false--12-310001096343 0001096343 2020-05-11 2020-05-11


 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
______________________________________________________________________
FORM 8-K
_______________________________________________
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 11, 2020
_______________________________________________
Markel Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
_______________________________________________
Virginia
001-15811
54-1959284
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
(Commission
File Number)
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

4521 Highwoods Parkway, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060-6148
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (804) 747-0136
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
_______________________________________________
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
 
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 
 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
 
 
 
Common Stock, no par value
MKL
New York Stock Exchange
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
 




Item 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Transition and Designation of Principal Accounting Officer
On and effective as of May 11, 2020, the Board of Directors (the Board) of Markel Corporation (the Company) approved the transition of the functions, duties and responsibilities of the Company's “principal accounting officer” (as set forth by rules adopted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) relating to the Company’s accounting operations and certain attendant periodic reporting obligations, as well as the designation of the Company’s “principal accounting officer,” from Nora N. Crouch, the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer), to Oscar Guerrero, the Company's Chief Accounting Officer. As previously announced on May 30, 2019, Ms. Crouch is retiring from the Company effective May 31, 2020.
Mr. Guerrero, age 51, has approximately 30 years of accounting and finance experience in the insurance industry, and has served as the Company's Chief Accounting Officer since March 30, 2020. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Guerrero was with Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd., and served as its Group Deputy Chief Financial Officer from September 2017 to March 2020, and Chief Financial Officer - US Operations from July 2016 to September 2017. In addition, he served as Global Head of Finance - Financial Lines at American International Group (AIG) from May 2014 to March 2016, and held various other accounting and finance-related managerial positions at AIG from 2006 to May 2014.
Under the terms of his employment, Mr. Guerrero:
will receive an annual base salary of $380,000, subject to annual review;
received a signing bonus of approximately $350,000 in the aggregate consisting of (i) a one-time discretionary $250,000 cash award, and (ii) a one-time discretionary equity award, paid in restricted stock units (RSUs), having a grant date value equal to approximately $100,000, with one-third of the RSUs vesting on each anniversary of the grant date, subject to his continued employment through the vesting date;
will be eligible for an annual cash incentive award under the Company's annual incentive program, having a target potential of 75% of his bonusable compensation; provided, that he will receive a one-time guaranteed minimum $250,000 cash incentive award for the 2020 performance year, payable in March 2021, subject to his continued employment through the payment date; and
will be eligible for an annual equity incentive award, payable in RSUs, under the Company's 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, subject to performance criteria approved by the Board's Compensation Committee, having a target potential of 50% of his bonusable compensation.
Mr. Guerrero has no direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, nor are any such transactions currently proposed. There are no family relationships between Mr. Guerrero and any director or executive officer of the Company.
Markel Corporation 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
At the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the 2020 Annual Meeting) held on May 11, 2020, the shareholders of the Company approved the Company's 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the 2020 ESPP). The 2020 ESPP includes a component that is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under the Internal Revenue Code (the Qualified Plan Component), in addition to a component that will not qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under the Internal Revenue Code (the Non-Qualified Plan Component). The 2020 ESPP will become effective on May 18, 2020, with the first offerings thereunder expected to begin on July 1, 2020. The 2020 ESPP will be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board or its authorized delegate.
Below is a description of key provisions of the Qualified Plan Component:
participation by employees of Markel Service, Incorporated and any other designated subsidiary;
a purchase price discount of 15% of fair market value (i.e., closing price) of the Company's common stock on the grant date or the purchase date (whichever is lower);
offering periods expected to run in consecutive, non-overlapping calendar quarters not to exceed 27 months;
an annual limitation on the value of shares that may be purchased during any calendar year equal to $25,000 per year; and

2



a maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the Qualified Plan Component of 125,000.
Below is a description of key provisions of the Non-Qualified Plan Component:
broad-based participation by employees of the Company and its designated subsidiaries as well as non-employee members of the Board;
a purchase price discount of 10% of the fair market value (i.e., closing price) of the Company's common stock on the purchase date and no Company matching contributions;
offering periods expected to run in non-overlapping monthly periods not to exceed 27 months;
a $25,000 limitation on employee payroll deduction contributions during any pay period, a $150,000 limitation on lump sum contributions per monthly offering period, and a limitation on non-employee director contributions equal to their annual cash fees from the Company;
a maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the Non-Qualified Plan Component of 125,000; and
shares reserved under the Qualified Plan Component may not be issued under the Non-Qualified Plan Component, and vice versa.
A description of the 2020 ESPP is also set forth in the Company's Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on March 24, 2020. The descriptions of the 2020 ESPP set forth above and in the Proxy Statement are only summaries and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the 2020 ESPP, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5.03
Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year

On May 11, 2020, the Board amended and restated the Company’s Bylaws, effective as of May 11, 2020 (as amended and restated, the Amended and Restated Bylaws), including to, among other things:
update provisions regarding meetings of shareholders, including with respect to the date of annual meetings, place of meetings, notice and waiver of notice of meetings, who will preside over meetings, the conduct of meetings, methods for tabulation of votes, the appointment of, and voting by, proxies at meetings and holding meetings by remote communication;
incorporate additional requirements to the advance notice and other procedural requirements related to shareholder nominations for election of directors or proposals of business at meetings of shareholders, including additional information that a shareholder must include in a notice of a nomination or other proposal and a requirement that a nominee for director provide the Company with a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification of such person;
revise the time periods in which a shareholder is required to deliver notice to the Company of nominations for election of directors or proposals of business in advance of an annual meeting of shareholders, such that, to be timely, the notice generally must be received not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting;
provide the date on which the determination of the voting standard applicable to an election of directors shall be made;
eliminate Chairman of the Board and any Vice Chairman of the Board from the listed officers of the Company;
update the provisions regarding who may call Board meetings and the manner in which notice of meetings of the Board and committees thereof may be given;
give the Chief Executive Officer(s) additional authority with respect to the appointment, removal and delegation of powers of subordinate officers;
provide that any authorized officer of the Company may sign certificates representing shares of the Company; and

3



update the provisions requiring certain actions to be brought exclusively in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, or, in the event that court lacks jurisdiction to hear such action, the Circuit Court of the County of Fairfax, Virginia.
The Amended and Restated Bylaws also make other technical, conforming, modernizing or clarifying changes in certain other provisions, including to reflect recent amendments to the Virginia Stock Corporation Act.
In accordance with the Amended and Restated Bylaws, to be timely, notice of nominations for election of directors or proposals of business for consideration at the Company’s 2021 annual meeting of shareholders must be delivered to the Secretary of the Company, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Company no earlier than January 11, 2021, and no later than February 10, 2021.
This description of the amendments to the Company’s Bylaws is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amended and Restated Bylaws, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5.07
Submission of Matters to a Vote Security Holders.
At the 2020 Annual Meeting, shareholders (i) elected directors to serve until the Company's 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders or until their respective successors are elected, (ii) approved an advisory vote on executive compensation, (iii) approved the 2020 ESPP and (iv) ratified the selection of KPMG LLP by the Audit Committee of the Board as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020. The results of the 2020 Annual Meeting were as follows:
Election of Directors
Director
 
For
 
Against
 
Abstain
 
Broker Non-Votes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
K. Bruce Connell
 
10,248,379.20
 
85,485.70
 
12,507.50
 
1,605,827.80
Thomas S. Gayner
 
9,828,735.50
 
491,856.40
 
25,780.50
 
1,605,827.80
Stewart M. Kasen
 
9,675,833.50
 
658,928.40
 
11,609.50
 
1,605,828.80
Diane Leopold
 
10,152,303.80
 
181,266.10
 
12,802.50
 
1,605,827.80
Lemuel E. Lewis
 
9,979,514.50
 
354,334.40
 
12,523.50
 
1,605,827.80
Anthony F. Markel
 
9,293,813.20
 
1,038,050.70
 
14,508.50
 
1,605,827.80
Steven A. Markel
 
9,526,433.20
 
802,555.70
 
17,383.00
 
1,605,828.30
Darrell D. Martin
 
9,260,291.20
 
1,072,553.00
 
13,528.00
 
1,605,828.00
Harold L. Morrison, Jr.
 
10,291,658.20
 
42,090.00
 
12,623.50
 
1,605,828.50
Michael O'Reilly
 
9,777,442.10
 
553,725.80
 
15,215.50
 
1,605,816.80
Richard R. Whitt, III
 
10,086,026.20
 
246,242.70
 
14,103.50
 
1,605,827.80

4



Advisory Vote on Approval of Executive Compensation
For
 
Against
 
Abstain
 
Broker Non-Votes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10,119,228.20
 
201,544.30
 
25,597.90
 
1,605,829.80
Approval of 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
For
 
Against
 
Abstain
 
Broker Non-Votes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10,279,506.10
 
56,532.00
 
10,335.30
 
1,605,826.80
Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
For
 
Against
 
Abstain
 
Broker Non-Votes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11,626,313.70
 
299,830.50
 
26,044.00
 
12.00

Item 9.01
Financial Statements and Exhibits.
Exhibit No.
 
Description
3.1
 
10.1
 
104
 
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
 
MARKEL CORPORATION
 
 
 
 
May 15, 2020
By:
 
/s/ Richard R. Grinnan
 
Name:
 
Richard R. Grinnan
 
Title:
 
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary


5
MARKEL CORPORATION BYLAWS (as amended and restated May 14, 201811, 2020) ARTICLE I MEETINGS OF SHAREHOLDERS Section 1. Place and Time of Meetings. Meetings of shareholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the Commonwealth of Virginia, or by means of remote communication, in each case as the Board of Directors may in its discretion determine, and at such time, as may be provided in the notice of the meeting and approved by the Chairman of the Board, any Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors. Section 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of shareholders shall be held in May of each year on the date designated by the Board of Directors and specified in the notice of the meeting. Section 3. Substitute Annual Meeting. If an annual meeting of shareholders is not held within the time period designated in these Bylaws, a substitute annual meeting of shareholders shall be called as promptly as is practicable thereafter by the Chairman of the Board or the Board of Directors. Any meeting so called shall be designated and treated for all purposes as the annual meeting of shareholders. Section 4.Section 3. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the shareholders may be called by the Chairman of the Board, any Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors. Only business within the purpose or purposes described in the notice for a special meeting of shareholders may be conducted at the meeting. Section 5.Section 4. Fixing Record Date. The Board of Directors may fix in advance a record date to make a determination of shareholders entitled to notice or to vote at any meeting of shareholders, to receive any dividend, or for any other purpose, such date to be not more than 70 days before the meeting or action requiring a determination of shareholders. If no such date is set with respect to any meeting of shareholders, the day before the effective date of the notice of the meeting shall be the record date for such determination of shareholders. When a determination of shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of shareholders (regardless of who may have called the meeting) has been made, such determination shall be effective for any adjournment of the meeting unless the Board of Directors fixes a new record date, which it shall do if the meeting is adjourned to a date more than 120 days after the date fixed for the original meeting. Section 6.Section 5. Notice of Meetings. Written notice stating the place, (or means of remote communication, if authorized by the Board of Directors), day and hour of the meeting and, in case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be given by or at the direction of the persons calling the meetingthe Corporation not less than ten nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting (except as a different time is specified by law) to each shareholder of record


 
entitled to vote at such meeting and to such nonvoting shareholders as. Notice may be requiredgiven in any manner permitted by applicable law, including by electronic transmission. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail with postage thereon prepaid, addressed to the shareholder at his, her or its address as it appears on the share transfer books of the Corporation. If an annual or special meeting is adjourned to a different date, time or place, (or means of remote communication, if authorized by the Board of Directors), notice need not be given if the new date, time or place (or means of remote communication, if authorized by the Board of Directors) is announced at the meeting before adjournment; however, if a new record date for an adjourned meeting is fixed, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to persons who are shareholders as of the new record date unless a court provides otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no notice of a shareholders’ meeting need be given to a shareholder if (i) an annual report and proxy statements for two consecutive annual meetings of shareholders or (ii) all, and at least two, checks in payment of dividends or interest on securities during a 12-month period, have been sent by first-class United States mail, with postage thereon prepaid, addressed to the shareholder at his, her or its address as it appears on the share transfer books of the Corporation, and returned undeliverable. The obligation of the Corporation to give notice of shareholders’ meetings to any such shareholder shall be reinstated once the Corporation has received a new address for such shareholder for entry on its share transfer books. Section 7.Section 6. Waiver of Notice; Attendance at Meeting. A shareholder may waive any notice required by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws before or after the date and time of the meeting that is the subject of such notice. The waiver shall be in writing, be signed by the shareholder entitled to the notice, and be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation for inclusion in the minutes or filing with the minutes or corporate records. A shareholder’s attendance at a meeting (i) waives objection to lack of notice or defective notice of the meeting, unless the shareholder at the beginning of the meeting objects to holding the meeting or transacting business at the meeting, and (ii) waives objection to consideration of a particular matter at the meeting that is not within the purpose or purposes described in the meeting notice, unless the shareholder objects to considering the matter when it is presented. Section 8.Section 7. Quorum and Voting Requirements. Shares entitled to vote as a separate voting group may take action on a matter at a meeting only if a quorum of those shares exists with respect to that matter. Unless otherwise required by law, by Article II, Section 3 of these Bylaws, or by the Articles of Incorporation, a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on a matter by a voting group constitutes a quorum of that voting group for action on that matter. Once a share is represented for any purpose at a meeting, it is deemed present for quorum purposes for the remainder of the meeting and for any adjournment of that meeting unless a new record date is or shall be set for that adjourned meeting. If a quorum exists, action on a matter, other than the election of directors, by a voting group is approved if the votes cast within the voting group favoring the action exceed the votes cast opposing the action, unless a greater number of affirmative votes is required by law. Less than a quorum may adjourn a meeting, the Articles of Incorporation or the rules or regulations of any stock exchange applicable to the Corporation. An abstention or an election by a shareholder not to vote on the action 2


 
because of the failure to receive voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares shall not be considered a vote cast. A meeting may be adjourned by the chairperson of the meeting or by the shareholders even if there is less than a quorum. Unless required by law or determined by the chairperson of the meeting to be advisable, the vote on any question need not be by ballot. On a vote by ballot, each ballot shall be signed by the shareholder voting or by such shareholder’s proxy. If authorized by the Board of Directors, a shareholder may vote by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission by the shareholder or the shareholder’s proxy, provided that any such electronic transmission shall either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the shareholder or the shareholder’s proxy. Section 9.Section 8. Proxies. A shareholder may vote his, her or its shares in person or by proxy. A shareholder or the shareholder sshareholder’s agent or attorney- in-fact may appoint a proxy to vote or otherwise act for himsuch shareholder by signing an appointment form or by an electronic transmission meeting the requirements of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act. An appointment of a proxy is effective when received by the inspectors of election or the Secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes and is valid for 11 months unless a longer period is expressly provided in the appointment form. An appointment of a proxy is revocable by the shareholder unless the appointment form or the electronic transmission states that it is irrevocable and the appointment is coupled with an interest. The death or incapacity of the shareholder appointing a proxy does not affect the right of the Corporation to accept the proxy’s authority unless notice of the death or incapacity is received by the Secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes before the proxy exercises his or her authority under the appointment. An irrevocable appointment is revoked when the interest with which it is coupled is extinguished. A transferee for value of shares subject to an irrevocable appointment may revoke the appointment if he did not know of its existence when he acquired the shares and the existence of the irrevocable appointment was not noted conspicuously on the certificate representing the shares or on the information statement for shares without certificates. Subject to any legal limitations on the right of a corporationSubject to any legal limitations on the right of the Corporation to accept the vote or other action of a proxy and to any express limitation on the proxy’s authority stated in the appointment form or electronic transmission, the Corporation is entitled to accept the proxy’s vote or other action as that of the shareholder making the appointment. Any fiduciary who is entitled to vote any shares may vote such shares by proxy. Section 10.Section 9. Participation in Meetings. Shareholders To the extent authorized by the Board of Directors, shareholders may participate in meetings by use of any means of remote communication by which all shareholders participating may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting. A. Subject to the applicable provisions of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act, a shareholder participating in a meeting by this means of remote communication, as authorized by the Board of Directors, is deemed to be present in person at the meeting. 3


 
Section 11.Section 10. ConductOrder of Business. at Meetings of Shareholders. (a) To be properly brought before anAnnual Meetings of Shareholders. At any annual meeting of shareholders, business (other than nomination of directors)only such nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors shall be made, and only such other business shall be conducted or considered, as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. For nominations to be properly made at an annual meeting, and proposals of other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting, nominations and proposals of other business must be (xi) specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting, (y) brought before the meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or (z) brought before the meeting (ii) otherwise properly made at the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) otherwise properly requested to be brought before the annual meeting by a shareholder of the Corporation in accordance with this Article I, Section 11. Any these Bylaws. For nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors or proposals of other business to be properly requested by a shareholder wishing to bring a matter to be made at an annual meeting, a shareholder must (x) be a shareholder of record at the time the shareholder gives the notice of such nomination or proposal required by Article I, Section 11, at the time of giving of notice of such annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors and at the time of the annual meeting, (y) be entitled to vote at such annual meeting and (z) comply with the procedures set forth in these Bylaws as to such business or nomination. The immediately preceding sentence shall be the exclusive means for a shareholder to make nominations or other business proposals (other than (I) matters properly brought under Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and included in the Corporation’s notice of meeting and (II) nominations properly brought by an Eligible Shareholder pursuant to Article I, Section 12 and included in the Corporation’s proxy statement) before thean annual meeting of shareholders must give notice . (b) Special Meetings of Shareholders. At any special meeting of shareholders, only such business shall be conducted or considered as shall have been properly brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. To be properly brought before a special meeting, proposals of business must be (i) specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (ii) otherwise properly brought before the special meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of shareholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (A) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (B) provided that the Board of Directors has determined that directors shall be elected at such meeting, by any shareholder of the Corporation who (x) is a shareholder of record at the time the shareholder gives the notice of such nomination or proposal required by Article I, Section 11, at the time of giving of notice of such special meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors and at the time of the special meeting, (y) is entitled to vote at the meeting and (z) complies with the procedures set forth in these Bylaws as to such nomination. The immediately preceding sentence shall be the exclusive means 4


 
for a shareholder to make nominations before a special meeting of the shareholders (other than matters properly brought under Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and included in the Corporation’s notice of meeting). (c) Chairperson of the Meeting. Meetings of the shareholders shall be presided over by the Chairman of the Board or, if the Chairman of the Board is not present, by a Vice Chairman of the Board, if elected, or if the Chairman of the Board and any Vice Chairman of the Board, if elected, are not present, by any Chief Executive Officer or, if no Chief Executive Officer is present, any President or, if no President is present, by a chairperson designated by the Board of Directors or, if the Board of Directors has not made such a designation, by a chairperson chosen by the shareholders at the meeting. The Secretary shall act as secretary of the meeting but, in his or her absence, the chairperson of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting. (d) Conduct of Meetings. The Board of Directors may adopt such rules, regulations, and procedures for the conduct of any meeting of shareholders that it deems appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules, regulations, and procedures adopted by the Board of Directors, the chairperson of the meeting shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations, and procedures and to do all such acts and things as are necessary or desirable for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, to adjourn or recess the meeting, dismiss business not properly presented, adopt rules, regulations and procedures to maintain order and safety, impose limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments on the affairs of the Corporation, restrict entry to such meeting after the time prescribed for the commencement thereof and open and close the voting polls. The Board of Directors may postpone or reschedule any meeting of shareholders. Section 11. Advance Notice of Shareholder Business and Nominations. (a) Annual Meetings of Shareholders. Without qualification or limitation, for any nominations or any other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a shareholder pursuant to Article I, Section 10(a), the shareholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper form (including, in the case of nominations, the completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement required by Article I, Section 13) and timely updates and supplements thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporationand such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for shareholder action. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, delivered not later than 90 days before the date of the anniversary of the immediately preceding annual meeting of shareholders. The notice must set forth as to each matter to be brought before the meeting (iat the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the shareholder must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of such annual meeting or, if the first public 5


 
announcement of the date of such annual meeting is less than 100 days prior to the date of such annual meeting, the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting, or the public announcement thereof, commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above. Notwithstanding anything in the preceding two sentences to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board of Directors is increased by the Board of Directors, and there is no public announcement by the Corporation naming all of the nominees for director or specifying the size of the increased Board of Directors at least 100 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a shareholder’s notice required by this Article I, Section 11(a) shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation. In addition, to be timely, a shareholder’s notice shall further be updated and supplemented, if necessary, so that such notice shall be true and correct as of the record date for the meeting and as of the date that is 10 business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five business days after the record date for the meeting in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date, and not later than eight business days prior to the date for the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of 10 business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. If a shareholder who has given timely notice as required herein to make a nomination or bring other business before any such meeting intends to authorize another person to act for such shareholder as a proxy to present the proposal at such meeting, the shareholder shall give notice of such authorization in writing to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than three business days before the date of the meeting, including the name and contact information for such person. (b) Special Meetings of Shareholders. In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing one or more directors to the Board of Directors, any shareholder entitled to make a nomination pursuant to Article I, Section 10(b) may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position(s) to be elected as specified in the Corporation’s notice calling the meeting, provided that the shareholder gives timely notice thereof in proper form (including the completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement required by Article I, Section 13) and timely updates and supplements thereof in writing to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail. In order to be timely, a shareholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the date of such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of such special meeting or, if the first public announcement of the date of such 6


 
special meeting is less than 100 days prior to the date of such special meeting, the 10th day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of a special meeting, or the public announcement thereof, commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above. In addition, to be timely, a shareholder’s notice shall further be updated and supplemented, if necessary, so that such notice shall be true and correct as of the record date for the meeting and as of the date that is 10 business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five business days after the record date for the meeting in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date, and not later than eight business days prior to the date for the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of 10 business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. If a shareholder who has given timely notice as required herein to bring any business before any such meeting intends to authorize another person to act for such shareholder as a proxy to present the proposal at such meeting, the shareholder shall give notice of such authorization in writing to the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than three business days before the date of the meeting, including the name and contact information for such person. (c) Other Provisions. (1) To be in proper form, a shareholder’s notice (whether given pursuant to Article I, Section 11(a) or (b)) to the Secretary must include the following, as applicable: (i) as to the shareholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made: (A) the name and address of such shareholder, as they appear on the Corporation’s books, of such beneficial owner, if any, and of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, (B) (I) the class or series and number of shares of the Corporation which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and of record by such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, and their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, including the name and number of shares of the Corporation held by any broker, bank or other nominee on any such person’s or entity’s behalf, (II) any option, warrant, convertible security, stock appreciation right, or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class or series of shares of the Corporation or with a value derived in whole or in part from the value of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, or any derivative or synthetic arrangement having the characteristics of a long position in any class or series of shares of the Corporation, or any contract, derivative, swap or other transaction or series of transactions designed to produce economic benefits and risks that correspond substantially to the ownership of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, including due to the fact that the value of such contract, derivative, swap or other transaction or series of transactions is determined 7


 
by reference to the price, value or volatility of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, whether or not such instrument, contract or right shall be subject to settlement in the underlying class or series of shares of the Corporation, through the delivery of cash or other property, or otherwise, and without regard to whether the shareholder of record, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, may have entered into transactions that hedge or mitigate the economic effect of such instrument, contract or right, or any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation (any of the foregoing, a “Derivative Instrument”) directly or indirectly owned beneficially by such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, (III) any proxy (other than a revocable proxy given in response to a solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act by way of a solicitation statement filed on Schedule 14A and which is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act), contract, arrangements, understanding pursuant to which such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, has a right to vote any class or series of shares of the Corporation, (IV) any agreement, arrangement, understanding, or otherwise, including any repurchase or similar so-called “stock borrowing” agreement or arrangement, engaged in, directly or indirectly, by such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, the purpose or effect of which is to mitigate loss to, reduce the economic risk (of ownership or otherwise) of any class or series of the shares of the Corporation by, manage the risk of share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, with respect to any class or series of the shares of the Corporation, or which provides, directly or indirectly, the opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any decrease in the price or value of any class or series of the shares of the Corporation (any of the foregoing, “Short Interests”), (V) any rights to distributions on the shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (VI) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership in which such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in a general partner of such general or limited partnership, (VII) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) to which such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, is entitled based on any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments, if any, (VIII) any significant equity interests or any Derivative Instruments or Short Interests in any principal competitor of the Corporation or any subsidiary of the Corporation held by such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, (IX) any direct or indirect interest of such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others 8


 
acting in concert therewith, in any contract with the Corporation or any subsidiary of the Corporation, and (X) any debt securities or other debt instruments of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries held by such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, and (C) any other information relating to such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement and form of proxy or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for, as applicable, the proposal and/or for the election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (i)(ii) if the notice relates to any business other than a nomination of a director or directors that the shareholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a shareholder’s notice must, in addition to the matters set forth in paragraph (i) above, also set forth: (A) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, including the complete text of any resolutions to be presented for a vote at the annual meeting of shareholders, (ii) the name and address of record of the shareholder proposing such business, (iii) the class and number of shares of the Corporation that are beneficially owned by such shareholder, and (iv)the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest of the shareholder in such business. Any matter brought before an annual meeting of shareholders other than in compliance with this Article I, Section 11(a) may be ruled out of order by the chairman of the meeting.such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, in such business, (B) the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration), and (C) a description of all agreements, arrangements and understandings between such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, on the one hand, and any other person or persons (including their names), on the other hand, in connection with the proposal of such business by such shareholder; (b) Nominations for the Board of Directors at any meeting of shareholders at which directors are to be elected may be made by the Board of Directors, by a committee appointed by the Board of Directors, or by any shareholder who is a member of a voting group entitled to vote for the election of directors at such meeting and who follows the procedures set forth in this Article I, Section 11(b), or by an Eligible Shareholder (as defined below) whose Shareholder Nominee (as defined below) is included in the Corporation’s proxy materials for the relevant annual meeting of shareholders. Any shareholder wishing to make a nomination must give notice in writing of such proposed nomination to the Secretary of the Corporation, by registered or certified United States mail, postage prepaid, delivered not less than 60 days in advance of the meeting (except that, if public disclosure of the meeting is made less than 70 days before the meeting, such notice must be delivered within ten days following such public disclosure). The notice must set forth (i) the name and address of record of the shareholder making the nomination and the name and address of the nominee(s), (ii) the class and number of shares of the Corporation that are beneficially owned by such shareholder, (iii) a description of all arrangements or understandings 9


 
between or among such shareholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) in accordance with which the nomination is being made by the shareholder, (iv) information regarding each nominee equivalent to that required to be included in a proxy statement filed under the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) if the nominee had been nominated by the Board of Directors, and (v) a consent of the nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation, if elected. Any nomination brought before a meeting of shareholders other than in compliance with this Article I, Section 11(b) may be ruled out of order by the chairman of the meeting. (iii) as to each person, if any, whom the shareholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection to the Board of Directors, a shareholder’s notice must, in addition to the matters set forth in paragraph (a) above, also set forth: (A) all information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected) and (B) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among such shareholder, such beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates or associates or others acting in concert therewith, on the one hand, and each proposed nominee, and his or her respective affiliates and associates, or others acting in concert therewith, on the other hand, including, without limitation, all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K if the shareholder making the nomination and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made, if any, or any affiliate or associate thereof or person acting in concert therewith, were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the nominee were a director or executive officer of such registrant; and (iv) as to each person, if any, whom the shareholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection to the Board of Directors, a shareholder’s notice must, in addition to the matters set forth in paragraphs (i) and (iii) above, also include a completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement required by Article I, Section 13. The Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish within 15 days of such request such other information as may reasonably be requested by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation under applicable law, rule or regulation, that may be required to be provided concerning such nominee to any governmental or regulatory authority having authority to regulate or oversee the Corporation, its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, to serve as an independent director of the Corporation or that could be material to a reasonable shareholder’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee. (2) For purposes of these Bylaws, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by a national news service, including the Dow Jones News Service and the Associated Press, or in a document publicly filed by 10


 
the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of these Bylaws, a shareholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in these Bylaws; provided, however, that any references in these Bylaws to the Exchange Act or the rules promulgated thereunder are not intended to and shall not limit the requirements applicable to nominations and proposals made pursuant to Article I, Section 10. For the avoidance of doubt, the obligations to update and/or supplement a shareholder’s notice as set forth in this Article I, Section 11 shall not limit the Corporation’s rights with respect to any deficiencies in any notice provided by a shareholder, be deemed to cure any defects or limit the remedies (including without limitation under these Bylaws) available to the Corporation relating to any defect, extend any applicable deadlines hereunder or under any other provision of the Bylaws or enable or be deemed to permit a shareholder who has previously submitted notice pursuant to these Bylaws to amend, update or submit a new nomination or proposal, including by changing or adding nominees or proposals proposed to be brought before a meeting of the shareholders. (4) The chairperson of any annual or special meeting of shareholders shall have the power and authority to determine whether a nomination or other business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and these Bylaws and, if any proposed nomination or other business was not made or proposed, as the case may be, in compliance with the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, may dismiss such proposed nomination or other business and declare that no action shall be taken on such nomination or other business and that such nomination or other business shall be disregarded. (5) Nothing in these Bylaws shall be deemed to affect any rights (i) of shareholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act, (ii) of the holders of any series of preferred stock of the Corporation if and to the extent provided for under law or the Articles of Incorporation or (iii) of shareholders to act by unanimous written consent in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and applicable law. Section 12. Proxy Access for Board of Director Nominations. (a) The Corporation shall include in its proxy statement for any annual meeting of shareholders the name, together with the Required Information (as defined below), of any person nominated for election to the Board of Directors (a “Shareholder Nominee”) identified in a timely notice (the “Notice”) that satisfies this Article I, Section 12 delivered to the principal officeexecutive offices of the Corporation, addressed to the Secretary, by one or more shareholders who at the time the request is delivered satisfy the ownership and other requirements of Article I, Section 11(b) and this Article I, Section 12 (such shareholder or shareholders, and any director, executive officer or general partner of such shareholder or any such affiliate or associate or person with which such shareholder is acting in concert of such shareholder or shareholders, the 11


 
“Eligible Shareholder”), and who expressly elects to have its nominee included in the Corporation’s proxy materials pursuant to this Article I, Section 12. To be timely for purposes of this Article I, Section 12, the Notice must be received by the Secretary, by registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 120th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 150th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding mailing date for the notice of annual meeting of shareholders. (b) For purposes of this Article I, Section 12, the “Required Information” that the Corporation will include in its proxy statement is (i) the information concerning the Shareholder Nominee and the Eligible Shareholder that, as determined by the Corporation, is required to be disclosed in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the SEC, (ii) the Nominee Statement (as defined below) for each Shareholder Nominee to be included in the proxy statement of the Corporation, and (iii) if the Eligible Shareholder so elects, a Shareholder Statement (as defined below). (c) The number of Shareholder Nominees (including any Shareholder Nominee elected to the Board of Directors at either of the two preceding annual meetings of shareholders who is being re-nominated by the Board of Directors to stand for reelection and any Shareholder Nominees submitted by an Eligible Shareholder for inclusion in the Corporation’s proxy materials pursuant to this Article I, Section 12 but either are subsequently withdrawn or that the Board of Directors or any committee designated by the Board of Directors decides to nominate for election to the Board of Directors (a “Board Nominee”)) appearing in the Corporation’s proxy materials with respect to a meeting of shareholders shall not exceed the greater of (i) two and (ii) 20% of the number of directors in office as of the last day on which the Notice may be delivered, or if such amount is not a whole number, the closest whole number below 20%; provided, however, that the number of Shareholder Nominees appearing in the Corporation’s proxy materials pursuant to this Article I, Section 12 may be reduced, in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors, by the number of director candidates for which the Secretary of the Corporation receives a notice that a shareholder has nominated a director candidate for election to the Board of Directors pursuant to the requirements of Article I, Section 11(b)Section 10(a) and does not expressly elect at the time of providing the notice to have its nominee included in the Corporation’s proxy materials pursuant to this Article I, Section 12. In the event that the number of Shareholder Nominees submitted by Eligible Shareholders pursuant to this Article I, Section 12 exceeds this maximum number, each Eligible Shareholder shall select one Shareholder Nominee for inclusion in the Corporation’s proxy materials until the maximum number is reached, going in the order of the amount (largest to smallest) of shares of the Corporation’s stock eligible to vote in the election of directors each Eligible Shareholder disclosed as owned in the Notice. If the maximum number is not reached after each Eligible Shareholder has selected one Shareholder Nominee, this selection process shall continue as many times as necessary, following the same order each time, until the maximum number is reached. (d) An Eligible Shareholder must have owned (as defined below) 3% or more of the outstanding shares of the Corporation’s stock eligible to vote in the election of directors continuously for at least three years (the “Required Shares”) as of both the date the Notice is delivered to the Corporation and the record date for 12


 
determining shareholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting of shareholders and must continue to own the Required Shares through the annual meeting of shareholders. For purposes of satisfying the foregoing ownership requirement under this Article I, Section 12, (i) the shares of stock of the Corporation owned by one or more shareholders, or by the person or persons who own shares of the Corporation’s stock and on whose behalf any shareholder is acting, may be aggregated, provided that the number of shareholders and other persons whose ownership of shares is aggregated for such purpose shall not exceed 20, and further provided that the group of shareholders shall have provided to the Secretary of the Corporation as a part of providing the Notice a written agreement executed by each of its members designating one of the members as the exclusive member to interact with the Corporation for purposes of this Article I, Section 12 and Article I, Section 11(b) on behalf of all members, and (ii) two or more funds that are (A) under common management and investment control, (B) under common management and funded primarily by the same employer, or (C) a “group of investment companies,” as such term is defined in Section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, shall be treated as one shareholder or beneficial owner. No effect will be given to the Eligible Shareholder’s votes with respect to the election of directors if the Eligible Shareholder does not comply with each of the representations in Article I, Section 12(d)(4) below.. Within the time period specified for providing the Notice, an Eligible Shareholder must provide the following information in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation (in addition to the information required to be provided by Article I, Section 11(b)):Section 11): (1) one or more written statements from the record holder of the shares (and from each intermediary through which the shares are or have been held during the requisite three-year holding period) verifying that, as of a date within seven calendar days prior to the date the Notice is delivered to or mailed and received by the Corporation, the Eligible Shareholder owns, and has owned continuously for the preceding three years, the Required Shares, and the Eligible Shareholder’s agreement to provide, within five business days after the record date for the annual meeting of shareholders, written statements from the record holder and intermediaries verifying the Eligible Shareholder’s continuous ownership of the Required Shares through the record date; (2) the written consent of each Shareholder Nominee to be named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serve as a director if elected; (3) a copy of the Schedule 14N that has been filed with the SEC as required by Rule 14a-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);; (4) a representation that the Eligible Shareholder: (i) acquired the Required Shares in the ordinary course of business and not with the intent to change or influence control of the Corporation, and does not presently have such intent; 13


 
(ii) has not nominated and will not nominate for election to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting of shareholders any person other than the Shareholder Nominee(s) being nominated pursuant to this Article I, Section 12; (iii) has not engaged and will not engage in, and has not and will not be, a “participant” in another person’s “solicitation” within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act in support of the election of any individual as a director at the annual meeting of shareholders other than its Shareholder Nominee(s) or a Board Nominee; (iv) will not distribute to any shareholder any form of proxy for the annual meeting of shareholders other than the form distributed by the Corporation; (v) will continue to own the Required Shares through the annual meeting of shareholders; and (vi) will provide facts, statements and other information in all communications with the Corporation and its shareholders that are or will be true and correct in all material respects and do not and will not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; (5) an undertaking that the Eligible Shareholder agrees to: (i) assume all liability stemming from any legal or regulatory violation arising out of the Eligible Shareholder’s communications with the Corporation’s shareholders or out of the information that the Eligible Shareholder provided to the Corporation; (ii) indemnify and hold harmless the Corporation and each of its directors, officers and employees individually against any liability, loss or damages in connection with any threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding, whether legal, administrative or investigative, against the Corporation or any of its directors, officers or employees arising out of any nomination submitted by the Eligible Shareholder pursuant to this Article I, Section 12; (iii) file with the SEC all soliciting and other materials as required under Article I, Section 12(i); and (iv) comply with all other applicable laws, rules, regulations and listing standards with respect to any solicitation in connection with the annual meeting of shareholders; and (6) written disclosure of any transactions between the Eligible Shareholder and the Shareholder Nominee or the Board Nominee within the preceding five years. (e) For purposes of this Article I, Section 12, an Eligible Shareholder shall be deemed to “own” only those outstanding shares of the Corporation’s stock as 14


 
to which a shareholder who is the Eligible Shareholder or is included in the group that constitutes the Eligible Shareholder possesses both (i) the full voting and investment rights pertaining to the shares and (ii) the full economic interest in (including the opportunity for profit and risk of loss on) such shares; provided that the number of shares calculated in accordance with clauses (i) and (ii) shall not include any shares (A) sold by or on behalf of such shareholder in any transaction that has not been settled or closed, (B) borrowed by or on behalf of such shareholder for any purpose or purchased by such shareholder pursuant to an agreement to resell or (C) subject to any option, warrant, forward contract, swap, contract of sale, other derivative or similar agreement entered into by or on behalf of such shareholder, whether any such instrument or agreement is to be settled with shares or with cash based on the notional amount or value of outstanding shares of the Corporation’s stock, in any such case which instrument or agreement has, or is intended to have, the purpose or effect of (x) reducing in any manner, to any extent or at any time in the future, such shareholder’s full right to vote or direct the voting of any such shares, and/or (y) hedging, offsetting or altering to any degree gain or loss arising from the full economic ownership of such shares by such shareholder. A shareholder shall “own” shares held in the name of a nominee or other intermediary so long as the shareholder retains the right to instruct how the shares are voted with respect to the election of directors and possesses the full economic interest in the shares. A shareholder’s ownership of shares shall be deemed to continue during any period in which the shareholder has delegated any voting power by means of a proxy, power of attorney or other instrument or arrangement that is revocable at any time by the shareholder, provided, that (i) such person revokes such delegation within five business days of being notified that its Shareholder Nominee will be included in the Corporation’s proxy statement for the relevant annual meeting of shareholders and (ii) such person holds the revoked shares through the annual meeting of shareholders. Whether outstanding shares of the Corporation’s stock are “owned” for these purposes shall be determined by the Board of Directors, which determination shall be conclusive and binding on the Corporation and its shareholders, including the Eligible Shareholder. (f) The Eligible Shareholder may provide to the Secretary of the Corporation, within the time period specified for providing the Notice, a written statement for inclusion in the Corporation’s proxy statement for the annual meeting of shareholders, not to exceed 500 words, in support of the Shareholder Nominee’s candidacy (the “Shareholder Statement”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article I, Section 12 and Article I, Section 11(b),, the Corporation may omit from its proxy materials any information or statement that it believes would violate any applicable law, rule, regulation or listing standard. (g) The Corporation shall not be required to include, pursuant to this Article I, Section 12, a Shareholder Nominee in its proxy materials: (1) if the Eligible Shareholder who has nominated such Shareholder Nominee has engaged in or is currently engaged in, or has been, or is a “participant” in another person’s, “solicitation” within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act in support of the election of any individual as a director at the annual meeting of shareholders other than its Shareholder Nominee(s) or a Board Nominee; 15


 
(2) who is not independent under the listing standards of the principal exchange upon which the Corporation’s stock is traded, any applicable rules of the SEC and any publicly disclosed standards used by the Board of Directors in determining and disclosing the independence of the Corporation’s directors, as determined by the Board of Directors; (3) whose election as a member of the Board of Directors would cause the Corporation to be in violation of these Bylaws, the Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation, the listing standards of the principal exchange upon which the Corporation’s stock is traded, or any applicable state or federal law, rule or regulation; (4) who is or has been, within the past three years, an officer or director of a competitor, as defined in Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914; (5) who is a named subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses) or has been convicted in such a criminal proceeding within the past 10 years; (6) who is subject to any order of the type specified in Rule 506(d) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; (7) if such Shareholder Nominee or the applicable Eligible Shareholder shall have provided information to the Corporation in respect of such nomination that was untrue in any material respect or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, as determined by the Board of Directors; (8) if the Eligible Shareholder who has nominated such Shareholder Nominee has filed a Schedule 13D with respect to the Corporation within the past year; or (9) if the Eligible Shareholder or applicable Shareholder Nominee otherwise breaches any of its or their obligations, agreements or representations under this Article I, Section 12 or Article I, Section 11(b).. (h) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the chairmanchairperson of the annual meeting of shareholders shall declare a nomination by an Eligible Shareholder to be invalid, and such nomination shall be disregarded notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation, if the Shareholder Nominee(s) and/or the applicable Eligible Shareholder shall have breached its or their obligations, agreements or representations under this Article I, Section 12 or Article I, Section 11(b),, as determined by the Board of Directors or the chairmanchairperson of the annual meeting of shareholders. (i) The Eligible Shareholder shall file with the SEC any solicitation communication with the Corporation’s shareholders relating to the annual meeting of shareholders at which the Shareholder Nominee will be nominated, regardless of whether any such filing is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, or 16


 
whether any exemption from filing is available for such solicitation communication under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. (j) No person may be a member of more than one group of persons constituting an Eligible Shareholder under this Article I, Section 12. (k) Any Shareholder Nominee who is included in the Corporation’s proxy materials for a particular annual meeting of shareholders but either (i) withdraws from or becomes ineligible or unavailable for election at the annual meeting of shareholders, or (ii) does not receive at least 20% of the votes cast in favor of the Shareholder Nominee’s election, shall be ineligible to be a Shareholder Nominee pursuant to this Article I, Section 12 for the next two annual meetings of shareholders following the annual meeting of shareholders for which the Shareholder Nominee has been nominated for election. (l) The Shareholder Nominee must provide to the Secretary of the Corporation, within the time period specified for providing the Notice, a written statement for inclusion in the Corporation’s proxy statement for the annual meeting of shareholders (the “Nominee Statement”), disclosing whether or not such Shareholder Nominee is or will become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a Shareholder Nominee or director. Such Nominee Statement must also include a representation that if such Shareholder Nominee is elected as a director of the Corporation, such Shareholder Nominee will not agree or accept any increase in the amount or scope, as applicable, of any such compensation, reimbursement or indemnification and that they would be in compliance with applicable law and the Corporation’s corporate governance guidelines and other policies applicable to directors generally. At the request of the Corporation, the Shareholder Nominee must promptly, but in any event within five business days of such request, submit all completed and signed questionnaires required of the Corporation’s directors and officers.the written questionnaire described in Article I, Section 13. The Corporation may request such additional information (i) as may be reasonably necessary to permit the Board of Directors or any committee thereof to determine if a Shareholder Nominee is independent under the listing standards of the principal exchange upon which the Corporation’s stock is traded, any applicable rules of the SEC and any publicly disclosed standards used by the Board of Directors in determining and disclosing the independence of the Corporation’s directors and otherwise to determine the eligibility of each Shareholder Nominee to service as a director of the Corporation, or (ii) that could be material to a reasonable stockholder’sshareholder’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of each Shareholder Nominee. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article I, Section 12 and Article I, Section 11(b),, the Corporation may omit from its proxy materials any information or statement that it believes would violate any applicable law, rule, regulation or listing standard. Section 13. Submission of Questionnaire, Representation and Agreement. To be eligible to be a nominee for election or reelection as a director of the Corporation, a person must deliver (in accordance with the time periods prescribed for delivery of notice under Article I, Section 11 or Section 12, as applicable) to the Secretary, by 17


 
registered or certified United States mail, at the principal executive offices of the Corporation a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Secretary upon written request), and a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request) that such person (a) is not and will not become a party to (i) any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or (ii) any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person’s ability to comply, if elected as a director of the Corporation, with such person’s fiduciary duties under applicable law, (b) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed therein and (c) in such person’s individual capacity and on behalf of any person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made, would be in compliance, if elected as a director of the Corporation, and will comply with all applicable corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and publicly disclosed stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Corporation. ARTICLE II DIRECTORS Section 1. General Powers. The Corporation shall have a Board of Directors. All corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the business and affairs of the Corporation managed under the direction of, and subject to the oversight of, its Board of Directors, subject to any limitation set forth in the Articles of Incorporation. Section 2. Number. The number of directors of the Corporation shall be not less than three nor more than fifteen, the exact number of directors to be fixed, from time to time, by a resolution of the Board of Directors. Section 3. Election and Term. Directors shall be elected at each annual meeting of shareholders. Despite the expiration of a director’s term, such director shall continue to serve until his or her successor is elected and qualifies or until there is a decrease in the number of directors. No individual shall be named or elected as a director without his or her prior consent. Except with respect to vacancies on the Board of Directors, which shall be filled as provided in Section 4 of this Article II, Section 4, each director shall be elected by a majority of votes cast of the voting group or groups entitled to elect such director at any meeting of shareholders for the election of directors at which a quorum is present; provided that, if the number of director nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected by any voting group as of the 10th day preceding the date on which the Corporation first mails its notice of meeting for such meeting to the shareholders, the 18


 
director(s) shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares of such voting group represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. If an incumbent director is nominated for election and not reelected, the director shall offer his or her resignation promptly to the Board of Directors. Within 60 days following certification of the shareholder vote, the Nominating and /Corporate Governance Committee, or other committee responsible for nominating and governance matters, shall recommend to the Board of Directors the action to be taken with respect to such offer of resignation. Within 90 days following certification of the election results, the Board of Directors shall act on the offered resignation. In determining whether or not to accept the offered resignation, the Board of Directors shall consider any recommendation by the committee, the factors considered by the committee and any additional information and factors that the Board of Directors believes to be relevant. No director who submits his or her resignation under this Article II, Section 3 shall participate in the deliberations or decisions of the committee or the Board of Directors regarding such director’s resignation. If the submitted resignation is not accepted by the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors shall disclose its reasons for not accepting the resignation, and the director shall continue to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected, or his or her earlier resignation or removal. If a director’s resignation is accepted by the Board of Directors, or if a nominee for director is not elected by the shareholders, then the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may fill any resulting vacancy in accordance with Section 4 of this Article II.Article II, Section 4. Section 4. Removal; Vacancies. The shareholders may remove any director with or without cause at a meeting called for that purpose. Removal of a director shall be effective only if approved by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast at an election of directors of the voting group or groups by which such director was elected. A vacancy on the Board of Directors, including a vacancy resulting from the removal of a director, or an increase in the number of directors, may be filled only by (i) the shareholders, (ii) the Board of Directors, or (iii) the majority vote of the remaining directors though less than a quorum of the Board of Directors. In the case of the resignation of a director that will become effective at a specified later date, the vacancy may be filled before it occurs but the new director may not take office until the vacancy occurs. Section 5. Organization. (a) The Board of Directors shall elect one of its members to be the Chairman of the Board and may elect one or more of its members to be a Vice Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside as chairperson at all meetings of the shareholders and of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may be conferred upon him or her by the Board of Directors or these Bylaws. A Vice Chairman of the Board, if elected, shall, in the absence of the Chairman of the Board, preside as chairperson at all meetings of the shareholders and of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may be conferred upon him or her by the Board of Directors or these Bylaws. 19


 
(b) The independent members of the Board of Directors shall designate a Lead Director, who shall not be an officer of or employed by the Corporation and otherwise shall be independent. The Lead Director shall exercise and perform such powers and duties as may be conferred upon him or her by the Board of Directors or these Bylaws. For purposes of this Article II, Section 5(b), “independent” shall have the meaning set forth in the rules or regulations of any stock exchange applicable to the Corporation Section 5.Section 6. Annual and Regular Meetings. Annual meetingsUnless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors, an annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held on the same day as the annual meeting of shareholders, for the purpose of electing officers and carrying on such other business as may properly come before such meeting. The Board of Directors may also adopt a schedule of additional meetings which shall be considered regular meetings. Regular meetings shall be held at such times and at such places, within or without the Commonwealth of Virginia, as the Chairman of the Board, any Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors shall designate from time to time. If no place is designated, regular meetings shall be held at the principal officeexecutive offices of the Corporation. Section 6.Section 7. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman of the Board, the Lead Director, any Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors, and shall be held at such times and at such places, within or without the Commonwealth of Virginia, as the person or persons calling the meetings shall designate. If no such place is designated in the notice of a meeting, it shall be held at the principal officeexecutive offices of the Corporation. Section 7.Section 8. Notice of Meetings. No notice need be given of regular meetings of the Board of Directors. Notice of special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be given to each director not less than six hours before the meeting by any means permitted under the Virginia Stock Corporation Act., including electronic transmission. Any such notice may be oral or written and shall include the date, time and place (or means of remote communication) of the meeting. Section 8.Section 9. Waiver of Notice. A director may waive any notice required by law, the Articles of Incorporation, or these Bylaws before or after the date and time stated in the notice and such waiver shall be equivalent to the giving of such notice. Except as provided in the next sentence of this Article II, Section 89, the waiver shall be in writing, signed by the director entitled to the notice, and filed with the minutes or corporate records. A director’s attendance at or participation in a meeting waives any required notice to him or her of the meeting unless the director at the beginning of the meeting or promptly upon his or her arrival objects to holding the meeting or transacting business at the meeting and does not thereafter vote for or assent to action taken at the meeting. Section 9.Section 10. Quorum; Voting. A majority of the number of directors prescribed in accordance with these Bylaws, or if no number has been prescribed, the number of directors in office immediately before the meeting begins, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of the Board of Directors. The act of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum 20


 
is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors. A director who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors or a committee of the Board of Directors when corporate action is taken is deemed to have assented to the action taken unless (i) he or she objects at the beginning of the meeting, or promptly upon his or her arrival, to holding it or transacting specified business at the meeting, or (ii) he or she votes against, or abstains from, the action taken. Section 10.Section 11. Telephonic Meetings. The Board of Directors may permit any or all directors to participate in a regular or special meeting by, or conduct the meeting through the use of, any means of communication by which all directors participating may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting. A director participating in a meeting by this means is deemed to be present in person at the meeting. Section 11.Section 12. Action Without Meeting. Action required or permitted to be taken at a Board of Directors’ meeting may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all members of the Board. The action shall be evidenced by one or more written consents stating the action taken, signed by each director either before or after the action taken, and included in the minutes or filed with the corporate records reflecting the action taken. Action taken under this Article II, Section 1112 shall be effective when the last director signs the consent unless the consent specifies a different effective date and states the date of execution by each director, in which event it shall be effective according to the terms of the consent. A written consent and the signing thereof may be accomplished by one or more electronic transmissions. Section 12.Section 13. Compensation. Unless the Articles of Incorporation provide otherwise, the Board of Directors may fix the compensation of directors for their services as directors and may provide for the payment of all expenses incurred by directors in attending meetings of the Board of Directors. ARTICLE III COMMITTEES OF DIRECTORS Section 1. Committees. The Board of Directors may create one or more committees and appoint members of the Board of Directors to serve on them. Each committee shall have two or more members who serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The creation of a committee and appointment of members to it shall be approved by the number of directors required to take action under Section 9 of Article II of these BylawsArticle II, Section 10. Section 2. Authority of Committees. To the extent specified by the Board of Directors, each committee may exercise the authority of the Board of Directors under Section 1 of Article II of these BylawsArticle II, Section 1 and applicable law, except that a committee may not (i) approve or recommend to shareholders action that is required by law to be approved by shareholders; (ii) fill vacancies on the Board of Directors or on any of its committees; (iii) amend the Articles of Incorporation; (iv) adopt, amend, or repeal these Bylaws; (v) approve a plan of merger not requiring shareholder approval; (vi) authorize or approve a distribution, except according to a general formula or 21


 
method, or within limits, prescribed by the Board of Directors; or (vii) authorize or approve the issuance or sale or contract for sale of shares, or determine the designation and relative rights, preferences, and limitations of a class or series of shares, except that the Board of Directors may authorize a committee, or a senior executive officer of the Corporation, to do so within limits specifically, if any, prescribed by the Board of Directors. Section 3. Committee Meetings; Miscellaneous. The provisions of Article II of these Bylaws relating to meetings, notice and waiver of notice, quorum and voting, and consents shall apply to committees of directors and their members. ARTICLE IV OFFICERS Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Corporation shall be a Chairman of the Board, one or more Chief Executive Officers, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Controller, and in the discretion of the Board of Directors, one or more Vice Chairmen of the Board of Directors, one or more Presidents, one or more Vice Presidents and other officers and assistant officers as may be deemed necessary or advisable to carry on the business of the Corporation. In addition, the Board of Directors shall designate from among the officers of the Corporation a chief financial officer and a chief accounting officer (who may be the same person). Any two or more offices may be held by the same person. Section 2. Election; Term. Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors and may be elected at such other time or times as the Board of Directors shall determine. They shall hold office, unless removed, until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors or until their successors are elected. Any officer may resign at any time upon written notice to the Board of Directors, and such resignation is effective when notice is delivered unless the notice specifies a later effective date. The Board of Directors may delegate to any Chief Executive Officer authority to appoint one or more officers (excluding any Chief Executive Officer) and to prescribe the duties of any such officer, in each case as such Chief Executive Officer may deem necessary or advisable to carry on the business of the Corporation. Section 3. Removal of Officers. The Board of Directors may remove anyAny officer or assistant officer may be removed at any time, with or without cause.Chairman of by (i) the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside as Chairman at all meetings of the shareholders and directors and shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may be lawfully required of, of Directors or conferred upon, him(ii) any Chief Executive Officer, except that a Chief Executive Officer may be removed only by the Board of Directors. Section 4. Chief Executive Officer.(s). The Chief Executive Officer(s) shall be the chief executive officer(s) of the Corporation and shall have general supervision over, responsibility for, and control of the other officers, agents and employees of the Corporation and shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may be lawfully required of, or conferred upon, him or her by the Board of Directors. 22


 
Section 5. Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. A Vice Chairman of the Board shall, in the absence of the Chairman of the Board, preside as Chairman at all meetings of the shareholders and directors and shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may be lawfully required of, or conferred upon, him by the Board of Directors. Section 6.Section 5. President. Each President shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may lawfully be required of, or conferred upon, him or her by the Chairman of the Board, aany Chief Executive Officer, a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors or the Board of Directors. Section 7.Section 6. Vice Presidents. Each Vice President (including any Executive Vice President or Senior Vice President) shall perform such duties, and shall have such authority, as may lawfully be required of, or conferred upon, him or her by the Chairman of the Board, aany Chief Executive Officer, a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, aany President or the Board of Directors. Section 8.Section 7. Secretary. The Secretary shall, as secretary of the meetings, record all proceedings at shareholders’ meetings and directors’ meetings in a book or books kept for that purpose. In addition, the Secretary shall maintain or cause to be maintained the record of shareholders of the Corporation, giving the names and addresses of all shareholders and the numbers, classes and series of the shares held by each and the share transfer books. Section 9.Section 8. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have the custody of all moneys and securities of the Corporation; he or she shall deposit the same in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such depositories as may be designated by, or in accordance with action of, the Board of Directors and disburse the funds of the Corporation as may be required. Section 10.Section 9. Controller. The Controller shall cause to be kept full and accurate books and accounts of all assets, liabilities and transactions of the Corporation and prepare, or cause to be prepared, statements of the financial condition of the Corporation and proper profit and loss statements covering the operations of the Corporation and such other and additional financial statements, if any, as required by management of the Corporation or the Board of Directors. Section 11.Section 10. Delegation of Power. During the absence, disqualification or inability to act of any of the officers of the Corporation, other than the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board by written order or the Board of Directors by resolution or any Chief Executive Officer may delegate the powers of such officer to any other officer or employee of the Corporation. ARTICLE V SHARE CERTIFICATES Section 1. Form. Shares of the Corporation may, but need not, be represented by certificates. The Board of Directors may authorize the issue of some or 23


 
all of the shares of the Corporation without certificates. Any such authorization will not affect shares already represented by certificates until they are surrendered to the Corporation. The rights and obligations of shareholders shall be identical whether or not their shares are represented by certificates. Subject to the provisions of Section 2 of this Article V, Section 2, certificates shall be signed by any two of the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Vice Chairman of the Board, President, Vice President or Secretaryofficers of the Corporation, who may be the same individual. Certificates may (but need not) be sealed with the seal of the Corporation or a facsimile thereof. Section 2. Signatures. The signatures of the officers upon a share certificate issued by the Corporation may be facsimiles. If any officer who has signed, or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a share certificate, shall have ceased to be such officer before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if he or she were such officer at the date of its issue. Section 3. Transfer. The Board of Directors shall have power and authority to make rules and regulations concerning the issue, registration and transfer of shares of the Corporation. Section 4. Restrictions on Transfer. A restriction on the transfer or registration of shares is valid and enforceable against the holder or a transferee of the holder if the restriction is lawful and its existence is noted conspicuously on the front or back of the certificate representing the shares or in an information statement with respect to the shares. Section 5. Lost or Destroyed Share Certificates. The Corporation may issue a new share certificate in the place of any certificate theretofore issued by it which is alleged to have been lost or destroyed and may require the owner of such certificate, or his or her legal representative, to give the Corporation a bond, with or without surety, or such other agreement, undertaking or security as the Board of Directors shall determine is appropriate, to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against it on account of the alleged loss or destruction or the issuance of any such new certificate. ARTICLE VI EXCLUSIVE FORUM Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, (an “Alternative Forum Consent”), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, or, in the event that court lacks jurisdiction to hear such action, the Circuit Court of the County of Fairfax, Virginia, shall be the sole and exclusive forum offor (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action for asserting a claim of breach of duty to the Corporation or the Corporation’s shareholdersowed by any current or former director, officer or other, employee, shareholder or agent or director of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s shareholders, including a claim alleging the aiding and abetting of such a breach of duty, (iii) any action against the Corporation or any current or former officer or other employee or agent or director of the Corporation asserting a claim arising 24


 
pursuant to any provision of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act (as it may be amended from time to time) or, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws (as eitherin each case, as may be amended from time to time), (iv) any action or proceeding to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws (in each case, as may be amended from time to time), or (iv) any action against the Corporation or including any right, obligation, or remedy thereunder, (v) any current or former officer or other employee or agent or directoraction or proceeding regarding indemnification or advancement or reimbursement of expenses arising out of the Corporation Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws or otherwise, unless the Corporation and the party bringing such action or proceeding have entered into a written agreement providing for any other forum or dispute resolution process, in which case such action or proceeding shall be subject to such written agreement, (vi) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine or (vii) any action asserting one or more “internal corporate claims,” as that term is defined in subsection C of Section 13.1-624 of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to one of the courts having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article VI. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of this Article VI is filed in a court other than a court located within the Commonwealth of Virginia (a “Foreign Action”) by or in the name of any shareholder (including any beneficial owner), such shareholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the Commonwealth of Virginia in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the provisions of this Article VI and (ii) having service of process made upon such shareholder in any such action by service upon such shareholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such shareholder. Failure to enforce the provisions of this Article VI would cause the Corporation irreparable harm and the Corporation shall be entitled to equitable relief, including injunctive relief and specific performance to enforce the provisions of this Article VI. If any provision of this Article VI shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provision in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of Article VI (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this Article VI containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities or circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. The existence of any prior Alternative Forum Consent shall not act as a waiver of the Corporation’s ongoing consent right as set forth in this Article VI with respect to any current or future actions or proceedings. To the extent that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, and the Circuit Court of the County of Fairfax, Virginia, do not have personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants, such parties must be given a 25


 
reasonable opportunity to consent to such jurisdiction before any action or proceeding may be brought or maintained in any other court. ARTICLE VII SEVERABILITY If any provision of these Bylaws shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provision in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of these Bylaws (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of these Bylaws containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities or circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. ARTICLE VIII MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS Section 1. Corporate Seal. The corporate seal of the Corporation shall be circular and shall have inscribed thereon, within and around the circumference, "MARKEL CORPORATION". In the center shall be the word "SEAL". Section 2. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be determined in the discretion of the Board of Directors, but in the absence of any such determination it shall be the calendar year. Section 3. Amendments. Except as otherwise provided by law, these Bylaws may be amended or repealed, and new Bylaws may be made at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors. Bylaws made by the Board of Directors may be repealed or changed and new Bylaws may be made by the shareholders, and the shareholders may prescribe that any Bylaw made by them shall not be altered, amended or repealed by the Board of Directors. 26


 
MARKEL CORPORATION 2020 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN EFFECTIVE May 18, 2020 1. Purpose The purpose of the Plan is to provide Eligible Employees of Markel and each of its Designated Subsidiaries with the opportunity to purchase Stock in Markel, thereby encouraging employees to share in the economic growth and success of the company through Stock ownership. The Plan is divided into two components: a component that is intended to constitute an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423 of the Code (the “Qualified Plan Component”) and a component that does not constitute an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423 of the Code (the “Non-Qualified Plan Component”). Markel intends that any ambiguity in the Qualified Plan Component or any Qualified Offering (as defined below) be resolved to effect its intent that the Qualified Plan Component constitute an “employee stock purchase plan” as so defined. The Plan supersedes and replaces the Markel Corporation 2016 Employee Stock Purchase and Bonus Plan (the “Prior Plan”). No further shares of Common Stock will be purchased under the Prior Plan on or after the effective date of this Plan. However, any Stock Bonus Awards, Special Stock Bonus Awards and Company Incentive Payments under the Prior Plan that are outstanding as of the effective date of the Plan with respect to shares purchased or Loans borrowed under the Prior Plan prior to the effective date of the Plan shall remain outstanding and payable in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Prior Plan. In addition, all Loans under the Prior Plan outstanding as of the effective date of the Plan shall remain outstanding and repayable in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Prior Plan. After settlement or repayment of all such outstanding awards and Loans, the Prior Plan shall terminate. 2. Effective Date This Plan shall become effective on May 18, 2020, subject to approval by Markel’s shareholders. 3. Definitions 3.1 “Account” shall mean the separate bookkeeping account which shall be established and maintained by the Administrator for each Participant for each Offering Period to record the Contributions made on his or her behalf to purchase Stock under the Plan. 3.2 “Administrator” shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Markel or a duly-authorized delegate. 3.3 “Beneficiary” shall mean the one or more persons designated by the Participant in accordance with the procedures established by the Administrator who is entitled to receive amounts contributed by the Participant and/or act on behalf of the Participant pursuant to section 12. 3.4 “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of Markel. 3.5 “Change in Control” shall mean an occurrence of any of the following events: (a) an acquisition (other than directly from Markel) of any voting securities of Markel (the “Voting Securities”) by any “person or group” (within the meaning of section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) other than an employee benefit plan of Markel, immediately after which such person or group has “Beneficial Ownership” (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of Markel’s then outstanding Voting Securities; or (b) the consummation of (i) a merger, consolidation or reorganization involving Markel, unless (A) the shareholders of Markel immediately before such merger, consolidation or reorganization own, directly or indirectly immediately following such merger, consolidation or reorganization, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the entity resulting from such merger, consolidation or reorganization (the “Surviving Corporation”) in substantially the same proportion as their ownership immediately before such merger, consolidation or reorganization, and (B) at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Surviving Corporation were directors of Markel immediately prior to the execution of the agreement providing for such merger, consolidation or reorganization, or (ii) a complete liquidation or dissolution of Markel. 1


 
3.6 “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. 3.7 Contributions” shall mean the payroll deductions or, for Non-Qualified Offerings only, and only to the extent provided for in the Non- Qualified Offering by the Administrator, lump-sum payments or other contributions that a Participant contributes to fund the exercise of an Option pursuant to the Offering. Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. Dollars will be converted into U.S. Dollars at the then existing exchange rate as determined by the Administrator. 3.8 “Designated Subsidiary” shall mean a Subsidiary that the Administrator has designated as eligible to participate in the Plan. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, Markel Services, Inc. shall be on the only Designated Subsidiary with respect to any Qualified Offering. The Administrator shall designate from time to time which Subsidiaries will be eligible to participate in the Plan with respect to any Non-Qualified Offering. 3.9 “Director” shall mean a non-employee member of the Board. 3.10 “Eligible Employee” shall mean each regular full-time and part-time employee of Markel or a Designated Subsidiary, excluding any individual who is classified as an independent contractor in Markel’s or a Designated Subsidiary’s regular payroll system. With respect to any Qualified Offering, Eligible Employee shall exclude any employee who would own (immediately after the grant of an Option under the Plan) stock possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of Markel or any of its Subsidiaries based on the rules set forth in section 423(b)(3) and section 424 of the Code. In addition, with respect to any Qualified Offering, Options will be granted to all Eligible Employees of any corporation whose employees are granted any of such Options by reason of their employment by that corporation, provided that the Administrator may, prior to an Enrollment Period for a Qualified Offering under the Plan and in an identical manner to all employees of every corporation whose employees are granted Options under the Qualified Offering, determine that the Eligible Employees with respect to such Qualified Offering will not include - (a) an employee who has been employed less than 2 years (within the meaning of the Code section 423(b)(4)(A)) (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator); (b) an employee who customarily is employed (within the meaning of Code section 423(b)(4)(B)) 20 hours or less per week (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator); (c) an employee who customarily is employed (within the meaning of Code section 423(b)(4)(C)) for not more than 5 months in any calendar year (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator); (d) an employee who is a highly-compensated employee within the meaning of Code section 414(q) with compensation above a certain level, and/or is an officer or subject to disclosure requirements of section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or some other sub-category of highly compensated employees above a designated grade level, and (e) an employee who is a citizen or resident of a foreign jurisdiction if the grant of an Option under the Plan or Offering to such person is prohibited under the laws of such foreign jurisdiction or if compliance with the laws would cause the Plan or Offering to violate the requirements of Code section 432. With respect to any Non-Qualified Offering, the Administrator may establish eligibility conditions pursuant to which certain employees of Markel or any Designated Subsidiary may be excluded from participation in such Non-Qualified Offering. 3.11 “Enrollment Period” shall mean, with respect to any Qualified Offering, the period preceding the start of a Qualified Offering during which Eligible Employees may elect to participate in the Plan for such Qualified Offering. The Administrator shall establish the timing and duration of each Enrollment Period for each Qualified Offering. The Administrator may establish procedures for enrolling Eligible Employees or Directors in Non-Qualified Offering Periods in its discretion. 3.12 “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 3.13 “Fair Market Value” as of any date shall mean the closing sales price for a share of Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on such date; provided, if any given day for which the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock is to be determined is not a business day, the Fair Market Value shall be deemed to be the closing sales price for a share of Stock on the most recent business day before such day. 2


 
3.14 “Markel” shall mean Markel Corporation, a Virginia corporation 3.15 “Offering” shall mean an offer under the Plan to purchase shares of Stock on a Purchase Date. An Offering may be an Offering under the Qualified Plan Component (a “Qualified Offering”) or under the Non-Qualified Plan Component (a “Non-Qualified Offering”). 3.16 “Offering Period” shall mean a period established by the Administrator during which Contributions shall be made pursuant to an Offering under the Plan. Unless otherwise established by the Administrator prior to the beginning of a Qualified Offering, all Offering Periods for Qualified Offerings (“Qualified Offering Periods”) shall be approximately the length of a calendar quarter, and shall begin on the first business day of a calendar quarter and shall end on the last business day of the same calendar quarter. The first Qualified Offering Period shall begin on July 1, 2020 and end on September 30, 2020. Unless otherwise established by the Administrator prior to the beginning of a Non-Qualified Offering, all Offering Periods for Non- Qualified Offerings (“Non-Qualified Offering Periods”) shall be approximately the length of a month, and shall begin on the first business day on or after the sixteenth (16th) day of a calendar month and shall end on the last business day on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of the following calendar month; provided that the first Non-Qualified Offering Period shall begin on July 1, 2020 and end on July 15, 2020. In no event shall any Offering Period exceed twenty seven (27) months. 3.17 “Option” shall mean a Participant’s right to purchase shares of Stock in an Offering under the Plan, in accordance with and subject to the terms of such Offering. 3.18 “Participant” shall mean, for each Offering, an Eligible Employee or Director who has satisfied the requirements set forth in section 7 to participate in such Offering. A Participant who is an Eligible Employee is referred to as an “Employee Participant” and a Participant who is a Director is referred to as a “Director Participant.” 3.19 “Participating Employer” shall mean, for each Employee Participant as of any date, Markel or a Designated Subsidiary, whichever employs the Employee Participant as of such date. 3.20 “Payroll Deduction Authorization” shall mean the participation election and payroll deduction authorization form which an Eligible Employee shall be required to properly complete and timely file with the Administrator to participate in the Plan for the related Offering Period. The Administrator shall establish rules and procedures relating to how Eligible Employees may submit Payroll Deduction Authorizations (which may include online or electronic enrollment) and the times during which Payroll Deduction Authorizations must be submitted. 3.21 “Plan” shall mean this Markel Corporation 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as set forth herein and as hereafter amended from time to time. 3.22 “Purchase Date” shall mean, for each Offering Period, the last day of such Offering Period. 3.23 “Purchase Price” shall mean the price at which shares of Stock shall be purchased in an Offering. For any Qualified Offering, the Purchase Price shall equal the lower of (a) eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the first day of the Offering Period or (b) eighty- five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the Purchase Date, or such higher percentage(s) as may be determined by the Administrator for such Offering. For any Non-Qualified Offering, the Purchase Price shall equal 90% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the Purchase Date, or such higher percentage as may be determined by the Administrator for such Offering. 3.24 “Stock” shall mean the Common Stock of Markel, no par value. 3.25 “Subsidiary” shall mean, for purposes of the Qualified Plan Component, a subsidiary corporation of Markel as defined under Code section 424(f), and for purposes of the Non-Qualified Plan Component, any subsidiary of Markel as determined by the Administrator. 3


 
4. Offerings (a) Offerings to purchase shares of Stock shall be made to Eligible Employees and Directors in accordance with the Plan from time to time at the discretion of the Administrator. The Administrator will determine the terms of each Offering, which will be set forth in writing (or electronic form), provided that all employees granted Options under a Qualified Offering shall have the same rights and privileges in accordance with the requirements of section 423(b)(5) of the Code. In any Qualified Offering, Options can be granted only to Eligible Employees and only to purchase Stock. (b) Directors are only eligible to participate in the Non-Qualified Plan Component and, unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, shall only be eligible to participate in the Non-Qualified Offerings during which they are otherwise scheduled to receive a payment of cash fees for their services on the Board. For any Non-Qualified Offering for which they are eligible, Directors may elect to contribute all or a portion of such fees that they would otherwise receive during such Offering Period toward the purchase of Stock on the Purchase Date for such Offering Period, in accordance with the terms and conditions that otherwise apply to such Offering. The Administrator shall establish the terms for the Directors’ participation in any Non-Qualified Offerings for which they may be eligible, provided that the maximum amount that a Directory may contribute on an aggregate basis for all Non-Qualified Offerings during any calendar year shall not exceed the total amount of the Director’s cash fees for services on the Board for such year. 5. Shares Available Under the Plan Subject to adjustment as provided in section 14, a maximum of 125,000 shares of Stock shall be reserved for purchase upon the exercise of Options granted under the Qualified Plan Component, and an additional maximum of 125,000 shares of Stock shall be reserved for purchase upon the exercise of Options granted under the Non-Qualified Plan Component (for a total combined share reserve of 250,000). Shares reserved for issuance under the Qualified Plan Component may not be issued under the Non-Qualified Plan Component, and vice versa. Any shares of Stock which are subject to Options granted as of the first day of an Offering Period but which are not purchased on the related Purchase Date shall again become available under the applicable Plan component from which the Options were granted. Shares purchased under the Plan will be, at Markel’s discretion, either newly issued shares, shares already owned by Markel (treasury stock), or shares purchased for Participants in the open market, or any combination of the foregoing. 6. Administration The Administrator shall be responsible for the administration of the Plan and shall have the power in connection with such administration to interpret the Plan, to establish rules and procedures it deems appropriate to administer the Plan, and to take such other action in connection with such administration as it deems necessary or equitable under the circumstances. The Administrator also shall have the power to delegate the duty to perform such administrative functions as the Administrator deems appropriate under the circumstances and any action taken in accordance with such delegation shall be considered the action of the Administrator. Any person or management committee to whom the duty to perform an administrative function is delegated shall act on behalf of and shall be responsible to the Administrator for such function. Any action or inaction by or on behalf of the Administrator under the Plan shall be final and binding on each Eligible Employee, Director, Participant and on each other person who makes a claim under the Plan based on the rights, if any, of any such Eligible Employee, Director or Participant under the Plan. 7. Participation (a) An Eligible Employee who is eligible to participate in the Qualified Plan Component may become a Participant in the Plan by submitting a properly completed Payroll Deduction Authorization to the Administrator on or before the last day of the Enrollment Period for a Qualified Offering. An Eligible Employee who is eligible to participate in the Qualified Plan Component may not submit a separate Payroll Deduction Authorization for a Non- Qualified Offering unless otherwise provided by the Administrator. An Eligible Employee who is eligible to participate in the Non-Qualified Plan Component (but not the Qualified Plan Component) may become a Participant in the Plan by submitting a properly completed Payroll Deduction Authorization to the Administrator in accordance with the procedures established by the Administrator for a Non-Qualified Offering. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, only employees who are Eligible Employees on the first day of an Enrollment Period, and whose employment as an Eligible Employee continues until the start of the related Qualified Offering, may participate in the Qualified Offering. Employment as an Eligible Employee shall not be treated as interrupted by a transfer directly between Markel and any Designated Subsidiary which is participating in the Qualified Offering or between one 4


 
Designated Subsidiary participating in the Offering and another Designated Subsidiary participating in the same Qualified Offering. (b) In addition, an Eligible Employee who is eligible to participate in the Non-Qualified Plan Component (regardless of whether he or she is also eligible to participate in the Qualified Plan Component) may become a Participant in the Plan by making a lump-sum cash Contribution prior to the Purchase Date for a Non-Qualified Offering in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator. (c) A Payroll Deduction Authorization shall require an Eligible Employee to provide such information and to take such action as the Administrator in its discretion deems necessary or helpful to the orderly administration of the Plan, including specifying (in accordance with section 8) his or her Contributions to purchase shares of Stock pursuant to the Offering. Unless an Employee Participant files a new Payroll Deduction Authorization during a subsequent Enrollment Period, stops his or her Contributions (or otherwise modifies a Payroll Deduction Authorization) in accordance with section 8(c), or terminates employment or otherwise ceases to be an Eligible Employee pursuant to section 12, he or she will remain a Participant and his or her Payroll Deduction Authorization will continue in effect at the same Contribution rate for future Offering Periods under the Plan as long as the Plan remains in effect. The Administrator may establish procedures (applied on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis) for enrolling newly hired Eligible Employees or employees who otherwise become Eligible Employee during an Enrollment Period (before the start of the related Offering Period). Otherwise, an Eligible Employee who is hired or who otherwise becomes eligible after the start of an Enrollment Period for an Offering must wait until the Enrollment Period for the next Offering to enroll. (d) With respect to Directors, the Administrator shall determine the Enrollment Periods, the form pursuant to which Directors may authorize Contributions of their cash fees for service on the Board for the applicable Non-Qualified Offering Period, and all other terms of the Directors’ participation in any Non-Qualified Offering, including whether such authorizations automatically continue for subsequent Non-Qualified Offerings for which the Director may be eligible or whether Directors must submit new authorization forms for each subsequent period. 8. Contributions (a) Contribution Types. Contributions for a Qualified Offering may be made by payroll deduction only. Contributions for a Non-Qualified Offering by Employee Participants may be made either by payroll deduction or in lump sum payments by cash, check, or wire transfer prior to a Purchase Date, in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator. Contributions for a Non-Qualified Offering by Director Participants may be made in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator in accordance with Section 4(b). In addition, the Administrator may establish procedures in accordance with Code section 423(b)(5) pursuant to which any payroll deduction Contributions elected by an Employee Participant for a Qualified Offering that would otherwise exceed the Statutory Limitation set forth in Section 9(c) below or any other limitation under the Qualified Plan Component for such Qualified Offering will be contributed instead to the Participant’s Account under the Non-Qualified Plan Component and used to purchase shares of Stock on the Purchase Date for the next Non-Qualified Offering Period ending after the end of the Qualified Offering Period during which such excess Contributions are contributed, and thereafter the Participant’s Payroll Deduction Authorization (unless modified in accordance with Section 8(c) below, or unless the Participant terminates employment or otherwise ceases to be an Eligible Employee in accordance with Section 12) will remain in effect for future Non-Qualified Offerings during the same calendar year, subject to and in accordance with the terms of each Non-Qualified Offering (a “Spill-Over Feature”). In no event shall Markel or any Designated Subsidiary make any matching contribution with respect to Participant Contributions under the Plan. (b) Payroll Deduction Authorizations. Each Payroll Deduction Authorization made under section 7 shall specify the Employee Participant’s Contributions for the Offering, which shall be a percentage of compensation (unless the Administrator determines that Contributions may be designated as a specific dollar amount) which he or she authorizes his or her Participating Employer to deduct from his or her compensation each pay period (as such pay period is determined in accordance with his or her Participating Employer’s standard payroll policies and practices) during the Offering Period for which such Payroll Deduction Authorization is in effect. For each Offering, the Administrator shall establish the definition of eligible “compensation” from which an Employee Participant’s payroll deduction Contributions will be taken, which for any Qualified Offering will be applicable to all Employee Participants in the Offering on an identical basis. The Administrator shall determine the elements of pay to be included in compensation for purposes of a Qualified Offering in compliance with Code section 423 and may change the definition on a prospective basis (provided it shall apply to all Employee Participants on an identical basis). For Director Participants, the Administrator shall determine the form for making Contribution and other terms of each Director Participant’s participation in any Non-Qualified Offering for which the Director Participant is eligible in accordance with Section 4(b). In 5


 
addition, for any Offering, the Administrator may establish uniform rules regarding (i) required minimum Contribution levels and (ii) limitations on the dollar amounts (or percentages of compensation) that may be contributed, provided that all such limitations shall satisfy the requirements of section 423(b) (5) with respect to any Qualified Offering. (c) Modifications. An Employee Participant shall have the right to amend his or her Payroll Deduction Authorization after the end of an Enrollment Period to stop the Contributions which he or she previously had authorized for an Offering Period. Any such adjustment to an Employee Participant’s Contributions shall be effective as soon as administratively practicable after the Administrator receives the amended Payroll Deduction Authorization. The Employee Participant will be given the choice to receive a cash distribution of his or her accumulated Contributions for such Offering Period (without interest and at the prevailing currency exchange rate of conversion for Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. dollars) or to purchase shares of Stock at the end of the Offering Period with the accumulated Contributions through the date of such adjustment. No payroll deduction Contributions will be taken for future Offering Periods unless the Employee Participant submits a new Payroll Deduction Authorization during a subsequent Enrollment Period in accordance with section 7. Unless otherwise provided for by the Administrator with respect to an Offering, an Employee Participant shall not otherwise have the right to increase, decrease or reduce the payroll deduction Contributions which he or she previously had authorized for an Offering Period after the end of the Enrollment Period for such Offering Period. The Administrator may establish procedures and deadlines by which Employee Participants must make such amendments to a Payroll Deduction Authorization. The ability of Director Participants to modify Contributions for a Non-Qualified Offering after the Contribution has been authorized shall be determined in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, an Eligible Employee or Director may not modify or rescind a lump-sum Contribution election after it has been submitted. (d) Account Credits, General Assets and Taxes. All payroll deduction Contributions made for an Employee Participant shall be credited to his or her Account as of the payday as of which the deduction is made. All other Contributions shall be credited to a Participant’s Account in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator. All Contributions shall be held by Markel, by Markel’s agent or by one, or more than one, Designated Subsidiary (as determined by the Administrator) as part of the general assets of Markel or any such Designated Subsidiary, and each Participant’s right to the Contributions credited to his or her Account shall be those of a general and unsecured creditor. No interest or earnings shall be credited to a Participant’s Account. All payroll deduction Contributions shall be taken on an after-tax basis. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, statements of purchase activity within a Participant’s Account (other than year-end Account statements, which will be mailed to Participants unless a Participant has consented to electronic delivery) will be made available to the Participant online or, if requested by a Participant, mailed to the Participant at the Participant’s address on file with the Plan. 9. Granting of Option (a) General Rule. Subject to the remaining provisions of this section 9, each person who is a Participant for an Offering Period automatically shall be deemed to have been granted an Option to purchase the number of whole and fractional shares of Stock as may be purchased with the Contributions credited to the Participant’s Account during the applicable Offering Period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the maximum number of shares of Stock that may be purchased by any Participant during any Qualified Offering shall not exceed fifty (50) shares, subject to adjustment under section 14 of the Plan, or such other maximum number of shares as the Administrator may establish for a particular Qualified Offering. Fractional shares may be purchased and will be combined with subsequent purchases of Stock to make whole shares where possible. Subject to the Spill-Over Feature procedures described in Section 8(a) above, any Contributions accumulated in a Participant’s Account which, for any reason, are not used to purchase shares of Stock will be returned to the Participant in cash (without interest and at the currency exchange rate of conversion for Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. dollars determined by the Administrator) and shall not be carried over to the next Offering. (b) Option Terms. Each such Option shall be exercisable only in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the applicable Offering pursuant to which the Option has been granted. (c) Statutory Limitation. No Option granted under the Qualified Plan Component to any Eligible Employee shall permit his or her rights to purchase shares of Stock under the Qualified Plan Component or under any other “employee stock purchase plan” (within the meaning of section 423 of the Code) of Markel or any of its Subsidiaries (within the meaning of section 424(f) of the Code) to accrue (within the meaning of section 423(b)(8) of the Code) at a rate which exceeds $25,000 of the Fair Market Value of such Stock for any calendar year (the “Statutory Limitation”). Such Fair Market Value shall be determined as of the first day of the Offering Period for which the Option is granted. 6


 
(d) Insufficient Available Shares. If the number of shares of Stock available for purchase for any Offering Period is insufficient to cover the number of shares which Participants have elected to purchase, then each Participant’s Option to purchase shares of Stock for such Offering Period shall be reduced to the number of shares of Stock which the Administrator shall determine by multiplying the number of shares of Stock available for Options for such Offering Period by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Stock for which such Participant would have been granted an Option under section 9(a) if sufficient shares were available and the denominator of which shall be the total number of shares of Stock for which Options would have been granted to all Participants under section 9(a) if sufficient shares were available. 10. Exercise of Option Unless an Employee Participant files an amended Payroll Deduction Authorization to stop Contributions and chooses a cash distribution under section 8(c), or terminates employment or otherwise ceases to be an Eligible Employee pursuant to section 12, or unless a Director Participant ceases to be a member of the Board pursuant to Section 12, in each case on or before the Purchase Date for an Offering Period for which he or she has made Contributions, his or her Option shall be exercised automatically on such Purchase Date for the purchase of as many whole and fractional shares of Stock as the balance credited to his or her Account as of that date will purchase at the Purchase Price for such shares of Stock. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator for a particular Offering, (i) the minimum amount of Contributions an Employee Participant can make in the form of payroll-deduction Contributions for any payroll period shall be fifty U.S. Dollars ($50) and the minimum amount of Contributions a Participant can make in the form of a lump-sum payment shall be one thousand U.S. Dollars ($1,000) (or, in either case, the equivalent amount in any foreign currency, converted into U.S. Dollars at the currency exchange rate as determined by the Administrator), and any Contributions below such amount shall be distributed to the Participant in cash (without interest and at the currency exchange rate of conversion for Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. dollars determined by the Administrator) as soon as administratively practicable following the end of such Offering Period); and (ii) the maximum amount of Contributions an Employee Participant can make in the form of payroll-deduction Contributions for any payroll period shall be twenty-five thousand U.S. Dollars ($25,000) and the maximum amount of Contributions a Participant can make in the form of a lump sum payment shall be one hundred and fifty thousand U.S. Dollars ($150,000) (or, in either case, the equivalent amount in any foreign currency, converted into U.S. Dollars at the currency exchange rate as determined by the Administrator), and subject for Director Participants to the limit set forth in Section 4(b) above, and any excess above such amounts as of the Purchase Date for such Offering shall be distributed to the Participant in cash (without interest and at the currency exchange rate of conversion for Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. dollars determined by the Administrator) as soon as administratively practicable after the end of the Offering Period. The Administrator may establish additional limits (in accordance with Section 423(b)(5) for any Qualified Offering) on the amount that any Participant may contribute during any Offering Period. 11. Delivery of Shares; Holding Period. Whole and fractional shares of Stock purchased upon the exercise of an Option under the Plan may be registered in book entry form or represented in certificate form and shall be held for the Participant in an investment account maintained by the Plan’s third-party custodian. The shares of Stock in a Participant’s investment account shall be registered in the Participant’s name. No Participant (or any person who makes a claim through a Participant) shall have any interest in any shares of Stock subject to an Option until such Option has been exercised and the related shares of Stock have been registered in the Participant’s investment account. The Administrator may impose restrictions on the sale or transfer of shares held in a Participant’s investment account, in accordance with Code section 423 with respect to any shares of Stock purchased under the Qualified Plan Component. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, (i) any shares of Stock purchased upon exercise of an Option under the Qualified Plan Component (w) may not be sold or disposed of by a Participant prior to the first anniversary of the Option exercise date, and (x) may not be transferred out of the Participant’s investment account prior to the second anniversary of the Option grant date (the “Qualified Plan Holding Period”); and (ii) any shares of Stock purchased upon exercise of an Option under the Non-Qualified Plan Component (y) may not be sold or disposed of by a Participant prior to the first anniversary of the Option exercise date, and (z) may not be transferred out of the Participant’s investment account prior to the first anniversary of the Option exercise date (the “Non-Qualified Plan Holding Period” and, together with the Qualified Plan Holding Period, the “Holding Period”). After the Holding Period expires with respect to any shares of Stock held in a Participant’s investment account, such shares may be transferred to the Participant or to a brokerage account designated by the Participant upon the Participant’s request and as directed by the Participant. The Administrator may establish additional procedures for or restrictions on the sale or transfer of fractional shares of Stock. Any fees associated with the sale or transfer of any shares shall be borne by the Participant. 7


 
12. Termination of Employment or Other Service; Death If an Employee Participant’s employment with Markel or with a Designated Subsidiary or if a Director Participant’s service on the Board terminates before the Purchase Date for an Offering Period for any reason whatsoever (including death but in such case only if the Administrator has timely notice of such death), then his or her Account shall be distributed to the Participant in cash (without interest and at the currency exchange rate of conversion for Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. dollars determined by the Administrator) as soon as administratively practicable after the date his or her employment or Board service terminates. If an Employee Participant otherwise ceases to be an Eligible Employee with respect to an Offering on or before the Purchase Date with respect to such Offering, the Employee Participant’s aggregate Contributions for such Offering shall be distributed to the Employee Participant in cash (without interest and at the currency exchange rate of conversion for Contributions made in currencies other than U.S. dollars determined by the Administrator) as soon as administratively practicable after the date he or she ceases to be eligible. Payment shall occur as soon as administratively practicable (and in any event by no later than the March 15th following the end of the applicable Offering Period) and shall be made to the Participant or (in the case of the Participant’s death) to the Beneficiary or estate if no Beneficiary is selected. However, if an Employee Participant is transferred directly between Markel and a Designated Subsidiary participating in an Offering or between one Designated Subsidiary participating in an Offering and another Designated Subsidiary participating in the same Offering, his or her employment shall not be treated as having terminated merely because of such transfer. In the case of a leave of absence, the Administrator shall have the authority to determine if and when an Employee Participant’s employment has terminated in its sole discretion. 13. Transferability Neither the balance credited to a Participant’s Account nor any rights to the exercise of an Option or to receive shares of Stock under the Plan may be assigned, encumbered, alienated, transferred, pledged, or otherwise disposed of in any way by a Participant during his or her lifetime or by any other person during his or her lifetime, and any attempt to do so shall be without effect; provided, however, that the Administrator in its absolute discretion may treat any such action as an election by an Employee Participant to cease future Contributions and withdraw the balance credited to his or her Account in accordance with section 8(c). 14. Adjustment The number of shares of Stock covered by outstanding Options granted pursuant to the Plan, the related Purchase Price, the number of shares of Stock available under each component of the Plan, the maximum limitation on shares purchasable during an Offering Period, and any other similar terms shall be adjusted by the Board in an equitable manner to reflect any Stock split, Stock dividend or other similar change in the capitalization of Markel without the receipt of consideration by Markel. An adjustment made under this section 14 by the Board shall be conclusive and binding on all affected persons. 15. Amendment or Termination This Plan may be amended by the Board from time to time to the extent that the Board deems necessary or appropriate, and any such amendment shall be subject to the approval of Markel’s shareholders to the extent such approval is required under section 423 of the Code, other applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. The Board also may terminate the Plan or any Offering made under the Plan at any time. 16. Change in Control In the event of a Change in Control, (i) any surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporation’s parent company) may assume or continue outstanding Options or may substitute similar options for outstanding Options (with respect to Options granted under the Qualified Plan Component, in accordance with Code section 424), or (ii) otherwise, all outstanding Options under the Plan shall automatically be exercised immediately prior to the consummation of such Change in Control by causing all amounts credited to each Participant’s Account to be applied to purchase as many shares of Stock pursuant to the Participant’s Option as possible at the Purchase Price, subject to the limitations set forth in the Plan. The Administrator shall use its best efforts to provide at least ten (10) days’ prior written notice of the occurrence of a Change in Control and Participants shall, following the receipt of such notice, have the right to terminate their Contributions and receive a cash distribution of their Accounts prior to the effective date of such Change in Control. 8


 
17. Acquisitions and Dispositions The Administrator may, in its sole and absolute discretion, create special Offering Periods for individuals who become Eligible Employees solely in connection with the acquisition of a controlling interest in another company or business by a stock acquisition, merger, reorganization or purchase of assets and, notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, may provide for special Purchase Dates for Employee Participants who will cease to be Eligible Employees solely in connection with the disposition of all or a portion of any Designated Subsidiary or a portion of Markel, which Offering Periods and Purchase Dates granted pursuant thereto shall, notwithstanding anything stated herein, be subject to such terms and conditions as the Administrator considers appropriate under the circumstances. 18. Indemnity Markel shall, consistent with applicable law, indemnify members of the Administrator from any liability, loss or other financial consequence with respect to any act or omission relating to his or her conduct in the performance of his or her duties under the Plan, except in relation to matters as to which he or she acted fraudulently or in bad faith in the performance of such duties. 19. Notices All Payroll Deduction Authorizations and other communications from a Participant to the Administrator under, or in connection with, the Plan shall be deemed to have been filed with the Administrator when actually received in the form specified by the Administrator at the location, or by the person, designated by the Administrator for the receipt of such authorizations and communications. 20. Employment No offer under the Plan shall constitute an offer of employment, and no acceptance of an offer under the Plan shall constitute an employment agreement. Any such offer or acceptance shall have no bearing whatsoever on the employment relationship between any Eligible Employee and Markel or any subsidiary of Markel, including a Designated Subsidiary. 21. Payment of Expenses Related to Plan The cost, if any, for the delivery of shares of Stock to a Participant or commissions upon the sale of Stock shall be paid by the Participant using such service. Other expenses associated with the Plan, if any, at the discretion of the Administrator, will be allocated as deemed appropriate by the Administrator. 22. Optionees Not Stockholders Neither the granting of an Option to an employee, nor the deductions from his or her pay shall cause such employee to be a shareholder of the Stock covered by an Option until such shares of Stock have been purchased by and issued to him or her. 23. Taxes As a condition of participation in the Plan, a Participant shall make such arrangements as Markel or the Participating Employer may require for the satisfaction of any applicable U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax withholding, and any other required deductions or payments that may arise in connection with the grant or exercise of an Option under the Plan or the sale or disposition of any shares of Stock acquired upon exercise thereof. Markel shall not be required to issue any shares of Stock under the Plan until such obligations are satisfied. 24. Compliance with Applicable Law No Options may be exercised to any extent unless the shares of Stock to be issued upon such exercise under the Plan are covered by an effective registration statement pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Plan is in material compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and state, foreign and other securities, exchange control and other laws applicable to the Plan. 9


 
25. Code Section 409A Options granted under the Non-Qualified Plan Component are intended to be exempt from the application of Section 409A of the Code under the short-term deferral exception or compliant with Section 409A of the Code and any ambiguities will be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent. 26. Headings, References and Construction The headings to sections in the Plan have been included for convenience of reference only. Except as otherwise expressly indicated, all references to sections (section) in the Plan shall be to sections (section) of the Plan. This Plan shall be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. * * * * * 10


 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Markel Corporation has caused this instrument to be duly executed in its name and on its behalf as of the date set forth below. MARKEL CORPORATION By: _/s/ Linda V. Schreiner_ Name: Linda V. Schreiner Title: Senior Vice President, Strategic Management Date: 15 May 2020 11