¨ | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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ý | Definitive Proxy Statement |
¨ | Definitive Additional Materials |
¨ | Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
x | No fee required. |
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• | Reducing non-Customer facing costs across sourcing, distribution and warehousing, and corporate and support functions to drive cost savings and operational efficiencies; |
• | Optimizing our real estate footprint through innovative store concepts, opportunistic store relocations and store closures to reduce the Company’s mall-based exposure and exiting regional brands; |
• | Continuing to enhance Signet's OmniChannel focus, leveraging the added capabilities from our recent acquisition of R2Net to accelerate digital innovation and eCommerce growth - especially mobile - as well as realignment of our investments to drive higher returns from digital and social media efforts; |
• | Strengthening our brand banners to effectively target different Customer segments by reducing overlap, improving banner differentiation, introducing more precision marketing, and increasing relevance through improved fashion assortment to better attract women self-purchasers along with our bridal offerings; |
• | Leading innovation and Customer value, facilitated by our newly-launched “Innovation Engine” team, focused on data analytics and consumer insights to improve our product assortment, time to market, marketing and promotional effectiveness, and disruptive innovation; and |
• | Strengthening our Team Member engagement and culture through enhanced leadership, organizational realignment, and training and development opportunities. |
• | the election of directors; |
• | the appointment of the Company’s independent registered auditor; |
• | the approval of the compensation of the named executive officers; and |
• | the Signet Jewelers Limited 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, the Signet Jewelers Limited Sharesave Scheme, and the Signet Jewelers Limited Employee Share Plan for U.S. Employees. |
Date: | Friday, June 15, 2018 |
Time: | 11:00 a.m. Atlantic Time |
Place: | Hamilton Princess, 76 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton, HM 08, Bermuda |
1. | Election of eleven directors to the Company’s Board of Directors to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company or until their respective successors are elected in accordance with the Bye-laws of the Company. |
2. | Appointment of KPMG LLP as independent auditor of the Company, to hold office from the conclusion of this Meeting until the conclusion of the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders and to authorize the Audit Committee to determine its compensation. |
3. | Approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement (the “Say-on-Pay” vote). |
4. | Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder. |
5. | Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Sharesave Scheme, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder. |
6. | Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Employee Share Purchase Plan for U.S. Employees, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder. |
PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY | 6 |
OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY | 8 |
Shareholders Who Beneficially Own At Least Five Percent of the Common Shares | 8 |
Ownership by Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers | 9 |
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance | 9 |
PROPOSALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS | 10 |
Proposal 1: Election of Eleven Directors | 10 |
Proposal 2: Appointment of Independent Auditor | 14 |
Proposal 3: Approval, on a Non-Binding Advisory Basis, of the Compensation of Named Executive Officers as Disclosed in the Proxy Statement | 15 |
Proposal 4: Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | 16 |
Proposal 5: Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Sharesave Scheme, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | 22 |
Proposal 6: Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Employee Share Purchase Plan for U.S. Employees, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | 25 |
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION | 29 |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 30 |
Role of the Board | 30 |
Transactions with Related Persons | 31 |
Risk Oversight | 32 |
Corporate Governance Guidelines | 33 |
Board Committees | 33 |
Report of the Audit Committee | 36 |
Executive Officers of the Company | 37 |
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION | 38 |
Compensation Discussion and Analysis | 38 |
Clawback Policy | 47 |
Share Ownership Policy | 48 |
Anti Hedging and Pledging Policies | 48 |
Report of the Compensation Committee | 49 |
Summary Compensation Table | 50 |
CEO Pay Ratio | 52 |
Grants of Plan-Based Awards | 53 |
Outstanding Equity Awards | 54 |
Option Exercises and Shares Vested | 55 |
Non Qualified Deferred Compensation | 56 |
NEO Agreements | 57 |
Termination Payments | 61 |
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION | 64 |
SHAREHOLDER Q&A | 65 |
APPENDIX A - SIGNET JEWELERS LIMITED 2018 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN | 70 |
APPENDIX B - SIGNET JEWELERS LIMITED SHARESAVE SCHEME | 84 |
APPENDIX C - SIGNET JEWELERS LIMITED EMPLOYEE SHARE PURCHASE PLAN FOR U.S. EMPLOYEES | 106 |
• | All Directors are elected annually. |
• | The Chairman of the Board is an independent Director. |
• | All Directors are independent with the exception of the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). |
• | Independent Chairman of the Board approves Board meeting agendas and effective Board operation. |
• | The Company has a separate Chairman and CEO. |
• | The Company has majority voting for Director elections. |
• | The Board has been significantly refreshed with recent additions of two highly experienced Directors. |
• | Board Diversity Policy has been adopted. |
• | Over 50% of the Board is comprised of women. |
• | Executive sessions of independent Directors are held at each regularly scheduled Board meeting. |
• | Company policy prohibits pledging and hedging of Company shares by Directors and employees (Team Members). |
• | Executive officer and Director Share Ownership Policies have been adopted. |
• | The Board regularly participates in CEO succession planning. |
• | Annual Board, Committee and Director evaluations are conducted, including an external Board evaluation in Fiscal 2018. |
• | Director Tenure Policy is in place. |
• | Director skills matrix is reviewed and approved by the Board each year. |
• | Each Director who was in office at the time attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings during Fiscal 2018. |
• | Each Director who was in office at the time attended the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. |
• | The Board oversees corporate social responsibility. |
• | The Board oversees risk management. |
Proposal | Board’s Recommendation | Page | |
1. | Election of Eleven Director Nominees | FOR all Director Nominees | 10 |
2. | Appointment of KPMG LLP as Independent Auditor to the Company until the conclusion of the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders | FOR | 14 |
3. | Approval, on a Non-Binding Advisory Basis, of the Compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers (the Say-on-Pay vote) | FOR | 15 |
4. | Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | FOR | 16 |
5. | Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Sharesave Scheme, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | FOR | 22 |
6. | Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Employee Share Purchase Plan for U.S. Employees, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | FOR | 25 |
• | Compensation Committee assesses the pay and performance alignment of incentive plans. |
• | Substantial majority of long-term and short-term awards are performance-based. |
• | Cash payments and equity awards following change of control require a qualified termination to vest or be paid, unless awards are not assumed or replaced. |
• | Clawback Policy is in place. |
• | Share ownership guidelines are in place for named executive officers (“NEOs”) and independent Directors. |
• | Compensation Committee engages an independent compensation consultant. |
• | Only limited perquisites are offered to executives. |
• | No excise tax or income tax gross-ups are provided. |
Name and address of beneficial owner | Amount and nature of beneficial ownership | Percent of class | |
Leonard Green 11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 2000 Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA | 6,838,063(1) | 11.3 | % |
Capital Research Global Investors 333 South Hope Street, 55th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 | 6,178,233(2) | 10.2 | % |
The Vanguard Group, Inc. 100 Vanguard Boulevard Malvern, PA 19355, USA | 5,972,224(3) | 9.86 | % |
BlackRock Inc. 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055, USA | 3,501,899(4) | 5.8 | % |
(1) | Based upon a Schedule 13D filed on October 13, 2016, Green Equity Investors VI,L.P., Green Equity Investors Side VI, L.P., LGP Associates VI-A LLC, LGP Associates VI-B LLC, GEI Capital VI, LLC, Green VI Holdings, LLC, Leonard Green & Partners, L.P., LGP Management Inc., Peridot Coinvest Manager LLC, and Jonathan D. Sokoloff (collectively, “Leonard Green”) jointly reported shared voting and shared dispositive power of 6,658,059 Common Shares. The Schedule 13D reports 625,000 Series A Convertible Preference Shares, par value $0.01 per share, which as of the date of the Schedule 13D were convertible into 6,658,059 Common Shares of the Company. Since the filing of the 13D, the conversion rate has changed and the 625,000 Series A Convertible Preference Shares are now convertible into 6,838,063 shares. |
(2) | Based upon a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 14, 2018, Capital Research Global Investors reported beneficial ownership of 6,178,233 shares as follows: sole voting power over 6,178,233 shares and sole dispositive power over 6,178,233 shares. |
(3) | Based upon a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 8, 2018, The Vanguard Group, Inc. (“Vanguard”) reported beneficial ownership of 5,972,224 shares as follows: sole voting power over 71,825 shares, shared voting power over 13,240 shares, sole dispositive power over 5,892,601 shares and shared dispositive power over 79,623 shares. Vanguard reported that Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vanguard, is the beneficial owner of 65,856 shares as a result of its serving as investment manager of collective trust accounts, and that Vanguard Investments Australia, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vanguard, is the beneficial owner of 19,209 shares as a result of its serving as investment manager of Australian investment offerings. |
(4) | Based upon a Schedule 13G/A filed on January 30, 2018, BlackRock Inc. reported beneficial ownership of 3,501,899 shares as follows: sole voting power over 3,107,116 shares and sole dispositive power over 3,501,899 shares. |
Name | Common Shares(1) | Shares that may be acquired upon exercise of options within 60 days(2) | Total(3) | |||
H. Todd Stitzer(4) | 21,985 | — | 21,985 | |||
Virginia C. Drosos(4)(5) | 120,832 | — | 120,832 | |||
R. Mark Graf(4) | 2,258 | — | 2,258 | |||
Helen McCluskey(4) | 8,455 | — | 8,455 | |||
Sharon L. McCollam(4) | — | — | — | |||
Marianne Miller Parrs(4) | 21,785 | — | 21,785 | |||
Thomas Plaskett(4) | 18,665 | — | 18,665 | |||
Nancy A. Reardon(4) | — | — | — | |||
Jonathan Sokoloff(4)(6) | 3,548 | — | 3,548 | |||
Brian Tilzer(4) | 3,105 | — | 3,105 | |||
Eugenia Ulasewicz(4) | 7,599 | — | 7,599 | |||
Russell Walls(4) | 5,438 | — | 5,438 | |||
Oded Edelman(7) | 130,319 | — | 130,319 | |||
Sebastian Hobbs(7) | 11,968 | — | 11,968 | |||
George Murray(7) | 16,572 | — | 16,572 | |||
Michele Santana(7) | 19,853 | — | 19,853 | |||
Mark Light(8) | 79,445 | — | 79,445 | |||
All Executive Officers and Directors as a group (22 persons) | 513,021 | — | 513,021 |
(1) | No shares are pledged as security. All shares are owned directly with the exception of Oded Edelman who holds 90,398 shares indirectly through Oeysan LTD, a wholly-owned company. |
(2) | Shares issuable upon the exercise of vested stock options and/or settlement of restricted stock units. |
(3) | All holdings represent less than 1% of the Common Shares issued and outstanding. No Series A Convertible Preference Shares are held. |
(4) | Director |
(5) | CEO |
(6) | Green Equity Investors VI, L.P. (“GEI VI”), Green Equity Investors Side VI, L.P. (“GEI Side VI”), LGP Associates VI-A LLC (“Associates VI-A”) and LGP Associates VI-B LLC (“Associates VI-B”) are the direct owners of 625,000 Series A Convertible Preference Shares that are convertible into 6,838,063 Common Shares. Mr. Sokoloff directly (whether through ownership or position) or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, may be deemed to be the indirect beneficial owner of the shares owned by GEI VI, GEI Side VI, Associates VI-A and Associates VI-B. Mr. Sokoloff disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
(7) | Executive officer |
(8) | Former Director and executive officer. |
H. TODD STITZER* | Private Directorships: | Former Directorships: |
Age: 66 Director Since: January 2012 | • Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company | • Diageo plc (June 2013) |
VIRGINIA C. DROSOS | Public Directorships: | Former Directorships: |
Age: 55 Director Since: July 2012 | • American Financial Group, Inc. | • Assurex Health |
R. MARK GRAF* | Former Directorships: | |
Age: 53 Director Since: July 2017 | • BNC Bancorp (2010-2011) |
HELEN MCCLUSKEY* | Public Directorships: | Former Directorships: |
Age: 63 Director Since: August 2013 | • Dean Foods Company • Avon Products, Inc. | • PVH Corporation (June 2014) • The Warnaco Group, Inc. (February 2013) |
SHARON L. MCCOLLAM* | Public Directorships: | Private Directorships: |
Age: 55 Director Since: March 2018 | • Stitch Fix, Inc. | • PetSmart (Argos Holdings) • Hallmark Cards, Inc. • Art.com |
MARIANNE MILLER PARRS* | Public Directorships: | |
Age: 74 Director Since: October 2008 | • Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. • CIT Group Inc. |
THOMAS PLASKETT* | Private Directorships: | Former Directorships: |
Age: 74 Director Since: October 2008 | • ESL Technologies, Inc. • ThermoTek, Inc. | • Alcon Laboratories, Inc. (May 2011) • RadioShack Corporation (November 2013) |
NANCY A. REARDON* | Public Directorships: | Private Directorships: |
Age: 65 Director Since: March 2018 | • Big Lots, Inc. | • Kids II, Inc. |
JONATHAN SOKOLOFF* | Public Directorships: | Former Directorships: |
Age: 60 Director Since: October 2016 | • Container Store Group, Inc. • Shake Shack Inc. • Whole Foods Market, Inc. | • Rite Aid Corporation (May 2011) |
BRIAN TILZER* | ||
Age: 47 Director Since: February 2017 |
EUGENIA ULASEWICZ* | Public Directorships: | |
Age: 64 Director Since: September 2013 | • Bunzl plc • Hudson Ltd. • Vince Holding Corp. |
H. Todd Stitzer | Virginia C. Drosos | R. Mark Graf | Helen McCluskey | Sharon L. McCollam | Marianne Parrs | Thomas Plaskett | Nancy A. Reardon | Jonathan Sokoloff | Brian Tilzer | Eugenia Ulasewicz | |
Leadership | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü |
Financial & Accounting Literacy | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||
Capital Allocation | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||
Strategic Planning & Analysis | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü |
Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||||
Operations, Procurement & Supply Chain Management | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||||||
Human Resources & Talent Development | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | |||||
Brand Management, Marketing, Merchandising & Product Development | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||||||
Retail Industry | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | |||||
International Business | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||
Information Technology Security | ü | ü | |||||||||
Digital, Multi-Channel & Social Media | ü | ü | ü | ||||||||
Technology & Innovation | ü | ü | ü | ||||||||
Risk Oversight & Management | ü | ü | ü | ü | |||||||
Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment & Sustainability | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||||||
Law & Governance | ü | ü | |||||||||
Governmental & Geopolitical Public Affairs | ü | ||||||||||
Communication | ü | ü | ü | ü | ü | ||||||
Real Estate | ü | ü | ü | ü |
Fiscal 2018 (millions) | Fiscal 2017 (millions) | |||||
Audit Fees | $ | 5.5 | $ | 4.4 | ||
Audit-Related Fees(1) | $ | 0.5 | $ | 0.1 | ||
Tax Fees(2) | $ | 0.4 | $ | 0.5 | ||
All Other Fees | $ | 0.1 | $ | — | ||
Total Fees | $ | 6.5 | $ | 5.0 |
(1) | Audit-related fees consisted principally of assurance-related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements. |
(2) | Tax fees consisted principally of professional services rendered for tax compliance and advisory services. |
Key Equity Metrics | Fiscal 2018 | Fiscal 2017 | Fiscal 2016 | 3-Year Average |
Common Shares subject to awards granted during year (1) | 0.9 million | 0.3 million | 0.2 million | 0.5 million |
Net burn rate during year (2) | 1.43% | 0.40% | 0.25% | 0.69% |
Dilution at end of year (3) | 7.21% | 6.44% | 5.59% | 6.41% |
(1) | Reflects total gross number of Common Shares subject to equity awards granted during the fiscal year, and does not reflect subsequent forfeitures or cancellations. |
(2) | Net burn rate is calculated by dividing the total number of Common Shares subject to equity awards granted during the fiscal year by the total weighted-average number of Common Shares issued and outstanding during the period, and does not reflect subsequent forfeitures or cancellations. |
(3) | Dilution is calculated by dividing the sum of (a) the number of Common Shares subject to equity awards outstanding at the end of the fiscal years, plus (b) the number of Common Shares available for future grants, by the fully diluted number of Common Shares issued and outstanding at the end of the fiscal year. |
• | any employee of a Constituent Company; or |
• | any director of a Constituent Company who works more than 25 hours per week |
• | the expiration of six months after the Bonus Date; |
• | the participant ceasing to be employed by any member, unless such termination is the result of injury or disability, redundancy, retirement or a transfer of the relevant employer company or relevant part of the business to a person outside the Company, or in circumstances where the Option was granted to the participant more than three years prior to such termination, in which case the participant will generally be entitled to exercise his or her Option for a period of six months following the termination; |
• | the expiration of twelve months following the participant’s death, if he or she dies before the Bonus Date, or the expiration of twelve months following the Bonus Date, if the participant dies during the period of six months after the Bonus Date; |
• | the date of any resolution or court order for the compulsory winding-up of the Company; |
• | the date on which the participant becomes bankrupt; |
• | the date on which the participant gives, or is deemed to give, notice that he or she intends to discontinue the monthly savings contributions or the date on which an application is made for the repayment of the aggregate monthly savings contributions; and |
• | the date on which the participant purports to transfer his or her Option. |
Equity Compensation Plan Information | |||||||
Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights(1) (a) | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights(2) (b) | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c)3 | ||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 983,962 | $ | 18.35 | 3,672,968 | |||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | — | $ | — | — | |||
Total | 983,962 | $ | 18.35 | 3,672,968 |
(1) | Shares indicated include vesting of all future performance conditions being achieved at maximum levels. |
(2) | Calculated at an exchange rate of £1:$1.41. |
(3) | The shares remaining available in column (c) are from the 2009 Omnibus Incentive Plan. |
• | effective running of the Board, including working with the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee to evaluate the performance of the Board, its committees and individual Directors, and the Board’s compliance with corporate governance requirements and best practices; |
• | consulting with and advising executive management about planned presentations to the Board, involving but not limited to, topics of longer term strategy, medium-term plans, annual budgeting or, at his discretion, any other significant matters; |
• | consulting with and advising the CEO on contemplated executive management personnel selections, organizational alignment and responsibilities, and compensation recommendations; |
• | keeping the other independent Directors appropriately informed of developments within the business and Shareholders’ attitudes toward the Company; and |
• | safeguarding Signet’s reputation, and representing it both internally and externally. |
• | providing the executive leadership of the business; |
• | developing and presenting to the Board strategy, medium-term plans and annual budgets, and within this framework, the performance of the business; |
• | complying with legal and corporate governance requirements, together with the social, ethical and environmental principles of Signet; and |
• | making recommendations on the appointment and compensation of senior executive officers, and management development and succession planning. |
• | Compensation for the executive officers is a mix of fixed and variable awards, with share-based compensation that vests in accordance with both time- and performance-based criteria; |
• | The executive officer annual incentive program is predominantly based on operating income, held at constant currency, which the Committee believes is closely tied to the creation of long-term shareholder value. Performance targets for executive officers, which are reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee, are set in advance and above-target payouts are reviewed to ensure a reasonable sharing of value created between management and Shareholders. Financial performance is audited by the Company’s external auditors before amounts are paid out under the annual incentive program; |
• | Equity compensation is a combination of annually granted time-based restricted shares that generally vest ratably over three years and performance-based restricted share units that vest over three-year overlapping vesting periods. This approach addresses longer “tail” risks as participants remain exposed to the risks associated with their decisions through their ongoing unvested awards; |
• | Long-term incentives are awarded in the form of whole share awards (instead of options), driving long-term share value creation, rather than rewarding share price volatility; |
• | The CEO and other executive officers, including all NEOs, are subject to share ownership requirements; |
• | The Company prohibits hedging of, and speculation in, Company shares by employees and Directors; |
• | The Company has a clawback policy that applies to all employees who receive incentive awards and to all short- and long-term incentives. Certain repayment obligations may be triggered if there is a material restatement of the financial statements. Similarly, in the interest of fairness, should a restatement result in an under payment of incentive compensation, the Company will make up any difference; and |
• | The Compensation Committee is comprised entirely of independent Directors and has engaged an independent consultant to review the risks associated with its compensation programs; it reviews the payouts under the annual incentive program, and it regularly benchmarks executive compensation against a carefully constructed and regularly reviewed peer group. |
Independent Director | Audit Committee | Compensation Committee | Nomination & Corporate Governance Committee | Corporate Social Responsibility Committee |
H. Todd Stitzer | ||||
R. Mark Graf | ● | ● | ||
Helen McCluskey | ● | C | ||
Sharon L. McCollam | ● | |||
Marianne Miller Parrs | C | ● | ||
Thomas Plaskett | C | ● | ||
Nancy A. Reardon | ● | |||
Jonathan Sokoloff | ● | ● | ||
Brian Tilzer | ● | ● | ||
Eugenia Ulasewicz | ● | C | ||
Russell Walls(1) | ● |
• | reviewing the Company’s financial statements, related audit findings and earnings releases, and accounting principles and policies; |
• | recommending for appointment or termination by Shareholders of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm; providing oversight of such firm; reviewing the quality-control procedures, independence and performance of such firm; and evaluating its proposed audit scope and fee arrangements; |
• | approving in advance all audit and non-audit services to be rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | providing oversight of the Company’s systems of internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures and risk management; |
• | reviewing the effectiveness of the Company’s internal auditors and Disclosure Control Committee; |
• | establishing procedures for complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, auditing or other matters; and |
• | reviewing and approving related person transactions. |
• | approving the overall compensation philosophy; |
• | approving annual and long-term performance targets for executive officers; |
• | in consultation with the Chairman, evaluating the performance of the CEO and, in consultation with the CEO, evaluating the performance of the other executive officers against corporate goals and objectives, and determining the total compensation earned by each person; |
• | recommending to the Board for approval all termination protection agreements, other agreements and incentive compensation plans; |
• | approving any share-based compensation awarded to employees of the Company; and |
• | appointing, compensating and assessing the work of any compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other advisor retained by the Compensation Committee. |
• | assisting the Board in the selection and nomination of Directors and senior management; |
• | reviewing the composition and balance of the Board and its Committees, as well as Board and senior management succession; |
• | coordinating and overseeing the annual evaluation of the Board, its committees and management; and |
• | assisting the Board in the consideration and development of appropriate corporate governance guidelines and other matters of corporate governance. |
• | defining the Company’s corporate and social obligations as a responsible citizen, overseeing conduct in the context of those obligations, and overseeing the creation of appropriate policies and supporting measures; |
• | monitoring the Company’s engagement with external stakeholders and other interested parties; |
• | monitoring the Company’s overall approach to corporate responsibility and ensuring it is in line with the overall business strategy; |
• | ensuring that the Company has appropriate policies and systems in place relating to community relations, human rights and responsible supply chain management; |
• | monitoring the implementation of appropriate policies and initiatives with respect to energy management, climate change, carbon footprint, waste management and sustainable sourcing; and |
• | monitoring community support programs and ensuring appropriate corporate giving policies are adopted. |
• | the quality and efficiency of KPMG’s historical and recent performance on the Company’s audit; |
• | KPMG’s capability and expertise; |
• | the quality and candor of communications and discussions with KPMG; |
• | the ability of KPMG to remain independent; |
• | external data relating to audit quality and performance (including recent PCAOB reports on KPMG and its peer firms); |
• | and the appropriateness of fees charged; and |
• | KPMG’s tenure as the Company’s independent public accountants and their familiarity with our operations, businesses, accounting policies and practices, and internal control over financial reporting. |
Executive Officer | Age | Position | Year Joined Signet |
Virginia C. Drosos | 55 | Chief Executive Officer | 2017 |
Michele Santana | 47 | Chief Financial Officer | 2010 |
Steven Becker(1) | 61 | Chief Human Resources Officer | 2005 |
Lynn Dennison | 54 | Chief Legal & Transformation Officer | 2011 |
Oded Edelman | 51 | President of JamesAllen.com and Chief Digital Innovation Advisor | 2017 |
Sebastian Hobbs | 48 | President & Chief Customer Officer | 2011 |
Mark Jenkins(1) | 60 | Chief Governance Officer & Corporate Secretary | 2004 |
Howard Melnick | 56 | Chief Information Officer | 2017 |
George Murray(1) | 62 | Chief Retail Insights & Strategy Officer | 1992 |
Carol Schumacher | 61 | Chief Communications Officer | 2018 |
NEO | Position |
Virginia C. Drosos | Chief Executive Officer |
Michele Santana | Chief Financial Officer |
Oded Edelman | President of JamesAllen.com and Chief Digital Innovation Advisor |
George Murray | Chief Retail Insights & Strategy Officer(1) |
Sebastian Hobbs | President & Chief Customer Officer |
Mark Light | Former Chief Executive Officer |
1. | The compensation program must align the interests of senior management with those of Shareholders. This is achieved by delivering a significant portion of total compensation for executives as incentives dependent on factors that should reflect long-term growth in Shareholder value. |
2. | With the exception of new-hire awards that might include guaranteed amounts, the only element of guaranteed pay is base salary. The percentage of at-risk compensation increases in line with the responsibility and experience of each executive. |
3. | Elements of compensation that are at risk should reward annual and multi-year exceptional performance. |
4. | Compensation should include a retention component to encourage high performing executives to remain with the Company. |
5. | The compensation program should be constructed so that the NEOs understand and are motivated to achieve the performance required to receive various levels of payments. |
6. | The compensation program should encourage all executive officers to build a substantial holding of the Company’s shares. |
• | Competitive market pay analysis for executive positions and non-employee Directors; |
• | Market trends in executive and non-employee Director compensation; |
• | Pay-for-performance analysis and review of risk in the Company’s pay programs; |
• | Ongoing support with regard to the latest relevant regulatory, governance, technical, and/or financial considerations impacting executive compensation and benefit programs; |
• | Assistance with the design of executive compensation or benefit programs, as needed; |
• | Annual review of the compensation benchmarking peer group; and |
• | Other items as determined appropriate by the Chair of the Compensation Committee. |
• | International operations; |
• | Headquarters in North America and traded on a North American stock exchange; |
• | Median sales approximating those of Signet’s; and |
• | Revenue generally ranging from half to twice the Company’s revenue. |
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. | L Brands, Inc. | Tapestry Inc. |
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. | Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. | Tiffany & Co. |
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. | Nordstrom Inc. | Urban Outfitters Inc. |
Foot Locker, Inc. | PVH Corp. | V.F. Corporation |
Hudson’s Bay Company | Ralph Lauren Corporation | Williams-Sonoma, Inc. |
Component | Objective | Key Features |
Base salary | Provide a fixed level of pay that is not at risk and reflects individual experience and ongoing contribution and performance. | Designed to retain key executive officers by being competitive but is not considered to be the primary means of incentivizing or recognizing performance. |
Annual bonus | Motivate and reward achievement of annual financial results against established annual goals of the Company. | Cash payments are dependent on the degree of achievement against annual performance targets. This element is payable just after the end of the fiscal year in which it was earned. |
Long-term incentives (time-based restricted shares and performance-based restricted share units) | Align management with long-term Shareholder interests; retain executive officers; motivate and reward achievement of sustainable earnings growth and returns. | Time-based restricted share awards vest upon the continuance of service; performance-based restricted share units require achievement of Company financial goals over a three-year performance period and require continued service. |
NEO | Fiscal 2018 Salary(1) | Fiscal 2017 Salary | ||||
Virginia C. Drosos(2) | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | — | ||
Michele Santana | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||
Oded Edelman(2) | $ | 525,000 | $ | — | ||
George Murray | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||
Sebastian Hobbs(3) | $ | 700,000 | $ | 504,000 |
NEO | Position | Target Bonus as a Percentage of Base Salary (1) | Maximum Bonus as a Percentage of Base Salary(1) | ||
Virginia C. Drosos | Chief Executive Officer | 150 | % | 300 | % |
Michele Santana | Chief Financial Officer | 75 | % | 150 | % |
Oded Edelman(2) | President of JamesAllen.com and Chief Digital Innovation Advisor | 75 | % | 150 | % |
George Murray | Chief Retail Insights & Strategy Officer | 75 | % | 150 | % |
Sebastian Hobbs | President & Chief Customer Officer | 75 | % | 150 | % |
Target Band | |||||
Threshold | Lower Bound | Upper Bound | Max | Actual Achieved | |
Adjusted STIP Operating Income | $737.0m | $766.0m | $776.0m | $845.0m | $612.9m |
JamesAllen.com | ||||
Threshold | Target | Max | Actual Achieved | |
Sales | $87.0m | $98.0m | $109.0m | $88.1m |
JamesAllen.com | ||||
Threshold | Target | Max | Actual Achieved | |
Adjusted Operating Income | $4.8m | $5.4m | $6.0m | $(2.8)m |
Threshold (Pays 0% of Target) | Target (Pays 100% of Target) | Maximum (Pays 200% of Target) | Actual | Share Award Vesting (as a Percentage of Target) | ||
3-Year Cumulative Adjusted LTIP Operating Income (in millions) | $2,425m | $2,634m | $2,766m | $2,098m | — | % |
Threshold (Pays 0% of Target) | Target (Pays 100% of Target) | Maximum (Pays 200% of Target) | Actual | Share Award Vesting (as a Percentage of Target) | ||||||
LTIP ROCE | 22.2 | % | 24.1 | % | 25.3 | % | 21 | % | — | % |
• | Five times annual base salary—CEO |
• | Three times annual base salary—Chief Financial Officer, Chief Retail Insights & Strategy Officer, and President & Chief Customer Officer; and |
• | Two times annual base salary—President of JamesAllen.com and Chief Digital Innovation Advisor and other executive officers. |
NEO & Position | Fiscal Year | Salary(1) | Bonus(2) | Stock Awards(3) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation | All Other Compensation(4) | Total | ||||||||||||
Virginia C. Drosos | 2018 | $ | 773,077 | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 10,828,081 | $ | — | $ | 453,534 | $ | 13,554,692 | ||||||
CEO | |||||||||||||||||||
Michele Santana | 2018 | $ | 713,462 | $ | — | $ | 1,127,926 | $ | — | $ | 48,199 | $ | 1,889,587 | ||||||
Chief Financial Officer | 2017 | $ | 690,000 | $ | — | $ | 1,103,387 | $ | — | $ | 76,711 | $ | 1,870,098 | ||||||
2016 | $ | 619,615 | $ | 50,000 | $ | 987,318 | $ | 612,752 | $ | 70,473 | $ | 2,340,158 | |||||||
Oded Edelman | 2018 | $ | 210,455 | $ | — | $ | 2,600,810 | $ | 11,732 | $ | 46,994 | $ | 2,869,991 | ||||||
President of JamesAllen.com and | |||||||||||||||||||
Chief Digital Innovation Advisor | |||||||||||||||||||
George Murray | 2018 | $ | 713,462 | $ | — | $ | 789,539 | $ | — | $ | 58,730 | $ | 1,561,731 | ||||||
Chief Retail Insights & Strategy Officer | 2017 | $ | 687,385 | $ | — | $ | 772,491 | $ | — | $ | 73,973 | $ | 1,533,849 | ||||||
2016 | $ | 615,231 | $ | 50,000 | $ | 592,337 | $ | 562,579 | $ | 75,660 | $ | 1,895,807 | |||||||
Sebastian Hobbs | 2018 | $ | 676,560 | $ | — | $ | 789,539 | $ | — | $ | 98,360 | $ | 1,564,459 | ||||||
President & Chief Customer Officer | |||||||||||||||||||
Mark Light | 2018 | $ | 629,808 | $ | — | $ | 4,700,249 | $ | — | $ | 692,693 | $ | 6,022,750 | ||||||
Former CEO | 2017 | $ | 1,226,923 | $ | — | $ | 4,598,190 | $ | — | $ | 184,050 | $ | 6,009,163 | ||||||
2016 | $ | 1,092,308 | $ | 50,000 | $ | 3,950,084 | $ | 2,170,084 | $ | 138,109 | $ | 7,400,585 |
(1) | The amounts reflected in the table above for Fiscal 2018 reflect actual salaries earned, which may differ from the base salaries disclosed in section “CDA - Base Salary” based on date of hire or promotion, a 53 (rather than 52) week fiscal year, and in the case of Mr. Light, date of resignation. |
(2) | In connection with her hiring, Ms. Drosos and the Board agreed that she would receive a minimum bonus payment for Fiscal 2018 equal to $1,500,000 to secure her employment, as discussed in more detail in section “CDA - Annual Bonus (STIP).” Mr. Edelman participated in a separate bonus plan for employees of R2Net Inc. as disclosed in section “CDA - Annual Bonus (STIP).” |
(3) | In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, the amounts calculated are based on the aggregate grant date fair value of the restricted shares and restricted share units (in the column entitled “Stock Awards”) in the year of grant based upon target value of performance conditions. For information on the valuation assumptions, refer to note 25 in Signet’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2018. The amounts in the table above reflect the total value of the performance-based restricted share units at the target (or 100%) level of performance achievement plus time-based restricted shares. |
(4) | The following table provides the incremental Fiscal 2018 cost to the Company for each of the elements included in the column: |
NEO | 401(k) Matching Contribution | DCP Matching Contribution | Health Care Reimbursements Related to Physical Exam | Life and Disability Insurance Premiums | Salary continuation | Board of Directors fees(1) | Perquisites(2) | Total | ||||||||||||||||
Virginia C. Drosos | $ | — | $ | 28,846 | $ | — | $ | 2,249 | $ | — | $ | 214,450 | $ | 207,989 | $ | 453,534 | ||||||||
Michele Santana | $ | 9,423 | $ | 36,346 | $ | — | $ | 2,430 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 48,199 | ||||||||
Oded Edelman | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 46,994 | $ | 46,994 | ||||||||
George Murray | $ | 9,423 | $ | 36,346 | $ | 2,269 | $ | 10,692 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 58,730 | ||||||||
Sebastian Hobbs | $ | 9,031 | $ | 26,923 | $ | — | $ | 2,283 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 60,123 | $ | 98,360 | ||||||||
Mark Light | $ | 6,298 | $ | 33,894 | $ | — | $ | 3,453 | $ | 649,048 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 692,693 |
(1) | The amount shown in the table above reflects compensation Ms. Drosos received as an independent Director in Fiscal 2018 before she became CEO. Since becoming CEO, she no longer receives Director fees. |
(2) | Amount reported for Ms. Drosos consists of relocation expenses. Amount reported for Mr. Edelman relates to Company contributions to his Israeli benefit plans, as described in more detail in section “CDA - Reitrement and Deferred Compensation.” Amount reported for Mr. Hobbs consists of reimbursements for his wife’s travel from the UK to the U.S. since his relocation to the U.S. ($43,567), relocation expenses ($13,967) and a car allowance ($2,589). |
NEO | Potential Value at Target Level | Potential Value at Maximum Level | ||||
Virginia C. Drosos | $ | 3,688,547 | $ | 7,377,094 | ||
Michele Santana | $ | 709,846 | $ | 1,419,692 | ||
Oded Edelman | $ | — | $ | — | ||
George Murray | $ | 496,843 | $ | 993,686 | ||
Sebastian Hobbs | $ | 496,843 | $ | 993,686 | ||
Mark Light | $ | 2,957,568 | $ | 5,915,136 |
• | As of January 20, 2018, the employee population consisted of 36,621 individuals working at Signet and its consolidated subsidiaries, with employees located in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. |
• | Approximately 680 employees of R2Net Inc. and its subsidiaries, which the Company acquired during Fiscal 2018 in a transaction that closed on September 12, 2017, were excluded. |
• | To determine the “median employee,” the Company used base pay as its measure of compensation. |
Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(6) | Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards(7) | All other Stock Awards: Number of Shares or Units | Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Award(8) | |||||||||||||||||||
NEO | Grant Date | Threshold | Target | Max | Threshold | Target | Max | |||||||||||||||
Virginia C. Drosos | (1) | $ | 675,000 | $ | 2,250,000 | $ | 4,500,000 | |||||||||||||||
(2) | August 1, 2017 | 15,971 | 63,882 | 127,764 | $ | 3,688,547 | ||||||||||||||||
(3) | August 1, 2017 | 34,398 | $ | 2,111,693 | ||||||||||||||||||
(4) | August 1, 2017 | 81,900 | $ | 5,027,841 | ||||||||||||||||||
Michele Santana | (1) | $ | 157,500 | $ | 525,000 | $ | 1,050,000 | |||||||||||||||
(2) | April 27, 2017 | 2,849 | 11,394 | 22,788 | $ | 709,846 | ||||||||||||||||
(3) | April 7, 2017 | 6,132 | $ | 418,080 | ||||||||||||||||||
Oded Edelman | (1) | $ | — | $ | 154,953 | $ | 309,906 | |||||||||||||||
(5) | November 18, 2017 | 33,962 | $ | 2,600,810 | ||||||||||||||||||
George Murray | (1) | $ | 157,500 | $ | 525,000 | $ | 1,050,000 | |||||||||||||||
(2) | April 27, 2017 | 1,994 | 7,975 | 15,950 | $ | 496,843 | ||||||||||||||||
(3) | April 7, 2017 | 4,293 | $ | 292,697 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sebastian Hobbs | (1) | $ | 157,500 | $ | 525,000 | $ | 1,050,000 | |||||||||||||||
(2) | April 27, 2017 | 1,994 | 7,975 | 15,950 | $ | 496,843 | ||||||||||||||||
(3) | April 7, 2017 | 4,293 | $ | 292,697 | ||||||||||||||||||
Mark Light | (1) | $ | 562,500 | $ | 1,875,000 | $ | 3,750,000 | |||||||||||||||
(2) | April 27, 2017 | 11,868 | 47,473 | 94,946 | $ | 2,957,568 | ||||||||||||||||
(3) | April 7, 2017 | 25,560 | $ | 1,742,681 |
(1) | Represents bonus opportunities under the Company’s annual bonus plan for Fiscal 2018. The target bonus levels for Fiscal 2018 expressed as a percentage of base salary were 150% for Ms. Drosos and Mr. Light and 75% for the other NEOs, and the maximum bonus levels were 300% for Ms. Drosos and Mr. Light and 150% for the other NEOs, based on goals established by the Compensation Committee for target Adjusted STIP Operating Income. For a more detailed description of the Company’s annual bonus plan, including a discussion of the Company’s performance with respect to goals and amounts awarded to the NEOs in Fiscal 2017, see “CDA - Annual Bonus (STIP)” above. |
(2) | Represents performance-based restricted share units granted under the Omnibus Plan. Under the terms of these awards, the restricted share units will vest at the end of the third fiscal year following the grant dates subject to achievement of performance goals and continued service. Vesting may be prorated upon certain terminations of employment or change of control events. Under the terms of these awards, the restricted share units will be forfeited in the event the Company fails to achieve minimum cumulative Adjusted LTIP Operating Income and LTIP ROCE goals for the 3-year performance period covering Fiscal 2018 through Fiscal 2020. |
(3) | Represents time-based restricted share awards granted under the Omnibus Plan. One third of these time-based restricted shares will vest on each of the first, second and third anniversary of the grant date subject to continued service. Vesting may be prorated upon certain terminations of employment or change of control events. Time-based restricted shares accrue dividends while restricted, which are paid if and when the awards vest. |
(4) | Represents a special one-time grant of time-based restricted shares, 50% of which vested on February 4, 2018, with the balance vesting on February 3, 2019, subject to continued service. Vesting may be prorated upon certain terminations of employment or change of control events. Time-based restricted shares accrue dividends while restricted, which are paid if and when the awards vest. |
(5) | Represents a one-time retention grant of time-based restricted shares, one-third of which will vest on the date the Company announces its results for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2019, and two-thirds of which will vest on September 12, 2020, subject to continued service. Vesting may be prorated upon certain terminations of employment or change of control events. Time-based restricted shares accrue dividends while restricted, which are paid if and when the awards vest. |
(6) | Payouts of non-equity incentive plan awards may range from $0 to the maximum as described above. Below threshold level, nothing is paid to the NEOs; performance must meet or exceed threshold level to earn any bonus payment, which is paid on a linear basis from 30% to 100% of the target and 100% to 200% of the target. |
(7) | Payouts of equity incentive plan awards may range from $0 to the maximum as described above. At threshold level, 25% is paid to the NEOs. |
(8) | Represents the grant date fair value of each equity-based award as determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The actual value received by the NEOs with respect to these awards may range from $0 to an amount greater than the reported amount, depending on the Company’s actual financial performance and share value when the shares are received. |
Stock Awards | |||||||||||||
NEO | Number of shares or units of stock that have not vested | Market value of shares or units that have not vested(1) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of unearned shares, units or other rights that have not vested(2) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or payout value of unearned shares, units or other rights that have not vested(1)(2) | |||||||||
Virginia C. Drosos | |||||||||||||
34,398 | (3) | $ | 1,767,025 | 127,764 | (5) | $ | 6,563,237 | ||||||
81,900 | (4) | $ | 4,207,203 | ||||||||||
Michele Santana | 3,652 | (6) | $ | 187,603 | 7,304 | (9) | $ | 375,206 | |||||
2,402 | (7) | $ | 123,391 | 13,388 | (10) | $ | 687,742 | ||||||
6,132 | (8) | $ | 315,001 | 22,788 | (5) | $ | 1,170,620 | ||||||
Oded Edelman | 33,962 | (11) | $ | 1,744,628 | |||||||||
George Murray | 2,191 | (6) | $ | 112,552 | 4,382 | (9) | $ | 225,103 | |||||
1,682 | (7) | $ | 86,404 | 9,372 | (10) | $ | 481,440 | ||||||
4,293 | (8) | $ | 220,531 | 15,950 | (5) | $ | 819,352 | ||||||
Sebastian Hobbs | 1,494 | (6) | $ | 76,747 | 2,988 | (9) | $ | 153,494 | |||||
1,268 | (7) | $ | 65,137 | 7,076 | (10) | $ | 363,494 | ||||||
4,293 | (8) | $ | 220,531 | 15,950 | (5) | $ | 819,352 | ||||||
Mark Light | 24,246 | (9) | $ | 1,245,517 | |||||||||
27,792 | (10) | $ | 1,427,675 | ||||||||||
15,826 | (5) | $ | 812,982 | ||||||||||
(1) | Calculated using the closing market price of the Company’s Common Shares on February 2, 2018, the last business day of Fiscal 2018 ($51.37 per share). |
(2) | Amounts reported above reflect payout at maximum, which is 200% of target. |
(3) | The grant date for this award was August 1, 2017. One third of this grant vests on each of the first, second and third anniversary of the grant date. |
(4) | The grant date for this award was August 1, 2017. Half of this grant vested on February 4, 2018, and the remaining half will vest on February 3, 2019. |
(5) | The Compensation Committee will determine whether this grant will vest within 70 days following February 1, 2020. |
(6) | This grant will vest on April 27, 2018. |
(7) | The grant date for this award was April 25, 2016. One third of this grant vests on each of the first, second and third anniversary of the grant date. As of February 3, 2018, the awards outstanding represent the amounts eligible for vesting on the second and third anniversary of the grant date. |
(8) | The grant date for this award was April 7, 2017. One third of this grant vests on each of the first, second and third anniversary of the grant date. |
(9) | This award vested on February 3, 2018 and lapsed as a result of performance below the 3-year cumulative threshold as determined by the Compensation Committee. |
(10) | The Compensation Committee will determine whether this grant will vest within 70 days following February 2, 2019. |
(11) | The grant date for this award was November 18, 2017. One-third of this grant will vest on the date the Company announces its results for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2019, and the remaining two-thirds will vest on September 12, 2020, subject to continued service. |
Stock Awards | |||||
NEO | Number of shares acquired on vesting | Value realized on vesting(1) | |||
Virginia C. Drosos | — | $ | — | ||
Michele Santana | 4,080 | $ | 266,661 | ||
Oded Edelman | — | $ | — | ||
George Murray | 4,134 | $ | 271,811 | ||
Sebastian Hobbs | 3,382 | $ | 224,528 | ||
Mark Light | 36,093 | $ | 2,301,337 |
NEO | Executive contributions in last fiscal year(1) | Registrant contribution in last fiscal year(2) | Aggregate earnings in last fiscal year(3) | Aggregate withdrawals/ distributions in last fiscal year(4) | Aggregate balance at last fiscal year end(5) | |||||||||||
Virginia C. Drosos | $ | 57,692 | $ | 28,846 | $ | 810 | $ | (12 | ) | $ | 87,336 | |||||
Michele Santana | $ | 72,692 | $ | 36,346 | $ | 29,723 | $ | (275,075 | ) | $ | 1,122,528 | |||||
Oded Edelman | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
George Murray | $ | 72,692 | $ | 36,346 | $ | 34,947 | $ | (204,662 | ) | $ | 1,255,495 | |||||
Sebastian Hobbs | $ | 53,846 | $ | 26,923 | $ | 1,444 | $ | (25 | ) | $ | 82,188 | |||||
Mark Light | $ | 67,789 | $ | 33,894 | $ | 49,503 | $ | (2,040,438 | ) | $ | — |
(1) | All NEO contributions are reflected in their “Salary” or “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” columns of the Summary Compensation Table. |
(2) | All registrant contributions reflect the Company match of executive contributions. These contributions are reported in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table. |
(3) | Aggregate earnings represent interest credited to each executive’s account based on the crediting rate of interest declared for the year. For Fiscal 2018, this rate did not exceed 120% of the applicable U.S. federal long-term rate. As such, no amounts are reported in the Summary Compensation Table. |
(4) | In Fiscal 2018, aggregate withdrawals for each NEO related to the payment of required tax withholdings for earnings on non-qualified deferred compensation balances and scheduled payouts made based on the terms of the DCP. |
(5) | The aggregate balance reported as of February 3, 2018 for each executive includes the following amounts that were reported in the Summary Compensation Table in the current and prior year Proxy Statements: |
NEO | Aggregate balance reported in current and prior Summary Compensation Table | ||
Virginia C. Drosos | $ | 86,538 | |
Michele Santana | $ | 1,034,621 | |
Oded Edelman | $ | — | |
George Murray | $ | 888,044 | |
Sebastian Hobbs | $ | 80,769 | |
Mark Light | $ | — |
NEO | Involuntary termination without cause(1)(2)(3) | Death(4) | Disability(4) | Voluntary termination with good reason within one year following a change of control(1)(2) | Involuntary termination without cause following a change of control(1)(2)(5) | |||||||||||
Virginia C. Drosos | ||||||||||||||||
Cash severance: | ||||||||||||||||
Base salary | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 750,000 | $ | — | $ | 2,250,000 | $ | 2,250,000 | ||||||
Bonus | $ | 3,750,000 | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 4,875,000 | $ | 4,875,000 | ||||||
Total cash severance | $ | 5,250,000 | $ | 2,250,000 | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 7,125,000 | $ | 7,125,000 | ||||||
Long term incentives: | ||||||||||||||||
Accelerated vesting of performance-based restricted share units (6) | $ | 667,810 | $ | 667,810 | $ | — | $ | 667,810 | $ | 667,810 | ||||||
Accelerated vesting of time-based restricted shares (7) | $ | 4,507,081 | $ | 1,720,096 | $ | — | $ | 4,507,081 | $ | 5,974,228 | ||||||
Total value of long term incentives | $ | 5,174,891 | $ | 2,387,906 | $ | — | $ | 5,174,891 | $ | 6,642,038 | ||||||
Benefits and perquisites | $ | 18,993 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 28,490 | $ | 28,490 | ||||||
Total | $ | 10,443,884 | $ | 4,637,906 | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 12,328,381 | $ | 13,795,528 | ||||||
Michele Santana | ||||||||||||||||
Cash severance: | ||||||||||||||||
Base salary | $ | 700,000 | $ | 350,000 | $ | — | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||||||
Bonus | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
Total cash severance | $ | 700,000 | $ | 350,000 | $ | — | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||||||
Long term incentives: | ||||||||||||||||
Accelerated vesting of performance-based restricted share units (6) | $ | 383,749 | $ | 571,352 | $ | 407,929 | $ | 383,749 | $ | 805,636 | ||||||
Accelerated vesting of time-based restricted shares (7) | $ | 308,198 | $ | 308,198 | $ | 221,400 | $ | 308,198 | $ | 625,995 | ||||||
Total value of long term incentives | $ | 691,947 | $ | 879,550 | $ | 629,329 | $ | 691,947 | $ | 1,431,631 | ||||||
Benefits and perquisites | $ | 18,993 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 18,993 | $ | 18,993 | ||||||
Total | $ | 1,410,940 | $ | 1,229,550 | $ | 629,329 | $ | 1,410,940 | $ | 2,150,624 |
Involuntary termination without cause(1)(2)(3) | Death(4) | Disability(4) | Voluntary termination with good reason within one year following a change of control(1)(2) | Involuntary termination without cause following a change of control(1)(2)(5) | ||||||||||||
George Murray | ||||||||||||||||
Cash severance: | ||||||||||||||||
Base salary | $ | 700,000 | $ | 350,000 | $ | — | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||||||
Bonus | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
Total cash severance | $ | 700,000 | $ | 350,000 | $ | — | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||||||
Long term incentives: | ||||||||||||||||
Accelerated vesting of performance-based restricted share units (6) | $ | 268,597 | $ | 381,149 | $ | 266,764 | $ | 268,597 | $ | 650,396 | ||||||
Accelerated vesting of time-based restricted shares (7) | $ | 198,410 | $ | 198,410 | $ | 137,643 | $ | 198,410 | $ | 419,487 | ||||||
Total value of long term incentives | $ | 467,007 | $ | 579,559 | $ | 404,407 | $ | 467,007 | $ | 1,069,883 | ||||||
Benefits and perquisites | $ | 18,993 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 18,993 | $ | 18,993 | ||||||
Total | $ | 1,186,000 | $ | 929,559 | $ | 404,407 | $ | 1,186,000 | $ | 1,788,876 | ||||||
Sebastian Hobbs | ||||||||||||||||
Cash severance: | ||||||||||||||||
Base salary | $ | 700,000 | $ | 350,000 | $ | — | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||||||
Bonus | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
Total cash severance | $ | 700,000 | $ | 350,000 | $ | — | $ | 700,000 | $ | 700,000 | ||||||
Long term incentives: | ||||||||||||||||
Accelerated vesting of performance-based restricted share units (6) | $ | 230,841 | $ | 307,587 | $ | 193,203 | $ | 230,841 | $ | 591,423 | ||||||
Accelerated vesting of time-based restricted shares (7) | $ | 157,043 | $ | 157,043 | $ | 96,276 | $ | 157,043 | $ | 362,415 | ||||||
Total value of long term incentives | $ | 387,884 | $ | 464,630 | $ | 289,479 | $ | 387,884 | $ | 953,838 | ||||||
Benefits and perquisites | $ | 18,993 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 18,993 | $ | 18,993 | ||||||
Total | $ | 1,106,877 | $ | 814,630 | $ | 289,479 | $ | 1,106,877 | $ | 1,672,831 |
(1) | Payments are subject to the execution of a release of claims and compliance with restrictive covenants. |
(2) | Executives other than Ms. Drosos are entitled to the annual bonus for the fiscal year of termination based on actual performance, but executives did not earn an annual bonus for Fiscal 2018. In the case of involuntary termination without cause, Ms. Drosos is entitled to target annual bonus in addition to her prorated bonus payment in the year of termination; Ms. Drosos received a minimum bonus payment for Fiscal 2018 equal to $1,500,000 as part of her new hire package. In the case of termination following a change of control, Ms. Drosos is entitled to 1.5 times her target annual bonus in addition to her actual bonus payment in the year of termination. |
(3) | Ms. Drosos will also receive these payments if the Company elects not to renew her termination protection agreement at the end of any term. |
(4) | Executives are entitled to the pro-rata annual bonus for the fiscal year of termination based on actual performance, but executives did not earn an annual bonus for Fiscal 2018. However, Ms. Drosos received a minimum bonus payment for Fiscal 2018 equal to $1,500,000 as part of her new hire package. |
(5) | Ms. Drosos will also receive these payments if the Company elects not to renew her termination protection agreement at the end of any term within one year following a change of control. |
(6) | Performance-based restricted share unit awards granted in Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2018 are earned based on actual performance during the full performance period in the event of an involuntary termination without cause, termination with good reason within one year following a change in control or retirement. Since the performance periods for those grants have not been completed, the values reflect target performance, which may be higher or lower than actual performance. In the event of a change in control, the table assumes that awards are substituted in connection with the transaction and performance-based restricted share unit awards will convert to time-based restricted share awards, based on actual performance through the time of the change of control compared to pro-rated performance targets. |
(7) | In the event of a change in control, the table assumes that awards are substituted in connection with the transaction. |
Independent Director | Fees earned or paid in cash | Stock awards(1) | Total | ||||||
H. Todd Stitzer | $ | 280,000 | $ | 325,464 | $ | 605,464 | |||
Virginia C. Drosos(2) | $ | 72,083 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 214,450 | |||
R. Mark Graf(3) | $ | 61,250 | $ | 143,835 | $ | 205,085 | |||
Dale W. Hilpert(4) | $ | 52,500 | $ | — | $ | 52,500 | |||
Helen McCluskey | $ | 110,000 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 252,367 | |||
Sharon L. McCollam(5) | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||
Marianne Miller Parrs | $ | 135,000 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 277,367 | |||
Thomas Plaskett | $ | 119,583 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 261,950 | |||
Nancy A. Reardon(5) | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||
Jonathan Sokoloff(6) | $ | 105,000 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 247,367 | |||
Robert J. Stack(7) | $ | 106,667 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 249,034 | |||
Brian Tilzer | $ | 96,250 | $ | 199,540 | $ | 295,790 | |||
Eugenia Ulasewicz | $ | 125,000 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 267,367 | |||
Russell Walls | $ | 105,000 | $ | 142,367 | $ | 247,367 |
(1) | In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, the amounts calculated are based on the aggregate grant date fair value of the shares (in the column entitled “Stock awards”). Shares were granted to the independent Directors on the day of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. For information on the valuation assumptions, refer to note 25 in the Signet Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2018. In addition, shares with a grant date fair value of $57,513 were issued to Mr. Tilzer upon his appointment to the Board on February 1, 2017, in consideration of his service until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in June 2017. |
(2) | Ms. Drosos was an independent Director before becoming CEO on August 1, 2017. Her Director compensation is included in her total compensation in the Summary Compensation Table on page 50. |
(3) | Mr. Graf joined the Board on July 1, 2017. |
(4) | Mr. Hilpert resigned from the Board at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in June 2017. |
(5) | Ms. McCollam and Ms. Reardon were appointed effective March 13, 2018 and did not receive any compensation during Fiscal 2018. |
(6) | Mr. Sokoloff's cash fee of $105,000 was paid to Leonard Green & Partners L.P. |
(7) | Mr. Stack passed away in December 2017. |
• | Proxy Statement; and |
• | Annual Report to Shareholders for Fiscal 2018. |
U.S. Shareholders | UK and other non-U.S. Shareholders | |
Telephone: | 888-776-9962 | 0800 181 4722* |
Email: | info@astfinancial.com Please include the words “Proxy Materials Signet Jewelers Limited” in the subject line. | enquires@linkgroup.co.uk Please include the words “Proxy Materials Signet Jewelers Limited” in the subject line. |
Shareholder of record | Beneficial owner of shares held in street name |
If your shares were registered directly in your name with one of Signet’s registrars (American Stock Transfer & Trust Company for U.S. Shareholders, and Link Asset Services for UK and other non-U.S. Shareholders) on the record date, you are considered the shareholder of record for those shares. | If your shares were registered with a broker, bank or other nominee on the record date, you are considered a beneficial owner of shares held in street name. |
Signet’s Internet Notice or hard copy proxy materials will be provided directly to you. | Signet’s Internet Notice or hard copy proxy materials will be forwarded to you by that entity, which is considered the shareholder of record for those shares. Your broker, bank or other nominee will send you details on how to vote your shares, and you must follow their instructions to vote. |
Proposal | Board’s Recommendation | Vote Required to Approve | Effect of Abstentions | Effect of Broker Non-Votes |
1. Election of Eleven Directors a) H. Todd Stitzer b) Virginia C. Drosos c) R. Mark Graf d) Helen McCluskey e) Sharon L. McCollam f) Marianne Miller Parrs g) Thomas Plaskett h) Nancy A. Reardon i) Jonathan Sokoloff j) Brian Tilzer k) Eugenia Ulasewicz | FOR each Director nominee | Majority of the votes cast FOR each Director nominee | No effect - not counted as votes cast | No effect -not counted as votes cast |
2. Appointment of KPMG as Independent Auditor | FOR | Majority of the votes cast FOR | No effect - not counted as votes cast | Not applicable -broker discretionary voting is permitted |
3. Approval, on a Non-Binding Advisory Basis, of the Compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers (the “Say-on-Pay” vote) | FOR | Majority of the votes cast FOR (advisory only) | No effect - not counted as votes cast | No effect - not counted as votes cast |
4. Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | FOR | Majority of the votes cast FOR | Counted as votes cast | No effect - not counted as votes cast |
5. Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Sharesave Scheme, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | FOR | Majority of the votes cast FOR | Counted as votes cast | No effect - not counted as votes cast |
6. Approval of the Signet Jewelers Limited Employee Share Purchase Plan for U.S. Employees, including the authorization of the issuance of additional shares thereunder | FOR | Majority of the votes cast FOR | No effect - not counted as votes cast | No effect - not counted as votes cast |
U.S. Shareholders | UK and other non-U.S. Shareholders | |
Online via the Signet website: | www.signetjewelers.com/shareholders | |
By telephone: | Call toll-free 1-800-PROXIES (1-800-776-9437) | Not applicable |
By mail: Your Proxy Voting Instructions must be signed to be valid. If signed under a power of attorney or other authority, a copy of this authority must be sent to the registrar with your Proxy Voting Instructions. | Return your duly completed and signed Proxy Voting Instructions to the Company’s U.S. registrar: American Stock Transfer & Trust Company Operations Center 6201 15th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11219 United States | Return your duly completed and signed Proxy Voting Instructions to the Company’s UK registrar: Link Asset Services PXS1 34 Beckenham Road Beckenham Kent BR3 4TU United Kingdom |
Deadline for receipt by the Company’s registrars: | 12:01 am Atlantic Time (4:01 am British Summer Time) on June 15, 2018 (11:01 pm Eastern Daylight Time on June 14, 2018) |
• | you appointed a proxy designated by the Board; or |
• | the Chairman of the Meeting was appointed as your proxy because you submitted voting instructions (for other proposals) but did not name a proxy. |
1.1 | Establishment. Signet Jewelers Limited, an exempted company registered in Bermuda hereby establishes the 2018 Signet Jewelers Limited Omnibus Incentive Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”) as set forth in this document. The 2009 Signet Jewelers Limited Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2009 Plan”) shall continue in effect and unchanged with respect to awards outstanding under such plan but no further awards shall be granted thereunder as of the Effective Date, and any Shares available under the 2009 Plan will not be available for Awards under the Plan or otherwise. |
1.2 | Purpose of the Plan. The purpose of this Plan is to attract, retain and motivate officers, employees, non-employee directors, consultants and other personal service providers providing services to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or Affiliates and to promote the success of the Company’s business by providing the participants of the Plan with appropriate incentives. |
2.1 | “Affiliate” means any entity that the Company, either directly or indirectly, is in common control with, is controlled by or controls, or any entity that the Company has a substantial direct or indirect equity interest in, as determined by the Board. |
2.2 | “Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit, Other Share-Based Award or Cash Award that is granted under the Plan. |
2.3 | “Award Agreement” means either (a) a written or electronic agreement entered into by the Company and a Participant setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an Award granted under this Plan, or (b) a written or electronic statement issued by the Company, a Subsidiary, or Affiliate to a Participant describing the terms and conditions of the actual grant of such Award. |
2.4 | “Beneficial Owner” or “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act. |
2.5 | “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company. |
2.6 | “Cash Award” means an Award denominated in cash granted from time to time under Article 11 of the Plan. |
2.7 | “Change of Control” unless otherwise specified in the Award Agreement, means the occurrence of any of the following events: |
(a) | Any Person becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting shares of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of its directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”) including by way of merger, amalgamation, consolidation or otherwise; provided, however, that for purposes of this definition, the following acquisitions shall not be taken into account in determining whether a Change of Control has occurred: (i) any acquisition of voting shares of the Company directly from the Company or (ii) any acquisition by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Outstanding Company Voting Securities, including an acquisition by any employee benefit plan or related trust sponsored or maintained by the Company, or any of its Subsidiaries; |
(b) | The following individuals (the “Incumbent Directors”) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors then serving on the Board: individuals who, on the Effective Date, constitute the Board and any new director whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the Effective Date or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved or recommended (other than such new director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including, but not limited to, a consent or proxy |
(c) | Consummation of a reorganization, merger, amalgamation or consolidation involving the Company or a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (a “Business Combination”), unless, following such Business Combination: (i) individuals and entities that were the Beneficial Owners of Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Business Combination are the Beneficial Owners, directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (or election of members of a comparable governing body) of the entity resulting from the Business Combination (including, without limitation, an entity which as a result of such transaction owns all or substantially all of the voting power of the outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more Subsidiaries) (the “Successor Entity”) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately prior to such Business Combination and (ii) at least a majority of the members of the board of directors (or comparable governing body) of the Successor Entity immediately following the Business Combination were Incumbent Directors (including persons deemed to be Incumbent Directors) at the time of the execution of the initial agreement providing for such Business Combination. |
2.8 | “Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. |
2.9 | “Committee” means (i) the Compensation Committee of the Board or a subcommittee of the Compensation Committee of the Board, (ii) such other committee designated by the Board to administer this Plan or (iii) the Board. |
2.10 | “Company” means Signet Jewelers Limited, registered in Bermuda no. 42069, and any successor thereto. |
2.11 | “Effective Date” means the date set forth in Section 16.18. |
2.12 | “Eligible Person” means any person who is an Employee, Non-Employee Director, consultant or other personal service provider of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates. |
2.13 | “Employee” means an officer or other employee of the Company, a Subsidiary or Affiliate, including a member of the Board who is an employee of the Company, a Subsidiary or Affiliate. |
2.14 | “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time. |
2.15 | “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the per Share value determined as follows, in accordance with the applicable provisions of Section 409A of the Code to the extent required for setting the Option Price or grant price: |
(a) | The closing price on the New York Stock Exchange or other recognized stock exchange or any established over-the-counter trading system on which dealings take place or if such date is not a trading day, the first trading day immediately preceding such date or such other method based on actual transactions in such Shares as reported by such market, as determined by the Committee; or |
(b) | In the absence of an established market for the Shares of the type described above, the per Share Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Committee in good faith. |
2.16 | “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to meet the requirements of an incentive stock option as defined in Section 422 of the Code and designated as an Incentive Stock Option. |
2.17 | “New York Stock Exchange” means the New York Stock Exchange or any successor body carrying on the business of the New York Stock Exchange. |
2.18 | “Non-Employee Director” means a person defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
2.19 | “Nonqualified Stock Option” means an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option. |
2.20 | “Other Share-Based Award” means any right granted under Article 10 of the Plan. |
2.21 | “Option” means any stock option granted from time to time under Article 6 of the Plan. |
2.22 | “Option Price” means the purchase price per Share subject to an Option, as determined pursuant to Section 6.2 of the Plan. |
2.23 | “Participant” means any Eligible Person (or any permitted holder under Section 16.5) who holds an outstanding Award under the Plan. |
2.24 | “Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, including a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof. |
2.25 | “Plan” means the Signet Jewelers Limited 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as set forth herein, as may be amended from time to time and includes any sub-plan or appendix that may be created and approved by the Board. |
2.26 | “Plan Year” means the applicable fiscal year of the Company. |
2.27 | “Restricted Stock” means Shares granted from time to time under Article 8 of the Plan. |
2.28 | “Restriction Period” means the period during which Restricted Stock awarded under Article 8 of the Plan is subject to forfeiture. |
2.29 | “Service” means a Participant’s employment with the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate or a Participant’s service as a Non-Employee Director, consultant or other service provider with the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, as applicable. |
2.30 | “Share” means a common share of the Company, par value $0.18 per share, or such other class or kind of shares or other securities resulting from the application of Section 13.1. |
2.31 | “Stock Appreciation Right” means any right granted from time to time under Article 7 of the Plan. |
2.32 | “Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company (or any parent of the Company) if each of the corporations, other than the last corporation in each unbroken chain owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain. |
3.1 | Committee Members. The Plan shall be administered by a Committee comprised of no fewer than two members of the Board. To the extent determined by the Board, each member shall be (i) a Non-Employee Director and (ii) an “independent director” within the meaning of the listing requirements of any exchange or trading system on which the Company is listed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the mere fact that a Committee member shall fail to qualify under any of the foregoing requirements shall not invalidate any Award made by the Committee which Award is otherwise validly made under the Plan. Neither the Company nor any member of the Committee shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith by the Committee with respect to the Plan or any Award thereunder. |
3.2 | Authority of the Committee. The Committee shall have all powers and discretion necessary or appropriate to administer the Plan and to control its operation, including, but not limited to, the power to (i) determine the Eligible Persons to whom Awards shall be granted under the Plan, (ii) prescribe the restrictions, terms and conditions of all Awards, (iii) interpret the Plan and terms of the Awards, (iv) adopt rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith, and interpret, amend or revoke any such rules, (v) make all determinations with respect to a Participant’s Service and the termination of such Service for purposes of any Award, (vi) correct any defect(s) or omission(s) or reconcile any ambiguity(ies) or inconsistency(ies) in the Plan or any Award thereunder, (vii) make all determinations it deems advisable for the administration of the Plan, (viii) decide all disputes arising in connection with the Plan and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan, (ix) subject to the terms of the Plan, amend the terms of an Award, (x) accelerate the vesting or, to the extent applicable, exercisability of any Award at any time (including, but not limited to, upon a Change of Control or upon termination of Service under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Award Agreement or otherwise), and (xi) adopt such procedures, modifications or subplans as are necessary or appropriate to permit participation in the Plan by Eligible Persons who are foreign nationals or employed outside of the United States. The Committee’s determinations under the Plan need not be uniform and may be made by the Committee selectively among Participants and Eligible Persons, whether or not such persons are similarly situated. The Committee shall, in |
3.3 | Delegation. The Committee shall have the right, from time to time, to delegate in writing to one or more officers of the Company or a Subsidiary the authority of the Committee to grant and determine the terms and conditions of Awards granted under the Plan, subject to the requirements of the provisions of the Companies Act 1981, as amended of Bermuda and the bye-laws of the Company (or any successor provision) or such other limitations as the Committee shall determine. In no event shall any such delegation of authority be permitted with respect to Awards granted to any member of the Board or to any Eligible Person who is subject to Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. The Committee shall also be permitted to delegate, to any appropriate officer or employee of the Company or a Subsidiary, responsibility for performing certain ministerial functions under the Plan. In the event that the Committee’s authority is delegated to officers or employees in accordance with the foregoing, all provisions of the Plan relating to the Committee shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the foregoing by treating any such reference as a reference to such officer or employee for such purpose. Any action undertaken in accordance with the Committee’s delegation of authority hereunder shall have the same force and effect as if such action was undertaken directly by the Committee and shall be deemed for all purposes of the Plan to have been taken by the Committee. |
4.1 | Eligibility. Participants will consist of such Eligible Persons as the Committee in its sole discretion determines and whom the Committee may designate from time to time to receive Awards. In selecting Eligible Persons to be Participants, and in determining the type and amount of Awards to be granted under the Plan, the Committee shall consider any and all factors that it deems relevant or appropriate. Designation of a Participant in any year shall not require the Committee to designate such person to receive an Award in any other year or, once designated, to receive the same type or amount of Award as granted to the Participant in any other year. |
4.2 | Type of Awards. Awards under the Plan may be granted in any one or a combination of: |
5.1 | Number of Shares Available for Awards. |
(a) | General. Subject to adjustment as provided in Article 13 hereof, the maximum number of Shares available for issuance to Participants pursuant to Awards under the Plan shall be 3,575,000 Shares. The number of Shares available for granting Incentive Stock Options under the Plan shall not exceed 3,575,000 Shares, subject to Article 13 hereof. The Shares available for issuance under the Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Shares or treasury Shares. |
(b) | Share Replenishment. Any Shares delivered to the Company as part or full satisfaction of the Option price or grant price of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right or to satisfy the withholding obligation with respect to an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, shall not be available for future Awards (such that, with respect to a Stock Appreciation Right that is settled in Shares, the gross number of Shares pursuant to such Award shall not be available for future Awards). Any Shares delivered to the Company as part or full satisfaction of the purchase price of an Award, other than an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, or to satisfy the withholding obligation with respect to an Award, other than an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, shall again be available for Awards. In the event that any outstanding Award expires, is forfeited, cancelled or otherwise terminated without the issuance of Shares or is otherwise settled for cash, the Shares subject to such Award, to the extent of any such forfeiture, cancellation, expiration, termination or settlement for cash, shall again be available for Awards. If the Committee authorizes the assumption under this Plan, in connection with any merger, amalgamation, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization, of awards granted under another plan, such assumption shall not reduce the maximum number of Shares available for issuance under this Plan. In the event that any outstanding award under the 2009 Plan expires, is forfeited, cancelled |
(c) | Minimum Vesting. The vesting period applicable to all Awards (or any portion of an Award), other than Cash Awards, shall be no less than one year; provided that up to 5% of Shares available for issuance to Participants pursuant to Awards under the Plan may be granted without regard to any minimum vesting period. |
(d) | Awards Granted to Non-Employee Directors. No Non-Employee Director of the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate may be granted, during any Plan Year, Awards having a fair value (determined on the date of grant) that, when added to the cash compensation paid by the Company to the Non-Employee Director during the same Plan Year, exceeds $1,500,000. |
6.1 | Grant of Options. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Options to Eligible Persons. Options may be granted to an Eligible Person to the extent the Company is an “eligible issuer,” as defined in Section 409A, with respect to such person. Options shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. Options shall permit a Participant to purchase from the Company a stated number of Shares at an Option Price established by the Committee, subject to the terms and conditions described in this Article 6 and to such additional terms and conditions, as established by the Committee, in its sole discretion, that are consistent with the provisions of the Plan. Options shall be designated as either Incentive Stock Options or Nonqualified Stock Options. |
6.2 | Option Price. The Option Price shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, but shall not be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant. |
6.3 | Vesting and Exercisability of Options. The Committee shall, in its discretion, prescribe in an Award Agreement the time or times at which or the conditions upon which, an Option or portion thereof shall become vested and/or exercisable, subject to Section 5.1(c). The requirements for vesting and exercisability of an Option may be based on the continued Service of the Participant for a specified time period (or periods), on the attainment of a specified performance goal(s) and/or on such other terms and conditions as approved by the Committee in its discretion. |
6.4 | Option Term. The Committee shall in its discretion prescribe in an Award Agreement the period during which a vested Stock Option may be exercised; provided, however, that the maximum term of a Stock Option shall be ten (10) years from the date of grant. The Committee may provide that a Stock Option will cease to be exercisable upon or at the end of a specified time period following a termination of Service for any reason as set forth in the Award Agreement or otherwise. Subject to Section 409A of the Code and the provisions of this Article 6, the Committee may extend at any time the period in which a Stock Option may be exercised. |
6.5 | Method of Exercise. Subject to such terms and conditions as specified in an Award Agreement, an Option may be exercised for all, or any part, of the Shares for which it is then exercisable at any time during the term thereof by notice in the form required by the Company, together with payment of the aggregate Option Price and applicable tax withholding, pursuant to Section 16.3 of the Plan. For purposes of this Article 6, the exercise date of an Option shall be the later of the date a notice of exercise is received by the Company and, if applicable, the date payment is received by the Company pursuant to clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) in the following sentence (including the applicable tax withholding pursuant to Section 16.3 of the Plan). The aggregate Option Price for the Shares as to which an Option is exercised shall be paid to the Company in full at the time of exercise at the election of the Participant (i) in cash or its equivalent (e.g., by cashier’s check), (ii) to the extent permitted by the Committee, in Shares (whether or not previously owned by the Participant) having a Fair Market Value equal to the aggregate Option Price for the Shares being purchased and satisfying such other requirements as may be imposed by the Committee, (iii) partly in cash and, to the extent permitted by the Committee, partly in such Shares (as described in (ii) above), (iv) to the extent permitted by the Committee, by reducing the number of Shares otherwise deliverable upon the exercise of the Option by the number of Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the Option Price or (v) if there is a public market for the Shares at such time, subject to such requirements as may be imposed by the Committee, through the delivery of irrevocable instructions to a broker to sell Shares obtained upon the exercise of the Option and to deliver promptly to the Company an amount out of the proceeds of such sale equal to the aggregate Option Price for the Shares being purchased. The Committee may prescribe any other method of payment that it determines to be consistent with applicable law and the purpose of the Plan. |
6.6 | Additional Rules for Incentive Stock Options. |
(a) | Eligibility. An Incentive Stock Option shall be interpreted to comply with Section 422 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder. Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to an Eligible Person who is considered an employee for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h) with respect to the Company or any Subsidiary that qualifies as a “subsidiary corporation” with respect to the Company for purposes of Section 424(f) of the Code. |
(b) | Annual Limits. No Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to a Participant as a result of which the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the Date of Grant) of the Shares with respect to which incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code are exercisable for the first time in any calendar year under the Plan and any other stock option plans of the Company or any subsidiary corporation under Section 424(f) of the Code, would exceed $100,000, determined in accordance with Section 422(d) of the Code. This limitation shall be applied by taking Options into account in the order in which granted. Any Option grant that exceeds such limit shall be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option. |
(c) | Additional Limitations. In the case of any Incentive Stock Option granted to an Eligible Person who owns, either directly or indirectly (taking into account the attribution rules contained in Section 424(d) of the Code), shares possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company or any subsidiary corporation under Section 424(f) of the Code, the Option Price shall not be less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant and the maximum term shall be five (5) years. |
(d) | Termination of Service. An Award of an Incentive Stock Option may provide that such Option may be exercised not later than (i) three (3) months following termination of Service of the Participant with the Company and all subsidiary corporations under Section 424(f) of the Code (other than as set forth in clause (ii) of this Section 6.6(d)) or (ii) one year following termination of Service of the Participant with the Company and all subsidiary corporations under Section 424(f) of the Code due to death or permanent and total disability within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, in each case as and to the extent determined by the Committee to comply with the requirements of Section 422 of the Code. |
(e) | Other Terms and Conditions. Any Incentive Stock Option granted hereunder shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as are deemed necessary or desirable by the Committee, which terms, together with the terms of the Plan, shall be intended and interpreted to cause such Incentive Stock Option to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code. An Option that is granted as an Incentive Stock Option shall, to the extent it fails to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under the Code, be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option |
(f) | Disqualifying Dispositions. If Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Stock Option are disposed of within two years following the date of grant or one year following the transfer of such shares to the Participant upon exercise, the Participant shall, promptly following such disposition, notify the Company in writing of the date and terms of such disposition and provide such other information regarding the disposition as the Company may reasonably require. |
6.7 | Repricing Prohibited. Subject to the adjustment provisions contained in Section 13.1 hereof, without the prior approval of the Company’s shareholders, neither the Committee nor the Board shall cancel an Option when the Option Price per share exceeds the Fair Market Value of one Share in exchange for cash or another Award (other than in connection with a Change of Control) or cause the cancellation, substitution or amendment of an Option that would have the effect of reducing the Option Price of such Option previously granted under the Plan or otherwise approve any modification to such Option, that would be treated as a “repricing” under the then applicable rules, regulations or listing requirements adopted by the New York Stock Exchange or other principal exchange on which the Shares are then listed |
6.8 | No Rights as Shareholder. The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to the Shares underlying an Option until such time as Shares are delivered to the Participant pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement. Dividends shall not be paid with respect to Shares subject to an Option and dividend equivalent rights may not be granted with respect to Shares subject to an Option. |
7.1 | Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Stock Appreciation Rights to Eligible Persons, including a grant of Stock Appreciation Rights in tandem with any Option at the same time such Option is granted (a “Tandem SAR”). Stock Appreciation Rights shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall |
7.2 | Grant Price of Stock Appreciation Rights. The grant price of a Stock Appreciation Right shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, but shall not be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant. |
7.3 | Vesting of Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee shall, in its discretion, prescribe in an Award Agreement the time or times at which or the conditions upon which, a Stock Appreciation or portion thereof shall become vested and/or exercisable, subject to Section 5.1(c). The requirements for vesting and exercisability of a Stock Appreciation Right may be based on the continued Service of the Participant for a specified time period (or periods), on the attainment of a specified performance goal(s) and/or on such other terms and conditions as approved by the Committee in its discretion. |
7.4 | Stock Appreciation Right Term. The Committee shall in its discretion prescribe in an Award Agreement the period during which a vested Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised and the methods of exercise or settlement; provided, however, that the maximum term of a Stock Appreciation Right shall be ten (10 years). The Committee may impose such other conditions or restrictions on the exercise of any Stock Appreciation Right as it may deem appropriate. |
7.5 | Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights and Options. A Tandem SAR shall be exercisable only to the extent that the related Option is exercisable and shall expire no later than the expiration of the related Option. Upon the exercise of all or a portion of a Tandem SAR, a Participant shall be required to forfeit the right to purchase an equivalent portion of the related Option (and, when a Share is purchased under the related Option, the Participant shall be required to forfeit an equivalent portion of the Stock Appreciation Right). |
7.6 | Repricing Prohibited. Subject to the adjustment provisions contained in Section 13.1 hereof, without the prior approval of the Company’s shareholders, neither the Committee nor the Board shall cancel a Stock Appreciation Right when the grant price per share exceeds the Fair Market Value of one Share in exchange for cash or another Award (other than in connection with a Change of Control) or cause the cancellation, substitution or amendment of a Stock Appreciation Right that would have the effect of reducing the grant price of such a Stock Appreciation Right previously granted under the Plan or otherwise approve any modification to such Stock Appreciation Right that would be treated as a “repricing” under the then applicable rules, regulations or listing requirements adopted by the New York Stock Exchange or other principal exchange on which the Shares are then listed. |
7.7 | No Rights as Shareholder. The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to the Stock Appreciation Rights or Tandem SARs until such time as Shares are delivered to the Participant pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement. Dividends shall not be paid with respect to a Stock Appreciation Right or Tandem SAR and dividend equivalent rights may not be granted with respect to a Stock Appreciation Right or Tandem SAR. |
8.1 | Grant of Restricted Stock. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Restricted Stock to Eligible Persons. An Award of Restricted Stock is a grant by the Committee of a specified number of Shares to the Participant, which Shares are subject to forfeiture upon the occurrence of specified events. The Committee may require the payment by the Participant of a specified purchase price in connection with any Award of Restricted Stock. Restricted Stock shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, which shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. |
8.2 | Vesting of Restricted Stock Awards. The Committee shall, in its discretion, prescribe in an Award Agreement the period(s) of restriction and the performance, employment or other conditions (including the termination of a Participant’s Service) under which the Restricted Stock may be forfeited to the Company, subject to Section 5.1(c). |
8.3 | Terms of Restricted Stock Awards. Any Restricted Stock granted under the Plan shall be evidenced in such manner as the Committee may deem appropriate, including book-entry registration or issuance of a share certificate or certificates (in which case, the certificate(s) representing such Shares shall be legended as to sale, |
8.4 | Voting and Dividend Rights. The Committee shall determine and set forth in a Participant’s Award Agreement whether or not a Participant holding Restricted Stock granted hereunder shall have the right to exercise voting rights with respect to the Restricted Stock during the Restriction Period (the Committee may require a Participant to grant an irrevocable proxy and power of substitution) and have the right to receive dividends on the Restricted Stock during the Restriction Period (and, if so, on what terms); provided that if a Participant has the right to receive dividends paid with respect to Restricted Stock, such dividends shall be subject to the same vesting terms as the related Restricted Stock. |
8.5 | Section 83(b) Election. If a Participant makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code concerning Restricted Stock, the Participant shall be required to file promptly a copy of such election with the Company. |
9.1 | Grant of Restricted Stock Units. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Restricted Stock Units to Eligible Persons. Restricted Stock Units represent the right to receive Shares or cash, or a combination thereof, at a specified date in the future. Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Committee shall determine. Restricted Stock Units shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. |
9.2 | Vesting of Restricted Stock Units. The Committee shall, in its discretion, prescribe in an award agreement the vesting requirements with respect to Restricted Stock Units, subject to Section 5.1(c). The requirements for vesting of a Restricted Stock Unit may be based on the continued Service of the Participant for a specified time period (or periods) and/or on such other terms and conditions as approved by the Committee (including performance goal(s)). |
9.3 | Payment of Restricted Stock Units. Restricted Stock Units shall become payable to a Participant at the time or times determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement, which may be upon or following the vesting of the Award. Payment of a Restricted Stock Unit may be made, as approved by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement, in cash or in Shares or in a combination thereof. Any cash payment for or in respect of a Restricted Stock Unit shall be made based upon the Fair Market Value of a Share on the payment date. |
9.4 | Dividend Equivalent Rights. Dividends shall not be paid with respect to Restricted Stock Units. Dividend equivalent rights may be granted with respect to the Shares subject to Restricted Stock Units to the extent permitted by the Committee and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement; provided that any dividend equivalent rights granted shall be subject to the same vesting terms as the related Restricted Stock Units. |
9.5 | No Rights as Shareholder. The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to the Shares subject to a Restricted Stock Unit until such time as Shares are delivered to the Participant pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement |
11.1 | Grant of Cash Awards. The committee is hereby authorized to grant Cash Awards to Eligible Persons. Each Cash Award shall be denominated in cash and shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee may determine. The Committee may accelerate the vesting of a Cash Award upon a Change of Control or termination of Service under certain circumstances, as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. |
11.2 | Payment. Payment amounts may be based on the attainment of specified levels of the performance goals, including, if applicable, specified threshold, target and maximum performance levels, and performance falling between such levels. The requirements for payment may be also based upon the continued Service of the Participant with the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate during a specified period and on such other conditions as determined by the Committee and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. |
12.1 | General. The Company intends that any Awards be structured in compliance with, or to satisfy an exemption from, Section 409A of the Code (“Section 409A”), such that there are no adverse tax consequences, interest, or penalties as a result of the Awards. Notwithstanding the Company’s intention, in the event any Award is or may be subject to the taxes and penalties under Section 409A, the Committee may, in its sole discretion and without a Participant’s prior consent, amend the Plan and/or Awards, adopt policies and procedures, or take any other actions (including amendments, policies, procedures and actions with retroactive effect) as are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Plan and/or any Award from the application of Section 409A, (b) preserve the intended tax treatment of any such Award, or (c) comply with the requirements of Section 409A, including without limitation any such regulations guidance, compliance programs and other interpretative authority that may be issued after the date of the grant. |
12.2 | Payments to Specified Employees. Notwithstanding any contrary provision in the Plan or Award Agreement, any payment(s) of nonqualified deferred compensation (within the meaning of Section 409A) that are otherwise required to be made under the Plan to a “specified employee” (as defined under Section 409A) as a result of his or her separation from service (other than a payment that is not subject to Section 409A) shall be delayed for the first six (6) months following such separation from service (or, if earlier, the date of death of the specified employee) and shall instead be paid (in a manner set forth in the Award Agreement) on the payment date that immediately follows the end of such six-month period or as soon as administratively practicable thereafter, and any remaining payments shall be paid or provided in accordance with the normal payment dates specified for them in the Plan or Award Agreement. |
12.3 | Separation from Service. A termination of employment shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement providing for the payment of any amounts or benefits that are considered nonqualified deferred compensation under Section 409A upon or following a termination of employment, unless such termination is also a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A and the payment thereof prior to a “separation from service” would violate Section 409A. For purposes of any such provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement relating to any such payments or benefits, references to a “termination,” “termination of employment” or like terms shall mean “separation from service.” |
12.4 | Section 457A. The Company intends that any Awards be structured in compliance with, or to satisfy an exemption from, Section 457A of the Code (“Section 457A”) and all regulations, guidance, compliance programs and other interpretative authority thereunder, such that there are no adverse tax consequences, interest, or penalties as a result of the payments. Notwithstanding the Company’s intention, in the event any Award is subject to Section 457A, the Committee may, in its sole discretion and without a Participant’s prior consent, amend the Plan and/or Awards, adopt policies and procedures, or take any other actions (including amendments, policies, procedures and actions with retroactive effect) as are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Plan and/or any Award from the application of Section 457A, (b) preserve the intended tax treatment of any such Award, or (c) comply with the requirements of Section 457A, including without limitation any such regulations, guidance, compliance programs and other interpretative authority that may be issued after the date of the grant. |
13.1 | Adjustments in Authorized Shares. In the event of any corporate event or transaction involving the Company, a Subsidiary and/or an Affiliate (including, but not limited to, a change in the Shares of the Company or the capitalization of the Company) such as a merger, amalgamation, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, separation, stock dividend, extraordinary cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split up, spin-off, combination of Shares, exchange of Shares, dividend in kind, amalgamation, or other like change in capital structure (other than normal cash dividends to shareholders of the Company), or any similar corporate event or transaction, the Committee shall, in the manner and to the extent it considers appropriate and equitable to Participants and consistent with the terms of the Plan, cause an adjustment to be made to (i) the maximum number and kind of Shares, units or other securities or property that may be issued under the Plan or under particular forms of Awards, (ii) the number and kind of Shares, units or other rights subject to then outstanding Awards, (iii) the Option Price, grant price or purchase price for each share or unit or other right subject to then outstanding Awards, (iv) other value determinations applicable to the Plan and/or outstanding Awards, and (v) any other terms of an Award that are affected by the event. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of Incentive Stock Options, any such adjustments shall, to the extent practicable, be made in a manner consistent with the requirements of Section 424(a) of the Code, unless otherwise determined by the Committee. |
13.2 | Change of Control. Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control after the Effective Date, unless otherwise specifically prohibited under applicable laws or by the applicable rules and regulations of any governing governmental agencies or national securities exchanges, or unless the Committee shall determine otherwise in the Award Agreement, the Committee is authorized (but not obligated) to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of outstanding Awards, including without limitation the following (or any combination thereof): (i) continuation or assumption of such outstanding Awards under the Plan by the Company (if it is the surviving company or corporation) or by the surviving company or corporation or its parent; (ii) substitution by the surviving company or corporation or its parent of Awards with substantially the same terms for such outstanding Awards; (iii) accelerated exercisability, vesting and/or lapse of restrictions under outstanding Awards immediately prior to the occurrence of such event; (iv) upon written notice, provide that any outstanding Awards must be exercised, to the extent then exercisable, during a reasonable period of time immediately prior to the scheduled consummation of the event, or such other period as determined by the Committee (contingent upon the consummation of the event), and at the end of such period, such Awards shall terminate to the extent not so exercised within the relevant period; and (v) cancellation of all or any portion of outstanding Awards for fair value (as determined in the sole discretion of the Committee and which may be zero) which, in the case of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights or similar Awards, may equal the excess, if any, of the value of the consideration to be paid in the Change of Control transaction to holders of the same number of Shares subject to such Awards (or, if no such consideration is paid, Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to such outstanding Awards or portion thereof being canceled) over the aggregate Option Price or grant price, as applicable, with respect to such Awards or portion thereof being canceled, or if no such excess, zero; provided further, that if any payments or other consideration payable to holders of Shares are deferred and/or contingent as a result of escrows, earn outs, holdbacks or any other contingencies, payments under this provision may be made subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to the holders of Shares generally in connection with the Change of Control. |
14.1 | General. The Committee may specify in an Award Agreement at the time of the Award that the Participant’s rights, payments and benefits with respect to an Award are subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Such events may include, without limitation, termination of Service for Cause, violation of material Company policies, breach of noncompetition, non-solicitation, confidentiality or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Participant or other conduct by the Participant that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company. |
14.2 | Termination for Cause. |
(a) | Treatment of Awards. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee and set forth in an Award Agreement, if (i) a Participant’s Service with the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate shall be terminated for Cause or (ii) after termination of Service for any other reason, the Committee determines in its discretion either that, (1) during the Participant’s period of Service, the Participant engaged in an act which would have warranted termination of Service for Cause or (2) after termination, the Participant engaged in conduct that violated any continuing obligation or duty of the Participant in respect of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, such Participant’s rights, payments and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to cancellation, forfeiture |
(b) | Definition of Cause. Unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, “Cause” shall mean: (i) fraud, embezzlement, gross insubordination on the part of the Participant or any act of moral turpitude or misconduct (which misconduct adversely affects the business or reputation of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate) by the Participant; (ii) conviction of, or the entry of a plea of nolo contendere by, the Participant for any felony; or (iii) a material breach of, or the willful failure or refusal by the Participant to perform and discharge, his duties, responsibilities or obligations under any Agreement with the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate and any other agreement relating to the Participant’s provision of Service to the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate. |
14.3 | Accounting Restatement. If a Participant receives compensation pursuant to an Award under the Plan based on financial statements that are subsequently required to be restated in a way that would decrease the value of such compensation, the Participant will, to the extent not otherwise prohibited by law, upon the written request of the Company, forfeit and repay to the Company the difference between what the Participant received and what the Participant should have received based on the accounting restatement, in accordance with (i) the Company’s compensation recovery, “clawback” or similar policy, as may be in effect from time to time and (ii) any compensation recovery, “clawback” or similar policy made applicable by law including the provisions of Section 945 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the rules, regulations and requirements adopted thereunder by the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any national securities exchange on which the Company’s equity securities may be listed (the “Policy”). By accepting an Award hereunder, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Policy, whenever adopted, shall apply to such Award, and all incentive-based compensation payable pursuant to such Award shall be subject to forfeiture and repayment pursuant to the terms of the Policy. |
15.1 | Duration of the Plan. Unless sooner terminated as provided in Section 15.2, the Plan shall terminate on the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Effective Date. |
15.2 | Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination of Plan. The Committee may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate (for purposes of this Section 15.2, an “Action”) the Plan or any portion thereof or any Award (or Award Agreement) thereunder at any time; provided that no such Action shall be made, other than as permitted under Article 12 or 13, (i) without shareholder approval (A) if such approval is necessary to comply with any tax (e.g. with respect to Incentive Stock Options) or regulatory requirement applicable to the Plan or (B) if such Action requires shareholder approval under applicable stock exchange requirements, and (ii) without the written consent of the affected Participant, if such Action would materially diminish the rights of any Participant under any Award theretofore granted to such Participant under the Plan; provided, however, that the Committee may amend the Plan, any Award or any Award Agreement without such consent of the Participant in such manner as it deems necessary to comply with applicable laws. |
16.1 | No Right to Service. The granting of an Award under the Plan shall impose no obligation on the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate to continue the Service of a Participant and shall not lessen or affect any right that the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate may have to terminate the Service of such Participant. No Participant or other Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award. |
16.2 | Settlement of Awards; Fractional Shares. Each Award Agreement shall establish the form in which the Award shall be settled. The Committee shall determine whether cash, Awards, other securities or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall be rounded, forfeited or otherwise eliminated. |
16.3 | Tax Withholding. The Company shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold automatically from any amount deliverable under the Award or otherwise, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, the minimum statutory amount (or the maximum or other rate as determined by the Committee in an Award Agreement or otherwise) to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes, domestic or foreign, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result of the Plan. With respect to required withholding, Participants may elect (subject to the Company’s automatic withholding right set out above), subject to the approval of the Committee, to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the Company withhold Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be determined equal to the minimum statutory (or the maximum or other rate as determined by the Committee in an Award Agreement or otherwise) total tax that could be imposed on the transaction. |
16.4 | No Guarantees Regarding Tax Treatment. Participants (or their beneficiaries) shall be responsible for all taxes with respect to any Awards under the Plan. The Committee and the Company make no guarantees to any Person regarding the tax treatment of Awards or payments made under the Plan. Neither the Committee nor the Company has any obligation to take any action to prevent the assessment of any tax on any Person with respect to any Award under Section 409A of the Code or Section 457A of the Code or otherwise and none of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, or any of their employees or representatives shall have any liability to a Participant with respect thereto. |
16.5 | Non-Transferability of Awards. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, an Award shall not be transferable or assignable by the Participant except in the event of his death (subject to the applicable laws of descent and distribution) and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate. No transfer shall be permitted for value or consideration. An award exercisable after the death of a Participant may be exercised by the legatees, personal representatives or distributees of the Participant. Any permitted transfer of the Awards to heirs or legatees of the Participant shall not be effective to bind the Company unless the Committee shall have been furnished with written notice thereof and a copy of such evidence as the Committee may deem necessary to establish the validity of the transfer and the acceptance by the transferee or transferees of the terms and conditions hereof. |
16.6 | Conditions and Restrictions on Shares. The Committee may impose such other conditions or restrictions on any Shares received in connection with an Award as it may deem advisable or desirable. These restrictions may include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that the Participant hold the Shares received for a specified period of time or a requirement that a Participant represent and warrant in writing that the Participant is acquiring the Shares for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares. The certificates for Shares may include any legend which the Committee deems appropriate to reflect any conditions and restrictions applicable to such Shares. |
16.7 | Compliance with Law. The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies, or any stock exchanges on which the Shares are admitted to trading or listed, as may be required. The Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver evidence of title for Shares issued under the Plan prior to: |
(a) | Obtaining any approvals from governmental agencies that the Company determines are necessary or advisable; and |
(b) | Completion of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any applicable national, state or foreign law or ruling of any governmental body that the Company determines to be necessary or advisable. |
16.8 | Awards to Non-U.S. Employees or Directors. To comply with the laws in countries other than the United States in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates operates or has Employees or Directors, the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to: |
(a) | Determine which Subsidiaries or Affiliates shall be covered by the Plan; |
(b) | Determine which Eligible Persons outside the United States are eligible to participate in the Plan; |
(c) | Modify the terms and conditions of any Award granted to Eligible Persons outside the United States to comply with applicable foreign laws; |
(d) | Take any action, before or after an Award is made, that it deems advisable to obtain approval or comply with any necessary local government regulatory exemptions or approvals; and |
(e) | Establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures, to the extent such actions may be necessary or advisable. Any subplans and modifications to Plan terms and procedures established under this Section 16.8 by the Committee shall be appendices of the Plan. |
16.9 | Rights as a Shareholder. Except as otherwise provided herein or in the applicable Award Agreement, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a shareholder with respect to Shares covered by any Award until the Participant becomes the record holder of such Shares. |
16.10 | Trading Policy and Other Restrictions. Transactions involving Awards under the Plan shall be subject to the Company’s Code for Securities Transactions and other restrictions, terms and conditions, to the extent established by the Committee or by applicable law, including any other applicable policies set by the Committee, from time to time |
16.11 | Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, or as to any Person or Award, or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Committee, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Committee, materially altering the intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction, Person, or Award, and the remainder of the Plan and any such Award shall remain in full force and effect. |
16.12 | Unfunded Plan. Participants shall have no right, title, or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates may make to aid it in meeting its obligations under the Plan. Nothing contained in the Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant, beneficiary, legal representative, or any other Person. To the extent that any Person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company under the Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company. All payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general funds of the Company and no special or separate fund shall be established and no segregation of assets shall be made to assure payment of such amounts. The Plan is not subject to the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time. |
16.13 | No Constraint on Corporate Action. Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to (a) limit, impair, or otherwise affect the Company’s right or power to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, or changes of its capital or business structure, or to merge or consolidate, or dissolve, liquidate, sell, or transfer all or any part of its business or assets, or (b) limit the right or power of the Company to take any action which such entity deems to be necessary or appropriate. |
16.14 | Successors. 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, amalgamation, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company. |
16.15 | Governing Law. The Plan and each Award Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation |
16.16 | Waiver of Certain Claims. By participating in the Plan, the Participant waives all and any rights to compensation or damages in consequence of the termination of his or her office or Service with the Company, any Subsidiary or Affiliate for any reason whatsoever, whether lawfully or otherwise, insofar as those rights arise or may arise from his or her ceasing to have rights under the Plan as a result of such termination, or from the loss or diminution in value of such rights or entitlements, including by reason of the operation of the terms of the Plan, any determination by the Board or Committee pursuant to a discretion contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement or the provisions of any statute or law relating to taxation. |
16.17 | Data Protection. By participating in the Plan, the Participant consents to the collection, processing, transmission and storage by the Company in any form whatsoever, of any data of a professional or personal nature which is necessary for the purposes of introducing and administering the Plan. The Company may share such information with any Subsidiary or Affiliate, the trustee of any employee benefit trust, its registrars, trustees, brokers, other third party administrator or any Person who obtains control of the Company or acquires the company, undertaking or part-undertaking which employs the Participant, wherever situated. |
16.18 | Effective Date. The Plan shall be effective as of the date of adoption by the Board, which date is set forth below (the “Effective Date”). |
16.19 | Shareholder Approval. The Plan will be submitted for approval by the shareholders of the Company at an annual meeting or any special meeting of shareholders of the Company within twelve (12) months of the Effective Date. Any Awards granted under the Plan prior to such approval of shareholders shall be effective as of the date of grant, but no such Award may be exercised or settled and no restrictions relating to any Award may lapse prior to such shareholder approval, and if shareholders fail to approve the Plan as specified hereunder, the Plan and any Award shall be terminated and cancelled without consideration. |
1 | DEFINITIONS |
1.1 | In this Scheme, the following words and expressions shall have, where the context so admits, the meanings set forth below: |
(A) | the Company; and |
(B) | any other company which is under the Control of the Company, is a Subsidiary of the Company and which has been expressly designated by the Board as being a Constituent Company; |
(A) | is an employee of a Constituent Company or is an executive director of a Constituent Company who is required to devote more than 25 hours per week (excluding meal breaks) to his duties; and |
(B) | whose earnings from the office or employment within (A) are (or would be if there were any) general earnings to which section 15 of ITEPA (Earnings for year when employee UK resident) applies; and |
(C) | has been an employee or executive director of a Constituent Company within Paragraph (A) above at all times during the Qualifying Period; |
(A) | the day immediately following the day on which the Company makes an announcement of its results for the last preceding financial year, half-year or other period; |
(B) | the day following the end of any Blackout Period to any Designated Person, as set forth (and each as defined) in the Code for Securities Transactions; or |
(C) | any day on which the Board resolves in its discretion that exceptional circumstances exist which justify the grant of Options, provided that invitations to apply for Options must not be issued at any time if it |
(A) | its market value determined in accordance with Part VIII of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 and any relevant published HMRC guidance (but, when shares are subject to a Restriction, determined on the basis that no such Restriction applies); and |
(B) | subject to (A) above, if and so long as the Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, its middle market quotation as derived from the New York Stock Exchange Listings Directory; |
(A) | such maximum monthly contribution as may be permitted pursuant to Paragraph 25 of Schedule 3 to ITEPA; or |
(B) | such maximum monthly contribution as may be determined from time to time by the Board in accordance with Rule 2.1(d); |
(A) | 80 per cent. of the Market Value of a Share on the Dealing Day immediately preceding the Date of Invitation (or, if the Grantor so determines, 80 per cent. of the average of the Market Values on the three Dealing Days immediately preceding the Date of Invitation or 80 per cent. of the Market Value at such other time or times as may be previously agreed in writing with HMRC); and |
(B) | if Shares are to be newly issued to satisfy the exercise of the Option, their nominal value, |
1.2 | Words and expressions not otherwise defined herein have the same meaning they have in ITEPA. |
1.3 | References to “Rules” are to the rules of the Scheme. |
1.4 | The headings in the Rules of the Scheme are for the sake of convenience only and should be ignored when construing the Rules. |
1.5 | Where the context so admits or requires, words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa and words importing the masculine shall include the feminine and vice versa. |
1.6 | References in the Rules of the Scheme to any statutory provisions are to those provisions as amended, extended or re-enacted from time to time and shall include any regulations made thereunder. The Interpretation Act 1978 shall apply to these Rules mutatis mutandis as if they were an Act of Parliament. |
1.7 | Any reference to writing or written form shall include any legible format capable of being reproduced on paper, irrespective of the medium used. |
1.8 | A reference to the Scheme or to any other agreement or document referred to in the Scheme is a reference to the Scheme or such other agreement or document as varied or novated (in each case, other than in breach of the provisions of the Scheme) from time to time. |
1.9 | Any words following the terms including, include, in particular, for example or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those terms. |
2 | Board Decisions regarding issues of invitations |
2.1 | On each occasion that the Board decides to issue invitations to apply for Options, the Board must also decide: |
(a) | whether or not Repaid Amounts will be taken to include a Relevant Bonus; |
(b) | whether to invite applications for three-year Options or five-year Options (or Options of such other standard periods as may then be available under the HM Treasury specifications for certified savings arrangements), or to offer a choice between those Option periods; |
(c) | the minimum monthly contribution to be made under a Savings Contract linked to any Option granted as a result of the invitations, such minimum to be between £5 and £10 (or any other minimum or maximum amounts specified in the HM Treasury specifications or Schedule 3 to ITEPA from time to time); |
(d) | the maximum monthly contribution to be made under a Savings Contract linked to any Option granted as a result of the invitations, such contribution to be equal to or less than £500 per month (or any other maximum amount specified in the HM Treasury specifications or Schedule 3 to ITEPA from time to time); |
(e) | the maximum number (if any) of Shares over which Options may be granted on this occasion; and |
(f) | the minimum qualifying period of service (if any) with a Constituent Company which applies for the purposes of determining who is an Eligible Employee. This may not be longer than five years (or such other maximum period then specified in Paragraph 6(2)(b) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA). |
3 | Invitations for Options |
3.1 | The Grantor may, during any Invitation Period which falls wholly after the Adoption Date and before the tenth anniversary of the Adoption Date, invite applications for Options at the Option Price from Eligible Employees. |
3.2 | Invitations must be in a form approved by the Board, must be sent to all Eligible Employees, and may be made by letter, poster, circular, advertisement, electronically or by any other written means or combination of means determined by the Board. |
3.3 | Invitations shall: |
(a) | incorporate or be accompanied by a proposal for a Savings Contract; |
(b) | include a statement that each invitation is subject to these Rules, and that the provisions of these Rules will prevail over any conflicting statement; |
(c) | specify the Minimum Contribution; |
(d) | specify the Maximum Contribution; |
(e) | specify either the Option Price or the basis for determining the Option Price (such basis being consistent with the definition of Option Price); |
(f) | specify (if any) the maximum number of Shares over which Options are to be granted pursuant to invitations issued on that occasion, and if there is such a limit, that applications will be scaled down in accordance with Rule 5 if applications are received in excess of that limit; |
(g) | specify the Qualifying Period (if any); |
(h) | specify whether applications may be made for three-year Options or five-year Options (or Options of such other standard periods as may then be available under the HM Treasury savings arrangements specifications) or whether there is a choice between those Option periods; |
(i) | specify whether Repaid Amounts will be taken to include any Relevant Bonus and, to the extent that this is the case, whether or in what circumstances the Relevant Bonus so included will constitute the Standard Bonus or the Lower Bonus; and |
(j) | specify that, to be considered for the grant of Options, completed applications must be received by the Board (or any person nominated to receive applications on behalf of the Board) by 11:59pm on the day falling not less than 14 days nor more than 25 days after the Date of Invitation. |
3.4 | Any accidental failure or omission to deliver an invitation to any Eligible Employee will not invalidate the grant of Options. |
4 | APPLICATION FOR OPTIONS |
4.1 | Each application for an Option shall be in such form as the Board may from time to time prescribe, and must: |
(a) | state the period of the Option applied for; |
(b) | incorporate or be accompanied by a completed application form to enter into a Savings Contract, in which the applicant agrees to make the Monthly Contributions, and the amount of such Monthly Contributions (being a multiple of £1 and not less than the Minimum Contribution); |
(c) | state that the applicant’s proposed Monthly Contributions (when taken together with any monthly contribution he makes under any other savings contract linked to a Schedule 3 SAYE option scheme) will not exceed the Maximum Contribution; and |
(d) | include the applicant’s agreement to be bound by the terms of the Scheme, and state that the provisions of these Rules will prevail over any conflicting statement. |
4.2 | Each application shall be deemed to be for an Option over the largest whole number of Shares which can be acquired at the Option Price with the expected Repaid Amount (including, where the Board so allows, any Relevant Bonus) under the related Savings Contract, and each application under this Rule 4 will be treated as being for an Option over the largest whole number of Shares that can be acquired at the relevant Exercise Price with the expected Repaid Amount under the related Savings Contract. |
5 | SCALING DOWN |
5.1 | If valid applications are received for a total number of Options over Shares in excess of any maximum number of Shares determined by the Grantor pursuant to Rule 2.1(e) or any limitation under Rule 7, the Grantor shall (or, where applicable, any Trustee, provided the Board has given its prior written approval) scale down applications by taking, at its absolute discretion, the following successive steps until the number of Shares available equals or exceeds the reduced number of Shares applied for (provided always that in reducing the number of Shares in respect of which Options have been applied for, any adjustments shall ensure that an Eligible Employee's Monthly Contribution remains a multiple of £1): |
(a) | first, if Repaid Amounts were intended to be taken to include a Relevant Bonus, by treating each application as an application for an Option under which Repaid Amounts will not be taken to include a Relevant Bonus; then |
(b) | so far as necessary, by reducing the proposed Monthly Contributions pro rata to the excess over £50; then |
(c) | so far as necessary, by reducing the proposed Monthly Contributions pro rata to the excess over the Minimum Contribution and then, so far as necessary, selecting by lot. |
5.2 | If the number of Shares available is insufficient to enable an Option based on Monthly Contributions of the amount of the Minimum Contribution to be granted to each Eligible Employee making a valid application, the Grantor may, as an alternative to selecting by lot, determine in its absolute discretion that no Options shall be granted. |
5.3 | If the Board so determines, the provisions in Rules 5.1(a), 5.1(b) and 5.1(c) may be modified or applied in any manner that does not breach any of the provisions of Schedule 3 to ITEPA. |
5.4 | If in applying the scaling down provisions contained in this Rule 5, Options cannot be granted within the 30 day period referred to in Rule 6.3 below, the Grantor may extend that period by up to 12 days, regardless of the expiry of the relevant period specified in Rule 6.3. |
6 | GRANT OF OPTIONS |
6.1 | No Option shall be granted to any person if at the Date of Grant that person is not or will have ceased to be an Eligible Employee. |
6.2 | The Board shall ensure that the question as to whether the Repaid Amounts are to be taken as including any Relevant Bonus will be determined at the Date of Grant. |
6.3 | Within 30 days of the first Dealing Day (if any) by reference to which the Option Price was fixed (which date shall be within an Invitation Period) the Grantor (in the case of the Grantor being the Trustee, only with the prior written approval of the Board) must, subject to Rules 5.4 and 6.1 above, grant to each Eligible Employee who has submitted a valid application an Option, and subject to Rules 5 and 7, that Option must be in respect of the number of Shares for which the applicant has applied pursuant to Rule 4. |
6.4 | The Grantor shall issue to each Participant an option certificate in such form (not inconsistent with the provisions of the Scheme) as the Board may from time to time prescribe. Each such certificate shall specify: |
(a) | the Date of Grant of the Option; |
(b) | the number of Shares over which the Option is granted; |
(c) | the Option Price; |
(d) | that the Option may be exercised from the Bonus Date of the Savings Contract linked to the Option, unless the Option lapses or becomes exercisable under these Rules before that date; |
(e) | whether the Shares over which the Option is granted are subject to a Restriction and, if so, the details of such Restriction; and |
(f) | a statement that the Option is subject to these Rules, and that the provisions of these Rules shall prevail over any conflicting statement relating to the Option’s terms. |
6.5 | Except as otherwise provided in Rule 8.2 or as otherwise permitted pursuant to Schedule 3 to ITEPA, every Option shall be personal to the Participant to whom it is granted and shall not be transferable. |
6.6 | No amount shall be paid in respect of the grant of an Option. |
6.7 | The grant and the exercise of an Option shall be subject to obtaining any approval or consent required under any applicable laws, regulations of any governmental authority and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and any other securities exchange on which the Shares are traded, and in particular, Options must not be granted at any time when the grant is prohibited by, or in breach of: |
(a) | insofar as applicable, the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the Code for Securities Transactions or any other law or regulation with the force of law, including but not limited to the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the regulations and requirements adopted thereunder by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the “US Securities Laws”); or |
(b) | any rule of any investment exchange on which Shares are listed or traded, or any non-statutory rule with a purpose similar to any part of the Market Abuse Regulation that binds the Company or with which the Board has resolved to comply. |
7 | NUMBER OF SHARES IN RESPECT OF WHICH OPTIONS MAY BE GRANTED |
7.1 | The number of Shares which may be allocated under the Scheme (including any Sub-Plan established pursuant to Rule 14.7) on any day shall not exceed one million and shall not, when added to the aggregate of the number of Shares which have been allocated in the previous 10 years under the Scheme and under any other Employees' Share Scheme adopted by the Company or any Subsidiary, exceed such number as represents 10 per cent. of the common share capital of the Company in issue immediately prior to that day. |
7.2 | In determining the above limits (i) any Shares issued or which may be issued to satisfy any Options granted by the trustees of any employee benefit trust established by the Company or any Subsidiary shall be regarded as |
7.3 | References in this Rule to the “allocation” of Shares shall mean, in the case of any share option scheme, the placing of unissued shares under option and, in relation to other types of Employees' Share Scheme, shall mean the issue and allotment of shares. |
7.4 | References to the issue and allotment of Shares shall include the transfer of Shares from treasury, but only until such time as the guidelines issued by institutional investor bodies cease to provide that they need to be so included. |
8 | RIGHTS OF EXERCISE AND LAPSE OF OPTIONS |
8.1 | (a) Save as provided in Rules 8.2, 8.3 and 9, an Option may not be exercised earlier than the Bonus Date under the relevant Savings Contract. |
8.2 | An Option may be exercised by the personal representatives of a deceased Participant at any time: |
(a) | within 12 months following the date of the Participant’s death, if such death occurs before the Bonus Date; or |
(b) | within 12 months following the Bonus Date in the event of his death on or within six months after the Bonus Date. |
8.3 | Subject to Rule 8.1(b) an Option may be exercised by a Participant within six months following his ceasing to hold the office or employment by virtue of which he is eligible to participate in the Scheme by reason of: |
(a) | injury, disability, redundancy within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act 1996 or the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, or retirement; or |
(b) | his office or employment being in a company which ceases to be an Associated Company by reason of change of control within the meaning of Sections 450 and 451 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010; or |
(c) | a relevant transfer within the meaning of TUPE; or |
(d) | the transfer or sale of the undertaking or part-undertaking in which he is employed to a person who is neither an Associated Company nor a company under the Control of the Company where the transfer is not a relevant transfer within the meaning of TUPE; or |
(e) | cessation of employment in circumstances other than those mentioned in 8.3(a) to 8.3(d) above, provided that the Option was granted to the Participant before the date which falls three years prior to the relevant date of cessation of employment. |
8.4 | An Option may not be exercised when exercise is prohibited by or in breach of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the Code for Securities Transactions or any other law or regulation with the force of law, including but not limited to the US Securities Laws. |
8.5 | No person shall be treated for the purposes of Rule 8.3 as ceasing to hold an office or employment by virtue of which that person is eligible to participate in the Scheme until that person ceases to hold any office or employment in the Company or any Associated Company. |
8.6 | Options shall lapse upon the occurrence of the earliest of the following events: |
(a) | subject to 8.6(b) below, 6 months after the Bonus Date; |
(b) | where the Participant dies before the Bonus Date, 12 months after the date of death, and where the Participant dies on or in the period of 6 months after the Bonus Date, 12 months after the Bonus Date; |
(c) | the expiry of any of the 6 month periods specified in Rule 8.3(a) to 8.3(e) save that if at the time any such applicable periods expire time is running under the 12 month periods specified in Rule 8.2, the Option shall not lapse by reason of this sub Rule 8.6(c) until the expiry of the relevant 12 month period in Rule 8.2; |
(d) | subject to 8.6(b) above, the expiry of any of the periods specified in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 and 9.5 save where an Option is released in consideration of the grant of a New Option (during one of the periods specified in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5) pursuant to Rule 9.9; |
(e) | the Participant ceasing to hold an office or employment with the Company or any Associated Company in any circumstances other than: |
(i) | where the cessation of office or employment arises on any of the grounds specified in Rules 8.2 or 8.3; or |
(ii) | where the cessation of office or employment arises on any ground whatsoever during any of the periods specified in Rule 9 save where an Option is released in consideration of the grant of a New Option (during one of the periods specified in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 pursuant to Rule 9.9); |
(f) | the passing of an effective resolution, or the making of an order by the Court, for the winding-up of the Company; |
(g) | the Participant being deprived of the legal or beneficial ownership of the Option by operation of law, or doing anything or omitting to do anything which causes him to be so deprived or declared bankrupt; or |
(h) | where before an Option has become capable of being exercised, the Participant gives notice that he intends to stop paying Monthly Contributions, or is deemed under the terms of the Savings Contract to have given such notice, or makes an application for repayment of the Monthly Contributions. |
9 | TAKEOVER, RECONSTRUCTIONS AND WINDING UP |
9.1 | Subject to Rule 9.3 below, if any person obtains Control of the Company as a result of making, either: |
(a) | a general offer to acquire the whole of the issued common share capital of the Company (other than any share capital already held by the person making the offer or any person connected with that person) which is made on a condition such that if it is satisfied the person making the offer will have Control of the Company; or |
(b) | a general offer to acquire all the shares in the Company which are of the same class as the Shares (except for any shares already held by the person making the offer or a person connected with that person), |
9.2 | For the purpose of this Rule 9, a person shall be treated as obtaining Control of the Company if that person and others acting in concert with that person have together obtained Control of it. |
9.3 | If any person becomes bound or entitled to acquire Shares under Chapter 3 of Part 28 of the UK Companies Act 2006 (or, solely to the extent permissible under Schedule 3 to ITEPA, any equivalent provisions of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda) an Option may be exercised during the period in which such person is and remains so bound or entitled. |
9.4 | If it is proposed that the court sanctions under section 899 of the Companies Act 2006 (Court sanction for compromise or arrangement) (or, solely to the extent permissible under Schedule 3 to ITEPA, any equivalent provisions of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda) a compromise or arrangement applicable to or affecting: |
(a) | all of the ordinary share capital of the Company or all of the shares of the same class as the Shares to which the Option relates; or |
(b) | all of the shares, or all of the shares of that same class, which are held by a class of shareholders identified otherwise than by reference to their employment or directorships or their participation in the Scheme or any other Schedule 3 SAYE, |
9.5 | If shareholders of the Company become bound by a non-UK reorganisation arrangement (as defined in Paragraph 47A of Schedule 3 to ITEPA) that is applicable to or affects: |
(a) | all the ordinary share capital of the Company or all the shares of the same class as the Shares; or |
(b) | all the shares, or all the shares of that same class, which are held by a class of shareholders identified otherwise than by reference to their employments or directorships or their participation in the Scheme or any other Schedule 3 SAYE, |
9.6 | If, as a result of the occurrence of a change of Control in the circumstances set out in Rule 9.1, or as a result of any change of Control which arises as a result of any of the circumstances set out in Rules 9.3, 9.4 (other than a resolution for a voluntary winding up of the Company) or 9.5, Shares will no longer satisfy the requirements of Part 4 of Schedule 3 to ITEPA, Options may be exercised within the period of 20 days following the change of Control. |
9.7 | If the Board reasonably expects that any of the events set out in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 will occur, the Board may make arrangements permitting Options to be exercised during a period of 20 days ending with the occurrence of such event. If an Option is exercised under this Rule 9.7, it will be treated as having been exercised in accordance with Rule 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 (as applicable). |
9.8 | If the Board makes arrangements for the exercise of Options under Rule 9.7, if the relevant event as set out in Rule 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 (as applicable) does not occur within 20 days of the purported exercise, the Options shall be treated as not having been exercised, and the purported exercise shall be treated as having had no effect. |
9.9 | If Options become exercisable pursuant to Rules 9.1 or 9.3 above, or any person obtains control of the Company pursuant to 9.4 or 9.5 above, any Participant may at any time within the Appropriate Period, by agreement with the acquiring company, release any Option which has not lapsed (the “Old Option”) in consideration of the grant to him of an Option (the “New Option”) which (for the purposes of Paragraph 39 of Schedule 3 to ITEPA) is equivalent to the Old Option but relates to shares in a different company (whether the company which has obtained Control of the Company itself or some other company falling within Paragraph 18(b) or (c) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA). |
9.10 | The New Option shall not be regarded for the purposes of Rule 9.9 as equivalent to the Old Option unless the conditions set out in Paragraph 39(4) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA are satisfied. Where the provisions of Rule 9.9 apply the provisions of the Scheme shall for this purpose be construed as if: |
(a) | the New Option were an option granted under the Scheme at the same time as the Old Option; |
(b) | except for the purpose of the definition of “Constituent Company” in Rule 1, the reference to Signet Jewelers Limited in the definition of “the Company” in Rule 1 were a reference to the different company mentioned in Rule 9.9; and |
(c) | references to the Shares were references to the shares subject to the New Options. |
9.11 | The acquiring company must issue (or procure the issue of) an option certificate for each New Option as soon as reasonably practicable. |
10 | MANNER OF EXERCISE |
10.1 | An Option may only be exercised during the periods specified in Rules 8 and 9, and only with monies not exceeding the amount of repayments (including any interest and Relevant Bonus) made under the Savings Contract as at the date of such exercise, and that are, or are derived from, such repayments. For this purpose, no account shall be taken of such part (if any) of the repayment of any Monthly Contribution, the due date for the payment of which under the Savings Contract arises after the date of the repayment. |
10.2 | Exercise shall be by the delivery to the Company Secretary as agent for the Grantor (or its duly appointed agent), of: |
(a) | a duly completed notice of exercise (in the form prescribed by the Board) and signed by the Participant (or the Participant’s duly authorised agent), which sets out the number of Shares over which the Participant wishes to exercise the Option; and |
(b) | either: (i) any remittance for the Exercise Price payable to the Company (being comprised solely of monies referred to in Rule 10.1); or (ii) authority to the Company authorising it to withdraw and apply monies from the Savings Contract to acquire the Shares over which the Option is to be exercised on behalf of the relevant Participant. |
10.3 | The effective date of exercise shall be the date of delivery of the notice of exercise together with any remittance or authority referred to in Rule 10.2. For the purposes of this Scheme a notice of exercise shall be deemed to be delivered when it is received by the Company. |
10.4 | Any exercise notice will be invalid to the extent that it is inconsistent with the Participant’s rights and obligations under these Rules and the relevant Options. |
10.5 | The Company may permit a Participant to correct any defect in an exercise notice, but is not obliged to do so. The date of any corrected exercise notice will be the date of the correction. |
10.6 | Shares transferred in satisfaction of the exercise of an Option must be transferred free of any lien, charge or other security interest, and with all rights attaching to them, other than any rights determined by reference to a date before the date of the transfer. |
11 | ISSUE OR TRANSFER OF SHARES |
11.1 | Subject to Rule 11.3, Shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option shall be allotted to the Participant (or his nominee) within 30 days following the date of effective exercise of the Option. |
11.2 | Subject to Rule 11.3, the Grantor shall procure the transfer of any Shares to be transferred to a Participant (or his nominee) pursuant to the exercise of an Option within 30 days following the date of effective exercise of the Option. |
11.3 | The allotment or transfer of any Shares under the Scheme shall be subject to obtaining any such approval or consent as is mentioned in Rule 6.7 above. |
11.4 | Shares issued pursuant to the Scheme shall rank pari passu in all respects with the Shares then in issue, except that they shall not rank for any rights attaching to Shares by reference to a record date preceding the date of allotment. |
11.5 | Shares transferred pursuant to the Scheme shall not be entitled to any rights attaching to Shares by reference to a record date preceding the date of transfer. |
11.6 | If and so long as the Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange or are admitted to trading on any stock exchange, stock market or other recognised exchange (the “Relevant Exchange”), the Company shall apply for any Shares issued pursuant to the Scheme to be admitted to listing on the Relevant Exchange, as soon as practicable after the allotment thereof. |
11.7 | Any requirements under this Rule 11 to issue, allot, transfer or procure the transfer of any Shares may be met by the transfer of Shares held as Treasury Shares. |
12 | ADJUSTMENTS |
12.1 | The number or description of Shares over which an Option is granted and/or the Option Price thereof (and where an Option has been exercised but no Shares have been allotted or transferred pursuant to such exercise, the number of Shares which may be so allotted or transferred and/or the price at which they may be acquired) may be adjusted in such manner as the Board shall determine following any capitalisation issue, any offer or invitation made by way of rights, subdivision, consolidation, reduction or other variation in the share capital of the Company (other than as consideration for an acquisition). Any adjustment made must secure that: |
(a) | the total Market Value of the Shares which may be acquired by the exercise of the Option is immediately after the variation substantially the same as it was immediately before the variation or variations; and |
(b) | the total price at which those Shares may be acquired is immediately after the variation substantially the same as it was immediately before the variation or variations, |
12.2 | Apart from pursuant to this Rule 12.2, no adjustment under Rule 12.1 above may have the effect of reducing the Option Price to less than the nominal value of a Share. Where an Option subsists over both issued and unissued Shares any such adjustment may only be made if the reduction of the Option Price of Options over both issued and unissued Shares can be made to the same extent. Any adjustment made to the Option Price of Options over unissued Shares shall only be made if and to the extent that the Board shall be authorised to capitalise from the reserves of the Company a sum equal to the amount by which the nominal value of the Shares in respect of which the Option is exercisable exceeds the adjusted Exercise Price and to apply such sum in paying up such amount on such Shares so that on exercise of any Option in respect of which such a reduction shall have been made the Board shall capitalise such sum (if any) and apply the same in paying up such amount as aforesaid. |
12.3 | The Grantor may take such steps as it may consider necessary to notify Participants of any adjustment made under this Rule 12 and to call in, cancel, endorse, issue or reissue any option certificate consequent upon such adjustment. |
13 | ADMINISTRATION |
13.1 | Any notice or other communication under or in connection with the Scheme may be given: |
(a) | by personal delivery; |
(b) | by email to an appropriate email address (which, in the case of the Company, means corporatesecretary@jewels.com, and in the case of an Eligible Employee or a Participant, the email address notified by such Eligible Employee or Participant to the relevant scheme administrator), and where a notice or communication is given by email, it shall be deemed to have been received at 9am on the business day after sending; |
(c) | if by the Company, by uploading to the electronic portal operated by or on behalf of the Company, and where a notice or communication is so given, it shall be deemed to have been received at 9am on the business day after being so uploaded; or |
(d) | by sending the same by post, in the case of a company to its registered office and in the case of an individual to his last known address or, where he is a director or employee of a Constituent Company or an Associated Company, either to his last known address or to the address of the place of business at which he performs the whole or substantially the whole of the duties of his office or employment, and where a notice or other communication is given by first-class post, it shall be deemed to have been received 72 hours after it was put into the post properly addressed and stamped. |
13.2 | The Company may distribute to Participants copies of any notice or document normally sent by the Company to the holders of Shares. |
13.3 | If any option certificate shall be worn out, defaced or lost, it may be replaced on such evidence being provided as the Board may require. |
13.4 | The Company shall at all times keep available for allotment unissued Shares at least sufficient to satisfy all Options under which Shares may be subscribed or the Grantor shall procure that sufficient Shares are available for transfer to satisfy all Options under which Shares may be acquired. |
13.5 | The decision of the Board in any dispute relating to an Option or the due exercise thereof or any other matter in respect of the Scheme shall be final and conclusive. |
13.6 | The costs of introducing and administering the Scheme shall be borne by the Company and any Constituent Companies, in such proportions as are decided by the Board (and in the absence of any such allocation, shall be borne by the Company). |
13.7 | Any expenses involved in any issue of Shares in the name of any Participant or his personal representative(s) or nominee(s) shall be payable by the Company and any expenses involved in the transfer of Shares into the name of any Participant or his personal representative(s) or nominee(s) shall be payable by the Grantor. |
14 | ALTERATIONS |
14.1 | Subject to Rules 14.2 and 14.4, the Board may at any time (but only with the prior consent of the Trustee if there are subsisting Options which have been granted by the Trustee) alter or add to all or any of the provisions of the Scheme in any respect, provided that: |
(a) | the Board may not amend a key feature of the Scheme (as defined in Paragraph 40B(8) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA) if the effect would be that the Scheme would no longer be a Schedule 3 SAYE; and |
(b) | if an alteration or addition is made to such a key feature of the Scheme, a declaration shall be made to HMRC in accordance with Paragraph 40B(6) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA. |
14.2 | Subject to Rule 14.3, and without prejudice to the provisions of Rules 9.9 and 9.10 (in respect of which, for the avoidance of doubt, no shareholder approval shall be required), no alteration or addition to the advantage of Participants or employees relating to eligibility, the limits on participation, the overall limits on the issue of Shares, the basis for determining a Participant's entitlement to Shares and the adjustment of Options may be made under Rule 14.1 without the prior approval by resolution of the members of the Company in general meeting. |
14.3 | Rule 14.2 shall not apply to any minor alteration or addition which is to benefit the administration of the Scheme, is necessary or desirable for the Scheme to comply with Schedule 3 to ITEPA or any other enactment or to take account of any change in legislation or to obtain or maintain favourable taxation, exchange control or regulatory treatment for the Company, or any Subsidiary of the Company or any Participant. |
14.4 | No alteration or addition shall be made under Rule 14.1 which would abrogate or adversely affect the subsisting rights of a Participant, unless it is made: |
(a) | with the consent in writing of such number of Participants as hold Options under the Scheme to acquire 75 per cent. of the Shares which would be issued or transferred if all Options granted and subsisting under the Scheme were exercised; or |
(b) | by a resolution at a meeting of Participants passed by not less than 75 per cent. of the Participants who attend and vote either in person or by proxy, and for the purposes of this Rule 14.4 the provisions of the bye-laws of the Company relating to shareholder meetings shall apply mutatis mutandis. |
14.5 | As soon as reasonably practicable after making any alteration or addition under Rule 14.1, the Board shall give written notice thereof to any Participant affected thereby. |
14.6 | No alteration shall be made to the Scheme if following the alteration the Scheme would cease to be an Employees’ Share Scheme. |
14.7 | The Board may establish further savings-related share option plans to operate in overseas territories as sub-plans to this Scheme, which shall not be Schedule 3 SAYEs (“Sub-Plans”), such Sub-Plans to be governed by rules similar to the rules of the Scheme, but modified to take account of applicable tax, social security, employment, company, exchange control, trust or securities (or any other relevant) law, regulation or practice, provided that: |
(a) | all Sub-Plans are subject to the limitations on awards set out in Rule 7; |
(b) | only employees of Constituent or Associated Companies who are resident in the relevant territory are entitled to benefit under any Sub-Plan; and |
(c) | no employee has an entitlement to awards under any Sub-Plan greater than the maximum entitlement of an Eligible Employee under the Scheme. |
15 | GENERAL |
15.1 | The Scheme shall terminate on [•] 2028 or at any earlier time by the passing of a resolution by the Board or a resolution of the Company in general meeting. Termination of the Scheme shall be without prejudice to the subsisting rights of Participants. |
15.2 | The Company and any Subsidiary of the Company may provide money to the trustee of any trust or any other person to enable them or him to acquire Shares to be held for the purposes of the Scheme, or enter into any guarantee or indemnity for those purposes, to the extent permitted by law. In addition, the Company may require any Subsidiary to enter into such other agreement or agreements as it shall deem necessary to oblige such Subsidiary to reimburse the Company for any other amounts paid by the Company hereunder, directly or indirectly in respect of such Subsidiary's employees. Nothing in the Scheme shall be deemed to give any employee of any Constituent Company any right to participate in the Scheme. |
15.3 | The rights and obligations of any individual under the terms of his office or employment with a Constituent Company or Associated Company shall not be affected by that individual’s participation in the Scheme or any right which that individual may have to participate therein, and an individual who participates therein has no right to, and shall waive, all and any rights to compensation or damages in consequence of: (i) the termination of his office or employment with any such company; (ii) the transfer of ownership (or any part thereof) of any company or business; (iii) the lapse of any Option; (iv) any change to invitations made under the Plan, including any variation of their terms or timing or their complete suspension or termination; or (iv) any failure by the Board to (a) nominate an Eligible Company to be a Constituent Company, or (b) to make an invitation to apply for an Option to any person who is not at the relevant time an Eligible Employee where it is in the Board’s discretion to do so; and in each case for any reason whatsoever, whether lawfully or otherwise, insofar as those rights arise or may arise from his ceasing to have rights under or be entitled to exercise any Option under the Scheme as a result of such termination or transfer, or from the loss or diminution in value of such rights or entitlements, or such lapse of an Option, change to the basis on which invitations are issued, or any such failure by the Board, including by reason of the operation of the terms of the Scheme or the provisions of any statute or law relating to taxation. |
15.4 | Benefits under the Scheme shall not form part of a Participant's remuneration for any purpose and shall not be pensionable and shall not give a Participant any rights or additional rights in respect of any pension scheme operated by a Constituent Company or Associated Company. |
15.5 | A person who is not a party to the Option shall not have any rights under or in connection with it as a result of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 except where such rights arise under any provision of the Plan for any employer or former employer of the Participant which is not a party. This Rule 15.5 does not affect any right or remedy of a third party which exists, or is available, apart from that Act. |
15.6 | The Scheme and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. |
15.7 | Each party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with the Scheme or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims). |
15.8 | Each party irrevocably consents to any process in any legal action or proceeding under Rule 15.7 above being served on it in accordance with the provisions of the Scheme relating to service of notices. Nothing contained in the Scheme shall affect the right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. |
1 | DEFINITIONS |
1.1 | In this Sub-Plan, the following words and expressions shall have, where the context so admits, the meanings set forth below: |
(A) | the Company; and |
(B) | any other company which is under the Control of the Company, is a Subsidiary of the Company and which has been expressly designated by the Board as being a Constituent Company; |
(A) | is an employee of a Constituent Company or is an executive director of a Constituent Company who is required to devote more than 25 hours per week (excluding meal breaks) to his duties; and |
(B) | whose earnings from the office or employment within (A) are (or would be if there were any) subject to income tax under Schedule E of the TCA; and |
(C) | has been an employee or executive director of a Constituent Company within Paragraph (A) above at all times during the Qualifying Period; |
(A) | the day immediately following the day on which the Company makes an announcement of its results for the last preceding financial year, half-year or other period; |
(B) | the day following the end of any Blackout Period to any Designated Person, as set forth (and each as defined) in the Code for Securities Transactions; or |
(C) | any day on which the Board resolves in its discretion that exceptional circumstances exist which justify the grant of Options, provided that invitations to apply for Options must not be issued at any time if it would be unlawful, or would breach any requirement of the Code for Securities Transactions or any other regulation or guidance to which the Company is subject or with which the Company complies; |
(A) | its market value determined in accordance with Part VIII of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 and any relevant published HMRC guidance (but, when shares are subject to a Restriction, determined on the basis that no such Restriction applies); and |
(B) | subject to (A) above, if and so long as the Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, its middle market quotation as derived from the New York Stock Exchange Listings Directory; |
(A) | 80 per cent. of the Market Value of a Share on the Dealing Day immediately preceding the Date of Invitation (or, if the Grantor so determines, 80 per cent. of the average of the Market Values on the three Dealing Days immediately preceding the Date of Invitation or 80 per cent. of the Market Value at such other time or times as may be previously agreed in writing with HMRC); and |
(B) | if Shares are to be newly issued to satisfy the exercise of the Option, their nominal value, |
1.2 | Words and expressions not otherwise defined herein have the same meaning they have in ITEPA. |
1.3 | References to “Rules” are to the rules of the Sub-Plan, unless a contrary intention is clear. |
1.4 | The headings in the Rules of the Sub-Plan are for the sake of convenience only and should be ignored when construing the Rules. |
1.5 | Where the context so admits or requires words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa and words importing the masculine shall include the feminine and vice versa. |
1.6 | References in the Rules of the Sub-Plan to any statutory provisions are to those provisions as amended, extended or re-enacted from time to time and shall include any regulations made thereunder. The Interpretation Act 1978 shall apply to these Rules mutatis mutandis as if they were an Act of Parliament. |
1.7 | Any reference to writing or written form shall include any legible format capable of being reproduced on paper, irrespective of the medium used. |
1.8 | A reference to the Sub-Plan or to any other agreement or document referred to in the Sub-Plan is a reference to the Sub-Plan or such other agreement or document as varied or novated (in each case, other than in breach of the provisions of the Sub-Plan) from time to time. |
1.9 | Any words following the terms including, include, in particular, for example or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those terms. |
2 | Board Decisions regarding issues of invitations |
2.1 | On each occasion that the Board decides to issue invitations to apply for Options, the Board must also decide: |
(a) | whether or not Repaid Amounts will be taken to include a Relevant Bonus; |
(b) | whether to invite applications for three-year Options or five-year Options (or Options of such other standard periods the Board may determine, or to offer a choice between those Option periods; |
(c) | the minimum monthly contribution to be made under a Savings Contract linked to any Option granted as a result of the invitations, being not less than €12 (or, if lower, the minimum amount per month from time to time specified by the Board); |
(d) | the maximum monthly contribution to be made under a Savings Contract linked to any Option granted as a result of the invitations, such contribution to be equal to or less than €500 per month (or any other maximum amount specified by the Board from time to time); |
(e) | the maximum number (if any) of Shares over which Options may be granted on this occasion; and |
(f) | the minimum qualifying period of service (if any) with a Constituent Company which applies for the purposes of determining who is an Eligible Employee. |
3 | Invitations for Options |
3.1 | The Grantor may, during any Invitation Period which falls wholly after the Adoption Date and before the tenth anniversary of the Adoption Date, invite applications for Options at the Option Price from Eligible Employees. |
3.2 | Invitations must be in a form approved by the Board, must be sent to all Eligible Employees, and may be made by letter, poster, circular, advertisement, electronically or by any other written means or combination of means determined by the Board. |
3.3 | Invitations shall: |
(a) | incorporate or be accompanied by a proposal for a Savings Contract; |
(b) | include a statement that each invitation is subject to these Rules, and that the provisions of these Rules will prevail over any conflicting statement; |
(c) | specify the Minimum Contribution; |
(d) | specify the Maximum Contribution; |
(e) | specify either the Option Price or the basis for determining the Option Price (such basis being consistent with the definition of Option Price); |
(f) | specify (if any) the maximum number of Shares over which Options are to be granted pursuant to invitations issued on that occasion, and if there is such a limit, that applications will be scaled down in accordance with Rule 5 if applications are received in excess of that limit; |
(g) | specify the Qualifying Period (if any); |
(h) | specify whether applications may be made for three-year Options or five-year Options (or Options of such other standard periods as the Board may determine, provided however that no Option shall have a term in excess of seven years) or whether there is a choice between those Option periods; |
(i) | specify whether Repaid Amounts will be taken to include any Relevant Bonus and, to the extent that this is the case, whether or in what circumstances the Relevant Bonus so included will constitute the Standard Bonus or the Lower Bonus; and |
(j) | specify that, to be considered for the grant of Options, completed applications must be received by the Board (or any person nominated to receive applications on behalf of the Board) by 11:59pm on the day falling not less than 14 days nor more than 25 days after the Date of Invitation. |
3.4 | Any accidental failure or omission to deliver an invitation to any Eligible Employee will not invalidate the grant of Options. |
4 | APPLICATION FOR OPTIONS |
4.1 | Each application for an Option shall be in such form as the Board may from time to time prescribe, and must: |
(a) | state the period of the Option applied for; |
(b) | incorporate or be accompanied by a completed application form to enter into a Savings Contract, in which the applicant agrees to make the Monthly Contributions, and the amount of such Monthly Contributions (being not less than the Minimum Contribution); and |
(c) | include the applicant’s agreement to be bound by the terms of the Scheme, and state that the provisions of these Rules will prevail over any conflicting statement. |
4.2 | Each application shall be deemed to be for an Option over the largest whole number of Shares which can be acquired at the Option Price with the expected Repaid Amount (including, where the Board so allows, any Relevant Bonus) under the related Savings Contract, and each application under this Rule 4 will be treated as being for an Option over the largest whole number of Shares that can be acquired at the relevant Exercise Price with the expected Repaid Amount under the related Savings Contract. |
5 | SCALING DOWN |
5.1 | If valid applications are received for a total number of Options over Shares in excess of any maximum number of Shares determined by the Grantor pursuant to Rule 2.1(e) or any limitation under Rule 7, the Grantor shall (or, where applicable, any Trustee, provided the Board has given its prior written approval) scale down applications by taking, at its absolute discretion, the following successive steps until the number of Shares available equals or exceeds the reduced number of Shares applied for: |
(a) | first, if Repaid Amounts were intended to be taken to include a Relevant Bonus, by treating each application as an application for an Option under which Repaid Amounts will not be taken to include a Relevant Bonus; then |
(b) | so far as necessary, by reducing the proposed Monthly Contributions pro rata to the excess over €50; then |
(c) | so far as necessary, by reducing the proposed Monthly Contributions pro rata to the excess over the Minimum Contribution and then, so far as necessary, selecting by lot. |
5.2 | If the number of Shares available is insufficient to enable an Option based on Monthly Contributions of the amount of the Minimum Contribution to be granted to each Eligible Employee making a valid application, the Grantor may, as an alternative to selecting by lot, determine in its absolute discretion that no Options shall be granted. |
5.3 | If the Board so determines, the provisions in Rules 5.1(a), 5.1(b) and 5.1(c) may be modified or applied in any manner. |
5.4 | If in applying the scaling down provisions contained in this Rule 5, Options cannot be granted within the 30 day period referred to in Rule 6.3 below, the Grantor may extend that period by up to 12 days, regardless of the expiry of the relevant period specified in Rule 6.3. |
6 | GRANT OF OPTIONS |
6.1 | No Option shall be granted to any person if at the Date of Grant that person is not or will have ceased to be an Eligible Employee. |
6.2 | The Board shall ensure that the question as to whether the Repaid Amounts are to be taken as including any Relevant Bonus will be determined at the Date of Grant. |
6.3 | Within 30 days of the first Dealing Day (if any) by reference to which the Option Price was fixed (which date shall be within an Invitation Period) the Grantor (in the case of the Grantor being the Trustee only with the prior written approval of the Board) must, subject to Rules 5.4 and 6.1 above, grant to each Eligible Employee who has submitted a valid application an Option, and subject to Rules 5 and 7, that Option must be in respect of the number of Shares for which the applicant has applied pursuant to Rule 4. |
6.5 | The Grantor shall issue to each Participant an option certificate in such form (not inconsistent with the provisions of the Scheme) as the Board may from time to time prescribe. Each such certificate shall specify: |
(a) | the Date of Grant of the Option; |
(b) | the number of Shares over which the Option is granted; |
(c) | the Option Price; |
(d) | that the Option may be exercised from the Bonus Date of the Savings Contract linked to the Option, unless the Option lapses or becomes exercisable under these Rules before that date; |
(e) | whether the Shares over which the Option is granted are subject to a Restriction and, if so, the details of such Restriction; and |
(f) | a statement that the Option is subject to these Rules, and that the provisions of these Rules shall prevail over any conflicting statement relating to the Option’s terms. |
6.6 | Except as otherwise provided in Rule 8.2 or as otherwise permitted by the Board, every Option shall be personal to the Participant to whom it is granted and shall not be transferable. |
6.7 | No amount shall be paid in respect of the grant of an Option. |
6.8 | The grant and the exercise of an Option shall be subject to obtaining any approval or consent required under any applicable laws, regulations of any governmental authority and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and any other securities exchange on which the Shares are traded, and in particular, Options must not be granted at any time when the grant is prohibited by, or in breach of: |
(a) | insofar as applicable, the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the Code for Securities Transactions or any other law or regulation with the force of law, including but not limited to the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the regulations and requirements adopted thereunder by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the “US Securities Laws”); or |
(b) | any rule of any investment exchange on which Shares are listed or traded, or any non-statutory rule with a purpose similar to any part of the Market Abuse Regulation that binds the Company or with which the Board has resolved to comply. |
7 | NUMBER OF SHARES IN RESPECT OF WHICH OPTIONS MAY BE GRANTED |
7.1 | The number of Shares which may be allocated under the Scheme (including this Sub-Plan) on any day shall not exceed one million and shall not, when added to the aggregate of the number of Shares which have been allocated in the previous 10 years under the Scheme and under any other Employees' Share Scheme adopted by the Company or any Subsidiary, exceed such number as represents 10 per cent. of the common share capital of the Company in issue immediately prior to that day. |
7.2 | In determining the above limits (i) any Shares issued or which may be issued to satisfy any Options granted by the trustees of any employee benefit trust established by the Company or any Subsidiary shall be regarded as Options to subscribe for Shares; and (ii) no account shall be taken of any Shares where the right to acquire such Shares was released or lapsed without being exercised. |
7.3 | References in this Rule to the “allocation” of Shares shall mean, in the case of any share option scheme, the placing of unissued shares under option and, in relation to other types of Employees' Share Scheme, shall mean the issue and allotment of shares. |
7.4 | References to the issue and allotment of Shares shall include the transfer of Shares from treasury, but only until such time as the guidelines issued by institutional investor bodies cease to provide that they need to be so included. |
8 | RIGHTS OF EXERCISE AND LAPSE OF OPTIONS |
8.1 | (a) Save as provided in Rules 8.2, 8.3 and 9 , an Option may not be exercised earlier than the Bonus Date under the relevant Savings Contract. |
8.2 | Subject to Rule 8.6, an Option may be exercised by the personal representatives of a deceased Participant at any time: |
(a) | within 12 months following the date of the Participant’s death, if such death occurs before the Bonus Date; or |
(b) | within 12 months following the Bonus Date in the event of his death on or within six months after the Bonus Date. |
8.3 | Subject to Rules 8.1(b) and 8.6 an Option may be exercised by a Participant within six months following his ceasing to hold the office or employment by virtue of which he is eligible to participate in the Scheme by reason of: |
(a) | injury, disability, redundancy within the meaning of Section 7 of the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 of Ireland, or retirement; or |
(b) | his office or employment being in a company which ceases to be an Associated Company by reason of change of control within the meaning of Sections 450 and 451 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010; or |
(c) | a relevant transfer within the meaning of TUPE; or |
(d) | the transfer or sale of the undertaking or part-undertaking in which he is employed to a person who is neither an Associated Company nor a company under the Control of the Company where the transfer is not a relevant transfer within the meaning of TUPE; or |
(e) | cessation of employment in circumstances other than those mentioned in 8.3(a) to 8.3(d) above, provided that the Option was granted to the Participant before the date which falls three years prior to the relevant date of cessation of employment. |
8.4 | An Option may not be exercised when exercise is prohibited by or in breach of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the Code for Securities Transactions or any other law or regulation with the force of law, including but not limited to the US Securities Laws. |
8.5 | No person shall be treated for the purposes of Rule 8.3 as ceasing to hold an office or employment by virtue of which that person is eligible to participate in the Scheme until that person ceases to hold any office or employment in the Company or any Associated Company. |
8.6 | An Option may not be exercised later than seven years from the Date of Grant. |
8.7 | Options shall lapse upon the occurrence of the earliest of the following events: |
(a) | subject to 8.7(b) below, 6 months after the Bonus Date; |
(b) | where the Participant dies before the Bonus Date, 12 months after the date of death, and where the Participant dies on or in the period of 6 months after the Bonus Date, 12 months after the Bonus Date; |
(c) | the expiry of any of the 6 month periods specified in Rule 8.3(a) to 8.3(e) save that if at the time any such applicable periods expire time is running under the 12 month periods specified in Rule 8.2, the Option shall not lapse by reason of this sub Rule 8.7(c) until the expiry of the relevant 12 month period in Rule 8.2; |
(d) | subject to Rule 8.7(b) above, the expiry of any of the periods specified in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 and 9.5 save where an Option is released in consideration of the grant of a New Option (during one of the periods specified in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5) pursuant to Rule 9.9; |
(e) | the Participant ceasing to hold an office or employment with the Company or any Associated Company in any circumstances other than: |
(i) | where the cessation of office or employment arises on any of the grounds specified in Rules 8.2 or 8.3; or |
(ii) | where the cessation of office or employment arises on any ground whatsoever during any of the periods specified in Rule 9 save where an Option is released in consideration of the grant of a New Option (during one of the periods specified in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 pursuant to Rule 9.9); |
(f) | the passing of an effective resolution, or the making of an order by the Court, for the winding-up of the Company; |
(g) | the Participant being deprived of the legal or beneficial ownership of the Option by operation of law, or doing anything or omitting to do anything which causes him to be so deprived or declared bankrupt; |
(h) | where before an Option has become capable of being exercised, the Participant gives notice that he intends to stop paying Monthly Contributions, or is deemed under the terms of the Savings Contract to have given such notice, or makes an application for repayment of the Monthly Contributions; or |
(i) | the expiry of seven years from the Date of Grant. |
9 | TAKEOVER, RECONSTRUCTIONS AND WINDING UP |
9.1 | Subject to Rule 9.3 below, if any person obtains Control of the Company as a result of making, either: |
(a) | a general offer to acquire the whole of the issued common share capital of the Company (other than any share capital already held by the person making the offer or any person connected with that person) which is made on a condition such that if it is satisfied the person making the offer will have Control of the Company; or |
(b) | a general offer to acquire all the shares in the Company which are of the same class as the Shares (except for any shares already held by the person making the offer or a person connected with that person), |
9.2 | For the purpose of this Rule 9, a person shall be treated as obtaining Control of the Company if that person and others acting in concert with that person have together obtained Control of it. |
9.3 | If any person becomes bound or entitled to acquire Shares under Chapter 3 of Part 28 of the UK Companies Act 2006 (or, solely to the extent permissible under Schedule 3 to ITEPA, any equivalent provisions of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda) an Option may be exercised during the period in which such person is and remains so bound or entitled. |
9.4 | If it is proposed that the court sanctions under section 899 of the Companies Act 2006 (Court sanction for compromise or arrangement) (or, solely to the extent permissible under Schedule 3 to ITEPA, any equivalent provisions of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda) a compromise or arrangement applicable to or affecting: |
(a) | all of the ordinary share capital of the Company or all of the shares of the same class as the Shares to which the Option relates; or |
(b) | all of the shares, or all of the shares of that same class, which are held by a class of shareholders identified otherwise than by reference to their employment or directorships or their participation in the Scheme or any other Schedule 3 SAYE, |
9.5 | If shareholders of the Company become bound by a non-UK reorganisation arrangement (as defined in Paragraph 47A of Schedule 3 to ITEPA) that is applicable to or affects: |
(a) | all the ordinary share capital of the Company or all the shares of the same class as the Shares; or |
(b) | all the shares, or all the shares of that same class, which are held by a class of shareholders identified otherwise than by reference to their employments or directorships or their participation in the Scheme or this Sub-Plan or any other Schedule 3 SAYE, |
9.6 | If, as a result of the occurrence of a change of Control in the circumstances set out in Rule 9.1, or as a result of any change of Control which arises as a result of any of the circumstances set out in Rules 9.3, 9.4 (other than a resolution for a voluntary winding up of the Company) or 9.5, Shares will no longer satisfy the requirements of Part 4 of Schedule 3 to ITEPA, Options may be exercised within the period of 20 days following the change of Control. |
9.7 | If the Board reasonably expects that any of the events set out in Rules 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 will occur, the Board may make arrangements permitting Options to be exercised during a period of 20 days ending with the occurrence of such event. If an Option is exercised under this Rule 9.7, it will be treated as having been exercised in accordance with Rule 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 (as applicable). |
9.8 | If the Board makes arrangements for the exercise of Options under Rule 9.7, if the relevant event as set out in Rule 9.1, 9.3, 9.4 or 9.5 (as applicable) does not occur within 20 days of the purported exercise, the Options shall be treated as not having been exercised, and the purported exercise shall be treated as having had no effect. |
9.9 | If Options become exercisable pursuant to Rules 9.1 or 9.3 above, or any person obtains control of the Company pursuant to 9.4 or 9.5 above, any Participant may at any time within the Appropriate Period, by agreement with the acquiring company, release any Option which has not lapsed (the “Old Option”) in consideration of the grant to him of an Option (the “New Option”) which (for the purposes of Paragraph 39 of Schedule 3 to ITEPA) is equivalent to the Old Option but relates to shares in a different company (whether the company which has obtained Control of the Company itself or some other company falling within Paragraph 18(b) or (c) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA). |
9.10 | The New Option shall not be regarded for the purposes of Rule 9.9 as equivalent to the Old Option unless the conditions set out in Paragraph 39(4) of Schedule 3 to ITEPA are satisfied. Where the provisions of Rule 9.9 apply the provisions of the Sub-Plan shall for this purpose be construed as if: |
(a) | the New Option were an option granted under the Scheme at the same time as the Old Option; |
(b) | except for the purpose of the definition of “Constituent Company” in Rule 1, the reference to Signet Jewelers Limited in the definition of “the Company” in Rule 1 were a reference to the different company mentioned in Rule 9.9; and |
(c) | references to the Shares were references to the shares subject to the New Options. |
9.11 | The acquiring company must issue (or procure the issue of) an option certificate for each New Option as soon as reasonably practicable. |
10 | MANNER OF EXERCISE |
10.1 | An Option may only be exercised during the periods specified in Rules 8 and 9, and only with monies not exceeding the amount of repayments (including any interest and Relevant Bonus) made under the Savings Contract as at the date of such exercise, and that are, or are derived from, such repayments. For this purpose, no account shall be taken of such part (if any) of the repayment of any Monthly Contribution, the due date for the payment of which under the Savings Contract arises after the date of the repayment. |
10.2 | Exercise shall be by the delivery to the Company Secretary as agent for the Grantor (or its duly appointed agent), of: |
(a) | a duly completed notice of exercise (in the form prescribed by the Board) and signed by the Participant (or the Participant’s duly authorised agent), which sets out the number of Shares over which the Participant wishes to exercise the Option; and |
(b) | either: (i) any remittance for the Exercise Price payable to the Company (being comprised solely of monies referred to in Rule 10.1); or (ii) authority to the Company authorising it to withdraw and apply monies from the Savings Contract to acquire the Shares over which the Option is to be exercised on behalf of the relevant Participant. |
10.3 | The effective date of exercise shall be the date of delivery of the notice of exercise together with any remittance or authority referred to in Rule 10.2. For the purposes of this Sub-Plan a notice of exercise shall be deemed to be delivered when it is received by the Company. |
10.4 | Any exercise notice will be invalid to the extent that it is inconsistent with the Participant’s rights and obligations under these Rules and the relevant Options. |
10.5 | The Company may permit a Participant to correct any defect in an exercise notice, but is not obliged to do so. The date of any corrected exercise notice will be the date of the correction. |
10.6 | Shares transferred in satisfaction of the exercise of an Option must be transferred free of any lien, charge or other security interest, and with all rights attaching to them, other than any rights determined by reference to a date before the date of the transfer. |
11 | ISSUE OR TRANSFER OF SHARES |
11.1 | Subject to Rule 11.3, Shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option shall be allotted to the Participant (or his nominee) within 30 days following the date of effective exercise of the Option. |
11.2 | Subject to Rule 11.3, the Grantor shall procure the transfer of any Shares to be transferred to a Participant (or his nominee) pursuant to the exercise of an Option within 30 days following the date of effective exercise of the Option. |
11.3 | The allotment or transfer of any Shares under the Scheme shall be subject to obtaining any such approval or consent as is mentioned in Rule 6.7 above. |
11.4 | Shares issued pursuant to the Scheme shall rank pari passu in all respects with the Shares then in issue, except that they shall not rank for any rights attaching to Shares by reference to a record date preceding the date of allotment. |
11.5 | Shares transferred pursuant to the Scheme shall not be entitled to any rights attaching to Shares by reference to a record date preceding the date of transfer. |
11.6 | If and so long as the Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange or are admitted to trading on any stock exchange, stock market or other recognised exchange (the “Relevant Exchange”), the Company shall apply for any Shares issued pursuant to the Scheme to be admitted to listing on the Relevant Exchange, as soon as practicable after the allotment thereof. |
11.7 | Any requirements under this Rule 11 to issue, allot, transfer or procure the transfer of any Shares may be met by the transfer of Shares held as Treasury Shares. |
12 | ADJUSTMENTS |
12.1 | The number or description of Shares over which an Option is granted and/or the Option Price thereof (and where an Option has been exercised but no Shares have been allotted or transferred pursuant to such exercise, the number of Shares which may be so allotted or transferred and/or the price at which they may be acquired) may be adjusted in such manner as the Board shall determine following any capitalisation issue, any offer or invitation made by way of rights, subdivision, consolidation, reduction or other variation in the share capital of the Company (other than as consideration for an acquisition). Any adjustment made must secure that: |
(a) | the total Market Value of the Shares which may be acquired by the exercise of the Option is immediately after the variation substantially the same as it was immediately before the variation or variations; and |
(b) | the total price at which those Shares may be acquired is immediately after the variation substantially the same as it was immediately before the variation or variations, |
12.2 | Apart from pursuant to this Rule 12.2, no adjustment under Rule 12.1 above may have the effect of reducing the Option Price to less than the nominal value of a Share. Where an Option subsists over both issued and unissued Shares any such adjustment may only be made if the reduction of the Option Price of Options over both issued and unissued Shares can be made to the same extent. Any adjustment made to the Option Price of Options over unissued Shares shall only be made if and to the extent that the Board shall be authorised to capitalise from the reserves of the Company a sum equal to the amount by which the nominal value of the Shares in respect of which the Option is exercisable exceeds the adjusted Exercise Price and to apply such sum in paying up such amount on such Shares so that on exercise of any Option in respect of which such a reduction shall have been made the Board shall capitalise such sum (if any) and apply the same in paying up such amount as aforesaid. |
12.2 | The Grantor may take such steps as it may consider necessary to notify Participants of any adjustment made under this Rule 12 and to call in, cancel, endorse, issue or reissue any option certificate consequent upon such adjustment. |
13 | ADMINISTRATION |
13.1 | Any notice or other communication under or in connection with the Scheme may be given: |
(a) | by personal delivery; |
(b) | by email to an appropriate email address (which, in the case of the Company, means corporatesecretary@jewels.com, and in the case of an Eligible Employee or a Participant, the email address notified by such Eligible Employee or Participant to the relevant scheme administrator), and where a notice or communication is given by email, it shall be deemed to have been received at 9am on the business day after sending; |
(c) | if by the Company, by uploading to the electronic portal operated by or on behalf of the Company, and where a notice or communication is so given, it shall be deemed to have been received at 9am on the business day after being so uploaded; or |
(d) | by sending the same by post, in the case of a company to its registered office and in the case of an individual to his last known address or, where he is a director or employee of a Constituent Company or an Associated Company, either to his last known address or to the address of the place of business at which he performs the whole or substantially the whole of the duties of his office or employment, and where a notice or other communication is given by first-class post, it shall be deemed to have been received 72 hours after it was put into the post properly addressed and stamped. |
13.2 | The Company may distribute to Participants copies of any notice or document normally sent by the Company to the holders of Shares. |
13.3 | If any option certificate shall be worn out, defaced or lost, it may be replaced on such evidence being provided as the Board may require |
13.4 | The Company shall at all times keep available for allotment unissued Shares at least sufficient to satisfy all Options under which Shares may be subscribed or the Grantor shall procure that sufficient Shares are available for transfer to satisfy all Options under which Shares may be acquired. |
13.5 | The decision of the Board in any dispute relating to an Option or the due exercise thereof or any other matter in respect of the Scheme shall be final and conclusive. |
13.6 | The costs of introducing and administering the Scheme shall be borne by the Company and any Constituent Companies , in such proportions as are decided by the Board (and in the absence of any such allocation, shall be borne by the Company). |
13.7 | Any expenses involved in any issue of Shares in the name of any Participant or his personal representative(s) or nominee(s) shall be payable by the Company and any expenses involved in the transfer of Shares into the name of any Participant or his personal representative(s) or nominee(s) shall be payable by the Grantor. |
13.8 | A Participant shall be responsible for (including for the making of personal returns and filings to the Revenue Commissioners and to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, each of Ireland (as appropriate) in respect of) and shall indemnify the Company, each Constituent Company and each Associated Company against any tax, universal social charge or social security liability relating to the grant to that Participant (including the subsequent vesting and exercise of) an Option. |
14 | ALTERATIONS |
14.1 | Subject to Rules 14.2 and 14.4, the Board may at any time (but only with the prior consent of the Trustees if there are subsisting Options which have been granted by the Trustees) alter or add to all or any of the provisions of the Sub-Plan in any respect, provided that the Board may not amend the Sub-Plan if the effect would be that the Scheme would no longer be a Schedule 3 SAYE. |
14.2 | Subject to Rule 14.3, and without prejudice to the provisions of Rules 9.9 and 9.10 (in respect of which, for the avoidance of doubt, no shareholder approval shall be required), no alteration or addition to the advantage of Participants or employees relating to eligibility, the limits on participation, the overall limits on the issue of Shares, the basis for determining a Participant's entitlement to Shares and the adjustment of Options may be made under Rule 14.1 without the prior approval by resolution of the members of the Company in general meeting. |
14.3 | Rule 14.2 shall not apply to: |
(a) | any minor alteration or addition which is to benefit the administration of the Scheme, is necessary or desirable for the Scheme to comply with Schedule 3 to ITEPA or any other enactment or to take account of any change in legislation or to obtain or maintain favourable taxation, exchange control or regulatory treatment for the Company, or any Subsidiary of the Company or any Participant; or |
(b) | for the avoidance of doubt, any amendment to the Sub-Plan (including, but not limited to, the amount of any Minimum Contribution or Maximum Contribution) which is necessary to ensure that no Eligible Employee or Participant has an entitlement to awards under this Sub-Plan greater than the maximum entitlement of an “Eligible Employee” (as defined in Rule 1.1 of the Scheme) under the Scheme in accordance with Rule 14.7(c) of the Scheme. |
14.4 | No alteration or addition shall be made under Rule 14.1 which would abrogate or adversely affect the subsisting rights of a Participant, unless it is made: |
(a) | with the consent in writing of such number of Participants as hold Options to acquire 75 per cent. of the Shares which would be issued or transferred if all Options granted and subsisting to Participants were exercised; or |
(b) | by a resolution at a meeting of Participants passed by not less than 75 per cent. of the Participants who attend and vote either in person or by proxy, and for the purposes of this Rule 14.4 the provisions of the bye-laws of the Company relating to shareholder meetings shall apply mutatis mutandis. |
14.5 | As soon as reasonably practicable after making any alteration or addition under Rule 14.1, the Board shall give written notice thereof to any Participant affected thereby. |
14.6 | No alteration shall be made to the Sub-Plan if following the alteration the Scheme would cease to be an Employees’ Share Scheme. |
15 | GENERAL |
15.1 | The Sub-Plan shall terminate on the date of termination of the Scheme or at any earlier time by the passing of a resolution by the Board or a resolution of the Company in general meeting. Termination of the Sub-Plan shall be without prejudice to the subsisting rights of Participants. |
15.2 | The Company and any Subsidiary of the Company may provide money to the trustee of any trust or any other person to enable them or him to acquire Shares to be held for the purposes of the Sub-Plan, or enter into any guarantee or indemnity for those purposes, to the extent permitted by law. In addition, the Company may require any Subsidiary to enter into such other agreement or agreements as it shall deem necessary to oblige such Subsidiary to reimburse the Company for any other amounts paid by the Company hereunder, directly or indirectly in respect of such Subsidiary's employees. Nothing in the Sub-Plan shall be deemed to give any employee of any Constituent Company any right to participate in the Scheme. |
15.3 | The rights and obligations of any individual under the terms of his office or employment with a Constituent Company or Associated Company shall not be affected by that individual’s participation in the Scheme or any right which that individual may have to participate therein, pursuant to this Sub-Plan or otherwise, and an individual who participates therein has no right to, and shall waive, all and any rights to compensation or damages (including for loss or potential loss which he or she may suffer by reason of being unable to acquire or retain Shares or any interest in the Company (or any equivalent or connected interest), unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, breach of contract or otherwise) in consequence of: (i) the termination of his office or employment with any such company; (ii) the transfer of ownership (or any part thereof) of any company or business; (iii) the lapse of any Option; (iv) any change to invitations made under the Plan, including any variation of their terms or timing or their complete suspension or termination; or (iv) any failure by the Board to (a) nominate an Eligible Company to be a Constituent Company, or (b) to make an invitation to apply for an Option to any person who is not at the relevant time an Eligible Employee where it is in the Board’s discretion to do so; and in each case for any reason whatsoever, whether lawfully or otherwise, insofar as those rights arise or may arise from his ceasing to have rights under or be entitled to exercise any Option under the Scheme as a result of such termination or transfer, or from the loss or diminution in value of such rights or entitlements, or such lapse of an Option, change to the basis on which invitations are issued, or any such failure by the Board, including by reason of the operation of the terms of the Scheme or this Sub-Plan or the provisions of any statute or law relating to taxation. |
15.4 | Benefits under the Scheme shall not form part of a Participant's remuneration for any purpose and shall not be pensionable and shall not give a Participant any rights or additional rights in respect of any pension scheme operated by a Constituent Company or Associated Company. |
15.5 | A person who is not a party to the Option shall not have any rights under or in connection with it as a result of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 except where such rights arise under any provision of the Plan for any employer or former employer of the Participant which is not a party. This Rule 15.5 does not affect any right or remedy of a third party which exists, or is available, apart from that Act. |
15.6 | The Scheme (including this Sub-Plan) and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. |
15.7 | Each party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with the Scheme (including this Sub-Plan) or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims). |
15.8 | Each party irrevocably consents to any process in any legal action or proceeding under Rule 15.7 above being served on it in accordance with the provisions of the this Sub-Plan relating to service of notices. Nothing contained in the Scheme (including this Sub-Plan) shall affect the right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. |
1. | Purpose. Signet Jewelers Limited, an exempted company registered in Bermuda, hereby establishes this Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan is intended to provide eligible employees of the Company and Participating Subsidiaries with an opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company through the purchase of Common Shares. The Company intends that the Plan qualify as an "employee stock purchase plan" under Section 423 of the Code and a non-compensatory employee share purchase plan under ASC 718, and the Plan shall be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with such intent. |
2. | Definitions. |
(a) | Any Person becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting shares of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of its directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”) including by way of merger, amalgamation, consolidation or otherwise; provided, however, that for purposes of this definition, the following acquisitions shall not be taken into account in determining whether a Change of Control has occurred: (i) any acquisition of voting shares of the Company directly from the Company or (ii) any acquisition by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Outstanding Company Voting Securities, including an acquisition by any employee benefit plan or related trust sponsored or maintained by the Company, or any of its Subsidiaries; |
(b) | The following individuals (the “Incumbent Directors”) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors then serving on the Board: individuals who, on the Effective Date, constitute the Board and any new director whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the Effective Date or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved or recommended (other than such new director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including, but not limited to, a consent or proxy solicitation, relating to the election of directors of the Company by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board); |
(c) | Consummation of a reorganization, merger, amalgamation or consolidation involving the Company or a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (a “Business Combination”), unless, following such Business Combination: (i) individuals and entities that were the Beneficial Owners of Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Business Combination are the Beneficial Owners, directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (or election of members of a comparable governing body) of the entity resulting from the Business Combination (including, without limitation, an entity which as a result of such transaction owns all or substantially all of the voting power of the outstanding voting |
3. | Administration. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee which shall have the authority to construe and interpret the Plan, prescribe, amend and rescind rules relating to the Plan's administration and take any other actions necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan including, without limitation, delegating administration to a third party share plan administrator or adopting sub-plans applicable to particular Participating Subsidiaries or locations, which sub-plans may be designed to be outside the scope of Section 423 of the Code. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency or ambiguity in the Plan. The decisions of the Committee shall be final and binding on all persons. All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company. |
4. | Eligibility. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in a manner that is consistent with Section 423 of the Code and ASC 718, any individual who is an Eligible Employee as of the first day of the enrollment period designated by the Committee for a particular Offering Period shall be eligible to participate in such Offering Period, subject to the requirements of Section 423 of the Code. |
5. | Offering Periods. The Plan shall be implemented by a series of Offering Periods. The Committee shall have the authority to change the duration, frequency, start and end dates of future Offering Periods (up to a maximum Offering Period of 27 months). |
6. | Participation. |
6.1 | Enrollment; Payroll Deductions. An Eligible Employee may elect to participate in the Plan by properly completing an Enrollment Election in accordance with the enrollment procedures established by the Committee. Participation in the Plan is entirely voluntary. By completing an Enrollment Election, the Eligible Employee authorizes payroll deductions from his or her paycheck in an amount equal to at least $10.00, but not more than $913.46 of his or her Compensation each pay day occurring during an Offering Period (or such other maximum percentage as the Committee may establish from time to time before an Offering Period begins), up to $23,750 per Offering Period. Payroll deductions shall commence on the first payroll date following the Offering Date and end on the last payroll date on or before the Purchase Date. The Company shall maintain records of all payroll deductions but shall have no obligation to pay interest on payroll deductions or to hold such amounts in a trust or in any segregated account. Unless expressly permitted by the Committee in writing, a Participant may not make any separate contributions or payments to the Plan. |
6.2 | Election Changes. During an Offering Period, a Participant may not change the rate of his or her payroll deductions applicable to such Offering Period. A Participant may decrease or increase his or her rate of payroll deductions for future Offering Periods by completing a new Enrollment Election authorizing the new rate of payroll deductions during the next enrollment period. However, a Participant may withdraw from the Plan in accordance with Section 9. |
6.3 | Automatic Re-enrollment. The deduction rate selected in the Enrollment Election shall remain in effect for subsequent Offering Periods unless the Participant (a) completes a new Enrollment Election authorizing a new level of payroll deductions in accordance with Section 6.2, (b) withdraws from the Plan in accordance with Section 9, or (c) terminates employment or otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in the Plan. |
6.4 | Grant of Option. On each Offering Date, each Participant in the applicable Offering Period shall be granted an option to purchase, on the Purchase Date, a number of Common Shares determined by dividing the Participant's accumulated payroll deductions by the applicable Purchase Price. Any amount remaining in the Participant’s notional account as of the Purchase Date in excess of the amount that may be applied to purchase Common Shares as a result of the limitations set forth herein (or as designated by the administrator of the Plan) shall be |
7. | Exercise of Option/Purchase of Shares. A Participant's option to purchase Common Shares will be exercised automatically on the Purchase Date of each Offering Period. The Participant's accumulated payroll deductions will be used to purchase the maximum number of whole shares that can be purchased with the amounts in the Participant's notional account. If and to the extent provided by the Committee, for so long as such Common Shares are maintained in ESPP Share Accounts, all dividends paid with respect to such Common Shares shall be paid to the Participant in cash. No fractional Common Shares may be purchased, but notional fractional Common Shares will be allocated to the Participant’s ESPP Shares Account to be aggregated with other notional fractional Common Shares on future purchase dates, subject to earlier withdrawal by the Participant in accordance with Section 9 or termination of employment in accordance with Section 10. |
8. | Transfer of Shares. As soon as reasonably practicable after each Purchase Date, the Company will arrange for the delivery to each Participant of the Common Shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option. The Committee may permit or require that the shares be deposited directly into an ESPP Share Account established in the name of the Participant with a Designated Broker. Participants will not have any voting, dividend or other rights of a shareholder with respect to the Common Shares subject to any option granted hereunder until such shares have been delivered pursuant to this Section 8. |
9. | Withdrawal. |
9.1 | Withdrawal Procedure. A Participant may withdraw from an Offering by completing a revised Enrollment Election indicating his or her election to withdraw at least fourteen (14) calendar days before the end of the Offering Period. The accumulated payroll deductions held on behalf of a Participant in his or her notional account (that have not been used to purchase Common Shares), shall be paid to the Participant promptly following receipt of the Participant's Enrollment Election indicating his or her election to withdraw and the Participant's option shall be automatically terminated. If a Participant withdraws from an Offering Period, no payroll deductions will be made during any succeeding Offering Period, unless the Participant re-enrolls in accordance with Section 6.1 of the Plan. |
9.2 | Effect on Succeeding Offering Periods. A Participant's election to withdraw from an Offering Period will not have any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in succeeding Offering Periods that commence following the completion of the Offering Period from which the Participant withdraws. |
10. | Termination of Employment; Change in Employment Status. Upon termination of a Participant's employment for any reason, including death, disability or retirement, or a change in the Participant's employment status following which the Participant is no longer an Eligible Employee, which in either case occurs before the Purchase Date, the Participant will be deemed to have withdrawn from the Plan and the payroll deductions in the Participant's notional account (that have not been used to purchase Common Shares), shall be returned to the Participant, or in the case of the Participant's death, to the person(s) entitled to such amounts under Section 16, and the Participant's option shall be automatically terminated. |
11. | Interest. No interest shall accrue on or be payable with respect to the payroll deductions of a Participant in the Plan. |
12. | Shares Reserved for Plan. |
12.1 | Number of Shares. Subject to adjustments as described below, a total of 1,250,000 Common Shares have been reserved for issuance under the Plan. |
12.2 | Over-subscribed Offerings. The number of Common Shares which a Participant may purchase in an Offering under the Plan may be reduced if the Offering is over-subscribed. No option granted under the Plan shall permit a Participant to purchase Common Shares which, if added together with the total number of Common Shares purchased by all other Participants in such Offering would exceed the total number of Common Shares remaining available under the Plan. If the Committee determines that, on a particular Purchase Date, the number of Common Shares with respect to which options are to be exercised exceeds the number of Common Shares then available under the Plan, the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the Common Shares remaining available for purchase in as uniform a manner as practicable and as the Committee determines to be equitable. |
13. | Transferability. No payroll deductions credited to a Participant, nor any rights with respect to the exercise of an option or any rights to receive Common Shares hereunder may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution, or as provided in Section 16 hereof) by the Participant. Any attempt to assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of such rights or amounts shall be without effect. |
14. | Application of Funds. All payroll deductions received or held by the Company under the Plan may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose to the extent permitted by applicable law, and the Company shall not be required to segregate such payroll deductions or contributions. |
15. | Statements. Participants will have access to statements at least annually which shall set forth the contributions made by the Participant to the Plan, the Purchase Price of any Common Shares purchased with accumulated funds, the number of Common Shares purchased, and any payroll deduction amounts remaining in the Participant's notional account. |
16. | Designation of Beneficiary. A Participant may submit a designation of beneficiary who is to receive any Common Shares, if any, from the Participant's ESPP Share Account under the Plan in the event of such Participant's death. In the event that no such designation is submitted, the Common Shares shall be distributed to the Participant’s estate. Any option granted hereunder is exercisable only by the Participant during the Participant’s lifetime. In the event of the Participant's death prior to the Purchase Date of an Offering Period, any cash withheld through payroll deductions and credited to the Participant's notional account and any cash amounts in respect of notional fractional Common Shares credited to the Participant’s ESPP Share Account shall be refunded to the Participant’s estate through payroll. |
17. | Adjustments. |
17.1 | Adjustments. In the event of any corporate event or transaction involving the Company, a Subsidiary and/or an affiliate (including, but not limited to, a change in the Common Shares of the Company or the capitalization of the Company) such as a merger, amalgamation, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, separation, share dividend, extraordinary cash dividend, share split, reverse share split, split up, spin-off, combination of Common Shares, exchange of Common Shares, dividend in kind, amalgamation, or other like change in capital structure (other than normal cash dividends to shareholders of the Company), or any similar corporate event or transaction, the Committee shall, in the manner and to the extent it considers appropriate and equitable to Participants and consistent with the terms of the Plan, cause an adjustment to be made to (i) the maximum number and kind of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan, (ii) the Purchase Price per share, (iii) the number of Common Shares covered by each outstanding option under the Plan and (iv) the numerical limits of Section 6.4 and Section 12. |
17.2 | Change of Control. In the event of a Change of Control, the Committee shall have the power and discretion to (i) continue the Offering Period in effect on the date of such Change of Control, (ii) shorten the Offering Period then in progress by setting a “New Purchase Date” which shall be before the date of the Company’s proposed Change of Control, (iii) substitute Common Shares available under the Plan with shares of common stock of the surviving company or its parent, or (iv) terminate the Plan and return any payroll deductions in the Participant's notional account (that have not been used to purchase Common Shares) to the Participant. In the event of prong (ii), the Committee shall notify each Participant in writing, at least ten (10) trading days prior to the New Purchase Date, that the Purchase Date for the Participant’s purchase right has been changed to the New Purchase Date and that Common Shares shall be purchased automatically on the New Purchase Date, unless prior to such date the Participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as described in Section 9 above, although only five (5) days’ notice of withdrawal will be required. |
18. | General Provisions. |
18.1 | Equal Rights and Privileges. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary and in accordance with Section 423 of the Code and ASC 718, all Eligible Employees who are granted options under the Plan shall have the same rights and privileges. |
18.2 | No Right to Continued Service. Neither the Plan nor any compensation paid hereunder will confer on any Participant the right to continue as an Employee or in any other capacity. |
18.3 | Rights as Shareholder. A Participant will become a shareholder with respect to the Common Shares that are purchased pursuant to options granted under the Plan when the shares are transferred to the Participant or the Participant's ESPP Share Account. A Participant will have no rights as a shareholder with respect to Common Shares for which an election to participate in an Offering Period has been made until such Participant becomes a shareholder as provided above. |
18.4 | Successors and Assigns. The Plan shall be binding on the Company and Participants and their respective successors and assigns. |
18.5 | Entire Plan. This Plan constitutes the entire plan with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior plans with respect to the subject matter hereof. |
18.6 | Compliance with Law. The obligations of the Company with respect to payments under the Plan are subject to compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Common Shares shall not be issued with respect to an option granted under the Plan unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and delivery of the Common Shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all applicable provisions of law, including, without limitation, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the requirements of any stock exchange or trading system upon which the shares may then be listed. |
18.7 | Notice of Disqualifying Dispositions. Each Participant shall give the Company prompt written notice of any disposition or other transfer of Common Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an option acquired under the Plan, if such disposition or transfer is made within two years after the Offering Date or within one year after the Purchase Date. |
18.8 | Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective on the Effective Date and, unless terminated earlier pursuant to Section 18.9, shall have a term of ten (10) years. |
18.9 | Amendment or Termination. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend, suspend or terminate the Plan at any time and for any reason. If the Plan is terminated, the Committee may elect to terminate all outstanding Offering Periods either immediately or once Common Shares have been purchased on the next Purchase Date (which may, in the discretion of the Committee, be accelerated), subject to any adjustment in accordance with Section 17. If the Plan is terminated, immediately following the termination of the Offering Period or the final Purchase Date, as applicable, all amounts that have not been used to purchase Common Shares will be returned to Participants (without interest, except as otherwise required by law) as soon as administratively practicable. |
18.10 | Applicable Law. The Plan and all rights hereunder shall be governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of the Plan to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. Any action to enforce any of the provisions of the Plan shall be brought in a court in the State of Ohio located in Summit County or, if subject matter jurisdiction exists, in the Eastern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The Company and any Participant consent to the jurisdiction of such courts and to the service of process in any manner provided by applicable Ohio or federal law. Each party irrevocably waives any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of any such suit, action, or proceeding brought in such court and any claim that such suit, action, or proceeding brought in such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum and agrees that service of process in accordance with the foregoing sentences shall be deemed in every respect effective and valid personal service of process upon such party. |
18.11 | Shareholder Approval. The Plan shall be subject to approval by the shareholders of the Company within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. If the Plan is not approved by the shareholders of the Company during such period, the Plan shall be terminated and any payroll deductions accrued under the Plan (if any) shall be returned to Participants. |
18.12 | Section 423 and ASC 718. The Plan is intended to qualify as an "employee stock purchase plan" under Section 423 of the Code and a non-compensatory employee share purchase plan under ASC 718. Any provision of the Plan that is inconsistent with Section 423 of the Code or a non-compensatory plan under ASC 718 shall be reformed to comply with Section 423 of the Code and the applicable terms of ASC 718. |
18.13 | Withholding. The Company shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold automatically from any amount deliverable under the Plan, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, the minimum statutory amount to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes, domestic or foreign, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result of the Plan. |
18.14 | Severability. If any provision of the Plan shall be determined to be illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other jurisdiction. |
18.15 | Headings. The headings of sections herein are included solely for convenience and shall not affect the meaning of any of the provisions of the Plan. |