FORM OF STOCK-SETTLED PERFORMANCE UNIT AGREEMENT FOR (GERMANY) Ashland Global Holdings Inc.
Exhibit 10.6
FORM OF STOCK-SETTLED PERFORMANCE UNIT AGREEMENT FOR (GERMANY)
2021 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan
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7. Time of Payment and Taxation. Based upon the attainment of the Performance Goals outlined in the appendix, the Award will be paid to the Participant in Shares within (30) days following the vesting of the Award at the end of the Performance Period based upon actual achievement of the Performance Goals as provided herein, subject to tax deductions and withholding as set forth in Section 9(d) of the Plan. The Company will withhold from the Award the number of shares to satisfy the minimum statutory withholding requirement.
8. Responsibility for Taxes. Regardless of any action Ashland, or any of its Affiliates, including the Employer, takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, payment on account or other tax-related items related to the Award (“Tax-Related Items”), the Participant acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by the Participant is and remains the Participant’s responsibility and that Ashland and its Affiliates, including the Employer: (a) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Award, including the grant of the PUs, the vesting of the PUs and any payments in settlement of any vested PUs, and (b) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the PUs to reduce or eliminate the Participant’s liability for Tax-Related Items.
If the Participant is subject to taxation in more than one jurisdiction, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Employer and/or other Affiliates may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction. By accepting this Award, the Participant expressly and explicitly consents to the withholding methods as provided for hereunder. All other Tax-Related Items related to the PUs shall be the Participant’s sole responsibility
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(i) engage directly or indirectly in any manner or capacity as principal, agent, partner, officer, director, employee or otherwise in any business or activity competitive with the business conducted by Ashland or any of its Affiliates; or
(ii) perform any act or engage in any activity that is detrimental to the best interests of Ashland or any of its Affiliates, including, without limitation:
(a) solicit or encourage any existing or former employee, director, contractor, consultant, customer or supplier of Ashland or any of its Affiliates to terminate his, her or its relationship with Ashland or any of its Affiliates for any reason; or
(b) disclose proprietary or confidential information of Ashland or any of its Affiliates to third parties or use any such proprietary or confidential information for the benefit of anyone other than Ashland and its Affiliates;
provided, however, that this Agreement shall not prohibit the Participant in any way from (1) filing and, as provided for under Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, maintaining the confidentiality of a claim with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”); (2) providing proprietary or confidential information to the SEC, or providing the SEC with information that would otherwise violate clause (ii) above, to the extent permitted by Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; (3) cooperating, participating or assisting in an SEC investigation or proceeding without notifying Ashland; or (4) receiving a monetary award as set forth in Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Furthermore, the Participant is advised that the Participant shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of any proprietary or confidential information that constitutes a trade secret to which the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1833(b)) applies that is made (A) in confidence to a Federal, state or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, in each case, solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or proceeding, if such filings are made under seal. The Participant understands that if he or she makes a disclosure of proprietary or confidential information that is covered above, he or she is not required to inform Ashland, in advance or otherwise, that such disclosure(s) has been made. The restrictions in this paragraph are referred to herein as the “Participant Covenants”.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement to the contrary, but subject to any applicable laws to the contrary, the Participant agrees that in the event the Participant fails to comply or otherwise breaches any of the Participant Covenants either during the Participant’s employment or within the Covenant Period for any reason Ashland may: (x) cancel this Award; (y) eliminate or reduce the amount of any compensation, benefit, or payment otherwise payable by Ashland or any of its Affiliates (either directly or under any employee benefit or compensation plan, agreement, or arrangement), except to the extent such compensation, benefit or payment constitutes deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code and such elimination or reduction would trigger a tax or penalty under Section 409A of the Code, to or on behalf of the Participant in an amount up to the total amount paid (or the closing stock price of Shares on the payment date multiplied by the number of Shares
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awarded) or payable to the Participant under this Agreement; and/or (z) require the Participant to pay Ashland an amount up to the total amount paid (or the closing stock price of Shares on the payment date multiplied by the number of Shares awarded) to the Participant under this Agreement; in each case together with the amount of Ashland’s court costs, attorney fees, and other costs and expenses incurred in connection therewith; provided that the actions described in clauses (x), (y) and (z) shall not be taken with respect to the Award at any time following the third anniversary of the vesting of the Award (or the applicable portion thereof). To the extent a longer Covenant Period is specified in another agreement between the Participant and Ashland or its Affiliates, the provisions of this section 13 shall be extended to apply to such longer period.
16. Acknowledgement and Waiver. The Participant acknowledges, understands and agrees that:
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17. Acceptance. This Award of Performance Units is subject to the Participant’s online acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Agreement through the Fidelity website. The right to the Performance Units under the Plan shall expire if not accepted by __________, 20__.
By accepting the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan, Prospectus, and Ashland’s most recent Annual Report and Proxy Statement (the “Prospectus Information”). A copy of these documents can be found on the Company’s intranet or your Fidelity account and may also be obtained by contacting the Company’s Human Resources Department. The terms and provisions of the Plan are incorporated herein by reference. The Participant represents that he or she is familiar with the terms and provisions of the Prospectus Information and hereby accepts this Award on the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the Plan, and acknowledges that he or she has had the opportunity to obtain independent legal advice at his or her expense prior to accepting this Award.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Ashland Global Holdings Inc. has caused this instrument to be executed and delivered effective as of the day and year first above written.
Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Vice President Human Resources
By: _________________________
Name: _______________________
Date: _______________
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Appendix
(Description for grant performance metrics and vesting criteria to be added at grant date)
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