(b) Consent. No consent, waiver, approval, authorization, exemption, registration, license or declaration is required to be made or obtained by such party, other than those that have been made or obtained on or prior to the date of this Agreement, in connection with: (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement; or (ii) the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
ARTICLE III
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 3.01 Size and Composition. From and after the Effective Date, (1) for so long as it owns more than 5% of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Sponsor shall: (i) vote or otherwise give the Sponsor’s consent in respect of all shares of Common Stock (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) owned by the Sponsor, and (ii) take all other appropriate action; and (2) the Company shall take all necessary and desirable actions (subject to any applicable securities exchange or equivalent listing requirements), including at each annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Company called for the election of directors, and whenever the stockholders of the Company act by written consent with respect to the election of directors, to cause:
(a) the bylaws of the Company to provide that the authorized number of directors on the Board shall be not less than three and not more than eleven;
(b) the election to the Board of any Sponsor Designees designated by the Sponsor in accordance with Section 3.02; and
(c) the removal from the Board of any director elected in accordance with clause (b) above, with or without cause, upon the written request of the Sponsor.
SECTION 3.02 Sponsor Designees.
(a) The Sponsor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to nominate to the Board (such nominees, the “Sponsor Designees”) (subject to their election by the stockholders of the Company):
(i) for so long as the Sponsor owns 40% or more of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, the greater of up to (A) six directors and (B) the number of directors comprising a majority of the Board; and
(ii) for so long as the Sponsor owns less than 40% of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock but owns at least 5% or more of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, that number of directors (rounded up to the nearest whole number) equal to the product of (x) the authorized number of directors on the Board times (y) a fraction, the numerator of which is the total number of shares of Common Stock owned by the Sponsor, and the denominator of which is the total number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, in the event that the Sponsor ceases to own more than 5% of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Sponsor shall not have the right to nominate any Sponsor Designees.
(b) If the Sponsor has nominated less than the total number of Sponsor Designees the Sponsor is entitled to nominate pursuant to this Section 3.02, the Sponsor shall have the right, at any time, to nominate such additional number of Sponsor Designees to which it is entitled. In such event, the directors of the Company shall take all necessary action to: (i) increase the size of the Board as required to enable the Sponsor to so nominate such additional Sponsor Designees; and (ii) designate such additional Sponsor Designees nominated by the Sponsor to fill such newly-created vacancy or vacancies, as applicable.
(c) For so long as the Sponsor owns at least 5% or more of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Sponsor shall have the right to designate one member of each committee of the Board. Any such designee shall be a member of the Board and shall be eligible to serve on the applicable committee under applicable law or stock exchange listing standards, including any applicable independence requirements (subject in each case to any applicable exceptions, including those for newly public companies and any applicable phase-in periods). Any additional committee members shall be determined by the Board. Nominees designated to serve on a Board committee shall have the right to remain on such committee until the next election of members of the Board. Unless the Sponsor notifies the Company otherwise prior to the time the Board takes action to change the composition of a Board committee, any nominee currently designated by the Sponsor to serve on a committee shall be presumed to be re-designated for such committee.1
1 | Note to Aaron: To address a question you raised on committee membership, we made this addition after discussing with Eric. This permits Ares to designate a committee member on each committee, if Ares so desires and subject to applicable committee rules. |
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