Exhibit 10.1
QURATE RETAIL, INC.
PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS AGREEMENT
THIS PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of the date set forth on Schedule I hereto (the “Grant Date”), by and between Qurate Retail, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Michael George (the “Grantee”).
The Company has adopted the incentive plan identified on Schedule I hereto (as has been or may hereafter be amended, the “Plan”), a copy of which is attached via a link at the end of this online Agreement as Exhibit A and by this reference made a part hereof, for the benefit of eligible persons as specified in the Plan. Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined in this Agreement will have the meanings ascribed to them in the Plan.
Pursuant to the Plan, the Compensation Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company pursuant to Section 3.1 of the Plan to administer the Plan (the “Committee”) has determined that it would be in the interest of the Company and its stockholders to award Restricted Stock Units to the Grantee, subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth herein and in the Plan, in order to provide the Grantee with additional remuneration for services rendered, to encourage the Grantee to remain in the service or employ of the Company or its Subsidiaries and to increase the Grantee’s personal interest in the continued success and progress of the Company.
The Company and the Grantee therefore agree as follows:
1.Definitions. The following terms, when used in this Agreement, have the following meanings:
“Cause” has the meaning specified in the Employment Agreement.
“Close of Business” means, on any day, 5:00 p.m., Denver, Colorado time.
“Committee” has the meaning specified in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Committee Certification Date” has the meaning specified in Section 5(b) of this Agreement.
“Common Stock” has the meaning specified in Section 2 of this Agreement.
“Company” has the meaning specified in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Disability” has the meaning specified in the Employment Agreement.
“Employment Agreement” means the Employment Agreement between QVC and the Grantee effective as of December 16, 2015, as the same may be amended from time to time.
“Grant Date” has the meaning specified in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Grantee” has the meaning specified in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Performance Period” means the period that began on August 15, 2018 and ends on December 21, 2020.
“Plan” has the meaning specified in the recitals of this Agreement.
“QVC” means QVC, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
“Required Withholding Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 12 of this Agreement.
“Restricted Stock Units” has the meaning specified in Section 2 of this Agreement.
“RSU Dividend Equivalents” means, to the extent specified by the Committee only, an amount equal to all dividends and other distributions (or the economic equivalent thereof) which are payable to stockholders of record during the Restriction Period on a like number and kind of shares of Common Stock as the shares represented by the Restricted Stock Units.
“Section 409A” has the meaning specified in Section 22 of this Agreement.
“Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents” has the meaning specified in Section 5(c) of this Agreement.
“Vested RSU Dividend Equivalents” has the meaning specified in Section 4 of this Agreement.
“Vesting Date” means each date on which any Restricted Stock Units cease to be subject to a risk of forfeiture, as determined in accordance with this Agreement and the Plan.
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Equivalents will be forfeited. RSU Dividend Equivalents shall not bear interest or be segregated in a separate account. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the vesting of any portion of the RSU Dividend Equivalents (the “Vested RSU Dividend Equivalents”). The settlement of any Vested RSU Dividend Equivalents shall be made as soon as administratively practicable after the accelerated vesting date, but in no event later than March 15 of the calendar year following the year in which such accelerated vesting date occurs. |
(a) Unless the Committee otherwise determines in its sole discretion, subject to earlier vesting in accordance with Section 6 of this Agreement or Section 10.1(b) of the Plan, Restricted Stock Units will vest, in whole or in part, only in accordance with this Section 5. |
(b) On or before December 21, 2020, the Committee will certify the number of any then outstanding Restricted Stock Units that will vest effective as of December 21, 2020 based on the Committee’s application of such performance criteria with respect to the Performance Period as may be determined by the Committee in its discretion. |
(c) Upon the satisfaction of any other applicable restrictions, terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, any RSU Dividend Equivalents with respect to the Restricted Stock Units that have not theretofore become Vested RSU Dividend Equivalents (“Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents”) will become vested to the extent that the Restricted Stock Units related thereto shall have become vested in accordance with this Agreement. |
(d) Any Restricted Stock Units that are not certified by the Committee as vesting on December 21, 2020 will automatically be forfeited as of the Close of Business on December 21, 2020, together with any related Unpaid Dividend Equivalents. |
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Grantee will not vest, pursuant to this Section 5, in Restricted Stock Units or related Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents in which the Grantee would otherwise vest as of a given date if the Grantee has not been continuously employed by the Company or its Subsidiaries from the Grant Date through such date (the vesting or forfeiture of such Restricted Stock Units and related Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents to be governed instead by Section 6 hereof). |
(a) Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in its sole discretion: |
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(c) Unless the Committee otherwise determines, a change of the Grantee’s employment from the Company to a Subsidiary or from a Subsidiary to the Company or another Subsidiary will not be considered a termination of the Grantee’s employment for purposes of this Agreement if such change of employment is made at the request or with the express consent of the Company. Unless the Committee otherwise determines, however, any such change of employment that is not made at the request or with the express consent of the Company will be a termination of the Grantee’s employment within the meaning of this Agreement. |
8. Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Units. Restricted Stock Units and any related Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents, are not transferable (either voluntarily or involuntarily and whether by sale, assignment, gift, pledge, exchange or otherwise) before or after the Grantee’s death, except as follows: (a) during the Grantee’s lifetime, pursuant to a domestic relations order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction that is not contrary to the terms and conditions of the Plan or this Agreement, and in a form acceptable to the Committee; or (b) after the Grantee’s death, by will or pursuant to the applicable laws of descent and distribution, as may be the case. Any person to whom Restricted Stock Units are transferred in accordance with the provisions of the preceding sentence shall take such Restricted Stock Units and any related Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including that the vesting and termination provisions of this Agreement will continue to be applied with respect to the Grantee. Certificates representing Restricted Stock Units that have vested may be delivered (or, in the case of book entry registration, registered) only to the Grantee (or during the Grantee’s lifetime, to the Grantee’s court appointed legal representative) or to a person to whom the Restricted Stock Units have been transferred in accordance with this Section. |
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(a)The Restricted Stock Units and any related Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents will be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 4.2 of the Plan in such manner as the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems equitable and appropriate in connection with the occurrence following the Grant Date of any of the events described in Section 4.2 of the Plan following the Grant Date.
(b)In the event of any Approved Transaction, Board Change or Control Purchase following the Grant Date, the Restricted Stock Units and any related Unpaid RSU Dividend Equivalents may become vested in accordance with Section 10.1(b) of the Plan.
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address, any notice or other communication to the Company with respect to this Agreement will be in writing and will be delivered personally or sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, to the Company’s then current headquarters, which address as of the Grant Date is as follows: |
Unless the Company elects to notify the Grantee electronically pursuant to the online grant and administration program or via email, any notice or other communication to the Grantee with respect to this Agreement will be in writing and will be delivered personally, or will be sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, to the Grantee’s address as listed in the records of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company on the Grant Date, unless the Company has received written notification from the Grantee of a change of address.
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the same will be void, and (b) no right or benefit hereunder will in any manner be subjected to or liable for the debts, contracts, liabilities or torts of the Grantee or other person entitled to such benefits. |
19. Rules by Committee. The rights of the Grantee and the obligations of the Company hereunder will be subject to such reasonable rules and regulations as the Committee may adopt from time to time. |
23. Administrative Blackouts. In addition to its other powers under the Plan, the Committee has the authority to suspend any transactions under the Plan as it deems necessary or appropriate for administrative reasons. |
24. Stock Ownership Guidelines. This Award may be subject to any applicable stock ownership guidelines adopted by the Company, as amended or superseded from time to time. |
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Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Agreement
Grant Date: |
August 15, 2018
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Plan: |
Qurate Retail, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan (Amended and Restated as of May 23, 2018), as the same may be amended from time to time
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Additional Provisions Applicable to Grantee:
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Forfeiture for Misconduct and Repayment of Certain Amounts. If (i) a material restatement of any financial statement of the Company (including any consolidated financial statement of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries) is required and (ii) in the reasonable judgment of the Committee, (A) such restatement is due to material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under applicable securities laws and (B) such noncompliance is a result of misconduct on the part of the Grantee, the Grantee will repay to the Company Forfeitable Benefits received by the Grantee during the Misstatement Period in such amount as the Committee may reasonably determine, taking into account, in addition to any other factors deemed relevant by the Committee, the extent to which the market value of Common Stock during the Misstatement Period was affected by the error(s) giving rise to the need for such restatement. “Forfeitable Benefits” means (i) any and all cash and/or shares of Common Stock received by the Grantee (A) upon the exercise during the Misstatement Period of any SARs held by the Grantee or (B) upon the payment during the Misstatement Period of any Cash Award or Performance Award held by the Grantee, the value of which is determined in whole or in part with reference to the value of Common Stock and (ii) any proceeds received by the Grantee from the sale, exchange, transfer or other disposition during the Misstatement Period of any shares of Common Stock received by the Grantee upon the exercise, vesting or payment during the Misstatement Period of any Award held by the Grantee. By way of clarification, “Forfeitable Benefits” will not include any shares of Common Stock received upon vesting of any Restricted Stock Units during the Misstatement Period that are not sold, exchanged, transferred or otherwise disposed of during the Misstatement Period. “Misstatement Period” means the 12-month period beginning on the date of the first public issuance or the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, whichever occurs earlier, of the financial statement requiring restatement. |
Other Clawback Policies: |
Notwithstanding any other provisions in the Plan, this Award shall be subject to recovery or clawback by the Company under any clawback policy adopted by the Company in accordance with SEC regulations or other applicable law, as amended or superseded from time to time. |
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