Ducommun (DCO) 8-K Departure of Directors or Certain Officers

Exhibit 10.1

Ducommun Incorporated Amended and Restated 2020

Stock Incentive Plan

Section 1. PURPOSE OF PLAN

The purpose of the Amended and Restated 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) of Ducommun Incorporated, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), is to enable the Company and its subsidiaries to attract, retain and motivate their employees and nonemployee directors by providing for or increasing the proprietary interests of such persons in the Company.

Section 2. PERSONS ELIGIBLE UNDER PLAN

Any person who is a current or prospective employee or a nonemployee director of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (a “Participant”) shall be eligible to be considered for the grant of Awards (as hereinafter defined) hereunder.

Section 3. AWARDS

(a) The Board of Directors and/or the Committee (as hereinafter defined), on behalf of the Company, is authorized under this Plan to enter into any type of arrangement with a Participant that is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Plan and that, by its terms, involves or might involve the issuance of (i) shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company (“Common Shares”) or (ii) a Derivative Security (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as such Rule may be amended from time to time) with an exercise or conversion privilege at a price related to the Common Shares or with a value derived from the value of the Common Shares. The entering into of any such arrangement is referred to herein as the “grant” of an “Award.”

(b) Awards are not restricted to any specified form or structure and may include, without limitation, sales or bonuses of stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock options, stock purchase warrants, other rights to acquire stock, securities convertible into or redeemable for stock, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock, dividend equivalents, performance units or performance shares, and an Award may consist of one such security or benefit, or two or more of them in tandem or in the alternative; provided that, Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to any Common Shares subject to such Awards until the Participant has become the holder of record of the Common Shares; provided, further, that dividends or dividend equivalents credited/payable in connection with an Award (to the extent such dividends or dividend equivalents may become credited/payable for the Award) that are not yet vested shall be subject to the same restrictions and risk of forfeiture as the underlying Award and shall not be paid until the underlying Award vests. Dividend equivalent rights shall not be granted in connection with any Award of stock options or stock appreciation rights.

(c) Common Shares may be issued pursuant to an Award for any lawful consideration as determined by the Board of Directors and/or the Committee, including, without limitation, services rendered by the recipient of such Award.

(d) Subject to the provisions of this Plan, the Board of Directors and/or the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine all of the terms and conditions of each Award granted under this Plan, which terms and conditions may include, among other things:

(i) a provision permitting the recipient of such Award, including any recipient who is a director or officer of the Company, to pay the purchase price of the Common Shares or other property issuable pursuant to such Award, or such recipient’s tax withholding obligation with respect to such issuance, in whole or in part, by any one or more of the following:

(A) the delivery of previously owned shares of capital stock of the Company (including “pyramiding”) or other property, provided that the Company is not then prohibited from purchasing or acquiring shares of its capital stock or such other property,

(B) a reduction in the amount of Common Shares or other property otherwise issuable pursuant to such Award,

(C) an irrevocable commitment by a broker to pay over such amount from a sale of the shares issuable pursuant to such Award, or

(D) the delivery of a promissory note, the terms and conditions of which shall be determined by the Committee.

(ii) a provision conditioning or accelerating the receipt of benefits pursuant to such Award, either automatically or in the discretion of the Board of Directors and/or the Committee, upon the occurrence of specified events, including, without limitation, a change of control of the Company, an acquisition of a specified percentage of the voting power of the Company, the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, a sale of substantially all of the property and assets of the Company or an event of the type described in Section 7 hereof; or

(iii) a provision required in order for such Award to qualify as an incentive stock option (“Incentive Stock Option”) under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), provided that the recipient of such Award is eligible under the Code to receive an Incentive Stock Option.

(e) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, with respect to stock options and stock appreciation rights issued under the Plan, the Board of Directors and/or the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine the exercise or base price per Common Share subject to such Awards, which, in no event will be less than the Fair Market Value (as defined below) of the Common Shares on the date of grant; provided, however, that the exercise or base price per Common Share with respect to a stock option or stock appreciation right that is granted in connection with a merger or other acquisition as a substitute or replacement award for options and/or stock appreciation rights held by employees or directors of the acquired entity may be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Shares on the date such Award is granted if such exercise or base price is based on an adjustment method or formula set forth in the terms of the awards held by such individuals or in the terms of the agreement providing for such merger or other acquisition. For purposes of the Plan, the term “Fair Market Value” means, as of any given date, the closing sales price on such date (or, if there are no reported sales on such date, on the last date prior to such date on which there were sales) of the Common Shares on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape.

(f) The Board of Directors and/or the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine the term of each stock option and stock appreciation right awarded under the Plan, which in no case shall exceed a period of ten (10) years from the date of grant.

(g) Other than in connection with a change in the Company’s capitalization (as described in Section 7), at any time when the exercise or base price of a stock option or stock appreciation right is above the Fair Market Value of a Common Share, the Company shall not, without shareholder approval (i) reduce the exercise or base price of such stock option or stock appreciation right, (ii) exchange such stock option or stock appreciation right for cash, another Award, or a new stock option or stock appreciation right with a lower exercise or base price or (iii) otherwise reprice such stock option or stock appreciation right.

(h) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the grant, issuance, retention, vesting and/or settlement of restricted stock, restricted stock unit, performance share, performance unit and other similar Awards will occur when and in such installments and/or pursuant to the achievement of such performance criteria, in each case, as the Board of Directors and/or the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine provided, that Awards granted under the Plan may not become exercisable, vest or be settled, in whole or in part, prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of grant, except that the Board of Directors and/or the Committee may provide that Awards become exercisable, vest or settle prior to such date in the event of the Participant’s death or disability or in the event of a change in control. Notwithstanding the foregoing, up to 5% of the aggregate number of Common Shares authorized for issuance under this Plan (as described in Section 4 hereof) may be issued pursuant to Awards subject to any, or no, vesting conditions, as the Board of Directors and/or the Committee determines appropriate.

(i) The Committee may establish performance criteria and level of achievement versus such criteria that shall determine the number of Common Shares, units, or cash to be granted, retained, vested, issued or issuable under or in settlement of or the amount payable pursuant to an Award, which criteria may include any one or more of the following performance criteria, either individually, alternatively or in any combination, applied to either the Corporation as a whole or to a business unit or subsidiary, either individually, alternatively or in any combination, and measured either annually or cumulatively over a period of years, on an absolute basis or relative to a pre-established target, to previous years’ results or to a designated comparison group, either based upon United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) or non-GAAP financial results, in each case as specified by the Committee: earnings per share (diluted and/or basic), revenue, net profit after tax, gross profit, operating profit, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), earnings before interest and taxes (“EBIT”), cash flow (before or after dividends), free cash flow (or free cash flow per share), asset quality, stock price performance, unit volume, return on equity, change in working capital, change in indebtedness or financial leverage, return on capital or shareholder return, return on total capital, return on invested capital, return on investment, return on assets or net assets, market capitalization, economic value added, debt leverage (debt to capital), revenue, income or net income, operating income, operating profit or net operating profit, operating margin or profit margin, return on operating revenue, cash from operations, operating ratio, operating revenue, net service revenue and/or total backlog, days sales outstanding, health and safety or customer service.

(j) The Board of Directors and/or Committee may, in an Award agreement or otherwise, provide for the deferred delivery of Common Shares or cash upon settlement, vesting or other events with respect to restricted stock units and performance stock units. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event will election to defer the delivery of Common Shares or any other payment with respect to any Award be allowed if the Board of Directors and/or Committee determines, in its sole discretion, that the deferral would result in the imposition of the additional tax under Section 409A(a)(1)(B) of the Code. The Company, the Board of Directors and/or the Committee shall have no liability to a Participant, or any other party, if an Award that is intended to be exempt from, or compliant with, Section 409A of the Code is not so exempt or compliant or for any action taken by the Board of Directors and/or the Committee.

Section 4. STOCK SUBJECT TO PLAN

(a) The aggregate number of Common Shares issued and issuable pursuant to all Awards granted under this Plan shall be, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 7 hereof, 809,030, plus (i) any shares of Common Stock that remained available for grant under the Ducommun Incorporated 2013 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Prior Plan”), as of May 6, 2020 and (ii) any shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding awards under the Prior Plan as of May 6, 2020 that on or after May 6, 2020 are forfeited, terminated, expire or otherwise lapse without being exercised (to the extent applicable), or are settled in cash.

(b) For purposes of Section 4(a) hereof, the aggregate number of Common Shares issued under this Plan at any time shall equal only the number of Common Shares actually issued upon exercise or settlement of an Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Common Shares subject to an Award under the Plan may not again be made available for issuance under the Plan if such Common Shares are: (i) Common Shares that were subject to a stock-settled stock appreciation right and were not issued upon the net settlement or net exercise of such stock appreciation right, (ii) Common Shares used to pay the exercise or purchase price of a stock option or other Award, (iii) Common Shares delivered to or withheld by the Company to pay the withholding taxes related a stock option or stock appreciation right or the vesting or settlement of other Awards, or (iv) Common Shares repurchased on the open market with the proceeds of a stock option exercise. Common Shares subject to Awards that have been canceled, expired, forfeited or otherwise not issued under an Award and Common Shares subject to Awards settled in cash shall not count as Common Shares issued under this Plan.

(c) The aggregate number of shares of Common Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options granted under this Plan shall not exceed the number set forth in Section 4(a), which number shall be calculated and adjusted pursuant to Section 7 only to the extent that such calculation or adjustment will not affect the status of any option intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code. The aggregate number of Common Shares subject to Awards granted under this Plan during any calendar year to any one Participant shall not exceed 250,000 (the “Annual Share Limit”). In addition, if, in any calendar year, all or a portion of the Annual Share Limit is not awarded to a Participant, the unused portion of the Annual Share Limit for such Participant shall also be available for grant to that Participant in subsequent years.

(d) The aggregate dollar value of equity-based Awards (based on the grant date fair value of such Awards) and cash compensation granted under this Plan or otherwise during any calendar year to any one non-employee director shall not exceed $250,000; provided, however, that in the calendar year in which a non-employee director first joins the Board of Directors or is first designated as Chairman of the Board of Directors or Lead Directors, the maximum aggregate dollar value of equity-based and cash compensation granted to the Participant may be up to two hundred percent (200%) of the foregoing limit and the foregoing limit shall not count any tandem stock appreciation rights.

(e) Awards may be granted and Common Shares may be issued by the Company in assumption of, or in substitution or exchange for, awards previously granted, or the right or obligation to make future awards, by a company acquired by the Company or any subsidiary or with which the Company or any subsidiary combines (“Substitute Awards”). Such Awards shall not reduce the Common Shares authorized for issuance under this Plan or authorized for grant to a Participant in any calendar year. Additionally, in the event that a company acquired by the Company or any subsidiary, or with which the Company or any subsidiary combines, has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by stockholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grant pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under this Plan and shall not reduce the Common Shares authorized for issuance under this Plan; provided that Awards using such available shares shall not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were employees or directors of such acquired or combined company before such acquisition or combination.

Section 5. DURATION OF PLAN

Awards shall not be granted under this Plan after April 20, 2032. Although Common Shares may be issued after April 20, 2032 pursuant to Awards granted prior to such date, no Common Shares shall be issued under this Plan after April 20, 2042.

Section 6. ADMINISTRATION OF PLAN

(a) This Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Committee”), or, in the absence of a Committee, the Board of Directors itself. Any power of the Committee may also be exercised by the Board of Directors, except to the extent that the grant or exercise of such authority would cause any Award or transaction to become subject to (or lose an exemption under) the short-swing profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or cause an Award otherwise intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code not to qualify for such treatment. To the extent that any permitted action taken by the Board of Directors conflicts with action taken by the Committee, the Board of Directors action shall control. The Committee may by resolution or written policy authorize one or more officers of the Company to perform any or all things that the Committee is authorized and empowered to do or perform under the Plan, and for all purposes under this Plan, such officer or officers shall be treated as the Committee; provided, however, that the resolution or policy so authorizing such officer or officers shall specify that the total number of Awards (if any) such officer or officers may award pursuant to such delegated authority shall not exceed the annual allotment of shares approved by the Committee, and any such Award shall be subject to the form of award agreement theretofore approved by the Committee. No such officer shall designate himself or herself as a recipient of any Awards granted under authority delegated to such officer. In addition, the Committee may delegate any or all aspects of the day-to-day administration of the Plan to one or more officers or employees of the Company or any subsidiary, and/or to one or more agents.

(b) Subject to the provisions of this Plan, the Board of Directors and/or the Committee shall be authorized and empowered to do all things necessary or desirable in connection with the administration of this Plan, including, without limitation, the following:

(i) adopt, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to this Plan;

(ii) determine which persons are Participants and to which of such Participants if any, Awards shall be granted hereunder;

(iii) to establish and verify the extent of satisfaction of any performance goals or other conditions applicable to the grant, issuance, exercisability, vesting and/or ability to retain any Award;

(iv) to prescribe and amend the terms of the agreements or other documents evidencing Awards made under this Plan (which need not be identical) and the terms of or form of any document or notice required to be delivered to the Company by Participants under this Plan;

(v) grant Awards to Participants and determine the terms and conditions thereof, including the number of Common Shares issuable pursuant thereto;

(vi) determine the extent to which adjustments are required pursuant to Section 7 hereof;

(vii) interpret and construe this Plan and the terms and conditions of all Awards granted hereunder;

(viii) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Plan; and

(ix) to interpret and construe this Plan and the terms and conditions of all Awards granted hereunder and to make exceptions to any such provisions if the Board of Directors and/or the Committee, in good faith, determine that it is necessary to do so in light of extraordinary circumstances and for the benefit of the Company and so as to avoid unanticipated consequences or address unanticipated events (including any temporary closure of an applicable stock exchange, disruption of communications or natural catastrophe.

(c) All decisions, determinations and interpretations by the Board of Directors and/or the Committee regarding the Plan, any rules and regulations under the Plan and the terms and conditions of or operation of any Award granted hereunder, shall be final and binding on all Participants, beneficiaries, heirs, assigns or other persons holding or claiming rights under the Plan or any Award. The Board of Directors and/or the Committee shall consider such factors as it deems relevant, in its sole and absolute discretion, to making such decisions, determinations and interpretations including, without limitation, the recommendations or advice of any officer or other employee of the Company and such attorneys, consultants and accountants as it may select.

Section 7. ADJUSTMENTS

If the outstanding securities of the class then subject to this Plan are increased, decreased or exchanged for or converted into cash, property or a different number or kind of securities, or if cash, property or securities are distributed in respect of such outstanding securities, in either case as a result of a reorganization, merger, consolidation, recapitalization, restructuring, reclassification, dividend (other than a regular, quarterly cash dividend) or other distribution, stock split, reverse stock split or the like, or if substantially all of the property and assets of the Company are sold, then, unless the terms of such transaction shall provide otherwise, the Board of Directors and/or the Committee shall make appropriate and proportionate adjustments in (a) the number and type of, and exercise price for, shares or other securities or cash or other property that may be acquired pursuant to Incentive Stock Options and other Awards theretofore granted under this Plan, (b) the maximum number and type of shares or other securities that may be issued pursuant to Incentive Stock Options and other Awards thereafter granted under this Plan, and (c) the number and type of shares or other securities subject to the individual limits set forth in Section 4 of this Plan. In no event shall any action be taken pursuant to this Section 7 that would change the payment or settlement date of an Award in a manner that would result in the imposition of any additional taxes or penalties pursuant to Section 409A of the Code. No right to purchase fractional shares shall result from any adjustment in Awards pursuant to this Section 7. In case of any such adjustment, the Common Shares subject to the Award shall be rounded down to the nearest whole share. The Company shall notify Participants holding Awards subject to any adjustments pursuant to this Section 7 of such adjustment, but (whether or not notice is given) such adjustment shall be effective and binding for all purposes of the Plan.

Section 8. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF PLAN

The Board of Directors may amend or terminate this Plan at any time and in any manner, provided, however, that no such amendment or termination shall deprive the recipient of any Award theretofore granted under this Plan, without the consent of such recipient, of any of his or her rights thereunder or with respect thereto. In addition, the Committee may correct any defect, supply any omission, or reconcile any inconsistency in any award agreement in the manner and to the extent it shall deem desirable to effectuate the purposes of the Plan and the related Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such amendment shall, without the approval of the shareholders of the Company:

(a) increase the maximum number of Common Shares for which Awards may be granted under this Plan;

(b) reduce the price at which options may be granted below the price provided for in Section 3(e);

(c) reprice outstanding options or stock appreciation rights;

(d) extend the term of this Plan;

(e) change the class of persons eligible to be Participants;

(f) increase the individual maximum limits in Section 4(c); or

(g) otherwise amend the Plan in any manner requiring shareholder approval by law or the rules of any stock exchange or market or quotation system on which the Common Shares are traded, listed or quoted.

Section 9. EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN

This Plan shall be effective as of April 20, 2022 provided, however, that no Common Shares may be issued under this Plan until it has been approved, directly or indirectly, by the affirmative votes of the holders of a majority of the securities of the Company present, or represented, and entitled to vote at a meeting duly held in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

Section 10. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

(a) No Common Shares issuable pursuant to an Award shall be issued or delivered unless and until, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, all applicable requirements of federal, state and other securities laws, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and any applicable listing requirements of any stock exchange on which shares of the same class are then listed, shall have been fully complied with. The Company shall not be required to register in a Participant’s name or deliver any Common Shares prior to the completion of any registration or qualification of such shares under any foreign, federal, state or local law or any ruling or regulation of any government body which the Committee shall determine to be necessary or advisable. To the extent the Company is unable to or the Committee deems it infeasible to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Common Shares hereunder, the Company and its subsidiaries shall be relieved of any liability with respect to the failure to issue or sell such Common Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained. No Award shall be exercisable and no Common Shares shall be issued and/or transferable under any other Award unless a registration statement with respect to the Common Shares underlying such Award is effective and current or the Company has determined that such registration is unnecessary.

(b) It is the Company’s intent that the Plan shall comply in all respects with Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, as such Rule may be amended from time to time. If any provision of the Plan is found not to be in compliance with Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, such provision shall be null and void.

(c) The Committee may provide that the Common Shares issued upon exercise of an Award or otherwise subject to or issued under an Award shall be subject to such further agreements, restrictions, conditions or limitations as the Committee in its discretion may specify prior to the exercise of such Award or the grant, vesting or settlement of such Award, including without limitation, conditions on vesting or transferability, forfeiture or repurchase provisions and method of payment for the Common Shares issued upon exercise, vesting or settlement of such Award (including the actual or constructive surrender of Common Shares already owned by the Participant) or payment of taxes arising in connection with an Award. Without limiting the foregoing, such restrictions may address the timing and manner of any resales by the Participant or other subsequent transfers by the Participant of any Common Shares issued under an Award, including without limitation (i) restrictions under an insider trading policy or pursuant to applicable law, (ii) restrictions designed to delay and/or coordinate the timing and manner of sales by Participant and holders of other Company equity compensation arrangements, (iii) restrictions as to the use of a specified brokerage firm for such resales or other transfers and (iv) provisions requiring Shares to be sold on the open market or to the Company in order to satisfy tax withholding or other obligations.

Section 11. MISCELLANEOUS

(a) Neither the adoption of this Plan by the Board nor the submission of this Plan to the shareholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board or the Committee to adopt such other incentive arrangements as either may deem desirable, including without limitation, the granting of retention shares or stock options otherwise than under this Plan, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.

(b) This Plan and any agreements or other documents hereunder shall be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware and applicable federal law. Any reference in this Plan or in the agreement or other document evidencing any Awards to a provision of law or to a rule or regulation shall be deemed to include any successor law, rule or regulation of similar effect or applicability.

(c) Nothing in this Plan or an Award agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company, its subsidiaries and/or its affiliates to terminate any Participant’s employment, service on the Board or service for the Company at any time or for any reason not prohibited by law, nor shall this Plan or an Award itself confer upon any Participant any right to continue his or her employment or service for any specified period of time. Neither an Award nor any benefits arising under this Plan shall constitute an employment contract with the Company, any subsidiary and/or its affiliates. Subject to Sections 5, 8 and 9, this Plan and the benefits hereunder may be terminated at any time in the sole and exclusive discretion of the Board without giving rise to any liability on the part of the Company, its subsidiaries and/or its affiliates.

(d) Except as otherwise provided by the Committee in the Award agreement, Awards may be forfeited if the Participant terminates his or her employment with the Company, a subsidiary or an affiliate for any reason.

(e) To the extent any payment under this Plan is considered deferred compensation subject to the restrictions contained in Section 409A of the Code, such payment may not be made to a specified employee (as determined in accordance with a uniform policy adopted by the Company with respect to all arrangements subject to Section 409A of the Code) upon “separation from service” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code) before the date that is three months after the specified employee’s separation from service (or, if earlier, the specified employee’s death). Any payment that would otherwise be made during this period of delay shall be accumulated and paid on the sixth month plus one day following the specified employee’s separation from service (or, if earlier, as soon as administratively practicable after the specified employee’s death).

(f) The Plan is intended to be an unfunded plan. Participants are and shall at all times be general creditors of the Company with respect to their Awards. If the Committee or the Company chooses to set aside funds in a trust or otherwise for the payment of Awards under the Plan, such funds shall at all times be subject to the claims of the creditors of the Company in the event of its bankruptcy or insolvency.

(g) All obligations of the Company under the Plan with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.

(h) Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Committee may provide that any Participant and/or any Award, including any Common Shares subject to an award, will be subject to any recovery, recoupment, clawback and/ or other forfeiture policy maintained by the Company from time to time.

(i) To the extent required by applicable federal, state, local or foreign law, a Participant shall be required to satisfy, in a manner satisfactory to the Company, any withholding tax obligations that arise by reason of a stock option exercise, disposition of Common Shares issued under an Incentive Stock Option, the vesting of or settlement of an Award, an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code or otherwise with respect to an Award. To the extent a Participant makes an election under Section 83(b) of the Code, within ten days of filing such election with the Internal Revenue Service, the Participant must notify the Company in writing of such election. The Company and its subsidiaries shall not be required to issue Common Shares, make any payment or to recognize the transfer or disposition of Common Shares until all such obligations are satisfied.

(j) Each Award may not be sold, transferred for value, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and each stock option or stock appreciation right shall be exercisable only by the Participant during his or her lifetime. Notwithstanding the foregoing, outstanding stock options may be exercised following the Participant’s death by the Participant’s beneficiaries or as permitted by the Board of Directors and/or Committee. Further, and notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by the Board of Directors and/or Committee, the person to whom an Award is initially granted (“Grantee”) may transfer an Award to any “family member” of the Grantee (as such term is defined in Section A.1(a)(5) of the General Instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Form S-8”)), to trusts solely for the benefit of such family members and to partnerships in which such family members and/or trusts are the only partners; provided that, (i) as a condition thereof, the transferor and the transferee must execute a written agreement containing such terms as specified by the Board of Directors and/or Committee, and (ii) the transfer is pursuant to a gift or a domestic relations order to the extent permitted under the General Instructions to Form S-8. Except to the extent specified otherwise in the agreement the Board of Directors and/or Committee provides for the Grantee and transferee to execute, all vesting, exercisability and forfeiture provisions that are conditioned on the Grantee’s continued employment or service shall continue to be determined with reference to the Grantee’s employment or service (and not to the status of the transferee) after any transfer of an Award pursuant to this Section 11(j), and the responsibility to pay any taxes in connection with an Award shall remain with the Grantee notwithstanding any transfer other than by will or intestate succession.

(k) Awards granted under the Plan and/or communications regarding the Plan and any Award under the Plan may be made by sent via electronic delivery through an online or electronic system established and maintained by the Corporation or a third party designated by the Corporation.

(l) The Board of Directors shall have the authority, subject to the express limitations of the Plan, to create sub-plans hereunder necessary to comply with laws and regulations of any foreign country in which the Company may seek to grant an Award to a person eligible under Section 2.