Exhibit 10.12
AMENDED AND RESTATED
EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This AMENDED AND RESTATED
EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”),
made as of December 18, 2008 between Guess?, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Paul Marciano
(the “Executive”).
W I T N
E S S E
T H :
WHEREAS, the Executive is a
co-founder of the Company and the Company and the Executive are
parties to that certain Executive Employment Agreement dated as of
January 1, 2007 (the “Prior
Agreement”).
WHEREAS, the Company and the
Executive wish to amend and restate the Prior Agreement upon the
terms set forth in this Agreement to comply with Section 409A
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(“Section 409A”) effective as of the date
hereof.
WHEREAS, the Company recognizes that
the Executive’s talents and abilities are unique and have
been integral to the success of the Company.
WHEREAS, the Executive is willing to
commit himself to serve the Company on the terms and conditions
herein provided.
WHEREAS, the Company wishes to
continue to retain the services of the Executive and anticipates
that the Executive’s contribution to the growth and success
of the Company will continue to be substantial.
NOW THEREFORE
, in consideration of the foregoing,
of the mutual promises contained herein and of other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as
follows:
1.
POSITION/DUTIES
.
(a)
During the Employment Term (as
defined in Section 2 below), the Executive shall serve as the
Company’s Chief Executive Officer and as Vice Chairman of the
Board of Directors. In this capacity the Executive
shall have such duties, authorities and responsibilities
commensurate with the duties, authorities and responsibilities of
persons in similar capacities in similarly sized companies and such
other duties and responsibilities as the Board of Directors of the
Company (the “Board”) shall designate that are
consistent with the Executive’s position as Chief Executive
Officer. The Executive shall report exclusively to the
Board. The Executive shall have authority as is appropriate
to carry out his duties and responsibilities as set forth in this
Agreement.
(b)
During the Employment Term (as
defined below), the Executive shall use the Executive’s best
reasonable efforts to perform faithfully and efficiently the duties
and responsibilities assigned to the Executive hereunder and shall
devote substantially all of the Executive’s business time
(excluding periods of vacation and other approved leaves of
absence) as is reasonably necessary to such performance of the
Executive’s duties with the Company. Subject to Board
approval, the Executive may serve on the board of directors or
advisory boards of other for profit companies provided that such
service does not create a potential business conflict or the
appearance thereof. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent
the Executive from managing his family’s personal investments
so long as such activities do not materially interfere with the
performance of the Executive’s duties hereunder or create a
potential business conflict or the appearance thereof.
(c)
During the Employment Term, the
Board shall nominate the Executive for re-election as a member of
the Board at the expiration of the Executive’s then-current
term.
(d)
The Company shall not relocate the
Executive’s principal place of business outside of the Los
Angeles metropolitan area without the Executive’s written
consent.
(e)
The Executive shall be provided with
appropriate office and secretarial facilities in each of the
Company’s principal executive offices and any other location
that the Executive reasonably deems necessary to have an office and
support services in order for the Executive to perform his duties
to the Company.
2.
EMPLOYMENT TERM
. The Executive’s term
of employment under this Agreement (such term of employment, as it
may be extended or terminated, is herein referred to as the
“Employment Term”) shall be for a term commencing on
January 1, 2007 (the effective date of the Prior Agreement,
referred to herein as the “Effective Date”) and, unless
terminated earlier as provided in Section 7 hereof, ending on
the last day of the fifth (5 th ) whole
Fiscal Year of the Company commencing on or after the Effective
Date (the “Original Employment Term”), provided that
the Employment Term shall be automatically extended, subject to
earlier termination as provided in Section 7 hereof, for
successive additional one (1) Fiscal Year periods (the
“Additional Terms”), unless, on or before ninety (90)
days prior to the expiration of the Original Employment Term or of
any Additional Term, the Company or the Executive has notified the
other in writing that the Employment Term shall terminate at the
end of the then-current term.
3.
BASE SALARY
. The Company agrees to pay
the Executive a base salary (the “Base Salary”) at an
annual rate of not less than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000),
payable in accordance with the regular payroll practices of the
Company, but not less frequently than monthly. The
Executive’s Base Salary shall be subject to annual review by
the Board (or a committee thereof) after 2007 and may be increased,
but not decreased, from time to time by the Board. No
increase to Base Salary shall be used to offset or otherwise reduce
any obligations of the Company to the Executive hereunder or
otherwise. The base salary as determined herein from time to
time shall constitute “Base Salary” for purposes of
this Agreement.
4.
ANNUAL INCENTIVE BONUS AND OTHER
BONUSES . During
the Employment Term, the Executive shall be eligible to participate
in the Company’s annual bonus and other incentive
compensation plans and programs for the Company’s senior
executives at a level commensurate with the Executive’s
position. For each whole fiscal year (“Fiscal
Year”) that begins on or after January 1, 2007 and ends
not later than the expiration of the Employment Term, the Executive
shall be eligible to earn an annual cash bonus (the
“Bonus”) under the Company’s Annual Incentive
Bonus Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Bonus
Plan”), and, if appropriate, the Company’s 2004 Equity
Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Equity
Plan”), based upon the achievement by the Company and its
subsidiaries of performance goals under the Bonus Plan and under
the Equity Plan for each such Fiscal Year established by the
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the
“Compensation Committee”). The Compensation
Committee shall establish objective criteria to be used to
determine the extent to which such performance goals have been
satisfied. The range of the Bonus opportunity for each Fiscal
Year will be as determined by the Compensation Committee based upon
the extent to which such performance goals are achieved, provided
that the annual target Bonus opportunity shall be at least 200% of
the Executive’s Base Salary (for each such year, the
“Target Bonus”), the threshold Bonus for a Fiscal Year
shall be one-half the Target Bonus for such year and the maximum
Bonus payable pursuant to this Section 4 for any Fiscal Year
shall not exceed the amount that is 300% of the Executive’s
Base Salary for such year. The Bonus, if any, payable to the
Executive in respect of any Fiscal Year will be paid at the same
time that bonuses are paid to other executives of the Company, but
in any event within seventy-five (75) days after the conclusion of
such Fiscal Year. After the expiration of the Bonus Plan and
the Equity Plan, the Executive’s right to receive future
Bonus opportunities under such plan is subject to approval by the
stockholders of the Company of a similar successor plan under which
such opportunity may be granted. In addition to the Bonus,
the Executive shall retain the special bonus opportunity (the
“Licensing Bonus”) awarded by the Compensation
Committee to the Executive on September 27, 2005, as modified
by an action by written consent of the Compensation Committee dated
as of November 1, 2005, with respect to the performance of the
Company’s licensing segment. The Compensation Committee
may, in its sole discretion, award additional bonuses to the
Executive.
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5.
EQUITY BASED INCENTIVE
AWARDS .
(a)
EMPLOYMENT INDUCEMENT AWARD.
The Company shall grant the Executive under the Equity Plan as of
January 1, 2007 a Restricted Stock Award (“Restricted
Stock”) equal to 500,000 shares of the Company’s common
stock subject to the following terms and conditions:
(i)
If in any whole Fiscal Year
commencing on or after January 1, 2007 and during the
Employment Term, the Company shall record earnings per share
(“Earnings per Share”) growth of greater than the
Applicable Annual Target as compared to the immediately preceding
Fiscal Year, then 20% of the Restricted Stock shall become vested
as of the first business day following the issuance of the
Company’s financial statement for such year, provided the
Executive is then employed by the Company. If the Earnings
per Share growth requirement is not met for any such year, all of
the shares of the Restricted Stock eligible for vesting for that
year shall vest on the first business day following the issuance of
the Company’s financial statement for any subsequent Fiscal
Year during the Original Employment Term if the cumulative compound
average Earnings per Share growth after the 2006 Fiscal Year
through such subsequent Fiscal Year is more than the Applicable
Cumulative Target for such subsequent Fiscal Year. The
“Applicable Annual Target” for each of the first,
second and third whole Fiscal Years that commences on or after
January 1, 2007 is a growth in Earnings per Share of 15% or
more as compared to the immediately preceding Fiscal Year.
The “Applicable Cumulative Target” for each of the
first, second and third whole Fiscal Years that commences on or
after January 1, 2007 is a 15% rate of cumulative compound
average Earnings per Share growth. The “Applicable
Annual Target” and the “Applicable Cumulative
Target” for each of the fourth and fifth whole Fiscal Years
that commences on or after January 1, 2007 will be a rate of
Earnings per Share growth and cumulative compound average Earnings
per Share growth, respectively, determined by the Compensation
Committee of the Board in its sole discretion not later than the
end of the first quarter of such Fiscal Year.
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(ii)
For purposes of this Agreement,
Earnings per Share shall be equal to the basic earnings per share
calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States and as reported in the
Company’s financial statements as filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, except that certain adjustments may be
made for certain non-recurring or unusual non-cash items recognized
in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States including, but not limited to, any write-offs of
unamortized deferred financing costs and any asset impairment
write-downs, which the Committee determines in its sole discretion
to exclude for purposes of this Agreement.
(iii)
The Executive shall have the right
to vote the shares of the Restricted Stock, and shall have dividend
rights as to such shares, before any forfeiture of the shares of
the Restricted Stock and while such shares are restricted.
The number of shares credited to the Executive shall be subject to
adjustment in accordance with the provisions of the Equity Plan
(for example, in connection with the payment of a stock dividend by
the Company).
(iv)
The shares of the Restricted Stock
not yet vested or forfeited shall become 100% vested in the event
that the Executive dies or becomes Disabled (within the meaning of
Section 7(a)) or there is a Change in Control, in each case
while employed by the Company or an affiliate during the Employment
Term. For this purpose, the term “Change in
Control” is used as defined in the Equity Plan except that in
no event shall a “Change in Control” be triggered
pursuant to clause (A) of such term as so defined unless the
Acquiring Person becomes the Beneficial Owner of twenty percent
(20%) or more of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock or the
Combined Voting Power of the Company (except pursuant to an offer
for all outstanding shares of Common Stock at a price and upon such
terms and conditions as a majority of the Continuing Directors
determine to be in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders (other than an Acquiring Person on whose behalf the
offer is being made)) in one or more bona fide transactions and
such level of ownership of such Common Stock or Combined Voting
Power, as applicable, exceeds the aggregate level of ownership of
the Marcianos of such Common Stock or Combined Voting Power,
respectively. For purposes of the preceding sentence,
“Marcianos” means Maurice Marciano, Paul Marciano, and
any trust established in whole or in part for the benefit of one or
more of them or their family members, or any other entity
controlled by one or more of them, and any other capitalized term
used in such sentence is used as defined in the Equity Plan if not
otherwise defined in this Agreement. If the Executive
terminates his employment with the Company for “Good
Reason” (as defined in Section 7(e) of this
Agreement), or is terminated by the Company without
“Cause” (as defined in Section 7(c) of this
Agreement) or for Disability, the shares of the Restricted Stock
not yet vested or forfeited shall become 100% vested.
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(v)
In all events other than those
previously addressed in Section 5(a)(iv), if the Executive
ceases to be an employee of the Company or an affiliate, the
Executive shall be vested only as to that percentage of shares of
the Restricted Stock which are vested at the time of the
termination of his employment and the Executive shall forfeit the
right to the shares of the Restricted Stock which are not yet
vested on the termination date. Further, any Restricted Stock
which is unvested at the conclusion of the Original Employment Term
shall be forfeited and terminate. Unvested shares of the
Restricted Stock that are forfeited shall be immediately
transferred to the Company without any payment by the Company, and
the Company shall have the full right to cancel any evidence of the
Executive’s ownership of such forfeited shares.
(vi)
The Restricted Stock Award shall be
granted pursuant to and, to the extent not contrary to the terms of
this Agreement, shall be subject to all of the terms and conditions
imposed upon such awards granted under the Equity Plan.
(b)
PERFORMANCE SHARE
AWARDS . The
Company shall grant the Executive under the Equity Plan at the
completion of each whole Fiscal Year commencing on and after
January 1, 2007 and during the Employment Term shares of the
Company’s common stock (“Performance Shares”)
based upon the achievement by the Company and its subsidiaries of
performance goals under the Equity Plan for each such Fiscal Year
established by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation
Committee shall establish objective criteria to be used to
determine the extent to which such performance goals have been
satisfied. Performance Shares will be granted for each whole
Fiscal Year during the Employment Term at “target” and
“stretch” levels of 55% (i.e., $550,000 for 2007) and
82.5% (i.e., $825,000 for 2007) of the Executive’s Base
Salary for such Fiscal Year. Performance Shares granted in
any particular Fiscal Year will be subject to the standard vesting
schedule established by the Compensation Committee for Performance
Share grants in that year (the current vesting schedule is a 4-year
vesting schedule). After the expiration of the Equity Plan,
the Executive’s right to receive future grants of Performance
Shares is subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company of
a similar successor plan under which such awards may be
granted.
(c)
STOCK OPTION AWARDS
. The Company shall grant the
Executive under the Equity Plan at the completion of each whole
Fiscal Year commencing on or after January 1, 2007 and during
the Employment Term stock options to purchase the Company’s
common stock at an exercise price of not less than the fair market
value of such stock on the grant date (“Stock Options”)
based upon the achievement by the Company and its subsidiaries of
performance goals under the Equity Plan for each such Fiscal Year
established by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation
Committee shall establish objective criteria to be used to
determine the extent to which such performance goals have been
satisfied. Stock Options for each whole Fiscal Year during
the Employment Term will be granted at a grant-date Black-Scholes
value of 55% of the Executive’s Base Salary for such Fiscal
Year (i.e., $550,000 for 2007). Stock Options granted in any
particular Fiscal Year will be subject to the standard vesting
schedule established by the Compensation Committee for Stock Option
grants in that year (the current vesting schedule is a 4-year
vesting schedule). After the expiration of the Equity Plan,
the Executive’s right to receive future grants of Stock
Options is subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company
of a similar successor plan under which such awards may be
granted.
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(d)
DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
. In addition to the
Employment Inducement, Performance Share and Stock Option Awards
under Section 5(a), (b) and (c) above, at the sole
discretion of the Board or the Committee, the Executive shall be
eligible to participate throughout the Employment Term in such
long-term incentive plans and programs as may be in effect from
time to time in accordance with the Company’s compensation
practices and the terms and provisions of any such plans or
programs.
6.
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
.
(a)
BENEFIT PLANS
. The Executive shall be
entitled to participate in all employee benefit plans of the
Company including, but not limited to, equity, pension, thrift,
Section 401(k), profit sharing, medical coverage, education,
or other retirement (including without limitation supplemental
executive retirement plans) or welfare benefits that the Company
has adopted or may adopt, maintain or contribute to for the benefit
of its senior executives at a level commensurate with the
Executive’s positions subject to satisfying the applicable
eligibility requirements. The Executive shall at all times
during the Employment Term be entitled to participate in the
Guess?, Inc. Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, as in
effect on January 1, 2006, and any deferred compensation plan
which may be maintained by the Company from time to
time.
(b)
VACATION . The Executive shall be entitled to
accrue annual paid vacation in accordance with the Company’s
policy applicable to senior executives, but in no event less than
twenty business days per calendar year (as prorated for partial
years), which vacation may be taken at such times as the Executive
elects with due regard to the needs of the Company. The
Executive shall not be permitted to accrue more than a total of
twenty five (25) vacation days at any time. Once the
Executive reaches the maximum accrual, the Executive shall not
accrue any additional vacation days until a portion of the
Executive’s accrued vacation time is used.
(c)
AUTOMOBILE
. The Company shall continue
to provide the Executive with an automobile during the Employment
Term in a manner consistent with its past practice.
(d)
PERQUISITES
. The Company shall provide to
the Executive, at the Company’s cost, all perquisites which
other senior executives of the Company are generally entitled to
receive in accordance with Company policy as set by the Board from
time to time.
(e)
LIFETIME RETIREE MEDICAL
BENEFIT . The
Company shall provide the Executive and his eligible family members
with Post-Retirement Health Benefits at its expense commencing upon
expiration of the Employment Term for any reason other than a
termination for Cause, in which case the Company shall have no
obligation to provide Post-Retirement Health Benefits. The
term “Post-Retirement Health Benefits” means health
benefits (including medical, prescription, dental and vision
coverage, if and to the extent applicable) for the remainder of the
Executive’s life under the plans provided to the
Company’s executive officers and their eligible family
members, as in effect from time to time; provided that the
Post-Retirement Health Benefits may be made secondary to any other
benefits to which the Executive may be entitled under another
employer-provided plan or a governmental plan such as
Medicare.
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(f)
LIFE INSURANCE BENEFIT
. The Company will purchase,
and will pay the premiums for, life insurance coverage on the
Executive’s life with the Executive (or his assignee) as the
owner of the policy and with the right to designate the beneficiary
of the death benefit. The premiums paid on the policy shall
be imputed as income to the Executive. Such insurance
coverage shall be structured to comply with the requirements of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act and similar legal requirements. The
Executive’s rights pursuant to this
Section 6(f) shall be fully vested and non-forfeitable at
all times. The Company shall be obligated in all events to
pay all scheduled premium payments unless the Executive dies prior
to the end of the last scheduled premium payment. The
Executive’s rights to the policy and any premium payments by
the Company shall not be subject to attachment, garnishment,
alienation or other similar action by any person to the maximum
extent permitted by law. The Compensation Committee and the
Executive will negotiate the other terms and conditions of such
insurance coverage in good faith.
(g)
BUSINESS AND ENTERTAINMENT
EXPENSES . Upon
presentation of appropriate documentation, the Executive shall be
reimbursed in accordance with the Company’s expense
reimbursement policy for all reasonable and necessary business and
entertainment expenses incurred in connection with the performance
of the Executive’s duties hereunder.
(h)
CHANGE IN CONTROL
. In the event there is a
“Change in Control” (as such term is defined for
purposes of Section 5(a)(iv)), the Company shall establish a
“rabbi trust” for the benefit of the Executive and fund
it with cash or cash equivalents sufficient to fully pay when due
and payable all payments that potentially would be required to be
made under Section 8(d) hereof if the Executive were to
be terminated without Cause. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
in no event shall the Company establish or fund any such rabbi
trust in a manner or on terms that would result in the imposition
of any tax, penalty or interest under
Section 409A(b)(1) of the Code and in no event shall the
Company be obligated to, nor shall it, fund any such rabbi trust
“in connection with a change in the employer’s
financial heath” within the meaning of
Section 409A(b)(2) of the Code.
7.
TERMINATION
. The Executive’s
employment and the Employment Term shall terminate on the first of
the following to occur:
(a)
DISABILITY
. Upon written notice by the
Company to the Executive of termination due to Disability, while
the Executive remains Disabled. For purposes of this
Agreement, “Disabled” and “Disability”
shall (i) have the meaning defined under the Company’s
then-current long-term disability insurance plan, policy, program
or contract as entitles the Executive to payment of disability
benefits thereunder, or (ii) if there shall be no such plan,
policy, program or contract, mean permanent and total disability as
defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
(b)
DEATH . Automatically on the date of death of
the Executive.
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(c)
CAUSE . Immediately upon written notice by the
Company to the Executive of a termination for Cause.
“Cause” shall mean (i) the Executive’s
conviction or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or any crime
involving moral turpitude; (ii) a willful act of theft,
embezzlement or misappropriation from the Company; or (iii) a
determination by the Board that the Executive has willfully and
continuously failed to perform substantially the Executive’s
duties (other than any such failure resulting from the
Executive’s Disability or incapacity due to bodily injury or
physical or mental illness), after (A) a written demand for
substantial performance is delivered to the Executive by the Board
which specifically identifies the manner in which the Board
believes that the Executive has not substantially performed the
Executive’s duties and provides the Executive with the
opportunity to correct such failure if, and only if, such failure
is capable of cure; and (B) the Executive’s failure to
correct such failure which is capable of cure within 30 days of
receipt of the demand for performance. For the avoidance of
doubt, the parties expressly agree that only Cause pursuant to
Section 7(c)(iii) shall be deemed capable of cure.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Cause” shall not
include any act or omission that the Executive believes in good
faith to have been in or not opposed to the interest of the Company
(without intent of the Executive to gain therefrom, directly or
indirectly, a profit to which he was not legally entitled). The
Company may only terminate the Executive’s employment for
Cause if (A) a determination that Cause exists is made and
approved by three fourths of the independent directors of the
Company’s Board, (B) for a termination for Cause under
Section 7(c)(iii), the Executive is given at least five
(5) days’ written notice of the Board meeting called to
make such determination, and (C) for a termination for Cause
under Section 7(c)(iii), the Executive and his legal counsel are
given the opportunity to address such meeting. In the event
that the Board has so determined in good faith that Cause exists,
the Board shall have no obligation to terminate the
Executive’s employment if the Board determines in its sole
discretion that such a decision not to terminate the
Executive’s employment is in the best interest of the
Company.
(d)
WITHOUT CAUSE
. Upon written notice by the
Company to the Executive of an involuntary termination without
Cause and other than due to death or Disability prior to age
sixty-five (65).
(e)
GOOD REASON
. Upon written notice by the
Executive to the Company of termination for Good Reason unless the
reasons for any proposed termination for Good Reason are remedied
in all material respects by the Company within thirty (30) days
following written notification by the Executive to the
Company. “Good Reason” means the occurrence of
any one or more of the following events prior to age sixty-five
(65) unless the Executive specifically agrees in writing that such
event shall not be Good Reason:
(i)
Any material breach of this
Agreement by the Company, including:
(A)
the failure of the Company to pay
the compensation and benefits set forth in Sections 3 through 6 of
this Agreement;
(B)
any material adverse change in the
Executive’s status, position or responsibilities as Chief
Executive Officer of the Company;
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(C)
any failure to nominate or elect the
Executive as Chief Executive Officer of the Company or as member of
the Board;
(D)
causing or requiring the Executive
to report to anyone other than the Board or
(E)
assignment of duties materially
inconsistent with his position and duties described in this
Agreement,
(ii)
the failure of the Company to assign
this Agreement to a successor to all or substantially all of the
business or assets of the Company or failure of such a successor to
the Company to explicitly assume and agree to be bound by this
Agreement,
(iii)
requiring the Executive to be
principally based at any office or location outside of the Los
Angeles metropolitan area;
(iv)
purported termination of the
Executive’s employment for “Cause” in a bad faith
violation of the substantive and procedural requirements of
Section 7(c), or
(v)
a termination of employment by the
Executive for any reason or no reason during the 30-day period
commencing 6 months after a Change of Control.
(f)
RETIREMENT
. Upon thirty (30) days’
prior written notice by the Executive to the Company of the
Executive’s termination of employment without Good Reason
(which the Company may, in its sole discretion, make effective
ea