BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC. 2021 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN
PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT
BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby grants to the Participant named below an award (the “Award”) of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (“PSUs”), payable in shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Shares”). The terms and conditions of the Award are set forth in this Award Agreement (the “Agreement”) and the Blade Air Mobility, Inc. 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan, which is attached hereto as Exhibit A (as amended and in effect from time to time, the “Plan”).
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Date of Grant |
[DATE] |
Participant’s Name [NAME] | |
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Number of PSUs | [X] | | |
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| Performance Period | The period commencing on the first day of the Company’s 2024 fiscal year and ending on the last day of the Company’s 2027 fiscal year will be referred to as the “Performance Period”. |
Vesting of PSUs |
Subject to the (i) terms of the Plan, (ii) the forfeiture, cancellation, and rescission provisions of this Agreement and (iii) Participant complying with all Company policies, the Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement by and between the Participant and the Company and all other agreements with the Company, the PSUs become vested only if and to the extent the specified performance criteria established by the Committee for the Performance Period are achieved (as further described in Appendix A of this Agreement and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein). Except as is otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, the vesting of PSUs is subject to the Participant’s continued employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries on the applicable Determination Date (as defined in Appendix A to this Agreement). Each applicable Determination Date and any earlier date on which vesting may occur under this Agreement is hereafter referred to as a “Vesting Date”.
Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or this Agreement, any portion of this Award that is not vested on the date of Participant’s Termination shall be forfeited. Unless the Company or Committee provides otherwise in writing, the Participant shall not receive vesting credit for any period after the Participant provides notice of resignation. |
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Payment Date |
With respect to each PSU that vests in accordance with this Agreement and the Plan, the Participant will be entitled to receive one Share in the calendar year in which the applicable Vesting Date occurs. |
The provisions of the Plan are incorporated herein by reference. All capitalized terms that are not defined in this Agreement have the meanings set forth in the Plan. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, in case of any conflict between this Agreement and the Plan, the terms of the Plan shall control.
Please (i) review the rest of this Agreement, the Plan document, and (ii) execute this Agreement.
By executing this Agreement, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement (including the terms under “Forfeiture of Award” and “Cancellation and Rescission”).
BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC. PARTICIPANT
_____________________________
Name: Name:
Title: Date:
BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC. 2021 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN
PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT
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The following additional terms and conditions supplement the terms of the Plan and govern this Award of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units: | |
| Amount of PSU Payment | The vested PSUs shall be settled in Shares at the time set forth in the cover page, with each vested PSU (before withholding) equal to one Share. | | | |
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Tax Withholding |
The Award is subject to withholding for taxes at the time and in the amount determined by the Company and/or Service Recipient. Regardless of the amount withheld or reported, the Participant acknowledges that the Participant is responsible for all taxes in respect of the Award (other than the employer’s share of employment taxes) and such taxes may exceed the amount withheld, if any. None of the Company, the Service Recipient, or any of their Affiliates or Subsidiaries: (a) make any representations or undertakings regarding taxes in respect of the Award, including the grant of the Award, the vesting or settlement of the Award, the subsequent sale of any Shares acquired pursuant to the Award and the receipt of any dividends or dividend equivalents; or (b) commit to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Award to reduce or eliminate the Participant’s liability for taxes.
The number of Shares delivered upon settlement will be reduced to cover withholding. The reduction will be based on the fair market value of the Shares when withholding is due.
If the Participant relocates to another jurisdiction, the Participant is responsible for notifying the Company of such relocation and is responsible for compliance with all applicable tax requirements. If the Participant is subject to taxation in more than one jurisdiction, the Participant acknowledges that the Company or the Service Recipient may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction. By accepting this Award, the Participant expressly consents to withholding in multiple jurisdictions, in the amounts and in the manner as the Company determines to be required by Applicable Law and the Plan. | | | |
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| Effect of Termination | If, prior to the end of the Performance Period, and subject to clause (ii) below under the heading “Change in Control”, the Participant’s employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries is terminated: (i) for any reason other than due to the Participant’s death or Disability, all then unvested PSUs shall be forfeited by the Participant to the Company without consideration as of the date of such termination of employment, and this Agreement shall terminate without payment in respect thereof; provided, that, if the Participant’s employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries is terminated after the end of a period in which a Performance Target is achieved but before the Determination Date for such Performance Target for any reason other than by the Company for Cause or voluntarily by the Participant without Good Reason, the PSUs that are eligible to vest for such Performance Target shall remain outstanding following such termination of employment and shall vest or be forfeited on the Determination Date based on the extent to which the performance criteria applicable to such Performance Target are achieved; or (ii) due to the Participant’s death or Disability, all then unvested PSUs shall be forfeited by the Participant to the Company without consideration as of the date of such termination of employment, and this Agreement shall terminate without payment in respect thereof; provided, that, the PSUs that are eligible to vest for the fiscal quarter that is in effect on the date of such termination and any prior period in which a Performance Target is achieved with respect to which the Determination Date has not occurred as of the date of such termination shall remain outstanding following such termination of employment and shall vest or be forfeited on the applicable Determination Date based on the extent to which the performance criteria applicable to such Performance Target are achieved. | | |
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| Change in Control | If a Change in Control occurs during the Performance Period: (i) and the PSUs are not assumed, continued, or restricted securities of equivalent value are not substituted for the PSUs by the Company or its successor in accordance with Section 10 of the Plan and the Participant is employed with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries on the effective date of the Change in Control, then on the effective date of the Change in Control the Participant shall become vested in one hundred percent (100%) of the then unvested PSUs;
(ii) and the PSUs are assumed, continued or substituted by the Company or its successor in accordance with Section 10 of the Plan and the Participant’s employment by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or any successors thereto) is involuntarily terminated by the Company and its Subsidiaries without Cause, terminated by the Participant for Good Reason, or terminates due to the Participant’s death or Permanent Disability, then the Participant shall become vested in one hundred percent (100%) of the then unvested PSUs upon the date of such termination of employment.
“Good Reason” shall mean the Participant’s resignation within thirty (30) days following the expiration of any Service Recipient cure period (discussed below) following the occurrence of one or more of the following, without the Participant’s express written consent: (i) a material reduction of the Participant’s duties, or responsibilities, provided, that a change in job position (including a change in title) shall not be deemed a “material reduction” in and of itself unless the Participant’s new duties are materially reduced from the Participant’s prior duties; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary (for clarity, a reduction by ten percent (10%) or more will be considered a material reduction); provided, that an across the board base salary reduction to all senior executives of the Company will not be grounds for Good Reason; or (iii) a material change in the geographic location of the Participant’s primary work facility or location; provided, that a relocation of less than thirty (30) miles from the Participant’s then present location will not be considered a material change in geographic location. The Participant will not resign for Good Reason without first providing the Service Recipient with written notice of the acts or omissions constituting the grounds for Good Reason within ninety (90) days of the initial existence of the grounds for Good Reason and a cure period of not less than thirty (30) days following the date of such notice. | | | |
Dividend Equivalents | The Participant shall be entitled to accrue dividend equivalents with respect to the Shares underlying the PSUs. For each Share, the Participant shall accrue a right to receive cash or share dividends for which the record date is after the Date of Grant and before the Award is settled. Such amounts shall be subject to the same forfeiture and vesting conditions as the underlying Shares, and shall be paid (if at all) at the same time as the PSUs are settled, applying the same vesting percentage as applies for the Shares. | | | |
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Cancellation and Rescission for Detrimental Activity |
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may cancel, rescind, suspend, withhold, modify, amend or otherwise limit or restrict this Award (whether vested or not vested) at any time if the Participant is not in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Agreement and the Plan, or if the Participant engages in any Detrimental Activity (as the term is defined in the Plan). The Participant further acknowledges and agrees that, if the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, whether during the Participant’s employment or service with the Service Recipient or following Termination, the Committee may, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, provide for the cancellation of any or all of the Participant’s outstanding Awards and/or forfeiture by the Participant of any gains realized on the vesting or settlement of the Award, and repayment of any such gain promptly to the Company.
The Participant agrees that the cancellation, rescission and recoupment provisions of this Agreement are reasonable and agrees not to challenge the reasonableness of such provisions, even where forfeiture of this Agreement and/or recoupment of any gain hereunder is the penalty for violation; provided that the Participant may challenge the reasonableness of any forfeiture and/or recoupment that occurs after a Change in Control. | | | |
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No Employment Rights |
The grant of the Award shall not be interpreted to form an employment contract between the Participant and the Company and/or the Service Recipient. | | | |
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Discretionary Nature of Award |
The Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, canceled or terminated by the Company, in its sole discretion, at any time. The grant of this Award under the Plan is a one-time benefit and does not create any contractual or other right to receive a grant of PSUs or any other forms of Awards permitted under the Plan or other benefits in lieu thereof in the future. Future grants, if any (and the terms thereof), will be at the sole discretion of the Company. Any amendment, modification or termination of the Plan shall not constitute a change or impairment of the terms and conditions of the Participant’s employment or service with the Service Recipient. | | | |
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Extraordinary Benefit |
The Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary. The value of this Award and any other Awards granted under the Plan is an extraordinary item of compensation outside the scope of the Participant’s employment (and the Participant’s employment contract, if any). Any grant under the Plan, including the grant of the Award, is not part of the Participant’s normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, resignation, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, holiday pay, pension, or retirement benefits or similar payments. | | | |
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Value of Benefit |
The future value of the Award is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty. The Company shall not be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation, where applicable, between the Participant’s local currency and the United States dollar or any other event that may affect the value of the Award or of any amounts due to the Participant pursuant to the settlement of the Award or the subsequent sale of any Shares acquired upon settlement. | | | |
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No Public Offering |
The grant of this Award is not intended to be a public offering of securities. No employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is permitted to advise the Participant on whether the Participant should acquire Shares under the Plan and provide the Participant with any legal, tax or financial advice with respect to the grant of this Award. The acquisition of Shares involves certain risks, and the Participant should carefully consider all risk factors and tax considerations relevant to the acquisition and disposition of Shares under the Plan. Further, the Participant should carefully review all of the materials related to this Award and the Plan, and the Participant should consult with the Participant’s personal legal, tax and financial advisers for professional advice in relation to the Participant’s personal circumstances. | | | |
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Insider Trading Laws |
By participating in the Plan, the Participant expressly agrees to comply with the Company’s insider trading policies and all Applicable Laws related to insider trading and fair dealing. Any restriction under Applicable Law is separate from and in addition to the restrictions imposed under Company policies. The Participant expressly acknowledges and agrees that it is the Participant’s responsibility to comply with any applicable restrictions, and the Participant should consult the Participant’s personal adviser for additional information on any trading restrictions that may apply to the Participant. | | | |
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Recoupment |
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that this Award, any Shares acquired pursuant thereto and/or any amount received with respect to any sale of such Shares are subject to potential cancellation, recoupment, rescission, payback or other action in accordance with the terms of any recoupment policy that the Company, the Service Recipient, or any of their Subsidiaries or Affiliates may establish or adopt (“Recoupment Policy”), in each case as in effect and amended from time to time. The Participant agrees and consents to the Company’s application, implementation and enforcement of (a) the Recoupment Policy, and (b) any provision of Applicable Law relating to cancellation, recoupment, rescission or payback of compensation and expressly agrees that the Company may take such actions as are necessary to effectuate the Recoupment Policy (as applicable to the Participant) or Applicable Law without further consent or action being required by the Participant. For purposes of the foregoing, the Participant expressly and explicitly authorizes the Company to issue instructions, on the Participant’s behalf, to any brokerage firm and/or third party administrator engaged by the Company to hold the Participant’s Shares and other amounts acquired under the Plan to re-convey, transfer or otherwise return such Shares and/or other amounts to the Company. To the extent that the terms of this Agreement and the Recoupment Policy conflict, the terms of the Recoupment Policy shall prevail. The provisions of this paragraph are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any provisions of this Agreement and/or the Plan relating to forfeiture and recoupment resulting from the Participant engaging in Detrimental Activity. | | | |
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Electronic Delivery |
The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to the Award or other awards granted to the Participant under the Plan by electronic means. The Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through an on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company. | | | |
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| Data Privacy | The Company is located at New York, New York, United States of America and grants Awards under the Plan to employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates in its sole discretion. In conjunction with the Company’s grant of the Awards under the Plan and its ongoing administration of such Awards, the Company is providing the following information about its data collection, processing and transfer practices. In accepting the grant of this Award, the Participant expressly and explicitly consents to the personal data activities as described herein.
(a)Data Collection, Processing and Usage. The Company collects, processes and uses the Participant’s personal data, including the Participant’s name, home address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, citizenship, job title, any Shares or directorships held in the Company, and details of all Awards or any other equity compensation awards granted, canceled, exercised, vested, or outstanding in the Participant’s favor, which the Company receives from the Participant or the Service Recipient. In granting the Awards under the Plan, the Company will collect the Participant’s personal data for purposes of allocating Shares in settlement of the Awards and implementing, administering and managing the Plan. The Company’s legal basis for the collection, processing and usage of the Participant’s personal data is the Participant’s consent.
(b)Stock Plan Administration Service Provider. The Company may transfer the Participant’s personal data to an independent service provider in the United States of America to assist the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan (the “Stock Plan Administrator”). The Stock Plan Administrator will open an account for the Participant to receive and trade Shares acquired under the Plan. The Participant will be asked to agree on separate terms and data processing practices with the Stock Plan Administrator, which is a condition to the Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan.
(c)Voluntariness and Consequences of Consent Denial or Withdrawal. The Participant’s participation in the Plan and the Participant’s grant of consent is purely voluntary. The Participant may deny or withdraw the Participant’s consent at any time. If the Participant does not consent, or if the Participant later withdraws the Participant’s consent, the Participant may be unable to participate in the Plan. This would not affect the Participant’s existing employment or salary; instead, the Participant merely may forfeit the opportunities associated with the Plan. | | | |
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Successors and Assigns |
The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein, this Agreement will be binding upon the Participant and the Participant’s beneficiaries, executors and administrators. | | | |
Additional Requirements |
The Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on the Award, any Shares acquired pursuant to the Award and the Participant’s participation in the Plan to the extent the Company determines, in its sole discretion, that such other requirements are necessary or advisable in order to comply with local law or to facilitate the operation and administration of the Award and the Plan. Such requirements may include (but are not limited to) requiring the Participant to sign any agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing. | | | |
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| Severability | The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Plan or this Agreement will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, and each provision of the Plan and this Agreement will be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law. | | | |
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Interpretation and Construction |
This Agreement and the Plan shall be construed and interpreted by the Committee, in its sole discretion. Any interpretation or other determination by the Committee (including, but not limited to, correction of any defect or omission and reconciliation of any inconsistency in the Agreement or the Plan) shall be binding and conclusive.
All determinations regarding enforcement, waiver or modification of the cancellation and rescission and other provisions of this Agreement (including the provisions relating to Termination) shall be made in the Committee’s sole discretion. Determinations made under this Agreement and the Plan need not be uniform and may be made selectively among individuals, whether or not such individuals are similarly situated. | | | |
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Section 409A of the Code |
Although the Company does not guarantee the particular tax treatment of the PSUs granted under this Agreement, the grant of PSUs under this Agreement is intended to comply with, or be exempt from, the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and this Agreement shall be limited, construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent. In no event whatsoever shall the Company or any of its affiliates be liable for any additional tax, interest or penalties that may be imposed on the Participant by Section 409A of the Code or any damages for failing to comply with Section 409A of the Code. To the extent any payment made under this Agreement constitutes “non-qualified deferred compensation” pursuant to Section 409A of the Code, the provisions of Section 12(t) of the Plan shall apply. | |
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Entire Understanding |
This Agreement and the terms of the Plan constitute the entire understanding between the Participant and the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates regarding this Award. Any prior agreements, commitments, or negotiations concerning this Award are superseded. | | | |
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Participant’s Acknowledgement and Agreement |
By accepting the grant of the Award, the Participant acknowledges that the Participant has read this Agreement and the Plan and the Participant specifically accepts and agrees to the provisions therein. | | | |
APPENDIX A
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
1.Number of PSUs Eligible to Vest for each Performance Target. The applicable percentage of the PSUs subject to the Agreement that are eligible to vest with respect to the achievement of each Performance Target are set forth below. Any PSUs eligible to vest with respect to a Performance Target that are determined to have not vested because the applicable level of performance was not achieved shall be automatically forfeited upon the determination of the Committee following the Performance Period without the payment of any consideration to the Participant.
2.Performance Targets. The specified performance criteria set forth in the table below, as interpreted in accordance with this Appendix A, will be referred to as the “Performance Targets”.
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Performance Target | Percentage of PSUs to vest upon achievement |
>$0M in Adjusted EBITDA in trailing four fiscal quarters | 20% |
>$5M in Adjusted EBITDA in trailing four fiscal quarters | 12.5% |
>$10M in Adjusted EBITDA in trailing four fiscal quarters | 12.5% |
>$15M in Adjusted EBITDA in trailing four fiscal quarters | 12.5% |
>$20M in Adjusted EBITDA in trailing four fiscal quarters | 12.5% |
>$5M in Free Cash Flow in trailing four fiscal quarters | 15% |
Commercial Deployment of Electric Vertical Aircraft in the Company’s Business | 15% |
Each Performance Target related to Adjusted EBITDA or Free Cash Flow will be measured against the Company’s trailing four fiscal quarters commencing with the first fiscal quarter ending during the Performance Period. The Performance Targets are measured independently of each other, such that the achievement of one Performance Target following a given fiscal quarter will have no impact on the number of PSUs that will vest if another Performance Target is achieved following that same fiscal quarter.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, solely with respect to the Performance Target titled “Commercial Deployment of Electric Vertical Aircraft in the Company’s Business,” if, by the end of the Company’s 2026 fiscal year, electric vertical aircraft (“EVA”) is either (i) not certified for commercial use by the Federal Aviation Administration or (ii) there are no manufacturers of EVA that are willing to sell such EVA to the Company or its aircraft operators on commercially reasonable terms (both as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion), the PSUs that are eligible to vest based on the achievement of such Performance Target will be evenly distributed across any other Performance Targets that have not yet been achieved by the end of the Company’s 2026 fiscal year.
The Committee reserves the right to adjust the established Performance Targets for the impact of unusual and nonrecurring significant events, including, but not limited to new business investment, business continuity disruptions, restructuring initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, financing, litigation, regulatory matters, accounting changes and currency or interest rate fluctuation in its discretion in a manner as reasonably determined by the Committee to preserve the original economic intent of the Performance Targets without diluting or enlarging the Participants’ rights thereunder.
or purposes of this Appendix A, “Adjusted EBITDA” means the Company’s earnings (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, subject to certain other adjustments made with respect to non-cash, extraordinary, unusual or infrequently occurring events, as reported in the earnings release included in the Company’s Form 8-K for the applicable fiscal quarter.
“Free Cash Flow” means the Company’s Operating Cash Flow less Capital Expenditures, and depreciation related to aircraft and vehicles, but excluding any Capital Expenditures related to the same.
3.Determination of Level of Achievement of Performance Targets. Following the end of each fiscal quarter during the Performance Period, the Committee will determine the level at which the Performance Targets have been achieved, and shall calculate the corresponding number of PSUs that will vest with respect to each Performance Target in accordance with chart set forth above. Such determination shall occur as soon as practicable following preparation of the Company’s financial statements related to the applicable fiscal quarter, and the Committee shall approve in writing the extent to which the Performance Targets have been achieved and the corresponding number of PSUs vesting based on the level of achievement of each Performance Target (the date of such approval with respect to the applicable fiscal quarter, the “Determination Date”). All determinations with respect to whether and to the extent to which the Performance Targets have been achieved (including calculation of the corresponding number of PSUs that will vest, if any, with respect to that level of achievement) shall be made by the Committee in its sole discretion.
EXHIBIT A
BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC.
2021 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN
1.Purpose. The purpose of this Blade Air Mobility, Inc. 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan is to provide a means through which the Company and the other members of the Company Group may attract and retain key personnel, and to provide a means whereby directors, officers, employees, consultants, and advisors of the Company and the other members of the Company Group can acquire and maintain an equity interest in the Company, or be paid incentive compensation, including incentive compensation measured by reference to the value of Common Stock, thereby strengthening their commitment to the welfare of the Company Group and aligning their interests with those of the Company’s stockholders.
2.Definitions. The following definitions shall be applicable throughout the Plan.
(a)“Absolute Share Limit” has the meaning given to such term in Section 5(b) of the Plan.
(b)“Adjustment Event” has the meaning given to such term in Section 10(a) of the Plan.
(c)“Affiliate” means any Person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the Company. The term “control” (including, with correlative meaning, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as applied to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting or other securities, appointing a majority of the board of directors, by contract, or otherwise.
(d)“Applicable Law” means each law, rule, regulation and requirement, applicable to the Company including, but not limited to, each applicable U.S. federal, state or local law, any rule or regulation of the applicable securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which the securities of the Company may be listed or quoted and each applicable law, rule or regulation of any other country or jurisdiction where Awards are granted under the Plan or Participants reside or provide services, as each such laws, rules and regulations shall be in effect from time to time.
(e)“Award” means, individually or collectively, any Incentive Stock Option, Nonqualified Stock Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit, Other Equity-Based Award, and Other Cash-Based Award granted under the Plan.
(f)“Award Agreement” means the document or documents by which each Award (other than an Other Cash-Based Award) is evidenced, which may be in written or electronic form.
(g)“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(h)“Cause” means, as to any Participant, unless the applicable Award Agreement states otherwise, (i) “Cause”, as defined in any employment, severance, consulting or other similar agreement between the Participant and the Service Recipient in effect at the time of such Termination, or (ii) in the absence of any such employment, severance, consulting or other similar agreement (or the absence of any definition of “Cause” contained therein), the Participant’s (A) willful neglect in the performance of the Participant’s duties for the Service Recipient or willful or repeated failure or refusal to perform such duties; (B) engagement in
conduct in connection with the Participant’s employment or service with the Service Recipient, which results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, material harm to the business or reputation of the Service Recipient or any other member of the Company Group; (C) conviction of, or plea of guilty or no contest to (I) any felony or (II) any other crime that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, material harm to the business or reputation of the Service Recipient or any other member of the Company Group; (D) material violation of the written policies of the Service Recipient, including, but not limited to, those relating to sexual harassment or the disclosure or misuse of confidential information, or those set forth in the manuals or statements of policy of the Service Recipient; (E) fraud or misappropriation, embezzlement, or misuse of funds or property belonging to the Service Recipient or any other member of the Company Group; or (F) act of personal dishonesty that involves personal profit in connection with the Participant’s employment or service to the Service Recipient; provided, in any case, that a Participant’s resignation after an event that would be grounds for a Termination for Cause will be treated as a Termination for Cause hereunder.
(i)“Change in Control” means:
(i)the acquisition (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation, combination, or other similar transaction) by any Person of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of more than 50% (on a fully diluted basis) of either (A) the then-outstanding shares of Common Stock, taking into account as outstanding for this purpose such shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options or warrants, the conversion of convertible stock or debt and the exercise of any similar right to acquire such shares of Common Stock; or (B) the combined voting power of the then-outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; provided, however, that for purposes of the Plan, the following acquisitions shall not constitute a Change in Control: (I) any acquisition by (x) the Company or any Affiliate or (y) any Person or group of Persons, in each case, that includes Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. and/or investment funds affiliated with KSL Capital Partners, LLC, unless otherwise determined by the Board; (II) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan sponsored or maintained by the Company or any Affiliate; or (III) in respect of an Award held by a particular Participant, any acquisition by the Participant or any group of Persons including the Participant (or any entity controlled by the Participant or any group of Persons including the Participant);
(ii)during any period of 12 months, individuals who, at the beginning of such period, constitute the Board (the “Incumbent Directors”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, that any Person becoming a director subsequent to the Effective Date, whose election or nomination for election was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Incumbent Directors then on the Board (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such Person is named as a nominee for director, without written objection to such nomination) shall be an Incumbent Director; provided, however, that no individual initially elected or nominated as a director of the Company as a result of an actual or threatened election contest, as such terms are used in Rule 14a-12 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act, with respect to directors or 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 shall be deemed to be an Incumbent Director; or
(iii)the sale, transfer, or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group (taken as a whole) to any Person that is not an Affiliate of the Company.
(j)“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor thereto. Reference in the Plan to any section of the Code shall be deemed to include any regulations or other interpretative guidance under such section, and any amendments or successor provisions to such section, regulations, or guidance.
(k)“Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board or any properly delegated subcommittee thereof or, if no such Compensation Committee or subcommittee thereof exists, the Board.
(l)“Common Stock” means the Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (and any stock or other securities into which such Common Stock may be converted or into which it may be exchanged).
(m)“Company” means Blade Air Mobility, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor thereto.
(n)“Company Group” means, collectively, the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates.
(o)“Date of Grant” means the date on which the granting of an Award is authorized, or such other date as may be specified in such authorization.
(p)“Designated Foreign Subsidiaries” means all members of the Company Group that are organized under the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United States of America that may be designated by the Board or the Committee from time to time.
(q)“Detrimental Activity” means any of the following: (i) unauthorized disclosure or use of any confidential or proprietary information of any member of the Company Group; (ii) any activity that would be grounds to terminate the Participant’s employment or service with the Service Recipient for Cause; (iii) a breach by the Participant of any restrictive covenant by which such Participant is bound, including, without limitation, any covenant not to compete or not to solicit, in any agreement with any member of the Company Group; or (iv) fraud or conduct contributing to any financial restatements or irregularities, in each case, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
(r)“Disability” means, as to any Participant, unless the applicable Award Agreement states otherwise, (i) “Disability”, as defined in any employment, severance, consulting or other similar agreement between the Participant and the Service Recipient in effect at the time of such Termination; or (ii) in the absence of any such employment, severance, consulting or other similar agreement (or the absence of any definition of “Disability” contained therein), a condition entitling the Participant to receive benefits under a long-term disability plan of the Service Recipient or other member of the Company Group in which such Participant is eligible to participate, or, in the absence of such a plan, the complete and permanent inability of the Participant by reason of illness or accident to perform the duties of the position at which the Participant was employed or served when such disability commenced. Any determination of whether Disability exists in the absence of a long-term disability plan shall be made by the Company (or its designee) in its sole and absolute discretion.
(s)“Effective Date” means May 7, 2021.
(t)“Eligible Person” means any: (i) individual employed by any member of the Company Group; provided, however, that no such employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement shall be an Eligible Person unless and to the extent that such eligibility is set forth in such collective bargaining agreement or in an agreement or instrument relating thereto;
(ii) director or officer of any member of the Company Group; or (iii) consultant or advisor to any member of the Company Group who may be offered securities registrable pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act, who, in the case of each of clauses (i) through (iii) above, has entered into an Award Agreement or who has received written notification from the Committee or its designee that they have been selected to participate in the Plan.
(u)“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any successor thereto. Reference in the Plan to any section of (or rule promulgated under) the Exchange Act shall be deemed to include any rules, regulations, or other interpretative guidance under such section or rule, and any amendments or successor provisions to such section, rules, regulations, or guidance.
(v)“Exercise Price” has the meaning given to such term in Section 6(b) of the Plan.
(w)“Fair Market Value” means, on a given date: (i) if the Common Stock is listed on a national securities exchange, the closing sales price of the Common Stock reported on the primary exchange on which the Common Stock is listed and traded on such date, or, if there are no such sales on that date, then on the last preceding date on which such sales were reported; (ii) if the Common Stock is not listed on any national securities exchange but is quoted in an inter-dealer quotation system on a last-sale basis, the average between the closing bid price and ask price reported on such date, or, if there is no such sale on that date, then on the last preceding date on which a sale was reported; or (iii) if the Common Stock is not listed on a national securities exchange or quoted in an inter-dealer quotation system on a last-sale basis, the amount determined by the Committee in good faith to be the fair market value of the Common Stock; provided, however, as to any Awards granted on or with a Date of Grant of the Effective Date, “Fair Market Value” shall be equal to the closing sales price on the Nasdaq Capital Market of a share of Common Stock on the last preceding date on which sales were reported prior to the Effective Date.
(x)“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles.
(y)“Immediate Family Members” has the meaning given to such term in Section 12(b) of the Plan.
(z)“Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that is designated by the Committee as an incentive stock option as described in Section 422 of the Code and otherwise meets the requirements set forth in the Plan.
(aa)“Indemnifiable Person” has the meaning given to such term in Section 4(e) of the Plan.
(ab)“Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not an employee of any member of the Company Group.
(ac)“Nonqualified Stock Option” means an Option that is not designated by the Committee as an Incentive Stock Option.
(ad)“Option” means an Award granted under Section 6 of the Plan.
(ae)“Option Period” has the meaning given to such term in Section 6(c) of the Plan.
(af)“Other Cash-Based Award” means an Award that is granted under Section 9 of the Plan that is denominated and/or payable in cash.
(ag)“Other Equity-Based Award” means an Award that is not an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, or Restricted Stock Unit that is granted under Section 9 of the Plan and is (i) payable by delivery of Common Stock and/or (ii) measured by reference to the value of Common Stock.
(ah)“Participant” means an Eligible Person who has been selected by the Committee to participate in the Plan and to receive an Award pursuant to the Plan.
(ai)“Performance Conditions” means specific levels of performance of the Company (and/or one or more members of the Company Group, divisions or operational and/or business units, product lines, brands, business segments, administrative departments, or any combination of the foregoing), which may be determined in accordance with GAAP or on a non-GAAP basis on, without limitation, the following measures: (i) net earnings, net income (before or after taxes), adjusted net income after capital charges or consolidated net income; (ii) basic or diluted earnings per share (before or after taxes); (iii) net revenue or net revenue growth; (iv) gross revenue or gross revenue growth, gross profit or gross profit growth; (v) operating income or net operating profit (before or after taxes); (vi) return measures (including, but not limited to, return on investment, assets, capital, employed capital, invested capital, equity, or sales); (vii) cash flow measures (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, free cash flow, or cash flow return on capital), which may be, but are not required to be, measured on a per share basis; (viii) actual or adjusted earnings before or after interest, taxes, depreciation, and/or amortization (including EBIT and EBITDA) or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and restructuring costs (EBITDAR); (ix) gross or net operating margins; (x) productivity ratios; (xi) stock price (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total stockholder return); (xii) expense targets or cost reduction goals, general and administrative expense savings; (xiii) operating efficiency; (xiv) objective measures of customer/client satisfaction; (xv) working capital targets; (xvi) measures of economic value added or other ‘value creation’ metrics; (xvii) enterprise value; (xviii) sales; (xix) stockholder return; (xx) customer/client retention; (xxi) competitive market metrics; (xxii) employee satisfaction, employment practices and employee benefits or employee retention; (xxiii) supervision of litigation and information technology; (xxiv) objective measures of personal targets, goals, or completion of projects (including, but not limited to, succession and hiring projects, completion of specific acquisitions, dispositions, reorganizations, divestitures of subsidiaries and/or other affiliates or joint ventures, other monetization or liquidity events relating to subsidiaries, or other corporate transactions or capital-raising transactions, expansions of specific business operations, and meeting divisional or project budgets); (xxv) comparisons of continuing operations to other operations; (xxvi) market share; (xxvii) cost of capital, debt leverage, year-end cash position, book value, book value per share, tangible book value, tangible book value per share, cash book value or cash book value per share; (xxviii) strategic objectives; or (xxix) any combination of the foregoing. Any one or more of the aforementioned performance criteria may be stated as a percentage of another performance criteria, or used on an absolute or relative basis to measure the performance of one or more members of the Company Group as a whole or any divisions or operational and/or business units, product lines, brands, business segments, or administrative departments of the Company and/or one or more members of the Company Group or any combination thereof, as the Committee may deem appropriate, or any of the above performance criteria may be compared to the performance of a selected group of comparison companies, or a published or special index that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate, or as compared to various stock market indices.
(aj)“Permitted Transferee” has the meaning given to such term in Section 12(b) of the Plan.
(ak)“Person” means any individual, entity, or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act).
(al)“Plan” means this Blade Air Mobility, Inc. 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as it may be amended and/or restated from time to time.
(am)“Prior Plan” means the Fly Blade, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended.
(an)“Qualifying Director” means a Person who is, with respect to actions intended to obtain an exemption from Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act pursuant to Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act.
(ao)“Restricted Period” means the period of time determined by the Committee during which an Award is subject to restrictions, including vesting conditions.
(ap)“Restricted Stock” means Common Stock, subject to certain specified restrictions (which may include, without limitation, a requirement that the Participant remain continuously employed or provide continuous services for a specified period of time), granted under Section 8 of the Plan.
(aq)“Restricted Stock Unit” means an unfunded and unsecured promise to deliver shares of Common Stock, cash, other securities, or other property, subject to certain restrictions (which may include, without limitation, a requirement that the Participant remain continuously employed or provide continuous services for a specified period of time), granted under Section 8 of the Plan.
(ar)“SAR Period” has the meaning given to such term in Section 7(c) of the Plan.
(as)“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any successor thereto. Reference in the Plan to any section of (or rule promulgated under) the Securities Act shall be deemed to include any rules, regulations, or other interpretative guidance under such section or rule, and any amendments or successor provisions to such section, rules, regulations, or guidance.
(at)“Service Recipient” means, with respect to a Participant holding a given Award, the member of the Company Group by which the original recipient of such Award is, or following a Termination was most recently, principally employed or to which such original recipient provides, or following a Termination was most recently providing, services, as applicable.
(au)“Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means an Award granted under Section 7 of the Plan.
(av)“Strike Price” has the meaning given to such term in Section 7(b) of the Plan.
(aw)“Sub-Plans” means any sub-plan to the Plan that has been adopted by the Board or the Committee for the purpose of permitting or facilitating the offering of Awards to employees of certain Designated Foreign Subsidiaries or otherwise outside the jurisdiction of the United States of America, with each such Sub-Plan designed to comply with Applicable Law in such foreign jurisdictions. Although any Sub-Plan may be designated a separate and independent plan from the Plan in order to comply with Applicable Law, the Absolute Share Limit and the other limits specified in Section 5(b) of the Plan shall apply in the aggregate to the Plan and any Sub-Plan adopted hereunder.
(ax)“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any specified Person:
(i)any corporation, association, or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of such entity’s voting securities (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency and after giving effect to any voting agreement or stockholders’ agreement that effectively transfers voting power) is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination thereof); and
(ii)any partnership (or any comparable foreign entity) (A) the sole general partner (or functional equivalent thereof) or the managing general partner of which is such Person or Subsidiary of such Person or (B) the only general partners (or functional equivalents thereof) of which are that Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that Person (or any combination thereof).
(ay)“Substitute Awards” has the meaning given to such term in Section 5(e) of the Plan.
(az)“Termination” means the termination of a Participant’s employment or service, as applicable, with the Service Recipient for any reason (including death or Disability).
3.Effective Date; Duration. The Plan shall be effective as of the Effective Date. The expiration date of the Plan, on and after which date no Awards may be granted hereunder, shall be the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date; provided, however, that such expiration shall not affect Awards then outstanding, and the terms and conditions of the Plan shall continue to apply to such Awards.
4.Administration.
(a)General. The Committee shall administer the Plan. To the extent required to comply with the provisions of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act (if the Board is not acting as the Committee under the Plan), it is intended that each member of the Committee shall, at the time such member takes any action with respect to an Award under the Plan that is intended to qualify for the exemptions provided by Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, be a Qualifying Director. However, the fact that a Committee member shall fail to qualify as a Qualifying Director shall not invalidate any Award granted by the Committee that is otherwise validly granted under the Plan.
(b)Committee Authority. Subject to the provisions of the Plan and Applicable Law, the Committee shall have the sole and plenary authority, in addition to other express powers and authorizations conferred on the Committee by the Plan, to: (i) designate Participants; (ii) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to a Participant; (iii) determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be covered by, or with respect to which payments, rights, or other matters are to be calculated in connection with, Awards; (iv) determine the terms and conditions of any Award (including, but not limited to, the time or times when Awards vest or may be exercised, including any Performance Conditions, any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Award or the shares of Common Stock relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Committee will determine); (v) determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances Awards may be settled in, or exercised for, cash, Common Stock, other securities, other Awards, or other property, or canceled, forfeited, or suspended and the method or methods by which Awards may be settled, exercised, canceled, forfeited, or suspended; (vi) determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances the delivery of cash, Common Stock, other securities, other Awards, or other property and other amounts payable with respect to an Award shall be deferred
either automatically or at the election of the Participant or of the Committee; (vii) interpret, administer, reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in, and/or supply any omission in the Plan and any instrument or agreement relating to, or Award granted under, the Plan; (viii) establish, amend, suspend, or waive any rules and regulations and appoint such agents as the Committee shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of the Plan; (ix) adopt Sub-Plans; and (x) make any other determination and take any other action that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan.
(c)Delegation. Except to the extent prohibited by Applicable Law, the Committee may allocate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any one or more of its members and may delegate all or any part of its responsibilities and powers to any Person or Persons selected by it. Any such allocation or delegation may be revoked by the Committee at any time. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee may delegate to one or more officers of any member of the Company Group the authority to act on behalf of the Committee with respect to any matter, right, obligation, or election which is the responsibility of, or which is allocated to, the Committee herein, and which may be so delegated in accordance with Applicable Law, except for grants of Awards to Non-Employee Directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing in this Section 4(c), it is intended that any action under the Plan intended to qualify for an exemption provided by Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act related to Persons who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act will be taken only by the Board or by a committee or subcommittee of two or more Qualifying Directors. However, the fact that any member of such committee or subcommittee shall fail to qualify as a Qualifying Director shall not invalidate any action that is otherwise valid under the Plan.
(d)Finality of Decisions. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations, and other decisions under or with respect to the Plan, any Award or any Award Agreement shall be within the sole discretion of the Committee, may be made at any time, and shall be final, conclusive, and binding upon all Persons, including, without limitation, any member of the Company Group, any Participant, any holder or beneficiary of any Award, and any stockholder of the Company.
(e)Indemnification. No member of the Board, the Committee, or any employee or agent of any member of the Company Group (each such Person, an “Indemnifiable Person”) shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken or any determination made with respect to the Plan or any Award hereunder (unless constituting fraud, dishonesty, or a willful criminal act or omission). Each Indemnifiable Person shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law against and from any loss, cost, liability, or expense (including attorneys’ fees) that may be imposed upon or incurred by such Indemnifiable Person in connection with or resulting from any action, suit, or proceeding to which such Indemnifiable Person may be a party or in which such Indemnifiable Person may be involved by reason of any action taken or omitted to be taken or determination made with respect to the Plan or any Award hereunder and against and from any and all amounts paid by such Indemnifiable Person with the Company’s approval, in settlement thereof, or paid by such Indemnifiable Person in satisfaction of any judgment in any such action, suit, or proceeding against such Indemnifiable Person, and the Company shall advance to such Indemnifiable Person any such expenses promptly upon written request (which request shall include an undertaking by the Indemnifiable Person to repay the amount of such advance if it shall ultimately be determined, as provided below, that the Indemnifiable Person is not entitled to be indemnified); provided, that the Company shall have the right, at its own expense, to assume and defend any such action, suit, or proceeding and once the Company gives notice of its intent to assume the defense, the Company shall have sole control over such defense with counsel of the Company’s choice. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be available to an Indemnifiable Person to the extent that a final judgment or other final adjudication (in either case not subject to further appeal) binding upon such Indemnifiable Person determines that the
acts, omissions, or determinations of such Indemnifiable Person giving rise to the indemnification claim resulted from such Indemnifiable Person’s fraud, dishonesty, or willful criminal act or omission or that such right of indemnification is otherwise prohibited by Applicable Law or by the organizational documents of any member of the Company Group. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of or otherwise supersede any other rights of indemnification to which such Indemnifiable Persons may be entitled under (i) the organizational documents of any member of the Company Group, (ii) pursuant to Applicable Law, (iii) an individual indemnification agreement or contract, or otherwise, or (iv) any other power that the Company may have to indemnify such Indemnifiable Persons or hold such Indemnifiable Persons harmless.
(f)Board Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Plan, the Board may, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, grant Awards and administer the Plan with respect to such Awards. Any such actions by the Board shall be subject to Applicable Law. In any such case, the Board shall have all the authority granted to the Committee under the Plan.
5.Grant of Awards; Shares Subject to the Plan; Limitations.
(a)Grants. The Committee may, from time to time, grant Awards to one or more Eligible Persons. All Awards granted under the Plan shall vest and become exercisable in such manner and on such date or dates or upon such event or events as determined by the Committee, including, without limitation, attainment of Performance Conditions.
(b)Share Reserve and Limits. Awards granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following limitations: (i) subject to Section 10 of the Plan, no more than 9,306,968 shares of Common Stock (the “Absolute Share Limit”) shall be available for Awards under the Plan; provided, however, that the Absolute Share Limit shall be automatically increased (A) on the first day of each fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the Effective Date falls in an amount equal to the least of (x) 4,653,484 shares of Common Stock, (y) 5% of the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, and (z) a lower number of shares of Common Stock as determined by the Board; and (B) for any shares of Common Stock underlying awards outstanding under the Prior Plan that, on or after the Effective Date, expire or are canceled, forfeited, terminated, settled in cash or otherwise settled without issuance to the holder thereof the full number of shares of Common Stock to which the award related and thereupon become available for grant under the Plan pursuant to Section 5(c) of the Plan; (ii) subject to Section 10 of the Plan, no more than the number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Absolute Share Limit may be issued in the aggregate pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan; and (iii) during a single fiscal year, each Non-Employee Director, shall be granted a number of shares Common Stock subject to Awards, taken together with any cash fees paid to such Non-Employee Director during such fiscal year, equal to (A) a total value of $1,000,000 (calculating the value of any such Awards based on the grant date fair value of such Awards for financial reporting purposes) or (B) such lower amount as determined by the Board prior to the Date of Grant, either as part of the Company’s non-employee director compensation program or as otherwise determined by the Board in the event of any change to such non-employee director’s compensation program or for any particular period of service. To the extent the Board makes a determination pursuant to clause (iii)(B) above with respect to any year of service, such determination shall in no event be applicable to any subsequent year of service without a further determination by the Board in respect of any subsequent year of service.
(c)Share Counting. Other than with respect to Substitute Awards, to the extent that an Award (or, if granted under the Prior Plan, award) expires or is canceled, forfeited, terminated, settled in cash, or otherwise is settled without issuance to the Participant of the full
number of shares of Common Stock to which the Award (or, if granted under the Prior Plan, award) related, the unissued shares of Common Stock will again be available for grant under the Plan. Shares of Common Stock withheld in payment of the Exercise Price, or taxes relating to an Award (or, if granted under the Prior Plan, award), and shares equal to the number of shares surrendered in payment of any Exercise Price, or taxes relating to an Award, shall be deemed to constitute shares not issued to the Participant and shall be deemed to again be available for Awards under the Plan; provided, however, that such shares shall not become available for issuance hereunder if either: (i) the applicable shares are withheld or surrendered following the termination of the Plan; or (ii) at the time the applicable shares are withheld or surrendered, it would constitute a material revision of the Plan subject to stockholder approval under any then-applicable rules of the national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed.
(d)Source of Shares. Shares of Common Stock issued by the Company in settlement of Awards may be authorized and unissued shares, shares of Common Stock held in the treasury of the Company, shares of Common Stock purchased on the open market or by private purchase, or a combination of the foregoing.
(e)Substitute Awards. Awards may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, be granted under the Plan in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding Awards previously granted by an entity directly or indirectly acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines (“Substitute Awards”). Substitute Awards shall not be counted against the Absolute Share Limit; provided, that Substitute Awards issued in connection with the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding Options intended to qualify as “incentive stock options” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code shall be counted against the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock available for Awards of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan. Subject to applicable stock exchange requirements, available shares under a stockholder-approved plan of an entity directly or indirectly acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines (as appropriately adjusted to reflect the acquisition or combination transaction) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan.
6.Options.
(a)General. Each Option granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, which agreement need not be the same for each Participant. Each Option so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 6, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement. All Options granted under the Plan shall be Nonqualified Stock Options unless the applicable Award Agreement expressly states that the Option is intended to be an Incentive Stock Option. Incentive Stock Options shall be granted only to Eligible Persons who are employees of a member of the Company Group, and no Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to any Eligible Person who is ineligible to receive an Incentive Stock Option under the Code. No Option shall be treated as an Incentive Stock Option unless the Plan has been approved by the stockholders of the Company in a manner intended to comply with the stockholder approval requirements of Section 422(b)(1) of the Code; provided, that any Option intended to be an Incentive Stock Option shall not fail to be effective solely on account of a failure to obtain such approval, but rather such Option shall be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option unless and until such approval is obtained. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the terms and conditions of such grant shall be subject to, and comply with, such rules as may be prescribed by Section 422 of the Code. If for any reason an Option intended to be an Incentive Stock Option (or any portion thereof) shall not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option or portion thereof shall be regarded as a Nonqualified Stock Option appropriately granted under the Plan.
(b)Exercise Price. Except as otherwise provided by the Committee in the case of Substitute Awards, the exercise price (“Exercise Price”) per share of Common Stock for each Option shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such share (determined as of the Date of Grant); provided, however, that in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to an employee who, at the time of the grant of such Option, owns stock representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of stock of any member of the Company Group, the Exercise Price per share shall be no less than 110% of the Fair Market Value per share on the Date of Grant.
(c)Vesting and Expiration; Termination.
(i)Options shall vest and become exercisable in such manner and on such date or dates or upon such event or events as determined by the Committee including, without limitation, those set forth in Section 5(a) of the Plan; provided, however, that notwithstanding any such vesting dates or events, the Committee may in its sole discretion accelerate the vesting of any Options at any time and for any reason. Options shall expire upon a date determined by the Committee, not to exceed ten years from the Date of Grant (the “Option Period”); provided, that if the Option Period (other than in the case of an Incentive Stock Option) would expire at a time when trading in the Common Stock is prohibited by the Company’s insider trading policy (or Company-imposed “blackout period”), then the Option Period shall be automatically extended until the 30th day following the expiration of such prohibition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Option Period exceed five years from the Date of Grant in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Participant who on the Date of Grant owns stock representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of stock of any member of the Company Group.
(ii)Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, whether in an Award Agreement or otherwise, in the event of: (A) a Participant’s Termination by the Service Recipient for Cause, all outstanding Options granted to such Participant shall immediately terminate and expire; (B) a Participant’s Termination due to death or Disability, each outstanding unvested Option granted to such Participant shall immediately terminate and expire, and each outstanding vested Option shall remain exercisable for one year thereafter (but in no event beyond the expiration of the Option Period); and (C) a Participant’s Termination for any other reason, each outstanding unvested Option granted to such Participant shall immediately terminate and expire, and each outstanding vested Option shall remain exercisable for 90 days thereafter (but in no event beyond the expiration of the Option Period).
(d)Method of Exercise and Form of Payment. No shares of Common Stock shall be issued pursuant to any exercise of an Option until payment in full of the Exercise Price therefor is received by the Company and the Participant has paid to the Company an amount equal to any federal, state, local, and non-U.S. income, employment, and any other applicable taxes that are statutorily required to be withheld in accordance with Section 12(d) of the Plan. Options that have become exercisable may be exercised by delivery of written or electronic notice of exercise to the Company (or telephonic instructions to the extent provided by the Committee) in accordance with the terms of the Option accompanied by payment of the Exercise Price. The Exercise Price shall be payable: (i) in cash, check, cash equivalent, and/or shares of Common Stock valued at the Fair Market Value at the time the Option is exercised (including, pursuant to procedures approved by the Committee, by means of attestation of ownership of a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock in lieu of actual issuance of such shares to the Company); provided, that such shares of Common Stock are not subject to any pledge or other security interest and have been held by the Participant for at least six months (or such other period as established from time to time by the Committee in order to avoid adverse accounting treatment
applying GAAP); or (ii) by such other method as the Committee may permit in its sole discretion, including, without limitation (A) in other property having a fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the Exercise Price; (B) if there is a public market for the Common Stock at such time, by means of a broker-assisted “cashless exercise” pursuant to which the Company is delivered (including telephonically to the extent permitted by the Committee) a copy of irrevocable instructions to a stockbroker to sell the shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon the exercise of the Option and to deliver promptly to the Company an amount equal to the Exercise Price; or (C) a “net exercise” procedure effected by withholding the minimum number of shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable in respect of an Option that are needed to pay the Exercise Price and any federal, state, local, and non-U.S. income, employment, and any other applicable taxes that are statutorily required to be withheld in accordance with Section 12(d) of the Plan. Any fractional share of Common Stock shall be settled in cash.
(e)Notification upon Disqualifying Disposition of an Incentive Stock Option. Each Participant awarded an Incentive Stock Option under the Plan shall notify the Company in writing immediately after the date the Participant makes a disqualifying disposition of any shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of such Incentive Stock Option. A disqualifying disposition is any disposition (including, without limitation, any sale) of such share of Common Stock before the later of (i) the date that is two years after the Date of Grant of the Incentive Stock Option, or (ii) the date that is one year after the date of exercise of the Incentive Stock Option. The Company may, if determined by the Committee and in accordance with procedures established by the Committee, retain possession, as agent for the applicable Participant, of any share of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option until the end of the period described in the preceding sentence, subject to complying with any instructions from such Participant as to the sale of such share of Common Stock.
(f)Compliance With Applicable Laws, etc. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall a Participant be permitted to exercise an Option in a manner which the Committee determines would violate the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as it may be amended from time to time, or any other Applicable Law.
7.Stock Appreciation Rights.
(a)General. Each SAR granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each SAR so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 7, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement. Any Option granted under the Plan may include tandem SARs. The Committee also may award SARs to Eligible Persons independent of any Option.
(b)Strike Price. Except as otherwise provided by the Committee in the case of Substitute Awards, the strike price (“Strike Price”) per share of Common Stock for each SAR shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such share (determined as of the Date of Grant). Notwithstanding the foregoing, a SAR granted in tandem with (or in substitution for) an Option previously granted shall have a Strike Price equal to the Exercise Price of the corresponding Option.
(c)Vesting and Expiration; Termination.
(i)A SAR granted in connection with an Option shall become exercisable and shall expire according to the same vesting schedule and expiration provisions as the corresponding Option. A SAR granted independent of an Option shall vest and become exercisable in such manner and on such date or dates or upon such event or events as
determined by the Committee including, without limitation, those set forth in Section 5(a) of the Plan; provided, however, that notwithstanding any such vesting dates or events, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the vesting of any SAR at any time and for any reason. SARs shall expire upon a date determined by the Committee, not to exceed ten years from the Date of Grant (the “SAR Period”); provided, that if the SAR Period would expire at a time when trading in the Common Stock is prohibited by the Company’s insider trading policy (or Company-imposed “blackout period”), then the SAR Period shall be automatically extended until the 30th day following the expiration of such prohibition.
(ii)Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, whether in an Award Agreement or otherwise, in the event of: (A) a Participant’s Termination by the Service Recipient for Cause, all outstanding SARs granted to such Participant shall immediately terminate and expire; (B) a Participant’s Termination due to death or Disability, each outstanding unvested SAR granted to such Participant shall immediately terminate and expire, and each outstanding vested SAR shall remain exercisable for one year thereafter (but in no event beyond the expiration of the SAR Period); and (C) a Participant’s Termination for any other reason, each outstanding unvested SAR granted to such Participant shall immediately terminate and expire, and each outstanding vested SAR shall remain exercisable for 90 days thereafter (but in no event beyond the expiration of the SAR Period).
(d)Method of Exercise. SARs that have become exercisable may be exercised by delivery of written or electronic notice of exercise to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Award, specifying the number of SARs to be exercised and the date on which such SARs were awarded.
(e)Payment. Upon the exercise of a SAR, the Company shall pay to the Participant an amount equal to the number of shares subject to the SAR that is being exercised multiplied by the excess of the Fair Market Value of one share of Common Stock on the exercise date over the Strike Price, less an amount equal to any federal, state, local, and non-U.S. income, employment, and any other applicable taxes that are statutorily required to be withheld in accordance with Section 12(d) of the Plan. The Company shall pay such amount in cash, in shares of Common Stock valued at Fair Market Value, or any combination thereof, as determined by the Committee. Any fractional share of Common Stock shall be settled in cash.
8.Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units.
(a)General. Each grant of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 8, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement.
(b)Stock Certificates and Book-Entry Notation; Escrow or Similar Arrangement. Upon the grant of Restricted Stock, the Committee shall, at its discretion, cause a stock certificate registered in the name of the Participant to be issued or shall cause share(s) of Common Stock to be registered in the name of the Participant and held in book-entry form subject to the Company’s directions and, if the Committee determines that the Restricted Stock shall be held by the Company or in escrow rather than issued to the Participant pending the release of the applicable restrictions, the Committee may require the Participant to additionally execute and deliver to the Company (i) an escrow agreement satisfactory to the Committee, if applicable, and (ii) the appropriate stock power (endorsed in blank) with respect to the Restricted Stock covered by such agreement. If a Participant shall fail to execute and deliver (in a manner permitted under Section 12(a) of the Plan or as otherwise determined by the
Committee) an agreement evidencing an Award of Restricted Stock and, if applicable, an escrow agreement and blank stock power within the amount of time specified by the Committee, the Award shall be null and void. Subject to the restrictions set forth in this Section 8, Section 12(b) of the Plan, and the applicable Award Agreement, a Participant generally shall have the rights and privileges of a stockholder as to shares of Restricted Stock, including, without limitation, the right to vote such Restricted Stock. To the extent shares of Restricted Stock are forfeited, any stock certificates issued to the Participant evidencing such shares shall be returned to the Company without undue delay, and all rights of the Participant to such shares and as a stockholder with respect thereto shall terminate automatically without further obligation on the part of the Company. A Participant shall have no rights or privileges as a stockholder as to Restricted Stock Units.
(c)Vesting; Termination.
(i)Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units shall vest, and any applicable Restricted Period shall lapse, in such manner and on such date or dates or upon such event or events as determined by the Committee including, without limitation, those set forth in Section 5(a) of the Plan; provided, however, that notwithstanding any such dates or events, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the vesting of any Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Unit or the lapsing of any applicable Restricted Period at any time and for any reason.
(ii)Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, whether in an Award Agreement or otherwise, in the event of a Participant’s Termination for any reason prior to the time that such Participant’s Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, as applicable, have vested, (A) all vesting with respect to such Participant’s Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, as applicable, shall cease and (B) unvested shares of Restricted Stock and unvested Restricted Stock Units, as applicable, shall be forfeited to the Company by the Participant for no consideration as of the date of such Termination.
(d)Issuance of Restricted Stock and Settlement of Restricted Stock Units.
(i)Upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any shares of Restricted Stock, the restrictions set forth in the applicable Award Agreement shall be of no further force or effect with respect to such shares, except as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. If an escrow arrangement is used, upon such expiration the Company shall issue to the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, without charge, the stock certificate (or, if applicable, a notice evidencing a book-entry notation) evidencing the shares of Restricted Stock that have not then been forfeited and with respect to which the Restricted Period has expired (rounded down to the nearest full share).
(ii)Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in an Award Agreement or otherwise, upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any outstanding Restricted Stock Units, the Company shall issue to the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, without charge, one share of Common Stock (or other securities or other property, as applicable) for each such outstanding Restricted Stock Unit; provided, however, that the Committee may, in its sole discretion, elect to (A) pay cash or part cash and part shares of Common Stock in lieu of issuing only shares of Common Stock in respect of such Restricted Stock Units or (B) defer the issuance of shares of Common Stock (or cash or part cash and part shares of Common Stock, as the case may be) beyond the expiration of the Restricted Period if such extension would not cause adverse tax consequences under Section 409A of the Code. If a cash payment is made in lieu of issuing shares of Common Stock in respect of such Restricted Stock Units, the amount of such payment shall be equal to the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock as of
the date on which the Restricted Period lapsed with respect to such Restricted Stock Units.
(e)Legends on Restricted Stock. Each certificate, if any, or book entry representing Restricted Stocks awarded under the Plan, if any, shall bear a legend or book-entry notation substantially in the form of the following, in addition to any other information the Company deems appropriate, until the lapse of all restrictions with respect to such shares of Common Stock:
TRANSFER OF THIS CERTIFICATE AND THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY IS RESTRICTED PURSUANT TO THE TERMS OF THE BLADE AIR MOBILITY INC. 2021 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN AND A RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT BETWEEN BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC. AND THE PARTICIPANT. A COPY OF SUCH PLAN AND AWARD AGREEMENT IS ON FILE AT THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF BLADE AIR MOBILITY, INC.
9.Other Equity-Based Awards and Other Cash-Based Awards. The Committee may grant Other Equity-Based Awards and Other Cash-Based Awards under the Plan to Eligible Persons, alone or in tandem with other Awards, in such amounts and dependent on such conditions as the Committee shall from time to time in its sole discretion determine including, without limitation, those set forth in Section 5(a) of the Plan. Each Other Equity-Based Award granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement and each Other Cash-Based Award granted under the Plan shall be evidenced in such form as the Committee may determine from time to time. Each Other Equity-Based Award or Other Cash-Based Award, as applicable, so granted shall be subject to such conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement or other form evidencing such Award, including, without limitation, those set forth in Section 12(c) of the Plan.
10.Changes in Capital Structure and Similar Events. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Plan to the contrary, the following provisions shall apply to all Awards granted hereunder (other than Other Cash-Based Awards):
(a)General. In the event of (i) any dividend (other than regular cash dividends) or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to acquire shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event that affects the shares of Common Stock (including a Change in Control), or (ii) unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company, including changes in applicable rules, rulings, regulations, or other requirements, that the Committee determines, in its sole discretion, could result in substantial dilution or enlargement of the rights intended to be granted to, or available for, Participants (any event in (i) or (ii), an “Adjustment Event”), the Committee shall, in respect of any such Adjustment Event, make such proportionate substitution or adjustment, if any, as it, in its sole discretion, deems equitable, to any or all of: (A) the Absolute Share Limit, or any other limit applicable under the Plan with respect to the number of Awards that may be granted hereunder; (B) the number of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company (or number and kind of other securities or other property) that may be issued in respect of Awards or with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan or any Sub-Plan; and (C) the terms of any outstanding Award, including, without limitation, (I) the number of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company (or number and kind of other securities or other property) subject to outstanding Awards or to which outstanding Awards relate; (II) the Exercise Price or Strike Price with respect to any Award; or (III) any
applicable performance measures; provided, that in the case of any “equity restructuring” (within the meaning of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor pronouncement thereto)), the Committee shall make an equitable or proportionate adjustment to outstanding Awards to reflect such equity restructuring. Any adjustment under this Section 10 shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes.
(b)Adjustment Events. Without limiting the foregoing, except as may otherwise be provided in an Award Agreement, in connection with any Adjustment Event, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide for any one or more of the following:
(i)substitution or assumption of Awards (or awards of an acquiring company), acceleration of the exercisability of, lapse of restrictions on, or termination of Awards, or a period of time (which shall not be required to be more than ten days) for Participants to exercise outstanding Awards prior to the occurrence of such event (and any such Award not so exercised shall terminate upon the occurrence of such event); and
(ii)subject to any limitations or reductions as may be necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code, cancellation of any one or more outstanding Awards and payment to the holders of such Awards that are vested as of such cancellation (including, without limitation, any Awards that would vest as a result of the occurrence of such event but for such cancellation or for which vesting is accelerated by the Committee in connection with such event) the value of such Awards, if any, as determined by the Committee (which value, if applicable, may be based upon the price per share of Common Stock received or to be received by other stockholders of the Company in such event), including, without limitation, in the case of an outstanding Option or SAR, a cash payment in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value (as of a date specified by the Committee) of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Option or SAR over the aggregate Exercise Price or Strike Price of such Option or SAR (it being understood that, in such event, any Option or SAR having a per share Exercise Price or Strike Price equal to, or in excess of, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock subject thereto may be canceled and terminated without any payment or consideration therefor), or, in the case of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, or Other Equity-Based Awards that are not vested as of such cancellation, a cash payment or equity subject to deferred vesting and delivery consistent with the vesting restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, or Other Equity-Based Awards prior to cancellation, or the underlying shares in respect thereof.
Payments to holders pursuant to clause (ii) above shall be made in cash or, in the sole discretion of the Committee, in the form of such other consideration necessary for a Participant to receive property, cash, or securities (or combination thereof) as such Participant would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of the transaction if the Participant had been, immediately prior to such transaction, the holder of the number of shares of Common Stock covered by the Award at such time (less any applicable Exercise Price or Strike Price).
(c)Other Requirements. Prior to any payment or adjustment contemplated under this Section 10, the Committee may require a Participant to (i) represent and warrant as to the unencumbered title to the Participant’s Awards; (ii) bear such Participant’s pro rata share of any post-closing indemnity obligations, and be subject to the same post-closing purchase price adjustments, escrow terms, offset rights, holdback terms, and similar conditions as the other holders of Common Stock, subject to any limitations or reductions as may be necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code; and (iii) deliver customary transfer documentation as reasonably determined by the Committee.
(d)Fractional Shares. Any adjustment provided under this Section 10 may provide for the elimination of any fractional share that might otherwise become subject to an Award.
(e)Binding Effect. Any adjustment, substitution, determination of value or other action taken by the Committee under this Section 10 shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes.
11.Amendments and Termination.
(a)Amendment and Termination of the Plan. The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Plan or any portion thereof at any time; provided, that no such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance, or termination shall be made without stockholder approval if: (i) such approval is required under Applicable Law; (ii) it would materially increase the number of securities which may be issued under the Plan (except for increases pursuant to Section 5 or 10 of the Plan), or (iii) it would materially modify the requirements for participation in the Plan; provided further, that any such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance, or termination that would materially and adversely affect the rights of any Participant or any holder or beneficiary of any Award theretofore granted shall not to that extent be effective without the consent of the affected Participant, holder, or beneficiary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment shall be made to the last proviso of Section 11(b) of the Plan without stockholder approval.
(b)Amendment of Award Agreements. The Committee may, to the extent consistent with the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, in its sole discretion, waive any conditions or rights under, amend any terms of, or alter, suspend, discontinue, cancel, or terminate, any Award theretofore granted or the associated Award Agreement, prospectively or retroactively (including after a Participant’s Termination); provided, that, other than pursuant to Section 10, any such waiver, amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance, cancellation, or termination that would materially and adversely affect the rights of any Participant with respect to any Award theretofore granted shall not to that extent be effective without the consent of the affected Participant; provided further, that without stockholder approval, except as otherwise permitted under Section 10 of the Plan, (i) no amendment or modification may reduce the Exercise Price of any Option or the Strike Price of any SAR; (ii) the Committee may not cancel any outstanding Option or SAR and replace it with a new Option or SAR (with a lower Exercise Price or Strike Price, as the case may be) or other Award or cash payment that is greater than the intrinsic value (if any) of the canceled Option or SAR; and (iii) the Committee may not take any other action which is considered a “repricing” for purposes of the stockholder approval rules of any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which the securities of the Company are listed or quoted.
12.General.
(a)Award Agreements. Each Award (other than an Other Cash-Based Award) under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, which shall be delivered to the Participant to whom such Award was granted and shall specify the terms and conditions of the Award and any rules applicable thereto, including, without limitation, any Performance Conditions, the effect on such Award of the death, Disability, or Termination of a Participant, or of such other events as may be determined by the Committee. For purposes of the Plan, an Award Agreement may be in any such form (written or electronic) as determined by the Committee (including, without limitation, a Board or Committee resolution, an employment agreement, a notice, a certificate, or a letter) evidencing the Award. The Committee need not require an Award Agreement to be signed by the Participant or a duly authorized representative of the Company.
(b)Nontransferability.
(i)Each Award shall be exercisable only by such Participant to whom such Award was granted during the Participant’s lifetime, or, if permissible under Applicable Law, by the Participant’s legal guardian or representative. No Award may be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold, or otherwise transferred or encumbered by a Participant (unless such transfer is specifically required pursuant to a domestic relations order or by Applicable Law) other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer, or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against any member of the Company Group; provided, that the designation of a beneficiary shall not constitute an assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer, or encumbrance.
(ii)Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, permit Awards (other than Incentive Stock Options) to be transferred by a Participant, without consideration, subject to such rules as the Committee may adopt consistent with any applicable Award Agreement to preserve the purposes of the Plan, to: (A) any Person who is a “family member” of the Participant, as such term is used in the instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act or any successor form of registration statement promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the “Immediate Family Members”); (B) a trust solely for the benefit of the Participant and the Participant’s Immediate Family Members; (C) a partnership or limited liability company whose only partners or stockholders are the Participant and the Participant’s Immediate Family Members; or (D) a beneficiary to whom donations are eligible to be treated as “charitable contributions” for federal income tax purposes (each transferee described in clauses (A), (B), (C), and (D) above is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Transferee”); provided, that the Participant gives the Committee advance written notice describing the terms and conditions of the proposed transfer and the Committee notifies the Participant in writing that such a transfer would comply with the requirements of the Plan.
(iii)The terms of any Award transferred in accordance with clause (ii) above shall apply to the Permitted Transferee and any reference in the Plan or in any applicable Award Agreement to a Participant shall be deemed to refer to the Permitted Transferee, except that: (A) Permitted Transferees shall not be entitled to transfer any Award, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution; (B) Permitted Transferees shall not be entitled to exercise any transferred Option unless there shall be in effect a registration statement on an appropriate form covering the shares of Common Stock to be acquired pursuant to the exercise of such Option if the Committee determines, consistent with any applicable Award Agreement, that such a registration statement is necessary or appropriate; (C) neither the Committee nor the Company shall be required to provide any notice to a Permitted Transferee, whether or not such notice is or would otherwise have been required to be given to the Participant under the Plan or otherwise; and (D) the consequences of a Participant’s Termination under the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement shall continue to be applied with respect to the Participant, including, without limitation, that an Option shall be exercisable by the Permitted Transferee only to the extent, and for the periods, specified in the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.
(c)Dividends and Dividend Equivalents.
(i)The Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide a Participant as part of an Award with dividends, dividend equivalents, or similar payments in respect of Awards, payable in cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities, other Awards or other property, on a current or deferred basis, on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, including, without limitation,
payment directly to the Participant, withholding of such amounts by the Company subject to vesting of the Award or reinvestment in additional shares of Common Stock, Restricted Stock or other Awards.
(ii)Without limiting the foregoing, unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, any dividend otherwise payable in respect of any shares of Restricted Stock that remain subject to vesting conditions at the time of payment of such dividend shall be retained by the Company, remain subject to the same vesting conditions as the Restricted Stock to which the dividend relates and shall be delivered (without interest) to the Participant within 15 days following the date on which such restrictions on such Restricted Stock lapse (and the right to any such accumulated dividends shall be forfeited upon the forfeiture of the Restricted Stock to which such dividends relate).
(iii)To the extent provided in an Award Agreement, the holder of outstanding Restricted Stock Units shall be entitled to be credited with dividend equivalent payments (upon the payment by the Company of dividends on shares of Common Stock) either in cash or, in the sole discretion of the Committee, in shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such dividends (and interest may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, be credited on the amount of cash dividend equivalents at a rate and subject to such terms as determined by the Committee), which accumulated dividend equivalents (and interest thereon, if applicable) shall be payable at the same time as the underlying Restricted Stock Units are settled following the date on which the Restricted Period lapses with respect to such Restricted Stock Units, and if such Restricted Stock Units are forfeited, the Participant shall have no right to such dividend equivalent payments (or interest thereon, if applicable).
(d)Tax Withholding.
(i)A Participant shall be required to pay to the Company or one or more of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, an amount in cash (by check or wire transfer) equal to the aggregate amount of any income, employment, and/or other applicable taxes that are statutorily required to be withheld in respect of an Award. Alternatively, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may elect, in its sole discretion, to satisfy this requirement by withholding such amount from any cash compensation or other cash amounts owing to a Participant.
(ii)Without limiting the foregoing, the Committee may (but is not obligated to), in its sole discretion, permit or require a Participant to satisfy all or any portion of the minimum income, employment, and/or other applicable taxes that are statutorily required to be withheld with respect to an Award by: (A) the delivery of shares of Common Stock (which are not subject to any pledge or other security interest) that have been both held by the Participant and vested for at least six months (or such other period as established from time to time by the Committee in order to avoid adverse accounting treatment under applicable accounting standards) having an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to such minimum statutorily required withholding liability (or portion thereof); or (B) having the Company withhold from the shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable or deliverable to, or that would otherwise be retained by, the Participant upon the grant, exercise, vesting, or settlement of the Award, as applicable, a number of shares of Common Stock with an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to an amount, subject to clause (iii) below, not in excess of such minimum statutorily required withholding liability (or portion thereof).
(iii) The Committee, subject to its having considered the applicable accounting impact of any such determination, has full discretion to allow Participants to satisfy, in whole or in part, any additional income, employment, and/or other applicable taxes
payable by them with respect to an Award by electing to have the Company withhold from the shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable or deliverable to, or that would otherwise be retained by, a Participant upon the grant, exercise, vesting, or settlement of the Award, as applicable, shares of Common Stock having an aggregate Fair Market Value that is greater than the applicable minimum required statutory withholding liability (but such withholding may in no event be in excess of the maximum statutory withholding amount(s) in a Participant’s relevant tax jurisdictions).
(e)No Claim to Awards; No Rights to Continued Employment; Waiver. No employee of any member of the Company Group, or other Person, shall have any claim or right to be granted an Award under the Plan or, having been selected for the grant of an Award, to be selected for a grant of any other Award. There is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants or holders or beneficiaries of Awards. The terms and conditions of Awards and the Committee’s determinations and interpretations with respect thereto need not be the same with respect to each Participant and may be made selectively among Participants, whether or not such Participants are similarly situated. Neither the Plan nor any action taken hereunder shall be construed as giving any Participant any right to be retained in the employ or service of the Service Recipient or any other member of the Company Group, nor shall it be construed as giving any Participant any rights to continued service on the Board. The Service Recipient or any other member of the Company Group may at any time dismiss a Participant from employment or discontinue any consulting relationship, free from any liability or any claim under the Plan, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan or any Award Agreement. By accepting an Award under the Plan, a Participant shall thereby be deemed to have waived any claim to continued exercise or vesting of an Award or to damages or severance entitlement related to non-continuation of the Award beyond the period provided under the Plan or any Award Agreement, except to the extent of any provision to the contrary in any written employment contract or other agreement between the Service Recipient and/or any member of the Company Group and the Participant, whether any such agreement is executed before, on, or after the Date of Grant.
(f)International Participants. With respect to Participants who reside or work outside of the United States of America, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend the terms of the Plan and create or amend Sub-Plans or amend outstanding Awards with respect to such Participants in order to permit or facilitate participation in the Plan by such Participants, conform such terms with the requirements of Applicable Law or to obtain more favorable tax or other treatment for a Participant or any member of the Company Group.
(g)Designation and Change of Beneficiary. Each Participant may file with the Committee a written designation of one or more Persons as the beneficiary or beneficiaries, as applicable, who shall be entitled to receive the amounts payable with respect to an Award, if any, due under the Plan upon the Participant’s death. A Participant may, from time to time, revoke or change the Participant’s beneficiary designation without the consent of any prior beneficiary by filing a new designation with the Committee. The last such designation received by the Committee shall be controlling; provided, however, that no designation, or change or revocation thereof, shall be effective unless received by the Committee prior to the Participant’s death, and in no event shall it be effective as of a date prior to such receipt. If no beneficiary designation is filed by a Participant, the beneficiary shall be deemed to be the Participant’s spouse or, if the Participant is unmarried at the time of death, the Participant’s estate.
(h)Termination. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, unless determined otherwise by the Committee at any point following such event: (i) neither a temporary absence from employment or service due to illness, vacation, or leave of absence (including, without limitation, a call to active duty for military service through a Reserve or National Guard unit) nor a transfer from employment or service with one Service Recipient to
employment or service with another Service Recipient (or vice-versa) shall be considered a Termination; and (ii) if a Participant undergoes a Termination, but such Participant continues to provide services to the Company Group in a non-employee capacity, including as a consultant, such change in status shall not be considered a Termination for purposes of the Plan. Further, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, in the event that any Service Recipient ceases to be a member of the Company Group (by reason of sale, divestiture, spin-off, or other similar transaction), unless a Participant’s employment or service is transferred to another entity that would constitute a Service Recipient immediately following such transaction, such Participant shall be deemed to have suffered a Termination hereunder as of the date of the consummation of such transaction.
(i)No Rights as a Stockholder. Except as otherwise specifically provided in the Plan or any Award Agreement, no Person shall be entitled to the privileges of ownership in respect of shares of Common Stock that are subject to Awards hereunder until such shares have been issued or delivered to such Person.
(j)Government and Other Regulations.
(i)The obligation of the Company to settle Awards in shares of Common Stock or other consideration shall be subject to compliance with Applicable Law. Notwithstanding any terms or conditions of any Award to the contrary, the Company shall be under no obligation to offer to sell or to sell, and shall be prohibited from offering to sell or selling, any shares of Common Stock pursuant to an Award unless such shares have been properly registered for sale pursuant to the Securities Act with the Securities and Exchange Commission or unless the Company has received an opinion of counsel (if the Company has requested such an opinion), satisfactory to the Company, that such shares may be offered or sold without such registration pursuant to an available exemption therefrom and the terms and conditions of such exemption have been fully complied with. The Company shall be under no obligation to register for sale under the Securities Act any of the shares of Common Stock to be offered or sold under the Plan. The Committee shall have the authority to provide that all shares of Common Stock or other securities of any member of the Company Group issued under the Plan shall be subject to such stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the Plan, the applicable Award Agreement and Applicable Law, and, without limiting the generality of Section 8 of the Plan, the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be put on certificates representing shares of Common Stock or other securities of any member of the Company Group issued under the Plan to make appropriate reference to such restrictions or may cause such shares of Common Stock or other securities of any member of the Company Group issued under the Plan in book-entry form to be held subject to the Company’s instructions or subject to appropriate stop-transfer orders. Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, the Committee reserves the right to add, at any time, any additional terms or provisions to any Award granted under the Plan that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or advisable in order that such Award complies with the legal requirements of any governmental entity to whose jurisdiction the Award is subject.
(ii)The Committee may cancel an Award or any portion thereof if it determines, in its sole discretion, that legal or contractual restrictions and/or blockage and/or other market considerations would make the Company’s acquisition of shares of Common Stock from the public markets, the Company’s issuance of Common Stock to the Participant, the Participant’s acquisition of Common Stock from the Company, and/or the Participant’s sale of Common Stock to the public markets, illegal, impracticable, or inadvisable. If the Committee determines to cancel all or any portion of an Award in accordance with the foregoing, the Company shall, subject to any limitations or
reductions as may be necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code: (A) pay to the Participant an amount equal to the excess of (I) the aggregate Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Award or portion thereof canceled (determined as of the applicable exercise date, or the date that the shares would have been vested or issued, as applicable), over (II) the aggregate Exercise Price or Strike Price (in the case of an Option or SAR, respectively) or any amount payable as a condition of issuance of shares of Common Stock (in the case of any other Award), with such amount being delivered to the Participant as soon as practicable following the cancellation of such Award or portion thereof or (B) in the case of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, or Other Equity-Based Awards, provide the Participant with a cash payment or equity subject to deferred vesting and delivery consistent with the vesting restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, or Other Equity-Based Awards, or the underlying shares in respect thereof.
(k)No Section 83(b) Elections Without Consent of Company. No election under Section 83(b) of the Code or under a similar provision of law may be made unless expressly permitted by the terms of the applicable Award Agreement or by action of the Committee (or its designee in accordance with Section 4(c) of the Plan) in writing prior to the making of such election. If a Participant, in connection with the acquisition of shares of Common Stock under the Plan or otherwise, is expressly permitted to make such election and the Participant makes the election, the Participant shall notify the Company of such election within ten days of filing notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service or other governmental authority, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code or other applicable provision.
(l)Payments to Persons Other Than Participants. If the Committee shall find that any Person to whom any amount is payable under the Plan is unable to care for the Participant’s affairs because of illness or accident, or is a minor, or has died, then any payment due to such Person or the Participant’s estate (unless a prior claim therefor has been made by a duly appointed legal representative) may, if the Committee so directs the Company, be paid to the Participant’s spouse, child, relative, an institution maintaining or having custody of such Person, or any other Person deemed by the Committee to be a proper recipient on behalf of such Person otherwise entitled to payment. Any such payment shall be a complete discharge of the liability of the Committee and the Company therefor.
(m)Nonexclusivity of the Plan. Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor the submission of the Plan to the stockholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem desirable, including, without limitation, the granting of equity-based awards otherwise than under the Plan, and such arrangements may be either applicable generally or only in specific cases.
(n)No Trust or Fund Created. Neither the Plan nor any Award shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between any member of the Company Group, on the one hand, and a Participant or other Person, on the other hand. No provision of the Plan or any Award shall require the Company, for the purpose of satisfying any obligations under the Plan, to purchase assets or place any assets in a trust or other entity to which contributions are made or otherwise to segregate any assets, nor shall the Company be obligated to maintain separate bank accounts, books, records, or other evidence of the existence of a segregated or separately maintained or administered fund for such purposes. Participants shall have no rights under the Plan other than as unsecured general creditors of the Company, except that insofar as they may have become entitled to payment of additional compensation by performance of services, they shall have the same rights as other service providers under general law.
(o)Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in acting or failing to act, as the case may be, and shall not be liable for having so acted or failed to act in good faith, in reliance upon any report made by the independent public accountant of any member of the Company Group and/or any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any agent of the Company or the Committee or the Board, other than himself or herself.
(p)Relationship to Other Benefits. No payment under the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, profit sharing, group insurance, or other benefit plan of the Company except as otherwise specifically provided in such other plan or as required by Applicable Law.
(q)Governing Law. THIS PLAN AND ITS ENFORCEMENT AND ANY CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO ANY RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Each Participant who accepts an Award hereby (i) agrees that any action, directly or indirectly, arising out of, under or relating to the Plan or any Award hereunder shall exclusively be brought in and shall exclusively be heard and determined by either the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in Manhattan or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) solely in connection with the action(s) contemplated by subsection (i) hereof, (A) irrevocably and unconditionally consents and submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts identified in subsection (i) hereof, (B) irrevocably and unconditionally waives any objection to the laying of venue in any of the courts identified in clause (i) of this Section 12(q), (C) irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim that any of the courts identified in such clause (i) is an inconvenient forum or does not have personal jurisdiction over such Participant or any member of the Company Group, and (D) agrees that mailing of process or other papers in connection with any such action in the manner provided herein or in such other manner as may be permitted by Applicable Law shall be valid and sufficient service thereof. EACH PARTICIPANT WHO ACCEPTS AN AWARD IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ALL RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION, OR OTHER PROCEEDING INSTITUTED BY OR AGAINST SUCH PARTICIPANT IN RESPECT OF THE PARTICIPANT’S RIGHTS OR OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER.
(r)Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award or Award Agreement is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or as to any Person or Award, or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Committee, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to Applicable Law, or if it cannot be construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Committee, materially altering the intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be construed or deemed stricken as to such jurisdiction, Person, or Award and the remainder of the Plan and any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.
(s)Obligations Binding on Successors. The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be binding upon any successor corporation or organization resulting from the merger, consolidation, or other reorganization of the Company, or upon any successor corporation or organization succeeding to substantially all of the assets and business of the Company.
(t)Section 409A of the Code.
(i)Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, it is intended that the provisions of the Plan comply with Section 409A of the Code, and all provisions of the Plan shall be construed and interpreted in a manner consistent with the requirements for avoiding taxes or penalties under Section 409A of the Code. Each
Participant is solely responsible and liable for the satisfaction of all taxes and penalties that may be imposed on or in respect of such Participant in connection with the Plan (including any taxes and penalties under Section 409A of the Code), and neither the Service Recipient nor any other member of the Company Group shall have any obligation to indemnify or otherwise hold such Participant (or any beneficiary) harmless from any or all of such taxes or penalties. With respect to any Award that is considered “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code, references in the Plan to “termination of employment” (and substantially similar phrases) shall mean “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. For purposes of Section 409A of the Code, each of the payments that may be made in respect of any Award granted under the Plan is designated as a separate payment.
(ii)Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, if a Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, no payments in respect of any Awards that are “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code and which would otherwise be payable upon the Participant’s “separation from service” (as defined in Section 409A of the Code) shall be made to such Participant prior to the date that is six months after the date of such Participant’s “separation from service” or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death. Following any applicable six-month delay, all such delayed payments will be paid in a single lump sum on the earliest date permitted under Section 409A of the Code that is also a business day.
(iii)Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in an Award Agreement or otherwise, in the event that the timing of payments in respect of any Award (that would otherwise be considered “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code) are accelerated upon the occurrence of (A) a Change in Control, no such acceleration shall be permitted unless the event giving rise to the Change in Control satisfies the definition of a change in the ownership or effective control of a corporation, or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of a corporation pursuant to Section 409A of the Code or (B) a Disability, no such acceleration shall be permitted unless the Disability also satisfies the definition of “Disability” pursuant to Section 409A of the Code.
(u)Clawback/Repayment. All Awards shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment to the extent necessary to comply with (i) any clawback, forfeiture or other similar policy adopted by the Board or the Committee and as in effect from time to time; and (ii) Applicable Law. Further, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, to the extent that the Participant receives any amount in excess of the amount that the Participant should otherwise have received under the terms of the Award for any reason (including, without limitation, by reason of a financial restatement, mistake in calculations or other administrative error), the Participant shall be required to repay any such excess amount to the Company.
(v)Detrimental Activity. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if a Participant has engaged in any Detrimental Activity, as determined by the Committee, the Committee may, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, provide for one or more of the following:
(i)cancellation of any or all of such Participant’s outstanding Awards; or
(ii)forfeiture by the Participant of any gain realized on the vesting or exercise of Awards, and repayment of any such gain promptly to the Company.
(w)Right of Offset. The Company will have the right to offset against its obligation to deliver shares of Common Stock (or other property or cash) under the Plan or any Award
Agreement any outstanding amounts (including, without limitation, travel and entertainment or advance account balances, loans, repayment obligations under any Awards, or amounts repayable to the Company pursuant to tax equalization, housing, automobile, or other employee programs) that the Participant then owes to any member of the Company Group and any amounts the Committee otherwise deems appropriate pursuant to any tax equalization policy or agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Award is “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Committee will have no right to offset against its obligation to deliver shares of Common Stock (or other property or cash) under the Plan or any Award Agreement if such offset could subject the Participant to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A of the Code in respect of an outstanding Award.
(x)Expenses; Titles and Headings. The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company Group. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.