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CHANGE OF CONTROL AGREEMENT

Change of Control Agreement

CHANGE OF CONTROL AGREEMENT | Document Parties: Alcan Inc | Royal Bank of Canada You are currently viewing:
This Change of Control Agreement involves

Alcan Inc | Royal Bank of Canada

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Title: CHANGE OF CONTROL AGREEMENT
Date: 3/2/2007
Industry: Metal Mining     Sector: Basic Materials

CHANGE OF CONTROL AGREEMENT, Parties: alcan inc , royal bank of canada
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Exhibit 10.9 Change of Control Agreement dated 1 May 2005 with David McAusland.
CHANGE OF CONTROL AGREEMENT
A G R E E M E N T
Agreement made as of the 1 st day of May 2005, by and between Alcan Inc., a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada with its registered office at 1188 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 3G2 (the “Corporation”) and David L. McAusland (the “Executive”).
WITNESSETH:
          WHEREAS, the Executive is the Executive Vice President of Alcan Inc.
          WHEREAS, the Corporation believes that the establishment and maintenance of a sound and vital senior management team is essential to the protection and enhancement of the interests of the Corporation and its shareholders; and
          WHEREAS, the Corporation also recognizes that the possibility of a Change of Control of the Corporation (as defined in Section 1 hereof), with the attendant uncertainties and risks, might result in the departure or distraction of key employees of the Corporation to the detriment of the Corporation and its shareholders;
          WHEREAS, the Corporation has determined that it is appropriate to take steps to induce key employees to remain with the Corporation, and to reinforce and encourage their continued attention and dedication, when faced with the possibility of a Change of Control of the Corporation;
WHEREAS, the Corporation and the Executive have entered into a Change of Control agreement dated 1 August 2001 which expired on 30 April 2005; and
WHEREAS, the Corporation and the Executive now wish to enter into a new Change of Control agreement.
          NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
1.   Change of Control shall mean any of the following:
  1.1   the acquisition of direct or indirect beneficial ownership (as determined under Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934), in the aggregate, of securities of the Corporation representing twenty percent (20%) or more of the combined voting power of the Corporation’s then issued and outstanding voting securities by any person or entity or group of associated persons or entities (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934) acting jointly or in concert (other than its subsidiaries or any employee benefit plan of either) (a “Person”), provided that, if a buyback of shares by the Corporation causes the Person to attain such limit, such limit shall be deemed not to have been attained without such Person having acquired further voting securities of the Corporation;

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  1.2   any amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization or consolidation in respect of the Corporation (the foregoing shall include, for the purposes of this Agreement any transaction or series of transactions, such as a share exchange transaction with the same stated or effective objective) other than:
  (a)   an amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Corporation outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving or parent entity) two-thirds or more of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Corporation or such surviving, combined or parent entity outstanding immediately after such amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization or consolidation, without there occurring as a result or in connection therewith any substantial change in the composition of the Corporation’s Board of Directors; or
 
  (b)   an amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization or consolidation initiated by the Corporation for the purpose of implementing a recapitalization of the Corporation (or similar transaction) provided that pursuant thereto no Person is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly (as determined under Rule 13-d-3 promulgated under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934), of securities representing twenty per cent (20%) or more of the contained voting power of the voting securities of the Corporation outstanding immediately after such amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization or consolidation;
1.3   the approval by shareholders of the Corporation of any plan or proposal for the complete or effective liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation;
 
1.4   the issuance by the Corporation of shares in connection with an exchange offer acquisition (including, for the purposes of this Agreement, a series of connected exchange offer acquisitions), if such issuance results in the holders of the Corporation’s principal class of publicly listed voting shares (immediately prior to the issuance) holding less than two-thirds of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Corporation which are outstanding immediately following such issuance and if there occurs in connection therewith any substantial change in the composition of the Corporation’s Board of Directors.
 
1.5   the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation other than the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation:
  (a)   to a person or persons who beneficially own, directly or indirectly, at least two-thirds of the then outstanding common equity of the Corporation to which are attached at least two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the acquirer; or
 
  (b)   in a manner such that after such sale or other disposition the acquirer is, directly or indirectly, owned or controlled as to at least two-thirds of its then outstanding common equity to which are attached at least two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the acquirer by shareholders of the Corporation who owned or controlled, immediately prior to such transaction, at least two-thirds of the Corporation’s then outstanding common equity to which were attached at least two-thirds of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the acquirer;
    provided that there does not occur in connection therewith any substantial change in the composition of the Corporation’s Board of Directors.

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1.6   the completion of the corporate approvals necessary on the part of the Corporation to give effect to any amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization, continuance or consolidation in respect of the Corporation (including any transaction or series of transactions with the same stated or effective objective) pursuant to which the Corporation will not survive as a stand-alone publicly-traded corporation (in this regard, but without limitation, the Corporation shall be deemed not to have survived as a publicly traded corporation should (i) there cease to be a liquid market for the Corporation’s common shares on an internationally recognized exchange, (ii) more than fifty percent (50%) of the Corporation’s outstanding common shares to which are attached more than fifty percent (50%) of the then outstanding combined voting power of the outstanding securities of the Corporation be held by a single shareholder or group of shareholders acting jointly or in concert, or (iii) the Corporation become a subsidiary, as defined in the Canada Business Corporations Act , of another Corporation);
1.7   any occurrence pursuant to which individuals who, as of the close of business on the effective date of this Agreement, constitute the Board of Directors (the “Incumbent Directors”) cease for any reason to constitute at least two-thirds of the Board; provided that any person becoming a Director subsequent to the close of business on the effective date of this Agreement, whose election or nomination for election was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Incumbent Directors then on the Board of Directors (either by a specific vote or by approval of the Management Proxy Circular of the Corporation in which such person is named a nominee for Director, without objection to such nomination) shall be an Incumbent Director; but further provided, that no individual elected or nominated as a Director of the Corporation initially as a result of an actual or threatened proxy or election contest with respect to Directors, as a result of any other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of any person other than the Board of Directors or as a result of or in connection with any amalgamation, merger, arrangement, reorganization, consolidation or share exchange acquisition transaction by the Corporation with any Person, shall be deemed to be an Incumbent Director;
For the purposes of this Agreement : (i) only the first Change of Control after the date hereof shall be deemed a Change of Control hereunder; (ii) voting power of securities shall be determined by reference to the right to vote in respect of the general election of Directors: (iii) a substantial change in the composition of the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be any change involving the immediate confirmed departure of at least three Directors or any other change pursuant to which the Directors in office immediately prior thereto cease to constitute at least two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors; and (iv) no event of Change of Control shall have occurred if immediately prior thereto the Corporation was in a state of insolvency or in a position of being protected from its creditors by virtue of any applicable legislation or court order.
  2.   Term . This agreement shall commence on the date hereof and shall expire, unless previously terminated as provided herein, on the earliest of
  (a)   the date of the Executive’s death or termination as a result of Disability, as defined below;
 
  (b)   subject to Section 3 hereof, the date of the retirement or other termination of the Executive’s employment (voluntarily or involuntarily) with the Corporation prior to a Change of Control;
 
  (c)   if, prior to and without causing a Change of Control, the entity for which the Executive is then working ceases to be a subsidiary, (as defined in the Canada Business Corporations Act ) of the Corporation; or
 
  (d)   two years after written notice by the Corporation to the Executive of the termination of this Agreement.

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    Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if the Corporation becomes obligated to make any payment to the Executive pursuant to the terms hereof at or prior to the expiration of this Agreement, then this Agreement shall remain in effect for such purposes until all of the Corporation’s obligations hereunder are fulfilled. Further, the provisions of paragraph 9.1 hereunder shall survive and remain in effect notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement, the termination of the Executive’s employment or any breach or repudiation of alleged breach or repudiation by the Corporation of this Agreement or any one or more of its terms.
 
    Disability shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Corporation’s long-term disability plan in which the Executive participates. A termination for Disability shall be deemed to occur when the Executive is terminated by the Corporation by written notice after the disability is established and the Executive remains disabled.
  3.   Termination Following Change of Control .
 
  3.1   If, and only if, a Change of Control occurs and one of the following occurs : (i) the Executive’s employment with the Corporation is terminated by the Corporation without Cause other than for Disability, or (ii) by the Executive for Good Reason, during the period running from the date of the Change of Control to twenty-four (24) months after the date of such Change of Control, then the Executive shall be entitled to the amounts provided in Section 4 upon such termination.
 
      In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Executive is either terminated without Cause or terminates employment for Good Reason within three (3) months prior the occurrence of a Change of Control, such termination shall, upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, be deemed to be covered under the Agreement and the Executive shall be entitled to the amounts provided under Section 4 hereof reduced by any amounts otherwise received in connection with his termination of employment.
 
  3.2   As used in this Agreement, termination for Good Reason shall mean a termination by the Executive within ninety (90) days after the occurrence of the Good Reason event, failing which such event shall not constitute Good Reason under this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, “Good Reason” shall mean the occurrence or failure to cause the occurrence of any of the following events without the Executive’s express written consent:
  (a)   any material diminution in the Executive’s duties, responsibilities, and authority (except in each case in connection with the termination of the Executive’s employment for Cause or as a result of the Executive’s death, or temporarily as a result of the Executive’s illness or other absence,);
 
  (b)   a reduction in the Executive’s annual base salary rate;
 
  (c)   a relocation of the Executive’s principal business location to an area outside the country of the Executive’s principal business location at the time of the Change of Control;
 
  (d)   a failure by the Corporation after a Change of Control to continue any annual Executive Performance Award Plan, program or arrangement in which the Executive is then entitled to participate (the “Bonus Plans”), provided that any such plan(s) may be modified at the Corporation’s discretion from time to time but shall be deemed terminated if (x) any such plan does not remain substantially in the form in effect prior to such modification and (y) if plans providing the Executive with substantially similar benefits are not substituted therefor (“Substitute Plans”), or a failure by the Corporation to continue the Executive as a participant in the Bonus Plans and Substitute Plans on at least the same basis as to potential amount of the

 
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