Exhibit 10.16
January 16, 2023
Michael Levine
*****
Dear Michael,
Re: Separation Agreement
This will confirm the agreement (the “Agreement”) that has been reached with you in connection with your separation of employment from Payoneer Inc. (the “Company”).
(a) Your last day of employment with the Company will be January 1, 2024 (the “Separation Date”). You and the Company further agree that notwithstanding the foregoing, your active duties as Chief Financial Officer will cease on or about March 1, 2023, and in any event no later than March 15, 2023 (the “Cessation Date”). From the Cessation Date through the Separation Date (the “Transition Period”), you will be employed in a non-executive position during which period you are not required to report to the Company’s offices or regularly perform work for or on behalf of the Company. During the Transition Period, you will however remain on the Company’s payroll, with all benefits that you participated in prior to the Cessation Date, including but not limited to 401k, medical, etc. (the, “Transition Payments”), and agree to make yourself reasonably available to the Company, for consulting to assist in the transition of your duties as the Company may deem necessary and appropriate. No vacation days will accrue during the Transition Period.
(b) You will receive compensation at your current rate of pay, through the Separation Date, less applicable statutory deductions and authorized withholdings. You will be entitled to a year-end bonus with respect to 2022 at your current bonus rate, and payable at the same time that 2022 bonuses are paid to similarly situated executives of the Company, but for avoidance of doubt you will not be eligible for or entitled to any annual bonus with respect to 2023.
(c)Both during the Transition Period and after the Separation Date, you will remain indemnified under the terms and conditions of any Company Director & Officer Liability Policy, the Payoneer Global Inc. Indemnification Agreement that you and the Company entered into on June 25, 2021 (the “Indemnity Agreement”) and any other similar agreements and policies (collectively the “Indemnity Policies”).
(d) During the Transition Period, you may undertake new employment while still continuing to receive your Transition Payments, provided, however, that you are required to first inform the Company of any potential new employment and your right to begin such new employment shall be subject to the prior written consent of the Company, with such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.
(a)Severance Payment. In consideration for the restrictive covenants set forth herein, the Company will pay you a special severance amount of $400,000, less all applicable federal, state and local withholding taxes and deductions. The severance amount will be paid in two installments as follows: (i) $200,000 (less all applicable federal, state and local withholding taxes and deductions) will be paid as soon as practicable following the Cessation Date, but in no event more than thirty (30) days thereafter; and (ii) subject to your execution and non-revocation of the Reaffirmation, the balance of $200,000 (less all applicable federal, state and local withholding taxes and deductions) will be paid as soon as practicable following the Separation Date, but in no event more than 30 (thirty) days after the Reaffirmation becomes effective.
(b)Unused Vacation. The Company will pay you the balance of any accrued but unused vacation days with respect to your employment period up until and including the Cessation Date. This payment will be paid on the Cessation Date. You agree to utilize during the Transition Period any vacation days that accrue during the Transition Period and therefore there shall be no accrued but unused vacation days remaining at the end of the Transition Period.
(c)Acceleration of Vesting of Equity Awards. Subject to your execution and non-revocation of the Reaffirmation and compliance with the terms of this Agreement, equity awards (comprising options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”)) that have previously been granted to you and that have not vested as of the Separation Date, equal to that number of shares of Payoneer Global Inc. underlying such option and RSU awards that, absent the separation, were scheduled to become vested through and including March 31, 2024, as set forth on Appendix B attached hereto, shall, as of the Separation Date be accelerated and become immediately vested and exercisable (the “Accelerated Equity Awards”).
(d)Exercise of Options. Consistent with the terms of your option agreement, you may exercise options to purchase shares of Common stock of the Company that vest prior to the Separation Date and all of your unexercised but vested options, including the ones that are Accelerated Equity Awards (collectively, the “Vested Options”) during the term of 90 (ninety) days following the Separation Date (the “Exercise Period”).
(e)Unemployment. The Company will not contest any lawful application you make for unemployment compensation benefits; provided, however, that the Company will respond truthfully to all mandatory inquiries directed to it by a governmental agency. It is understood that the Company does not make unemployment compensation benefits eligibility decisions and that the Separation Benefits may affect your eligibility for unemployment compensation benefits.
(f)Full Satisfaction. You agree and acknowledge that the arrangements, payments and benefits referenced herein are in lieu of and in full satisfaction of any amounts that might otherwise be payable under any contract, plan, policy or practice, past or present, of the Company or any of its affiliates. Except as expressly set forth above, you shall not be eligible to participate or continue to participate in any
employee benefit plans or compensation arrangements of the Company or any of its affiliates subsequent to your Separation Date.
For clarity, payments due to be paid on the Cessation Date as detailed in this paragraph 2 shall be paid together with the payroll payment immediately following the Cessation Date.
7.Company Property. All documents and records (electronic, paper or otherwise), materials, software, equipment, and other physical property, including but not limited to smartphones and Blackberries, ID cards, office access cards, keys, computers, and all copies of the foregoing, whether or not containing Confidential Information, that have come into your possession or been produced by you in connection with your employment (“Property”), have been and remain the sole property of the Company or its affiliates, as applicable. You agree that you have returned or immediately shall return all such Property to the Company on the Separation Date. Notwithstanding the above, you shall be entitled to retain your cellphone and company computer subject to the removal of any Company Confidential Information. In addition, the Company will work with you to port the cellphone number to your personal account.
8. | General Release and Waiver of Claim |
(a)You, your heirs, successors, and assigns, hereby knowingly and voluntarily promise, release and forever discharge the Company and its affiliates, together with all of their respective current and former officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees, and each of their predecessors, successors and assigns (collectively, the “Releasees”), from any and all debts, demands, actions, causes of actions, accounts, covenants, contracts, agreements, claims, damages, omissions, promises, and any and all claims
and liabilities whatsoever, of every name and nature, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, both in law and equity (“Claims”), which you ever had, now have, or may hereafter claim to have against the Releasees by reason of any matter, cause or thing whatsoever arising from the beginning of time to the time you sign this Agreement (the “Release”). This Release shall apply to any Claim of any type, including, without limitation, any and all Claims of any type that you may have arising under the common law, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Section 1981 of Title 42 of the United States Code, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”), the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (“OWBPA”), the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Equal Pay Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York Labor Code, the New York State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, Section 125 of the New York Workers’ Compensation Law, and the New York State Constitution, each as amended, and any other federal, state or local statutes, regulations, ordinances or common law, or under any policy, agreement, contract, understanding or promise, written or oral, formal or informal, between any of the Releasees and you, and shall further apply, without limitation, to any and all Claims in connection with, related to or arising out of your employment, or the termination of your employment, with the Company, and all Claims for alleged tortious, defamatory or fraudulent conduct.
(b)You understand that the foregoing Release does not serve to waive any claims or rights that, pursuant to law, cannot be waived or subject to a release of this kind, such as: (i) claims for unemployment or workers’ compensation benefits; (ii) rights to vested benefits under any applicable retirement plan; and/or (iii) claims arising under or to enforce this Agreement. In addition, nothing in this Agreement limits or waives your right, pursuant to the OWBPA, to seek a judicial determination of the validity of the Agreement’s waiver of claims under the ADEA. Moreover, the foregoing Release does not affect any right to file an administrative charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) or parallel agency or to participate in an EEOC or agency investigation, subject to the restriction that if any such charge is filed, you agree not to violate the confidentiality provisions of this Agreement and further agree and covenant that should you or any other person, organization, or other entity file, charge, claim, sue or cause or permit to be filed any EEOC charge, civil action, suit or legal proceeding against the Releasees involving any matter occurring at any time subject to the Release, you will not seek or accept any personal relief (including, but not limited to, monetary award, recovery, or settlement) in such charge, civil action, suit or proceeding.
(c)You hereby represent and warrant that you have not filed or caused to be filed any complaints, charges or lawsuits against the Company or any of the Releasees, and that no such complaints, charges or lawsuits are pending. You further represent and warrant that you have made no assignment or transfer of any Claims subject to this Release.
11. Non-Disparagement. You agree not to make, or knowingly cause to be made, and the Company shall use reasonable endeavors to ensure that its employees, Board of Directors and officers shall not make or knowingly cause to be made, any statement or communication, written or oral, with the intention of disparaging or otherwise impugning each other and you agree not to make, or knowingly cause to be made any statement or communication, written or oral, with the intention of disparaging or otherwise impugning the business or management of the Company or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives or employees. You further agree not to make, or knowingly cause to be made, any statement or communication, written or oral, with the intention of damaging the business or reputation of the Company or any of its affiliates, or the personal or business reputations of any of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives or employees, or of interfering with, impairing or disrupting the normal operations of the Company or any of its affiliates.
12. Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation of Customers and Employees. Because of your access to Confidential Information and to protect the legitimate business interest of the Company, and in exchange for the valuable consideration provided in this Agreement, you agree that for the 18 (eighteen) month period following the Cessation Date you will not:
13. | Acknowledgments. |
If to the Company:If to you:
Michal AdamMichael Levine
Chief People Officer*****
Payoneer Inc.
150 West 30th Street, Suite 600
New York, NY 10001
Or to such other address as a party hereto shall designate to the other party by like notice, provided that notice of a change of address shall be effective only upon receipt thereof.
Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, in the event that the Company determines that any amounts payable hereunder will be taxable currently to you under Section 409A(a)(1)(A) of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance, the Company and you shall cooperate in good faith to adopt such amendments to this Agreement, that they mutually determine to be necessary or appropriate to preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided by this Agreement, to preserve the economic benefits of this Agreement, and to avoid less favorable accounting or tax consequences for the Company.
If the above sets forth our agreement as you understand it and consent to it, please so signify by executing the enclosed copy of this letter and return it to me at the address listed above. This Agreement shall become effective and irrevocable following expiration of the Revocation Period defined above (the “Effective Date”).
Very truly yours,
/Scott Galit/
Payoneer Inc.
By:Scott Galit
Title:Chief Executive Officer
Agreed to and Accepted:
/Michael Levine/
Michael Levine
Dated: Jan 16, 2023
Appendix A
[Omitted]
Appendix B
[Omitted]