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PARTNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY LTD. 2004 SHARE OPTION PLAN

Option Agreement

PARTNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY LTD. 2004 SHARE OPTION PLAN | Document Parties: Partner Communications Company Ltd You are currently viewing:
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Partner Communications Company Ltd

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Title: PARTNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY LTD. 2004 SHARE OPTION PLAN
Date: 9/11/2008
Industry: Communications Services     Sector: Services

PARTNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY LTD. 2004 SHARE OPTION PLAN, Parties: partner communications company ltd
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Exhibit 4.5

PARTNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY LTD.
2004 SHARE OPTION PLAN

as adopted on 12 July 2004, amended on 26 March 2008 by the Board of Directors and
approved by the shareholders on 25 June 2008

1.

Purpose



 

This Partner Communications Company Ltd. 2004 Share Option Plan, as amended from time to time, (the “ Plan ”) is intended to promote the interests of Partner Communications Company Ltd. (the “ Company ”) and its shareholders by providing employees, directors and officers, and advisors of the Company with appropriate incentives and rewards to encourage them to enter into and continue in the employ of, or service to, the Company and to acquire a proprietary interest in the long-term success of the Company. The Plan is designed to enable employees, directors and officers of the Company to benefit from the provisions of Section 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance [New Version], 1961, as amended, and any regulations, rules, orders or procedures promulgated thereunder.



2.

Definitions



 

As used in the Plan, the following definitions shall apply to the terms indicated below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Affiliate"

means any "employing company" within the meaning of Section 102(a) of the Ordinance.

 

 

 

 

"Approved 102 Option"

means an Option granted pursuant to Section 102(b) of the Ordinance and held in trust by a Trustee for the benefit of the Participant.

 

 

 

 

"Capital Gain Option (CGO)"

means an Approved 102 Option elected and designated by the Company to qualify under the capital gain tax treatment in accordance with the provisions of Section 102(b)(2) of the Ordinance.

 

 

 

 

"Cashless Options"

shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8.6.

 

 

 

 

"Cause"

when used in connection with the termination of a Participant's employment or service by the Company, shall mean (a) the willful and continued failure by the Participant to perform his duties (including the duty of care and the fiduciary duty as set forth in the Companies Law) and obligations to the Company (other than any such failure resulting from Retirement or Disability, as hereinafter defined or any such failure approved by the Company, subject to applicable law) or (b) the willful engaging by the Participant in misconduct which is injurious to the Company, provided, however, that in relation to employees or officers of the Company, in each case the actions or omissions of the Participant are sufficient to deny the Participant severance payment under the Severance Payment Law, 1963.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Commencement Date"

with respect to the vesting schedule of an Option, shall be the Grant Date, unless another date for the commencement of the vesting schedule with respect to such Option has been set by the Committee and written in the Grant Instrument.

 

 

 

 

"Committee"

shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company, as set forth in Section 5 below.

 

 

 

 

"Companies Law"

shall mean the Israeli Companies Law, 1999, as may be amended from time to time.

 

 

 

 

"Company"

shall mean Partner Communications Company Ltd., a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel.

 

 

 

 

"Designated Beneficiary"

of a Participant, shall mean the beneficiary designated by such Participant or deemed as such Participant's Designated Beneficiary pursuant to Section 26 hereto, upon the death of the Participant.

 

 

 

 

"Disability"

shall mean any physical or mental condition, which is recognized as a disability pursuant to the employment practices adopted by the Company and prevents the Participant from continuing to work in his position or in a comparable one in the Company or prevents the Participant from continuing to provide services to the Company. Determination of a Disability shall be made in consultation with a physician selected by the Committee and shall be finally and conclusively determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion.

 

 

 

 

"Effective Date"

means 12 July 2004 the date on which the Board of Directors of the Company first approved the Plan.

 

 

 

 

"Employee"

means a person who is employed by the Company or its Affiliates, including an individual who is serving as a director or an office holder, all as defined in section 102.

 

 

 

 

"Exercise Period"

shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8.3 below.

 

 

 

 

"Grant Date"

of an Option means the date on which the Committee resolves to grant such Option, unless another date is specified by the Committee, provided that, if further approvals are required for the granting of an Option, the Grant Date shall mean the date that the last required approval for the grant of such Option shall have been obtained.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Grant Instrument"

shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.2 below.

 

 

 

 

"ITA"

means the Israeli Tax Authorities.

 

 

 

 

"Non-Employee"

means a person who is not an Employee of the Company or its Affiliates.

 

 

 

 

"Option"

shall mean an option to purchase one or more Ordinary Shares granted pursuant to this Plan.

 

 

 

 

"Option Exercise Price"

shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8.1 below.

 

 

 

 

"Ordinary Income Option (OIO)"

means an Approved 102 Option elected and designated by the Company to qualify under the ordinary income tax treatment in accordance with the provisions of Section 102(b)(1) of the Ordinance.

 

 

 

 

"102 Option"

means any Option granted to Employees pursuant to Section 102 of the Ordinance.

 

 

 

 

"3(i) Option"

means an Option granted pursuant to Section 3(i) of the Ordinance to any person who is a Non-Employee.

 

 

 

 

"Ordinary Shares"

shall mean ordinary shares of the Company, par value NIS 0.01 each.

 

 

 

 

"Participant"

shall mean an Employee or a Non-Employee to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan, and, upon his death or legal incapacity, his successors, heirs, executors and administrators, as the case may be.

 

 

 

 

"Plan"

shall mean this Partner Communications Company Ltd. 2004 Share Option Plan, as amended from time to time.

 

 

 

 

"Retirement"

shall mean the termination of a Participant's employment with or service to the Company as a result of his reaching the earlier of (a) the legal age for retirement and (b) the age for retirement identified in his employment or service agreement.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Section 3(i)"

means Section 3(i) of the Ordinance and any regulations, rules, orders or procedures promulgated thereunder as now in effect or as hereafter amended.

 

 

 

 

"Section 102"

means section 102 of the Ordinance and any regulations, rules, orders or procedures promulgated thereunder as now in effect or as hereafter amended.

 

 

 

 

"Section 102 Rules"

means the Income Tax Rules (Tax Relief for Issuance of Shares to Employees), 2003.

 

 

 

 

"Tax Ordinance" or "Ordinance"

shall mean the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance [New Version], 1961, as amended, and any regulations, rules, orders or procedures promulgated thereunder.

 

 

 

 

"Trustee"

means any individual appointed by the Company to serve as a trustee and approved by the ITA, all in accordance with the provisions of Section 102(a) of the Ordinance.

 

 

 

 

"Termination Date"

means close of business of the Company on the date which falls ten (10) years after the Effective Date.

 

 

 

 

"Unapproved 102 Option"

means an Option granted pursuant to Section 102(c) of the Ordinance and not held in trust by a Trustee.



3.

Shares Subject to the Plan



 

3.1.

Shares Available for Options .  On the Effective Date, the total number of authorized and unissued Ordinary Shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of all Options granted under the Plan was not to exceed 5,775,000 Ordinary Shares, which represented approximately 3.15% of the total issued share capital of the Company as at the Effective Date. Conditional upon applicable approvals having been obtained, the aforesaid limit shall be increased by 8,142,000 Ordinary Shares to not exceeding a total of 13,917,000 Ordinary Shares which represents approximately 8.84% of the total issued share capital of the Company as of 31 March 2008. The total number of Ordinary Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan shall be subject to adjustment as required for the implementation of the provisions of the Plan, in accordance with Section 3.2 below.  In the event an Option granted to any Participant expires or otherwise terminates hereunder, shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of such Option shall become available for issuance upon the exercise of any other Options which the Company may grant under the Plan.

 



 

3.2.

Adjustments . Upon the occurrence of any of the following events, a Participant’s rights under any Option granted hereunder shall be adjusted as hereinafter provided:



 

3.2.1.

In the event the Ordinary Shares shall be subdivided or combined into a greater or smaller number of shares or if, upon a merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization or similar event or transaction whilst any Option remains exercisable or this Plan remains in effect, the Ordinary Shares shall be exchanged for other securities of the Company or of another corporation, each Participant shall be entitled, upon exercising a vested Option and subject to the conditions herein stated, to be issued in respect of the Option, such number of Ordinary Shares or amount of other securities of the Company or such other corporation as were exchangeable for the number of Ordinary Shares which such Participant would have been entitled to purchase had such event or events not occurred, and appropriate adjustments shall be made in the exercise price per share to reflect such subdivision, combination or exchange, so that Participants are not materially better or worse off as a result of the relevant event and provided that any such adjustment shall give the Participant the same proportion of the issued share capital of the Company for which such Participant would have been entitled to subscribe had he exercised all the Options held by him immediately prior to such adjustment and that such adjustment shall be made on the basis that the aggregate exercise price per share payable by the Participant on the full exercise of any Option shall remain as nearly as possible the same (but not greater than) as it was before such event. No such adjustment shall be made the effect of which would be to enable an Ordinary Share to be issued at less than its nominal value.



 

3.2.2.

In the event the Company shall issue any of its shares or other securities as bonus shares upon or with respect to its Ordinary Shares, each Participant upon exercising such Option shall be issued by the Company (for the exercise price payable upon such exercise), the Ordinary Shares as to which he is exercising his Option and, in addition thereto (at no additional cost), such number of shares (rounded down to the nearest whole number) of the class or classes in which such bonus shares were distributed which he would have received if he had been the holder of the Ordinary Shares as to which he is exercising his Option at all times between the date of issuance of such Option on behalf of a Participant in the name of the Trustee and the date of its exercise.



 

3.2.3.

Upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing events, the class and aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to the Plan (as set forth in Section 3.1 hereof), in respect of which Options have not yet been granted, shall also be appropriately adjusted, to the extent necessary, to reflect the events specified in Subsections 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 above.

 



 

3.2.4.

If there has been any alteration in the capital structure of the Company as referred to in this Section 3.2, the Company shall, upon receipt of a Notice of Exercise (pursuant to Section 8.5 below) inform the Participant of such alteration and shall inform the Participant of the adjustment to be made.



 

3.2.5.

The Committee shall determine the specific adjustments to be made in accordance with this Section 3 and the rules and regulations of any stock exchange applicable from time to time to the Company, by reason of their applicability to its shareholders or otherwise. A determination made in accordance with this Section 3.2.5 shall be conclusive.



4.

Issuance Of Options



 

4.1.

The maximum number of Options which may be issued and allotted and which may be required to be issued and allotted upon the exercise of Options to each Participant under this Plan in any 12-month period shall not exceed 1% of the total issued share capital of the Company as measured at the Grant Date of Options or further Options to such Participant. The eligibility of any person shall be determined from time to time on the basis of his contribution to the development of the Company.



 

4.2.

The persons eligible for participation in the Plan as Participants shall include any Employees or Non-Employees of the Company or of any Affiliate; provided, however, that (i) Employees may only be granted 102 Options and (ii) Non-Employees may only be granted 3(i) Options.



 

4.3.

The Company may designate Options granted to Employees pursuant to Section 102 as Unapproved 102 Options or Approved 102 Options.



 

4.4.

The grant of Approved 102 Options shall be made under this Plan adopted by the Board, and shall be conditioned upon the approval of this Plan by the ITA.



 

4.5.

Approved 102 Options may either be classified as Capital Gain Options (“ CGOs ”) or Ordinary Income Options (“ OIOs ”).



 

4.6.

No Approved 102 Options may be granted under this Plan to any eligible Employee, unless and until, the Company’s election of the type of Approved 102 Options as CGO or OIO granted to Employees (the “ Election ”), is appropriately filed with the ITA. Such Election shall become effective beginning on the first Grant Date of an Approved 102 Option under this Plan and shall remain in effect at least until the end of the year following the year during which the Company first granted Approved 102 Options (under this Plan or previous plans). The Election shall obligate the Company to grant only the type of Approved 102 Option it has elected, and shall apply to all Participants who were granted Approved 102 Options during the period indicated herein, all in accordance with the provisions of Section 102(g) of the Ordinance. For the avoidance of doubt, such Election shall not prevent the Company from granting Unapproved 102 Options simultaneously.

 



 

4.7.

All Approved 102 Options must be held in trust by a Trustee, as described in Section 11 below.



 

4.8.

For the avoidance of doubt, the designation of Unapproved 102 Options and Approved 102 Options shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in Section 102.



5.

Administration of the Plan



 

5.1.

Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee, which has been appointed by and serves at the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company. The Board of Directors may from time to time remove members from, or add members to, the Committee, and may fill vacancies in the Committee however caused.



 

5.2.

Committee Actions. The Committee has selected one of its members as its Chairman and holds its meetings at such times and places, as it determines. Actions at a meeting of the Committee at which a majority of its members are present, or acts reduced to or approved in writing by all members of the Committee, are the valid acts of the Committee. The Committee keeps records of its meetings and makes such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business, as it deems advisable.



 

5.3.

Authority of Committee. The Committee has the authority, in its sole discretion, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors – if such approval is required under the Companies Law – and subject to any applicable law and regulations and not inconsistent with the express provisions of the Plan, to administer the Plan and to exercise all the powers and authorities either specifically granted to it under the Plan or necessary or advisable in the administration of the Plan including, without limitation, the authority in its discretion to determine the persons to whom Options are granted, the number of shares covered by each Option, the time or times at which Options are granted, the Commencement Date and the Option Exercise Price, and any other terms to be included in the Grant Instrument which are permitted by the Plan. The Committee also has the power and authority to determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances an Option may be settled, canceled, forfeited, exchanged, or surrendered; to construe and interpret the Plan and any Grant Instrument and Option; and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.



 

5.4.

Interpretation and Construction. The interpretation and construction by the Committee of any provision of the Plan or of any Grant Instrument or Option thereunder shall be final and conclusive, unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors of the Company.

 



 

5.5.

Acceleration and Other Amendments. Save and except for the occurrence of events specified in Section 6 below whereupon the Committee shall comply with the provisions therein, the Committee may, in its sole and absolute discretion, accelerate the date on which any Option granted under the Plan becomes exercisable, waive or amend the operation of Plan provisions respecting exercise after termination of employment or otherwise amend any of the terms of any Grant Instrument or Option, subject to the provisions of the Tax Ordinance, provided, however, that no such waiver or amendment shall adversely affect any Participant’s rights under any outstanding Grant Instrument or Option under the Plan without the consent of such Participant.



6.

Acceleration in the Event of a Change in Control; Winding Up



 

6.1.

Acceleration in the Event of Change in Control. In the event that within six months after a Change in Control of the Company a Participant’s employment with or service to the Company is terminated by or a Participant receives a notice of termination from the Company for any reason (other than termination for Cause), the Options granted to such Participant whether vested or not shall be automatically and immediately accelerated so that all such Options shall become vested and exercisable within thirty (30) days after the date of termination of employment or service.



 

All outstanding Options so vested in the manner as aforesaid which are not exercised within the thirty (30) days after the date of termination of employment or service shall terminate and cease to be outstanding upon the expiry of the aforesaid thirty-day period.



 

For the purpose of this Section 6.1, “Change in Control” shall mean:



 

(i)        the acquisition which results in holding, directly or indirectly, of (a) the power to control at least 50% of the Company’s share capital; or (b) the power (exercisable alone or together in concert with others) to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of the Company, whether through the ownership of Ordinary Shares, by law, contract or otherwise; or (c) the power (exercisable alone or together in concert with others) to elect or appoint at least 50% of the Board of Directors of the Company;



 

(ii)        a merger, consolidation or similar transaction (including an arrangement) of the Company following which the Company is not a surviving corporation;



 

(iii)        a merger, consolidation or similar transaction (including an arrangement) following which the holders of voting securities of that other company holding, in aggregate, 50% or more of all outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company (including a merged or successor company) resulting from such merger, consolidation or similar transaction; or



 

(iv)        the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the property of the Company, other than in the ordinary course of business of the Company or to its subsidiary;



 

Provided that any event or transaction contemplated in sub-paragraph (i), (ii) or (iii) shall not constitute a Change in Control for purposes of this Plan if following such event or transaction, 50% or more of voting securities of the Company remain held directly or indirectly by the ultimate shareholder prior to such event or transaction (the “UltimateShareholder ”) or any company or other person controlled directly or indirectly in any manner


 
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