Contract
Exhibit
(d)(10)
NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated
as of December 11th, 2003 between Xxxxxxx International
Limited, a Bahamian corporation (the “Company”), and [insert optionee’s
name] (the “Optionee”).
WHEREAS the Optionee has been granted, effective as of the date of this Agreement, an option
to purchase Ordinary Shares, $.001 par value per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”)
pursuant to the Company’s 2003 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) on the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the mutual agreements contained in
this Agreement, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Definitions. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Agreement have the
meanings given such terms in the Plan. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the
meanings set forth below:
“Cause” means:
(i) the Optionee’s willful and continued failure, following notice from the Company,
substantially to perform the Optionee’s duties as an employee of the Company (other than
as a result of incapacity due to physical or mental illness);
(ii) the Optionee’s negligence or misconduct (including making a negative statement,
written or oral, regarding the Company or its business) in the course of the Optionee’s
employment with the Company that the Committee in its sole discretion determines is
detrimental to the best interests of the Company;
(iii) the Optionee’s indictment of, conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere to (1)
a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or (2) a felony (or the equivalent of such a
misdemeanor or felony in a jurisdiction other than the United States);
(iv) the Optionee’s material breach of this Agreement, including without
limitation the provisions of Section 7;
(v) the Optionee’s violation of Company policies that the Committee in its sole
discretion determines is detrimental to the best interests of the Company;
(vi) the Optionee’s misappropriation, embezzlement or material misuse of funds or
property belonging to the Company; or
(vii) the Optionee’s use of alcohol or drugs that either interferes with the
performance of the Optionee’s duties to the Company or adversely affects the integrity or
reputation of the Company, its subsidiaries or Affiliates,
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their employees or their products, as determined by the Committee in its sole
discretion.
Any voluntary termination of employment by the Optionee in anticipation of an involuntary
termination of the Optionee’s employment for Cause shall be deemed to be a termination
for Cause.
“Confidential Information” has the meaning given such term in Section 7(a) of this Agreement.
“Exercise Notice” has the meaning given such term in Section 5(a) of this Agreement.
“Exercise Price” has the meaning given such term in Section 2 of this Agreement.
“Option” has the meaning given to such term in Section 2 of this Agreement.
“Option Shares” has the meaning given such term in Section 2 of this Agreement.
“Option Term” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3 of this Agreement.
“Shares” means, collectively, the Ordinary Shares subject to the Option, whether
such shares are Option Shares or Vested Shares.
“Vested Shares” means the Option Shares with respect to which the Option is
exercisable at any particular time.
SECTION 2. Option; Exercise Price. In consideration of the Optionee’s services to Company, on
the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, the Optionee is hereby granted an
option (the “Option”) to purchase up to [insert number] Ordinary Shares (the “Option Shares”) at
the price of [insert exercise price] per Option Share (the “Exercise Price”); provided, however,
that the Option shall expire if this Agreement is not signed by the Optionee and returned to the
Company within 60 days from the date of receipt by the Optionee of this Agreement. The Option is
not intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” (within the meaning of Section 422 of the
Code).
SECTION 3. Term. The term of the option (the “Option Term”) shall commence on the date
hereof and expire on the seventh anniversary of the date hereof, unless the Option shall
theretofore have been terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
SECTION 4. Time of Exercise. (a) Unless accelerated as otherwise provided in Section 4(b)
or 4(c) of this Agreement, the Option shall vest and become exercisable in accordance with the
following schedule:
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Aggregate Percentage of | ||||
Vesting Dates | Shares Vested and | |||
(Anniversaries of Grant Date) | Exercisable | |||
First | 25 | % | ||
Second | 50 | % | ||
Third | 75 | % | ||
Fourth | 100 | % |
(b) If the Optionee is an employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries immediately prior to
a Change of Control, then the Option shall immediately vest and become exercisable as to 100%
of the Option Shares upon the first to occur of (i) the expiration of the 18-month period
immediately following a Change of Control or (ii) a Qualifying Termination, provided that the
Option is still outstanding at (and has not terminated prior to) the relevant time.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in Section 6 or Section 7 of this Agreement, the Option
shall remain exercisable as to all such Vested Shares until the expiration of the Option
Term.
SECTION 5. Procedure for Exercise. (a) The Option may be exercised with respect to Vested
Shares, from time to time, in whole or in part (but for the purchase of whole shares only), by
delivery of a written notice (the “Exercise Notice”) from the Optionee to the Company, which
Exercise Notice shall:
(i) state that the Optionee elects to exercise the Option;
(ii)
state the number of Vested Shares with respect to which the Optionee is exercising the Option;
(iii) include any representations of the Optionee required under Section 9 hereof;
(iv)
in the event that the Option shall be exercised by the representative of the Optionee’s estate pursuant to Section 6, include appropriate proof of the right of
such Person to exercise the Option;
(v) state the date upon which the Optionee desires to consummate the purchase of
such Vested Shares (which date must be not more than 10 business days from the date of
exercise and no later than the expiration of the Option
Term); and
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(vi) comply with such further provisions as the Company may reasonably require.
Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, the Exercise Notice shall be substantially in the
form of Exhibit A hereto and shall be delivered to the Company’s Human Resources department in
accordance with the notice provisions of Section 14 hereof.
(b) Payment of the Exercise Price for the Vested Shares to be purchased on the exercise of
the Option shall be made by (i) certified or bank cashier’s check payable to the order of the
Company, (ii) delivery of Ordinary Shares held by the Optionee for at least six months and one day
immediately prior to the date of consummation of the purchase of the Vested Shares, valued at
their Fair Market Value as of the day immediately prior to the date of exercise, (iii) by a
combination of any of the foregoing means of payment or (iv) by such other method as the Committee
may from time to time prescribe. Payment in the form of Ordinary Shares shall be made by delivery
of stock certificates in negotiable form, free from all liens, claims and encumbrances.
(c) The Company shall be entitled to require, as a condition of delivery of the Vested
Shares, that the Optionee remit an amount in cash sufficient to satisfy all federal, state and
local withholding and employment taxes relating thereto, and the Company and each of its
Subsidiaries shall have the right and are hereby authorized to withhold from delivery of the
Vested Shares, or from any compensation or other amount owing to the Optionee, the amount (in cash
or, in the discretion of the Committee, Vested Shares, other securities, other options or other
property) of any applicable withholding taxes in respect of the exercise of the Option and to take
such other action as may be necessary in the discretion of the Committee to satisfy all
obligations for the payment of such taxes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to the approval
of the Committee, the Optionee may elect to satisfy the obligation to pay any withholding tax, in
whole or in part, by having the Company retain Vested Shares or accept upon delivery thereof
Ordinary Shares held by the Optionee for at least six months and one day sufficient in value to
cover the amount of such withholding tax.
(d) Delivery of Vested Shares may be delayed until the lapse of such reasonable period
of time following the exercise of the Option as the Committee may from time to time establish
for reasons of administrative convenience.
SECTION 6. Termination of Employment. The provisions of Section 11 of the Plan shall apply in
the event of the Optionee’s termination of employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries.
SECTION 7. Confidential Information. (a) The Optionee agrees that all Confidential
Information is a valuable, special and unique asset of the Company and the
Optionee agrees that he or she will not, directly or indirectly, except with the prior
written consent of the Company, divulge or disclose or communicate, or cause any other person or
entity to divulge, disclose or communicate, to any person, firm, corporation or entity, in any
manner whatsoever, any Confidential Information. The foregoing
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covenants shall apply to each bit of information for so long as it remains Confidential
Information. For purposes of this Agreement, “Confidential Information” means all trade secrets,
proprietary information and other confidential information of the Company, including, without
limitation, its methods, techniques, and processes, its development, costs and pricing of its
products and services, its business and marketing strategies and plans, the identity and needs of
its clients and potential clients, its survey analyses and reports prepared for its clients, and
any and all non-public information furnished to the Company pursuant to its contracts with
clients, financial data, personnel data, and all the other know-how, materials and things
pertaining in any respect to the Company or its clients and deemed to be a “trade secret” pursuant
to applicable law.
(b) The Optionee acknowledges and agrees that any violation of the provisions of Section
7(a) would cause the Company irreparable damage and that if the Optionee breaches or threatens to
breach such provisions, (i) as of such time the Option shall terminate, and (ii) the Company
shall be entitled, in addition to any other rights and remedies the Company and may have at law
or in equity, to obtain specific performance of such covenants through injunction or other
equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction, without proof of actual damages and
without being required to post bond.
SECTION 8. No Rights as a Stockholder. The Optionee shall not have any rights or
privileges of a stockholder with respect to any Shares unless and until certificates
representing such Shares shall be issued by the Company to such Optionee.
SECTION 9. Additional Provisions Related to Exercise. No Shares shall be purchased upon the
exercise of the Option unless and until the Company and/or the Optionee shall have complied with
all applicable federal or state registration, listing and/or qualification requirements and all
other requirements of law or of any regulatory agencies having jurisdiction. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Committee may revoke the Option if it is contrary to law or modify the Option to
bring it into compliance with any valid and mandatory government laws or regulations.
SECTION 10. Restriction on Transfer.
(a) Except as provided in Section 10(b) hereof, the Option may not be transferred, pledged,
assigned, hypothecated or otherwise disposed of in any way by the Optionee otherwise than by the
Optionee’s will or the laws of descent and distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime
of the Optionee only by the Optionee. If the Optionee dies, the Option shall thereafter be
exercisable, during the period specified in
Section 6, by the representative of the Optionee’s estate to the full extent to which the
Option was exercisable by the Optionee at the time of death. The Option shall not be subject to
execution, attachment or similar process. Any attempted assignment, transfer, pledge, assignment,
hypothecation or other disposition of the Option contrary to the provisions hereof, and the levy
of any execution, attachment or similar process upon the Option, shall be null and void and
without effect.
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(b) The Option may be transferred or assigned to (i) a trust with respect to which the
Optionee or a member of his or her family is a beneficiary or (ii) a corporation or other entity
with respect to which the Optionee holds directly or indirectly more than 50% of the outstanding
common stock or other equity interests.
SECTION 11. No Right to Employment. Nothing in the Option shall confer upon the Optionee any
right to continue as an employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates or interfere in any way
with the right of the Company or its Affiliates or shareholders, as the case may be, to terminate
the Optionee’s employment or to increase or decrease the Optionee’s compensation at any time. The
Option shall not be treated as compensation for purposes of calculating the Optionee’s rights
under any employee benefit plan, except to the extent expressly provided in any such plan.
SECTION 12. Adjustment; Change of Control. (a) In the event that the Committee determines
that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Ordinary Shares, other
securities or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization,
merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange of Ordinary Shares
or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Ordinary
Shares or other securities of the Company, other similar corporate transaction or event, change in
applicable rule, ruling, regulation or other requirement of any governmental body or securities
exchange, accounting principles or law, or other unusual or non-recurring event affects the
Company, any of its Subsidiaries, the financial statements of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, or Ordinary Shares such that an adjustment is determined by the Committee in its
discretion to be appropriate or desirable in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the
benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan or otherwise, then the
Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable or desirable, adjust any or all of (i)
the number of Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company (or number and kind of other
securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards and (iii) the Exercise Price; provided,
however, that any fractional shares resulting from any such adjustment may be eliminated.
(b) In the event of a Change of Control, the Committee may take any action that it deems
appropriate and equitable with respect to the unexercised portion of the Option, including but
not limited to the following:
(i) providing the Optionee (A) written notice at least 20 days prior to the proposed
effective date of the event constituting the Change of Control (as
specified in such notice) and (B) an opportunity during the period commencing with
delivery of such notice and ending 10 days prior to such proposed effective date, to
exercise such Option in full; provided, however, that upon the occurrence of a Change of
Control, such Option, to the extent not so exercised, shall automatically terminate; or
(ii) providing the Optionee, upon the consummation of a Change of Control, in
exchange for such Option (which shall be canceled), consideration equal to the amount
determined by multiplying (A) the same amount of
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consideration per Ordinary Share received by the holders of Ordinary Shares in
connection with the Change of Control less the aggregate Exercise Price by (B) the
number of Shares that remain subject to such Option.
(c) The following rules shall apply in connection with Section 12(a) and (b) above:
(i) no fractional shares shall be issued as a result of any such adjustment,
and any fractional shares resulting from the computations pursuant to Section 12(a)
shall be eliminated without consideration from the Option;
(ii) no adjustment shall be made for the issuance to stockholders of rights to
subscribe for additional Ordinary Shares or other securities; and
(iii) any adjustment referred to in Section 12(a) or (b) shall be made by the
Committee in its sole discretion and shall be final, binding and conclusive on the
Optionee.
SECTION 13. Plan Controls. The Option hereby granted is subject to, and the Company and the
Optionee agree to be bound by, all of the terms and conditions of the Plan, as the same may be
amended from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, but no such amendment shall be
effective as to the Option without the Optionee’s consent insofar as it may adversely affect the
Optionee’s rights under this Agreement. The Committee shall have sole discretion to determine
whether the events or conditions described in this Agreement have been satisfied and to make all
other interpretations, constructions and determinations required under this Agreement and all such
determinations by the Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive. In the event of any
conflict between any term or provision contained in this Agreement and a term or provision of the
Plan, the applicable terms and provisions of the Plan shall govern and prevail.
SECTION 14. Notices. All notices, claims, certificates, requests, demands and other
communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given and
delivered if personally delivered or if sent by nationally recognized
overnight courier, by telecopy or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested
and postage prepaid, addressed as follows:
(a) if to the Company:
Xxxxxxx International Limited
Stock Award Administration
0000 Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Telecopy: (000) 000-0000
Attention: Human Resources
Stock Award Administration
0000 Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Telecopy: (000) 000-0000
Attention: Human Resources
(b) if to the Optionee, to such Optionee’s address as most recently supplied to the
Company and set forth in the Company’s records;
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or to such other address as the party to whom notice is to be given may have furnished to the
other party in writing in accordance herewith. Any such notice or communication shall be deemed to
have been received (i) in the case of personal delivery, on the date of such delivery (or if such
date is not a business day, on the next business day after the date sent), (ii) in the case of
nationally-recognized overnight courier, on the next business day after the date sent, (iii) in
the case of telecopy transmission, when received (or if not sent on a business day, on the next
business day after the date sent), and (iv) in the case of mailing, on the third business day
following the date on which the piece of mail containing such communication is posted.
SECTION 15. Waiver of Breach. The waiver by either party of a breach of any provision of
this Agreement must be in writing and shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any other
or subsequent breach.
SECTION 16. Optionee’s Undertaking. The Optionee hereby agrees to take whatever additional
actions and execute whatever additional documents the Company may in its reasonable judgment
deem necessary or advisable in order to carry out or effect one or more of the obligations or
restrictions imposed on the Optionee pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
SECTION 17. Amendment. This Agreement may not be amended, terminated, suspended or
otherwise modified except in a written instrument, duly executed by both parties.
SECTION 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in
accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (without giving effect to
principles of conflicts of laws).
SECTION 19. Exclusive Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. (a) Except as otherwise
specifically provided herein, the Optionee and the Company each hereby irrevocably submits to the
exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the Bahamas with respect to any disputes or
controversies arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The parties undertake not to commence
any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in a forum other than
a forum described in this Section 19(a); provided, however, that nothing herein shall preclude
the Company from bringing any
suit, action or proceeding in any other court for the purposes of enforcing any judgment
obtained by the Company and, in such event, the Optionee hereby irrevocably submits to the
jurisdiction of such other court.
(b) The agreement of the parties to the forum described in Section 19(a) is independent of
the law that may be applied in any suit, action, or proceeding and the parties agree to such forum
even if such forum may under applicable law choose to apply non-forum law. The parties hereby
waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which they now or
hereafter have to personal jurisdiction or to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or
proceeding brought in an applicable court described in Section 19(a), and each party agrees that
it shall not attempt to deny or defeat such personal jurisdiction by motion or other request for
leave from any such
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court. The parties agree that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, a final and
non-appeasable judgment in any suit, action or proceeding brought in any applicable court
described in Section 19(a) shall be conclusive and binding upon the parties and may be enforced in
any other jurisdiction.
(c) Each party hereto irrevocably consents to the service of any and all process in any
suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement by the mailing of
copies of such process to such party at such party’s address specified in Section 14.
(d) Each party hereto hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any
right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of
or relating to this Agreement. Each party hereto (i) certifies that no representative, agent or
attorney of any other party has represented, expressly or otherwise, that such party would not,
in the event of any action, suit or proceeding, seek to enforce the foregoing waiver and (ii)
acknowledges that it and the other party hereto has been induced to enter into this Agreement by,
among other things, the mutual waiver and certifications in this Section 19(d).
SECTION 20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and
each such counterpart shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts together shall
constitute but one agreement.
SECTION 21. Entire Agreement. This Agreement (and the other writings incorporated by
reference herein) constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject
matter hereof and supersede all prior written or oral negotiations, commitments, representations
and agreements with respect thereto.
SECTION
22. Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provisions of this
Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provisions of this
Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect to the fullest extent permitted by law. The
Optionee agrees that in the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall finally hold that
any provision of this Agreement (whether in
whole or in part) is void or constitutes an unreasonable restriction against the Optionee,
such provision shall not be rendered void but shall be deemed to be modified to the minimum extent
necessary to make such provision enforceable for the longest duration and the greatest scope as
such court may determine constitutes a reasonable restriction under the circumstances.
SECTION 23. Non-Uniformity of Treatment. There is no obligation for uniformity of treatment
of the Optionee and any other holders or beneficiaries of options to acquire Ordinary Shares, and
the terms and conditions of this Option and such other options, and the Committee determinations
and interpretations with respect to this Option and such other options need not be the same with
respect to the Optionee and such other optionees (whether or not they are similarly situated) or
with respect to each option held by the Optionee and any such other optionees.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date
first written above.
XXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, | ||||||
by | ||||||
Name: | ||||||
Title: | ||||||
OPTIONEE, | ||||||
by | ||||||
[name of Optionee] |