Form of Letter Agreement for Richard A. Gadbois III]
[Form
of
Letter Agreement for ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ III]
[date]
ASM
Acquisition Company Limited
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▇▇▇-▇, ▇▇▇
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▇▇▇▇▇▇’s ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
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▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇,
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UBS
Securities LLC
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▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇,
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
| Re: |
Initial
Public Offering of ASM Acquisition Company
Limited
|
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
letter is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement
(the “Underwriting
Agreement”)
entered into by and among ASM Acquisition Company Limited, an exempted
company
organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”),
and
UBS Securities LLC as the representative (the “Representative”)
of the
underwriters named in Schedule A thereto (collectively, the “Underwriters”),
relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “IPO”)
of the
Company’s units (the “Units”),
each
composed of one of the Company’s ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share
(the “Ordinary
Shares”),
and
one warrant, which is exercisable for one Ordinary Share (the “Warrants”).
Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 16
hereof.
In
order
to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting
Agreement and to proceed with the IPO, and in recognition of the benefit
that
such IPO will confer upon the undersigned officer and/or director or advisor
of
the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt
and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees
with
the Company as follows:
1. Neither
the undersigned nor any affiliate of the undersigned will be entitled to
receive, and no such person will accept, any finder’s fee, consulting fee,
reimbursement or cash payment or any other form of compensation, including
the
issuance of the Company’s securities, from the Company for services rendered to
the Company prior to or in connection with the consummation of a Business
Combination, other than (subject to the following sentence) (a) repayment
of those certain Promissory Notes in the amount of $125,000 and $250,000
made to
the Company by ASM SPAC(1) Limited, a British Virgin Islands incorporated
company, to cover offering expenses; (b) a payment of an aggregate of $7,500
per
month to Argyle Street Management Limited, a British Virgin Islands incorporated
company, for office space, administrative services and secretarial support;
(c) reimbursement for any reasonably incurred out-of-pocket expenses
related to identifying, investigating and consummating a Business
Combination; (d) other expenses or advances that the Company is permitted
to
incur; or (e) compensation or fees that may be received for any services
provided following such Business Combination. The undersigned acknowledges
that
the Company’s Audit Committee (or the Company’s Board of Directors, with any
interested director abstaining from such review and approval, in the case
of a
director who is a member of the Company’s Audit Committee) will review and
approve all payments made to the undersigned, the Company’s Existing Holders,
Founders, officers, directors and advisors and the Company’s or their
affiliates, other than the payments described in clauses (a) and (b) of
the
immediately preceding sentence.
2. The
undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Company will not enter into
any transaction with any of the Company’s officers, directors or advisors or any
of the Company’s or their respective affiliates, including loans by the
Company’s officers, directors and advisors and any forgiveness of loans,
(a) without the prior approval by a majority of the Company’s
disinterested, “independent” (as defined below) directors or, in the event the
Company has no “independent” directors, the members of the Company’s Board of
Directors who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case
who had
access, at the Company’s expense, to the Company’s attorneys or independent
legal counsel, and (b) unless the Company’s disinterested, “independent”
directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable
to
the Company than those that would be available to the Company with respect
to
such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties. As used herein “independent”
means
a
director who qualifies as (a) an “independent director” under
Section 121 of the American Stock Exchange’s AMEX Company Guide and
(b) independent under Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.
3. The
undersigned is not obligated to present to the Company any potential business
combination and may become involved as a principal (without involving the
Company) or agent for a third party with respect to potential business
combinations that otherwise would be appropriate for the Company, other
than:
(a) any
business combination or opportunity that is brought to the attention of
the
undersigned solely in his capacity as a director of the Company; or
(b) any
business combination or opportunity that is identified by the undersigned
solely
through the disclosure of information by or on behalf of the
Company.
The
undersigned agrees not to become affiliated with a blank check company
other
than the Company that may seek a Target Business until the earlier of the
consummation by the Company of a Business Combination, the liquidation
of the
Company or until such time as the undersigned ceases to be an officer or
director of the Company.
4. The
undersigned acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Company will not (a) consummate
a Business Combination with a Target Business that is either (x) a portfolio
company of, or has otherwise received a financial investment from, the
Founders
or their affiliates, or (y) affiliated with the Founders or the Company’s
directors, officers or advisors, or (b) consummate a Business Combination
with
any Underwriter, or IPO selling group member, or any of their affiliates,
unless, in each case, the Company obtains an opinion from an unaffiliated,
independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial
Industry
Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”)
that a
Business Combination with such Target Business is fair to the Company’s
shareholders from a financial point of view; and (ii) if, in connection
with a
Business Combination, any entity or entities with which the Company’s officers,
directors or advisors are affiliated purchases a minority interest in the
Target
Business, the entity or entities affiliated with such officers, directors
and/or
advisors will be required to pay the same price per share or unit for their
interest in the Target Business as the Company pays, the other terms of
the
investment of such affiliated entity or entities will be required to be
no more
favorable than the terms of the Company’s investment and such investment will
require the prior approval by a majority of the Company’s disinterested,
“independent” directors.
5. The
undersigned will escrow any and all of (A) the Founders’ Units, Founders’
Shares and Founders’ Warrants (including the Ordinary Shares to be issued upon
the exercise of the Founders’ Warrants) beneficially owned by him or her until
one year after the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination
and (B)
the Insider Warrants (including the Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise
of the Insider Warrants) beneficially owned by him or her until the consummation
by the Company of a Business Combination subject to the terms of an Escrow
Agreement which the Company will enter into with the Founders and the Existing
Holders and an escrow agent acceptable to the Company.
2
6. The
undersigned agrees not to resign as Advisor until the earlier of the
consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the date on which
all
of the conditions to the liquidation of the Company are satisfied (the
“Liquidation
Date”),
unless
he
or she becomes disabled by virtue of ill health or other disability and
is
unable to perform substantially and continuously his or her duties. The
undersigned’s biographical and conflicts of interest information furnished to
the Company and attached hereto as Exhibit A is true and accurate in all
respects, does not omit any material information with respect to the
undersigned’s background or conflicts of interest and contains all of the
information required to be disclosed pursuant to Section 401 of Regulation
S-K,
promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The undersigned’s
questionnaire(s) furnished to the Company and the Underwriters and attached
hereto as Exhibit B is true and accurate in all respects. The undersigned
represents and warrants that:
(a) the
undersigned is not subject to or a respondent in any legal action for,
any
injunction, cease-and-desist order or order or stipulation to desist or
refrain
from, any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any
jurisdiction;
(b) the
undersigned has never been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any crime
(i) involving any fraud or (ii) relating to any financial transaction or
handling of funds of another person, or (iii) pertaining to any dealings
in any
securities and the undersigned is not currently a defendant in any such
criminal
proceeding; and
(c) the
undersigned has never been suspended or expelled from membership in any
securities or commodities exchange or association or had a securities or
commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked.
7. The
undersigned hereby agrees (i) not to request that the Company’s Board of
Directors consider any proposal to eliminate or amend Article 170 of the
Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, (ii) in
connection with any shareholder vote on a proposal to amend the Company’s
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, to vote any
and all
of the Founders’ Shares owned directly or indirectly by him or her in the same
manner as a majority of the Public Shareholders, and (iii) not to seek
shareholder approval to extend the amount of time the Company has to consummate
a Business Combination beyond the Extended Period. This paragraph may not
be
modified or amended under any circumstances.
8. The
undersigned has full right and power, without violating any agreement by
which
he or she is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition
or
non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer), to enter
into
and perform under this letter agreement and serve as Advisor, and hereby
consents to being named in the Registration Statement as an Advisor of
the
Company.
9. If
the
Company seeks approval of its shareholders of either the Extended Period
or a
Business Combination, the undersigned will:
(a) vote
any
Founder’s Shares owned directly or indirectly by him or her in accordance with
the majority of the Ordinary Shares voted by the Company’s Public Shareholders
in connection with the vote on the Extended Period or any Business Combination,
as applicable; and
3
(b) vote
all
Ordinary Shares that he or she may acquire in or following the IPO in favor
of
the Extended Period or the Business Combination, as applicable.
In
addition, the undersigned waives his or her right to exercise redemption
rights
with respect to any Ordinary Shares owned or to be owned by the undersigned,
directly or indirectly, and agrees that he or she will not seek redemption
with
respect to such shares in connection with any vote to approve the Extended
Period or a Business Combination.
10. The
undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of
any
kind in or to (i) any and all of the quarterly distributions (the “Quarterly
Distributions”)
required by the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of
Association and described in the Company’s final prospectus relating to the IPO
and (ii) any distributions of the Trust Account, or to any other amounts
distributed in connection with a liquidating distribution of the Company,
in
each case, with respect to his or her Founders’ Shares and the Ordinary Shares
underlying the Founders’ Warrants or the Insider Warrants (any “Claim”),
and
hereby waives any Claim the undersigned may have in the future as a result
of,
or arising out of, any contracts or agreements with the Company and will
not
seek recourse against the Company or the Trust Account for any reason
whatsoever; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to any Ordinary
Shares
underlying the Units issued in the IPO (the “IPO
Shares”)
acquired by the undersigned. The undersigned hereby agrees that the Company
shall be entitled to reimbursement from the undersigned for any Quarterly
Distribution, any distribution of the Trust Account or any other amounts
distributed by the Company in connection with a liquidating distribution
received by the undersigned with respect to his or her Founders’ Shares or the
Ordinary Shares underlying the Founders’ Warrants or the Insider
Warrants.
11. This
letter agreement shall be binding on the undersigned and such person’s
respective successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns. This
letter
agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (a) the consummation of a Business
Combination and (b) the Liquidation Date; provided that such termination
shall
not relieve the undersigned from liability for any breach of this agreement
prior to its termination.
12. The
undersigned authorizes any employer, financial institution, or consumer
credit
reporting agency to release to the Underwriters and its legal representatives
or
agents (including any investigative search firm retained by the Underwriters)
any information they may have about the undersigned’s background and finances
(“Information”).
Neither the Underwriters nor its agents shall be violating the undersigned’s
right of privacy in any manner in requesting and obtaining the Information
and
the undersigned hereby releases them from liability for any damage whatsoever
in
that connection.
13. The
undersigned acknowledges and understands that the Company and the Underwriters
will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set forth
herein
in proceeding with the IPO. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to
render
the Underwriters a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the
Company, its shareholders, or any creditor or vendor of the Company with
respect
to the subject matter hereof.
14. This
letter agreement shall be governed by and interpreted and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts
formed
and to be performed entirely within the State of New York, without regard
to the
conflicts of law provisions thereof to the extent such principles or rules
would
require or permit the application of the laws of another
jurisdiction.
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15. No
term
or provision of this letter agreement may be amended, changed, waived,
altered
or modified except by written instrument executed and delivered by the
party
against whom such amendment, change, waiver, alteration or modification
is to be
enforced.
16. As
used
herein:
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·
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“Business
Combination”
means the acquisition of all or at least a majority of the equity
interest
in one or more Target Businesses through a merger, capital stock
exchange,
asset acquisition, stock purchase, or other similar transaction,
including
obtaining a majority interest through contractual
arrangements.
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·
|
“Existing
Holders”
means all of the holders of the Company’s securities before completion of
the IPO.
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·
|
“Extended
Period”
means the 12 month extension to the time period within which
the Company
must complete a Business Combination, which extension is conditioned
upon
(i) the Company entering into a letter of intent, agreement in
principle
or definitive agreement with respect to a Business Combination
within 24
months following the consummation of the IPO, (ii) the Company’s
shareholders approving the Extended Period at a special meeting
of the
Company’s shareholders for the purpose of soliciting their approval for
such extension, and (iii) holders of less than 30.0% of the IPO
Shares
both voting against the Extended Period and exercising their
redemption
rights in connection with such
vote.
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·
|
“Founders”
means the Company’s officers and directors and ASM SPAC(1)
Limited.
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·
|
“Founders’
Units”
means the 4,312,500 units purchased from the Company by ASM SPAC(1)
Limited on December 12, 2007 (up to 562,500 of which Founders’ Units will
be redeemed by the Company to the extent that the Underwriters
do not
exercise their over-allotment option) for a purchase price of
$25,000, or
approximately $0.006 per Founders’ Unit. Each Founders’ Unit consists of
one Ordinary Share (each a “Founders’
Share”)
and one warrant to purchase one Ordinary Share (each a “Founders’
Warrant”).
In February 2008, (a) ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ purchased 215,625 Founders’ Units, (b)
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ purchased 215,625 Founders’ Units, (c) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ purchased
269,531 Founders’ Units and (d) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ purchased 53,906 Founders’
Units (an aggregate of 754,687 Founders’ Units) from ASM SPAC(1) Limited
for approximately $0.006 per Founders’
Unit.
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·
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“Insider
Warrants”
means the 4,550,000 warrants ASM SPAC(1) Limited, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇,
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ have committed to purchase at
a price of
$1.00 per warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $4,550,000
in a
private placement that will occur immediately prior to the completion
of
the IPO.
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·
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“Public
Shareholders”
means purchasers of Ordinary Shares in the IPO or in the secondary
market,
including any of the Company’s officers or directors and their affiliates
to the extent that they purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares in
the IPO or
in the secondary market.
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·
|
“Target
Business”
means one or more operating businesses having its primary operations
in
Asia (including, without limitation, each country located in
the Eastern,
Southern and South Eastern subregions of Asia, but specifically
excluding
North Korea), which, after completion of the IPO, the Company
may target
for a Business Combination.
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·
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“Trust
Account”
means the trust account established under the Investment Management
Trust
Agreement, dated as of [________], 2008, by and between the Company
and
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company.
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By:
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Name:
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ III
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Title:
Advisor
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Accepted
and agreed:
ASM
ACQUISITION COMPANY LIMITED
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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6
Exhibit
A
[Biographical
and Conflicts of Interest Information Furnished to the Company]
A-1
Exhibit
B
[D&O
Questionnaire and NASD Questionnaire]
B-1