Exhibit 10.12
AFFYMAX INC.
EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT
for
Steven Love
This Employment Agreement (“
Agreement ”) is entered into by and between
Steven Love (“ Executive ”) and Affymax
Inc., (the “ Company ”), effective as of
December 17, 2008 (the “ Effective Date
”).
WHEREAS , the Company retains the services of Executive
pursuant to that certain Executive Employment Agreement dated
July 21, 2007 (the “ Employment Agreement
”) and the Company and Executive hereby wish to amend and
restate the Employment Agreement in its entirety as provided
herein;
WHEREAS , the Company desires to continue to employ
Executive to provide personal services to the Company, and wishes
to continue to provide Executive with certain compensation and
benefits in return for his services; and
WHEREAS , Executive wishes to continue to be employed by
the Company and provide personal services to the Company in return
for certain compensation and benefits;
NOW, THEREFORE
, in consideration of the mutual
promises and covenants contained herein, it is hereby agreed by and
between the parties hereto as follows:
1.
EMPLOYMENT BY THE
COMPANY.
1.1
Position. Subject to terms set forth herein, the
Company agrees to continue to employ Executive in the position of
Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer and Executive
hereby continues to accept such employment which commenced
effective as of August 20, 2007 (the “ Employment
Date ”). During the term of his employment with
the Company, Executive will devote his best efforts and
substantially all of his business time and attention to the
business of the Company, except for vacation periods as set forth
herein and reasonable periods of illness or other incapacities
permitted by the Company’s general employment
policies.
1.2
Duties and Location.
Executive shall serve in an
executive capacity and shall perform such duties as are customarily
associated with his then current title, consistent with the Bylaws
of the Company and as required by the Company’s Board of
Directors (the “ Board ”).
Executive will report to the Chief Financial Officer and Executive
Vice President, Corporate Development. Executive’s
primary office location shall be the Company’s corporate
headquarters, currently located in Palo Alto, California. The
Company reserves the right to reasonably require Executive to
perform his duties at places other than its corporate headquarters
from time to time, and to require reasonable business
travel.
1
1.3
Policies and
Procedures. The
employment relationship between the parties shall also be governed
by the general employment policies and practices of the Company,
including those relating to protection of confidential information
and assignment of inventions, except that when the terms of this
Agreement differ from or are in conflict with the Company’s
general employment policies or practices, this Agreement shall
control.
2.
COMPENSATION.
2.1
Salary. As of the Effective Date, Executive shall
receive for services to be rendered hereunder an annualized base
salary of $242,400, payable on a semi-monthly basis, subject to
payroll withholding and deductions and payable in accordance with
the Company’s regular payroll schedule. Such salary
shall be reviewed annually and may be increased as approved by the
Board.
2.2
Bonus. As of the Effective Date, Executive will
be eligible to earn an annual bonus of up to thirty (30%) of base
salary as determined by the Board of Directors upon the
recommendations of its Compensation Committee and Chief Executive
Officer and provided that Executive remains employed by the Company
as of the date the bonus is calculated. As of the Effective
Date, fifty percent (50%) of the bonus amount will be based on the
Company’s performance in meeting its planned operating
objectives and fifty percent (50%) of the bonus amount will be
based on the Executive’s performance against expectations of
his position, as determined by the Company in its sole
discretion.
2.3
Standard Company
Benefits.
Executive shall be entitled to all rights and benefits for which he
is eligible under the terms and conditions of the standard Company
benefits and compensation practices which may be in effect from
time to time and provided by the Company to its employees
generally.
2.4
Equity Awards.
The Board will grant equity
awards to Executive in its sole discretion.
3.
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
OBLIGATIONS.
3.1
Agreement.
As a condition of employment,
Executive agrees to execute and abide by the Proprietary
Information and Inventions Agreement attached hereto as
Exhibit A.
3.2
Remedies. Executive’s duties under the
Employee Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement shall
survive termination of his employment with the Company.
Executive acknowledges that a remedy at law for any breach or
threatened breach by him of the provisions of the Proprietary
Information and Inventions Agreement would be inadequate, and he
therefore agrees that the Company shall be entitled to injunctive
relief in case of any such breach or threatened breach.
3.3
Third Party Agreements and
Information.
Executive represents and warrants that Executive’s employment
by the Company will not conflict with any prior employment or
consulting agreement or other agreement with any third party, and
that
2
Executive will perform his duties to the Company
without violating any such agreement. Executive represents
and warrants that Executive does not possess confidential
information arising out of prior employment, consulting, or other
third party relationships, which would be used in connection with
Executive’s employment by the Company, except as expressly
authorized by that third party. During Executive’s
employment by the Company, Executive will use in the performance of
Executive’s duties only information which is generally known
and used by persons with training and experience comparable to
Executive’s own, common knowledge in the industry, otherwise
legally in the public domain, or obtained or developed by the
Company or by Executive in the course of Executive’s work for
the Company.
4.
OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES DURING
EMPLOYMENT.
4.1
Non-Company
Business. Except
with the prior written consent of the Company’s Board of
Directors, Executive will not during the term of this Agreement
undertake or engage in any other employment, occupation or business
enterprise, other than ones in which Executive is a passive
investor, provided that Executive agrees not to become
engaged in any other business activity which, in the reasonable
judgment of the Board, is likely to interfere with
Executive’s ability to discharge his duties and
responsibilities to the Company. Executive may engage in
civic and not-for-profit activities so long as such activities do
not materially interfere with the performance of his duties
hereunder.
4.2
No Adverse Interests.
Except as permitted by
Section 4.3, Executive agrees not to acquire, assume or
participate in, directly or indirectly, any position, investment or
interest known by him to be adverse or antagonistic to the Company,
its business or prospects, financial or otherwise.
4.3
Noncompetition.
During the term of his
employment by the Company, except on behalf of the Company,
Executive will not directly or indirectly, whether as an officer,
director, stockholder, partner, proprietor, associate,
representative, consultant, or in any capacity whatsoever engage
in, become financially interested in, be employed by or have any
business connection with any other person, corporation, firm,
partnership or other entity whatsoever which were known by him to
compete directly with the Company, throughout the world, in any
line of business engaged in (or planned to be engaged in) by the
Company; provided, however, that anything above to the
contrary notwithstanding, he may own, as a passive investor,
securities of any competitor corporation, so long as his direct
holdings in any one such corporation shall not in the aggregate
constitute more than one percent (1%) of the voting stock of such
corporation.
3
5.
TERMINATION OF
EMPLOYMENT.
5.1
At-Will Relationship.
Executive’s employment
relationship is at-will. Either Executive or the Company may
terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without
cause or advance notice.
5.2
Termination Without
Cause.
(a)
The Company may terminate
Executive’s employment with the Company at any time without
Cause, upon notice to Executive.
(b)
In the event Executive’s
employment is terminated without Cause and such termination results
in a “separation from service” with the Company within
the meaning of Treasury Regulation
Section 1.409A-1(h) (without regard to any permissible
alternative definition thereunder), the Company shall provide
Executive the following severance benefits (the “
Severance Benefits ”): (i) a lump sum cash
severance payment equal to six (6) months of Executive’s
then current annual base salary, less applicable withholdings and
deductions; (ii) if Executive timely elects continued
Company-provided group health insurance coverage pursuant to
federal COBRA law, the Company will pay Executive’s COBRA
premiums sufficient to maintain his group health insurance coverage
in effect as of the date of the termination for twelve (12) months
following the termination, provided that the Company’s
obligation to continue to pay Executive’s COBRA premiums
hereunder will cease immediately upon Executive’s eligibility
for equivalent group health insurance coverage through a new
employer; (iii) Executive will have the ability to exercise
any vested stock option shares granted to Executive by the Company
until one (1) year following the date of the termination or
the expiration of the term of any such options, whichever occurs
earlier. As a condition precedent to Executive’s
receipt of the Severance Benefits, Executive must properly execute,
and not revoke or attempt to revoke, the Release described in
Section 6.
5.3
Termination for
Cause.
(a)
The Company may terminate
Executive’s employment with the Company at any time for
Cause, upon notice to Executive.
(b)
“Cause” for termination
shall mean: indictment or conviction of any felony or of any crime
involving dishonesty; participation in any fraud against the
Company; breach of Executive’s duties to the Company,
including persistent unsatisfactory performance of job duties;
intentional damage to any property of the Company; conduct by
Executive which in the good faith and reasonable determination of
the Board demonstrates gross unfitness to serve; incapacity to
perform the essential functions of Executive’s job for a
period of ninety (90) consecutive days; or death.
(c)
In the event Executive’s
employment is terminated at any time with Cause, he shall be
entitled to receive his base salary, and his accrued but unused
paid time off earned through the date of termination; Executive
will not be entitled to severance pay, pay in lieu of notice or any
other such compensation, except as may be
4
provided in the Company’s severance
benefit plan, if any, in effect on the termination date, or except
as required by law.
5.4
Termination for Good
Reason.
(a)
Executive may voluntarily terminate
his employment for “Good Reason” by notifying the
Company in writing that Executive believes that an event described
in this Section 5.4(a) has occurred (the “
Constructive Termination Notice ”), within ten
(10) days after the initial occurrence of one of the following
events; provided, however , that Executive shall not have
“Good Reason” to terminate employment unless the
Company does not cure the event described in this
Section 5.4(a) within thirty (30) days following
rec