Blank Check Preferred Shares
As noted above, under the terms of the Bye-laws, the Board has authority, without any further vote or action by Teekay’s shareholders, to issue up to 25 million “blank check” preferred shares. The Board could authorize the issuance of preferred shares with voting or conversion rights that could dilute the voting power or rights of the holders of common shares. The issuance of preferred shares, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of Teekay or the removal of Teekay management and might harm the market price of Teekay’s common shares.
Classified Board; Election and Removal of Directors
The Bye-laws provide for a classified (or “staggered”) board of directors, with the Board divided into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible, and the directors in each class serving three-year terms and one class being elected each year by the shareholders. This system of electing directors generally makes it more difficult for shareholders to replace a majority of the Board, which may discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to gain control of Teekay.
Teekay’s shareholders may not call special general meetings to elect directors except in lieu of an annual meeting as discussed below under Ability to Call Shareholder Meetings. The Bye-laws provide that directors of Teekay of the applicable class of directors shall be elected at the annual general meeting of shareholders and each such director shall serve until the annual general meeting three years following their election and until their successor shall have been duly elected, subject to their earlier resignation, removal or death.
The Bye-laws provide that any director or the entire Board may be removed at any time, with cause, by the holders of Teekay’s common shares or by the Board. The Bye-laws provide that any meeting convened for the purpose of removing a director shall contain a statement of the intention so to do and be served on such director not less than 14 days before the meeting and at such meeting the director shall be entitled to be heard on the motion for such director’s removal.
Ability to Call Shareholder Meetings
Under the Bye-laws, annual general meetings will be held at a time and place selected by the Board. The meetings may be held in or outside of Bermuda. Under Bermuda law, a company is required to convene an annual general meeting each calendar year, subject to potential waiver by the shareholders.
Our Board may call a special general meeting for any purpose and at any time. In addition, Bermuda law provides that shareholders holding at not less than 10% of the paid-up capital of Teekay carrying the right of voting at general meetings may requisition the Board to convene a special general meeting, subject to compliance with advance notice requirements set forth in the Bye-laws. Save in these circumstances, a shareholder will be prevented from calling a special general meeting for shareholder consideration of a proposal unless scheduled by the Board and shareholder consideration of a proposal may be delayed until the next general meeting.
Notice of Shareholder Proposals
Under Bermuda law, shareholders of Teekay may, at their own expense (unless the Company otherwise resolves) require the Company to give notice of any resolution that shareholders can properly propose at the next annual general meeting and/or to circulate a statement in respect of a matter referred to in a proposed resolution or any business to be conducted at that general meeting. The number of shareholders of Teekay necessary for such a request is either (a) the number of shareholders representing not less than one-twentieth of the total voting rights of all the shareholders having at the date of the request a right to vote at the meeting to which the request relates, or (b) not less than 100 shareholders. The proposing shareholders must comply with the advance notice requirements set forth in the Bye-laws.
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