Global Reward Opportunity Plan Rules
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Global Reward Opportunity GROPlan Rules 1 Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. Global Reward Opportunity (GRO) Plan Rules Adopted by the Supervisory Board of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. on August 23 2016 Applicable to grants made in and after 2016 2 Contents Rule Page 1. Definitions and interpretation 1 2. Introduction 5 3. Grant of Awards 6 4. Restrictions on the grant of Awards 7 5. Conditions attached to Awards 7 6. Vesting 9 7. Transfer of Shares or cash amount 10 8. Taxes and Costs 11 9. Holding period for Management Board members 12 10. Claw back and ultimum remedium 13 11. Lapse of Awards 13 12. Cessation of employment before the Vesting Date 14 13. Cash equivalent 15 14. Change in Control 15 15. Variation of share capital 16 16. Administration 16 17. Notices and communication 17 18. Data Protection 18 19. General 18 20. Amendments to this Plan 20 21. Governing law 20 COUNTRY SPECIFIC ADDENDA 21 1. Definitions and interpretation 1.1 In this Plan, the following words shall, where the context so permits, have the following meanings: Expression Meaning AGM means the annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company; Ahold Delhaize Group means the Company and the companies of which the Company has Control from time to time; Articles of Association means the articles of association of the Company, as amended from time to time; Auditors means the registered auditors as selected by the Company at any time for the purpose of this Plan; Award means the award of a Performance share or any other instrument as specified in the “Award Certificate”; Award Certificate The certificate in respect of an Award effected to a Participant in accordance with Rule 3 or any other Award made under the terms of this Plan; Business Day means any weekday (excluding a Saturday or Sunday), that is not a statutory, public or bank holiday in the Netherlands; Cessation of Employment The date on which the employment between the Employee and the Group ends; Change of Control A person or more than one person acting as a group, which will in any event be the case, if they are owners of a corporate entity that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of shares, or similar business transaction with the Company – acquiring ownership of shares of the Company that together with the shares held by such person or group, constitutes more than 50% of the total fair market value or total voting power of the shares of the Company that also otherwise qualifies as a “change in ownership or effective control” within the meaning of Section 409A of the United States Internal Revenue Code and applicable guidance thereunder; 1 Company means Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., having its statutory seat and principal place of business in Zaandam in The Netherlands; Control means in relation to a corporate body, the power of a person or legal entity to secure: (a) by means of the holding of shares or the possession of voting rights in or relating to that or any other corporate body; or (b) by virtue of any powers conferred by the articles of association or other document regulating that or any other corporate body; that the affairs of the first mentioned corporate body are conducted in accordance with the wishes of that person or legal entity, it being understood that any corporate body where the Company owns directly or indirectly 50% or more of the shares or voting rights is under Control of the Company; Date of Grant means in respect of any Award the date on or as of which that Award is granted; Disability means total and permanent mental or physical disability of the Participant, whether occupational or non-occupational in cause, which satisfies such definition as defined in the national laws and regulations (or, as applicable, the national insurance system) in place in the jurisdiction of the Participant, regarding disability, or, if applicable, the Company disability insurance system; Economic Value means the value of an Award calculated by a third party selected by the Supervisory Board taking into account all relevant circumstances at the time of calculation; Employee means any member of the Management Board or employee of a Group Company; 2 General Meeting means the general meeting of shareholders of the Company; Group Company means the Company and any other company of which the Company has Control; Management Means the governing body: (a) the Supervisory Board: where the Employee or Participant concerned is a member of the Management Board; (b) the Management Board: where the Employee or Participant concerned is not a member of the Management Board; Management Board means the management board of the Company; Market Value means in relation to a Share, the volume weighted average share price of a Share as derived from the listing at Euronext. The volume weighted average share price is used in case of cash settlements and for tax purposes; Nominee Securities means an account maintained by the Plan Administrator Account in relation to this Plan; Euronext means Euronext Amsterdam by Euronext Amsterdam N.V. or its legal successor at any time; Participant a (former) Employee to whom an Award has been made under the terms of this Plan; Performance Condition means such performance condition or conditions, determined by Management in relation to an Award; 3 Performance Period means in relation to a Performance Condition: (a) the period of three calendar years commencing with the calendar year in which the Award is granted; or (b) the period of three financial years commencing with the financial year in which the Award is granted; or (c) such other period as is determined by Management; Plan means this plan as amended from time to time which shall be known as the “Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. Global Reward Opportunity (GRO) Plan Rules”; Plan Administrator means the entity designated as such by the Company to administer the Plan from time to time; Plan Period means the period commencing with the date of adoption of the Plan by the Supervisory Board and ending ultimately on the tenth anniversary of that date of adoption; Redundancy means the termination of the employment of the employee or membership of the Management Board, as the case may be, by and at the initiative of the Group Company or the General Meeting, as the case may be, in a situation where no (serious) blame can be attributed to the Employee; Retirement means retirement, at the age at which the Participant is either bound or entitled to retire, which satisfies such definition as defined in the national laws and (company) regulations in place in the jurisdiction of the Participant, regarding retirement (or such other age at which a Participant retires by agreement with Management); Rules concerning means the “Ahold Delhaize Policy on inside information Insider Trading and securities trading”, as in place from time to time; Share means a fully paid-up ordinary share in the capital of the Company; 4 Supervisory Board means the supervisory board of the Company; Trading Day means any Business Day on which Euronext is open; Vesting The satisfaction of the requirements of the terms of vesting of an Award, as specified in the Award Certificate as appropriate, and “Vested” and “Vest” shall be construed accordingly; Vesting Date means the first Trading Day following the AGM in the year of the third anniversary of the Date of Grant, as specified in the Award Certificate; and Vesting Period The period which shall start on the Date of Grant and end on the Vesting date. 1.2 Unless the context otherwise requires: 1.2.1 words in the singular shall include the plural and vice versa; 1.2.2 the masculine shall include the feminine and vice versa; and 1.2.3 words and expressions used in the Plan shall: (a) be construed such that the headings and sub-headings are for ease of reference only and do not affect the interpretation of any Rule; and (b) when referring to tax and/or social security contributions and/or withholding taxes include any taxes, social security contributions or withholding tax that is levied or withheld. 2. Introduction 2.1 The Plan provides designated Employees with the opportunity to become Participants, and thus become shareholders in the Company. The purpose of the Plan is to incentivize, reward and retain Participants. 2.2 With regard to the granting, Vesting and settlement of any Awards and the transfer of Shares Management, Employees and Participants must act in accordance with the applicable rules, as in place from time to time, in or pursuant to the European Union Market Abuse Regulation, or any other regulation which may replace this regulation, the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (“Wet op het financieel toezicht”), or any act which may amend or replace this act, the Rules concerning Insider Trading, as well as the terms of this Plan and any other terms for transactions in Shares or other related securities that the Company has adopted and/or comparable legislation in the relevant jurisdiction. 5 3. Grant of Awards 3.1 In accordance with the Plan Rules, the Company, on the instructions of Management, may grant an Award to any Employee by a resolution of Management. 3.2 Each Award will be evidenced by an Award Certificate and will be subject to these Plan Rules. The Company shall procure that an Award Certificate is made available to each Participant within seven Business Days of the Date of Grant. 3.3 The Award Certificate shall contain, among other things, information on: 3.3.1 the Date of Grant; 3.3.2 the regular Vesting Date; 3.3.3 the number and class of Shares subject to the Award; and 3.3.4 a brief description of any Performance Condition(s) applying to the Award in accordance with Rule 5.