As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30, 2015
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
The Chemours Company
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 46-4845564 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
1007 Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19899
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of principal executive offices)
THE CHEMOURS COMPANY
EQUITY AND INCENTIVE PLAN
(Full title of the plan)
David C. Shelton, Esq.
General Counsel
The Chemours Company
1007 Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19899
(Name and address of agent for service)
Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service: (302) 773-1000
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | x (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ | |||
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
|
| ||||||||
| Title of securities to be registered |
Amount to be registered(1) |
Proposed maximum offering price per share(2) |
Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(2) |
Amount of registration fee(2) | ||||
| Common Stock, par value $0.01 |
25,000,000 | $15.27 | $381,750,000 | $44,359.35 | ||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| (1) | Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement also covers an indeterminate number of shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”) of The Chemours Company (“Chemours” or “Registrant”), that may be issuable as a result of a stock split, stock dividend or similar transactions under The Chemours Company Equity and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). 25,000,000 shares of Common Stock are authorized to be issued under the Plan, which will become effective on the date of the distribution of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company to its shareholders. |
| (2) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, based, in accordance with Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act, on the average of the high and low prices for the Common Stock in the “when issued” trading market as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on June 26, 2015. |
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This Registration Statement on Form S-8 is being filed for the purpose of registering 25,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of The Chemours Company issuable pursuant to The Chemours Company Equity and Incentive Plan.
PART I
Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act, and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I have been or will be delivered to the participants in the Plan as required by Rule 428(b).
PART II
| ITEM 3. | INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE. |
The following documents, which have been filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), are incorporated herein by reference:
| 1. | our Registration Statement on Form 10 initially filed on December 18, 2014, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on February 12, 2015, Amendment No. 2 on April 21, 2015, Amendment No. 3 on May 13, 2015, and Amendment No. 4 on June 5, 2015, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); |
| 2. | our Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 19, 2015; and |
| 3. | the description of our Common Stock contained in our Information Statement filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Registration Statement on Form 10 dated June 5, 2015, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
All documents filed by Chemours with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement (other than any such documents or portions thereof that are furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of a Current Report on Form 8-K, unless otherwise indicated therein, including any exhibits included with such Items), prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment that indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Unless otherwise stated in the applicable reports, information furnished under Item 2.02 or 7.01 of a Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be incorporated by reference.
Any statement contained in this Registration Statement or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained or incorporated by reference herein or in any subsequently filed document which is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.
| ITEM 4. | DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES. |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 5. | INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL. |
David C. Shelton, who is providing the legal opinion attached as Exhibit 5.1 hereto, is employed by the Registrant as its General Counsel. Mr. Shelton will receive awards under the Plan.
2
| ITEM 6. | INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. |
The Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties as directors, and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will include such an exculpation provision. Under the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each person who is or was one of our directors or officers shall be indemnified by us as of right to the full extent permitted by the DGCL.
Under the DGCL, to the extent that a person is successful on the merits in defense of a suit or proceeding brought against him because he is or was one of our directors or officers, he shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action. If unsuccessful in defense of a third-party civil suit or a criminal suit, or if such a suit is settled, that person shall be indemnified against both (i) expenses, including attorneys’ fees, and (ii) judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests and, with respect to any criminal action, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. If unsuccessful in defense of a suit brought by or in our right, or if such suit is settled, that person shall be indemnified only against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in the defense or settlement of the suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, our best interests, except that if he is adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to us, he cannot be made whole even for expenses unless the court determines that he is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses.
Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, the right to indemnification includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending any action, suit or proceeding in advance of its final disposition, subject to the receipt by us of undertakings as may be legally defined. In any action by an indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or by us to recover advances made, the burden of proving that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified is placed on us.
We maintain liability insurance for our directors and officers to provide protection where we cannot legally indemnify a director or officer and where a claim arises under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 against a director or officer based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty or other wrongful act and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for our directors and officers.
The foregoing is only a general summary of certain aspects of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws dealing with indemnification of directors and officers and does not purport to be complete. It is qualified in its entirety by reference to the detailed provisions of those sections of the DGCL referenced above and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws.
| ITEM 7. | EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED. |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 8. | EXHIBITS. |
The list of exhibits is set forth under “Exhibit Index” at the end of this Registration Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
| ITEM 9. | UNDERTAKINGS. |
| (a) | The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and |
3
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; |
provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (b) | The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
4
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Wilmington, State of Delaware, on June 30, 2015.
| THE CHEMOURS COMPANY | ||
| By: |
/s/ Mark E. Newman | |
| Mark E. Newman | ||
| Senior Vice President and | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Mark E. Newman and Amy P. Trojanowski, and each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Registration Statement (including all pre-effective and post-effective amendments and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 of the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
| /s/ Mark P. Vergnano |
Chief Executive Officer | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Mark P. Vergnano | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Mark E. Newman |
Chief Financial Officer | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Mark E. Newman | (Principal Financial Officer) | |||
| /s/ Amy P. Trojanowski |
Corporate Controller | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Amy P. Trojanowski | (Principal Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ Curtis J. Crawford |
Director | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Curtis J. Crawford | ||||
| /s/ Michael P. Heffernan |
Director | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Michael P. Heffernan | ||||
| /s/ Nigel Pond |
Director | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Nigel Pond | ||||
| /s/ Steven Zelac |
Director | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Steven Zelac | ||||
5
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit |
Description | |
| 3.1 | Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of The Chemours Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Amendment No. 4 to Chemours’ Registration Statement on Form 10 filed on June 5, 2015). | |
| 3.2 | Form of Amended and Restated By laws of The Chemours Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of Amendment No. 4 to Chemours’ Registration Statement on Form 10 filed on June 5, 2015). | |
| 4.1 | The Chemours Company Equity and Incentive Plan.* | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of David C. Shelton, Esq.* | |
| 23.1 | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.* | |
| 23.2 | Consent of David C. Shelton, Esq. (included in Exhibit 5.1).* | |
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (included on signature page).* | |
| * | Filed herewith. |
6
Exhibit 4.1
THE CHEMOURS COMPANY
EQUITY AND INCENTIVE PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Section | Page | |||||
| 1. | PURPOSE; TYPES OF AWARDS; CONSTRUCTION | 1 | ||||
| 2. | DEFINITIONS | 1 | ||||
| 3. | ADMINISTRATION | 5 | ||||
| 4. | ELIGIBILITY | 7 | ||||
| 5. | STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN | 7 | ||||
| 6. | SPECIFIC TERMS OF AWARDS | 8 | ||||
| 7. | CHANGE IN CONTROL PROVISIONS | 13 | ||||
| 8. | GENERAL PROVISIONS | 17 | ||||
i
THE CHEMOURS COMPANY
EQUITY AND INCENTIVE PLAN
| 1. | PURPOSE; TYPES OF AWARDS; CONSTRUCTION. |
The purposes of the Equity and Incentive Plan of The Chemours Company are to attract, motivate and retain (a) employees of the Company and any Subsidiary and Affiliate, (b) independent contractors who provide significant services to the Company, any Subsidiary or Affiliate and (c) nonemployee directors of the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate. The Plan is also designed to encourage stock ownership by such individuals, thereby aligning their interest with those of the Company’s stockholders and to permit the payment of compensation that qualifies as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code. Pursuant to the provisions hereof, there may be granted stock options (including “incentive stock options” and “nonqualified stock options”), and other stock-based awards, including but not limited to restricted stock, restricted stock units, dividend equivalents, performance units, stock appreciation rights (payable in cash or shares) and other long-term stock-based or cash-based Awards. In addition, the Plan permits the issuance of long-term incentive awards in substitution of long-term incentive awards that covered shares of the common stock of DuPont immediately prior to the spinoff of the Company by DuPont. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan, to the extent that any Award would be subject to Section 409A of the Code, no such Award may be granted if it would fail to comply with the requirements set forth in Section 409A of the Code and any regulations or guidance promulgated thereunder.
| 2. | DEFINITIONS. |
For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below:
| (a) | “Affiliate” means an affiliate of the Company, as defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. |
| (b) | “Award” means individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Options, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards, Other Cash-Based Awards or Conversion Awards. |
| (c) | “Award Terms” means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or document evidencing an Award. |
| (d) | “Beneficial Owner” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act. |
| (e) | “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company. |
| (f) | “Cause” shall have the meaning set forth in the Grantee’s employment or other agreement with the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate, if any, provided that if the Grantee is not a party to any such employment or other agreement or such employment or other agreement does not contain a definition of Cause, then Cause shall mean |
| (i) the willful and continued failure of the Grantee to perform substantially the Grantee’s duties with the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate (other than any such failure resulting from incapacity due to physical or mental illness), after a written demand for substantial performance is delivered to the Grantee by the employing Company, Subsidiary or Affiliate that specifically identifies the alleged manner in which the Grantee has not substantially performed the Grantee’s duties, or (ii) the willful engaging by the Grantee in illegal conduct or misconduct that is injurious to the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, including without limitation any breach of the Company’s Code of Business Conduct or other applicable ethics policy. |
| (g) | “Change in Control” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(c) hereof. |
| (h) | “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. |
| (i) | “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, the Committee shall be comprised solely of directors who are (a) “nonemployee directors” under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, (b) “outside directors” under Section 162(m) of the Code and (c) “independent directors” pursuant to New York Stock Exchange requirements. |
| (j) | “Company” means The Chemours Company, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, or any successor corporation. |
| (k) | “Conversion Award” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(c) hereof. |
| (l) | “Covered Employee” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 162(m)(3) of the Code. |
| (m) | “Disability” means that a Grantee is considered to be disabled within the meaning of the applicable Company benefit plan. |
| (n) | “DuPont” means E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. |
| (o) | “DuPont Award” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(c) hereof. |
| (p) | “Effective Date” means the date on which the Company becomes publicly traded in connection with its separation from DuPont. |
| (q) | “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, and as now or hereafter construed, interpreted and applied by regulations, rulings and cases. |
| (r) | “Excise Tax” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(d) hereof. |
2
| (s) | “Fair Market Value” means, with respect to Stock or other property, the fair market value of such Stock or other property determined by such methods or procedures as shall be established from time to time by the Committee. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in good faith, the per share Fair Market Value of Stock as of a particular date shall mean, (i) the closing sales price per share of Stock on the national securities exchange on which the Stock is principally traded, or (ii) if the shares of Stock are then traded in an over-the-counter market, the average of the closing bid and asked prices for the shares of Stock in such over-the-counter market for the last preceding date on which there was a sale of such Stock in such market, or if the shares of Stock are not then listed on a national securities exchange or traded in an over-the-counter market, such value as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine in good faith. |
| (t) | “Good Reason” shall have the meaning set forth in the Grantee’s employment or other agreement with the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate, if any, provided that if the Grantee is not a party to any such employment or other agreement or such employment or other agreement does not contain a definition of Good Reason, then Good Reason shall mean (i) a material diminution in the Grantee’s base compensation, (ii) a material diminution in the Grantee’s authority, duties, or responsibilities, or (iii) a material change in the geographic location at which the Grantee must perform his/her services for the Company. |
| (u) | “Grantee” means an individual who, as an employee of or independent contractor or nonemployee director with respect to the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate, has been granted an Award under the Plan. |
| (v) | “ISO” means any Option intended to be and designated in the applicable Award Terms as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code. |
| (w) | “NQSO” means any Option that is not designated as an ISO in the applicable Award Terms. |
| (x) | “Option” means a right, granted to a Grantee under Section 6(b)(i), to purchase shares of Stock. An Option may be either an ISO or an NQSO. |
| (y) | “Other Cash-Based Award” means an Award granted to a Grantee under Section 6(b)(iv) hereof, including cash awarded as a bonus or upon the attainment of Performance Goals or otherwise as permitted under the Plan. |
| (z) | “Other Stock-Based Award” means an Award granted to a Grantee pursuant to Section 6(b)(iv) (and to the extent applicable Section 6(b)(i)) hereof, that may be denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, or related to, Stock including but not limited to performance units, Stock Appreciation Rights (payable in cash or shares) or dividend equivalents, each of which may be subject to the attainment of Performance Goals or a period of continued employment or other terms and conditions as permitted under the Plan. |
3
| (aa) | “Performance Goals” means performance goals based on one or more of the following criteria: (i) earnings, including operating income, earnings before or after taxes, earnings before or after interest, depreciation, amortization, or extraordinary or special items or book value per share (which may exclude nonrecurring items); (ii) pre-tax income or after-tax income; (iii) earnings per common share (basic or diluted); (iv) operating profit; (v) revenue, revenue growth or rate of revenue growth; (vi) return on assets (gross or net), return on investment, return on capital, or return on equity; (vii) returns on sales or revenues; (viii) operating expenses; (ix) stock price appreciation; (x) cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment (discounted or otherwise), net cash provided by operations, or cash flow in excess of cost of capital; (xi) implementation or completion of critical projects or processes; (xii) economic value created; (xiii) cumulative earnings per share growth; (xiv) operating margin or profit margin; (xv) common stock price or total stockholder return; (xvi) cost targets, reductions and savings, productivity and efficiencies; (xvii) strategic business criteria, consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specified market penetration, geographic business expansion, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, human resources management, supervision of litigation, information technology, and goals relating to acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and similar transactions, and budget comparisons; (xviii) personal professional objectives, including any of the foregoing performance goals, the implementation of policies and plans, the negotiation of transactions, the development of long-term business goals, formation of joint ventures, research or development collaborations, and the completion of other corporate transactions; and (xix) any combination of, or a specified increase in, any of the foregoing. Where applicable, the Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of attaining a specified level of the particular criteria or the attainment of a percentage increase or decrease in the particular criteria, and may be applied to one or more of the Company, a Subsidiary or Affiliate, or a division or strategic business unit of the Company, or may be applied to the performance of the Company relative to a market index, a group of other companies or a combination thereof, all as determined by the Committee. The Performance Goals may include a threshold level of performance below which no payment will be made (or no vesting will occur), levels of performance at which specified payments will be made (or specified vesting will occur), and a maximum level of performance above which no additional payment will be made (or at which full vesting will occur). Each of the foregoing Performance Goals shall be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, if applicable, and shall be subject to certification by the Committee; provided that, to the extent an Award is intended to satisfy the performance-based compensation exception to the limits of Section 162(m) of the Code and then to the extent consistent with such exception, the Committee shall have the authority to make equitable adjustments to the Performance Goals in recognition of unusual or non-recurring events affecting the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate or the financial statements of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, in response to changes in applicable laws or regulations, or to account for items of gain, loss or expense determined to be extraordinary or unusual in nature or infrequent in occurrence or related to the disposal of a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting principles. |
4
| (bb) | “Person” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof and the rules thereunder, except that such term shall not include (1) the Company or any Subsidiary corporation, (2) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary corporation, (3) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, or (4) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company. |
| (cc) | “Plan” means this The Chemours Company Equity and Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time. |
| (dd) | “Plan Year” means a calendar year. |
| (ee) | “Restricted Stock” means an Award of shares of Stock to a Grantee under Section 6(b)(ii) that may be subject to certain restrictions and to a risk of forfeiture. |
| (ff) | “Restricted Stock Unit” means a right granted to a Grantee under Section 6(b)(iii) of the Plan to receive Stock or cash at the end of a specified period, which right may be subject to the attainment of Performance Goals in a period of continued employment or other terms and conditions as permitted under the Plan. |
| (gg) | “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3, as from time to time in effect promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 16 of the Exchange Act, including any successor to such Rule. |
| (hh) | “Stock” means shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company. |
| (ii) | “Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means an Other Stock-Based Award, payable in cash or stock, that entitles a Grantee upon exercise to the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Stock underlying the Award over the base price established in respect of such Stock. |
| (jj) | “Subsidiary” means any corporation in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time of granting of an Award, each of the corporations (other than the last corporation in the unbroken chain) owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain. |
| (kk) | “Total Payments” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(d) hereof. |
5
| 3. | ADMINISTRATION. |
| (a) | The Plan shall be administered by the Committee or, at the discretion of the Board, the Board, provided that any Award to the Chairman of the Board shall be subject to ratification by the Board. In the event the Board is the administrator of the Plan, references herein to the Committee shall be deemed to include the Board. The Board may from time to time appoint a member or members of the Committee in substitution for or in addition to the member or members then in office and may fill vacancies on the Committee however caused. The Committee shall choose one of its members as chairman and shall hold meetings at such times and places as it shall deem advisable. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum and any action may be taken by a majority of those present and voting at any meeting. Subject to applicable law, the Board may delegate to one or more officers, acting alone or together with one or more members of the Board, authority to grant Awards to employees who are not subject to potential liability under Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act with respect to transactions involving equity securities of the Company at the time any such delegated authority is exercised, subject however to prescribed limits set forth in the resolution of the Board delegating such authority. |
| (b) | The decision of the Committee as to all questions of interpretation and application of the Plan shall be final, binding and conclusive on all individuals and entities. The Committee shall have the authority in its discretion, subject to and not inconsistent with the express provisions of the Plan, to administer the Plan and to exercise all the power and authority either specifically granted to it under the Plan or necessary or advisable in the administration of the Plan, including without limitation, the authority to grant Awards, to determine the individuals to whom and the time or times at which Awards shall be granted, to determine the type and number of Awards to be granted, the number of shares of Stock to which an Award may relate and the terms, conditions, restrictions and Performance Goals relating to any Award; to determine Performance Goals no later than such time as is required to ensure that an underlying Award which is intended to comply with the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code so complies; to determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances an Award may be settled, canceled, forfeited, accelerated, exchanged, or surrendered (provided that, unless approved by the Company’s stockholders, no Award shall be settled, canceled, forfeited, exchanged or surrendered in exchange or otherwise in consideration for a new Award with a value in excess of the value of such settled, canceled, forfeited, exchanged or surrendered Award); to make adjustments in the terms and conditions (including Performance Goals) applicable to Awards; to construe and interpret the Plan and any Award; to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan; to determine the terms and provisions of the Award Terms (which need not be identical for each Grantee); and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award Terms granted hereunder in the manner and to the extent it shall deem expedient to carry the Plan into effect and shall be the sole and final judge of such expediency. No Committee member (or any individual to whom the Committee’s authority hereunder is delegated) shall be liable for any action or determination made with respect to the Plan or any Award. |
6
| 4. | ELIGIBILITY. |
| (a) | Awards may be granted to officers, independent contractors, employees and nonemployee directors of the Company or of any of its Subsidiaries and Affiliates; provided, that ISOs shall be granted only to employees (including officers and directors who are also employees) of the Company, its parent or any of its Subsidiaries. |
| (b) | No ISO shall be granted to any employee of the Company, its parent or any of its Subsidiaries if such employee owns, immediately prior to the grant of the ISO, stock representing more than 10% of the voting power or more than 10% of the value of all classes of stock of the Company or a parent or a Subsidiary, unless the purchase price for the stock under such ISO shall be at least 110% of its Fair Market Value at the time such ISO is granted and the ISO, by its terms, shall not be exercisable more than five years from the date it is granted. In determining the stock ownership under this paragraph, the provisions of Section 424(d) of the Code shall be controlling. |
| 5. | STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN. |
| (a) | The maximum number of shares of Stock reserved for the grant or settlement of Awards under the Plan (the “Share Limit”) shall be 13,500,000 plus the number of shares of Stock made subject to Conversion Awards and shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein. The aggregate number of shares of Stock made subject to Awards granted during any fiscal year to any single individual (other than with regard to Conversion Awards) shall not exceed 3,000,000. Determinations made in respect of the limitation set forth in the preceding sentence shall be made in a manner consistent with Section 162(m) of the Code. Such shares may, in whole or in part, be authorized but unissued shares or shares that shall have been or may be reacquired by the Company in the open market, in private transactions or otherwise. If any shares subject to an Award (other than a Conversion Award) are forfeited, canceled, exchanged or surrendered or if an Award (other than a Conversion Award) otherwise terminates or expires without a distribution of shares to the Grantee, the shares of stock with respect to such Award shall, to the extent of any such forfeiture, cancellation, exchange, surrender, termination or expiration, again be available for Awards under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, shares of Stock that are exchanged by a Grantee or withheld by the Company as full or partial payment in connection with any Award under the Plan, as well as any shares of Stock exchanged by a Grantee or withheld by the Company or any Subsidiary to satisfy the tax withholding obligations related to any Award under the Plan, shall not be available for subsequent Awards under the Plan. Upon the exercise of any Award granted in tandem with any other Awards, such related Awards shall be canceled to the extent of the number of shares of Stock as to which the Award is exercised and, |
7
| notwithstanding the foregoing, such number of shares shall no longer be available for Awards under the Plan. Upon the exercise of a SAR, the total number of shares subject to such SAR shall not again be available for Awards under the Plan. |
| (b) | Except as provided in an Award Terms or as otherwise provided in the Plan, in the event that the Committee shall determine that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Stock, or other property), recapitalization, Stock split, reverse split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or share exchange, or other similar corporate transaction or event, affects the Stock such that an adjustment is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights of Grantees under the Plan, then the Committee shall make such equitable changes or adjustments as it deems necessary or appropriate to any or all of (i) the number and kind of shares of Stock or other property (including cash) that may thereafter be issued in connection with Awards or the total number of Awards issuable under the Plan, (ii) the number and kind of shares of Stock or other property issued or issuable in respect of outstanding Awards, (iii) the exercise price, grant price or purchase price relating to any Award, (iv) the Performance Goals and (v) the individual limitations applicable to Awards; provided that, with respect to ISOs, any adjustment shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 424(h) of the Code and any regulations or guidance promulgated thereunder, and provided further that no such adjustment shall cause any Award hereunder which is or becomes subject to Section 409A of the Code to fail to comply with the requirements of such section. |
| 6. | SPECIFIC TERMS OF AWARDS. |
| (a) | General. The term of each Award shall be for such period as may be determined by the Committee. Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Terms, payments to be made by the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate upon the grant, maturation, or exercise of an Award may be made in such forms as the Committee shall determine at the date of grant or thereafter, including, without limitation, cash, Stock, or other property, and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments, or, subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, on a deferred basis. |
| (b) | Awards. The Committee is authorized to grant to Grantees the following Awards, as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan. The Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards. |
| (i) | Options and SARs. The Committee is authorized to grant Options and SARs to Grantees on the following terms and conditions: |
| (A) | The Award Terms evidencing the grant of an Option under the Plan shall designate the Option as an ISO or an NQSO. |
8
| (B) | The exercise or base price per share of Stock underlying under an Option or SAR shall be determined by the Committee, but in no event shall the exercise or base price of an Option or SAR per share of Stock be less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock as of the date of grant of such Option or SAR. The purchase price of Stock as to which an Option is exercised shall be paid in full at the time of exercise; payment may be made in cash, which may be paid by check, or other instrument acceptable to the Company, or, with the consent of the Committee, in shares of Stock, valued at the Fair Market Value on the date of exercise (including shares of Stock that otherwise would be distributed to the Grantee upon exercise of the Option), or if there were no sales on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were sales or (if permitted by the Committee and subject to such terms and conditions as it may determine) by surrender of outstanding Awards under the Plan, or the Committee may permit such payment of exercise price by any other method it deems satisfactory in its discretion. In addition, subject to applicable law and pursuant to procedures approved by the Committee, payment of the exercise price may be made through the sale of Stock acquired on exercise of the Option, valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise, sufficient to pay for such Stock (together with, if requested by the Company, the amount of federal, state or local withholding taxes payable by Grantee by reason of such exercise). Any amount necessary to satisfy applicable federal, state or local tax withholding requirements shall be paid promptly upon notification of the amount due. The Committee may permit such amount of tax withholding to be paid in shares of Stock previously owned by the employee, or a portion of the shares of Stock or cash, as applicable that otherwise would be distributed to such employee upon exercise of an Option or SAR, or a combination of cash and shares of such Stock. |
| (C) | Options and SARs shall be exercisable over the exercise period (which shall not exceed ten years from the date of grant), at such times and upon such conditions as the Committee may determine, as reflected in the Award Terms; provided that, the Committee shall have the authority to accelerate the exercisability of any outstanding Option or SAR at such time and under such circumstances as it, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. An Option or SAR may be exercised to the extent of any or all full shares of Stock as to which the Option has become exercisable, by giving written notice of such exercise to the Committee or its designated agent. No partial exercise may be made for less than one hundred (100) full shares of Stock. |
9
| (D) | Upon the termination of a Grantee’s employment or service with the Company and its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, the Options or SARs granted to such Grantee, to the extent that they are exercisable at the time of such termination, shall remain exercisable for such period as may be provided in the applicable Award Terms, but in no event following the expiration of their term. The treatment of any Option or SAR that is unexercisable as of the date of such termination shall be as set forth in the applicable Award Terms. |
| (E) | Options or SARs may be subject to such other conditions including, but not limited to, restrictions on transferability of, or provisions for recovery of, the shares acquired upon exercise of such Options or SARs (or proceeds of sale thereof), as the Committee may prescribe in its discretion or as may be required by applicable law. |
| (ii) | Restricted Stock. |
| (A) | The Committee may grant Awards of Restricted Stock, alone or in tandem with other Awards under the Plan, subject to such restrictions, terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its sole discretion and as shall be evidenced by the applicable Award Terms. The vesting of a Restricted Stock Award granted under the Plan and the terms upon which transfer restrictions shall lapse may be conditioned upon the completion of a specified period of employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, upon the attainment of specified Performance Goals, and/or upon such other criteria as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion. |
| (B) | The Committee shall determine the price, which, to the extent required by law, shall not be less than par value of the Stock, to be paid by the Grantee for each share of Restricted Stock or unrestricted stock or stock units subject to the Award. Each Award Terms with respect to such stock award shall set forth the amount (if any) to be paid by the Grantee with respect to such Award and when and under what circumstances such payment is required to be made. |
| (C) | Except as provided in the applicable Award Terms, no shares of Stock underlying a Restricted Stock Award may be assigned, transferred, or otherwise encumbered or disposed of by the Grantee until such shares of Stock have vested in accordance with the terms of such Award and all restrictions on transfer shall have lapsed. |
10
| (D) | If and to the extent that the applicable Award Terms may so provide, a Grantee shall have the right to vote and receive dividends on Restricted Stock granted under the Plan. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Terms, any Stock received as a dividend on or in connection with a stock split of the shares of Stock underlying a Restricted Stock Award shall be subject to the same vesting conditions and transfer restrictions as the shares of Stock underlying such Restricted Stock Award. |
| (E) | Upon the termination of a Grantee’s employment or service with the Company and its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, the Restricted Stock granted to such Grantee shall be subject to the terms and conditions specified in the applicable Award Terms. |
| (iii) | Restricted Stock Units. The Committee is authorized to grant Restricted Stock Units to Grantees, subject to the following terms and conditions: |
| (A) | The vesting of a Restricted Stock Unit Award granted under the Plan may be conditioned upon the completion of a specified period of employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, upon the attainment of specified Performance Goals, and/or upon such other criteria as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion. The Committee shall have the authority to accelerate the settlement of any outstanding award of Restricted Stock Units at such time and under such circumstances as it, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate, subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. |
| (B) | Unless otherwise provided in an Award Terms or except as otherwise provided in the Plan, upon the vesting of a Restricted Stock Unit there shall be delivered to the Grantee, as soon as practicable following the date on which such Award (or any portion thereof) vests (but in any event within such period as is required to avoid the imposition of a tax under Section 409A of the Code), that number of shares of Stock equal to the number of Restricted Stock Units becoming so vested. |
| (C) | Subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, an Award of Restricted Stock Units may provide the Grantee with the right to receive dividend equivalent payments with respect to Stock subject to the Award (both before and after the Stock subject to the Award is earned or vested), which payments may be either made currently or credited to an account for the Grantee, and may be settled in cash or Stock, as determined by the Committee. Any such settlements and any such crediting of dividend equivalents may be subject to such conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the Committee shall establish, including the reinvestment of such credited amounts in Stock equivalents. |
11
| (D) | Upon the termination of a Grantee’s employment or service with the Company and its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, the Restricted Stock Units granted to such Grantee shall be subject to the terms and conditions specified in the applicable Award Terms. |
| (iv) | Other Stock-Based or Cash-Based Awards. |
| (A) | The Committee is authorized to grant Awards to Grantees in the form of Other Stock-Based Awards or Other Cash-Based Awards, as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan. The Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards, consistent with the terms of the Plan, at the date of grant or thereafter, including the Performance Goals and performance periods. Stock or other securities or property delivered pursuant to an Award in the nature of a purchase right granted under this Section 6(b)(iv) shall be purchased for such consideration, paid for at such times, by such methods, and in such forms, including, without limitation, Stock, other Awards, notes or other property, as the Committee shall determine, subject to any required corporate action. |
| (B) | The maximum value of the aggregate payment that any Grantee may receive with respect to Other Cash-Based Awards pursuant to this Section 6(b)(iv) in respect of any annual performance period is $8,000,000 and for any other performance period in excess of one year, such amount multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of months in the performance period and the denominator of which is twelve (12). No payment shall be made to a Covered Employee prior to the certification by the Committee that the Performance Goals have been attained. The Committee may establish such other rules applicable to the Other Stock- or Cash-Based Awards to the extent not inconsistent with Section 162(m) of the Code. |
| (C) | Payments earned in respect of any Cash-Based Award may be decreased or, with respect to any Grantee who is not a Covered Employee, increased in the sole discretion of the Committee based on such factors as it deems appropriate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Awards may be adjusted in accordance with Section 5(b) hereof. |
| (c) | Converted DuPont Awards. The Company is authorized to issue Awards (“Conversion Awards”) in connection with the equitable adjustment by DuPont of certain stock options, performance shares, restricted stock awards, performance units, restricted stock unit awards and any other equity-based awards previously granted by DuPont (collectively, the “DuPont Awards”). Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, in accordance with a formula for |
12
| the conversion of DuPont Awards as determined by the Company in a manner consistent with the terms of the Employee Matters Agreement entered into in connection with the separation of the Company from DuPont, (i) the number of shares to be subject to a Conversion Award shall be determined by the Committee and (ii) the other terms and conditions of each Conversion Award, including option exercise price, shall be determined by the Committee. |
| 7. | CHANGE IN CONTROL PROVISIONS. |
| (a) | Unless otherwise determined by the Committee or evidenced in an applicable Award Terms or employment or other agreement, in the event of a Change in Control: |
| (i) | Options and Stock Appreciation Rights |
| (A) | If the Company is the surviving entity or the surviving entity assumes the Options or SARs or substitutes in lieu thereof equivalent stock options or SARs relating to the stock of such surviving entity (“Substitute Options/SARs”), the Options/SARs or the Substitute Options/SARs, as applicable, shall be governed by their respective terms; |
| (B) | If the Company is the surviving entity or the surviving entity assumes the Options/SARs or issues Substitute Options/SARs, and the Grantee is terminated without Cause or for Good Reason within twenty-four (24) months following the Change in Control, Options/SARs or Substitute Options/SARs held by the Grantee that were not previously vested and exercisable shall become fully vested and remain exercisable until the date that is two (2) years following the date of such termination, or the original expiration date, whichever first occurs; or |
| (C) | If the Company is not the surviving entity, and the surviving entity neither assumes the Options/SARs nor issues Substitute Options/SARs, each Option/SAR shall become fully vested and cancelled in exchange for a cash payment in an amount equal to (i) the excess of Fair Market Value per share of the Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control over the exercise or base price (if any) per share of Stock subject to the Award multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Stock subject to the Option/SAR. |
| (ii) | Other Awards Not Subject to Performance Goals |
| (A) | If the Company is the surviving entity or the surviving entity assumes Awards (other than Options or SARs) not subject to Performance Goals (“Time-Vested Awards”) or substitutes in lieu thereof equivalent stock awards relating to the stock of such surviving entity (“Substitute Awards”), the Time-Vested Awards or the Substitute Awards, as applicable, shall be governed by their respective terms; |
13
| (B) | If the Company is the surviving entity or the surviving entity assumes the Time-Vested Awards or issues Substitute Awards, and the Grantee is terminated without Cause or for Good Reason within twenty-four (24) months following the Change in Control, Time-Vested Awards or Substitute Awards held by the Grantee that were not previously vested shall become fully vested; or |
| (C) | If the Company is not the surviving entity, and the surviving entity does not assume the Time-Vested Awards or issue Substitute Awards, the Time-Vested Awards shall become fully vested and cancelled in exchange for a cash payment in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value per share of the Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control multiplied by the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award. |
| (iii) | Other Awards Subject to Performance Goals. Awards (other than Options or SARs) subject to Performance Goals shall be converted into Time-Vested Awards at target, without proration, and continue to vest as though such Award had originally been granted as a Time-Vested Award with a restricted period equal in length to the performance period of such Award. Such Time-Vested Award shall thereafter be governed in accordance with their respective otherwise applicable terms and subsection (ii) above. |
| (b) | The Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide that: (i) each Award shall, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, be canceled in exchange for a payment in an amount equal to (A) the Fair Market Value per share of the Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control over the exercise or base price (if any) per share of Stock subject to the Award multiplied by (B) the number of Shares granted under the Award; and (ii) each Award shall, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, be canceled without payment therefore if the Fair Market Value per share of the Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control is less than the exercise or purchase price (if any) per share of Stock subject to the Award. |
| (c) | For purposes of the Plan, a “Change in Control” shall be deemed to have occurred if the event set forth in any one of the following paragraphs shall have occurred: |
| (i) | any Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the securities beneficially owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Company or its Affiliates) representing 30% or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities, excluding any Person who becomes such a Beneficial Owner in connection with a transaction described in clause (A) of paragraph (iii) below; |
14
| (ii) | the following individuals cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors then serving: individuals who, on the date hereof, constitute the Board and any new director (other than a director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including but not limited to a consent solicitation, relating to the election of directors of the Company) whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the date hereof or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved or recommended; |
| (iii) | there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company with any other corporation or other entity, other than (A) a merger or consolidation which results in (I) the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof), in combination with the ownership of any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, at least 60% of the combined voting power of the securities of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation and (II) the individuals who comprise the Board immediately prior thereto constituting immediately thereafter at least a majority of the board of directors of the Company, the entity surviving such merger or consolidation or, if the Company or the entity surviving such merger is then a subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof, or (B) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the securities Beneficially Owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Company or its Affiliates) representing 30% or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities; or |
| (iv) | the stockholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or there is consummated an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (it being conclusively presumed that any sale or disposition is a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of its assets if the consummation of the sale or disposition is contingent upon approval by the Company’s stockholders unless the Board expressly determines in writing that such |
15
| approval is required solely by reason of any relationship between the Company and any other Person or an Affiliate of the Company and any other Person), other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity (A) at least 60% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale or disposition and (B) the majority of whose board of directors immediately following such sale or disposition consists of individuals who comprise the Board immediately prior thereto. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a “Change in Control” shall not be deemed to have occurred by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which the record holders of the common stock of the Company immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Company immediately following such transaction or series of transactions.
| (d) | Unless otherwise provided by the Committee or set forth in a Grantee’s Award Terms, notwithstanding the provisions of this Plan, in the event that any payment or benefit received or to be received by the Grantee in connection with a Change in Control or the termination of the Grantee’s employment or service (whether pursuant to the terms of this Plan or any other plan, arrangement or agreement with the Company, any Subsidiary, any Affiliate, any Person whose actions result in a Change in Control or any Person affiliated with the Company or such Person) (all such payments and benefits, “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of Section 280G of the Code in such other plan, arrangement or agreement, the payment or benefit to be received by the Grantee upon a Change in Control shall be reduced to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax but only if the net amount of such Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of federal, state and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments) is greater than or equal to the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Executive would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments). |
| (e) | Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 7, a Change in Control shall result in the acceleration of the time of payment under an Award that is subject to Section 409A of the Code only if the Change in Control also constitutes a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets for purposes of Section 409A of the Code; provided that to the extent that the time of payment under an Award otherwise would have been accelerated but for the application of this Section 7(e), vesting of the Grantee in such payment shall be accelerated. |
16
| 8. | GENERAL PROVISIONS. |
| (a) | Nontransferability, Deferrals and Settlements. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee or provided in an Award Terms, Awards shall not be transferable by a Grantee except by will or the laws of descent and distribution and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of a Grantee only by such Grantee or his guardian or legal representative. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any transfer of Awards to independent third parties for cash consideration without stockholder approval is prohibited. Any Award shall be null and void and without effect upon any attempted assignment or transfer, except as herein provided, including without limitation any purported assignment, whether voluntary or by operation of law, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition, attachment, divorce, trustee process or similar process, whether legal or equitable, upon such Award. The Committee may require or permit Grantees to elect to defer the issuance of shares of Stock (with settlement in cash or Stock as may be determined by the Committee or elected by the Grantee in accordance with procedures established by the Committee), or the settlement of Awards in cash under such rules and procedures as established under the Plan to the extent that such deferral complies with Section 409A of the Code and any regulations or guidance promulgated thereunder. It may also provide that deferred settlements include the payment or crediting of interest, dividends or dividend equivalents on the deferral amounts. |
| (b) | No Right to Continued Employment, etc. Nothing in the Plan or in any Award granted or any Award Terms, promissory note or other agreement entered into pursuant hereto shall confer upon any Grantee the right to continue in the employ or service of the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate or to be entitled to any remuneration or benefits not set forth in the Plan or such Award Terms, promissory note or other agreement or to interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any such Subsidiary or Affiliate to terminate such Grantee’s employment or service. |
| (c) | Taxes. The Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate is authorized to withhold from any Award granted, any payment relating to an Award under the Plan, including from a distribution of Stock, or any other payment to a Grantee, amounts of withholding and other taxes due in connection with any transaction involving an Award, and to take such other action as the Committee may deem advisable to enable the Company and Grantees to satisfy obligations for the payment of withholding taxes and other tax obligations relating to any Award. This authority shall include authority to withhold or receive Stock or other property with a Fair Market Value not in excess of the minimum amount required to be withheld and to make cash payments in respect thereof in satisfaction of a Grantee’s tax obligations. |
| (d) | Stockholder Approval; Amendment and Termination. The Plan shall take effect on the Effective Date but the Plan shall be subject to approval by DuPont, which approval must occur before the Effective Date and within twelve (12) months after the date that the Plan is adopted by the Board. The Board may amend, alter or discontinue the Plan, but no |
17
| amendment, alteration, or discontinuation shall be made that would impair the rights of a Grantee under any Award theretofore granted without such Grantee’s consent, or that without the approval of the stockholders (as described below) would, except as provided in Section 5, increase the total number of shares of Stock reserved for the purpose of the Plan. In addition, stockholder approval shall be required with respect to any amendment that materially increases benefits provided under the Plan or materially alters the eligibility provisions of the Plan or with respect to which stockholder approval is required under the rules of any stock exchange on which Stock is then listed. Unless earlier terminated by the Board pursuant to the provisions of the Plan, the Plan shall terminate on the tenth anniversary of its Effective Date. No Awards shall be granted under the Plan after such termination date. |
| (e) | No Rights to Awards; No Stockholder Rights. No individual shall have any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Grantees. No individual shall have any right to an Award or to payment or settlement under any Award unless and until the Committee or its designee shall have determined that an Award or payment or settlement is to be made. Except as provided specifically herein, a Grantee or a transferee of an Award shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares covered by the Award until the date of the issuance of such shares. |
| (f) | Unfunded Status of Awards. The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Grantee pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award shall give any such Grantee any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company. |
| (g) | No Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of Stock shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award. The Committee shall determine whether cash, other Awards, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of such fractional shares or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated. |
| (h) | Regulations and Other Approvals. |
| (i) | The obligation of the Company to sell or deliver Stock with respect to any Award granted under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including all applicable federal and state securities laws, and the obtaining of all such approvals by governmental agencies as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee. |
| (ii) | Each Award is subject to the requirement that, if at any time the Committee determines, in its absolute discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification of Stock issuable pursuant to the Plan is required by any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental |
18
| regulatory body is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the grant of an Award or the issuance of Stock, no such Award shall be granted or payment made or Stock issued, in whole or in part, unless listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval has been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Committee. |
| (iii) | In the event that the disposition of Stock acquired pursuant to the Plan is not covered by a then current registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and is not otherwise exempt from such registration, such Stock shall be restricted against transfer to the extent required by the Securities Act or regulations thereunder, and the Committee may require a Grantee receiving Stock pursuant to the Plan, as a condition precedent to receipt of such Stock, to represent to the Company in writing that the Stock acquired by such Grantee is acquired for investment only and not with a view to distribution. |
| (i) | Section 409A. This Plan is intended to comply and shall be administered in a manner that is intended to comply with or be exempt from Section 409A of the Code and shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent. To the extent that an Award, issuance and/or payment is subject to Section 409A of the Code, it shall be awarded and/or issued or paid in a manner that will comply with Section 409A of the Code, including proposed, temporary or final regulations or any other guidance issued by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service with respect thereto. Any provision of this Plan that would cause an Award, issuance and/or payment to fail to satisfy Section 409A of the Code shall have no force and effect until amended to comply with Code Section 409A (which amendment may be retroactive to the extent permitted by applicable law). Notwithstanding anything contained herein or in an Award Agreement to the contrary, (i) to the extent required in order to avoid accelerated taxation and/or tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, a Grantee shall not be considered to have terminated employment with the Company or its Affiliates for purposes of any Award, and no payment under any Award shall be due to the Grantee as a result of such termination, until the Grantee would be considered to have incurred a “separation from service” from the Company and its Affiliates within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, and (ii) to the extent that any payments to be made upon a Grantee’s separation from service would result in the imposition of any individual penalty tax imposed under Section 409A of the Code, the payment shall instead be made on the first business day after the earlier of (A) the date that is six (6) months following such separation from service and (B) the date of the Grantee’s death. Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates makes any representations that any or all of the payments provided under any Award will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code and none of them makes any undertaking to preclude Section 409A of the Code from applying to any such payment. |
19
| (j) | Awards to Employees Outside the United States. Awards may be granted to Grantees who are foreign nationals or employed outside the United States, or both, on such terms and conditions different from those applicable to Awards to Grantees employed in the United States as may, in the judgment of the Committee, be necessary or desirable in order to recognize differences in local law or tax policy. The Committee also may impose conditions on the exercise or vesting of Awards in order to minimize the Company’s obligation with respect to tax equalization for Grantees on assignments outside their home country. Moreover, the Committee may approve such supplements to, or amendments, restatements or alternative versions of, the Plan as it may consider necessary or appropriate for such purposes without thereby affecting the terms of the Plan as in effect for any other purpose, provided that no such supplements, amendments, restatements or alternative versions shall include any provisions that are inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as then in effect, unless the Plan could have been amended to eliminate such inconsistency without further approval by the stockholders of the Company. |
| (k) | Governing Law. The Plan and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant hereto shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof. |
20
Exhibit 5.1
June 30, 2015
The Chemours Company
1007 Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19899
Sir/Madam:
Reference is made to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 being filed by you with the Securities and Exchange Commission, relating to the issuance under The Chemours Company Equity and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) of up to 25,000,000 shares of The Chemours Company (hereinafter called “the Company”) $0.01 par value Common Stock (“Common Stock”). It is my opinion that:
| (a) | the Company is duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware; and |
| (b) | all shares of Common Stock so registered are or will when sold, be legally issued, fully paid and nonassessable. |
My opinion is limited to matters governed by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. My opinion expressed herein is as of the date hereof, and I undertake no obligation to advise you of any changes in applicable law or any other matters that may come to my attention after the date hereof that may affect my opinion expressed herein.
I hereby consent to the use of this opinion in connection with the above-mentioned Registration Statement.
| Very truly yours, |
| /s/ David C. Shelton |
| David C. Shelton General Counsel |
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated April 21, 2015, relating to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014, which appears in Amendment No. 4 to The Chemours Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Philadelphia, PA
June 30, 2015