EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.10
PRIVATE &
CONFIDENTIAL
June 11,
2010
Dear Xx.
Xxxxxx Xxxxx:
We are
pleased to write to you on behalf of Lizhan Environmental Corporation (“Lizhan”
or the “Company”), to confirm our offer to employ you with the Company. Set out
below are the terms and conditions of your employment agreement (the
“Agreement”).
TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
1
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JOB
TITLE AND DUTIES:
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1.1
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You
will be employed by the Company as Chief Financial Officer and shall work
for the Company in this capacity.
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1.2
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Your
duties will be those assigned to you by the CEO and Chairman. In addition
to the duties normally associated with your job title, you may from time
to time be required to take on additional or other duties as necessary to
meet the needs of the business; provided, however, that in changing your
powers or duties at any time the Company shall not act unreasonably,
taking into account your qualifications and
experience.
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1.3
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Your
duties will include responsibility for Lizhan’s operations, including but
not limited to:
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A.
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Daily
financial operation
management
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B.
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Interface
with capital market investors and
intermediaries
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C.
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Preparing
for the company IPO process
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1.4
|
You
will functionally report to the CEO and Chairman. The scope of your role
may be increased based upon your performances review in 3-6
months.
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1.5
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You
agree to comply with all reasonable requests and instructions from the
Company and will faithfully serve the Company to the best of your ability.
You shall use your best endeavours to promote, develop and extend the
business of the Company and you shall not do or permit to be done anything
that would cause the Company to suffer prejudice, loss or
injury.
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1.6
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You
will devote the whole of your time and attention to your duties during
your working hours (as defined in Section 8
below).
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2
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START
DATE AND CONTRACT DURATION
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2.1
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Your
employment under this Agreement begins on a mutually agreed date between
you and the Company but no later than July 1, 2010 (the “Start Date”) and
shall continue for a contract term of 24 months, renewable upon
expiration.
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Page
1
3
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SALARY
& INCOME TAX
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3.1
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As
compensation for the services rendered by you, the Company will pay you a
base salary of US$150,000 per annum. (If paid in RMB, the Company shall
apply the median currency exchange rate for electronic wire transfer on
the date of payment) The base salary will be paid monthly in
arrears. You will be responsible for paying your own income
taxes.
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3.2
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The
Company will issue or cause an existing stockholder of the Company to
transfer 40,000 shares of common stock of the Company to you upon
completion of the IPO and 50,000 shares at the end of each anniversary of
your employment with the Company at zero cost. The share grant will be
subject to standard anti-dilution terms, such as share split
etc.
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3.3
|
The
Company will provide you transportation as well as a living quarter, which
shall be a furnished two bedroom apartment, on site during your
employment.
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4
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EXPENSES
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4.1
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You
shall be reimbursed for all reasonable out of pocket expenses wholly,
necessarily and exclusively incurred by you in carrying out your duties on
the Company’s business in accordance with Company policy; provided,
however, that such expenses must in each case be evidenced in the manner
required and approved by the
Company.
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5
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HOURS
OF WORK
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5.1
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Your
normal hours of work are from 8:00 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, with one
hour break for lunch, save that you agree that you will vary your starting
lime and finishing time or work such reasonable additional hours as are
necessary to satisfactorily complete your duties and satisfy the business
interests of the Company. You hereby agree and acknowledge that your
salary level has been designed to compensate you adequately for such
flexible scheduling. For the avoidance of doubt, you will not be eligible
for any overtime payment.
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6
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HOLIDAYS,
VACATION AND MEDICAL
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6.1
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The
Company’s holiday year runs from 1st January to 31st December. If your
employment ends part way through a holiday year, your holiday entitlement
for that year will be assessed on a pro rata
basis.
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6.2
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You
are eligible to receive 20 days of paid annual leave per year besides the
public holidays observed by the
company.
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63
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Annual
leave accrued but not taken will be forfeited. If you have taken vacation
in excess of your entitlement, an appropriate deduction will be made from
any final salary payment; unused vacation days for any calendar years
shall not roll-over to the following calendar year. For these purposes,
your employment is deemed to end on the last day actually worked and is
not extended by any public holiday, unused vacation entitlement or payment
in lieu of notice.
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6.4
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The
Company will provide standard International medical insurance and
benefits.
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Page
2
7
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COMPANY
PROCEDURES AND STANDARDS, CONDUCT, PUBLIC
STATEMENTS
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7.1
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The
Company may from time to time introduce day-to-day procedures and
practices. You must comply with the Company’s policies
notified to you from time to time, in particular relating to use of PC
equipment, passwords, the Internet and e-mail, and procedures for
minimising the introduction of viruses or other bugs into the Company’s
computer equipment or networks. Failure to comply may lead to disciplinary
action including, where appropriate,
dismissal.
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7.2
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As
an employee, you are an ambassador of the Company and whilst on Company
business you will not conduct yourself in an unprofessional or unethical
manner or in a manner that may or may be likely to discredit the Company.
Failure to abide by an appropriate standard of conduct in this regard may
subject you to disciplinary action including, where appropriate,
dismissal.
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7.3
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During
or after the end of your employment you will not make any untrue or
misleading statement about the Company or any of its/their officers or
employees.
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8
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CONFIDENTIAL
INFORMATION
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8.1
|
For
the purposes of this letter “Confidential Information” means any and all
information which relates to the Company which has come or may come into
your possession or control by virtue of your employment under this
agreement, including, but not limited to, intellectual property, data,
software, proprietary information, know-how, designs, and any other
material bearing or incorporating any information relating to the Company
and/or any client or customer of the Company to whom the Company owes a
duty of confidentiality, and any and all information relating to the
finances, business or future plans of Company disclosed to you at any time
during the course of or by virtue of your
employment.
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8.2
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During
your employment or thereafter, you shall not at any time use or exploit
except for the benefit of the Company or disclose to any third party any
Confidential Information except:
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(a)
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with
the express written consent of the
CEO;
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(b)
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in
compliance with an order of a court;
or
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(c)
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where
the Confidential Information is in the public
domain.
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8.3
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You
shall during your employment:
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(a)
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use
all reasonable endeavours to prevent the unauthorised use or disclosure of
any Confidential Information by any other officer, employee or contractor
of the Company; and
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(b)
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be
under an obligation promptly and fully to report to the Company any such
unauthorised use or disclosure of any Confidential Information, which
comes to your knowledge.
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9
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DATA
PROCESSING
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9.1
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By
signing this Agreement you consent to the Company Processing Personal Data
and Sensitive Personal Data during your employment and, where reasonably
necessary, to the transfer of such data to the Company based outside your
basic area to which you have transferred or in respect of which you
provide your services. Any such data, which is so transferred, shall
continue to be handled in accordance with security measures and good
practice to ensure no unauthorised or unlawful processing. Company
acknowledges it will not misuse or abuse sensitive personal data, of any
kind, and will comply with prevalent privacy protection
law.
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Page
3
9.2
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For
the purposes of this Section 15, the following words and expressions shall
have the following meanings:
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“Personal
Data” means any data, which relates to you, if you can be identified from that
data and other information in the possession of the Company and includes any
expression of opinion about you, and any indications of intention of the Company
or a third party concerning you;
“Processing”
means obtaining, recording or holding data and includes organising, adapting or
altering data, using or consulting data, disclosing data by transmission or
otherwise making the data available within the scope of the Data Protection Act
or destroying the data; and
“Sensitive
Personal Data” means information concerning your race, ethnic origin, political
opinion, religious beliefs, trade union involvement or the commission or alleged
commission by you of any offence and any proceedings relating to that
offence.
10
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DISCIPLINARY/GRIEVANCE
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10.1
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Should
the Company be dissatisfied with your performance or conduct or if you are
dissatisfied with any disciplinary decision it is the Company’s policy to
follow the disciplinary procedure, which is in force at the relevant time.
If you wish to seek redress for any grievance relating to your employment
(other than relating to a disciplinary decision), then you should use the
Company’s grievance procedure, which is in force at the relevant time.
These procedures are policies only and are not contractual documents. They
do not, therefore, give rise to any contractual entitlement on your
part.
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10.2
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In
order to investigate an allegation of misconduct or poor performance
against you or to investigate a grievance, the CEO is entitled to suspend
you on full pay for so long as the CEO deems to carry out a proper
investigation and to hold, if appropriate, a disciplinary
hearing/grievance meeting.
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11
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TERM
AND TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT
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11.1
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The
duration of the contract term is 24 months from Start Date, renewable at
the end of the period.
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11.2
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The
Company will not terminate your employment hereunder during the first 12
months of the contract term Without Cause. After the first 12 months, the
Company may terminate your employment by delivering a 3 month written
notice Without Cause. You will have the right, upon delivery of 3 months
prior written notice to the CEO of the Company, to terminate your
employment hereunder at any time prior to the expiration of the contract
term Without Cause
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11.3
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The
CEO Company may, upon the delivery of a prior 30 days written notice,
terminate your employment prior to the expiration of the contract term for
Cause, as defined below. For purposes of this agreement, “Cause” shall
mean: (i) gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of
your duties to the Company; (ii) repeated unexplained or unjustified
absence from the Company or poor performance of assigned duties; (iii) a
material and willful violation of any law; (iv) refusal or failure to act
in accordance with any specific direction or order of the Company; (v)
commission of any act of fraud with respect to the Company; (vi)
conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude causing
material harm to the standing and reputation of the Company, in each case
as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company; or (vii) use of
any Company premises or equipment for any purposes other than Company
business.
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Page
4
11.4
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On
the termination of employment for whatever
reason:
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(a)
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you
shall deliver to the Company all original and photo-copied materials,
equipment, documents and other property of any nature belonging to or
relating to the business of the Company (including all keys, personal
computers, books, discs) which are in your possession, custody or control
at that time, and neither you nor any person on your behalf may retain
copies of any such documents or other copy-able
property;
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(b)
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you
shall make every effort to mitigate any losses you may incur in connection
with the termination of your
employment.
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11.5
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The
termination of this Agreement for whatever reason shall not operate to
affect any provision which operates or has effect (or is expressed so to
do) thereafter and shall be without prejudice to any other accrued rights
or remedies of either of the parties to this
Agreement.
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11.6
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After
the termination of your employment, you shall not at any time or for any
purpose use for your own benefit or to the detriment or intended or
probable detriment of the Company:
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(a)
|
the
name of the Company in connection with your own business or the business
of another; or use any other name or otherwise represent yourself in any
way calculated or likely to suggest that you are or have been connected
with the Company’s business;
or
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(b)
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any
information which you may have acquired in the course of or incidental to
your employment concerning the Company and/or any of its/their customers
or clients and/or its/their business
affairs
|
provided,
however, that this restraint shall not prevent you from disclosing the name of
the Company or any associated company with whom you have worked on a bona fide
curriculum vitae.
11.7
|
In
the event that the Company breaches the Section 11.2 of this Agreement and
terminates your employment Without Cause, the Company will pay you: (i)
within 30 days of your termination, in a lump-sum, any unpaid bonus
awards, reimbursable expenses and benefits owing to you through the day on
which your employment terminated. (ii) within 30 days of your termination,
in a lump-sum, a severance payment in an amount equal to the unpaid base
salary for 12 months.
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11.8
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In
the event that the Company terminates your employment for Cause, or you
voluntarily terminate your employment, the Company will pay you: within 30
days of your termination, in a lump-sum, any unpaid portion of your base
salary proportional to the number of months you have served the Company
for, any unpaid bonus awards, reimbursable expenses and benefits owing to
you through the day on which your employment
terminated.
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11.9
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The
termination of this Agreement for whatever reason shall not operate to
affect any provision which operates or has effect (or is expressed so to
do) thereafter and shall be without prejudice to any other accrued rights
or remedies of either of the parties to this
Agreement.
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Page
5
12
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SUBSEQUENT
EMPLOYMENT
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12.1
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For
a period of 3 months after the termination of your employment hereunder,
you may not accept employment with any client or customer (excluding
investors or investment banks) of the Company with whom you have had
dealings within 12 months immediately preceding the of termination of your
employment except with the prior written permission of the CEO. The CEO
may refuse such agreement without being obliged to assign any reason for
such refusal.
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12.2
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For
a period of 24 months following termination, you may not solicit or entice
away or offer employment to or endeavour to solicit or entice away or
offer employment to any person who has, at any time during the period of
12 months immediately preceding your termination date, been an employee,
officer or manager of the Company, whether or not such person would commit
a breach of contract by reason of leaving the employment, office or
service of the Company.
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12.3
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You
shall not, for a period of 6 months after the termination of your
employment hereunder, either on your own behalf or in conjunction with or
on behalf of any person, firm or Company, carry on or be engaged,
concerned or interested directly or indirectly in carrying on business in
competition with any business of the Company at the time of such
determination in any territory in which the Company carries on business at
such time.
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12.4
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To
the extent that the Company is required in any territory to compensate you
for your undertakings under this Section 12, the Company may, at the
termination of your employment, at its sole discretion, elect to pay you
such minimum amount of compensation as required by the laws of such
territory, to effectuate your undertakings within such
territory.
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13
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OTHER
TERMS
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13.1
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Without
prejudice to any other provisions of this letter, you agree to disclose to
the Company any of your non-Company business which may reasonably be in
conflict with the business or activities of Company or such of its
subsidiaries, holding or associated Companies, at the date hereof or in
which you may subsequently become involved during the period of your
employment by the Company, in reasonable detail to the satisfaction of the
Company.
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13.2
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There
are no terms relating to collective agreements. This Agreement supersedes
all other agreements other than those expressly referred to in this
Agreement whether oral or written between the Company and you relating to
your employment and you acknowledge and warrant to the Company that you
are not entering into this Agreement in reliance on any representation not
expressly set forth in this
Agreement.
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13.3
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The
waiver by the Company of any breach of any term of this Agreement shall
not prevent the subsequent enforcement by the Company of that term and
shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any subsequent
breach.
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13.4
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In
the event that any provision shall be held invalid or otherwise
unenforceable it is intention of the parties and it is hereby agreed that
the balance of the Agreement shall be deemed to be severable there from
and shall remain in full force and effect and that any provision which is
held invalid or unenforceable as written shall nevertheless remain in full
force and effect to the extent allowed by the Courts of HK SAR of
PRC.
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13.5
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This Agreement and
all other aspects of the Employee’s employment shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of HK SAR of PRC and the courts of
HK SAR of PRC
shall be the proper venue with respect to any dispute between the Company
and you.
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Page
6
14
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INDEMNIFICATION
AND INSURANCE
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14.1
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The
Company will provide customary indemnification and director insurance
typical of a Chinese company listed on US
exchanges.
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Lizhang
Environmental Corporation
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Name
|
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Title:
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2010.6.15
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I read
the contract and accept the offer of employment by signing below:
Name
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XXXXXX
XXXXX
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Title:
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Date:
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6/15/10
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Page
7