If you experience a separation from service as a result of an Employment Termination then all unvested Restricted Stock Units shall become fully vested on the date of any such Employment Termination. Any shares that vest following an Employment Termination will be distributed as provided in the “Vesting of Your Restricted Stock Units” section of this Notice.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you are party to a termination agreement, and your Employment is terminated due to an involuntary separation from service without cause (or summary dismissal) under, and as defined in that termination agreement, and such separation from service is not an Employment Termination, then the number of Restricted Stock Units that will vest will be determined according to the terms of the underlying termination agreement subject to (i) the execution and delivery of a release in such form as may be required by the Company, (ii) the expiration of the applicable revocation period for such release. Any shares that vest under a termination agreement will be distributed as provided in the “Vesting of Your Restricted Stock Units” section of this Notice.
If your employment terminates for any reason other than those specified above, any unvested Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited by you and cancelled on the effective date of termination.
Covenants and Representations
By accepting this award you hereby acknowledge that your duties to the Company require access to and creation of the Company’s confidential or proprietary information and trade secrets (collectively, the “Proprietary Information”). The Proprietary Information has been and will continue to be developed by the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates at substantial cost and constitutes valuable and unique property of the Company. You further acknowledge that due to the nature of your position, you will have access to Proprietary Information affecting plans and operations in every location in which the Company (and its subsidiaries and affiliates) does business or plans to do business throughout the world, and your decisions and recommendations on behalf of the Company may affect its operations throughout the world. Accordingly, by accepting this award you acknowledge that the foregoing makes it reasonably necessary for the protection of the Company’s business interests that you agree to the following covenants in connection with (i) your involuntary separation from service, as defined under Treasury regulation §1.409A-1(n), other than for Cause, or (ii) your voluntary separation from service:
Confidentiality. You hereby covenant and agree that you shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company, during your employment with the Company or at any time thereafter disclose to any person not employed by the Company, or use in connection with engaging in competition with the Company, any Proprietary Information of the Company.
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(a) | It is expressly understood and agreed that the Company’s Proprietary Information is all nonpublic information relating to the Company’s business, including but not limited to information, plans and strategies regarding suppliers, pricing, marketing, customers, hiring and terminations, employee performance and evaluations, internal reviews and investigations, short term and long range plans, acquisitions and divestitures, advertising, information systems, sales objectives and performance, as well as any other nonpublic information, the nondisclosure of which may provide a competitive or economic advantage to the Company. Proprietary Information shall not be deemed to have become public for purposes of this Agreement where it has been disclosed or made public by or through anyone acting in violation of a contractual, ethical, or legal responsibility to maintain its confidentiality. |
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(b) | In the event you receive a subpoena, court order or other summons that may require you to disclose Proprietary Information, on pain of civil or criminal penalty, you will promptly give notice to the Company of the subpoena or summons and provide the Company an opportunity to appear at the Company’s expense and challenge the disclosure of its Proprietary Information, and you shall provide reasonable cooperation to the Company for purposes of affording the Company the opportunity to prevent the disclosure of the Company’s Proprietary Information. |
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(c) | Nothing in this Agreement shall restrict you from, directly or indirectly, initiating communications with or responding to any inquiry from, or providing testimony before, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), Financial Industries Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), or any other self-regulatory organization or state or federal regulatory authority. |
Nonsolicitation of Employees. You hereby covenant and agree that during your employment with the Company and, in the event you, as noted above, (i) have a voluntary separation from service, or (ii) have an involuntary separation from service other than for cause and receive benefits under your termination agreement, that for a period equal to (x) 18 months, if you are an Executive Vice President on the date of your separation from service, or (y) 12 months, if you are a Senior Vice President, thereafter, you shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company, on your own behalf or on the behalf of any person, firm or company, directly or indirectly, attempt to influence, persuade or induce, or assist any other person in so persuading or inducing, any of the employees of the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates) to give up his or her employment with the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates), and you shall not directly or indirectly solicit or hire employees of the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates) for employment with any other employer, without regard to whether that employer is a Competing Business, as defined below.