ALLIED WORLD ASSURANCE COMPANY HOLDINGS, AG PERFORMANCE-BASED RSU AWARD AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.4
ALLIED WORLD ASSURANCE COMPANY HOLDINGS, AG
PERFORMANCE-BASED RSU AWARD AGREEMENT
PERFORMANCE-BASED RSU AWARD AGREEMENT
This Performance-Based RSU Award Agreement (this “Agreement”) sets forth the terms and
conditions of a target award (this “Award”) consisting of restricted stock units that
settle in cash and/or Common Shares (collectively, the “RSUs”), granted to you under the
Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG, Third Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Incentive Plan
(the “Plan”).
1. The Plan. This Award is made pursuant to the Plan, the terms and conditions of
which are incorporated in this Agreement. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined
herein or in the attached Glossary of Terms.
2. Award. The target number of RSUs subject to this Award (i.e., the Target
Cash-Settled RSUs and Target Share-Settled RSUs) is set forth at the end of this Agreement (this
target number assumes 100% achievement of the Selected Performance Criteria). Each Award
constitutes an unfunded and unsecured promise of Allied World to deliver (or cause to be delivered)
to you a certain number of Common Shares (the “Share” or the “Shares” as the
context requires) and/or cash on the settlement date, subject to the terms of this Agreement.
Until such delivery of Shares, except as otherwise provided in Paragraph 3, you have only the
rights of a general unsecured creditor, and no rights as a shareholder of Allied World. THIS AWARD
IS SUBJECT TO ALL TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PROVISIONS OF THE PLAN AND THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE CHOICE OF FORUM PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH 14.
3. Vesting and Delivery.
(a) Determination of Performance Percentage. As soon as practicable following the end
of a Performance Period, the Committee shall determine the Performance Period Percentage applicable
to such Performance Period. The determination of the Committee of the Performance Period
Percentage shall be final, binding and conclusive for all purposes under this Agreement and the
Plan.
(b) Time and Form of Payment. Except as provided in this Paragraph 3 and in
Paragraphs 4, 7 and 8, as soon as practicable following the Committee’s determination of the
Performance Period Percentage as described in Paragraph 3(a), the Company shall:
(i) issue or transfer to you, or cause to be issued or transferred to you, the number
of Shares underlying your Share-Settled RSUs, and shall either (i) deliver, or cause to be
delivered, to you a Certificate or Certificates therefor, registered in your name; or (ii)
cause such Shares to be credited to your account at a third-party stock plan administrator
as may be arranged for by the Company or the Committee from time to time for purposes of the
administration of outstanding awards under the Plan. You shall be deemed the beneficial
owner of the Shares at the close of business on the date on which the Committee determines
the Performance Period Percentage and you shall be entitled to any dividend or distribution
that has not already been made with respect to such Shares if the record date for such
dividend or distribution is after the close of
business on the date on which the Committee determines the Performance Period
Percentage; and/or
(ii) transfer to you, or cause to be transferred to you, an amount of cash equal to the
aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying your Cash-Settled RSUs, determined as
of the date on which the Performance Period Percentage is approved by the Committee pursuant
to Paragraph 3(a). Your Award shall be settled as soon as practicable following the
Committee’s determination.
(c) Termination of Employment due to Death or Disability. In the event that your
employment is terminated due to your death or Disability at any time prior to the end of a
Performance Period, you or your estate or beneficiaries, as the case may be, shall be entitled to
(i) 25% of the Award, if such termination occurs during the first (1st) fiscal year of
the Performance Period, (ii) 50% of the Award, if such termination occurs during the second
(2nd) fiscal year of the Performance Period, or (iii) 75% of the Award, if such
termination occurs during the third (3rd) fiscal year of the Performance Period. The
Award payable under this Paragraph 3(c) shall be settled in Shares and/or cash, as applicable, as
soon as practicable following your termination of employment due to death or Disability, as the
case may be, but in no event later than March 15 of the fiscal year immediately following the year
in which such termination occurred.
(d) Delay in Delivery. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, any
delivery of Shares or cash otherwise required to be made hereunder to you at any date as a result
of the termination of your employment for any reason shall be delayed for such period of time as
may be necessary to meet the requirements of section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the U.S. Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and shall be delivered and/or paid on the earliest
date on which such delivery or payments can be made without violating the requirements of section
409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code.
4. Termination of the Awards.
(a) Unless the Committee determines otherwise, and except as provided in Paragraph 3(c), your
rights in respect of your Award shall immediately terminate, and no Shares and/or cash shall be
delivered in respect of such Award, if at any time prior to the date on which the Committee
determines the Performance Period Percentage your employment with the Company terminates for any
reason.
(b) Unless the Committee determines otherwise, and except as provided in Paragraph 3(c), your
rights in respect of your Award (whether or not vested) shall immediately terminate, and no Shares
and/or cash shall be delivered in respect of such Award, if at any time prior to the settlement
date:
(i) you attempt to have any dispute under this Agreement or the Plan resolved in any
manner that is not provided for by Paragraph 14;
(ii) you in any manner, directly or indirectly, (A) Solicit any Client to transact
business with a Competitive Enterprise or to reduce or refrain from doing any business with
the Company, (B) interfere with or damage (or attempt to interfere with or damage)
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any relationship between the Company and any such Client or (C) Solicit any person who
is an employee of the Company to resign from the Company or to apply for or accept
employment with any Competitive Enterprise; or
(iii) you fail to certify to Allied World, in accordance with procedures established by
the Committee that you have complied, or the Committee determines that you have failed to
comply, with all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. By accepting the delivery
of Shares and/or cash under this Agreement, you shall be deemed to have represented and
certified at such time that you have complied with all the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
(c) Unless the Committee determines otherwise, if on the settlement date in respect of any
Shares and/or cash that would be deliverable under the terms and conditions of this Agreement,
except that you have not complied with the conditions or your obligations under Paragraph
4(b)(iii), all of your rights with respect to your Award shall terminate prior to settlement. In
addition, except as otherwise required by law or with the express prior written consent of the
Board, you shall keep the amount of your Award strictly confidential and you expressly agree that
any breach of this Agreement to keep such information confidential may result in forfeiture of the
Award and/or immediate termination of your employment.
(d) Without limiting the application of Paragraph 4(b) or Paragraph 4(c), your rights in
respect of your Award that become vested solely by reason of a Disability shall terminate
immediately, and no Shares and/or cash shall be delivered in respect of such Award if, following
the termination of your employment with the Company by reason of Disability prior to the settlement
date you (i) form, or acquire a 5% or greater equity ownership, voting or profit participation
interest in, any Competitive Enterprise or (ii) associate in any capacity (including, but not
limited to, association as an officer, employee, partner, director, consultant, agent or advisor)
with any Competitive Enterprise.
(e) The settlement of the Award as set forth herein (including there being no settlement of
the Award based on a determination by the Committee that (i) the minimum Performance Period
Percentage was not met or (ii) you failed to comply with the terms and conditions of this
Agreement) shall extinguish the Company’s entire obligation hereunder in respect of your Award, and
you shall not be entitled to any further payment in respect thereof.
5. Repayment. If following the delivery of Shares and/or cash, the Committee
determines that all terms and conditions of this Agreement in respect of such delivery were not
satisfied, the Company shall be entitled to receive, and you shall be obligated to pay the Company
immediately upon demand therefor, the Fair Market Value of the Shares and the amount of cash
received by you with respect to your Award, without reduction for any Shares and/or cash applied to
satisfy withholding tax or other obligations in respect of such Shares and/or cash.
6. Non-transferability. Except as otherwise may be provided by the Committee, the
limitations set forth in Section 3.5 of the Plan shall apply to this entire award. Any assignment
in violation of the provisions of this Paragraph 6 shall be null and void.
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7. Withholding, Consent and Legends.
(a) The delivery of Shares and/or cash is conditioned on your satisfaction of any applicable
withholding taxes (in accordance with Section 3.3 of the Plan).
(b) Your rights in respect of your Award are conditioned on the receipt by the Company or
third-party stock plan administrator, as applicable, to the full satisfaction of the Committee of
any required consents (as defined in Section 3.4 of the Plan) that the Committee may determine to
be necessary or advisable (including, without limitation, your consenting to deductions from your
wages, or another arrangement satisfactory to the Committee, to reimburse the Company for advances
made on your behalf to satisfy withholding and other tax obligations in connection with this
Award).
(c) Allied World may affix to Certificates representing Shares issued pursuant to this
Agreement any legend that the Committee determines to be necessary or advisable (including to
reflect any restrictions to which you may be subject under a separate agreement with Allied World).
Allied World may advise the transfer agent to place a stop transfer order against any legended
Shares.
8. Rights of Offset. The Company shall have the right to offset, or cause to be
offset, against the obligation to deliver Shares and/or cash under this Agreement any outstanding
amounts (including, without limitation, travel and entertainment or advance account balances, loans
or amounts repayable to the Company pursuant to tax equalization, housing, automobile or other
employee programs) you then owe to the Company and any amounts the Committee otherwise deems
appropriate.
9. No Rights to Continued Employment. Nothing in this Agreement or the Plan shall be
construed as giving you any right to continued employment by the Company or affect any right that
the Company may have to terminate or alter the terms and conditions of your employment.
10. Successors and Assigns of Allied World. The terms and conditions of this
Agreement shall be binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of, Allied World and its successor
entities.
11. Committee Discretion. The Committee shall have full discretion with respect to
any actions to be taken or determinations to be made in connection with this Agreement, and its
determinations shall be final, binding and conclusive.
12. Amendment. The Committee reserves the right at any time to amend the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement as permitted by the Plan, and the Board may amend the Plan
in any respect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such amendment shall materially adversely affect
your rights and obligations under this Agreement without your consent. Any amendment of this
Agreement shall be in writing signed by an authorized member of the Committee or a person or
persons designated by the Committee.
13. Adjustment. In the event of a recapitalization, stock split, stock dividend,
combination or exchange of shares, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, rights offering,
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separation, reorganization or liquidation, or any other change in the corporate structure or
the Shares, subsequent to the date of the Date of Grant, the Committee or the Board shall make such
equitable adjustments, designed to protect dilution or enlargement of rights, as it may deem
appropriate in accordance with the Plan.
14. Governing Law; Venue. THIS AWARD SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. IN CONSIDERATION OF YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS
AWARD, YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY SUBMIT TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF AND VENUE IN THE COURTS OF
SWITZERLAND WITH RESPECT TO ANY SUIT OR CLAIM INSTITUTED BY THE COMPANY OR YOU RELATING TO THIS
AWARD.
15. Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for the purpose of convenience only
and are not intended to define or limit the construction of the provisions hereof.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Allied World has caused this Agreement to be duly executed and
delivered as of the Date of Grant.
| ALLIED WORLD ASSURANCE COMPANY HOLDINGS, AG |
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| By: | ||||
| Name: | ||||
| Title: | ||||
Recipient:
Target Numbers for the Award:
• Target Share-Settled RSUs (the “Target Share-Settled RSUs”):
• Target Cash-Settled RSUs (the “Target Cash-Settled RSUs”):
Date of Grant:
Receipt Acknowledge: |
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Address:
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| Street | |||||
| City, | State | Zip Code | |||
| Social Security No./Local I.D. No. | |||||
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Glossary of Terms
Solely for purposes of this Award, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
Capitalized terms not defined in this Glossary of Terms shall have the meanings as used or defined
in the Agreement.
“Allied World” means Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG or a successor entity.
“Board” means the Board of Directors of Allied World.
“Cash-Settled RSUs” means, with respect to any Performance Period, the number of Common Shares
equal to your Target Cash-Settled RSUs multiplied by the Performance Period Percentage for such
Performance Period.
“Certificate” means a share certificate (or other appropriate document or evidence of
ownership) representing Common Shares of Allied World.
“Client” means any client or prospective client of the Company to whom the Company provided
services, or for whom the Company transacted business, or whose identity became known to you in
connection with your relationship with or employment by the Company.
“Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board; provided, however, if at any time
during the term of the Plan the Compensation Committee is not comprised of any members, the full
Board shall be deemed to be the Committee hereunder until such time that the Compensation Committee
of the Board has at least one member.
“Common Shares” means the registered shares of Allied World.
“Company” means Allied World and its subsidiaries.
“Competitive Enterprise” means a business enterprise that (i) engages in any activity, or (ii)
owns or controls a significant interest in any entity that engages in any activity, that, in either
case, competes anywhere with any activity in which the Company is engaged. The activities covered
by the previous sentence include, without limitation, all insurance and re-insurance, and insurance
and reinsurance related activities, and asset management located in Switzerland and abroad.
“Disability” means, in the absence of any employment agreement between you and the Company
otherwise defining Disability, any physical or mental disability or infirmity that prevents the
performance of your employment duties for a period of (i) ninety (90) consecutive days or (ii) one
hundred twenty (120) non-consecutive days during any twelve (12) month period. Any question as to
the existence, extent or potentiality of your Disability upon which you and the Company cannot
agree shall be determined by a qualified, independent physician selected by the Company and
approved by you (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld). In the event there is an
employment agreement between you and the Company defining Disability, “Disability” shall have the
meaning provided in such agreement.
“Fair Market Value” means, with respect to a Common Share on any day, the fair market value as
determined in accordance with a valuation methodology approved by the Committee and consistent with
the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, or if there is a public market for the shares on such
date, (i) the methodology as determined by the Committee in its sole and absolute discretion, or
(ii) if the Committee has not set forth a pricing methodology, the closing price of the Common
Shares on such stock exchange on which the shares are principally trading on the date in question,
or, if there were no sales on such date, on the closest preceding date on which there were sales of
shares.
“Performance Criteria” means one or more of the following performance metrics: (i)
consolidated earnings before or after taxes (including earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization); (ii) net income; (iii) operating income; (iv) earnings per share;
(v) book value per share; (vi) return on shareholders’ equity; (vii) return on investment; (viii)
stock price; (ix) improvements in capital structure; (x) revenue or sales; and (xi) total return to
shareholders.
“Performance Period” means the three consecutive fiscal year period ending on [ ].
“Performance Period Percentage” means, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, for any
Performance Period, a percentage determined as a function of percentage achievement of the Selected
Performance Criteria, as follows:
| Percentage Achievement of Selected | ||
| Performance Criteria | Performance Period Percentage | |
Less than 80% |
0% | |
80% |
50% | |
100% |
100% | |
120% or greater |
150% |
To the extent the percentage achievement of the Selected Performance Criteria falls between any
level set forth on the table above, the Performance Period Percentage shall be the Performance
Period Percentage for the percentage achievement level immediately below that actually obtained
plus 2.50% for each whole percentage achievement in excess of such stated level (e.g., at 90%
achievement of the Selected Performance Criteria, the Performance Period Percentage will equal 50%
plus 25%, or 75%).
“Selected Performance Criteria” means, with respect to a Performance Period, the Performance
Criteria that are selected to measure the performance of the Company over the Performance Period.
“Share-Settled RSUs” means, with respect to any Performance Period, the number of Common
Shares equal to your Target Share-Settled RSUs multiplied by the Performance Period Percentage for
such Performance Period.
“Solicit” means any direct or indirect communication of any kind whatsoever, regardless of by
whom initiated, inviting, advising, encouraging or requesting any person or entity, in any manner,
to take or refrain from taking any action.