legally be collected or kept). Upon request, to the extent required under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction, a team member or representative of Equity Compensation (division of HCM) will also provide me, free of charge, with: (i) written information about the Firm’s policies and practices with respect to service providers outside of my jurisdiction, including a list of all the service providers used in connection with the Programs at the time of request; and/or (ii) answers to my questions about the processing of my Information by service providers or affiliates outside of my jurisdiction. There is no legal obligation for me to provide the Firm with the Information and any Information is provided at my own will and consent. If I refuse to authorize the processing of the Information consistent with the above, I may not benefit from the Programs. The processing of the Information will be consistent with the above for the period of administration of the Programs. In particular (within the limits described above): (i) the Firm will process data (Firm means GS Inc. and any of its subsidiaries and affiliates); (ii) Fidelity or Computershare will process data; (iii) the Firm’s other service providers will process data; and (iv) data will be transferred to the United States and other countries, as described above for the purposes set forth herein. A list of the Firm’s international offices and countries to which data that is personal to me can be transferred is set forth at http://www2.goldmansachs.com/who-we-are/locations/index.html. The Information may be retained by the aforementioned persons beyond the period of administration of the Programs to the extent permitted under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction.
Other Legal Notices:
By accepting (whether expressly or by implication) any benefit granted to me by the Firm, including, without limitation, my Award(s), I acknowledge and agree to each of the following:
•No Public Offer: Awards under the SIP and the Firm’s other compensation and benefit programs are strictly limited to eligible participants and are not intended to constitute a public offer in any jurisdiction, nor intended for registration in any jurisdiction outside of the United States. I must keep all Award-related documents confidential and I may not reproduce, distribute or otherwise make public any part of such documents without the Firm’s express written consent. If I have received any such documents and I am not the intended recipient, I will disregard and destroy them.
•Transferability: Any provisions permitting transfers to a third party in the Award documents will not apply to me (i) to the extent that the applicability of those provisions would affect the availability of relevant exemptions or tax favorable treatment, or (ii) otherwise in circumstances determined by the Firm in its sole discretion from time to time.
•Adequate Information: I acknowledge that (i) I have been provided with all relevant information and materials with respect to the Firm’s operations and financial conditions and the terms and conditions of my Award(s), (ii) I have read and understood such information and materials, (iii) I am fully aware and knowledgeable of the terms and conditions of my Award(s), and (iv) I completely and voluntarily agree to the terms and conditions of my Award(s).
•Independent Advice Recommended: The information provided by the Firm or its service providers in respect of an Award does not take into account the individual circumstances of recipients and does not constitute legal, investment or tax advice. Awards under the SIP involve certain risks and I should exercise caution. The Firm recommends that I consult my own independent legal, investment and tax advisors in all cases, and I acknowledge that I am provided with adequate opportunity to do so.
•Share Price and Currency Risks: There is a risk that Shares may fall as well as rise in value. Market forces will impact the price of Shares and, in the worst case, the market value of the Shares may become zero. If the Shares are traded in a currency which is not the currency in my jurisdiction, the value of the Shares to me may also be affected by movements in the exchange rate. The Firm is not liable for any loss due to movements in the price of Shares or any applicable exchange rate.
•No Employer Involvement: Except to the extent required by applicable law, all Awards are offered, issued and administered by GS Inc., a Delaware corporation, and my employer (if it is not GS Inc.) is not involved in the grant of my Award(s) or any other GS Inc. equity compensation. All documents related to the Awards, including the SIP, the Award Agreement, this Signature Card, the Language Notice for Equity Awards and the link by which I access these documents, are originated and maintained in the United States.
•No Effect on Employment-Related Rights: Any compensation I receive (even on a regular and repeated basis) in connection with the SIP is discretionary and does not constitute part of my base or normal salary or wages. It does not affect my rights and obligations under the terms of my employment and it will not be taken into account (except to the extent otherwise required by applicable law) in determining any other employment-related rights I may have, including, without limitation, rights in relation to severance, redundancy or end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement benefits. In particular, I waive any and all rights to compensation or damages in consequence of the termination of my employment for any reason whatsoever insofar as those rights arise or may arise from me ceasing to have rights under, or be entitled to receive payment in respect of, the SIP, or from the loss or diminution in value of such rights, as a result of such termination. This waiver applies whether or not such termination amounts to wrongful or unfair dismissal.
•No Additional Entitlements: The grant of an Award is strictly discretionary and voluntary. Neither this Award (even if grants are made to me under the SIP on a regular and repeated basis) nor my employment contract implies any expectation or right in relation to (i) the grant of any award under the SIP or similar compensation in the future, (ii) the terms, conditions and amount of any award under the SIP or similar compensation that the Firm may decide to grant in the future, or (iii) continued employment or engagement.
•Severability: Unless another result is specifically provided for in an agreement to the contrary, if any provision (in whole or in part) of this Signature Card, the other Award documents, or any other document you execute as part of accepting the Award(s) (including but not limited to the Arbitration of Claims agreement) is to any extent illegal, otherwise invalid, or incapable of being enforced, that provision will be excluded to the extent (only) of such invalidity or unenforceability. All other provisions will remain in full effect and, to the extent possible, the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed replaced by a provision that is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of such invalid or unenforceable provision.
•Country-Specific Legal Notices: I have read the country-specific legal notices below that pertain to my place of employment and/or residence (and also the location of my employer, if different), if any, and understand that they apply throughout the term of my Award(s).
[NON-COMPETITION AND NON-SOLICITATION RESTRICTIONS FOR EMPLOYEES PROVIDING SERVICES IN ASIA
In addition to and without limiting any provisions in the SIP or the applicable Award Agreement(s) (including without limitation the Award vesting, delivery, forfeiture, termination or repayment provisions) unless provided otherwise in the Restrictions, if I am providing services to the Firm in Asia or to BGH, in view of my importance to the Firm and/or BGH, I hereby agree to and acknowledge the following:
(a) I hereby agree that the Firm or BGH would likely suffer significant harm if I associate with a Covered Enterprise during my employment and for some period of time after my employment ends. Accordingly, I hereby agree that I will not, without the written consent of the Firm or BGH, during the Restricted Period in the Geographic Area:
(i) form, or acquire a 5% or greater equity ownership, voting or profit participation interest in, any Covered Enterprise; or
(ii) associate (including, but not limited to, association as an officer, employee, partner, director, consultant, agent or advisor) with any Covered Enterprise and in connection with such association engage in, or directly or indirectly manage or supervise personnel engaged in, any activity:
A. which is similar or substantially related to any activity in which I was engaged, in whole or in part, at the Firm or BGH,
B. for which I had direct or indirect managerial or supervisory responsibility at the Firm or BGH, or
C. which calls for the application of the same or similar specialized knowledge or skills as those utilized by me in my activities with the Firm or BGH,
each such activity being determined with reference to the one-year period immediately prior to the end of the Asia Service Period, and, in each such case, irrespective of the purpose of the activity or whether the activity is or was in furtherance of advisory, agency, proprietary or fiduciary business of either the Firm or BGH or the Covered Enterprise.
(By way of example only, this provision precludes an “advisory” investment banker from joining a leveraged-buyout firm, a research analyst from becoming a proprietary trader or joining a hedge fund, or an information systems professional from joining a management or other consulting firm and providing information technology consulting services or advice to any Covered Enterprise, in each case without the written consent of the Firm or BGH.)
(b) I hereby agree that during the Restricted Period, I will not, in any manner, directly or indirectly, (1) Solicit a Client to transact business with a Covered Enterprise or to reduce or refrain from doing any business with the Firm or BGH, or (2) interfere with or damage (or attempt to interfere with or damage) any relationship between the Firm or BGH and a Client.