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CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT

Change of Control Agreement

CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT | Document Parties: QUAKER CHEMICAL CORPORATION You are currently viewing:
This Change of Control Agreement involves

QUAKER CHEMICAL CORPORATION

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Title: CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT
Date: 8/3/2007
Industry: Chemical Manufacturing     Sector: Basic Materials

CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT, Parties: quaker chemical corporation
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Exhibit 10(cccc)

CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT, dated June 27, 2007, between QUAKER CHEMICAL CORPORATION, a Pennsylvania corporation (the “Company”), and Jan F. Nieman (the “Manager”),

W I T N E S S E T H   T H A T

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders that the Company and its subsidiaries be able to attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified management personnel and, in particular, that they be assured of continuity of management in the event of any actual or threatened change in control of the Company; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company believes that the execution by the Company of change in control agreements with certain management personnel, including the Manager, is an important factor in achieving this desired end;

NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual obligations and agreements contained herein and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Manager and the Company agree as follows:

 

1. Term of Agreement .

This Agreement shall become effective on January 1, 2007 (the “Effective Date”), and shall continue in effect through December 31, 2007, provided, however, that the term of this Agreement shall automatically be extended for one additional year beyond December 31, 2007 and successive one year periods thereafter, unless, not later than eighteen (18) months preceding the calendar year in which the term would otherwise automatically extend, the Company shall have given written notice to the Manager of intention not to extend this Agreement for an additional year, in which event this Agreement shall continue in effect until December 31 of the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year in which the term would have otherwise automatically extended. Notwithstanding any such notice not to extend, if a Change in Control (as defined in Section 2) occurs during the original or extended term of this Agreement, this Agreement shall remain in effect after a Change in Control until all obligations of the parties hereto under this Agreement shall have been satisfied.

 


2. Change in Control .

As used in this Agreement, a “Change in Control” of the Company shall be deemed to have occurred if:

(a) Any person (a “Person”), as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (other than (i) the Company and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries; (ii) any ESOP or other employee benefit plan of the Company and any trustee or other fiduciary in such capacity holding securities under such plan; (iii) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company; or (iv) any other Person who, within the one year prior to the event which would otherwise be a Change in Control, is an executive officer of the Company or any group of Persons of which he voluntarily is a part), is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 30% or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities or such lesser percentage of voting power, but not less than 15%, as determined by the members of the Board of Directors of the Company who are independent directors (as defined in the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Listed Company Manual); provided, however, that a Change in Control shall not be deemed to have occurred under the provisions of this subsection (a) by reason of the beneficial ownership of voting securities by members of the Benoliel family (as defined below) unless and until the beneficial ownership of all members of the Benoliel family (including any other individuals or entities who or which, together with any member or members of the Benoliel family, are deemed under Sections 13(d) or 14(d) of the Exchange Act to constitute a single Person) exceeds 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities;

(b) During any two-year period after the Effective Date, Directors of the Company in office at the beginning of such period plus any new Director (other than a Director designated by a Person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction within the purview of subsections (a) or (c)) whose election by the Board of Directors of the Company or whose nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Directors then still in office who either were Directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved shall cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board;

(c) The consummation of (i) any consolidation or merger of the Company in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation or pursuant to which the Company’s voting common shares (the “Common Shares”) would be converted into cash, securities, and/or other property, other than a merger of the Company in which holders of Common Shares immediately prior to the merger have the same proportionate ownership of voting shares of the surviving corporation immediately after the merger as they had in the Common Shares immediately before; or (ii) any sale, lease, exchange, or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) of all or substantially all the assets or earning power of the Company; or

 

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(d) The Company’s shareholders or the Company’s Board of Directors shall approve the liquidation or dissolution of the Company.

As used in this Agreement, “members of the Benoliel family” shall mean Peter A. Benoliel, his wife and children and their respective spouses and children, and all trusts created by or for the benefit of any of them.

 

3. Entitlement to Change in Control Benefits; Certain Definitions .

The Manager shall be entitled to the benefits provided in this Agreement in the event the Manager’s employment with the Company or its affiliates is terminated under the circumstances described in (a) or (b) below (a “Covered Termination”), provided the Manager executes and does not revoke a Release (as defined below), if any, provided by the Company.

(a) A Covered Termination shall have occurred within the meaning of this subsection (a) in the event the Manager’s employment with the Company or its affiliates is terminated within two (2) years following a Change in Control by:

 

  (i) The Company or its affiliates without Cause (as defined below); or

 

  (ii) Resignation of the Manager for Good Reason (as defined below).

(b) A Covered Termination shall have occurred within the meaning of this subsection (b) in the event the Manager’s employment with the Company or its affiliates is terminated by the Company or its affiliates without Cause within six months prior to a Change in Control and the Manager reasonably demonstrates after such Change in Control that such termination was at the request or suggestion of any individual or entity who or which has taken steps reasonably calculated to effect such Change in Control.

The Manager shall have no rights to any payments or benefits under this Agreement in the event the Manager’s employment with the Company and its affiliates is terminated (i) as a result of death or disability, or (ii) by the Company or its affiliates for Cause. Except as provided in subsection (b), in the event the Manager’s employment is terminated for any reason prior to a Change in Control, the Manager shall have no rights to any payments or benefits under this Agreement and, after any such termination, this Agreement shall be of no further force or effect.

Cause ” shall mean (i) the Manager’s willful and material breach of the employment agreement, if any, between the Manager and the Company (after having received notice thereof and a reasonable opportunity to cure or correct), (ii) dishonesty, fraud, willful malfeasance, gross negligence, or other gross misconduct, in each case relating to the performance of the Manager’s employment with the Company or its affiliates which is materially injurious to the Company, or (iii) conviction of or plea of guilty to a felony, such Cause to be determined, in each case, by a resolution approved by at least two-thirds of the Directors of the Company after having afforded the Manager a reasonable opportunity to appear before the Board of Directors of the Company and present his position.

Code ” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, together with any applicable regulations thereunder.

 

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Good Reason ” shall mean any of the following actions without the Manager’s consent, other than due to the Manager’s death or disability: (i) any reduction in the Manager’s base salary from that provided immediately before the Covered Termination or, if higher, immediately before the Change in Control; (ii) any reduction in the Manager’s bonus opportunity (including cash and noncash incentives) or increase in the goals or standards required to accrue that opportunity, as compared to the opportunity and goals or standards in effect immediately before the Change in Control; (iii) a material adverse change in the nature or scope of the Manager’s authorities, powers, functions, or duties from those in effect immediately before the Change in Control; (iv) a reduction in the Manager’s benefits from those provided immediately before the Change in Control, disregarding any reduction under a plan or program covering employees generally that applies to all employees covered by the plan or program; or (v) the Manager being required to accept a primary employment location which is more than twenty-five (25) miles from the location at which he primarily was employed during the ninety (90) day period prior to a Change in Control.

Payment Date ” shall mean (i) in the case of a Covered Termination described in Section 3(a), the last business day of the second month following the month in which the Manager’s Separation from Service occurs, subject to Section 9, or (ii) in the case of a Covered Termination described in Section 3(b), (A) the last business day of the second month following the month in which the Change in Control giving rise to such Covered Termination occurs, if the Change in Control is also a “change in control event” under Section 409A of the Code, or (B) the last business day of the eighth month following the month in which the Manager’s Separation from Service occurs, if such Change in Control is not a “change in control event” under Section 409A of the Code.

Release ” shall mean a release (in a form satisfactory to the Company) of any and all claims against the Company and all related parties with respect to all matters arising out of the Manager’s employment by the Company and its affiliates, or the termination thereof (other than claims for any entitlements under the terms of this Agreement or under any plans or programs of the Company under which the Manager has accrued a benefit) that the Company provides to the Manager no later than (i) in the case of a Covered Termination described in Section 3(a), three days after the date of the Manager’s Covered Termination, or (ii) in the case of a Covered Termination described in Section 3(b), three days after the date of the Change in Control giving rise to such Covered Termination. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if the Company provides a Release to the Manager, the Manager shall not be entitled to any payments or benefits under this Agreement unless the Manager executes and does not revoke the Release.

Separation from Service ” shall mean the Manager’s separation from service with the Company and its affiliates within the meaning of Prop. Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(h) or any successor thereto.

Specified Employee ” shall mean the Manager if he is a specified employee as defined in Section 409A of the Code as of the date of his Separation from Service.

 

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4. Severance Allowance .

(a) Amount of Severance Allowance . In the event of a Covered Termination, the Company shall pay or cause to be paid to the Manager in cash a severance allowance (the “Severance Allowance”) equal to 1.5 times the sum of the amounts determined in accordance with the following paragraphs (i) and (ii):

 

  (i) An amount equivalent to the highest annualized base salary which the Manager was entitled to receive from the Company and its subsidiaries at any time during his employment prior to the Covered Termination; and

 

  (ii) An amount equal to the average of the aggregate annual amounts paid to the Manager under all applicable annual incentive compensation plans maintained by the Company and its affiliates (other than compensation relating to relocation expense; the grant, exercise, or settlement of stock options or performance incentive units or the sale or other disposition of shares received upon exercise or settlement of such options) during the three (3) calendar years prior to the year such Covered Termination occurs or, if higher, prior to the year such Change in Control occurs (provided, however, that (x) in determining the average amount paid under the annual incentive plan during such period there shall be excluded any year in which no amounts were paid to the Manager under that plan; and (y) there shall be excluded from such calculation any amounts paid to the Manager under any such incentive compensation plan as a result of the acceleration of such payments under such plan due to termination of the plan, a Change in Control, or a similar occurrence).

In no event shall any retention bonus or change in control or success fee be taken into account when determining the amount of the Severance Allowance hereunder.

(b) Payment of Severance Allowance . The Severance Allowance shall be paid to the Manager in a lump sum on the Payment Date.

If a court awards the Manager a severance pay and/or any compensation in relation to the termination of the Manager’s employment, the Manager may no longer assert any rights under this Agreement. If and insofar the Company or any of its affiliates has already made any payments under this Agreement, the Company or any of its affiliates may set off the payments that have been made against any net salary payment to which the Manager is entitled, or recover such from the Manager in any other way.

 

5. Outplacement and Welfare Benefits .

(a) Outplacement . Subject to Section 6, for a period of one year following a Covered Termination of the Manager (or the Change in Control resulting in a Covered Termination, if later), the Company shall make or cause to be made available to the Manager, at its expense, outplacement counseling and other outplacement services comparable to those available for the Company’s senior manager


 
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