EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is
entered into as of May 11, 2009 by and between:
(i) China
New Energy Group Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”);
and
(ii)
Yangkan Chong (the “Executive”), an
individual resident of the Republic of Singapore.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company, through
its subsidiaries, is engaged in the development of natural gas distribution
networks, and the distribution of natural gas to residential, and industrial and
commercial customers in small and medium sized cities in China (the “Business”);
and
WHEREAS,
Executive represents that he has the experience, background and expertise
necessary to enable him to be the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and
to manage, grow and develop the Business; and
WHEREAS,
based on such representation, the Company wishes to employ Executive as its CEO,
and Executive wishes to be so employed, in each case, upon the terms hereinafter
set forth;
NOW THEREFORE, in
consideration of the foregoing recitals and the mutual covenants and promises
contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby expressly acknowledged, the parties agree as
follows:
1.
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RETENTION AND
DUTIES.
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1.1
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Position
and Duties. During the Employment Period (as defined in Section 1.2
below), the Executive shall serve the Company as its Chief Executive
Officer and shall have such powers, duties and obligations consistent with
such position as the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) shall
determine from time to time. References to the Board herein
with respect to any determination involving the Executive or his duties,
shall be deemed to exclude the Executive if he is then a member of the
Board.
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The
Executive shall exercise due care as would a good business manager and
faithfully and diligently perform his duties for the Company. The
Executive shall comply with the policies, guidelines, standards, rules and
procedures of the Company, and any additions or amendments thereto, as
they are in effect from time to time during the Employment
Period. During the Employment Period, the Executive shall
report directly to the Board.
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1.2
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Employment
Period. Subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 3
below, the Employment Period shall be a period of one year commencing on
May 18, 2009 (the “Commencement
Date”), provided that
this Agreement shall be automatically renewed, and the Employment Period
shall be automatically extended, for successive one-year terms unless
either party gives written notice to the other party at least thirty (30)
days prior to the expiration of this Agreement and the Employment Period
(including any renewal and extension thereof) to terminate this Agreement
or modify its terms (provision of such notice shall not be deemed to
constitute a breach, or an earlier termination, of this
Agreement). The term “Employment Period” shall include any
extension thereof pursuant to the preceding
sentence.
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1.3
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Location.
The Executive will be based in Tianjin, China. The Executive
acknowledges that he may be required to travel from time to time in
accordance with the business requirements of the Company in the course of
performing his duties for the
Company.
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1.4
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Company
Group. Except with
respect to the direct employment of the Executive by the Company, the term
“Company” as used herein with respect to all obligations of the Executive
hereunder shall be deemed to include the Company and all of its
subsidiaries and affiliated entities (collectively, the “Company
Group”).
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1.5
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Minimum
Time Commitment. During the Employment Period, the Executive shall
hold no employment outside the Company Group and shall devote
substantially all of his business time, attention and skills to the
performance of his duties for the Company. The The Executive hereby
acknowledges that he shall not be entitled to any overtime pay as would
employees who have standard working
hours.
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1.6
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Representations;
No Breach of Contract or other Obligation. In addition to the
representations contained in the Recitals above, Executive hereby
represents to the Company that: (i) the execution and delivery of
this Agreement by the Executive and the performance by the Executive of
his duties hereunder shall not constitute a breach of, or otherwise
contravene, the terms of any other agreement or policy to which the
Executive is a party or otherwise bound; (ii) that the Executive has
no information (including, without limitation, confidential information
and trade secrets) relating to any other person or entity which would
prevent, or be violated by, the Executive entering into this Agreement or
carrying out his duties hereunder; (iii) that the
Executive is not bound by any confidentiality, trade secret or similar
agreement with any other person or entity; and (iv) Executive is subject
to no fiduciary or other obligation which may affect the performance of
his duties hereunder.
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2.
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COMPENSATION AND
BENEFITS.
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2.1
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Base
Salary. The Executive’s gross base salary for the first twelve (12)
months of the Employment Period shall be at annualized rate of US$144,000.
The Board and/or its Compensation Committee shall review the Executive’s
base salary every twelve (12) months and make appropriate adjustment, in
its discretion.
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The
base salary shall be paid in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll
practices in effect from time to time, but not less frequently than in
monthly installments.
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2.2
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Bonus
and Other Incentives. During the Employment Period, the Executive
will be eligible to receive bonuses and other incentive payments in
accordance with the terms and conditions of any bonus or other incentive
plans and programs as may be adopted by the Board from time to
time.
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2.3
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Reimbursement
of Business Expenses. Executive hereby agrees that he shall, within
thirty (30) days prior to then end of each calendar quarter, submit to the
Board an expense budget for following calendar quarter. The
Executive will be eligible to receive reimbursement for all reasonable
business expenses incurred by the Executive during the course of
performing his duties for the Company under this Agreement which are set
forth in the budget approved by the Board. To the extent there
are additional expenses, or expenses exceeding the amounts pre-approved by
the Board, Executive shall seek further Board approval for such expenses
to the extent they exceed $1,000.
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2.4
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Vacation
and Other Leave. During the Employment Period, the
Executive shall be entitled to take paid vacation of three (3) weeks in
each 12 month period taken at such times so as to not materially impede
his duties hereunder. The Executive shall also be entitled to
all other holiday and leave pay generally available to the executive
officers of the Company.
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2.5
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No
Overtime Pay. The
Executive acknowledges that he shall perform his duties for the Company in
a timely manner, that the compensation and benefits he will be entitled to
receive pursuant to this Agreement will sufficiently compensate him for
his services, and that he will not be entitled to receive any overtime
pay.
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3.
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TERMINATION.
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3.1
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Termination
by the Company. The Executive’s employment by the Company, and the
Employment Period, may be terminated by the Company: (i) for Cause (as
defined immediately below), (ii) with no less than thirty (30) days prior
notice to the Executive, without Cause, (iii) in the event of the
Executive’s death, or (iv) in the event that the Board determines in good
faith that the Executive has a Disability (as defined immediately
below).
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As
used herein, “Cause” shall
mean, as determined by a majority of the Board (excluding the Executive,
if he is then a member of the Board), (i) any act of embezzlement,
dishonesty or fraud taken by the Executive; (ii) the Executive’s
conviction for a felony or conviction of any crime involving moral
turpitude or that impairs the Executive’s ability to perform his duties;
(iii) the Executive’s improper and material disclosure or use of the any
confidential or proprietary information of the Company or any member of
the Company Group; (iv) the Executive’s breach of any fiduciary duty to
the Company, (v) the Executive’s failure or refusal
to perform his duties which, if curable, remains uncured
following thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Executive from the
Company describing such failure or refusal; (vi) Executive’s performance
of any action when specifically instructed not to do so by the Board,
except where required by applicable law, regulation or rule; or (vii)
Executive’s failure to perform any action when instructed to do so by the
Board, except where prohibited by applicable law, regulation or
rule.
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As
used herein, “Disability”
shall mean a physical or mental impairment which, as determined by the
Board, renders the Executive unable to perform the essential functions of
his employment with the Company, even with reasonable accommodation that
does not impose an undue hardship on the Company, for more than 90 days in
any twelve (12) month period, unless a longer period is required by
applicable laws, in which case that longer period would
apply.
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3
3.2
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Termination
by the Executive. The Executive’s employment by the
Company, and the Employment Period, may be terminated by the Executive
with no less than thirty (30) days prior notice to the Company, provided that
the Executive may provide immediate notice in the event of a Constructive
Termination (as defined immediately below), if not cured within thirty
(30) days after the occurrence
thereof.
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As
used herein, “Constructive
Termination” shall mean, without the Executive’s express written
consent, (i) there is a material reduction in the Executive’s powers,
duties and responsibilities, or (ii) there is a material reduction in the
Executive’s base salary, opportunity for bonus and incentive payments, or
overall benefits package.
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3.3
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Benefits
upon termination. If the Executive’s employment by the Company is
terminated during the Employment Period for any reason by the Company or
by the Executive (in any case, the date that the Executive’s employment by
the Company terminates is referred to as the “Severance
Date”), the Company shall have no further obligation to make or
provide to the Executive, and the Executive shall have no further right to
receive or obtain from the Company, any payments or benefits except as
follows:
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(a)
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The
Company shall pay the Executive (or, in the event of the Executive’s
death, the Executive’s estate) any base salary, bonus and incentive
payment that had accrued under this Agreement but had not been paid on or
before the Severance Date, and any reimbursement due to the Executive
under this Agreement for expenses incurred by the Executive on or before
the Severance Date.
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(b)
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If,
during the Employment Period, the Executive’s employment with the Company
is terminated as a result of a Constructive Termination or terminated by
the Company without Cause, the Executive shall be entitled to receive an
amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Executive’s annualized base
salary as in effect on the Severance Date (the “Severance
Benefit”). The Company shall pay the Severance Benefit
to the Executive in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll
practices in effect from time to time, but not less frequently than in
monthly installments.
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Notwithstanding
the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.3, if the Executive breaches his
obligations under Section 4 of this Agreement at any time, from and after the
date of such breach, the Executive shall no longer be entitled to, and the
Company shall no longer be obligated to pay, any remaining unpaid portion of the
Severance Benefits.
The
foregoing provisions of this Section 3.3 shall not affect the Executive’s
receipt of benefits otherwise due terminated employees consistent with the terms
of applicable benefit plans or programs of the Company or applicable
laws.
3.4
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Notice
of termination. Any termination of the Executive’s
employment under this Agreement shall be communicated by written notice of
termination from the terminating party to the other party. The notice of
termination shall indicate the specific provision(s) of this Agreement
relied upon in effecting the
termination.
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3.5
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Resignation from the
Board. Executive
hereby agrees that any termination of this Agreement shall also constitute
submission to the Board of Executive’s resignation from the Board, if the
Executive is a member of the Board at such
time.
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4.
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CONFIDENTIALITY;
NON-COMPETITION;
NON-SOLICITATION.
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4.1
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Executive’s
acknowledgment. The Executive agrees and acknowledges
that in order to assure the Company that it will retain its value as a
going concern, it is necessary that the Executive undertakes not to
utilize his special knowledge of the Business and his relationships with
persons and entities in the Business and relationships with
customers and suppliers to compete with the Company. The
Executive further acknowledges that: (i) the Company is and will be
engaged in the Business; (ii) the Executive has occupied a position of
trust and confidence with the Company prior to the date of this Agreement
and, during such period the Executive has, and during the term of this
Agreement the Executive will, become familiar with the Company’s trade
secrets and with other proprietary and confidential information concerning
the Company and the Business; (iii) the agreements and covenants contained
in this Section 4 are essential to protect the Company and the goodwill of
the Business; and (iv) the Executive’s employment with the Company has
special, unique and extraordinary value to the Company and the Company
would suffer irreparable harm, for which money damages would not
constitute adequate compensation, if the Executive were to provide
services to any person or entity in violation of the provisions of this
Agreement or otherwise violate any of the terms of this Section
4.
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4.2
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Competitive
activities. The
Executive hereby agrees that for a period (the “Restricted Period”)
commencing on the date hereof and ending two years following the
termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company for whatever
reason, the Executive shall not, on behalf of himself or any other
individual or group of individuals, firm, company, corporation,
partnership, trust or other entity or enterprise or successor in interest
to any of the foregoing, or any employee, partner, officer, director,
partner, or stockholder of any of the foregoing, directly or indirectly,
as an employee, proprietor, stockholder, partner, consultant, or
otherwise, engage in any business or activity directly competitive with
the Business or any of the business activities of the Company as they are
now, currently proposed to be, or are, at the time in question, undertaken
by the Company, anywhere in the territory of North America or China (the
“Territory”), except as expressly approved by the Board in
writing. With respect to the Territory, the Executive
specifically acknowledges that the Company has conducted the Business
throughout those areas comprising the Territory and the Company intends to
continue to expand the Business throughout the
Territory.
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4.3
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Blue-pencil. If any
court of competent jurisdiction shall at any time deem the term of this
Agreement or any particular covenant contained in this Section 4,
including, without limitation, the Restricted Period, to be too lengthy or
the Territory to be too extensive, the other provisions of this Section 4
shall nevertheless stand, the Restricted Period shall be deemed to be the
longest period permissible by law under the circumstances and the
Territory shall be deemed to comprise the largest territory permissible by
law under the circumstances. The court in each case shall
reduce the Restricted Period and/or the Territory to permissible duration
or size.
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4.4
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Confidential
information. During the
term of this Agreement and for a period of three (3) years thereafter, the
Executive shall keep secret and retain in strictest confidence, and shall
not, without the prior written consent of the Board, furnish, make
available or disclose to any third party or use for the benefit of himself
or any third party, any Confidential Information. As used in
this Section 4.4, the term “Confidential Information” shall mean any
information relating to the business or affairs of the Company or the
Business, including, but not limited to, information relating to financial
statements, customer identities, potential customers, employees,
suppliers, servicing methods, equipment, programs, strategies and
information, analyses, profit margins or other proprietary information
used by the Company in connection with the Business; provided, however,
that Confidential Information shall not include any information which is
the public domain, becomes generally known in the industry through no
wrongful act on the part of the Executive or as required to be disclosed
by a court of competent jurisdiction. The Executive
acknowledges that the Confidential Information is vital, sensitive,
confidential and proprietary to the
Company.
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5.
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Inventions
and other intellectual property. The
Executive hereby agrees that all right, title and interest in and to all
of the Executive’s “Creations” and work product made during the term of
the Executive’s employment with the Company, whether pursuant to this
Agreement or otherwise, shall belong solely to the Company, whether or not
they are protected or protectable under applicable patent, trademark,
service xxxx, copyright or trade secret laws. For purposes of
this Section 5, the term “Creations” shall mean all inventions, designs,
discoveries, books, newsletters, manuscripts, articles, research,
compilations, improvements, and other works which are or may be
copyrighted, trade-marked or patented or otherwise constitute works of
intellectual property which may be protected (including, without
limitation, any information relating to the Company’s software products,
source code, know-how, processes, designs, algorithms, computer programs
and routines, formulae, techniques, developments or experimental work,
works-in-progress, or business trade secrets whether now existing, or
hereafter developed during the term of this Agreement) made or conceived
or reduced to practice by the Company. The Executive agrees
that all work or other material containing or reflecting any such
Creations shall be deemed work made for hire as defined in Section 101 of
the Copyright Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 101. If a court of
competent jurisdiction determines that any such works are not works made
for hire, the Executive hereby assigns to the Company all of the
Executive’s right, title and interest, including all rights of copyright,
patent, and other intellectual property rights, to or in such
Creations.
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The
Executive covenants that he shall keep the Company informed of the development
of all Creations made, conceived or reduced to practice by the Company, in whole
or in part, by the Executive or any other alone or with others, which either
result from any work the Executive may do for, or at the request of, the
Company, or are related to the Company’s present or contemplated activities,
investigations, or obligations. The Executive further agrees that (i)
at the Company’s request and expense, he will execute any assignments or any
other documents or instruments necessary to transfer all rights any such
Creations to the Company and (ii) he will cooperate with the Company or its
nominee in perfecting the Company’s title (or the title of the Company’s
nominee) in any or all such materials.
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6.
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INTERFERENCE WITH
RELATIONSHIPS.
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6.1
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Suppliers,
customers, service providers. During the Restricted Period, the
Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, as employee, agent,
consultant, stockholder, director, partner or in any other individual or
representative capacity intentionally solicit or encourage any present or
future customer, employee, consultant, service provider, stockholder,
officer, director or supplier of or service provider to the Company to
terminate or otherwise alter his, their or its relationship with the
Company in a manner having an adverse effect on the Company or the
Business.
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6.2
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Employees.
During
the Restricted Period, the Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, as
employee, agent, consultant, stockholder, director, partner or in any
other individual or representative capacity intentionally solicit or
encourage any employee, consultant or agent of the Company to terminate,
modify or cancel their relationship with the Company or to enter into a
relationship with another company in the
Business.
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7.
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RETURN
OF COMPANY MATERIALS UPON TERMINATION. The Executive
acknowledges that all price lists, sales manuals, catalogs, binders,
customer lists and other customer information, supplier lists, financial
information, business plans, corporate records, working notes, work
product, sales manuals, catalogs, binders and other records or documents
containing any Confidential Information prepared by the Executive or
coming into the Executive’s possession by virtue of the Executive’s
employment by the Company, other than personal information belonging to
the Executive, is and shall remain the property of the Company and that
immediately upon termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder, the
Executive shall return all such items in his possession, together with all
copies thereof, to the Company.
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8.
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INDEMNIFICATION. The Company
hereby covenants and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Executive
fully, completely, and absolutely against and in respect to any and all
actions, suits, proceedings, claims, demands, judgments, costs, expenses
(including attorney's fees), losses, and damages resulting from the
Executive's good faith performance of his duties and obligations under the
terms of this Agreement, subject to compliance with any applicable
requirements and limitations improved by the memorandum and articles of
association of the Company as in effect on the date hereof and applicable
law.
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9.
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WITHHOLDING
OBLIGATIONS. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Company
may withhold (or cause there to be withheld, as the case may be) from any
amounts otherwise due or payable under or pursuant to this Agreement such
national, provincial, local or any other income, employment or other
taxes, and such portion of social insurance, medical insurance and housing
provident fund, as may be required to be withheld pursuant to any
applicable laws or regulations.
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10.
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ASSIGNMENT. This
Agreement is personal in its nature and neither of the parties hereto
shall, without the written consent of the other, assign or transfer this
Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder; provided,
however, that (i) the Company may assign or transfer this Agreement
or any rights or obligations hereunder to any member of the Company Group
without such consent, and (ii) in the event of a merger,
consolidation, or transfer or sale of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company with or to any other entities or individuals, this
Agreement shall, subject to the provisions hereof, be binding upon and
inure to the benefit of such successor and such successor shall discharge
and perform all the promises, covenants, duties, and obligations of the
Company hereunder.
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11.
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SEVERABILITY. If
any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof is held
invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications
of this Agreement which can be given effect without the invalid provisions
or applications and to this end the provisions of this Agreement are
declared to be severable.
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12.
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ENTIRE
AGREEMENT. This Agreement (including the provisions incorporated
herein by reference) constitutes the entire agreement and understanding
between the Executive and the Company regarding the terms of the
Executive’s employment by the Company and supersedes all prior or
contemporaneous oral or written agreements concerning such subject matter.
The Executive acknowledges that he has not entered into this Agreement in
reliance upon any representation, warranty or undertaking which is not set
forth in this Agreement.
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13.
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AMENDMENT.
This Agreement may not be amended, modified or changed (in whole or in
part), except by a formal, definitive written agreement expressly
referring to this Agreement, which agreement is executed by both of the
parties hereto.
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14.
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DISPUTE
RESOLUTION. Both the Executive or the Company shall have
any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this
Agreement settled by arbitration, by providing written notice of such
election to the other party hereto, specifying the nature of the dispute
to be arbitrated. Such arbitration shall be held before a panel
of three (3) arbitrators at the American Arbitration Association in New
York and pursuant to its Commercial Arbitration Rules then in
effect. Judgment may be entered on the award of the arbitrators
in any court having competent
jurisdiction.
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The
prevailing party in any litigation or arbitration seeking to
enforce the provisions of this Agreement shall be entitled to
reimbursement from the other party of all expenses of such litigation or
arbitration, including the reasonable fees and expenses of its legal
representative and necessary costs and disbursements incurred as a result
of such dispute or legal
proceeding.
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15.
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WAIVER. Neither
the failure nor any delay on the part of a party to exercise any right,
remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver
thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy,
power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same, nor
shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to
any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or
privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be
effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to
have granted such waiver.
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16.
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NOTICES.
All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or
permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to
have been duly given and made if (i) delivered by hand,
(ii) otherwise delivered against receipt therefor, or (iii) sent
by a recognized courier to the last known address of the other
party.
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17.
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COUNTERPARTS.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute
one and the same instrument. This Agreement shall become binding when one
or more counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, shall bear
the signatures of both parties. Photographic copies of such signed
counterparts may be used in lieu of the originals for any
purpose.
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18.
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NO
INTERPRETATION AGAINST DRAFTER. Each party recognizes that this
Agreement is a legally binding agreement and acknowledges that it or he
has had the opportunity to consult with legal counsel of choice. In any
construction of the terms of this Agreement, the same shall not be
construed against either party on the basis of that party being the
drafter of such terms.
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19.
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GOVERNING
LAW. To the
extent not preempted by U.S. federal law, the provisions of this Agreement
shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the internal,
substantive laws of the State of New York, without regards to the
principles of conflicts of laws
thereof.
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[Remainder
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has
been executed as of the date first written above.
China
New Energy Group
Company
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By:
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Name:
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Xxxx
X. Xxxxx
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Title:
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Director
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Executive
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Signature:
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Name:
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Yangkan
Chong
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