2.1.3 The officer’s contribution to the Company’s business and stability;
2.1.4 The degree of responsibility imposed on the officer;
2.1.5 The Company’s need to retain officers who have skills, know-how or unique expertise;
2.1.6 The Company’s global nature; and
2.1.7 The ratio between the officer’s employment terms and conditions and other Company employees and/or contract workers employed by the Company and in particular the ratio between such officer’s compensation to the average wage and the median wage in the Company and the impact of the differences on employment costs and labor relations in the Company; and
2.1.8 Reasonable and customary terms of employment of similar officers in similar companies in the field of life science and pharmaceutical drug development and commercialization (valuation, number of employees, regulatory path, etc.) based on market conditions, compensation parameters and experience, and relative benchmarking analysis to such comparable companies, as compiled by an independent compensation consultant engaged by the Compensation Committee (the “Market Benchmark”).
2.2 Compensation Terms of Officers. The Company shall be entitled to grant to its officers (to all or part of them) a compensation package which may include a signing bonus, base salary, commissions (if applicable), annual cash bonus, Share-based Compensation (as defined below), retirement grants, or any combination thereof.
2.2.1 Base Salary. The base salary of each officer in the Company, whether paid as salary or as service fee through a management contract against a proper invoice, shall be determined based on the parameters specified in Section 2.1 above (“Base Salary”). In any case where an officer is providing services through a management services agreement and consideration is paid against an invoice, for the purpose of the Compensation Policy, the Base Salary of such officer shall be deemed to be equal to approximately seventy-five percent (75%) of the total consideration paid for his or her services under such invoice, excluding VAT. The Base Salary of officers whose company car tax liability is grossed up and paid by the Company, shall be deemed to be commensurately below that (approximately seventy percent (70%)) of the total consideration paid for his or her services, excluding VAT.
The Compensation Committee and the Board shall be entitled to update the Base Salary and other terms of engagement of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) without shareholder approval, if such terms are not materially more favorable than in the previous engagement, which itself received Board, Compensation Committee and shareholder approval. Additionally, the CEO may approve non-material changes to a subordinate officer’s engagement terms in accordance with this Compensation Policy, without further approval by the Compensation Committee or Board. In general, and without derogating from further limitations under applicable law, updating the Base Salary at a rate that exceeds fifteen percent (15%) per year, of the Base Salary prior to such update (without taking into account any linkage differentials) will be deemed a material change (“Material Change”) and shall be considered as a deviation from this Compensation Policy. As of the Effective Date:
2.2.1.1 Base Salary for the chief executive officer (“CEO”) shall be the maximum of (i) the 75th percentile of the Market Benchmark for chief executive officers, (ii) the latest shareholder approved compensation package for the CEO, subject to an annual updating at a rate not to exceed fifteen percent (15%) per year, or (iii) in the case of a newly appointed CEO, the previously approved compensation package for the CEO, subject to an annual updating at a rate not to exceed fifteen percent (15%) per year.
2.2.1.2 Base Salary for any officer reporting directly to the CEO shall be the maximum of (i) the 75th percentile of the Market Benchmark for such officer, (ii) the latest shareholder approved compensation package for the respective officer, subject to an annual updating at a rate not to exceed fifteen percent (15%) per year, or (iii) in the case of a newly appointed officer, the previously approved compensation package for such officer, subject to annual updating at a rate not to exceed fifteen percent (15%) per year.
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