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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 20-F

 

 

(Mark One)

REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(B) OR 12(G) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended                     

OR

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report: March 24, 2021

Commission File Number: 001-40286

 

 

ARRIVAL

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Not applicable   Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)   (Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

1, rue Peternelchen

L-2370 Howald,

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Telephone: +352 621 266 815

(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

 

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading

Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange

on which registered

Ordinary Shares   ARVL   Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants   ARVLW   Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

 

 

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or ordinary shares as of the close of the period covered by the shell company report: 606,157,267 ordinary shares and 20,112,493 warrants to purchase ordinary shares.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected 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.  ☐

 

The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting over Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

 

US GAAP  ☐    International Financial Reporting Standards as issued        Other    ☐ 
   by the International Accounting Standards Board ®  ☒     

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.    Item17  ☐    Item18  ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☐

 

 

 


Table of Contents

ARRIVAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

     2  

Explanatory Note

     4  

Defined Terms

     5  

PART I

     7  

Item 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

     7  

Item 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

     7  

Item 3. Key Information

     7  

Item 4. Information on the Company

     8  

Item 4A. Unresolved Staff Comments

     9  

Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

     9  

Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees

     9  

Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions

     11  

Item 8. Financial Information

     13  

Item 9. The Offer and Listing

     13  

Item 10. Additional Information

     13  

Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

     15  

Item 12. Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities

     15  

PART II

     16  

PART III

     16  

Item 17. Financial Statements

     16  

Item 18. Financial Statements

     16  

Item 19. Exhibits

     16  

SIGNATURES

     19  

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Shell Company Report on Form 20-F (including information incorporated by reference herein, the “Report”) contains or may contain forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that involve significant risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include information about our possible or assumed future results of operations or our performance. Words such as “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify the forward-looking statements. References to “Arrival S.à r.l.” contained herein refer to Arrival Luxembourg SARL (formerly Arrival S.à r.l.). Forward-looking statements in this Report may include, for example, statements about:

 

   

the benefits of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination”);

 

   

The financial performance of Arrival (the “Company”) following the Business Combination;

 

   

the ability to maintain the listing of the Ordinary Shares or Warrants on Nasdaq following the Business Combination;

 

   

changes in Arrival S.à r.l.’s strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans;

 

   

Arrival S.à r.l.’s strategic advantages and the impact those advantages will have on future financial and operational results;

 

   

expansion plans and opportunities;

 

   

Arrival S.à r.l.’s ability to grow its business in a cost-effective manner;

 

   

the advantages and expected benefits of Arrival S.à r.l.’s microfactories;

 

   

Arrival S.à r.l.’s product development timeline and estimated start of production;

 

   

the implementation, market acceptance and success of Arrival S.à r.l.’s business model;

 

   

developments and projections relating to Arrival S.à r.l.’s competitors and industry;

 

   

Arrival S.à r.l.’s approach and goals with respect to technology;

 

   

Arrival S.à r.l.’s expectations regarding its ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection and not infringe on the rights of others;

 

   

the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Arrival S.à r.l.’s business;

 

   

changes in applicable laws or regulations; and

 

   

the outcome of any known and unknown litigation and regulatory proceedings.

These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this Report, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, our actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include:

 

   

the ability to maintain the listing of the Ordinary Shares on Nasdaq following the Business Combination;

 

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our ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of Arrival S.à r.l. to grow and manage growth profitably following the Business Combination;

 

   

costs related to the Business Combination;

 

   

changes in applicable laws or regulations;

 

   

the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Arrival S.à r.l.’s business;

 

   

the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which Arrival S.à r.l. operates;

 

   

the risk that Arrival S.à r.l. and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize Arrival S.à r.l.’s products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so;

 

   

the risk that the Company may never achieve or sustain profitability;

 

   

the risk that the Company will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all;

 

   

the risk that the Company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations;

 

   

the risk that third-party suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations;

 

   

the risk that the utilization of microfactories will not provide the expected benefits due to, among other things, the inability to locate appropriate buildings to use as microfactories, microfactories needing a larger than anticipated factory footprint, and the inability of Arrival S.à r.l. to deploy microfactories in the anticipated time frame;

 

   

that Arrival S.à r.l. has identified a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting which, if not corrected, could affect the reliability of Arrival S.à r.l.’s financial statements;

 

   

the risk that Arrival S.à r.l. is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; and

 

   

the possibility that CIIG or Arrival S.à r.l. may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.

The risk factors and cautionary language referred to or incorporated by reference in this Report provide examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations described in our forward-looking statements, including among other things, the items identified in the section entitled “Risk Factors” of Amendment No. 3 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-4 (333-251339) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 25, 2021 (the “Form F-4”), which are incorporated by reference into this Report.

 

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

On March 24, 2021 (the “Closing Date”), the Company consummated the transactions contemplated by that previously announced business combination agreement dated as of November 18, 2020, by and among CIIG Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation (“CIIG”), Arrival Luxembourg SARL (formerly Arrival S.à r.l.), a limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (“Arrival S.à r.l.”), the Company and ARSNL Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”) (the “Business Combination Agreement”). Capitalized terms used in this section but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Business Combination Agreement.

On, or before the Closing Date, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement:

 

   

the existing ordinary and preferred shareholders of Arrival S.à r.l. contributed their respective equity interests in Arrival S.à r.l. to the Company in exchange for Ordinary Shares (the “Exchanges”);

 

   

following the Exchanges, CIIG merged with and into Merger Sub and all shares of CIIG common stock were exchanged for Ordinary Shares, and, in connection therewith, CIIG’s corporate name changed to Arrival Vault US, Inc. (the “Merger”);

 

   

each outstanding warrant to purchase shares of CIIG’s common stock was converted into a warrant to purchase Ordinary Shares;

 

   

each Arrival S.à r.l. option, whether vested or unvested, was assumed by the Company and now represents an option award exercisable for Ordinary Shares;

 

   

the Arrival S.à r.l. restricted shares were exchanged for restricted Ordinary Shares;

 

   

Arrival S.à r.l. and CIIG became direct, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company; and

 

   

the Company changed its name to Arrival.

In connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, CIIG entered into separate subscription agreements (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”) with a number of institutional investors (collectively, the “Subscribers”), pursuant to which the Subscribers agreed to purchase, and CIIG agreed to sell to the Subscribers, an aggregate of 40,000,000 shares of CIIG Class A Common Stock, for a purchase price of $10.00 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $400,000,000, which shares of CIIG Class A Common Stock were automatically exchanged with the Company for Ordinary Shares in the Merger.

Certain amounts that appear in this Report may not sum due to rounding.

 

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DEFINED TERMS

In this Report:

“Arrival S.à r.l.” means Arrival Luxembourg SARL (formerly Arrival S.à r.l.), a limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg having its registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, registered with the Luxembourg register of commerce and companies (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés de Luxembourg) under number B 200789.

“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

“Business Combination” means the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement that occurred at or immediately prior to the Closing.

“Business Combination Agreement” means the Business Combination Agreement, dated as of November 18, 2020, as may be amended, by and among CIIG, Arrival S.à r.l., the Company, and Merger Sub.

“CIIG” refers to Arrival Vault US, Inc. (formerly CIIG Merger Corp.), a Delaware corporation.

“CIIG Class A Common Stock” means CIIG’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share.

“CIIG Class B Common Stock” means CIIG’s Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share.

“CIIG Common Stock” means the CIIG Class A Common Stock and the CIIG Class B Common Stock, collectively.

“CIIG Units” means the 25,875,000 units issued in connection with the IPO, each of which consisted of one share of CIIG Class A Common Stock and one-half of one Public Warrant.

“CIIG Warrants” means the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants.

“Closing” means the closing of transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement.

“Closing Date” means March 24, 2021.

“Company” means Arrival (formerly Arrival Group), a joint stock company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

“Executive Management” means members of the executive management team of the Company.

“IFRS” means the International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.

“IPO” means CIIG’s initial public offering of units, consummated on December 17, 2019.

“Merger” means the merging of Merger Sub with and into CIIG, with CIIG surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. In connection therewith, CIIG’s corporate name changed to “Arrival Vault US, Inc.”

“Merger Sub” means ARSNL Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation.

“Nasdaq” means The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

“Ordinary Share” means the ordinary shares of the Company.

 

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“PIPE” means the private placement pursuant to which certain investors purchased shares of CIIG Class A Common Stock, for a purchase price of $10.00 per share, which were exchanged into Ordinary Shares in connection with the Closing.

“Private Placement Warrants” means the warrants to purchase CIIG Class A Common Stock purchased in a private placement in connection with the IPO.

“Public Shares” means shares of CIIG Class A Common Stock issued as part of the units sold in the IPO.

“Public Stockholders” means the holders of shares of CIIG Class A Common Stock.

“Public Warrants” means the warrants included in the units sold in CIIG’s IPO, each of which is exercisable for one share of CIIG Class A Common Stock, in accordance with its terms.

“Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement” means that certain form of agreement attached to the Business Combination Agreement as Exhibit A.

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Trust Account” means the trust account that held a portion of the proceeds of the IPO and the concurrent sale of the Private Placement Warrants.

“Warrants” means the former CIIG Warrants converted into a right to acquire one Ordinary Share on substantially the same terms as were in effect prior to the Merger under the terms of the Warrant Agreement.

“Warrant Agreement” means the warrant agreement, dated December 12, 2019, by and between CIIG and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, governing CIIG’s outstanding warrants.

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1.

IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

 

A.

Directors and Senior Management

The members of our Executive Management and certain of our directors upon the consummation of the Business Combination are set forth in the Form F-4, in the section entitled “Management of Holdco after the Business Combination,” which is incorporated herein by reference. At Closing, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company elected (i)  all previously appointed directors referenced in the Form F-4, (ii) Tawni Nazario-Cranz and (iii) Rexford J. Tibbens to the Board, effective immediately. The business address for each of Company’s directors and members of Executive Management is 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

 

B.

Advisors

Greenberg Traurig, P.A., 333 S.E. 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33131 and Linklaters LLP, 35 Avenue John F. Kennedy, Luxembourg L-1011 have acted as U.S. and Luxembourg counsel, respectively for the Company and will act as counsel to the Company following the Closing.

 

C.

Auditors

Grant Thornton LLP acted as CIIG’s independent auditor for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the period from September 19, 2019 (date of inception) to December 31, 2019.

KPMG LLP acted as Arrival S.à r.l.’s independent registered public accounting firm for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

The Company has not yet determined its independent registered public accounting firm following the Closing.

 

ITEM 2.

OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 3.

KEY INFORMATION

 

A.

Selected Financial Data

Prior to the Business Combination, the Company had no material assets and did not operate any business. Following and as a result of the Business Combination, the business of the Company is conducted through Arrival S.à r.l., its direct, wholly-owned subsidiary.

CIIG

Selected financial information regarding CIIG is included in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Selected Historical Financial Data of CIIG”, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Arrival S.à r.l.

Selected financial information regarding Arrival S.à r.l. is included in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Selected Historical Financial Data of Arrival,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

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B.

Capitalization and Indebtedness

The following table sets forth the capitalization of the Company on an unaudited pro forma consolidated basis as of June 30, 2020, after giving effect to the Business Combination (and assuming no redemptions) and PIPE financing.

 

As of June 30, 2020 (pro forma for Business Combination and PIPE financing)

   (€) in millions  

Non-current assets

     165.0  

Cash and cash equivalents

     564.1  

Other current assets

     20.8  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     749.9  

Current liabilities

     18.8  

Lease liabilities

     22.9  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     41.7  

Ordinary shares

     0.06  

Additional paid in capital

     1,664.6  

Translation reserve

     (3.7

Accumulated deficit

     (952.7
  

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

     708.2  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

     749.9  

Prior to the Closing, 21,483 shares of Class A Common Stock were redeemed by the holders for an aggregate redemption payment of approximately $260,000.

 

C.

Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

 

D.

Risk Factors

The risk factors associated with the Company are described in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 4.

INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

 

A.

History and Development of the Company

The Company was incorporated under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on October 27, 2020 as a joint stock company (société anonyme) solely for the purpose of effectuating the Business Combination, which was consummated on March 24, 2021. See “Explanatory Note” for further details of the Business Combination. See also a description of the material terms of the Business Combination as described in the Form F-4 in the section entitled, “The Business Combination.” The Company owns no material assets other than its interests in Arrival S.à r.l. acquired in the Business Combination and does not operate any business. Arrival S.à r.l. is a limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. See Item 5 for a discussion of Arrival S.à r.l.’s principal capital expenditures and divestitures for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the six months ended June 30, 2020. There are no other material capital expenditures or divestitures currently in progress as of the date of this Report.

The mailing address of the Company’s principal executive office is 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and its telephone number is +352 621 266 815. The Company’s principal website address is www.arrival.com. The information contained on, or accessible through, the Company’s websites is not incorporated by reference into this Report, and you should not consider it a part of this Report.

 

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The Company is subject to certain of the informational filing requirements of the Exchange Act. Since the Company is a “foreign private issuer”, it is exempt from the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and the officers, directors and principal shareholders of the Company are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to their purchase and sale of Ordinary Shares. In addition, the Company is not required to file reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. public companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, the Company is required to file with the SEC an Annual Report on Form 20-F containing financial statements audited by an independent accounting firm. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports and other information that the Company files with or furnishes electronically to the SEC.

The website address of the Company is http://www.arrival.com. The information contained on the website does not form a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this Report.

 

B.

Business Overview

Prior to the Business Combination, the Company did not conduct any material activities other than those incidental to its formation and the matters contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, such as the making of certain required securities law filings and the establishment of certain subsidiaries. Upon the Closing, the Company became the direct parent of, and conducts its business through, Arrival S.à r.l.

Information regarding the business of Arrival S.à r.l. is included in the Form F-4 in the sections entitled “Information About Arrival,” and “Arrival Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

C.

Organizational Structure

Upon consummation of the Business Combination, CIIG and Arrival S.à r.l. became wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. The organizational structure of the Company after the Closing is included on page 124 of the Form F-4 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

D.

Property, Plants and Equipment

Information regarding the facilities of Arrival S.à r.l. is included in the form F-4 in the section entitled “Information About ArrivalFacilities” and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 4A.

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None / Not applicable.

 

ITEM 5.

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

Following and as a result of the Business Combination, the business of the Company is conducted through Arrival S.à r.l., its direct, wholly-owned subsidiary.

The discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operation of Arrival S.à r.l. is included in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Arrival Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 6.

DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

 

A.

Directors and Executive Officers

The members of our Executive Management and certain of our directors upon the consummation of the Business Combination are set forth in the Form F-4, in the section entitled “Management of Holdco after the

 

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Business Combination,” which is incorporated herein by reference. At Closing, the Board elected (i) all previously appointed directors referenced in the Form F-4, (ii) Tawni Nazario-Cranz and (iii) Rexford J. Tibbens to the Board, effective immediately. Following are the biographies of the newly appointed and elected directors.

Tawni Nazario-Cranz served as Chief People Officer at Waymo from June 2018 to March 2019 and at Cruise Automation from September 2017 to May 2018. As the Chief People Officer at Waymo and Cruise Automation, Ms. Nazario-Cranz helped build the foundations for two autonomous vehicle companies, including building out the infrastructure of the human resources and talent functions, establishing the foundations for high performance culture, performance management, staffing and diversity and inclusion. Prior to joining Cruise Automation, Ms. Nazario-Cranz served in various positions of increasing responsibility at Netflix from April 2007 through June 2017, beginning as Director of Human Resources, followed by Vice President of Talent and Human Resources and finally serving as Chief Talent Officer. Prior to joining Netflix, Ms. Nazario-Cranz served as Global Director of Human Resources at Bausch + Lomb from December 2004 through April 2007. Prior to her time at Bausch + Lomb, Ms. Nazario-Cranz served in various roles in human resources, including as Human Resources Generalist at FedEx Kinko’s, Director of Human Resources at Work Incorporated and as an Operations Manager at Circuit City Stores. Ms. Nazario-Cranz is currently an advisor to various Silicon Valley venture capital firms, including Signal Fire, Foundation Capital and West. Ms. Nazario-Cranz received an EMBA, Business from Claremont Graduate University-Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rexford J. Tibbens has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Frontdoor, a leading provider of home service plans in the United States, since May 2018 and was appointed to Frontdoor’s board of directors in October 2018. From April 2015 to December 2017, Mr. Tibbens served as the chief operating officer of Lyft, a leading on-demand transportation company based in San Francisco, California. While at Lyft, Mr. Tibbens worked to expand the service to every state and launched crucial strategic initiatives, including Lyft’s Nashville support center and Express Drive, a program that allowed potential Lyft drivers to rent vehicles so they could provide service in select cities. From August 2011 to March 2015, Mr. Tibbens served as a vice president at Amazon.com, Inc., a global e-commerce and technology company, where he led the technical and product development of Prime Now, Amazon’s one-hour delivery service. Before Amazon, Mr. Tibbens spent twelve years at Dell Inc., a global technology company, serving in a variety of operations and logistics roles, including as executive director of Global Services. Mr. Tibbens received an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Kentucky.

 

B.

Compensation

Information pertaining to the compensation of the directors and members of Executive Management of the Company is set forth in the Form F-4, in the sections entitled “Management of Holdco after the Business Combination,”  “Management of Arrival—Arrival Executive Compensation” and “Management of Arrival—Arrival Director Compensation,” which are incorporated herein by reference.

Arrival Incentive Compensation Plan

On March 23, 2021, the Board approved the Arrival Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2021 Plan”). The purpose of the 2021 Plan is to assist the Company (and its related entities) to attract, motivate, retain and reward high-quality executives, employees, consultants and other persons who provide services to the Company (and its related entities) by enabling such persons to acquire or increase a proprietary interest in the Company. The persons eligible to receive awards under the 2021 Plan are the officers, directors, employees, consultants and other persons who provide services to the Company (or any related entity). The 2021 Plan provides for the issuance of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, dividend equivalents, bonus stock and awards in lieu of cash compensation, other stock-based awards and performance awards. The 2021 Plan is to be administered by a committee designated by the Board consisting of not less than two non-employee, independent directors. The 2021 Plan provides for an aggregate share reserve, together with the current share reserve underlying prior incentive plans of the Company (or any related entity), equal to ten percent (10%) of the Ordinary Shares and Warrants issued immediately following Closing.

 

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C.

Board Practices

Information pertaining to the Board practices following the Closing is set forth in the Form F-4, in the sections entitled “Management of Holdco after the Business Combination,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

Following consummation of the Business Combination, the directors have been assigned classes and committee membership as follows:

 

Director

  

Class

  

Committees

Tawni Nazario-Cranz    Class C    Compensation (Chair), Nomination
F. Peter Cuneo    Class A    Chairman of the Board of Directors, Audit
Alain Kinsch    Class C    Audit (Chair)
Kristen O’Hara    Class B    Nomination (Chair), Compensation
Jae Oh    Class A    Nomination
Avinash Rugoobur    Class C    None
Rexford J. Tibbens    Class B    Audit, Compensation

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain Luxembourg corporate governance practices in lieu of certain listing rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market, or Nasdaq Listing Rules. We plan to follow the corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, except that we intend to follow Luxembourg practice with respect to quorum requirements for shareholder meetings in lieu of the requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rules that the quorum be not less than 33 1/3% of the outstanding voting shares. Under our articles of association, at an ordinary general meeting, there is no quorum requirement and resolutions are adopted by a simple majority of validly cast votes. In addition, under our articles of association, for any resolutions to be considered at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, the quorum shall be at least one half of our issued share capital unless otherwise mandatorily required by law.

 

D.

Employees

Following and as a result of the Business Combination, the business of the Company is conducted through Arrival S.à r.l., its direct, wholly-owned subsidiary.

Information pertaining to Arrival S.à r.l.’s employees is set forth in the Form F-4, in the section entitled “Information About Arrival — Employees,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

E.

Share Ownership

Information about the ownership of the Ordinary Shares by the Company’s directors and members of Executive Management upon consummation of the Business Combination is set forth in Item 7.A of this Report.

 

ITEM 7.

MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

A.

Major Shareholders

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Ordinary Shares as of March 24, 2021 immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination by:

 

   

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Ordinary Shares;

 

   

each of our directors and members of Executive Management; and

 

   

all our directors and members of Executive Management as a group.

 

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Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the SEC, which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, and includes shares underlying warrants, as applicable, that are currently exercisable or convertible or exercisable or convertible within 60 days. Ordinary Shares that may be acquired within 60 days of March 24, 2021 pursuant to the exercise of Warrants are deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such holder but are not deemed to be outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other person or entity shown in the table.

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to the Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by them.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner

   Number      Percentage  

Executive Officers and Directors:

     

Denis Sverdlov (1)

     —          —    

Tim Holbrow

     —          —    

Avinash Rugoobur

     —          —    

Michael Ableson

     —          —    

Daniel Chin

     —          —    

Tawni Nazario-Cranz

     —          —    

F. Peter Cuneo (2)(3)

     11,801,042        1.95

Alain Kinsch

     —          —    

Kristen O’Hara (4)

     —          —    

Jae Oh

     —          —    

Rexford J. Tibbens

     —          —    

All directors and executive officers as a group (11 individuals) (3)

     11,801,042        1.95

5% or more Holders:

     

Kinetik S.à r.l. (5)

     463,275,682        76.43

 

(1)

Does not include the Ordinary Shares held by Kinetik S.à r.l. Mr. Sverdlov is the founder of Kinetik S.à r.l. Kinetik S.à r.l. is owned by The Kinetik Trust, of which Mr. Sverdlov is a beneficiary. Mr. Sverdlov disclaims beneficial interest of such shares.

(2)

The holder of record of the Ordinary Shares is CIIG Management LLC. F. Peter Cuneo, Gavin Cuneo and Michael Minnick are managing members of CIIG Management LLC. As such, Mr. Cuneo may be deemed to have or share voting and dispositive power of the Ordinary Shares held directly by CIIG Management LLC.

(3)

Includes 5,979,167 Ordinary Shares underlying Warrants that will become exercisable 30 days after the Closing.

(4)

Ms. O’Hara holds an interest in CIIG Management LLC and disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest she may have therein, directly or indirectly.

(5)

The trustee of The Kinetik Trust, The Kinetik Foundation, may be deemed to have voting and dispositive power of the Ordinary Shares held by Kinetik S.à r.l. Voting and investment decisions are made on behalf of The Kinetik Foundation by a counsel of three members, none of whom have individual or investment power with respect to such shares.

 

B.

Related Party Transactions

Information pertaining to related party transactions is set forth in the Form F-4, in the section entitled “Certain Arrival Relationships and Related Person Transactions,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

C.

Interests of Experts and Counsel

None / Not applicable.

 

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Table of Contents
ITEM 8.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

A.

Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information

See Item 18 of this Report for consolidated financial statements and other financial information.

Information regarding legal proceedings involving the Company and Arrival S.à r.l. is included in the Form F-4 in the sections entitled “Information about Arrival—Legal Proceedings” and “Information about CIIG—Legal Proceedings”, respectively, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

B.

Significant Changes

None / Not Applicable.

 

ITEM 9.

THE OFFER AND LISTING

 

A.

Offer and Listing Details

Nasdaq Listing of Ordinary Shares and Warrants

The Ordinary Shares and Warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols ARVL and ARVLW, respectively. Holders of Ordinary Shares and Warrants should obtain current market quotations for their securities.

Lock-Up Agreements

Information regarding the lock-up restrictions applicable to the Ordinary Shares is included in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combinations—Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement” and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

B.

Plan of Distribution

Not applicable.

 

C.

Markets

The Ordinary Shares and Warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ARVL” and “ARVLW,” respectively.

 

D.

Selling Shareholders

Not applicable.

 

E.

Dilution

Not applicable.

 

F.

Expenses of the Issue

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 10.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

A.

Share Capital

The Company is authorized to issue 2,700,000,000 Ordinary Shares.

 

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Table of Contents

As of March 24, 2021, subsequent to the closing of the Business Combination, there were 606,157,267 Ordinary Shares outstanding and issued. There were also 20,112,493 Warrants outstanding, each entitling the holder to purchase one Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share.

 

B.

Memorandum and Articles of Association

The amended and restated articles of association of the Company dated as of March 23, 2021 are included as Exhibit 1.1 to this Report. The description of the articles of association of the Company contained in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Description of Holdco’s Securities” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

C.

Material Contracts

Material Contracts Relating to Arrival S.à r.l.’s Operations

Information pertaining to Arrival S.à r.l.’s material contracts is set forth in the Form F-4, in the sections entitled “Arrival Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Agreements, Partnerships and Suppliers” which is incorporated herein by reference.

Material Contracts Relating to the Business Combination

Business Combination Agreement

The description of the Business Combination Agreement is included in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “The Business Combination Agreement” which is incorporated herein by reference.

Other Agreements

The description of other material agreements relating to the Business Combination is included in the Form F-4 in the section entitled “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combination” which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

D.

Exchange Controls

There are no foreign exchange controls or foreign exchange regulations under the currently applicable laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

 

E.

Taxation

Information pertaining to tax considerations related to the Business Combination is set forth in the Form F-4, in the sections entitled “Material Luxembourg Income Tax Considerations” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

F.

Dividends and Paying Agents

The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends and has no plan to declare or pay any dividends on Ordinary Shares in the foreseeable future. The Company currently intends to retain any earnings for future operations and expansion.

From the annual net profits of the Company, at least 5% shall each year be allocated to the reserve required by applicable laws (the “Legal Reserve”). That allocation to the Legal Reserve will cease to be required as soon and as long as the Legal Reserve amounts to 10% of the amount of the share capital of the Company. The general meeting of shareholders shall resolve how the remainder of the annual net profits, after allocation to the Legal Reserve, will be disposed of by allocating the whole or part of the remainder to a reserve or to a provision, by carrying it forward to the next following financial year or by distributing it, together with carried forward profits, distributable reserves or share premium to the shareholders, each Ordinary Share entitling to the same proportion in such distributions.

 

14


Table of Contents

The Board may resolve that the Company pays out an interim dividend to the shareholders, subject to the conditions of article 461-3 of the 1915 Law and the Company’s articles of association. The Board shall set the amount and the date of payment of the interim dividend.

Any share premium, assimilated premium or other distributable reserve may be freely distributed to the shareholders subject to the provisions of the 1915 Law and the Company’s articles of association. In case of a dividend payment, each shareholder is entitled to receive a dividend right pro rata according to his or her respective shareholding. The dividend entitlement lapses upon the expiration of a five-year prescription period from the date of the dividend distribution. The unclaimed dividends return to the Company’s accounts.

 

G.

Statement by Experts

The balance sheet of CIIG as of December 31, 2020, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the period from September 19, 2019 (date of inception) to December 31, 2020, and the related notes incorporated by reference herein have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The consolidated financial statements of Arrival S.à r.l. as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit report covering the December 31, 2019 consolidated financial statements refers to a change to the method of accounting for leases as of January 1, 2019 due to the adoption of IFRS 16 Leases.

 

H.

Documents on Display

We are subject to certain of the informational filing requirements of the Exchange Act. Since we are a “foreign private issuer,” we are exempt from the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act, with respect to their purchase and sale of our equity securities. In addition, we are not required to file reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we are required to file with the SEC an Annual Report on Form 20-F containing financial statements audited by an independent accounting firm. We will also furnish to the SEC, on Form 6-K, unaudited financial information with respect to our first two fiscal quarters. Information filed with or furnished to the SEC by us will be available on our website. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports and other information that we file with or furnish electronically with the SEC.

 

I.

Subsidiary Information

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 11.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The information set forth in the section entitled “Arrival Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” in the Form F-4 is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES

Not applicable.

 

15


Table of Contents

PART II

Not applicable.

PART III

 

ITEM 17.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

See Item 18.

 

ITEM 18.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements of CIIG are incorporated by reference to pages F-2 to F-20 in the Form F-4.

The condensed unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of Arrival S.à r.l. are incorporated by reference to pages F-21 to F-33 in the Form F-4.

The audited consolidated financial statements of Arrival S.à r.l. are incorporated by reference to pages F-34 to F-71 in the Form F-4.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is incorporated by reference to pages 89 to 98 in the Form F-4.

 

ITEM 19.

EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
  No.  

  

Description

  1.1 *

   Amended and Restated Articles of Association of Arrival, dated as of March 23, 2021.

  2.1

   Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate of Arrival (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4/A filed February 16, 2021 (file no. 333-251339)).

  2.2

   Specimen Warrant Certificate of Arrival (incorporated by reference to Exhibit E of Exhibit 2.1 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020).

  2.3

   Warrant Agreement, dated December 12, 2019, by and between CIIG Merger Corp. and Continental Stock Transfer  & Trust Company, as warrant agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No.  001-39159, filed with the SEC on December 17, 2019).

  2.4

   Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated December  12, 2019, by and between CIIG Merger Corp. and CIIG Management LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No.  001-39159, filed with the SEC on December 17, 2019).

  2.5 *

   Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement, dated March 24, 2021 by and among CIIG Merger Corp., Arrival and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.

  4.1 #

   Business Combination Agreement, dated as of November  18, 2020, by and among CIIG Merger Corp., Arrival S.à r.l., Arrival and ARSNL Merger Sub Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020).

  4.2

   Form of Contribution and Exchange Agreement for Preferred Shares (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020).

  4.3

   Form of Contribution and Exchange Agreement for Ordinary Shares (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020).

  4.4

   Form of Subscription Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020).

 

16


Table of Contents

  4.5

   Transaction Support Agreement, dated as of November  18, 2020, by and among CIIG Merger Corp., CIIG Management LLC and certain investors in CIIG Merger Corp (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on November 18, 2020).

  4.6

   Registration Rights Agreement, dated December  12, 2019, by and between CIIG Merger Corp., CIIG Management LLC and certain other stockholders of CIIG Merger Corp. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to CIIG Merger Corp.’s Form 8-K, File No. 001-39159, filed with the SEC on December 17, 2019).

  4.7 *

   Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement, dated March  24, 2021, by and between Arrival and certain stockholders of CIIG Merger Corp. and Arrival S.à r.l.

  4.8 *

   Nomination Agreement, dated March 24, 2021, by and between Arrival and Kinetik S.à r.l.

  4.9 ##

   Collaboration Framework Agreement, dated November  4, 2019, by and between Arrival S.à r.l., Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December  15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.10 ##

   Collaboration Agreement Side Letter addressed to Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation from Arrival S.à r.l, dated December 6, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.11 ##

   Vehicle Sales Agreement, dated October  8, 2020, by and between Arrival S.à r.l. and United Parcel Service Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.12

   Warrant Agreement, dated as of October  29, 2020, by and between Arrival S.à r.l. and United Parcel Service General Services Co. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December  15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.13 ##+

   Employment Contract, dated as of January  3, 2019, by and between Arrival Ltd. and Avinash Rugoobur (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.14 ##+

   Employment Letter Agreement, dated as of November  1, 2019, by and between Arrival Automotive, Inc. and Michael Ableson (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.15 ##+

   Employment Contract, dated as of September  14, 2020, by and between Arrival Limited and Denis Sverdlov (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.16 ##+

   Employment Contract, dated June  29, 2020, by and between Arrival Automotive UK Limited and Tim Holbrow (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.17 ##+

   Employment Contract, dated October  6, 2017, by and between Arrival Ltd. and Daniel Chin (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December  15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.18 +

   Arrival S.à r.l. Restricted Share Plan 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.19 +

   Form of Restricted Share Agreement under the Arrival S.à r.l. Restricted Share Plan 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.20 +

   Form of US Fixed-Sum Loan Agreement for Purchase of Shares under the Arrival S.à r.l. Restricted Share Plan 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.21 +

   Form of non-US Fixed-Sum Loan Agreement for Purchase of Shares under the Arrival S.à r.l (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.22 +

   Arrival S.à r.l. Share Option Plan 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.23 +

   Form of Option Grant Letter Agreement under the Arrival S.à r.l. Share Option Plan 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed December 15, 2020 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.24*+

   Arrival Incentive Compensation Plan.

 

17


Table of Contents

  4.25 ##

   Product Manufacture and Supply Agreement, dated as of February  20, 2020, by and between Arrival Elements B.V. and LG Chem, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4/A filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.26 ##

   Long Term Agreement, dated as of February  20, 2020, by and between ARRIVAL Elements B.V. and LG Chem, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4/A filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.27 ##

   First Supplement to the Long Term Agreement, dated as of October  20, 2020, by and between Arrival Elements B.V. and LG Chem, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4/A filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-251339)).

  4.28 ##

   Prepayment Agreement, dated as of February  1, 2021, by and between Arrival Elements B.V. and LG Energy Solution, Ltd (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to the Registration Statement on Form F-4/A filed February 16, 2021 (file no. 333-251339)).

 

*

Filed herewith

#

Certain schedules, annexes and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K, but will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request.

##

Certain confidential portions of this exhibit were omitted by means of marking such portions with brackets and asterisks because the identified confidential portions (i) are not material and (ii) would be competitively harmful if publicly disclosed, or constituted personally identifiable information that is not material

+

Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

 

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Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this report on its behalf.

 

    ARRIVAL
March 26, 2021     By:  

/s/ Denis Sverdlov

    Name:   Denis Sverdlov
    Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

19

Exhibit 1.1

CHAPTER I. FORM, NAME, REGISTERED OFFICE, PURPOSE, DURATION

Article 1. Form, Name

A société anonyme (the “Company”) is governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in particular the law of 10 August 1915 on commercial companies, as amended (the “Laws”) and by these articles of association (the “Articles of Association”).

The Company exists under the name of “Arrival”.

Article 2. Registered Office

The Company will have its registered office in the municipality of Hesperange.

The registered office may be transferred to any other place within the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by a resolution of the Board of Directors (as defined below). The Board of Directors shall arrange that the Articles of Association are amended to reflect such transfer.

Branches or other offices may be established either in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg or abroad by a resolution of the Board of Directors.

In the event that, in the view of the Board of Directors, extraordinary political, economic or social developments occur or are imminent that would interfere with the normal activities of the Company at its registered office or with the ease of communications with this office or between this office and persons abroad, the Company may temporarily transfer the registered office abroad, until the complete cessation of these abnormal circumstances. These temporary measures will have no effect on the nationality of the Company, which, notwithstanding the temporary transfer of the registered office, will remain a company governed by the Laws. These temporary measures will be taken and notified to any interested parties by the Board of Directors.

Article 3. Purpose

The purpose of the Company is the acquisition, holding and disposal of interests in any form whatsoever in Luxembourg and/or in foreign companies and undertakings, as well as the administration, development and management of such interests.

The Company may provide loans and financing in any other kind or form, or grant guarantees or security in any other kind or form, for the benefit of the companies and undertakings forming part of the group of which the Company is a member.

The Company may also invest in real estate, in intellectual property rights or any other movable or immovable assets in any kind or form.

 

1


The Company may borrow in any kind or form and issue bonds, notes or any other debt instruments as well as warrants or other share subscription rights.

In a general fashion, the Company may carry out any commercial, industrial or financial operation, which it may deem useful in the accomplishment and development of its purpose.

Article 4. Duration

The Company is formed for an unlimited duration.

CHAPTER II. CAPITAL, SHARES

Article 5. Share Capital

The share capital of the Company is set at fifty-three million three hundred eighty-three thousand five hundred euro (EUR 53,383,500.-) divided into five hundred thirty-three million eight hundred thirty-five thousand (533,835,000) shares, with a nominal value of ten euro cents (EUR 0.10) each (any share in the Company, a “Share”).

In addition to the share capital, a premium account may be established to record any premium paid on any Share in addition to its nominal value. The premium account shall constitute a distributable reserve and may notably be used for the payment of the price for any Shares which the Company may repurchase from its shareholder(s), to offset any net realised losses, to make distributions to the shareholder(s) or to allocate funds to the legal reserve.

Distributable reserve accounts may be established to record contributions to the Company made by existing shareholders without issuance of Shares. Any such reserve shall constitute a distributable reserve and may notably be used to provide for the payment of the price of any Shares which the Company may repurchase from its shareholder(s), to offset any net realised losses, to make distributions to the shareholder(s) or to allocate funds to the legal reserve.

Article 6. Authorised Capital – Free Shares

The authorised capital of the Company (including the issued share capital) is set at two hundred seventy million euro (EUR 270,000,000) divided into two billion seven hundred million (2,700,000,000) Shares with a nominal value of ten euro cents (EUR 0.10) each.

The Board of Directors is authorised, up to the maximum amount of the authorised capital, to (i) increase the issued share capital in one or several tranches with or without share premium, against payment in cash or in kind, by conversion of claims on the Company or in any other manner for any reason whatsoever including (ii) issue subscription and/or conversion rights in relation to new shares or instruments within the limits of the

 

2


authorised capital under the terms and conditions of warrants (which may be separate or linked to Shares, bonds, notes or similar instruments issued by the Company), convertible bonds, notes or similar instruments; (iii) determine the place and date of the issue or successive issues, the issue price, the terms and conditions of the subscription of and paying up on the new shares and instruments and (iv) remove or limit the statutory preferential subscription right of the shareholders in case of issue against payment in cash or shares, warrants (which may be separate or attached to Shares, bonds, notes or similar instruments), convertible bonds, notes or similar instruments.

The Board of Directors may authorise any person to accept on behalf of the Company subscriptions and receive payment for Shares or instruments issued under the authorised capital.

The Board of Directors is further authorised to make an allotment of existing or newly issued shares without consideration to the following persons:

 

(a)

employees of the Company or certain categories amongst those;

 

(b)

employees of companies or economic interest grouping in which the Company holds directly or indirectly at least fifty per cent (50%) of the share capital or voting rights;

 

(c)

employees of companies or economic interest grouping in which at least fifty per cent (50%) of the share capital or voting rights is held directly or indirectly by a company which holds directly or indirectly at least fifty per cent (50%) of the share capital of the Company;

 

(d)

members of the corporate bodies of the Company or of the companies or economic interest grouping listed in point (b) to (c) above or certain categories amongst those.

The above authorisations are valid for a period ending five (5) years after the latest of (i) the date of the deed of incorporation of the Company or (ii) the date of the deed enacting the renewal of such authorisations. The above authorisations may be renewed, increased or reduced by a resolution of the General Meeting voting with the quorum and majority rules set for the amendment of the Articles of Association. The shares to be issued upon exercise or conversion of any warrants (which may be separate or linked to Shares, bonds, notes or similar instruments issued by the Company), convertible bonds, notes or similar instruments may be issued beyond the initial authorized capital period of five (5) years as long as such instruments were issued within the relevant initial authorized capital period of five (5) years.

Following each increase of the issued share capital in accordance with this Article 6, Article 5 will be amended so as to reflect the capital increase. Any such amendment will be recorded in a notarial deed upon the instructions of the Board of Directors or of any person duly authorised by the Board of Directors for this purpose.

 

3


Article 7. Increase and Reduction of Capital – Acquisition of own Shares

The share capital and/or authorised capital of the Company may be increased or reduced by a resolution of the General Meeting adopted in compliance with the quorum and majority rules set for the amendment of the Articles of Association.

The new shares to be subscribed for by contribution in cash will be offered by preference to the existing shareholders in proportion to the part of the capital which those shareholders are holding. The Board of Directors shall determine the period within which the statutory preferential subscription rights (“PSRs”) shall be exercised (the “Subscription Period”) and the PSRs shall be freely negotiable during the Subscription Period. If, at the end of the Subscription Period, not all PSRs have been exercised, the PSRs shall immediately lapse and the Board of Directors may decide that any person (including third parties) may participate in the capital increase by subscribing to the shares which have not been subscribed through the exercise of PSRs during the Subscription Period.

Notwithstanding the above, the Board of Directors, within the limit of the authorisation under Article 6 or, the General Meeting, voting in compliance with the quorum and majority rules set for any amendment of the Articles of Association may limit or withdraw the PSRs.

The Company may acquire or repurchase Shares.

Article 8. Shares

 

8.1

Each Share entitles to one (1) vote.

 

8.2

A shareholder may individually undertake not to exercise, permanently or temporarily, all or part of its voting rights. Such a waiver binds the relevant shareholder and the Company as from its notification to the Company.

 

8.3

The rights and obligations attached to all Shares shall be identical except to the extent otherwise provided by the Articles of Association or by the Laws.

 

8.4

The co-owners of Shares must be represented towards the Company by one (1) joint representative, whether appointed amongst them or not.

 

8.5

The Shares will be in the form of registered shares only.

 

8.6

A register of shares shall be kept by the Company at its registered office, where it shall be available for inspection by any shareholder. This register shall contain the precise designation of each shareholder and the indication of the number of Shares held, the indication of the payments made on the Shares as well as the transfers of Shares and the dates thereof. Ownership of shares will be established by inscription in the said register or in the event separate registrars have been appointed pursuant to Article 8.8, in such separate register(s).

 

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8.7

The Company may appoint registrars in different jurisdictions who may each maintain a separate register for the Shares entered therein. Shareholders may elect to be entered into one of these registers and to transfer their Shares to another register so maintained. The Board of Directors may however impose transfer restrictions for Shares in compliance with the requirements of the jurisdiction applicable to the Shares at that time. A transfer to the register kept at the Company’s registered office may always be requested.

 

8.8

Subject to the provisions of Articles 8.10 and 8.11, the Company may consider the person in whose name the Shares are registered in the register of shareholders as the full owner of such Shares. In the event that a holder of Shares does not provide an address in writing to which all notices or announcements from the Company may be sent, the Company may permit a notice to this effect to be entered into the register of shareholders and such holder’s address will be deemed to be at the registered office of the Company or such other address as may be so entered by the Company from time to time, until a different address shall be provided to the Company by such holder in writing. The holder may, at any time, change his address as entered in the register of shareholders by means of written notification to the Company.

 

8.9

The Shares may be held by a holder through a securities settlement system or a Depositary (as this term is defined below). The holder of Shares held in such fungible securities accounts has the same rights and obligations as if such holder held the Shares directly. The Shares held through a securities settlement system or a Depositary shall be recorded in an account opened in the name of the holder and may be transferred from one account to another in accordance with customary procedures for the transfer of securities in book-entry form. However, the Company will make dividend payments, if any, and any other payments in cash, shares or other securities, if any, only to the securities settlement system or Depositary recorded in the register of shareholders or in accordance with the instructions of such securities settlement system or Depositary. Such payment will grant full discharge of the Company’s obligations in this respect.

 

8.10

All communications and notices to be given to a registered shareholder shall be deemed validly made if made to the latest address communicated by the shareholder to the Company in accordance with Article 8.8 or, if no address has been communicated by the shareholder, the registered office of the Company or such other address as may be so entered by the Company in the register from time to time according to Article 8.8.

 

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8.11

Where Shares are recorded in the register of shareholders in the name of or on behalf of a securities settlement system or the operator of such system and recorded as book-entry interests in the accounts of a professional depositary or any sub-depositary (any depositary and any sub-depositary being referred to as a “Depositary”), the Company – subject to having received from the Depositary a certificate (or such other document as accepted by the Company) in proper form – will permit the Depositary of such book-entry interests to exercise the rights attaching to the Shares corresponding to the book-entry interests of the relevant holder, including receiving notices of general meetings, admission to and voting at general meetings, and shall consider the Depositary to be the holder of the Shares corresponding to the book-entry interests for purposes of this Article 8 of the present Articles of Association. The Board of Directors may determine the formal requirements with which such certificates (or such other document as accepted by the Company) must comply and the exercise of the rights in respect of such Shares may in addition be subject to the internal rules and procedures of the securities settlement system.

 

8.12

Any person who is required to report ownership of Shares on Schedule 13D or 13G pursuant to Rule 13d-1 or changes in such ownership pursuant to Rule 13d-2, each as promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, must notify the Company’s Board of Directors promptly following any reportable acquisition or disposition, and in no event later than the filing date of such Schedule 13D or 13G, of the proportion of Shares held by the relevant person as a result of the acquisition or disposal.

Article 9. Transfer of Shares

The Shares are freely transferable in accordance with the provisions of the Law, subject to any contractual restrictions or restrictions on transfer under applicable securities laws of any jurisdiction to which the Shares are subject.

Without prejudice to the conditions for transfer by book entries provided for in Article 8.10 of these Articles of Association, any transfer of Shares will be registered in the register of shares by a declaration of transfer entered into the register of shares, dated and signed by the transferor and the transferee or by their representative(s) as well as in accordance with the rules on the transfer of claims laid down in article 1690 of the Luxembourg Civil Code. Furthermore, the Company may accept and enter into the register of shares any transfer referred to in any correspondence or other document recording the consent of the transferor and the transferee.

Ownership of a Share carries implicit acceptance of the Articles of Association and of the resolutions validly adopted by the General Meeting.

 

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A transfer of Shares in breach of provisions of the Articles of Association shall be null and void.

Article 10. Incapacity, Death, Suspension of Civil Rights, Bankruptcy or Insolvency of a shareholder

The incapacity, death, suspension of civil rights, bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, or any other similar event affecting one or more shareholder(s) does not put the Company into liquidation.

CHAPTER III. BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AUDITORS

Article 11. Board of Directors

The Company shall be managed by a board of directors (the “Board of Directors”).

The Board of Directors shall be composed of not less than six (6) members (the “Directors”), who may but do not need to be shareholders of the Company themselves.

If and as long as the Company has only one (1) shareholder, the Board of Directors may comprise one (1) Director only.

Each Director will be appointed by the General Meeting. The General Meeting shall determine the number of Directors. The resolutions of the General Meeting approving the appointment of a Director shall require a separate vote for each individual candidate Director.

The Board of Directors shall qualify the Directors as a class A Director (the “Class A Director”), a class B Director (the “Class B Director”) or a class C Director (the “Class C Director”), with the number of Directors in each class to be divided as nearly equal as reasonably possible.

The mandate of the first appointed Class A Directors will terminate at the annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company approving the annual accounts for the financial year ended in 2021.

The mandate of the first appointed Class B Directors will terminate at the annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company approving the annual accounts for the financial year ended in 2022.

The mandate of the first appointed Class C Directors will terminate at the annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company approving the annual accounts for the financial year ended in 2023.

The duration of the mandate of any Directors subsequently appointed shall be determined (i) so as not to exceed the date of the annual general meeting of shareholders of the

 

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Company approving the annual accounts of the 3rd financial year following their appointment and (ii) so as to ensure that the mandate of all the Directors of the same class end on the same date and that a different full class of Directors be fully renewed at each annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company.

Each Director is eligible for re-appointment for successive terms and may be removed at any time, with or without cause by a resolution of the General Meeting.

In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the remaining Directors may elect by co-optation a new Director to fill such vacancy until the next General Meeting, which shall ratify such co-optation or elect a new Director instead.

Article 12. Powers of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is vested with the broadest powers to perform all acts necessary or useful to accomplish the Company’s purpose.

All powers not expressly reserved by the Articles of Association or by the Laws to the General Meeting or to the Auditor(s) (as defined below) shall be within the competence of the Board of Directors.

Article 13. Delegation of Powers - Representation of the Company

The Board of Directors may delegate the daily management of the Company and the representation of the Company for that daily management to one or more persons or committees of its choice.

The Board of Directors may create one or several committees. The composition and the powers of such committee(s), the terms of the appointment, removal, remuneration and duration of the mandate of its/their members, as well as its/their rules of procedure are determined by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be in charge of the supervision of the activities of the committee(s).

The Board of Directors may also grant other special powers of attorney or entrust permanent or temporary tasks to one or more persons of its choice. Such persons shall exercise the tasks entrusted to them under the supervision of the Board of Directors.

The remuneration and other benefits granted to the person(s) to whom the daily management has been delegated must be reported annually by the Board of Directors to the General Meeting.

The Company will be bound towards third parties by the individual signature of the sole Director or by the joint signatures of any three (3) Directors.

The Company will further be bound towards third parties by the joint signatures or single signature of any person(s) to whom the daily management of the Company has been

 

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delegated, for that daily management, or by the joint signatures or sole signature of any person(s) to whom any special power of attorney has been granted, but only within the limits of that special power of attorney.

Article 14. Meetings of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors may appoint from among its members a chairperson (the “Chairperson”).

The Board of Directors will meet upon call by the Chairperson or by any Director in accordance with the provisions of this Article 14.

The Chairperson will preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors, except that in the absence of the Chairperson, the Board of Directors may appoint another Director as chairperson for the relevant meeting by a majority of the votes of the Directors present or represented at such meeting.

Except in case of urgency or with the prior consent of all those entitled to attend, which consent shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting at least forty-eight (48) hours’ written notice of meetings of the Board of Directors shall be given in writing and transmitted by any means of communication allowing for the transmission of a written text. Any such notice shall specify the time and the place of the meeting, as well as the agenda and the nature of the business to be resolved upon. The notice may be waived by properly documented consent of each Director which consent shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. No separate notice is required for meetings held at times and places specified in a time schedule previously adopted by resolution of the Board of Directors.

The meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held in Luxembourg or at such other place as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine.

Any Director may be represented at any meeting of the Board of Directors by appointing in writing, transmitted by any means of communication allowing for the transmission of a written text, another Director as his proxy. Any Director may represent one or more Directors.

The quorum for a valid meeting of the Board of Directors shall be the presence or the representation of at least half (1/2) of the Directors.

When the rules of a foreign stock exchange require that, at least once a year, only independent directors of the Company may hold a meeting of the Board of Directors, the quorum required for a meeting of the Board of Directors can be disregarded and the independent directors must all be present or represented at such meeting. The independent directors may appoint a chairman pro tempore at such meetings.

 

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Resolutions of the Board of Directors in a meeting will be taken by a majority of the votes of the Directors present or represented at such meeting. The Chairperson shall have no casting vote in case of a tie.

Directors may participate in a meeting by conference call, videoconference or any other similar means of communication enabling thus several persons participating therein to simultaneously communicate with each other on a continuous basis. A meeting held using such means of communication is deemed to have taken place at the Company’s registered office.

A written resolution, signed by all the Directors and transmitted by any means of communication allowing for the transmission of a written text, is proper and valid as though it had been adopted at a meeting of the Board of Directors which was duly convened and held. Such a resolution may be documented in a single document or in several separate documents having the same content and each of them signed by one or several Directors. A written resolution passed in this way is deemed to have been taken at the Company’s registered office.

Article 15. Resolutions of the Board of Directors

The resolutions of the Board of Directors shall be recorded in writing.

The minutes of any meeting of the Board of Directors will be signed by the Chairperson or the chairperson of the meeting or by any three (3) Directors.

Copies or extracts of written resolutions or minutes, to be produced in judicial proceedings or otherwise, may be signed by the sole Director or by any three (3) Directors acting jointly.

In case of a sole Director, resolutions shall be documented in writing and signed by the sole Director.

Article 16. Management Fees and Expenses

Subject to approval by the General Meeting, Directors may receive a management fee for their management of the Company and may, in addition, be reimbursed for all other expenses whatsoever incurred by the relevant Director in relation to the management of the Company.

Article 17. Conflicts of Interest

If any Director has or may have a direct or indirect financial interest in any transaction which requires the approval of the Board of Director(s), that Director shall disclose that interest to the Board of Directors and shall not take part of any deliberation or vote on any such transaction.

 

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Such transaction and such Director’s interest shall be disclosed in a special report to the next General Meeting before any resolution is passed.

In case of a sole Director, record is kept in writing of the transactions where the sole Director has such direct or indirect financial interest.

Where, due to a conflict of interests, the number of Directors required to be present or represented for a valid quorum is not reached, the Board of Directors may defer the decision to the General Meeting.

The foregoing paragraphs do not apply if the relevant transaction falls within the ordinary course of business of the Company and is entered into at arm’s length under market conditions.

No transaction between the Company and any other party shall be affected or invalidated by the mere fact that a Director (or any one of its directors, managers, officers or employees) is a director, manager, associate, member, shareholder, officer or employee of that other party. Any person related as described above to any company or firm with which the Company shall contract or otherwise engage in business shall not, by reason of such affiliation, be automatically prevented from considering, voting or acting upon any matters with respect to such contract or other business.

The provisions of this article apply mutatis mutandis to the persons to whom the Board of Directors has delegated the daily management of the Company, except that in case the Board of Directors has delegated the daily management of the Company to a single person, the decision shall be deferred to the Board of Directors.

Article 18. Directors’ Liability; Indemnification

Directors are not held personally liable for the indebtedness or other obligations of the Company. As agents of the Company, they are responsible for the performance of their duties. Subject to the exceptions and limitations listed in below and mandatory provisions of law, every person who is, or has been, a Director or officer of the Company (and his or her heirs, executors and administrators) shall be indemnified by the Company to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by such person in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her being or having been a director or officer of the Company, or, at the request of the Company, of any other company of which the Company is a shareholder or creditor and by which he is not entitled to be indemnified, and against amounts paid or incurred by him or her in the settlement thereof. The words “claim”, “action”, “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal or otherwise including appeals) actual or threatened and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement and other liabilities.

 

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No indemnification shall be provided to any Director, officer or shareholder (i) against any liability by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office (ii) with respect to any matter as to which he or she shall have been finally adjudicated to have acted in bad faith and not in the interest of the Company or (iii) in the event of a settlement, unless the settlement has been approved by a court of competent jurisdiction or by the Board of Directors.

The right of indemnification herein provided shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any director or officer may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect or limit any rights to indemnification to which corporate personnel, including directors and officers, may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law. The Company shall specifically be entitled to provide contractual indemnification to and may purchase and maintain insurance for any corporate personnel, including directors and officers of the Company, as the Company may decide upon from time to time.

Article 19. Confidentiality

Even after cessation of their mandate or function, any Director, as well as any person who is invited to attend a meeting of the Board of Directors, shall not disclose information on the Company, the disclosure of which may have adverse consequences for the Company, unless such divulgation is required (i) by a legal or regulatory provision applicable to sociétés anonymes or (ii) for the public benefit.

Article 20. Auditors

The auditing of the Company may be entrusted to one or several auditors (commissaires) (the “Auditors”).

When so required by the Laws, the auditing of the Company must be entrusted to one or several approved statutory auditors (réviseurs d’entreprises agréés) (“Réviseurs”). When a Réviseur is appointed, no Auditor needs to be appointed.

The Auditors or Réviseurs, if any, will be appointed by the General Meeting, which will determine the number of Auditors or Réviseurs and the duration of their mandate. Each of them is eligible for re-appointment. Unless otherwise provided by the Laws, they may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by a resolution of the General Meeting.

 

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CHAPTER IV. GENERAL MEETING

Article 21. Powers of the General Meeting

The general meeting of shareholders (the “General Meeting”) shall have such powers as are vested in it pursuant to the Articles of Association and the Laws.

Article 22. Annual General Meeting

An annual General Meeting shall be held in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg within six (6) months of the end of the preceding financial year, except for the first annual General Meeting which may be held within eighteen (18) months from incorporation.

Article 23. Other General Meetings

The Board of Directors or the Auditor(s) (if any) may convene General Meetings (in addition to the annual General Meeting). Such meetings must be convened if shareholders representing at least ten per cent (10%) of the Company’s share capital so require.

General Meetings, including the annual General Meeting, will be held at the registered office of the Company or at such other place in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and may be held abroad if, in the judgement of the Board of Directors, circumstances of force majeure so require.

Article 24. Notice of General Meetings

The shareholders shall meet in a General Meeting upon issuance of a convening notice in accordance with the Laws which shall specify the time and the place of the General Meeting as well as the agenda and the nature of the business to be resolved upon at the relevant General Meeting. The agenda for a General Meeting shall also describe any proposed changes to the Articles of Association and, if applicable, set out the text of those changes affecting the purpose or form of the Company. If the Shares are listed on a foreign stock exchange, the requirements of such foreign stock exchange applicable to the Company shall additionally be complied with.

If the Shares are listed on a foreign stock exchange, all shareholders of the Company (for the avoidance of doubt, including any registered shareholder, any Depositary and, without prejudice to any requirements as set out in any other provision of these Articles of Association, any holder of Shares) are entitled to be admitted to any General Meeting, provided, however, that the Board of Directors may determine a date and time preceding the General Meeting as the record date for admission to such meeting, which may not be less than five (5) calendar days before the date of such meeting (the “Record Date”).

Shareholders holding individually or collectively at least ten (10) per cent of the issued share capital of the Company, may request the addition of one or several new items on the agenda of the General Meeting. This right shall be exercised upon request of the shareholders in writing submitted to the Company by registered letter at the address of

 

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the registered office of the Company. The requests shall include the details requested in the convening notice. The requests from the shareholders shall be received by the Company no later than five (5) calendar days before the General Meeting.

Article 25. Attendance - Representation

Each shareholder is entitled to attend and speak at any General Meeting.

A shareholder may be represented at any General Meeting by another person (who does not need to be a shareholder) appointed in writing (transmitted by any means of communication allowing for the transmission of a written text) as a proxyholder by the shareholder. A proxyholder may represent more than one (1) shareholder.

Shareholders taking part in a meeting by conference call, through video conference or by any other means of communication allowing for their identification, allowing all persons taking part in the meeting to hear one another on a continuous basis and allowing for an effective participation of all such persons in the meeting, are deemed to be present for the computation of the quorums and votes, subject to such means of communication being made available at the place of the meeting. A General Meeting held in this way is deemed to have taken place at the Company’s registered office.

Article 26. Proceedings

Any General Meeting shall be presided over by the Chairperson or, in the absence of the Chairperson, by a person designated by the Board of Directors or, in the absence of such designation, by a resolution of the General Meeting.

The chairperson of the General Meeting shall appoint a secretary.

By resolution of the General Meeting one (1) scrutineer shall be appointed from the persons attending the General Meeting.

The chairperson, the secretary and the scrutineer together form the board of the relevant General Meeting.

In connection with each General Meeting, the Board of Directors is authorized to provide such rules of deliberations and such conditions for allowing shareholders to take part in the meeting as the Board of Directors deems appropriate.

Except to the extent inconsistent with the rules and conditions as adopted by the Board of Directors, the person presiding over the General Meeting shall have the power and authority to prescribe such additional rules and conditions and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such person, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules and conditions, whether adopted by the Board of Directors or prescribed by the

 

14


person presiding over the meeting, may include, in each case to the extent permitted by applicable law:

 

(a)

determining the order of business for the meeting;

 

(b)

rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present;

 

(c)

limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to shareholders of record, their duly authorized and constituted attorneys or such other persons as the person presiding over the meeting shall determine;

 

(d)

restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and

 

(e)

limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants.

Article 27. Adjournment

Without limiting the generality of Article 26 and irrespective of the agenda, the Board of Directors may adjourn any General Meeting in accordance with the formalities and time limits stipulated for by the Law.

Such adjournment automatically cancels any resolution already adopted prior thereto.

The adjourned General Meeting has the same agenda as the first one. Shares and proxies regularly deposited in view of the first meeting remain validly deposited for the second one.

Article 28. Voting at General Meetings

An attendance list indicating the name of each shareholder and the number of Shares for which he votes is signed by or on behalf of each shareholder present or represented by proxy, prior to the start of the General Meeting.

The Board of Directors may in its sole discretion authorize each shareholder to vote at a General Meeting through a signed voting form sent by post, electronic mail, facsimile or any other means of communication to the Company’s registered office or to the address specified in the convening notice. Subject to such authorization by the Board of Directors, the shareholders may only use voting forms provided by the Company which contain at least the date, place and time of the meeting, the agenda of the meeting and the text of the proposed resolutions. For each resolution, the form must contain three boxes allowing the shareholder to vote in favor thereof, against, or abstain from voting by ticking the appropriate box. For the avoidance of doubt, shareholders may not vote by voting forms where the Board of Directors has not authorized such voting method for a given General Meeting.

Voting forms which, for a proposed resolution, do not show (i) a vote in favor of the proposed resolution, (ii) a vote against the proposed resolution or (iii) an abstention from voting on

 

15


the proposed resolution, are void with respect to such resolution. If a shareholder votes by means of a voting form, the voting form shall be deposited at the registered office of the Company or with an agent of the Company duly authorized to receive such voting forms. The Company shall only take into account voting forms received no later than three (3) business days prior to the date of the General Meeting to which they relate. The Board of Directors may set a shorter period for the submission of the voting forms.

If a shareholder votes by means of proxy, the proxy shall be deposited at the registered office of the Company or with an agent of the Company duly authorized to receive such proxies. The Company shall only take into account proxies received no later than three (3) business days prior to the date of the General Meeting to which they relate. The Board of Directors may set a shorter period for the submission of the proxies.

A holder of Shares held through the operator of a securities settlement system or with a Depositary wishing to attend a General Meeting must provide the Company with a certificate issued by such operator or Depositary certifying the number of Shares recorded in the relevant account on the Record Date. Such certificate must be provided to the Company no later than three (3) business days prior to the date of such general meeting. If such holder of shares votes by means of a proxy, Article 28 of these Articles of Association shall apply.

Resolutions the adoption of which is not subject to the quorum and the majority requirements for an amendment of the Articles of Association, shall be adopted, irrespective of the number of Shares represented, by a simple majority of votes cast.

For resolutions the adoption of which is subject to the quorum and majority requirements for an amendment of the Articles of Association, the quorum shall be at least one half (1/2) of all the Shares issued and outstanding and the resolutions shall be adopted by a two thirds (2/3rds) majority of the votes cast. If the said quorum is not reached at a first meeting, a second meeting may be convened and resolutions shall be adopted, irrespective of the number of Shares represented, by a two thirds (2/3rds) majority of the votes cast.

Article 29. Minutes

The minutes of a General Meeting shall be signed by the members of the board of that General Meeting and may be signed by or on behalf of any shareholders, who so request.

 

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CHAPTER V. FINANCIAL YEAR, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, DISTRIBUTION OF PROFITS

Article 30. Financial Year

The Company’s financial year begins on the first day of January and ends on the last day of December of each calendar year.

Article 31. Adoption of Financial Statements

After the end of each financial year, the Board of Directors draws up the annual financials statements of the Company in accordance with the Laws.

The annual statutory and/or consolidated financial statements are submitted to the General Meeting for approval.

Each shareholder or his representative may also peruse the financial statements of the Company at the registered office of the Company.

Article 32. Distribution of Profits

From the annual net profits of the Company, at least five per cent (5%) shall each year be allocated to the reserve required by Laws (the “Legal Reserve”). That allocation to the Legal Reserve will cease to be required as soon and as long as the Legal Reserve amounts to ten per cent (10%) of the amount of the share capital of the Company.

The General Meeting shall resolve how the remainder of the annual net profits, after allocation to the Legal Reserve in accordance with the previous paragraph, will be disposed of by allocating the whole or part of the remainder to a reserve or to a provision, by carrying it forward to the next following financial year or by distributing it, together with carried forward profits, distributable reserves or share premium to the shareholder(s), each Share entitling to the same proportion in such distributions.

Subject to the provisions of the Laws and in compliance with the provisions in the previous two paragraphs, the Board of Directors may resolve that the Company pays out an interim dividend to the shareholders. The Board of Directors shall set the amount and the date of payment of the interim dividend.

Any share premium, assimilated premium or other distributable reserve may be freely distributed to the shareholders subject to the provisions of the Law and the Articles of Association.

CHAPTER VI. DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION

Article 33. Dissolution, Liquidation

The Company may be dissolved by a resolution of the General Meeting adopted in compliance with the quorum and majority rules set for any amendment of the Articles of Association.

 

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Should the Company be dissolved, the liquidation will be carried out by the Board of Directors or such other person(s) (who may be physical persons or legal entities) appointed by the General Meeting. The General Meeting shall also determine the powers and the compensation (if any) of those other person(s).

After settlement of all the debts and liabilities of the Company, including the expenses of liquidation, the net liquidation proceeds shall be distributed to the shareholder(s) in compliance with the same preference as set out for dividend distributions.

In case the Company has only one (1) shareholder, it may also be dissolved without liquidation in accordance with article 1865bis of the Luxembourg Civil Code.

CHAPTER VII. APPLICABLE LAW

Article 34. Applicable Law

All matters not governed by the Articles of Association shall be determined in accordance with the Laws.

 

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Exhibit 2.5

Execution Version

ASSIGNMENT, ASSUMPTION AND AMENDMENT AGREEMENT

This Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of March 24, 2021, by and among CIIG Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Arrival Group, a joint stock company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with its registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg trade and companies register (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés, Luxembourg) under number B248209 (“Holdco”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”).

WHEREAS, the Company and the Warrant Agent are parties to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of December 12, 2019, and filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on December 17, 2019 (the “Existing Warrant Agreement”; capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Existing Warrant Agreement);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Existing Warrant Agreement, the Company issued (a) 7,175,000 warrants to the Sponsor and the Anchor Investor (collectively, the “Private Warrants”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”) simultaneously with the closing of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Public Offering”) (including the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, with each Private Warrant being exercisable for one share of Common Stock and with an exercise price of $11.50 per share, and (b) 12,937,500 warrants to public investors in the Public Offering (collectively, the “Public Warrants”) to purchase shares of Common Stock, with each Public Warrant being exercisable for one share of Common Stock and with an exercise price of $11.50 per share;

WHEREAS, all of the Warrants are governed by the Existing Warrant Agreement;

WHEREAS, on November 18, 2020, a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) was entered into by and among the Company, Holdco, ARSNL Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned direct subsidiary of Holdco (“Merger Sub”), and Arrival S.à r.l., a limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with its registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg trade and companies register (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés, Luxembourg) under number B200789 (the “Target”);

WHEREAS, Holdco, the Target and each of the Target’s shareholders (the “Target Shareholders”) have entered into those certain individual Contribution and Exchange Agreements, each dated as of November 18, 2020 (collectively, the “Exchange Agreements”), pursuant to which the Target Shareholders will contribute their respective shares in Target to Holdco in exchange for ordinary shares of Holdco (“Holdco Ordinary Shares”) to be subscribed for by such Target Shareholders and the Target, upon the consummation of the Exchanges (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Exchange Agreements, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco;


WHEREAS, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving such merger as a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (the “Merger”) and, in the context of such Merger, all shares of the Common Stock (other than Excluded Shares (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement)) outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) shall be exchanged with Holdco for the right to receive Holdco Ordinary Shares pursuant to a share capital increase of Holdco, as set forth in the Business Combination Agreement;

WHEREAS, upon consummation of the Merger, as provided in Section 4.5 of the Existing Warrant Agreement, each of the issued and outstanding Warrants will no longer be exercisable for shares of Common Stock but instead will be exercisable (subject to the terms and conditions of the Existing Warrant Agreement as amended hereby) for Holdco Ordinary Shares;

WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company has determined that the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement will constitute a Business Combination (as defined in Section 3.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement);

WHEREAS, in connection with the Merger, the Company desires to assign all of its right, title and interest in the Existing Warrant Agreement to Holdco and Holdco wishes to accept such assignment; and

WHEREAS, Section 9.8 of the Existing Warrant Agreement provides that the Company and the Warrant Agent may amend the Existing Warrant Agreement without the consent of any registered holders for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained therein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the Existing Warrant Agreement as the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem necessary or desirable and that the Company and the Warrant Agent deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the registered holders.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

1. Assignment and Assumption; Consent.

1.1 Assignment and Assumption. The Company hereby assigns to Holdco all of the Company’s right, title and interest in and to the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) as of the Merger Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement). Holdco hereby assumes, and agrees to pay, perform, satisfy and discharge in full, as the same become due, all of the Company’s liabilities and obligations under the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) arising from and after the Merger Effective Time.


1.2 Consent. The Warrant Agent hereby consents to the assignment of the Existing Warrant Agreement by the Company to Holdco pursuant to Section 1.1 hereof effective as of the Merger Effective Time, the assumption of the Existing Warrant Agreement by Holdco from the Company pursuant to Section 1.1 hereof effective as of the Merger Effective Time, and to the continuation of the Existing Warrant Agreement in full force and effect from and after the Merger Effective Time, subject at all times to the Existing Warrant Agreement (as amended hereby) and to all of the provisions, covenants, agreements, terms and conditions of the Existing Warrant Agreement and this Agreement.

2. Amendment of Existing Warrant Agreement. The Company and the Warrant Agent hereby amend the Existing Warrant Agreement as provided in this Section 2, effective as of the Merger Effective Time, and acknowledge and agree that the amendments to the Existing Warrant Agreement set forth in this Section 2 are necessary or desirable and that such amendments do not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders:

2.1 Preamble. The preamble on page one of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting “CIIG Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation” and replacing it with “Arrival Group, a joint stock company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with its registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg trade and companies register (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés, Luxembourg) under number B248209”. As a result thereof, all references to the “Company” in the Existing Warrant Agreement shall be references to Holdco rather than the Company.

2.2 Recitals. The recitals on pages one and two of the Existing Warrant Agreement are hereby deleted and replaced in their entirety as follows:

“WHEREAS, on December 12, 2019, CIIG Merger Corp. (“CIIG”) entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement with CIIG Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 5,416,667 warrants (or up to 5,979,167 warrants if the Over-allotment Option (as defined below) in connection with the Offering (as defined below) is exercised in full) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and the closing of the Over-allotment Option, if applicable) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto (the “Sponsor Private Placement Warrants”) at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant (as defined below); and

WHEREAS, on November 22, 2019, CIIG entered into those certain subscription agreements (together, the “Anchor Subscription Agreement”) with certain funds and accounts managed by subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. (together, the “Anchor Investor”), pursuant to which the Anchor Investor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 1,083,333 warrants (or 1,195,833 warrants if the Over-allotment Option is exercised in full) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and the closing of the Over-allotment Option, if applicable) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto (the “Anchor Private Placement Warrants” and, together with the Sponsor Private Placement Warrants, the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant; and


WHEREAS, CIIG consummated an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of units of CIIG’s equity securities, each such unit comprised of one share of Common Stock (as defined below) and one-half of one Public Warrant (as defined below) (the “Units”) and, in connection therewith, issued and delivered up to 11,250,00 warrants (including up to 12,937,500 warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option) to public investors in the Offering (the “Public Warrants” and together with the Private Placement Warrants, the “CIIG Warrants”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock of CIIG, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable; and

WHEREAS, CIIG has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-235158 (the “Registration Statement”) and prospectus (the “Prospectus”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the Units, and the Public Warrants and the Common Stock included in the Units; and

WHEREAS, CIIG, the Company, and ARSNL Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), are parties to that certain Business Combination Agreement, dated as of November 18, 2020 (the “Business Combination Agreement”), which, among other things, provides for the merger of Merger Sub with and into CIIG with CIIG surviving such merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”), and, as a result of the Merger, all shares of Common Stock shall be exchanged for the right to receive ordinary shares of the Company (“Company Ordinary Shares”); and

WHEREAS, on March 24, 2021, pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, the Company, CIIG and the Warrant Agent entered into an Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement (the “Warrant Assumption Agreement”), pursuant to which CIIG assigned its rights and obligations under this Agreement to the Company and the Company assumed CIIG’s right and obligations under this Agreement from CIIG; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, the Warrant Assumption Agreement and Section 4.5 of this Agreement, effective as of the Merger Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), each of the issued and outstanding CIIG Warrants were no longer exercisable for shares of Common Stock but instead became exercisable (subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement) for Company Ordinary Shares (each a “Warrant” and collectively, the “Warrants”); and

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and


WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent, as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:”

2.3 Reference to Company Ordinary Shares. (i) All references to “Common Stock” in the Existing Warrant Agreement (including all Exhibits thereto) shall mean “Company Ordinary Shares” with a nominal value of EUR 0.10 per share and (ii) all references to “stockholders” shall mean “shareholders.”

2.4 Detachability of Warrants. Section 2.4 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted and replaced with the following:

“[INTENTIONALLY OMITTED]”

Except that the defined term “Business Day” set forth therein shall be retained for all purposes of the Existing Warrant Agreement.

2.5 Post-IPO Warrants and Working Capital Warrants.

2.5.1. Section 2.7 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety. All references to “Working Capital Warrants” in the Existing Warrant Agreement (including all Exhibits thereto) shall be deleted.

2.5.2 Section 2.8 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety. All references to “Post-IPO Warrants” in the Existing Warrant Agreement (including all Exhibits thereto) shall be deleted.

2.6 Duration of Warrants. The first sentence of Section 3.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby deleted and replaced with the following:

“A Warrant may be exercised only during the period commencing on the date that is thirty (30) days after the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (a “Business Combination”), and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the earlier to occur of: (x) the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Business Combination is completed, (y) the liquidation of the Company, or (z) other than with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, the Redemption Date (as defined below) as provided in Section 6.3 hereof (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in Subsection 3.3.2 below with respect to an effective registration statement.”


2.7 Notices.

2.7.1 Section 9.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended in part to change the delivery of notices to the Company to the following:

Arrival Group

1, rue Peternelchen

L-2370 Howald

Luxembourg

Attention: Daniel Chin

Email: chin@arrival.com

2.7.2 Section 9.2 of the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby further amended in part to change the delivery of a copy of notices sent to Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105, Attn.: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq., Fax No.: (212) 370-1300 and Winston & Strawn LLP, 200 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10166, Attn: Joel L. Rubinstein, Email: jrubinstein@winston.com to be replaced with the following:

Greenberg Traurig, P.A.

333 SE 2nd Ave., Suite 4400

Miami, FL 33131

Attention: Alan I. Annex, Esq.

Email: annexa@gtlaw.com

2.8 Currency. A new Section 9.10 is hereby inserted as follows:

Currency. Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, all references to currency, monetary values and dollars set forth herein shall mean U.S. dollars (USD) and all payments hereunder shall be made in U.S. dollars (USD).”

2.9 Warrant Certificate. Exhibit A to the Existing Warrant Agreement is hereby amended by deleting Exhibit A in its entirety and replacing it with a new Exhibit A attached hereto.

3. Miscellaneous Provisions.

3.1 Effectiveness of Warrant. Each of the parties hereto acknowledges and agrees that the effectiveness of this Agreement shall be expressly subject to the occurrence of the Exchanges (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) and the Merger and shall automatically be terminated and shall be null and void if the Business Combination Agreement shall be terminated for any reason.

3.2 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.


3.3 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

3.4 Applicable Law. The validity, interpretation and performance of this Agreement shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereby agree that any action, proceeding or claim against a party arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each of the parties hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

3.5 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the registered holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit his Warrant for inspection by it.

3.6 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted by electronic mail in PDF form, or by any other electronic means designed to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document (including DocuSign), will be deemed to have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signatures.

3.7 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

3.8 Reference to and Effect on Agreements; Entire Agreement.

3.8.1 Any references to “this Agreement” in the Existing Warrant Agreement will mean the Existing Warrant Agreement as amended by this Agreement. Except as specifically amended by this Agreement, the provisions of the Existing Warrant Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

3.8.2 This Agreement and the Existing Warrant Agreement, as modified by this Agreement, constitutes the entire understanding of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments, whether written or oral, express or implied, relating to the subject matter hereof, and all such prior agreements, understandings, arrangements, promises and commitments are hereby canceled and terminated.


[Remainder of page intentionally left blank.]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

CIIG MERGER CORP.
By:  

/s/ Michael Minnick                                    

Name:   Michael Minnick
Title:   Chief Investment Officer
ARRIVAL
By:  

/s/ F. Peter Cuneo

Name:   F. Peter Cuneo
Title:   Chairman
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
By:  

/s/ Ana Gois

Name:   Ana Gois
Title:   Vice President

 

[Signature Page to Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement]


EXHIBIT A

FORM OF WARRANT CERTIFICATE

See attached.


[Form of Warrant Certificate]

[FACE]

Number

Warrants

THIS WARRANT SHALL BE VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO

THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR

IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW

ARRIVAL GROUP

Joint Stock Company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

CUSIP [    ]

Warrant Certificate

This Warrant Certificate certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase Ordinary Shares, EUR 0.10 nominal value per share (“Company Ordinary Shares”), of Arrival Group, a joint stock company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with its registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg trade and companies register (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés, Luxembourg) under number B248209 (the “Company”). Each Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable Company Ordinary Shares as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Exercise Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Exercise Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable Company Ordinary Share. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrant, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Company Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder. The number of Company Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

The initial Exercise Price per Company Ordinary Share for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Exercise Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become void.

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.

This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.

This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof.

 

ARRIVAL GROUP
By:  

                                                                   

Name:  
Title:  


[Form of Warrant Certificate]

[Reverse]

The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive Company Ordinary Shares and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of December 12, 2019, as amended by the Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement dated as of              , 2021 by and among CIIG Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation, the Company and the Warrant Agent (as defined below) (the “Warrant Agreement”), duly executed and delivered by the Company to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Exercise Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.

Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the Company Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the Company Ordinary Shares is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.

The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of Company Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a Company Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Company Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.

Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.

Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection therewith.

The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.


Election to Purchase

(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)

The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive Company Ordinary Shares and herewith tenders payment for such Company Ordinary Shares to the order of Arrival Group (the “Company”) in the amount of $        in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such Company Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such Company Ordinary Shares be delivered to whose address is . If said number of Company Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Company Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Company Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of                , whose address is                and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to                , whose address is                .

In the event that the Warrant has been called for redemption by the Company pursuant to Sections 6.1 or 6.2 of the Warrant Agreement and the Company has required cashless exercise pursuant to Section 6.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Company Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) and Section 6.4 of the Warrant Agreement.

In the event that the Warrant is a Private Placement Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(c) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Company Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(c) of the Warrant Agreement.

In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Company Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.

In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of Company Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive Company Ordinary Shares. If said number of shares is less than all of the Company Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Company Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of                , whose address is                and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to                , whose address is                 .

[Signature Page Follows]

 

Date:             , 20      

 

     

(Signature)

     

(Address)

      (Tax Identification Number)

Signature Guaranteed:

     

THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE)).

Exhibit 4.7

Execution Version

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AND LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AND LOCK-UP AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of March 24, 2021, is made and entered into by and among Arrival Group, a joint stock company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (the “Company”), and the undersigned parties listed on the signature page hereto (each such party, together with any person or entity who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.2 of this Agreement, a “Holder” and collectively the “Holders”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Company is party to that certain Business Combination Agreement, dated as of November 18, 2020 (the “BCA”), by and among the Company, CIIG Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation (“CIIG”), Arrival S.à r.l., a limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (“Arrival”) and ARSNL Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which, among other things, on or about the date hereof, Merger Sub will merge with and into CIIG (with CIIG being the surviving entity and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company) in exchange for CIIG’s shareholders receiving ordinary shares of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”);

WHEREAS, the Company is a party to those certain Contribution and Exchange Agreements, dated as of November 18, 2020 by and among the Company, Arrival and each of the Holders (the “Contribution and Exchange Agreements”), pursuant to which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, the Holders (the “New Holders”) contributed their shares of Arrival to the Company in exchange for Ordinary Shares, with Arrival becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company following the consummation of such exchanges;

WHEREAS, CIIG and CIIG Management LLC (the “Founder”) are parties to that certain Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of December 12, 2019 (the “Prior Agreement”), which Prior Agreement will terminate with respect to the Founder and the other parties thereto upon execution of this Agreement.

WHEREAS, the Founder is acquiring Ordinary Shares (including the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security issued to a Holder pursuant to the terms of the BCA, including the private placement warrants of CIIG) on or about the date hereof pursuant to the BCA.

WHEREAS, each of Blackrock Credit Alpha Master Fund, L.P. and HC NCBR Fund is a holder of the shares of Class B common stock of CIIG (each a “Class B Holder”) and are acquiring Ordinary Shares (including the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security issued to a Holder pursuant to the terms of the BCA, including the private placement warrants of CIIG) on or about the date hereof pursuant to the BCA; and

WHEREAS, in connection with the transactions contemplated by the BCA and the Contribution and Exchange Agreements, the Company and the Holders desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Company shall grant the Holders certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Definitions. The terms defined in this Article I shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below:

Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, after consultation


with counsel to the Company, (a) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any Misstatement, (b) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and (c) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.

Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, each other Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Person specified; provided that no Holder shall be deemed an Affiliate of any other Holder solely by reason of an investment in, or holding of Ordinary Shares (or securities convertible or exchangeable for share of Ordinary Shares) of, the Company. As used in this definition, “control” (including with correlative meanings, “controlled by” and “under common control with”) means possession, directly or indirectly, of power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of voting securities or by contract or other agreement); providedhowever, that in no event shall the term “Affiliate” include any portfolio company of any Holder or their respective Affiliates (other than the Company).

Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.

Aggregate Blocking Period” shall have the meaning given in Section 2.4.

Block Trade” means an offering and/or sale of Registrable Securities by any Holder on a block trade or underwritten basis (whether firm commitment or otherwise) without substantial marketing efforts prior to pricing, including, without limitation, a same day trade, overnight trade or similar transaction.

Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

“BCA” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.

Change in Control” means the transfer (whether by tender offer, merger, share purchase, consolidation or other similar transaction), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, to a person or group of affiliated persons of the Company’s voting securities if, after such transfer, such person or group of affiliated persons would hold more than 50% of outstanding voting securities of the Company (or surviving entity) or would otherwise have the power to control the board of directors of the Company or to direct the operations of the Company.

Claims” shall have the meaning given in subsection 4.1.1.

Closing Date” shall mean the date of this Agreement.

Commission” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Commission Guidance” means (i) any publicly-available written or oral guidance of the Commission staff, or any comments, requirements or requests of the Commission staff and (ii) the Securities Act.

Company” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.

Company Shelf Take Down Notice” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

“Contribution and Exchange Agreements” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.

Demand Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.

Demanding Holder” shall mean, as applicable, (a) the applicable Holders making a written demand for the Registration of Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 or (b) the applicable Holders making a written demand for a Shelf Underwritten Offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.1.3.

Effectiveness Deadline” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.


Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.

Form F-1  Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.

Form F-3 Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.2.

Founder” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals.

Founder Lock-Up Period” shall have the meaning given in subsection 5.1.2.

Holders” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.

Kinetik Lock-Up Period” shall have the meaning given in Section 5.1.1.

Maximum Number of Securities” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.4.

Minimum Amount” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

Misstatement” shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus and any preliminary Prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.

New Holders” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals.

New Holders Lock-Up Period” shall have the meaning given in Section 5.1.1.

“Ordinary Shares” means the ordinary shares of the Company.

Permitted Transferees” shall mean a person or entity to whom the Founder, the Class B Holder and the New Holders are permitted to Transfer such Registrable Securities prior to the New Holders Lock-up Period, Kinetik Lock-Up Period or the Founder Lock-up Period, as applicable, pursuant to Section 5.2 of this Agreement and any other applicable agreement between the Holders and the Company, and to any transferee thereafter.

Piggyback Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.1.

Prior Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.

Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.

Registrable Security” shall mean (a) any Ordinary Shares issued to a Holder pursuant to the terms of the BCA (including the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security issued to a Holder pursuant to the terms of the BCA), and (b) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such Ordinary Share referred to in the foregoing clause (a) by way of a share dividend or share split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or other reorganization or otherwise; providedhowever, that, as to any particular Registrable Security, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (i) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (ii) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing (or book entry positions not subject to) a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (iii) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (iv) such securities may be sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission) (but with no volume or other restrictions or limitations); or (v) such securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction.


Registration” shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.

Registration Expenses” shall mean the out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:

(a) all registration and filing fees (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.) and any securities exchange on which the Ordinary Shares are then listed;

(b) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue-sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities);

(c) printing, messenger, telephone, delivery and road show or other marketing expenses;

(d) reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company;

(e) reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically in connection with such Registration; and

(f) reasonable fees and expenses of one (1) legal counsel selected by either (i) the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders (and any local or foreign counsel) initiating a Demand Registration or Shelf Underwritten Offering (including, without limitation, a Block Trade), or (ii) of a majority-in-interest of participating Holders under Section 2.3 if the Registration was initiated by the Company for its own account or that of a Company shareholder other than pursuant to rights under this Agreement, in each case to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration.

Registration Statement” shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.

Removed Shares” shall have the meaning given in Section 2.6.

Requesting Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.

Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.

Shelf Take Down Notice” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

Shelf Underwritten Offering” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.3.

Subscription Agreements” shall mean those certain subscription agreements dated November 18, 2020 by and between the Company, CIIG and certain subscribers to purchase shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of CIIG.

“Transfer” means to, directly or indirectly, sell, transfer, assign, pledge, encumber, hypothecate or similarly dispose of, either voluntarily or involuntarily, or to enter into any contract, option or other arrangement or understanding with respect to the sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or similar disposition of, any interest owned by a person or any interest (including a beneficial interest) in, or the ownership, control or possession of, any interest owned by a person.

Underwriter” shall mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.


Underwritten Registration” or “Underwritten Offering” shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.

ARTICLE II

REGISTRATIONS

2.1 Shelf Registration.

2.1.1 The Company shall, as soon as practicable, but in any event within thirty (30) days after the Closing Date, file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act to permit the public resale of all the Registrable Securities held by the Holders from time to time as permitted by Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor or similar provision adopted by the Commission then in effect) on the terms and conditions specified in this subsection 2.1.1 and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to be declared effective as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, but in no event later than ninety (90) days following the filing deadline (the “Effectiveness Deadline”); provided, that the Effectiveness Deadline shall be extended to one hundred and twenty (120) days after the filing deadline if the Registration Statement is reviewed by, and receives comments from, the Commission. The Registration Statement filed with the Commission pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 shall be on a shelf registration statement on Form F-1 (aForm F-1 Shelf”) or such other form of registration statement as is then available to effect a registration for resale of such Registrable Securities, covering such Registrable Securities, and shall contain a Prospectus in such form as to permit any Holder to sell such Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor or similar provision adopted by the Commission then in effect) at any time beginning on the effective date for such Registration Statement. A Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 shall provide for the resale pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, the Holders. The Company shall use its best efforts to cause a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 to remain effective, and to be supplemented and amended to the extent necessary to ensure that such Registration Statement is available (including to use its best efforts to add Registrable Securities held by Permitted Transferees) or, if not available, that another Registration Statement is available, for the resale of all the Registrable Securities held by the Holders until all such Registrable Securities have ceased to be Registrable Securities. As soon as practicable following the effective date of a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1, but in any event within one (1) business day of such date, the Company shall notify the Holders of the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. When effective, a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.1.1 (including the documents incorporated therein by reference) will comply as to form in all material respects with all applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading (in the case of any Prospectus contained in such Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which such statement is made).

2.1.2 The Company shall use its best efforts to convert the Form F-1 Shelf filed pursuant to subsection 2.1.1 to a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (a “Form F-3 Shelf”) as promptly as practicable after the Company is eligible to use a Form F-3 Shelf and have the Form F-3 Shelf declared effective as promptly as practicable and to cause such Form F-3 Shelf to remain effective, and to be supplemented and amended to the extent necessary to ensure that such Registration Statement is available or, if not available, that another Registration Statement is available, for the resale of all the Registrable Securities held by the Holders until all such Registrable Securities have ceased to be Registrable Securities.

2.1.3 At any time and from time to time following the effectiveness of the shelf registration statement required by subsection 2.1.1 or subsection 2.1.2, any Holder may request to sell all or a portion of their Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering that is registered pursuant to such shelf registration statement, including a Block Trade (a “Shelf Underwritten Offering”) provided that such Holder(s) (a) reasonably expects to sell Registrable Securities yielding aggregate gross proceeds in excess of $15,000,000 from such Shelf Underwritten Offering or (b) reasonably expects to sell all of the Registrable Securities held by such Holder in such Shelf Underwritten Offering (the amount of Registrable Securities pursuant to the foregoing clause (a) or (b), as applicable, the “Minimum Amount”). All requests for a Shelf Underwritten Offering shall be made by giving written notice to the Company (the “Shelf Take Down Notice”). Each Shelf Takedown Notice shall specify the approximate number of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold in the Shelf Underwritten Offering and the expected price range (net of underwriting discounts and commissions) of such Shelf Underwritten Offering. Within three (3) days after receipt of any Shelf Take


Down Notice, the Company shall give written notice of such requested Shelf Underwritten Offering to all other Holders of Registrable Securities (the “Company Shelf Takedown Notice”) and, subject to the provisions of subsection 2.2.4, shall include in such Shelf Underwritten Offering all Registrable Securities with respect to which the Company has received written requests for inclusion therein, within five (5) days after sending the Company Shelf Takedown Notice, or, in the case of a Block Trade, as provided in Section 2.5. The Company shall enter into an underwriting agreement in a form as is customary in Underwritten Offerings of securities by the Company with the managing Underwriter or Underwriters selected by the Holders after consultation with the Company and shall take all such other reasonable actions as are requested by the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities. In connection with any Shelf Underwritten Offering contemplated by this subsection 2.1.3, subject to Section 3.3 and Article IV, the underwriting agreement into which each Holder and the Company shall enter shall contain such representations, covenants, indemnities and other rights and obligations as are customary in underwritten offerings of securities by the Company. Any Shelf Underwritten Offering effected pursuant to this subsection 2.1.3 shall be counted as a Registration for purposes of the limit on the number of Registrations that can be effected under Section 2.2 hereof.

2.2 Demand Registration.

2.2.1 Request for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.2.5 and Sections 2.4 and 3.4 hereof, at any time and from time to time on or after the Closing Date, each of (a) the Founder (the “Founder Demanding Holder”), and (b) at least a majority in interest of the then-outstanding number of Registrable Securities held by the New Holders (the “New Demanding Holders,” together with the Founder Demanding Holders, the “Demanding Holders”) may make a written demand for Registration of all or part of their Registrable Securities on (i) Form F-1, or such other form of registration statement as is then available to effect a registration for resale of such Registrable Securities, covering such Registrable Securities or (ii) if available, Form F-3, which in the case of either clause (i) or (ii), may be a shelf registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand a “Demand Registration”). The Company shall, promptly following the Company’s receipt of a Demand Registration, notify, in writing all other Holders of Registrable Securities of such demand, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration, a “Requesting Holder”) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within five (5) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent a Requesting Holder also separately possesses Demand Registration rights pursuant to this Section 2.2, but is not the Holder who exercises such Demand Registration rights, the exercise by such Requesting Holder of its rights pursuant to the foregoing sentence shall not count as the exercise by it of one of its Demand Registration rights. Upon receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to the Company, subject to subsection 2.2.4 below, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall effect, as soon thereafter as practicable, but not more than forty five (45) days immediately after the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant to such Demand Registration. The Company shall not be obligated to effect more than (1) an aggregate of three (3) Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration or a Shelf Underwritten Offering initiated by the Founder and (2) an aggregate of three (3) Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration or a Shelf Underwritten offering initiated by the New Holders, in each case under subsection 2.1.3 or this subsection 2.2.1 with respect to any or all Registrable Securities; providedhowever, that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Registration Statement that may be available at such time has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders to be registered on behalf of the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders in such Registration have been sold, in accordance with Section 3.1 of this Agreement.

2.2.2 Effective Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.2.1 above or any other part of this Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (a) the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and (b) the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; providedfurther, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission, federal or state court or any other


governmental agency, the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days after the removal, rescission or other termination of such stop order or injunction, of such election; providedfurther, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration by the same Demand Holder becomes effective or is subsequently terminated.

2.2.3 Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.2.4 and Sections 2.4 and 3.4 hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Underwritten Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.2.3, subject to Section 3.3 and Article IV, shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Company and the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration.

2.2.4 Reduction of Underwritten Offering. If a Demand Registration is to be an Underwritten Offering and the managing Underwriter or Underwriters, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that, in its opinion, the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell for its own account and the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by any other stockholders of the Company who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of equity securities that can be sold in such Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of such securities, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Securities”), then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (a) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder and Requesting Holder (if any) has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten Registration (such proportion is referred to herein as “Pro Rata”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (b) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (a), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell for its own account, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (c) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (a) and (b), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities and (d) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (a), (b) and (c), Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to Section 2.3 and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.

2.2.5 Demand Registration Withdrawal. A Demanding Holder or a Requesting Holder shall have the right to withdraw all or a portion of its Registrable Securities included in a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 or a Shelf Underwritten Offering pursuant to subsection 2.1.3 for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of its intention to so withdraw at any time prior to (a) in the case of a Demand Registration not involving an Underwritten Offering or a Shelf Underwritten Offering, the effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement or (b) in the case of any Demand Registration involving an Underwritten Offering or any Shelf Underwritten Offering, prior to the pricing of such Underwritten Offering or Shelf Underwritten Offering; providedhowever, that upon withdrawal by a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration (or in the case of a Shelf Underwritten Offering, withdrawal of an amount of Registrable Securities included by the Holders in such Shelf Underwritten Offering, in their capacity as Demanding Holders, being less than the Minimum Amount), the Company shall cease all efforts to secure


effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement or complete the Underwritten Offering, as applicable. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration or a Shelf Underwritten Offering prior to and including its withdrawal under this subsection 2.2.5.

2.3 Piggyback Registration.

2.3.1 Piggyback Rights. If the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into equity securities, for its own account or for the account of stockholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the shareholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof), other than a Registration Statement (a) filed in connection with any employee share option or other benefit plan, (b) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing shareholders, (c) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company, (d) for a dividend reinvestment plan, or (e) filed pursuant to subsection 2.1.1, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but not less than twenty (20) days (or, in the case of a Block Trade, three (3) business days) before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution (including whether such registration will be pursuant to a shelf registration statement), and the proposed price and name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, (B) such Holders’ rights under this Section 2.3 and (C) offer to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as such Holders may request in writing within ten (10) days after receipt of such written notice (or in the case of a Block Trade, within two (2) business days) (such Registration a “Piggyback Registration”). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities identified in a Holder’s response noticed described in the foregoing sentence to be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed Underwritten Offering, if any, to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection 2.3.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company or Company shareholder(s) for whose account the Registration Statement is to be filed included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.3.1, subject to Section 3.3 and Article IV, shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company or Company shareholder(s) for whose account the Registration Statement is to be filed. For purposes of this Section 2.3, the filing by the Company of an automatic shelf registration statement for offerings pursuant to Rule 415(a) that omits information with respect to any specific offering pursuant to Rule 430B shall not trigger any notification or participation rights hereunder until such time as the Company amends or supplements such Registration Statement to include information with respect to a specific offering of Securities (and such amendment or supplement shall trigger the notice and participation rights provided for in this Section 2.3).

2.3.2 Reduction of Piggyback Registration. If a Piggyback Registration is to be an Underwritten Offering and the managing Underwriter or Underwriters, in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating in the Piggyback Registration in writing that, in its opinion, the dollar amount or number of the Ordinary Shares that the Company desires to sell, taken together with (a) the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, (b) the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant Section 2.3 hereof, and (c) the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then:

2.3.2.1 if the Registration is undertaken for the Company’s account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (a) first, the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell for its own account, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (b) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (a), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.3.1 hereof, Pro Rata, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (c) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (a) and (b), the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and


2.3.2.2 if the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then the Company shall include in any such Registration (a) first, the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (b) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (a), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.3.1 hereof, Pro Rata, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (c) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (a) and (b), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell for its own account, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (d) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (a), (b) and (c), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.

2.3.3 Piggyback Registration Withdrawal. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw all or any portion of its Registrable Securities in a Piggyback Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of his, her or its intention to withdraw such Registrable Securities from such Piggyback Registration prior to (a) in the case of a Piggyback Registration not involving an Unwritten Offering or Shelf Underwritten Offering, the effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement or (b), in the case of any Piggyback Registration involving an Underwritten Offering or any Shelf Underwritten Offering, prior to the pricing of such Underwritten Offering or Shelf Underwritten Offering. The Company (whether on its own good faith determination or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to and including its withdrawal under this subsection 2.3.3.

2.3.4 Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.2 hereof or a Shelf Underwritten Offering effected under subsection 2.1.3.

2.4 Restrictions on Registration Rights. If (a) during the period starting with the date sixty (60) days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date one hundred and twenty (120) days after the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Holders prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (b) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (c) in the good faith judgment of the Board such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish to such Holders a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement. In such event, the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period of not more than thirty (30) days; providedhowever, that the Company shall not defer its obligation in this manner more than once in any twelve (12)-month period (the “Aggregate Blocking Period”).

2.5 Block Trades. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article II, but subject to Sections 2.4 and 3.4, if the Holders desire to effect a Block Trade, then notwithstanding any other time periods in this Article II, the Holders shall provide written notice to the Company at least three (3) business days prior to the date such Block Trade will commence. As expeditiously as possible, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to facilitate such Block Trade. The Holders shall use reasonable best efforts to work with the Company and the Underwriters (including by disclosing the maximum number of Registrable Securities proposed to be the subject of such Block Trade) in order to facilitate preparation of the Registration Statement, Prospectus and other offering documentation related to the Block Trade and any related due diligence and comfort procedures. In the event of a Block Trade, and after consultation with


the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) shall determine the Maximum Number of Securities, the underwriter or underwriters and share price of such offering. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, in the event of a Block Trade in connection with the sale of Registrable Securities by a pledgee upon foreclosure of the Registrable Securities that were pledged as collateral for a loan, the Company shall not include any other Holders’ Registrable Securities on the Registration Statement or Prospectus with respect to such Block Trade.

2.6 Rule 415; Removal. If at any time the Commission takes the position that the offering of some or all of the Registrable Securities in a Registration Statement on Form F-3 filed pursuant to this Section 2 is not eligible to be made on a delayed or continuous basis under the provisions of Rule 415 under the Securities Act (provided, however, the Company shall be obligated to use diligent efforts to advocate with the Commission for the registration of all of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the Commission Guidance, including without limitation, Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation 612.09) or requires a Holder to be named as an “underwriter,” the Company shall (i) promptly notify each holder of Registrable Securities thereof and (ii) use reasonable best efforts to persuade the SEC that the offering contemplated by such Registration Statement is a valid secondary offering and not an offering “by or on behalf of the issuer” as defined in Rule 415 and that none of the Holders is an “underwriter.” The Holders shall have the right to select one legal counsel designated by the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities subject to such Registration Statement to review and oversee any registration or matters pursuant to this Section 2.6, including participation in any meetings or discussions with the Commission regarding the Commission’s position and to comment on any written submission made to the Commission with respect thereto. No such written submission with respect to this matter shall be made to the Commission to which the applicable Holders’ counsel reasonably objects. In the event that, despite the Company’s reasonable best efforts and compliance with the terms of this Section 2.6, the Commission refuses to alter its position, the Company shall (i) remove from such Registration Statement such portion of the Registrable Securities (the “Removed Shares”) and/or (ii) agree to such restrictions and limitations on the registration and resale of the Registrable Securities as the Commission may require to assure the Company’s compliance with the requirements of Rule 415; providedhowever, that the Company shall not agree to name any Holder as an “underwriter” in such Registration Statement without the prior written consent of such Holder. In the event of a share removal pursuant to this Section 2.6, the Company shall give the applicable Holders at least five (5) days prior written notice along with the calculations as to such Holder’s allotment. Any removal of shares of the Holders pursuant to this Section 2.6 shall first be applied to holders other than the Holders with securities registered for resale under the applicable Registration Statement and thereafter allocated between the Holders on a pro rata basis based on the aggregate amount of Registrable Securities held by the Holders. In the event of a share removal of the Holders pursuant to this Section 2.6, the Company shall promptly register the resale of any Removed Shares pursuant to subsection 2.1.2 hereof and in no event shall the filing of such Registration Statement on Form F-1 or subsequent Registration Statement on Form F-3 filed pursuant to the terms of subsection 2.1.2 be counted as a Demand Registration hereunder. Until such time as the Company has registered all of the Removed Shares for resale pursuant to Rule 415 on an effective Registration Statement, the Company shall not be able to defer the filing of a Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2.4 hereof.

In the case of a Form F-1 Shelf filed to register the resale of Removed Shares, upon such date as the Company becomes eligible to register all of the Removed Shares for resale on a Form F-3 Shelf pursuant to the Commission Guidance and, if applicable, without a requirement that any of the Holders be named as an “underwriter” therein, the Company shall use its best efforts to file a Form F-3 Shelf as promptly as practicable to replace the applicable Form F-1 Shelf and have the Form F-3 Shelf declared effective as promptly as practicable and to cause such Form F-3 Shelf to remain effective, and to be supplemented and amended to the extent necessary to ensure that such Registration Statement is available or, if not available, that another Registration Statement is available, for the resale of all the Registrable Securities thereunder held by the applicable Holders until all such Registrable Securities have ceased to be Registrable Securities.

2.7. Waiver. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, unless the Company is notified in writing to the contrary by the Class B Holder, (A) each Class B Holder hereby waives any and all rights (i) to receive notice of a Demand Registration relating to any Underwritten Offering as provided for in this Section 2 or (ii) to participate in any such Underwritten Offering, and (B) the Company hereby agrees not to notify any Class B Holder of any Underwritten Offering or provide any Class B Holder with any information relating thereto.


ARTICLE III

COMPANY PROCEDURES

3.1 General Procedures. If the Company is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible:

3.1.1 prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold;

3.1.2 prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be reasonably requested by the Holders or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus;

3.1.3 prior to filing a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the Underwriters, if any, and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders;

3.1.4 prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, but in any case no later than the effective date of the applicable Registration Statement, use its best efforts to (a) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and to keep such registration or qualification in effect for so long as such Registration Statement remains in effect and (b) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company or otherwise and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable, in each case, to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; providedhowever, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject;

3.1.5 cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;

3.1.6 provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;

3.1.7 promptly furnish to each seller of Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement such number of conformed copies of such Registration Statement and of each such amendment and supplement thereto (in each case including all exhibits), such number of copies of the Prospectus contained in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus and any summary Prospectus) and any other Prospectus filed under Rule 424 under the Securities Act, in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act, and such other documents as such seller may reasonably request;

3.1.8 advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of any request by the Commission that the Company amend or supplement such Registration Statement or Prospectus or the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or Prospectus the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use its best efforts to amend or supplement such Registration Statement or Prospectus or prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued, as applicable;


3.1.9 advise each Holder of Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement, promptly after the Company receives notice thereof, of the time when such registration statement has been declared effective or a supplement to any Prospectus forming a part of such registration statement has been filed;

3.1.10 at least five (5) business days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus, furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities or its counsel, and not to file any such Registration Statement or Prospectus, or amendment or supplement thereto, to which any such Holder or Registrable Securities shall have reasonably objected on the grounds that such Registration Statement or Prospectus or supplement or amendment thereto, does not comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder;

3.1.11 notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event or the existence of any condition as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, or in the opinion of counsel for the Company it is necessary to supplement or amend such Prospectus to comply with law, and then to correct such Misstatement or include such information as is necessary to comply with law, in each case as set forth in Section 3.4 hereof, at the request of any such Holder promptly prepare and furnish to such Holder a reasonable number of copies of a supplement to or an amendment of such Prospectus as may be necessary so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of such securities, such Prospectus shall not include a Misstatement or such Prospectus, as supplemented or amended, shall comply with law;

3.1.12 permit a representative of the Holders, the Underwriters, if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders or Underwriter to participate in the preparation of any Registration Statement, each such Prospectus included therein or filed with the Commission, and each amendment or supplement thereto, and will give each of them such access to its books and records and such opportunities to discuss the business, finances and accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries with its officers, directors and the independent public accountants who have certified its financial statements as shall be necessary, in the opinion of such Holders’ and such Underwriters’ respective counsel, to conduct a reasonable investigation within the meaning of the Securities Act, and will cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration; providedhowever, that if requested by the Company, such representatives or Underwriters enter into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to the release or disclosure of any such information;

3.1.13 obtain a “cold comfort” letter (including a bring-down letter dated as of the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration) from the Company’s independent registered public accountants in the event of an Underwritten Offering, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by “cold comfort” letters as the managing Underwriter may reasonably request, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating Holders and any Underwriter;

3.1.14 on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion and negative assurance letter, dated such date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the Holders, the placement agent or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriters, if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of which such opinion is being given as the Holders, placement agent, sales agent, or Underwriter may reasonably request and as are customarily included in such opinions and negative assurance letters, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority in interest of the participating Holders and any Underwriter;

3.1.15 in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering;

3.1.16 otherwise use its reasonable best efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission, and to make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission);

3.1.17 use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering; and


3.1.18 otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the Holders, including causing the officers and directors of the Company to enter into customary “lock-up agreements,” in connection with such Registration.

3.2 Registration Expenses. The Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such as Underwriters’ commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, and, other than as set forth in the definition of “Registration Expenses,” all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders.

3.3 Participation in Underwritten Offerings.

3.3.1 No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (a) agrees to sell such person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Company and (b) completes and executes all customary questionnaires, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting agreements and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements.

3.3.2 The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that no Underwriter shall require any Holder to make any representations or warranties to or agreements with the Company or the Underwriters other than representations, warranties or agreements regarding such Holder and such Holder’s intended method of distribution and any other representation required by law, and if, despite the Company’s commercially reasonable efforts, an Underwriter requires any Holder to make additional representation or warranties to or agreements with such Underwriter, such Holder may elect not to participate in such Underwritten Offering (but shall not have any claims against the Company as a result of such election). Any liability of such Holder to any Underwriter or other person under such underwriting agreement shall be limited to an amount equal to the proceeds (net of expenses and underwriting discounts and commissions) that it derives from such registration.

3.4 Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, or in the opinion of counsel for the Company it is necessary to supplement or amend such Prospectus to comply with law, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement or including the information counsel for the Company believes to be necessary to comply with law (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice such that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, as applicable, will not include a Misstatement and complies with law), or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days, determined in good faith by the Board to be necessary for such purpose; provided, that each day of any such suspension pursuant to this Section 3.4 shall correspondingly decrease the Aggregate Blocking Period available to the Company during any twelve (12)-month period pursuant to Section 2.4 hereof. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.4.

3.5 Covenants of the Company. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company hereby covenants and agrees:

3.5.1 the Company will not file any Registration Statement or Prospectus included therein with the Commission which refers to any Holder of Registrable Securities by name or otherwise without the prior written approval of such Holder, which may not be unreasonably withheld;

3.5.2 at all times while it shall be a reporting company under the Exchange Act, to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company


after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell Ordinary Shares held by such Holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements; and

3.5.3 promptly following the effectiveness of the shelf registration statement required by subsection 2.1.1 (and in any event within three (3) business days from such effectiveness), the Company shall cause the transfer agent to remove any restrictive legends (including any electronic transfer restrictions) from any Ordinary Shares held by such Holder and provide or cause any customary opinions of counsel to be delivered to the transfer agent in connection with such removal.

ARTICLE IV

INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION

4.1 Indemnification.

4.1.1 The Company agrees to indemnify, to the extent permitted by law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers, directors, partners, shareholders or members, employees, agents, investment advisors and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act and Exchange Act) from and against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), joint or several (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) (collectively, “Claims”), to which any such Holder or other persons may become subject, insofar as such Claims arise out of or are based on any untrue or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Company will reimburse such Holder or other person for any legal or any other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim; except insofar as the Claim or expense arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such filing in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act and Exchange Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder.

4.1.2 In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, the Company may require that, as a condition to including any Registrable Securities in any Registration Statement, the Company shall have received an undertaking reasonably satisfactory to it from such Holder, to indemnify the Company, its directors and officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act and Exchange Act) from and against any Claims, to which any the Company or such other persons may become subject, insofar as such Claims arise out of or are based on any untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information furnished in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein; providedhowever, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act and Exchange Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company and the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that no Underwriter shall require any Holder of Registrable Securities to provide any indemnification other than that provided hereinabove in this subsection 4.1.2, and, if, despite the Company’s commercially reasonable efforts, an Underwriter requires any Holder of Registrable Securities to provide additional indemnification, such Holder may elect not to participate in such Underwritten Offering (but shall not have any claim against the Company as a result of such election).


4.1.3 Any person entitled to indemnification herein shall (a) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any Claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (b) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such Claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such Claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one (1) counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to the terms of such settlement) and which settlement includes a statement or admission of fault or culpability on the part of such indemnified party or does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.

4.1.4 The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director, partners, shareholders or members, employees, agents, investment advisors or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall survive the Transfer of Registrable Securities.

4.1.5 If the indemnification provided under Section 4.1 hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any Claims, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such Claims (a) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Registrable Securities or (b) if the allocation provided by clause (a) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (a) above but also to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such Claims, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations; providedhowever, that the liability of any Holder or any director, officer, employee, agent, investment advisor or controlling person thereof under this subsection 4.1.5 shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in subsections 4.1.14.1.2 and 4.1.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this subsection 4.1.5. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

4.1.6 The indemnification required by this Section 4.1 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or expense, loss, damage or liability is incurred.

ARTICLE V

LOCK-UP

5.1 Transfer Restrictions.

5.1.1    Except as permitted by Section 5.2, (i) the New Holders shall not Transfer any Ordinary Shares beneficially owned or owned of record by the such Holder until the earlier of (A) the date that is 180 days from the date hereof, which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not be a date prior to the consummation of CIIG’s initial


business combination, (B) the last consecutive trading day where the sale price of the Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the date hereof and (C) such date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property (the “New Holders Lock-up Period”) and (ii) except as provided in Section 5.1.1(i)(C), until December 31, 2022, Kinetik S.a.r.l. shall maintain beneficial ownership of at least 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (the “Kinetik Lock-Up Period”). For the avoidance of doubt, the New Holders Lock-up Period and Kinetik Lock-Up Period shall not apply to (i) any Ordinary Shares that were previously shares of Class A common stock of CIIG, (iii) any Ordinary shares underlying the warrants of CIIG or Holdco, or (iii) any Ordinary Shares acquired in the open market.

5.1.2 Except as permitted by Section 5.2, the Founder and the Class B Holder shall not Transfer any Ordinary Shares, which were previously shares of Class B common stock of CIIG, beneficially owned or owned of record by the Founder or the Class B Holder, as applicable, until the earliest of: (i) the date that is one (1) year from the date hereof, (ii) the last consecutive trading day where the sale price of the Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the date hereof, or (iii) such date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property (the “Founder Lock-up Period”). For the avoidance of doubt, the Founder Lock-Up Period only applies to such Ordinary Shares which were previously the 6,468,750 shares of Class B common stock of CIIG, and does not apply to (i) any Ordinary Shares underlying any of the 7,175,000 private placement warrants issued to the Founder and Class B Holders, (ii) any Ordinary Shares that were previously shares of Class A common stock of CIIG, (iii) any Ordinary shares underlying the public warrants of CIIG, (iv) any Ordinary Shares acquired through a PIPE transaction or (v) any Ordinary Shares acquired in the open market.

5.2 Exceptions. The provisions of Section 5.1 shall not apply to:

5.2.1 transactions relating to Ordinary Shares acquired by the undersigned in open market transactions;

5.2.2 Transfers of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares as a bona fide gift or gifts, or to a charitable organization;

5.2.3 Transfers of Ordinary Shares to a trust, or other entity formed for estate planning purposes for the primary benefit of the spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, child or grandchild of the undersigned or any other person with whom the undersigned has a relationship by blood, marriage or adoption not more remote than first cousin;

5.2.4 if the undersigned is an individual, Transfers by will or intestate succession upon the death of the undersigned;

5.2.5 the Transfer of Ordinary Shares by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement;

5.2.6 if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership (whether general, limited or otherwise), limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (i) Transfers to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, syndicate, association or other business entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control or management with the undersigned, and (ii) distributions of Ordinary Shares to its partners, limited liability company members, equity holders or shareholders of the undersigned;

5.2.7 Transfers (i) to the Company or the Company’s officers, directors or their affiliates and (ii) to the officers, directors or affiliates of the undersigned;

5.2.8 in the case of the Class B Holders, to the Class B Holders’ affiliates, or any investment fund or other entity controlled or managed by Class B Holders, or to any investment manager or investment advisor of the Class B Holders or an affiliate of any such investment manager or investment advisor;


5.2.9 bona fide pledges of Ordinary Shares as security or collateral in connection with any borrowing or the incurrence of any indebtedness by any Holder, provided that the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares that can be pledged by any Holder cannot exceed 25% of the total Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by such Holder; provided, further, that any Holder who is subject to any pre-clearance and trading policies of the Company must also comply with any additional restrictions on the pledging of Ordinary Shares imposed on such Holder by the Company’s policies.

5.2.10 pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, share sale, recapitalization, consolidation or other transaction involving a Change in Control of the Company, provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, recapitalization, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the Ordinary Shares subject to this Agreement shall remain subject to this Agreement;

5.2.11 the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 promulgated under the Exchange Act, provided that such plan does not provide for the transfer of Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares during the Founder Lock-up Period, New Holders Lock-up Period and Kinetik Lock-Up Period, as applicable; and

provided, that in the case of any Transfer or distribution pursuant to subsections 5.2.2 through 5.2.8, each donee, distributee or other transferee shall agree in writing, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement.

ARTICLE VI

MISCELLANEOUS

6.1 Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (a) deposit in the United States mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (b) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (c) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered, or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed, if to the Company, to: 1, rue Petemelchen, L-2370 Howald, Luxembourg, Attention: Daniel Chin, chin@arrival.com, and, if to any Holder, at such Holder’s address or facsimile number as set forth in the Company’s books and records. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 6.1.

6.2 Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries.

6.2.1 This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part.

6.2.2 Prior to the expiration of the Founder Lock-up Period, New Holders Lock-up Period or Kinetik Lock-Up Period, as applicable, no Holder may assign or delegate such Holder’s rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, except as permitted in Section 5.2 of this Agreement.

6.2.3 This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and its successors and the permitted assigns of the applicable Holders, which shall include Permitted Transferees.

6.2.4 This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement and Section 6.2 hereof.

6.2.5 No assignment by any party hereto of such party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (a) written notice of such assignment as provided in Section 6.1 hereof and (b) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably


satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement). Any Transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this Section 6.2 shall be null and void.

6.3 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced.

6.4 Governing Law; Venue. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT (I) THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF NEW YORK AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG NEW YORK RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION AND (II) THE VENUE FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE ANY STATE OR FEDERAL COURT IN NEW YORK COUNTY IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

EACH PARTY HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND, THEREFORE, EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT SUCH PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT TO ANY ACTION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT.

6.5 Amendments and Modifications. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities at the time in question, compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified; providedhowever, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder, solely in its capacity as a holder of Ordinary Shares, in a manner that is adverse and different from the other Holders (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such party.

6.6 Other Registration Rights. Other than pursuant to the terms of the Subscription Agreements, the Company represents and warrants that no person, other than a Holder of Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any securities of the Company for sale or to include such securities of the Company in any Registration filed by the Company for the sale of securities for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions among the parties thereto and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.

6.7 Term. This Agreement shall terminate upon the date as of which all of the Registrable Securities have been sold pursuant to a Registration Statement (but in no event prior to the applicable period referred to in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Rule 174 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission)). The provisions of Section 3.5 and Article IV shall survive any termination.

[Signature Pages Follow]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.

 

COMPANY:
Arrival
By:  

/s/ F. Peter Cuneo

  Name:    F. Peter Cuneo
  Title:    Authorised Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


FOUNDER:
CIIG MANAGEMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Gavin Cuneo

  Name:    Gavin Cuneo
  Title:    Managing Member

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


CLASS B HOLDERS:
Blackrock Credit Alpha Master Fund, L.P.
By: BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., in its capacity as investment advisor
By:  

/s/ Christopher Biasotti

  Name:  Christopher Biasotti
  Title:    Authorized Signatory
HC NCBR Fund

By: BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., in its capacity as investment advisor

By:  

/s/ Christopher Biasotti

  Name:  Christopher Biasotti
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


KINETIK S.A R.L.
By:  

/s/ Csaba Horvath

  Name:    Csaba Horvath
  Title:    Manager
By:  

/s/ Gilles Dusemon

  Name:    Gilles Dusemon
  Title:    Manager

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


BLACKROCK GLOBAL ALLOCATION FUND, INC.

By BlackRock Advisors, LLC, as Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

 

Name:  William Abecassis

Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK GLOBAL FUNDS – GLOBAL ALLOCATION FUND

By BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, as Investment Sub-Adviser

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

  Name:  William Abecassis
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK GLOBAL ALLOCATION V.I. FUND OF BLACKROCK VARIABLE SERIES FUNDS, INC.

By BlackRock Advisors, LLC, as Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

  Name:  William Abecassis
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK GLOBAL ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO OF BLACKROCK SERIES FUND, INC.

by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, as Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

 

Name:  William Abecassis

Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


BLACKROCK GLOBAL ALLOCATION FUND (AUST)

by BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, as Investment Manager for BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited, the Responsible Entity of BlackRock Global Allocation Fund (Aust)

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

 

Name:  William Abecassis

Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK GLOBAL ALLOCATION COLLECTIVE FUND

by BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, NA, not in its individual capacity but as Trustee of the BlackRock Global Allocation Collective Fund

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

  Name:  William Abecassis
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK GLOBAL FUNDS – GLOBAL DYNAMIC EQUITY FUND

by BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, as Investment Sub-Adviser

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

  Name:  William Abecassis
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


BLACKROCK STRATEGIC INCOME OPPORTUNITIES PORTFOLIO OF BLACKROCK FUNDS V

by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, its Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

 

Name:  William Abecassis

Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK CAPITAL ALLOCATION TRUST

by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, as Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ William Abecassis

  Name:  William Abecassis
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

BLACKROCK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRUST

by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, its Investment Adviser

By:  

/s/ Tony Kim

  Name:  Tony Kim
  Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


BLACKROCK GLOBAL ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO OF BLACKROCK SERIES FUND, INC.

by BlackRock Advisors, LLC, as Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ Tony Kim

 

Name:  Tony Kim

Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

BLACKROCK GLOBAL FUNDS – NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY FUND

by BlackRock Investment Management LLC, its Investment Advisor

By:  

/s/ Tony Kim

 

Name:  Tony Kim

Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
By:  

/s/ Thomas Schemera

 

Name:  Thomas Schemera

Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
By:  

/s/ Thomas Schemera

 

Name:  Thomas Schemera

Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


UNITED PARCEL SERVICE GENERAL SERVICES CO.
By:  

/s/ Brian Dykes

 

Name:  Brian Dykes

Title:    Vice President

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]


WCPF II HOLDINGS LIMITED
By:  

/s/ Kyriakidou Yulia

 

Name:  Kyriakidou Yulia

Title:    Director

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]

Exhibit 4.8

Execution Version

NOMINATION AGREEMENT

This NOMINATION AGREEMENT, dated as of March 24, 2021 (this “Agreement”), is entered into by and among Arrival Group, a joint stock company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg register of commerce and companies under number B248209 (the “Company”), and Kinetik S.à r.l. a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg register of commerce and companies under number B191311 (the “Shareholder”).

WHEREAS, the Company has consummated the business combination and the other transactions (collectively, the “Transactions”) contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”), dated as of November 18, 2020, by and among the Company, CIIG Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation (“CIIG”), Arrival S.à r.l., a private limited liability company (société à responsabilité limitée) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg register of commerce and companies under number B200789 (“Arrival”), and ARSNL Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which, among other things, Merger Sub merged with and into CIIG (with CIIG being the surviving entity and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company) in exchange for CIIG’s shareholders receiving ordinary shares of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”);

WHEREAS, in its capacity as the holder of a majority of the outstanding equity interests of Arrival prior to the consummation of the Transactions, the Shareholder desires that, after giving effect to the Transactions, it will have representation on the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) so as to create value for equityholders of the Company; and

WHEREAS, in furtherance of the foregoing, the Shareholder and the Company agree to restrict the director nomination rights with respect to the Company, on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and of the mutual consents and obligations hereinafter set forth and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1    Definitions. As used in this Agreement:

Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified person, any person that, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such specified person, through one or more intermediaries or otherwise.


Articles” means the articles of association of the Company, as in effect as of the date hereof, as amended, restated, altered, or amended and restated from time to time.

Director” means a director serving on the Board.

General Meeting” has the meaning ascribed to such term in the Articles.

Governmental Authority” means any international, national, federal, state, provincial or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, agency, commission, court, tribunal, arbitral body or self-regulated entity (including any stock exchange), whether domestic or foreign.

Independent Director” means a director who complies with the independence requirements for directors with respect to the Company (without reference to any applicable exemptions from such requirements, and without reference to any heightened requirements for service on the audit committee or compensation committee of the Board) for companies listed on the securities exchange on which the Ordinary Shares are listed.

Law” means any federal, state, local, municipal, foreign or other law, statute, legislation, constitution, principle of common law, ordinance, code, decree, order, judgment, rule, regulation, ruling or requirement issued, enacted, adopted, promulgated, implemented or otherwise put into effect by or under the authority of any Governmental Authority and any order or decision of an applicable arbitrator or arbitration panel.

Ordinary Shares” shall mean the ordinary shares of the Company.

Person” means any individual, corporation (including any non-profit corporation), limited liability company, joint stock company, general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, joint venture, estate, trust, firm, Governmental Authority or other enterprise, association, organization or entity of any kind, whether domestic or foreign.

Shareholder Director” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.1(b).

ARTICLE II

NOMINATION AGREEMENTS PRIOR TO NOMINATION TERMINATION TIME

Section 2.1    Board Nomination Rights.

(a)    Board Composition. The size of the Board shall be such number as approved by the shareholders of the Company at a General Meeting.

(b)    Shareholder Nominees. In connection with any General Meeting at which Directors are to be elected, or any adjournment or postponement thereof, the Shareholder shall have the right to propose for appointment a number of Directors that equals a majority of the Board (each such Director proposed for appointment by the Shareholder, a “Shareholder Director”). At least one-half of the Shareholder Directors must qualify as Independent Directors, subject to any independence requirements established by the listing rules of the stock exchange on which the Ordinary Shares are listed that would require a greater number of Shareholder Directors to qualify as Independent Directors, provided that the Shareholder shall not be required to nominate any additional Independent Directors unless and until all of the Directors, other than the Shareholder Directors, qualify as Independent Directors.


(i)    For so long as the Directors on the Board are divided into three classes, the Board will use reasonable efforts to apportion the Shareholder Directors among such classes so as to maintain the number of Shareholder Directors in each class as nearly equal as possible.

(ii)    For so long as the Company maintains an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee or Nominating Committee, such committees shall each include at least one Shareholder Director (but only to the extent such Director (A) qualifies as an Independent Director and (B) with respect to membership on the Audit Committee or Compensation Committee, meets the heightened independence requirements applicable to audit committees and compensation committees, as applicable, under the Securities Exchange Commission and within the context of the criteria established by the listing rules of the stock exchange on which the Ordinary Shares are listed).

(c)    Death; Retirement; Resignation; Removal; Vacancies. If a vacancy on the Board is caused by the death, retirement, resignation or removal of any Shareholder Director pursuant to this Section 2.1, then the Shareholder shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, have the right to propose an individual to be appointed to fill such vacancy for the remainder of the deceased, retired, resigned or removed, as applicable, Director’s term, and the Company shall take all action to cause such Shareholder Director to be appointed to the Board.

(d)    Additional Nomination Procedures.

(i)     In connection with any General Meeting at which Directors are to be elected, the Company shall treat any Shareholder Director previously proposed for appointment in accordance with Section 2.1(b) and who is then in office as a Shareholder Director unless and until the Company receives contrary notice from the Shareholder. With respect to any person that will be proposed for appointment as a Shareholder Director for the first time at any General Meeting by the Shareholder, Shareholder shall propose such Shareholder Director for appointment by delivering to the Company a written statement at least 90 days prior to the one-year anniversary of the preceding annual General Meeting that (A) informs the Company of such Shareholder Director’s nomination and (B) sets forth such Shareholder Director’s name, business address, telephone number, and e-mail address. The Company may require any Shareholder Director to (i) provide the Company with a completed and executed copy of the Company’s standard director questionnaire applicable to all other Directors; (ii) provide the Company with the Shareholder Director’s written consent to a customary background check, which consent shall be provided promptly after the Shareholder Director is nominated to the Board; (iii) complete a reasonably satisfactory interview with the Nominating Committee (or similarly designated committee) and Board, which shall be completed as promptly as practicable following receipt of a completed director questionnaire; and (iv) provide such other information as the Company may reasonably request, including information that the Company is required to disclose with respect to such Shareholder Director pursuant to applicable Law or the rules of any securities exchange on which the Ordinary Shares are listed.


(ii)     The Nominating Committee shall evaluate each Shareholder Director and determine whether such candidate satisfies the qualifications contemplated by Section 2.1(d) (with such determination to be made in good faith and not to be unreasonably made, withheld or delayed). If the Nominating Committee so determines that such candidate satisfies such qualifications, then, unless otherwise required by its fiduciary duties (as determined in good faith by the Nominating Committee after consultation with legal counsel), the Nominating Committee shall recommend such Shareholder Director to the Board for inclusion in the slate of directors that is included in any proxy statement (or similar document) of the Company in respect of any General Meeting at which Directors are to be elected.

(iii)     In the event the Board or the Nominating Committee declines, in good faith, to approve any Shareholder Director, the Shareholder may propose a new nominee in accordance with the approval process described in this Section 2.1(d) until a nominee is approved in accordance with this Section. If the Company identifies any reason under applicable Law why a person proposed for appointment as a Director pursuant to Section 2.1(b) cannot be seated as a Director, then (x) the Company shall promptly notify the Shareholder of that fact and (y) the Company and the Shareholder shall cooperate in good faith to eliminate such impediment or the Shareholder shall identify another nominee in accordance with this Section 2.1.

Section 2.2    At any time the Shareholder or its Affiliates, in the aggregate, beneficially own at least 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares, the Shareholder agrees that it shall (and shall cause its respective Affiliates to) not take any action to attempt to remove any Director, other than a Shareholder Director, without cause.

Section 2.3    Assurances.

(a)    The Shareholder agrees that it shall (and shall cause its respective Affiliates to) cooperate in facilitating any action or right described in or required by this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Shareholder further agrees that it shall to the maximum extent permitted by law:

(i)     cause to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and to vote (or cause to be voted) all shares of the Company that the Shareholder or its Affiliates (x) beneficially own and have the power to vote or cause the voting of or (y) over which the Shareholder holds proxies or powers of attorney, as the case may be, and take all other actions necessary to: (1) give effect to the provisions of this Agreement; (2) ensure that the Articles facilitate and do not at any time contravene, conflict with, or result in any violation or breach of, or otherwise frustrate any provision of this Agreement; and (3) ensure that the initial Board is comprised of the individuals set forth on Exhibit C of the Business Combination Agreement;

(ii)     cause to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and to vote (or cause to be voted) all shares of the Company that the Shareholder or its Affiliates (x) beneficially own and have the power to vote or cause the voting of or (y) over which the Shareholder holds proxies or powers of attorney, as the case may be, and take all actions to oppose (1) any action or proposal that is reasonably likely to impair, delay, frustrate or otherwise serve to interfere with any provision of this Agreement (including removing or supporting the removal of any Director) and (2) any shareholder proposal to amend, modify or supplement Article 11 of the Articles, or to amend, modify or supplement the Articles that would otherwise act as an amendment, modification or supplement to Article 11 of the Articles that is not supported by the Board; and


(iii)    not (1) solicit proxies or become a participant in any solicitation of proxies, or (2) cooperate in any way with, assist or participate in, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate or encourage any effort or attempt, in each case, that is reasonably likely to impair, delay, frustrate or otherwise serve to interfere with any provision of this Agreement.

(b)    The Company agrees that it shall (and shall cause its controlled Affiliates to) cooperate in facilitating any action or right described in or required by this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company further agrees that it shall to the maximum extent permitted by law:

(i)    take all actions necessary to: (1) give effect to the provisions of this Agreement (including (x) nominating each Shareholder Director as part of the slate that is included in any proxy statement (or similar document) of the Company in respect of any General Meeting at which Directors are to be elected, (y) supporting the election of such Shareholder Director in a manner substantially similar to the support it provides to any other individual standing for election as a Director as part of the Company’s slate of directors) and (2) submit proposals to the General Meeting of any other amendment, modification or supplement of the Articles to ensure that the Articles do not at any time contravene, conflict with, or result in any violation or breach of, or otherwise frustrate any provision of this Agreement;

(ii)    take all actions to oppose: (1) any action or proposal that is reasonably likely to impair, delay, frustrate or otherwise serve to interfere with any provision of this Agreement (including (x) removing or supporting the removal of any Shareholder Director (except at the direction of the Shareholder) or (y) nominating a number of Director nominees for any election of Directors that exceeds the number of Directors to be elected at any General Meeting or otherwise impairing, delaying, frustrating or otherwise interfering with the rights of the Shareholder set forth in this Article II), and (2) any amendment, modification or supplement of the Articles that would contravene, conflict with, result in any violation or breach of any provision or otherwise frustrate any provision of this Agreement; and

(iii)    not (1) solicit proxies or participate in a solicitation, (2) assist any Person in taking or planning any action, or (3) cooperate in any way with, assist or participate in, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate or encourage any effort or attempt, in each case, that is reasonably likely to impair, delay, frustrate or otherwise serve to interfere with any provision of this Agreement (including the rights of the Shareholder set forth in this Article II).

ARTICLE III

TERMINATION

Section 3.1    Termination. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, unless earlier terminated by the mutual agreement of the Company and the Shareholder, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the date on which the Shareholder or its Affiliates cease to beneficially own, in the aggregate, 30% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares. Upon such termination, the Shareholder shall not have or owe any of the rights or obligations set forth therein (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the rights set forth in Article II). No termination under this Agreement shall relieve any Person of liability for breach prior to termination.


ARTICLE IV

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 4.1    [Reserved]. 

Section 4.2    [Reserved].

Section 4.3    Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (a) deposit in the mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (b) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (c) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered, or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed, if to the Company, to: 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Luxembourg, Attention: Daniel Chin, chin@arrival.com, and, if to the Shareholder, to: 1 rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Luxembourg, Attention: Csaba Horvath, horvath@kinetik.vc. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 4.3.

Section 4.4    Recapitalization. The provisions of this Agreement shall apply to the full extent set forth herein with respect to any and all equity securities of the Company or any successor or assign of the Company (whether by merger, consolidation, sale of assets or otherwise) which may be issued in respect of, in conversion of, in exchange for or in substitution of, the shares of the Company and shall be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividends, splits, reverse splits, combinations, recapitalizations and the like occurring after the date hereof. The Company shall cause any successor or assign (whether by merger, consolidation, sale of assets or otherwise) to assume this Agreement or enter into a new Nomination Agreement with the Shareholder on terms substantially the same as this Agreement as a condition of any such transaction.

Section 4.5    Amendment. The terms and provisions of this Agreement may only be amended, modified or waived at any time and from time to time by a writing executed by the Company and the Shareholder.

Section 4.6    Successors and Assigns. The rights and obligations of each party hereto may not be assigned, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the Company; providedfurther, that such assignee shall only be admitted as a party hereunder upon its, his or her execution and delivery of a joinder agreement agreeing to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement as if such Person were a party hereto (together with any other


documents the assigning Shareholder and the Company mutually determine are necessary or desirable to make such Person a party hereto), whereupon such Person will be treated as the Shareholder for all purposes of this Agreement, with the same rights, benefits and obligations hereunder as the Shareholder. For the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall the transfer of Ordinary Shares by the Shareholder or its Affiliates be deemed an assignment of the rights and obligations as contemplated by the preceding sentence.

Section 4.7    Binding Effect. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding on and inure to the benefit of each of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns.

Section 4.8    No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended or shall be construed to confer upon any Person not a party hereto any right, remedy or claim under or by virtue of this Agreement.

Section 4.9    Governing Law; Jurisdiction. This Agreement and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Luxembourg law. The Company and the Shareholder irrevocably agree that the courts of Luxembourg City (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute which may arise out of or in connection with this Agreement.

Section 4.10    Immunity Waiver. The Company hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any immunity to jurisdiction to which it may otherwise be entitled (including immunity to pre-judgment attachment, post-judgment attachment and execution) in any legal suit, action or proceeding against it arising out of or based on this Agreement.

Section 4.11    Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Any prior agreements or understandings among the parties hereto regarding the subject matter hereof, whether written or oral, are superseded by this Agreement.

Section 4.12    Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

Section 4.13    Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement. A signed copy of this Agreement delivered by facsimile, email, portable document format (.pdf) or other means of electronic transmission shall be deemed to have the same legal effect as delivery of an original signed copy of this Agreement.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.

 

COMPANY:
ARRIVAL
By:  

/s/ F. Peter Cuneo

  Name:    F. Peter Cuneo
  Title:    Chairman


SHAREHOLDER
KINETIK S.À R.L.
By:  

/s/ Csaba Horvath

  Name:   Csaba Horvath
  Title:   Manager
By:  

/s/ Gilles Dusemon

  Name:   Gilles Dusemon
  Title:   Manager

Exhibit 4.24

ARRIVAL

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN


ARRIVAL

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN

 

1.

 

Purpose

     1  

2.

 

Definitions

     1  

3.

 

Administration

     6  

4.

 

Shares Subject to Plan

     7  

5.

 

Eligibility

     9  

6.

 

Specific Terms of Awards

     9  

7.

 

Certain Provisions Applicable to Awards

     16  

8.

 

Reserved

     19  

9.

 

Change in Control

     19  

10.

 

General Provisions

     21  


ARRIVAL

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN

1.    Purpose. The purpose of this ARRIVAL INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN, as may be amended from time to time (the “Plan”) is to assist the Company and its Related Entities in attracting, motivating, retaining and rewarding high-quality executives and other employees, officers, directors, consultants and other persons who provide services to the Company or its Related Entities by enabling such persons to acquire or increase a proprietary interest in the Company in order to strengthen the mutuality of interests between such persons and the Company’s shareholders, and providing such persons with performance incentives to expend their maximum efforts in the creation of shareholder value.

2.    Definitions. For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below, in addition to such terms defined in Section 1 hereof and elsewhere herein.

(a)    “Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Share granted as a bonus or in lieu of another Award, Dividend Equivalent, Other Stock-Based Award or Performance Award, together with any other right or interest relating to Shares or other property (including cash), granted to a Participant under the Plan.

(b)    “Award Agreement” means any written agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing any Award granted by the Committee hereunder.

(c)    “Beneficiary” means the person, persons, trust or trusts that have been designated by a Participant in his or her most recent written beneficiary designation filed with the Committee to receive the benefits specified under the Plan upon such Participant’s death or to which Awards or other rights are transferred if and to the extent permitted under Section 10(b) hereof. If, upon a Participant’s death, there is no designated Beneficiary or surviving designated Beneficiary, then the term Beneficiary means the Participant’s estate.

(d)    “Beneficial Ownerand “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act and any successor to such Rule.

(e)    “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(f)    “Cause” shall, with respect to any Participant, have the meaning specified in the Award Agreement. In the absence of any definition in the Award Agreement, “Cause” shall have the equivalent meaning or the same meaning as “cause” or “for cause” set forth in any employment, consulting, or other agreement for the performance of services between the Participant and the Company or a Related Entity or, in the absence of any such agreement or any such definition in such agreement, such term shall mean (i) the failure by the Participant to perform, in a reasonable manner, his or her duties as assigned by the Company or a Related Entity, (ii) any violation or breach by the Participant of his or her Award Agreement and employment, consulting or other similar agreement with the Company or a Related Entity, if any, (iii) any violation or breach by the Participant of any non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disclosure and/or other similar agreement with the Company or a Related Entity, (iv) any act by


the Participant of dishonesty or bad faith with respect to the Company or a Related Entity, (v) use of alcohol, drugs or other similar substances in a manner that adversely affects the Participant’s work performance, or (vi) the commission, indictment for or entry of a plea of guilty or no contest to, a felony under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or any crime involving moral turpitude, fraud or dishonesty (or any similar crime in any jurisdiction outside the United States of America) or the commission by the Participant of any act, misdemeanor, or crime reflecting unfavorably upon the Participant or the Company or any Related Entity. The good faith determination by the Committee of whether the Participant’s Continuous Service was terminated by the Company for “Cause” shall be final and binding for all purposes hereunder.

(g)    “Change in Control” means a Change in Control as defined in Section 9(b) of the Plan.

(h)    “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, including regulations thereunder and successor provisions and regulations thereto.

(i)    “Committee” means a committee of the Board designated and empowered by the Board to administer the Plan; provided, however, that if the Board fails to designate and empower such a committee or if there are no longer any members on the committee so designated by the Board, or for any other reason determined by the Board, then the Board shall serve as the Committee. While it is intended that the Committee shall consist of at least two directors, each of whom shall be (i) a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 (or any successor rule) under the Exchange Act, unless administration of the Plan by “non-employee directors” is not then required in order for exemptions under Rule 16b-3 to apply to transactions under the Plan, and (ii) “Independent”, the failure of the Committee to be so comprised shall not invalidate any Award that otherwise satisfies the terms of the Plan.

(j)    “Company” means Arrival Group (to be renamed Arrival), a public limited liability company (société anonyme) governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with registered office at 1, rue Peternelchen, L-2370 Howald, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg Register of Commerce and Companies under number B 248209, and any successor thereto.

(k)    “Consultant” means any consultant or advisor who provides services to the Company or any Related Entity, so long as (i) such person renders bona fide services that are not in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s securities in a capital-raising transaction, (ii) such person does not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities, and (iii) the identity of such person would not preclude the Company from offering or selling securities to such person pursuant to the Plan in reliance on either the exemption from registration provided by Rule 701 under the Securities Act of 1933 or, if the Company is required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, registration on a Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933.

(l)    “Continuous Service” means the uninterrupted provision of services to the Company or any Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director, Consultant or other individual service provider. Continuous Service shall not be considered to be interrupted in the

 

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case of (i) any approved leave of absence, (ii) transfers among the Company, any Related Entities, or any successor entities, in any capacity of Employee, Director, Consultant or other individual service provider, or (iii) any change in status as long as the individual remains in the service of the Company or a Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director, Consultant or other individual service provider (except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or otherwise determined by the Committee). An approved leave of absence shall include sick leave, military leave, or any other authorized personal leave.

(m)     “Director” means a member of the Board or the board of directors of any Related Entity.

(n)    “Disability” means a permanent and total disability (within the meaning of Section 22(e) of the Code), as determined by a medical doctor satisfactory to the Committee.

(o)     “Dividend Equivalent” means a right, granted to a Participant under Section 6(g) hereof, to receive cash, Shares, other Awards or other property equal in value to dividends paid with respect to a specified number of Shares, or other periodic payments.

(p)    “Effective Date” means the effective date of the Plan, which shall be March 25, 2021.

(q)    “Eligible Person” means each current officer, Director, Employee, Consultant and other person who provides services to the Company or any Related Entity, it being understood that any granting of Awards to a Consultant and other person who provides services to the Company or any Related Entity will be made in such a way that no obligation arises to publish a prospectus under the Prospectus Regulation. The foregoing notwithstanding, only Employees of the Company, or any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company (as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively), shall be Eligible Persons for purposes of receiving any Incentive Stock Options. An Employee on leave of absence may, in the discretion of the Committee, be considered as still in the employ of the Company or a Related Entity for purposes of eligibility for participation in the Plan.

(r)    “Employee” means any person, including an officer or Director, who is an employee of the Company or any Related Entity, or is a prospective employee of the Company or any Related Entity (conditioned upon and effective not earlier than, such person becoming an employee of the Company or any Related Entity). The payment of a director’s fee by the Company or a Related Entity shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

(s)    “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, including rules thereunder and successor provisions and rules thereto.

(t)    “Fair Market Value” means the fair market value of Shares, Awards or other property on the date as of which the value is being determined, as determined by the Committee, or under procedures established by the Committee, in a manner intended to satisfy

 

3


the principles of Section 409A of the Code or Section 422 of the Code, to the extent applicable, subject to the following:

(i)    If, on such date, the Shares are listed on an international, national or regional securities exchange or market system, the Fair Market Value of a Share shall be the closing price of a Share (or the mean of the closing bid and asked prices of a Share if the Share is so quoted instead) as quoted on the Nasdaq National Market, The Nasdaq Small Cap Market or such other international, national or regional securities exchange or market system constituting the primary market for the Share, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Company deems reliable. If the relevant date does not fall on a day on which the Share has traded on such securities exchange or market system, the date on which the Fair Market Value shall be established shall be the last day on which the Share was so traded prior to the relevant date, or such other appropriate day as shall be determined by the Board, in its discretion.

(ii)    If, on such date, the Share are not listed on an international, national or regional securities exchange or market system, the Fair Market Value of a Share shall be as determined by the Committee in good faith without regard to any restriction other than a restriction which, by its terms, will never lapse.

(u)    “Incentive Stock Option” means any Option intended to be designated as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.

(v)    “Independent”, when referring to either members of the Board or members of the Committee, shall have the same meaning as used in the rules of the Listing Market.

(w)    “Incumbent Board” means the Incumbent Board as defined in Section 9(b)(ii) hereof.

(x)    “Listing Market” means the national, international or regional securities exchange on which any securities of the Company are listed for trading, and if not listed for trading, by the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market.

(y)    “Option” means a right granted to a Participant under Section 6(b) hereof, to purchase Shares.

(z)    “Optionee” means a person to whom an Option is granted under this Plan or any person who succeeds to the rights of such person under this Plan.

(aa)     “Other Stock-Based Awards” means Awards granted to a Participant under Section 6(i) hereof.

(bb)    “Parent” means any corporation (other than the Company), whether now or hereafter existing, in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company, if each of the corporations in the chain (other than the Company) owns stock possessing 50% or more of the combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain.

(cc)    “Participant” means a person who has been granted an Award under the Plan which remains outstanding, including a person who is no longer an Eligible Person.

 

4


(dd)    “Performance Award” means any Award granted pursuant to Section 6(h) hereof.

(ee)    “Performance Period” means that period established by the Committee at the time any Performance Award is granted or at any time thereafter during which any performance goals specified by the Committee with respect to such Award are to be measured.

(ff)    “Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof and shall include a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.

(gg)    “Prior Plans” means, collectively, (i) the Arrival Share Option Plan 2020 and (b) the Arrival Restricted Share Plan 2020.

(hh)    “Prospectus Regulation” means the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, and repealing Directive 2003/71/ECText with EEA relevance.

(ii)    “Related Entity” means any Parent or Subsidiary, and any business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity designated by the Committee in which the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary holds a substantial ownership interest, directly or indirectly, and with respect to which the Company may offer or sell securities pursuant to the Plan in reliance upon either Rule 701 under the Securities Act of 1933 or, if the Company is required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, registration on a Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933.

(jj)    “Restricted Stock” means any Share issued with such risks of forfeiture and other restrictions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, may impose (including any restriction on the right to vote such Share and the right to receive any dividends), which restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such time or times, in installments or otherwise, as the Committee may deem appropriate.

(kk)    “Restricted Stock Award” means an Award granted to a Participant under Section 6(d) hereof.

(ll)    “Restricted Stock Unit” means a right to receive Shares, including Restricted Stock, cash measured based upon the value of Shares, or a combination thereof, at the end of a specified deferral period.

(mm)    “Restricted Stock Unit Award” means an Award of Restricted Stock Units granted to a Participant under Section 6(e) hereof.

(nn)    “Restriction Period” means the period of time specified by the Committee that Restricted Stock Awards shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability, risk of forfeiture and other restrictions, if any, as the Committee may impose.

 

5


(oo)    “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3, as from time to time in effect and applicable to the Plan and Participants, promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

(pp)    “Shareholder Approval Date” means the date on which this Plan is approved by shareholders of the Company eligible to vote in the election of directors, by a vote sufficient to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code, Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and applicable requirements under the rules of the Listing Market.

(qq)    “Shares” means the shares of common stock of the Company and such other securities as may be substituted (or resubstituted) for Shares pursuant to Section 10(c) hereof.

(rr)    “Stock Appreciation Right” means a right granted to a Participant under Section 6(c) hereof.

(ss)    “Subsidiary” means any corporation or other entity in which the Company has a direct or indirect ownership interest of 50% or more of the total combined voting power of the then outstanding securities or interests of such corporation or other entity entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or in which the Company has the right to receive 50% or more of the distribution of profits or 50% or more of the assets on liquidation or dissolution.

(tt)    “Substitute Awards” means Awards granted or Shares issued by the Company in assumption of, or in substitution or exchange for, awards previously granted, or the right or obligation to make future awards, by a company (i) acquired by the Company or any Related Entity, (ii) which becomes a Related Entity after the date hereof, or (iii) with which the Company or any Related Entity combines.

3.    Administration.

(a)    Authority of the Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee except to the extent (and subject to the limitations imposed by Section 3(b) hereof) the Board elects to administer the Plan, in which case the Plan shall be administered by only those members of the Board who are Independent members of the Board, in which case references herein to the “Committee” shall be deemed to include references to the Independent members of the Board. The Committee shall have full and final authority, subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, to select Eligible Persons to become Participants, grant Awards, determine the type, number and other terms and conditions of, and all other matters relating to, Awards, prescribe Award Agreements (which need not be identical for each Participant) and rules and regulations for the administration of the Plan, construe and interpret the Plan and Award Agreements and correct defects, supply omissions or reconcile inconsistencies therein, and to make all other decisions and determinations as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan. In exercising any discretion granted to the Committee under the Plan or pursuant to any Award, the Committee shall not be required to follow past practices, act in a manner consistent with past practices, or treat any Eligible Person or Participant in a manner consistent with the treatment of any other Eligible Persons or Participants. Decisions of the Committee shall be final, conclusive and binding on all

 

6


persons or entities, including the Company, any Related Entity or any Participant or Beneficiary, or any transferee under Section 10(b) hereof or any other person claiming rights from or through any of the foregoing persons or entities.

(b)    Manner of Exercise of Committee Authority. The Committee, and not the Board, shall exercise sole and exclusive discretion (i) on any matter relating to a Participant then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to the Company to the extent necessary in order that transactions by such Participant shall be exempt under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and (ii) with respect to any Award to an Independent Director; provided, however, for the avoidance of doubt, the Board and not the Committee shall have the sole and exclusive power to increase the Shares reserved for delivery under this Plan as set forth in Section 4(a) below. The express grant of any specific power to the Committee, and the taking of any action by the Committee, shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of the Committee. The Committee may delegate to members of the Board, or officers or managers of the Company or any Related Entity, or committees thereof, the authority, subject to such terms and limitations as the Committee shall determine, to perform such functions, including administrative functions as the Committee may determine to the extent that such delegation will not result in the loss of an exemption under Rule 16b-3(d)(1) for Awards granted to Participants subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act in respect of the Company. The Committee may appoint agents to assist it in administering the Plan.

(c)    Limitation of Liability. The Committee and the Board, and each member thereof, shall be entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to him or her by any officer or Employee, the Company’s independent auditors, Consultants or any other agents assisting in the administration of the Plan. Members of the Committee and the Board, and any officer or Employee acting at the direction or on behalf of the Committee or the Board, shall not be personally liable for any action or determination taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan, and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be fully indemnified and protected by the Company with respect to any such action or determination.

4.    Shares Subject to Plan.

(a)    Limitation on Overall Number of Shares Available for Delivery Under Plan. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) hereof, the total number of Shares reserved and available for delivery under the Plan shall be the sum of (i) 62,626,976, which includes any Shares remaining available for grants under the Prior Plans immediately prior to the Effective Date and (ii) an annual increase on the first day of each calendar year beginning on and including January 1, 2022 and ending on and including January 1, 2031 equal to the lesser of (x) a number equal to 5% of the aggregate number of Shares outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (y) such smaller number of Shares as is determined by the Board, which smaller amount may be zero. Any Shares delivered under the Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued shares or treasury shares.

 

7


(b)    Application of Limitation to Grants of Awards. No Award may be granted if the number of Shares to be delivered in connection with such an Award exceeds the number of Shares remaining available for delivery under the Plan, minus the number of Shares that would be counted against the limit upon settlement of then outstanding Awards. The Committee may adopt reasonable counting procedures to ensure appropriate counting, avoid double counting (as, for example, in the case of tandem or substitute awards) and make adjustments if the number of Shares actually delivered differs from the number of Shares previously counted in connection with an Award.

(c)    Availability of Shares Not Delivered under Awards and Adjustments to Limits.

(i)    If any Shares subject to an Award, or after the Shareholder Approval Date, Shares subject to any awards granted under the Prior Plans, are forfeited, expire or otherwise terminate without issuance of such Shares, or any Award, or after the Shareholder Approval Date, Shares subject to any award granted under the Prior Plans, is settled for cash or otherwise does not result in the issuance of all or a portion of the Shares subject to such Award or award under the Prior Plans, the Shares to which those Awards or awards under the Prior Plans were subject, shall, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration, termination, non-issuance or cash settlement, again be available for delivery with respect to Awards under the Plan.

(ii)    Shares delivered (either by actual delivery or attestation) to the Company by a Participant to satisfy the applicable exercise or purchase price of an Award and/or to satisfy any applicable tax withholding obligation with respect to an Award (including Shares retained by the Company from the Award being exercised or purchased and/or creating the tax obligation) will, as applicable, not again be available for delivery with respect to Awards under the Plan.

(iii)    Substitute Awards shall not reduce the Shares authorized for delivery under the Plan or authorized for delivery to a Participant in any period. Additionally, in the event that an entity acquired by the Company or any Related Entity or with which the Company or any Related Entity combines has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by its shareholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for delivery pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Shares authorized for delivery under the Plan if and to the extent that the use of such Shares would not require approval of the Company’s shareholders under the rules of the Listing Market or under applicable law. Awards using such available shares shall not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were not Employees, Consultants or Directors or other Eligible Persons prior to such acquisition or combination.

(iv)    Any Share that again becomes available for delivery pursuant to this Section 4(c) shall be added back as one (1) Share.

 

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(v)    Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4(c) to the contrary but subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) hereof, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan as a result of the exercise of the Incentive Stock Options shall be 62,626,976 Shares. In no event shall any Incentive Stock Options be granted under the Plan after the tenth anniversary of the date on which the Board adopts the Plan.

(vi)    Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4 to the contrary, but subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) hereof, in any fiscal year of the Company during any part of which the Plan is in effect, the sum of any cash compensation, or other compensation, and the value (determined as of the grant date in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, or any successor thereto) of Awards granted to a non-employee Director as compensation for services as a non-employee Director during any fiscal year of the Company may not exceed $500,000 in the aggregate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Compensation Committee may make exceptions to this limit for a non-executive chair of the Board or other extraordinary circumstances, provided that the non-employee Director receiving such additional compensation may not participate in the decision to award such compensation.

(d)    No Further Awards Under Prior Plan. In light of the adoption of this Plan, no further awards shall be made under the Prior Plans after the Effective Date.

5.    Eligibility. Awards may be granted under the Plan only to Eligible Persons.

6.    Specific Terms of Awards.

(a)    General. Awards may be granted on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 6. In addition, the Committee may impose on any Award or the exercise thereof, at the date of grant or thereafter (subject to Section 10(e) hereof), such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as the Committee shall determine, including terms requiring forfeiture of Awards in the event of termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service and terms permitting a Participant to make elections relating to his or her Award. Except in cases in which the Committee is authorized to require other forms of consideration under the Plan, or to the extent other forms of consideration must be paid to satisfy the requirements of Delaware law, no consideration other than services may be required for the grant (as opposed to the exercise) of any Award.

(b)    Options. The Committee is authorized to grant Options to any Eligible Person on the following terms and conditions:

(i)    Exercise Price. Other than in connection with Substitute Awards, the exercise price per Share purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Committee, provided that such exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Option and shall not, in any event, be less than the par value of a Share on the date of grant of the Option. If an Employee owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules applicable under Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent corporation or subsidiary

 

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corporation of the Company, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively) and an Incentive Stock Option is granted to such Employee, the exercise price of such Incentive Stock Option (to the extent required by the Code at the time of grant) shall be no less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date such Incentive Stock Option is granted. Other than pursuant to Section 10(c)(i) and (ii) of this Plan, the Committee shall not be permitted to (A) lower the exercise price per Share of an Option after it is granted, (B) cancel an Option when the exercise price per Share exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares in exchange for cash or another Award (other than in connection with Substitute Awards), (C) cancel an outstanding Option in exchange for an Option with an exercise price that is less than the exercise price of the original Options or (D) take any other action with respect to an Option that may be treated as a repricing pursuant to the applicable rules of the Listing Market, in each case, without approval of the Company’s shareholders.

(ii)    Time and Method of Exercise. The Committee shall determine the time or times at which or the circumstances under which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), the method by which notice of exercise is to be given and the form of exercise notice to be used, the time or times at which Options shall cease to be or become exercisable following termination of Continuous Service or upon other conditions, the methods by which the exercise price may be paid or deemed to be paid (including in the discretion of the Committee a cashless exercise procedure), the form of such payment, including, without limitation, cash, Shares (including without limitation the withholding of Shares otherwise deliverable pursuant to the Award), other Awards or awards granted under other plans of the Company or a Related Entity, or other property (including notes or other contractual obligations of Participants to make payment on a deferred basis provided that such deferred payments are not in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act, or any rule or regulation adopted thereunder or any other applicable law; provided, any loan will be a recourse loan to the extent necessary to preclude income tax inclusion in connection with the loan), and the methods by or forms in which Shares will be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants.

(iii)    Form of Settlement. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide that the Shares to be issued upon exercise of an Option shall be in the form of Restricted Stock or other similar securities.

(iv)    Incentive Stock Options. The terms of any Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan shall comply in all respects with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code. Anything in the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no term of the Plan relating to Incentive Stock Options (including any Stock Appreciation Right issued in tandem therewith) shall be interpreted, amended or altered, nor shall any discretion or authority granted under the Plan be exercised, so as to disqualify either the Plan or any Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code, unless the Participant has first requested, or consents to, the change that will result in such disqualification. Thus, if and to the extent required to comply with Section 422 of the Code, Options granted as Incentive Stock Options shall be subject to the following special terms and conditions:

(A)    the Option shall not be exercisable for more than ten years after the date such Incentive Stock Option is granted; provided, however, that if a Participant

 

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owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively) and the Incentive Stock Option is granted to such Participant, the term of the Incentive Stock Option shall be (to the extent required by the Code at the time of the grant) for no more than five years from the date of grant;

(B)    the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted) of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan and all other option plans of the Company (and any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively) that become exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year shall not (to the extent required by the Code at the time of the grant) exceed $100,000; and

(C)    if Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Stock Option are disposed of within two years following the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted or one year following the transfer of such Shares to the Participant upon exercise, the Participant shall, promptly following such disposition, notify the Company in writing of the date and terms of such disposition and provide such other information regarding the disposition as the Committee may reasonably require.

(c)    Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee may grant Stock Appreciation Rights to any Eligible Person in conjunction with all or part of any Option granted under the Plan or at any subsequent time during the term of such Option (a “Tandem Stock Appreciation Right”), or without regard to any Option (a “Freestanding Stock Appreciation Right”), in each case upon such terms and conditions as the Committee may establish in its sole discretion, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, including the following:

(i)    Right to Payment. A Stock Appreciation Right shall confer on the Participant to whom it is granted a right to receive, upon exercise thereof, the excess of (A) the Fair Market Value of one Share on the date of exercise over (B) the grant price of the Stock Appreciation Right as determined by the Committee. The grant price of a Stock Appreciation Right shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant, in the case of a Freestanding Stock Appreciation Right, or less than the associated Option exercise price, in the case of a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right. Other than pursuant to Section 10(c)(i) and (ii) of the Plan, the Committee shall not be permitted to (A) lower the grant price per Share of a Stock Appreciation Right after it is granted, (B) cancel a Stock Appreciation Right when the grant price per Share exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares in exchange for another Award (other than in connection with Substitute Awards), (C) cancel an outstanding Stock Appreciation Right in exchange for a Stock Appreciation Right with a grant price that is less than the grant price of the original Stock Appreciation Right, or (D) take any other action with respect to a Stock Appreciation Right that may be treated as a repricing pursuant to the applicable rules of the Listing Market, in each case, without shareholder approval.

(ii)    Other Terms. The Committee shall determine at the date of grant or thereafter, the time or times at which and the circumstances under which a Stock Appreciation

 

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Right may be exercised in whole or in part (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), the time or times at which Stock Appreciation Rights shall cease to be or become exercisable following termination of Continuous Service or upon other conditions, the method of exercise, method of settlement, form of consideration payable in settlement, method by or forms in which Shares will be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants, whether or not a Stock Appreciation Right shall be in tandem or in combination with any other Award, and any other terms and conditions of any Stock Appreciation Right.

(iii)    Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights. Any Tandem Stock Appreciation Right may be granted at the same time as the related Option is granted or, for Options that are not Incentive Stock Options, at any time thereafter before exercise or expiration of such Option. Any Tandem Stock Appreciation Right related to an Option may be exercised only when the related Option would be exercisable and the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the related Option exceeds the exercise price at which Shares can be acquired pursuant to the Option. In addition, if a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right exists with respect to less than the full number of Shares covered by a related Option, then an exercise or termination of such Option shall not reduce the number of Shares to which the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right applies until the number of Shares then exercisable under such Option equals the number of Shares to which the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right applies. Any Option related to a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right has been exercised, and any Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the related Option has been exercised.

(d)    Restricted Stock Awards. The Committee is authorized to grant Restricted Stock Awards to any Eligible Person on the following terms and conditions:

(i)    Grant and Restrictions. Restricted Stock Awards shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability, risk of forfeiture and other restrictions, if any, as the Committee may impose, or as otherwise provided in this Plan during the Restriction Period. The terms of any Restricted Stock Award granted under the Plan shall be set forth in a written Award Agreement which shall contain provisions determined by the Committee and not inconsistent with the Plan. The restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, under such circumstances (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), in such installments or otherwise, as the Committee may determine at the date of grant or thereafter. Except to the extent restricted under the terms of the Plan and any Award Agreement relating to a Restricted Stock Award or otherwise determined by the Committee, a Participant granted Restricted Stock shall have all of the rights of a shareholder, including the right to vote the Restricted Stock and the right to receive dividends thereon (subject to any mandatory reinvestment or other requirement imposed by the Committee), which such dividends shall only be payable at the time of, or as soon as possible after, and only the extent that the related Restricted Stock vests. During the period that the Restricted Stock Award is subject to a risk of forfeiture, subject to Section 10(b) below and except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, hypothecated, margined or otherwise encumbered by the Participant or Beneficiary.

(ii)    Forfeiture. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service during the applicable Restriction Period,

 

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the Participant’s Restricted Stock that is at that time subject to a risk of forfeiture that has not lapsed or otherwise been satisfied shall be forfeited and reacquired by the Company; provided, that, the Committee may provide, by resolution or other action or in any Award Agreement, or may determine in any individual case, that forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock Awards shall be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and the Committee may in other cases waive in whole or in part the forfeiture of Restricted Stock.

(iii)    Certificates for Stock. Restricted Stock granted under the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing Restricted Stock are registered in the name of the Participant, the Committee may require that such certificates bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, that the Company retain physical possession of the certificates, and that the Participant deliver a stock power to the Company, endorsed in blank, relating to the Restricted Stock.

(iv)    Dividends and Splits. As a condition to the grant of a Restricted Stock Award, the Committee shall require that any cash dividends paid on a Share of Restricted Stock be delayed (with or without interest at such rate, if any, as the Committee shall determine) and remain subject to restrictions and a risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Restricted Stock with respect to which such cash dividend is payable, in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or other applicable law. In addition, the Committee shall require that Shares distributed in connection with a stock split or stock dividend, and other property distributed as a dividend, shall be subject to restrictions on transfer and a risk of forfeiture and any other lawful restrictions to the same extent as the Restricted Stock with respect to which such Shares or other property have been distributed.

(e)    Restricted Stock Unit Award. The Committee is authorized to grant Restricted Stock Unit Awards to any Eligible Person on the following terms and conditions:

(i)    Award and Restrictions. Satisfaction of a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall occur upon expiration of the deferral period specified for such Restricted Stock Unit Award by the Committee (or, if permitted by the Committee, as elected by the Participant in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code). In addition, a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall be subject to such restrictions (which may include a risk of forfeiture) as the Committee may impose, if any, which restrictions may lapse at the expiration of the deferral period or at earlier specified times (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), separately or in combination, in installments or otherwise, as the Committee may determine. A Restricted Stock Unit Award may be satisfied by delivery of Shares, cash equal to the Fair Market Value of the specified number of Shares covered by the Restricted Stock Units, or a combination thereof, as determined by the Committee at the date of grant or thereafter. Prior to satisfaction of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, a Restricted Stock Unit Award carries no voting or dividend or other rights associated with Share ownership. Prior to satisfaction of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement and as permitted under Section 409A of the Code, a Restricted Stock Unit Award may not be sold, transferred, pledged, hypothecated, margined or otherwise encumbered by the Participant or any Beneficiary.

 

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(ii)    Forfeiture. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service during the applicable deferral period or portion thereof to which forfeiture conditions apply (as provided in the Award Agreement evidencing the Restricted Stock Unit Award), the Participant’s Restricted Stock Unit Award that is at that time subject to a risk of forfeiture that has not lapsed or otherwise been satisfied shall be forfeited; provided, that, the Committee may provide, by resolution or other action or in any Award Agreement, or may determine in any individual case, that forfeiture conditions relating to a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and the Committee may in other cases waive in whole or in part the forfeiture of any Restricted Stock Unit Award.

(iii)    Dividend Equivalents. No Participant shall be entitled to receive Dividend Equivalents in respect of Restricted Stock Units unless specifically provided for in an Award Agreement. As a condition to the grant of a Restricted Stock Unit that permits the payment of Dividend Equivalents, the Committee shall require that any cash dividends paid on a Share attributable to such Restricted Stock Unit be delayed (with or without interest at such rate, if any, as the Committee shall determine) and remain subject to restrictions on transfer and a risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Restricted Stock Unit with respect to which such cash dividend is payable, in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or other applicable law. In addition, the Committee shall require that Shares distributed in connection with a stock split or stock dividend, and other property distributed as a dividend, shall be subject to restrictions on transfer and a risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Restricted Stock Unit with respect to which such Shares or other property have been distributed.

(f)    Bonus Stock and Awards in Lieu of Obligations. Subject to the terms of the Plan and applicable law and any Listing Market requirements, the Committee is authorized to grant Shares to any Eligible Persons as a bonus, or to grant Shares or other Awards in lieu of obligations to pay cash or deliver other property under the Plan or under other plans or compensatory arrangements; provided, that, in the case of Eligible Persons subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, the amount of such grants remains within the discretion of the Committee to the extent necessary to ensure that acquisitions of Shares or other Awards are exempt from liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act. Shares or Awards granted hereunder shall be subject to such other terms as shall be determined by the Committee.

(g)    Dividend Equivalents. Subject to the requirements of applicable law and the terms of this Plan, the Committee is authorized to grant Dividend Equivalents to any Eligible Person entitling the Eligible Person to receive cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property equal in value to the dividends paid with respect to a specified number of Shares, or other periodic payments. Dividend Equivalents may be awarded on a free-standing basis or in connection with another Award. Subject to the requirements of applicable law and the terms of this Plan, the Committee may provide that Dividend Equivalents shall be paid or distributed when accrued or at some later date, or whether such Dividend Equivalents shall be deemed to have been reinvested in additional Shares, Awards, or other investment vehicles, and subject to such lawful restrictions on transferability and risks of forfeiture, as the Committee may specify; provided, that, in no event shall such Dividend Equivalents be paid out to Participants prior to vesting of the corresponding Shares underlying the Award. Any such determination by the Committee shall be made at the grant date of the applicable Award. Notwithstanding the

 

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foregoing, Dividend Equivalents credited in connection with an Award that vests based on the achievement of performance goals shall be subject to restrictions on transfer and risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Award with respect to which such Dividend Equivalents have been credited.

(h)    Performance Awards. The Committee is authorized to grant Performance Awards to any Eligible Person payable in cash, Shares, or other Awards, on terms and conditions established by the Committee, subject to the provisions of Section 8 if and to the extent that the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine that an Award shall be subject to those provisions. The performance criteria to be achieved during any Performance Period and the length of the Performance Period shall be determined by the Committee upon the grant of each Performance Award and may include (but need not include), without limitation, the following: net earnings or losses (either before or after one or more of interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and non-cash equity-based compensation expense); gross or net sales or revenue or sales or revenue growth; net income (either before or after taxes) or adjusted net income; profits (including but not limited to gross profits, net profits, profit growth, net operation profit or economic profit), profit return ratios or operating margin; budget or operating earnings (either before or after taxes or before or after allocation of corporate overhead and bonus); cash flow (including operating cash flow and free cash flow or cash flow return on capital); return on assets; return on capital or invested capital; cost of capital; return on stockholders’ equity; total stockholder return; return on sales; costs, reductions in costs and cost control measures; expenses; working capital; earnings or loss per share; adjusted earnings or loss per share; price per share or dividends per share (or appreciation in or maintenance of such price or dividends); regulatory achievements or compliance; implementation, completion or attainment of objectives relating to research, development, regulatory, commercial, or strategic milestones or developments; market share; economic value or economic value added models; division, group or corporate financial goals; customer satisfaction/growth; customer service; employee satisfaction; recruitment and maintenance of personnel; human resources management; supervision of litigation and other legal matters; strategic partnerships and transactions; financial ratios (including those measuring liquidity, activity, profitability or leverage); debt levels or reductions; sales-related goals; financing and other capital raising transactions; cash on hand; acquisition activity; investment sourcing activity; and marketing initiatives, any of which may be measured in absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or decrease. Such performance criteria also may be based solely by reference to the Company’s performance or the performance of a Related Entity, division, business segment or business unit of the Company or a Related Entity or based upon performance relative to performance of other companies or upon comparisons of any of the indicators of performance relative to performance of other companies. Except as provided in Section 9 or as may be provided in an Award Agreement, Performance Awards will be distributed only after the end of the relevant Performance Period. The performance criteria to be achieved for each Performance Period, and the amount of the Performance Award to be settled on behalf of a Participant, shall be conclusively determined by the Committee. Performance Awards may be paid in a lump sum or in installments following the close of the Performance Period or, in accordance with procedures established by the Committee, on a deferred basis in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

 

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(i)    Other Stock-Based Awards. The Committee is authorized, subject to limitations under applicable law, to grant to any Eligible Person such other Awards that may be denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, or related to, Shares, as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan. Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted to Participants either alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan, and such Other Stock-Based Awards shall also be available as a form of payment in the settlement of other Awards granted under the Plan. Except as otherwise provided in the last sentence of Section 6(h) hereof, the Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards. Shares delivered pursuant to an Award in the nature of a purchase right granted under this Section 6(i) shall be purchased for such consideration, (including without limitation loans from the Company or a Related Entity; provided, that, such loans are not in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act or any rule or regulation adopted thereunder or any other applicable law; provided, further, that, any loan will be a recourse loan to the extent necessary to preclude income tax inclusion in connection with the loan) paid for at such times, by such methods, and in such forms, including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, as the Committee shall determine.

7.    Certain Provisions Applicable to Awards.

(a)    Stand-Alone, Additional, Tandem, and Substitute Awards. Subject to the terms of the Plan, Awards granted under the Plan may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution or exchange for, any other Award or any award granted under another plan of the Company, any Related Entity, or any business entity to be acquired by the Company or a Related Entity, or any other right of a Participant to receive payment from the Company or any Related Entity. Such additional, tandem, and substitute or exchange Awards may be granted at any time. If an Award is granted in substitution or exchange for another Award or award, the Committee shall require the surrender of such other Award or award in consideration for the grant of the new Award. In addition, Awards may be granted in lieu of cash compensation, including in lieu of cash amounts payable under other plans of the Company or any Related Entity, in which the value of Shares subject to the Award is equivalent in value to the cash compensation (for example, Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units), or in which the exercise price, grant price or purchase price of the Award in the nature of a right that may be exercised is equal to the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares minus the value of the cash compensation surrendered (for example, Options or Stock Appreciation Right granted with an exercise price or grant price “discounted” by the amount of the cash compensation surrendered); provided, that, any such determination to grant an Award in lieu of cash compensation must be made in a manner intended to be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code and is subject to the terms of the Plan and other applicable law.

(b)    Term of Awards. The term of each Award shall be for such period as may be determined by the Committee; provided, that, in no event shall the term of any Option or Stock Appreciation Right exceed a period of ten years (or in the case of an Incentive Stock Option such shorter term as may be required under Section 422 of the Code); provided, however, that in the event that on the last day of the term of an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right, other than an Incentive Stock Option, (i) the exercise of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right is prohibited by applicable law, or (ii) Shares may not be purchased, or sold by certain employees

 

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or directors of the Company due to the “black-out period” of a Company policy or a “lock-up” agreement undertaken in connection with an issuance of securities by the Company, the term of any then in-the-money Option or Stock Appreciation Right may be extended by the Committee for a period of up to thirty (30) days following the end of the legal prohibition, black-out period or lock-up agreement; provided, that, such extension of the term of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right would not cause the Option or Stock Appreciation Right to violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

(c)    Form and Timing of Payment Under Awards; Deferrals. Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, payments to be made by the Company or a Related Entity upon the exercise of an Option or other Award or settlement of an Award may be made in such forms as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments, or on a deferred basis; provided, that, any determination to pay in installments or on a deferred basis shall be made by the Committee at the date of grant. Any installment or deferral provided for in the preceding sentence shall, however, subject to the terms of the Plan, be subject to the Company’s compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, the rules and regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, all applicable rules of the Listing Market and any other applicable law, and in a manner intended to be exempt from or otherwise satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Subject to Section 7(e) of this Plan, the settlement of any Award may be accelerated, and cash paid in lieu of Shares in connection with such settlement, in the sole discretion of the Committee or upon occurrence of one or more specified events (in addition to a Change in Control). Any such settlement shall be at a value determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, which, without limitation, may in the case of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right be limited to the amount if any by which the Fair Market Value of a Share on the settlement date exceeds the exercise or grant price. Installment or deferred payments may be required by the Committee (subject to Section 7(e) of this Plan, including the consent provisions thereof in the case of any deferral of an outstanding Award not provided for in the original Award Agreement) or permitted at the election of the Participant on terms and conditions established by the Committee. The acceleration of the settlement of any Award, and the payment of any Award in installments or on an deferred basis, all shall be done in a manner that is intended to be exempt from or otherwise satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The Committee may, without limitation, make provision for the payment or crediting of a reasonable interest rate on installment or deferred payments or the grant or crediting of Dividend Equivalents or other amounts in respect of installment or deferred payments denominated in Shares.

(d)    Exemptions from Section 16(b) Liability. It is the intent of the Company that the grant of any Awards to or other transaction by a Participant who is subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act shall be exempt from Section 16 of the Exchange Act pursuant to an applicable exemption (except for transactions acknowledged in writing to be non-exempt by such Participant). Accordingly, if any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement does not comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3 then applicable to any such transaction, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to the applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3 so that such Participant shall avoid liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act. 

 

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(e)    Code Section 409A.

(i)    The Award or Award Agreement for any Award that the Committee reasonably determines to constitute a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” under Section 409A of the Code (a “Section 409A Plan”), and the provisions of the Section 409A Plan applicable to that Award, shall be construed in a manner consistent with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code, and the Committee, in its sole discretion and without the consent of any Participant, may amend any Award or Award Agreement (and the provisions of the Plan applicable thereto) if and to the extent that the Committee determines that such amendment is necessary or appropriate to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

(ii)    If any Award or Award Agreement constitutes a Section 409A Plan, then the Award or Award Agreement shall be subject to the following additional requirements, if and to the extent required to comply with Section 409A of the Code:

(A)    Payments under the Section 409A Plan may be made only upon (u) the Participant’s “separation from service”, (v) the date the Participant becomes “disabled”, (w) the Participant’s death, (x) a “specified time (or pursuant to a fixed schedule)” specified in the Award Agreement at the date of the deferral of such compensation, (y) a “change in the ownership or effective control of the corporation, or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets” of the Company, or (z) the occurrence of an “unforeseeble emergency”;

(B)    The time or schedule for any payment of the deferred compensation may not be accelerated, except to the extent provided in applicable Treasury Regulations or other applicable guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service;

(C)    Any elections with respect to the deferral of such compensation or the time and form of distribution of such deferred compensation shall comply with the requirements of Section 409A(a)(4) of the Code; and

(D)     In the case of any Participant who is “specified employee”, a distribution on account of a “separation from service” may not be made before the date which is six months after the date of the Participant’s “separation from service” (or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death).

For purposes of the foregoing, the terms in quotations shall have the same meanings as those terms have for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, and the limitations set forth herein shall be applied in such manner (and only to the extent) as shall be necessary to comply with any requirements of Section 409A of the Code that are applicable to the Award.

(iii)    Notwithstanding the foregoing, or any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement, the Company does not make any representation to any Participant or Beneficiary that any Awards made pursuant to this Plan are exempt from, or satisfy, the requirements of, Section 409A of the Code, and the neither the Company, its Subsidiaries or Related Entities shall have any liability or other obligation to indemnify or hold harmless the Participant or any Beneficiary for any tax, additional tax, interest or penalties that the Participant

 

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or any Beneficiary may incur in the event that any provision of this Plan, or any Award Agreement, or any amendment or modification thereof, or any other action taken with respect thereto, is deemed to violate any of the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

8.    Reserved.

9.    Change in Control.

(a)    Effect of Change in Control. If and only to the extent provided in any employment or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Related Entity, or in any Award Agreement, or to the extent otherwise determined by the Committee in its sole discretion and without any requirement that each Participant be treated consistently, and except as otherwise provided in Section 9(a)(iv) hereof, upon the occurrence of a “Change in Control,” as defined in Section 9(b):

(i)    Any Option or Stock Appreciation Right that was not previously vested and exercisable as of the time of the Change in Control, shall become immediately vested and exercisable, subject to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 10(a) hereof.

(ii)    Any restrictions, deferral of settlement, and forfeiture conditions applicable to a Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or an Other Stock-Based Award subject only to future service requirements granted under the Plan shall lapse and such Awards shall be deemed fully vested as of the time of the Change in Control, subject to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 10(a) hereof.

(iii)    With respect to any outstanding Award subject to achievement of performance goals and conditions under the Plan, the Committee may, in its discretion, consider such Awards to have been earned and payable based on achievement of performance goals or based upon target performance (either in full or pro-rata based on the portion of the Performance Period completed as of the Change in Control), subject to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 10(a).

(iv)    Except as otherwise provided in any employment or other agreement for services between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, and unless the Committee otherwise determines in a specific instance, each outstanding Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award shall not be accelerated as described in Sections 9(a)(i), (ii) and (iii), if either (A) the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control and the Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award continues to be outstanding after the Change in Control on substantially the same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately prior to the Change in Control or (B) the successor company or its parent company assumes or substitutes for the applicable Award, as determined in accordance with Section 10(c)(ii) of this Plan.

(b)    Definition of “Change in Control”. Unless otherwise specified in any employment or other agreement for services between the Participant and the Company or any

 

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Related Entity, or in an Award Agreement, a “Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following:

(i)    The acquisition by any Person of Beneficial Ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”) (the foregoing Beneficial Ownership hereinafter being referred to as a “Controlling Interest”); provided, however, that for purposes of this Section 9(b), the following acquisitions shall not constitute or result in a Change in Control: (v) any acquisition directly from the Company; (w) any acquisition by the Company; (x) any acquisition by any Person that as of the Effective Date owns Beneficial Ownership of a Controlling Interest; (y) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any Related Entity; or (z) any acquisition by any entity pursuant to a transaction which complies with clauses (1), (2) and (3) of subsection (iii) below; or

(ii)    During any period of two (2) consecutive years (not including any period prior to the Effective Date) individuals who constitute the Board on the Effective Date (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the Effective Date whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual were a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board; or

(iii)    Consummation of (A) a reorganization, merger, statutory share exchange or consolidation or similar transaction involving (x) the Company or (y) any one or more Subsidiaries whose combined revenues for the prior fiscal year represented more than 50% of the consolidated revenues of the Company and its Subsidiaries for the prior fiscal year (the “Major Subsidiaries”), or (B) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or the Major Subsidiaries, or the acquisition of assets or equity of another entity by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (each of the events referred to in clauses (A) and (B) sometimes hereinafter being referred to a “Business Combination”), unless, following such Business Combination, (1) all or substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the Beneficial Owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Business Combination beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of members of the board of directors (or comparable governing body of an entity that does not have such a board), as the case may be, of the entity resulting from such Business Combination (including, without limitation, an entity which as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries) (the “Continuing Entity”) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such Business Combination, of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities, (excluding any outstanding voting securities of the Continuing Entity that such Beneficial Owners hold immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination as a result of their ownership, prior to such consummation, of voting securities of any company or other entity involved in or forming part of such Business

 

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Combination other than the Company), (2) no Person (excluding any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or any Continuing Entity or any entity controlled by the Continuing Entity or any Person that as of the Effective Date owns Beneficial Ownership of a Controlling Interest) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Continuing Entity except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Business Combination and (3) at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors or other governing body of the Continuing Entity were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board, providing for such Business Combination; or

(iv)    Approval by the shareholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Change in Control constitutes a payment event with respect to any Award (or any portion of an Award) that provides for the deferral of compensation that is subject to Section 409A of the Code, to the extent required to avoid the imposition of additional taxes under Section 409A of the Code, the transaction or event described in subsections (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) with respect to such Award (or portion thereof) shall only constitute a Change in Control for purposes of the payment timing of such Award if such transaction also constitutes a “change in control event” as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5).

10.    General Provisions.

(a)    Compliance With Legal and Other Requirements. The Company may, to the extent deemed necessary or advisable by the Committee, postpone the issuance or delivery of Shares or payment of other benefits under any Award until completion of such registration or qualification of such Shares or other required action under any federal or state law, rule or regulation, listing or other required action with respect to the Listing Market, or compliance with any other obligation of the Company, as the Committee, may consider appropriate, and may require any Participant to make such representations, furnish such information and comply with or be subject to such other conditions as it may consider appropriate in connection with the issuance or delivery of Shares or payment of other benefits in compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, listing requirements, or other obligations.

(b)    Limits on Transferability; Beneficiaries. No Award or other right or interest granted under the Plan shall be pledged, hypothecated or otherwise encumbered or subject to any lien, obligation or liability of such Participant to any party, or assigned or transferred by such Participant otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or to a Beneficiary upon the death of a Participant, and such Awards or rights that may be exercisable shall be exercised during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant or his or her guardian or legal representative, except that Awards and other rights (other than Incentive Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights in tandem therewith) may be transferred to one or more Beneficiaries or other transferees during the lifetime of the Participant, and may be exercised by such transferees in accordance with the terms of such Award, but only if and to the extent such transfers are permitted by the Committee pursuant to the express terms of an Award Agreement (subject to any terms and conditions which the Committee may impose thereon), are

 

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by gift or pursuant to a domestic relations order, and are to a “Permitted Assignee” that is a permissible transferee under the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission for registration of securities on a Form S-8 registration statement. For this purpose, a Permitted Assignee shall mean (i) the Participant’s spouse, children or grandchildren (including any adopted and step children or grandchildren), parents, grandparents or siblings, (ii) a trust for the benefit of one or more of the Participant or the persons referred to in clause (i), (iii) a partnership, limited liability company or corporation in which the Participant or the persons referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) are the only partners, members or shareholders, or (iv) a foundation in which any person or entity designated in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above control the management of assets. A Beneficiary, transferee, or other person claiming any rights under the Plan from or through any Participant shall be subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to such Participant, except as otherwise determined by the Committee, and to any additional terms and conditions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee.

(c)    Adjustments.

(i)    Adjustments to Awards. In the event that any extraordinary dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, or other property), recapitalization, forward or reverse split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, share exchange, liquidation, dissolution or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares and/or such other securities of the Company or any other issuer, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem appropriate and equitable, substitute, exchange or adjust any or all of (A) the number and kind of Shares which may be delivered in connection with Awards granted thereafter, (B) the number and kind of Shares by which annual per-person Award limitations are measured under Section 4 hereof, (C) the number and kind of Shares subject to or deliverable in respect of outstanding Awards, (D) the exercise price, grant price or purchase price relating to any Award and/or make provision for payment of cash or other property in respect of any outstanding Award, and (E) any other aspect of any Award that the Committee determines to be appropriate in order to prevent the reduction or enlargement of benefits under any Award.

(ii)    Adjustments in Case of Certain Transactions. In the event of any merger, consolidation or other reorganization in which the Company does not survive, or in the event of any Change in Control (and subject to the provisions of Section 9 of this Plan relating to the vesting of Awards in the event of any Change in Control), any outstanding Awards may be dealt with in accordance with any of the following approaches, without the requirement of obtaining any consent or agreement of a Participant as such, as determined by the agreement effectuating the transaction or, if and to the extent not so determined, as determined by the Committee: (A) the continuation of the outstanding Awards by the Company, if the Company is a surviving entity, (B) the assumption or substitution for, as those terms are defined below, the outstanding Awards by the surviving entity or its parent or subsidiary, (C) full exercisability or vesting and accelerated expiration of the outstanding Awards, (D) a period of time to exercise an Award prior to the occurrence of such event, or (E) settlement of the value of the outstanding Awards in cash or cash equivalents or other securities or property followed by cancellation of such Awards (which value, in the case of Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, shall be measured by the amount, if any, by which the Fair Market Value of a Share exceeds the exercise

 

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or grant price of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right as of the effective date of the transaction, it being understood that, in such event, any Option or Stock Appreciation Right having a per share exercise or grant price equal to, or in excess of, the Fair Market Value of a share of common stock subject thereto may be canceled and terminated without any payment or consideration therefor). For the purposes of this Plan, an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award or Other Stock-Based Award shall be considered assumed or substituted for if following the applicable transaction the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award or Other Stock-Based Award immediately prior to the applicable transaction, on substantially the same vesting and other terms and conditions as were applicable to the Award immediately prior to the applicable transaction, the consideration (whether stock, cash or other securities or property) received in the applicable transaction by holders of Shares for each Share held on the effective date of such transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the applicable transaction is not solely common stock of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary, the Committee may, with the consent of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary, provide that the consideration to be received upon the exercise or vesting of an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award or Other Stock-Based Award, for each Share subject thereto, will be solely common stock of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary substantially equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Shares in the applicable transaction. The determination of such substantial equality of value of consideration shall be made by the Committee in its sole discretion and its determination shall be conclusive and binding. The Committee shall give written notice of any proposed transaction referred to in this Section 10(c)(ii) a reasonable period of time prior to the closing date for such transaction (which notice may be given either before or after the approval of such transaction), in order that Participants may have a reasonable period of time prior to the closing date of such transaction within which to exercise any Awards that are then exercisable (including any Awards that may become exercisable upon the closing date of such transaction). A Participant may condition his or her exercise of any Awards upon the consummation of the transaction.

(iii)    Other Adjustments. The Committee is authorized to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards (including Awards subject to satisfaction of performance goals, or performance goals and conditions relating thereto) in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, acquisitions and dispositions of businesses and assets) affecting the Company, any Related Entity or any business unit, or the financial statements of the Company or any Related Entity, or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, tax rates and regulations or business conditions or in view of the Committee’s assessment of the business strategy of the Company, any Related Entity or business unit thereof, performance of comparable organizations, economic and business conditions, personal performance of a Participant, and any other circumstances deemed relevant.

(d)    Award Agreements. Each Award Agreement shall either be (a) in writing in a form approved by the Committee and executed by the Company by an officer duly

 

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authorized to act on its behalf, or (b) an electronic notice in a form approved by the Committee and recorded by the Company (or its designee) in an electronic recordkeeping system used for the purpose of tracking one or more types of Awards as the Committee may provide; in each case and if required by the Committee, the Award Agreement shall be executed or otherwise electronically accepted by the recipient of the Award in such form and manner as the Committee may require. The Committee may authorize any officer of the Company to execute any or all Award Agreements on behalf of the Company. The Award Agreement shall set forth the material terms and conditions of the Award as established by the Committee consistent with the provisions of the Plan.

(e)    Taxes. The Company and any Related Entity are authorized to withhold from any Award granted, any payment relating to an Award under the Plan, including from a distribution of Shares, or any payroll or other payment to a Participant, amounts of withholding and other taxes due or potentially payable in connection with any transaction involving an Award, and to take such other action as the Committee may deem advisable to enable the Company or any Related Entity and Participants to satisfy obligations for the payment of withholding taxes and other tax obligations relating to any Award. This authority shall include authority to withhold or receive Shares or other property and to make cash payments in respect thereof in satisfaction of a Participant’s tax obligations, either on a mandatory or elective basis in the discretion of the Committee. The amount of withholding tax paid with respect to an Award by the withholding of Shares otherwise deliverable pursuant to the Award or by delivering Shares already owned shall not exceed the maximum statutory withholding required with respect to that Award (or such other limit as the Committee shall impose, including without limitation, any limit imposed to avoid or limit any financial accounting expense relating to the Award).

(f)    Changes to the Plan and Awards. The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan, or the Committee’s authority to grant Awards under the Plan, without the consent of shareholders or Participants, except that any amendment or alteration to the Plan shall be subject to the approval of the Company’s shareholders not later than the annual meeting next following such Board action if such shareholder approval is required by any federal or state law or regulation (including, without limitation, Rule 16b-3) or the rules of the Listing Market, and the Board may otherwise, in its discretion, determine to submit other such changes to the Plan to shareholders for approval; provided, that, except as otherwise permitted by the Plan or Award Agreement, without the consent of an affected Participant, no such Board action may materially and adversely affect the rights of such Participant under the terms of any previously granted and outstanding Award. The Committee may waive any conditions or rights under, or amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate any Award theretofore granted and any Award Agreement relating thereto, except as otherwise provided in the Plan; provided, that, except as otherwise permitted by the Plan or Award Agreement, without the consent of an affected Participant, no such Committee or the Board action may materially and adversely affect the rights of such Participant under terms of such Award.

(g)    Clawback of Benefits.

(i)    The Company may (A) cause the cancellation of any Award, (B) require reimbursement of any Award by a Participant or Beneficiary, and (C) effect any other right of recoupment of equity or other compensation provided under this Plan or otherwise in

 

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accordance with any Company policies that currently exist or that may from time to time be adopted or modified in the future by the Company and/or applicable law (each, a “Clawback Policy”). In addition, a Participant may be required to repay to the Company certain previously paid compensation, whether provided under this Plan or an Award Agreement or otherwise, in accordance with any Clawback Policy. By accepting an Award, a Participant is also agreeing to be bound by any existing or future Clawback Policy adopted by the Company, or any amendments that may from time to time be made to the Clawback Policy in the future by the Company in its discretion (including without limitation any Clawback Policy adopted or amended to comply with applicable laws or stock exchange requirements) and is further agreeing that all of the Participant’s Award Agreements may be unilaterally amended by the Company, without the Participant’s consent, to the extent that the Company in its discretion determines to be necessary or appropriate to comply with any Clawback Policy.

(ii)    If the Participant, without the consent of the Company, while employed by or providing services to the Company or any Related Entity or after termination of such employment or service, violates a non-competition, non-solicitation or non-disclosure covenant or agreement or otherwise engages in activity that is in conflict with or adverse to the interest of the Company or any Related Entity, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, then (i) any outstanding, vested or unvested, earned or unearned portion of the Award may, at the Committee’s discretion, be canceled and (ii) the Committee, in its discretion, may require the Participant or other person to whom any payment has been made or Shares or other property have been transferred in connection with the Award to forfeit and pay over to the Company, on demand, all or any portion of the gain (whether or not taxable) realized upon the exercise of any Option or Stock Appreciation Right and the value realized (whether or not taxable) on the vesting or payment of any other Award during the time period specified in the Award Agreement or otherwise specified by the Committee

(h)    Limitation on Rights Conferred Under Plan. Neither the Plan nor any action taken hereunder or under any Award shall be construed as (i) giving any Eligible Person or Participant the right to continue as an Eligible Person or Participant or in the employ or service of the Company or a Related Entity; (ii) interfering in any way with the right of the Company or a Related Entity to terminate any Eligible Person’s or Participant’s Continuous Service at any time, (iii) giving an Eligible Person or Participant any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan or to be treated uniformly with other Participants and Employees, or (iv) conferring on a Participant any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any Related Entity including, without limitation, any right to receive dividends or distributions, any right to vote or act by written consent, any right to attend meetings of shareholders or any right to receive any information concerning the Company’s or any Related Entity’s business, financial condition, results of operation or prospects, unless and until such time as the Participant is duly issued Shares on the stock books of the Company or any Related Entity in accordance with the terms of an Award. None of the Company, its officers or its directors shall have any fiduciary obligation to the Participant with respect to any Awards unless and until the Participant is duly issued Shares pursuant to the Award on the stock books of the Company in accordance with the terms of an Award. Neither the Company, nor any Related Entity, nor any of their respective officers, directors, representatives or agents is granting any rights under the Plan to the Participant whatsoever, oral or written, express or implied, other than those rights expressly set forth in this Plan or the Award Agreement.

 

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(i)    Unfunded Status of Awards; Creation of Trusts. The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant or obligation to deliver Shares pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or Related Entity that issues the Award; provided, that, the Committee may authorize the creation of trusts and deposit therein cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, or make other arrangements to meet the obligations of the Company or Related Entity under the Plan. Such trusts or other arrangements shall be consistent with the “unfunded” status of the Plan unless the Committee otherwise determines with the consent of each affected Participant. The trustee of such trusts may be authorized to dispose of trust assets and reinvest the proceeds in alternative investments, subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee may specify and in accordance with applicable law.

(j)    Nonexclusivity of the Plan. Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor its submission to the shareholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board or a committee thereof to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem desirable.

(k)    Payments in the Event of Forfeitures; Fractional Shares. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, in the event of a forfeiture of an Award with respect to which a Participant paid cash or other consideration, the Participant shall be repaid the amount of such cash or other consideration. No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award. The Committee shall determine whether cash, other Awards or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of such fractional shares or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.

(l)    Governing Law. Except as otherwise provided in any Award Agreement, the validity, construction and effect of the Plan, any rules and regulations under the Plan, and any Award Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to principles of conflict of laws, and applicable federal law.

(m)    Non-U.S. Laws. The Committee shall have the authority to adopt such modifications, procedures, and subplans as may be necessary or desirable to comply with provisions of the laws of foreign countries in which the Company or its Related Entities may operate to assure the viability of the benefits from Awards granted to Participants performing services in such countries and to meet the objectives of the Plan.

(n)    Plan Effective Date and Shareholder Approval; Termination of Plan. The Plan shall become effective on the Effective Date, subject to subsequent approval, within 12 months of its adoption by the Board, by shareholders of the Company eligible to vote in the election of directors, by a vote sufficient to meet the requirements of Code Section 422, Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (if applicable), applicable requirements under the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares may be listed or quoted, and other laws, regulations, and obligations of the Company applicable to the Plan. Awards may be granted subject to shareholder approval but may not be exercised or otherwise settled in the event the shareholder approval is not obtained. The Plan shall terminate at the earliest of (a) such time as no Shares remain available for issuance under the Plan, (b) termination of this Plan

 

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by the Board, or (c) the tenth anniversary of the Shareholder Approval Date. Awards outstanding upon expiration of the Plan shall remain in effect until they have been exercised or terminated or have expired.

(n)    Construction and Interpretation. Whenever used herein, nouns in the singular shall include the plural, and the masculine pronoun shall include the feminine gender. Headings of Articles and Sections hereof are inserted for convenience and reference and constitute no part of the Plan.

(o)    Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement shall be determined to be illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other jurisdiction.

 

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