pay.
