8-K
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 4, 2022

 

 

ORCHARD THERAPEUTICS PLC

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

England and Wales   001-38722   Not Applicable

(State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

   

245 Hammersmith Road

London W6 8PW

United Kingdom

   

(Address of Principal Executive Offices; Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: +44 (0) 203 808 8286

108 Canon Street

London EC4N 6EU

United Kingdom

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading

Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange

on which registered

American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share, nominal value £0.10 per share   ORTX   The Nasdaq Capital Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

 

 


Item 1.01

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On October 6, 2022, Orchard Therapeutics plc (the “Company”) entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Guggenheim Securities, LLC (the “Sales Agent”) with respect to an at-the-market offering program, under which the Company may, from time to time in its sole discretion, issue and sell through or to the Sales Agent, acting as the Company’s agent, up to $30 million of the Company’s American Depositary Shares (the “Placement Shares”), each representing one Ordinary Share of the Company, nominal value £0.10 per share. The issuance and sale, if any, of the Placement Shares by the Company under the Sales Agreement will be made pursuant to a prospectus supplement to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3, including the prospectus contained therein, originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2022 and declared effective by the SEC on April 29, 2022 (Registration No. 333-263967).

Pursuant to the Sales Agreement, the Sales Agent may sell the Placement Shares by any method deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Sales Agent will use commercially reasonable efforts consistent with normal trading and sales practices to sell the Placement Shares from time to time, based upon instructions from the Company (including any price, time or size limits or other customary parameters or conditions the Company may impose).

The Company will pay the Sales Agent a commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds from each sale of the Placement Shares sold under the Sales Agreement. In addition, the Company has agreed to reimburse the Sales Agent for the reasonable fees and expenses of their legal counsel incurred in connection with entering into the transactions contemplated by the Sales Agreement in an amount not to exceed $50,000.

The Company is not obligated to make any sales of Placement Shares under the Sales Agreement. No assurance can be given that the Company will sell any Placement Shares under the Sales Agreement, or, if it does, as to the price or amount of Placement Shares that it sells or the dates when such sales will take place. The offering of Placement Shares pursuant to the Sales Agreement will terminate upon the earlier to occur of (i) the issuance and sale of all Placement Shares subject to the Sales Agreement and (ii) termination of the Sales Agreement in accordance with its terms.

Because there is no minimum offering amount required pursuant to the Sales Agreement, the total number of shares to be sold under the Sales Agreement, if any, and proceeds to the Company, if any, are not determinable at this time. The Company expects to use any net proceeds for working capital.

The Sales Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants that are customary for transactions of this type. In addition, the Company has agreed to indemnify the Sales Agent against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

The foregoing description of the Sales Agreement is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Sales Agreement, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 1.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

The legal opinion of Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP as to the legality of the issuance of the Placement Shares is being filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

This Current Report on Form 8-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities discussed herein, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

 

Item 3.01

Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing.

As previously disclosed, on April 4, 2022, the Company received written notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) indicating that the closing bid price of the Company’s American Depository Shares (“ADSs”) was below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days, and that, therefore, the Company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), which is the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The Company was afforded an initial period until October 3, 2022 to regain compliance.


On September 13, 2022, the ADSs were transferred from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Nasdaq Capital Market operates in substantially the same manner as the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and companies on the Nasdaq Capital Market must meet certain financial and corporate governance requirements to qualify for continued listing. The ADSs continue to be listed and traded under the symbol “ORTX”. In connection with the transfer to the Nasdaq Capital Market, on October 4, 2022, Nasdaq granted the Company a second period of 180 days, or until April 3, 2023, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive trading days. Nasdaq’s decision to approve the Company’s application to transfer to the Nasdaq Capital Market was based on the Company meeting the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market with the exception of the minimum bid requirement. The Company notified Nasdaq that it intended to cure the minimum bid price deficiency during the compliance period by implementing an adjustment to the Company’s ADS-to-ordinary share ratio, if necessary, prior to the expiration of the compliance period. The Company will continue to actively monitor its compliance with the minimum bid price requirement and will evaluate available options to regain compliance. If the Company fails to regain compliance during the additional compliance period, then Nasdaq will notify the Company of its determination to delist the Company’s ADSs, at which point the Company would have an opportunity to appeal the delisting determination to a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel (the “Panel”), but there can be no assurance that the Panel would grant the Company’s request for continued listing.

 

Item 5.02

Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Frank Thomas Employment Agreement

As previously disclosed, on November 3, 2021, Frank Thomas, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, submitted his resignation and entered into a Transitional Services Agreement with the Company, which was subsequently amended on March 30, 2022 (as amended, the “Transitional Services Agreement”).

On October 4, 2022, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Employment Agreement with Frank Thomas (the “Employment Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Thomas will continue to serve as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company.

The Transitional Services Agreement was terminated concurrently with the parties’ entrance into the Employment Agreement. Among other things, the Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Thomas will receive a base salary of $528,000 per year and will be eligible for a target bonus of 50% of base salary. The Employment Agreement also provides that if Mr. Thomas terminates his employment for good reason or if the Company terminates his employment without cause (as “cause” and “good reason” are defined in the Employment Agreement), then upon his timely execution of a separation agreement containing, among other things, a general release of claims, (i) Mr. Thomas will receive an amount equal to 12 months of his current base salary, (ii) Mr. Thomas will receive the previous year’s bonus amount if not already paid and to the extent it otherwise would have been earned, (iii) for up to 12 months, the Company will pay the monthly employer COBRA premium for the same level of group health coverage as in effect at the conclusion of Mr. Thomas’s employment and (iv) the Company shall pay up to $20,000 to an outplacement services provider to provide outplacement services to Mr. Thomas or, in lieu of such services, Mr. Thomas may choose to receive a payment in the amount of $15,000. The Employment Agreement further provides that in the event Mr. Thomas terminates his employment for good reason or if the Company terminates his employment without cause, in either case within 12 months following a change in control (as defined in the Employment Agreement), then upon his timely execution of a separation agreement containing, among other things, a general release of claims, in lieu of the severance benefits described in the preceding sentence, (i) Mr. Thomas will receive an amount equal to 12 months of his current base salary plus the amount of his target bonus, (ii) Mr. Thomas’s stock options and other stock-based awards shall immediately accelerate and become fully exercisable or nonforfeitable, (iii) for up to 12 months, the Company will pay the monthly employer COBRA premium for the same level of group health coverage as in effect at the conclusion of Mr. Thomas’s employment and (iv) the Company shall pay up to $20,000 to an outplacement services provider to provide outplacement services to Mr. Thomas or, in lieu of such services, Mr. Thomas may choose to receive a payment in the amount of $15,000.

The foregoing description of the Employment Agreement is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Employment Agreement, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

Option Repricing

On October 4, 2022, the Company’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) approved the repricing of all stock options granted under the Company’s 2018 Share Option and Incentive Plan and held by current employees with an exercise price per share greater than $1.25 (“Eligible Stock Options”). In approving the repricing, the Compensation Committee considered the impact of the current exercise prices of outstanding stock options on the incentives provided to employees, the lack of retention value provided by the outstanding stock options to employees, and the impact of such options on the capital structure of the Company.

As a result of the repricing, the exercise price of the Eligible Stock Options will now have an exercise price of $0.58 per share, which equals the closing price of the ADSs at close of market on October 4, 2022 plus 15%. Bobby Gaspar, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Frank Thomas, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, hold 1,455,006 and 1,398,145 Eligible Stock Options, respectively, subject to the repricing. Stock options held by non-employee directors of the Company’s Board of Directors were not included in the repricing. Except for the modified exercise price, all other terms and conditions of each of the Eligible Stock Options remain in full force and effect.


Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

  1.1    Sales Agreement, dated October 6, 2022
  5.1    Opinion of Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP
10.1    Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated October 4, 2022, between the Company, Orchard Therapeutics North America and Frank Thomas
23.1    Consent of Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
104    Cover page interactive data file (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

    ORCHARD THERAPEUTICS PLC
Date: October 6, 2022     By:  

/s/ Frank E. Thomas

      Frank E. Thomas
      President and Chief Operating Officer
EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

ORCHARD THERAPEUTICS PLC

$30,000,000

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

EACH REPRESENTING ONE ORDINARY SHARE

(NOMINAL VALUE £0.10 PER SHARE)

SALES AGREEMENT

October 6, 2022

Guggenheim Securities, LLC

330 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Orchard Therapeutics plc, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Guggenheim Securities, LLC (“Guggenheim Securities”), as follows:

1. Issuance and Sale of Placement Shares. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell through Guggenheim Securities, acting as agent and/or principal, American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”), each representing one (1) of the Company’s ordinary shares, nominal value £0.10 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $30,000,000 (the “Placement Shares”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitation set forth in this Section 1 on the number or dollar amount of ADSs issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and Guggenheim Securities shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The issuance and sale of ADSs through Guggenheim Securities will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) filed by the Company and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to use the Registration Statement (as defined below) to issue the ADSs. The ADSs are to be issued pursuant to that certain deposit agreement (the “Deposit Agreement”), dated as of November 2, 2018, among the Company, Citibank, N.A. as depositary (the “Depositary”), and the holders and beneficial owners from time to time of the ADSs. As of the date hereof, each ADS represents the right to receive one Ordinary Share deposited pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.

 

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The Company has filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-263967), including a base prospectus, relating to certain securities, including the ADSs, to be issued from time to time by the Company, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The Company has prepared a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Placement Shares (the “Prospectus Supplement”) to the base prospectus, both of which are included as part of such registration statement. The Company has furnished to Guggenheim Securities, for use by Guggenheim Securities, copies of the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, relating to the Placement Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, as amended when it became effective, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B of the Securities Act, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The base prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form in which such base prospectus and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement or pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Placement Shares that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company or (ii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i), in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), is herein called the “Prospectus.” The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-6, as amended (File No. 333-227905) relating to the ADSs. Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act is called the “F-6 Registration Statement.” Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to the Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).

2. Placements. Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell the Placement Shares hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify Guggenheim Securities by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) (a “Placement Notice”) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires the Placement Shares to be sold, which shall at a minimum include the number or dollar amount of Placement Shares to be issued, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of Placement Shares that may be sold in any one Trading Day (as defined in Section 3) and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. The form of Placement Notice is attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Placement Notice shall originate from any of the individuals from the Company set forth on

 

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Schedule 2 (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such schedule), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from Guggenheim Securities set forth on Schedule 2, as such Schedule 2 may be amended from time to time. The Placement Notice shall be effective upon receipt by Guggenheim Securities unless and until (i) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, Guggenheim Securities declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion, (ii) the entire amount of the Placement Shares under such Placement Notice have been sold, (iii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Company suspends or terminates the Placement Notice, (iv) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice with parameters superseding those on the earlier dated Placement Notice, or (v) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section 11. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to Guggenheim Securities in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 3. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor Guggenheim Securities will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Shares unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to Guggenheim Securities and Guggenheim Securities does not decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control.

3. Sale of Placement Shares by Guggenheim Securities. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, upon the Company’s delivery of a Placement Notice, and unless the sale of the Placement Shares described therein has been declined, suspended, or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Guggenheim Securities, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) to sell such Placement Shares up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice. Guggenheim Securities will provide written confirmation to the Company (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) on the Trading Day (as defined below) on which it has made sales of Placement Shares hereunder setting forth the number of Placement Shares sold on such day, the volume-weighted average price of the Placement Shares sold, and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company. Guggenheim Securities may sell Placement Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, including without limitation sales made through Nasdaq or on any other existing trading market for the ADSs. Guggenheim Securities shall not purchase Placement Shares for its own account as principal unless expressly authorized to do so by the Company in a Placement Notice. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that Guggenheim Securities will be successful in selling Placement Shares, and (ii) Guggenheim Securities will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Shares for any reason other than a failure by Guggenheim Securities to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Shares as required under this Section 3. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which the Company’s ADSs are purchased and sold on the principal market on which the ADSs are listed or quoted.

 

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4. Suspension of Sales.

(a) The Company or Guggenheim Securities may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2), suspend any sale of Placement Shares; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Placement Shares sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other unless it is made to one of the individuals named on Schedule 2 hereto, as such schedule may be amended from time to time.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Company is in possession of material non-public information, the Company and Guggenheim Securities agree that (i) no sale of Placement Shares will take place, (ii) the Company shall not request the sale of any Placement Shares, and (iii) Guggenheim Securities shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement Shares.

(c) If either Guggenheim Securities or the Company has reason to believe that the exemptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are not satisfied with respect to the Ordinary Shares or ADSs, it shall promptly notify the other party, and Guggenheim Securities may, at its sole discretion and upon delivery of notice to the Company, suspend sales of the Placement Shares under this Agreement.

(d) The Registration Statement became effective on April 29, 2022. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement is no longer effective under the Securities Act, the Company shall promptly notify Guggenheim Securities, the Company shall not request the sale of any Placement Shares, and Guggenheim Securities shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement Shares.

5. Settlement.

(a) Settlement of Placement Shares. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice or otherwise agreed by the parties hereto, settlement for sales of Placement Shares will occur on the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date” and the first such settlement date, the “First Delivery Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Shares sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate sales price received by Guggenheim Securities at which such Placement Shares were sold, after deduction for (i) Guggenheim Securities’ commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) any other amounts due and payable by the Company to Guggenheim Securities hereunder pursuant to Section 7(g) (Expenses) hereof, and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.

 

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(b) Delivery of Placement Shares. On or before each Settlement Date and against payment of the purchase price for the relevant Placement Shares, the Company will, or will cause the Depositary or its transfer agent (if applicable) to, electronically transfer the Placement Shares being sold by crediting Guggenheim Securities’ or its designee’s account (provided Guggenheim Securities shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto which in all cases shall be freely tradeable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, Guggenheim Securities will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on, or prior to, the Settlement Date. The Company agrees that if the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), or the Depositary, defaults in its obligation to deliver duly authorized Placement Shares on a Settlement Date, the Company agrees that in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 9(a) (Indemnification and Contribution) hereto, it will (i) hold Guggenheim Securities harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or reasonable documented expense (including reasonable documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company and (ii) pay to Guggenheim Securities any commission, discount, or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.

6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, Guggenheim Securities that as of the date of this Agreement, each Representation Date (as defined in Section 7(m)), each date on which a Placement Notice is given, and any date on which Placement Shares are sold hereunder:

(a) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission, and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering of the Placement Shares has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. The sale of the Placement Shares hereunder meets the requirements or General Instruction I.B.1 of Form S-3. As of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and as of each Applicable Time, complied and will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, and did not and as of each Applicable Time, did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of each Applicable Time, the Prospectus will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes

 

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no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to Guggenheim Securities furnished to the Company in writing by Guggenheim Securities expressly for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by Guggenheim Securities consists of the information described as such in Section 9(b) hereof.

(b) Form F-6. The F-6 Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, in respect of the Placement Shares has been filed with the Commission; such registration statement in the form heretofore delivered to Guggenheim Securities and has been declared effective by the Commission; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement has been issued and, to the knowledge of the Company, no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, being hereinafter called the “ADS Registration Statement”); as of the applicable effective date of the ADS Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the ADS Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and as of each Applicable Time, complied and will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, and did not and as of each Applicable Time, did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading.

(c) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act, and as of each Applicable Time none of such documents contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and as of each Applicable Time will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(d) Financial Statements. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby, except in the case of unaudited financial statements, which are subject to normal year-end adjustments and do not contain footnotes as permitted by the applicable rules of the Commission, and any supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein; and the other financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby.

 

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(e) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (i) there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon exercise of stock options and warrants described as outstanding in, and the grant of options and awards under existing equity incentive plans and certain other agreements described in, or as incorporated by reference in, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or otherwise publicly disclosed), short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any loss or interference with its business that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole and that is either from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(f) Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly incorporated and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of incorporation, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Commission for its most recently completed fiscal year.

(g) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized share capital as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights (save for those granted under applicable law); except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement and the

 

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Prospectus, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights (save for those granted under applicable law)), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party.

(h) Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the “Stock Options”) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Company Stock Plans”), (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in all material respects in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws, and regulatory rules or requirements, including the rules of Nasdaq and (iv) each such grant or issuance was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company and disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Commission in accordance with the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is not currently and has been no policy or practice of the Company of coordinating the grant of Stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its subsidiaries or their results of operations or prospects.

(i) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”) and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and each of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby has been duly and validly taken.

(j) Sales Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

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(k) The Placement Shares. The Placement Shares to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized by the Company and, when the Ordinary Shares underlying the Placement Shares are issued and delivered and paid for as provided herein, such shares will be duly and validly issued, will be fully paid and nonassessable and will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Placement Shares is not subject to any preemptive or similar rights (save for those granted under applicable law). The Ordinary Shares underlying the Placement Shares may be freely deposited by the Company with the Depositary against issuance of the ADSs; the ADSs to be sold by the Company, when issued and delivered against payment thereof, will be freely transferable by the Company to or for the account of Guggenheim Securities and (to the extent described in the Prospectus) the initial purchasers thereof; and there are no restrictions on subsequent transfers of the ADSs under the laws of England and Wales except as disclosed or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus under “Description of Share Capital and Articles of Association” and “Description of American Depositary Shares.”

(l) Deposit Agreement. The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company and delivered in accordance with its terms by each of the parties thereto, and constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability.

(m) Description of the Transaction Documents. Each Transaction Document conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(n) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(o) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and the Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, result in the termination, modification or acceleration of, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(p) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, except for the registration of the ADSs under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the Nasdaq Capital Market or under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Placement Shares by Guggenheim Securities.

(q) Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, demands, claims, suits, arbitrations, inquiries or proceedings (“Actions”) current or pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened Actions to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; no such Actions are threatened or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending Actions that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(r) Independent Accountants. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.

(s) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those that (i) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (ii) could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(t) Intellectual Property. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or as could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain names and other source indicators, copyrights and copyrightable works, licenses and know-how, trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures, and all other worldwide intellectual property, industrial property and proprietary rights (including all registrations and applications for registration of, and all goodwill associated with, any of the foregoing) (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) used or held for use in, or otherwise necessary for, the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted and as proposed to be conducted in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; provided that this clause (i) shall not be construed as a representation or warranty of non-infringement of Intellectual Property; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries’ conduct of their respective businesses has not conflicted with, infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated any Intellectual Property rights other than patent rights of any third party and, to knowledge of the Company, the Company and its subsidiaries’ conduct of their respective business has not infringed or otherwise violated any patent of any third party (it being understood that the foregoing representation and warranty is made without giving effect to any exemption under applicable law to which the Company may be entitled (e.g., 35 U.S.C. Section 271(e)(1)); (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation or other violation of, or conflict with, any Intellectual Property of any third party, or any written notice challenging the ownership, validity, enforceability or scope of any Intellectual Property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (iv) to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property of the Company and its subsidiaries has not been in conflict with, infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated by any third party; (v) to the knowledge of the Company, all Intellectual Property of the Company and its subsidiaries is valid and enforceable; and (vi) the Company and its subsidiaries have taken reasonable steps in accordance with normal industry practice to maintain the confidentiality of all Intellectual Property of the Company and its subsidiaries the value of which to the Company or any of its subsidiaries is contingent upon maintaining the confidentiality thereof and no such Intellectual Property has been disclosed other than to employees, representatives and agents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, all of whom are bound by written confidentiality agreements.

(u) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers, suppliers or other affiliates of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents.

(v) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Placement Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, will not be required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).

(w) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof; and except as otherwise disclosed in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there is no tax deficiency that has been, or could reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(x) Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, sub-licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where the failure to pay or file or where such revocation, modification or nonrenewal could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(y) No Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of cancellation or termination with respect to any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party.

(z) Certain Environmental Matters. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries (x) are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws (including common law), rules, regulations, requirements, decisions, judgments, decrees, orders and other legally enforceable requirements relating to pollution or the protection of human health or safety, the environment, natural resources, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (y) have received and are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under any Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (z) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability or obligation under or relating to, or any actual or potential violation of, any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice, and (ii) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or its subsidiaries, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, for any such matter as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) except as described in the Prospectus, (x) there is no proceeding that is pending, or that is known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceeding regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $300,000 or more will be imposed, (y) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts or issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning

 

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hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries, and (z) none of the Company or its subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to any Environmental Laws.

(aa) Compliance with ERISA. (i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any entity, whether or not incorporated, that is under common control with the Company within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA or any entity that would be regarded as a single employer with the Company under Section 414(b),(c),(m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no Plan has failed (whether or not waived), or is reasonably expected to fail, to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) applicable to such Plan; (iv) no Plan is, or is reasonably expected to be, in “at risk status” (within the meaning of Section 303(i) of ERISA) and no Plan that is a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA is in “endangered status” or “critical status” (within the meaning of Sections 304 and 305 of ERISA) (v) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (vi) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations promulgated thereunder) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (vii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification; (viii) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA); and (ix) none of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (A) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans by the Company or its Controlled Group affiliates in the current fiscal year of the Company and its Controlled Group affiliates compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s and its Controlled Group affiliates’ most recently completed fiscal year; or (B) a material increase in the Company and its subsidiaries’ “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715-60) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year, except in each case with respect to the events or conditions set forth in (i) through (ix) hereof, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(bb) Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and that has been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

(cc) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. Based on the Company’s most recent evaluation of its internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Rule 13a-15(c) of the Exchange Act, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls. The Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

(dd) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks which the Company believes are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.

 

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(ee) Cybersecurity. (i)(x) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, to the Company’s knowledge, there has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) which could have a Material Adverse Effect and (y) the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of, and have no knowledge of any material event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, in the case of this clause (ii), individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, including Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation), and all internal policies and contractual obligations of the Company relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.

(ff) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any director, officer or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will continue to maintain and enforce policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.

 

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(gg) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including, where applicable, those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(hh) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors, officers, or employees, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government, (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”) or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Placement Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. Since the Company’s inception, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.

(ii) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.

(jj) No Broker’s Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or Guggenheim Securities for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the ADSs.

 

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(kk) No Registration Rights. No person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares, other than rights that have been validly waived.

(ll) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Placement Shares.

(mm) Margin Rules. Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Placement Shares nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.

(nn) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included or incorporated by reference in any of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

(oo) Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

(pp) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(qq) Status under the Securities Act. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Placement Shares and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. The Company agrees to notify Guggenheim Securities promptly upon the Company becoming an “ineligible issuer.”

(rr) No Ratings. There are no debt securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act.

(ss) Preclinical Studies and Clinical Trials. (i) Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted by or, to the knowledge of the Company, on behalf of or sponsored by the Company or its subsidiaries, or in which the Company or its subsidiaries have participated, that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as applicable, were, and if still pending are, being conducted in all material respects in accordance with all applicable statutes and all applicable rules and regulations of the

 

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applicable regulatory agencies to which they are subject, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”) and Good Clinical Practice and Good Laboratory Practice requirements; (ii) the descriptions in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus of the results of such studies and trials are accurate and complete descriptions in all material respects and fairly present the data derived therefrom as of the dates given for such data in the Registration Statement; (iii) the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company not described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the results of which are inconsistent with or call into question the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; (iv) the Company and its subsidiaries have operated at all times and are currently in compliance in all respects with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the Regulatory Authorities, except that where such non-compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (v) the Company has provided Guggenheim Securities with all substantive written notices, correspondence and summaries of all other communications from the Regulatory Authorities; and (vi) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have received any written notices, correspondence or other communications from the Regulatory Authorities or any other governmental agency requiring or threatening the termination, material modification or suspension of any preclinical studies or clinical trials that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, other than ordinary course communications with respect to modifications in connection with the design and implementation of such studies or trials, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there are no reasonable grounds for the same.

(tt) Regulatory Filings. The Company has not failed to file with the Regulatory Authorities any required filing, declaration, listing, registration, report or submission with respect to the Company’s product candidates that are described or referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; all such filings, declarations, listings, registrations, reports or submissions, as applicable, were in material compliance with applicable laws when filed; and no material deficiencies regarding compliance with applicable law have been asserted by any applicable regulatory authority with respect to any such filings, declarations, listings, registrations, reports or submissions.

(uu) Stamp Taxes. Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and except for any net income, or franchise taxes imposed on Guggenheim Securities by the United Kingdom or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein as a result of any present or former connection (other than any connection resulting from the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) between Guggenheim Securities and the jurisdiction imposing such tax, no stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax, documentary, issuance, transfer, capital, registration or other similar taxes or duties are payable by or on behalf of Guggenheim Securities in the United Kingdom or the United States (including taxes or duties imposed by any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof) in connection with (A) the execution and delivery, performance or enforcement of this Agreement, (B) the issuance, allotment and delivery of the Placement Shares in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Prospectus, or (C) the sale and delivery by Guggenheim Securities of the ADSs representing Ordinary Shares as contemplated herein and in the Prospectus.

 

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(vv) No Immunity. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or their properties or assets has immunity under English, U.S. federal or New York state law from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any English, U.S. federal or New York state court, from service of process, attachment upon or prior to judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court with respect to their respective obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection herewith; and, to the extent that the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings arising out of, or relating to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, may at any time be commenced, the Company has, pursuant to Section 16 of this Agreement, waived, and it will waive, or will cause its subsidiaries to waive, such right to the extent permitted by law.

(ww) Enforcement of Foreign Judgments. Any final judgment for a fixed or determined sum of money rendered by any U.S. federal or New York state court located in the State of New York having jurisdiction under its own laws in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement would be declared enforceable against the Company by the courts of England and Wales, without reconsideration or reexamination of the merits.

(xx) Valid Choice of Law. The choice of laws of the State of New York as the governing law of the Transaction Documents is a valid choice of law under the laws of England and Wales and will be honored by the courts of England and Wales, subject to the restrictions described under the caption “Service of process and enforcement of liabilities” in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 16(b) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each New York state and United States federal court sitting in the City of New York and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in such court.

(yy) Indemnification and Contribution. The indemnification and contribution provisions set forth in Section 9 hereof do not contravene English law or public policy.

(zz) Passive Foreign Investment Company. Subject to the qualifications, limitations, exceptions and assumptions set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company does not expect it was treated as, for the taxable year ending December 31, 2021, a passive foreign investment company as defined in Section 1297 of the Code.

(aaa) Dividends. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, no approvals are currently required in the United Kingdom in order for the Company to pay dividends or other distributions declared by the Company to the holders of Ordinary Shares. Under current laws and regulations of the United Kingdom and any political subdivision thereof, any amount payable with respect to the Ordinary Shares upon liquidation of the Company or upon redemption thereof and dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the share capital of the Company may be paid by the Company in United States dollars or euros and freely transferred out of the United Kingdom, and no such payments made to the holders thereof or

 

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therein who are non-residents of the United Kingdom will be subject to income, withholding or other taxes under laws and regulations of the United Kingdom or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein and without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in the United Kingdom or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein.

(bbb) Legality. Other than filings required to be made with the Commission, the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence of any of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, this Agreement or the Placement Shares in any jurisdiction in which the Company is organized or does business is not dependent upon such document being submitted into, filed or recorded with any court or other authority in any such jurisdiction on or before the date hereof or that any tax, imposition or charge be paid in any such jurisdiction on or in respect of any such document.

(ccc) Legal Action. A holder of the Ordinary Shares and Guggenheim Securities are each entitled to sue as plaintiff in the court of the jurisdiction of formation and domicile of the Company for the enforcement of their respective rights under this Agreement and the Ordinary Shares and such access to such courts will not be subject to any conditions which are not applicable to residents of such jurisdiction or a company incorporated in such jurisdiction except that plaintiffs not residing in England and Wales may be required to guarantee payment of a possible order for payment of costs or damages at the request of the defendant.

(ddd) eXtensible Business Reporting Language. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to Guggenheim Securities or to counsel for Guggenheim Securities shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to Guggenheim Securities as to the matters set forth therein.

The Company acknowledges that Guggenheim Securities and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 7 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to Guggenheim Securities, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.

7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with Guggenheim Securities that:

(a) Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Guggenheim Securities under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or similar rule), (i) the Company will notify Guggenheim Securities promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement, other than documents incorporated by reference, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or

 

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supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information, (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon Guggenheim Securities’ request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in Guggenheim Securities’ reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Placement Shares by Guggenheim Securities (provided, however, that the failure of Guggenheim Securities to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect Guggenheim Securities’ right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, relating to the Placement Shares or a security convertible into the Placement Shares unless a copy thereof has been submitted to Guggenheim Securities within a reasonable period of time before the filing and Guggenheim Securities has not reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, that the failure of Guggenheim Securities to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect Guggenheim Securities’ right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement) and the Company will furnish to Guggenheim Securities at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; (iv) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act, and (v) prior to the termination of this Agreement, the Company will notify Guggenheim Securities if at any time the Registration Statement shall no longer be effective as a result of the passage of time pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act or otherwise.

(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise Guggenheim Securities, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued.

(c) Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Guggenheim Securities under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of the Placement Shares, (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 or similar rule under the Securities Act), the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as from time to time in force, and to file on or before their respective due dates all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify Guggenheim Securities to suspend the offering of

 

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Placement Shares during such period and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; provided, however, that the Company may delay the filing of any amendment or supplement if, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company to do so.

(d) Listing of Placement Shares. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Guggenheim Securities under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of the Placement Shares (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or similar rule), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Shares to be listed on Nasdaq and to qualify the Placement Shares for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as Guggenheim Securities reasonably designates and to continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith to qualify as a foreign corporation or dealer in securities or file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction.

(e) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to Guggenheim Securities and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all documents incorporated by reference therein) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities as Guggenheim Securities may from time to time reasonably request and, at Guggenheim Securities’ reasonable request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to Guggenheim Securities to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.

(f) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earnings statement covering a 12-month period that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 of the Securities Act.

(g) Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereunder, will pay the following expenses all incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, expenses relating to (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement thereto, of each Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto, (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Placement Shares, (iii) the qualification of the Placement Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 7(d) of this Agreement, including filing fees (provided, however, that any fees or disbursements of counsel for Guggenheim Securities in connection therewith shall be paid by Guggenheim Securities except as set forth in (vii) below), (iv) the printing and delivery to Guggenheim Securities of copies of the Prospectus and any

 

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amendments or supplements thereto, and of this Agreement, (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing or qualification of the Placement Shares for trading on Nasdaq, (vi) the filing fees and expenses, if any, of the Commission, (vii) the filing fees and associated legal expenses of Guggenheim Securities’ outside counsel for filings with the FINRA Corporate Financing Department, such legal expense reimbursement not to exceed $15,000 and, (viii) the reasonable fees and disbursements of Guggenheim Securities’ counsel in an amount not to exceed $50,000.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”

(i) Notice of Other Sales. During the pendency of any Placement Notice given hereunder, and for 5 trading days following the termination of any Placement Notice given hereunder, the Company shall provide Guggenheim Securities notice as promptly as reasonably possible before it offers to sell, contracts to sell, sells, grants any option to sell or otherwise disposes of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs (other than Placement Shares offered pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares or ADSs; provided, that such notice shall not be required in connection with the (i) issuance, grant or sale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs, options to purchase shares of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or Ordinary Shares or ADSs issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any share option, share bonus or other share plan, certain other agreements or arrangement described in the Prospectus or otherwise publicly disclosed, (ii) the issuance of securities in connection with an acquisition, merger or sale or purchase of assets or (iii) the issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs pursuant to any dividend reinvestment plan that the Company may adopt from time to time provided the implementation of such is disclosed to Guggenheim Securities in advance or (iv) any Ordinary Shares or ADSs issuable upon the exchange, conversion or redemption of securities or the exercise of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding.

(j) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement Shares, advise Guggenheim Securities promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided to Guggenheim Securities pursuant to this Agreement.

(k) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by Guggenheim Securities or its agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as Guggenheim Securities may reasonably request.

(l) Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement Shares. The Company agrees that on such dates as the Securities Act shall require, the Company will (i) file a prospectus supplement with the Commission under the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (each and every filing under Rule 424(b), a “Filing Date”), which prospectus supplement will set forth, within the relevant period, the amount of Placement Shares

 

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sold through Guggenheim Securities, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to Guggenheim Securities with respect to such Placement Shares (provided that the Company may satisfy its obligations under this Section 7(l)(i) by effecting a filing in accordance with the Exchange Act with respect to such information), and (ii) deliver such number of copies of each such prospectus supplement to each exchange or market on which such sales were effected as may be required by the rules or regulations of such exchange or market.

(m) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and each time the Company (i) files the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares or amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares (other than a prospectus supplement filed in accordance with Section 7(l) of this Agreement) by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement but not by means of incorporation of document(s) by reference to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares; (ii) files an annual report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act; (iii) files its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; or (iv) files a report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than an earnings release) under the Exchange Act (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) shall be a Representation Date); the Company shall furnish Guggenheim Securities with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) within three (3) Trading Days of any Representation Date if requested by Guggenheim Securities. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 7(m) shall be waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice is pending, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date) and the next occurring Representation Date; provided, however, that such waiver shall not apply for any Representation Date on which the Company files its annual report on Form 10-K. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Shares following a Representation Date when the Company relied on such waiver and did not provide Guggenheim Securities with a certificate under this Section 7(m), then before the Company delivers the Placement Notice or Guggenheim Securities sells any Placement Shares, the Company shall provide Guggenheim Securities with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m), dated the date of the Placement Notice.

(n) Legal Opinion. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Guggenheim Securities a written opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP, U.S. counsel to the company (“Goodwin”), or other counsel satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities, in form and substance satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities and its counsel, dated the date that the opinions are required to be delivered, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities and its counsel, respectively, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Guggenheim Securities the written opinion of Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP, UK counsel to the company (collectively with Goodwin “Company

 

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Counsel”); provided, however, that in lieu of such opinions for subsequent Representation Dates, counsel may furnish Guggenheim Securities with a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that Guggenheim Securities may rely on a prior opinion delivered under this Section 7(n) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).

(o) Intellectual Property Opinion. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Guggenheim Securities a written opinion of Clark & Elbing LLP (collectively, the “Company IP Counsel”), or other counsel satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities and its counsel, dated the date that the opinion is required to be delivered, with respect to intellectual property matters, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that in lieu of such opinions for subsequent Representation Dates, counsel may furnish Guggenheim Securities with a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that Guggenheim Securities may rely on a prior opinion delivered under this Section 7(o) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).

(p) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause its independent accountants to furnish Guggenheim Securities a letter (the Comfort Letter), dated the date the Comfort Letter is delivered, in form and substance satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities, (i) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB, (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to Guggenheim Securities in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the Initial Comfort Letter) and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.

(q) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase the Ordinary Shares or ADSs to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Placement Shares other than Guggenheim Securities; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase shares of its Ordinary Shares or ADSs in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act.

 

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(r) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is reasonable and customary for the business for which it is engaged.

(s) Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all material environmental permits, licenses and other authorizations required by federal, state and local law in order to conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus, and the Company and each of its subsidiaries shall conduct their businesses, or cause their businesses to be conducted, in substantial compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations and with applicable environmental laws, except where the failure to maintain or be in compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(t) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor its subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, assuming no change in the Commission’s current interpretation as to entities that are not considered an investment company.

(u) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of, or dealings in, the Placement Shares as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.

(v) No Offer to Sell. Other than a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance by the Company and Guggenheim Securities in its capacity as principal or agent hereunder, neither Guggenheim Securities nor the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than Guggenheim Securities in its capacity as such) will make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), required to be filed with the Commission, that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy Placement Shares hereunder.

(w) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its subsidiaries will use their best efforts to comply with all effective applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

8. Conditions to Guggenheim Securities’ Obligations. The obligations of Guggenheim Securities hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made by the Company herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, to the completion by Guggenheim Securities of a due diligence review satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities in its reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by Guggenheim Securities in its sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:

(a) Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement and the F-6 Registration Statement shall be effective and shall be available for (i) all sales of Placement Shares issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices and (ii) the sale of all Placement Shares contemplated to be issued by any Placement Notice.

 

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(b) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any material document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement, related Prospectus or such documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. Guggenheim Securities shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in Guggenheim Securities’ reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in Guggenheim Securities’ opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(d) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change, on a consolidated basis, in the authorized share capital of the Company or any Material Adverse Effect or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or any downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities) by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), the effect of which, in the case of any such action by a rating organization described above, in the reasonable judgment of Guggenheim Securities (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Placement Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(e) Company Counsel Legal Opinions. Guggenheim Securities shall have received the opinions of Company Counsel and Company IP Counsel required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o).

 

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(f) Guggenheim Securities Counsel Legal Opinion. Guggenheim Securities shall have received from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., counsel for Guggenheim Securities, such opinion or opinions, on or before the date on which the delivery of the Company Counsel and Company IP Counsel legal opinions are required pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o), with respect to such matters as Guggenheim Securities may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for enabling them to pass upon such matters.

(g) Comfort Letter. Guggenheim Securities shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(p) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required pursuant to Section 7(p).

(h) Representation Certificate. Guggenheim Securities shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(m) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 7(m).

(i) Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the First Delivery Date, Guggenheim Securities shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by its corporate Secretary, in form and substance satisfactory to Guggenheim Securities and its counsel.

(j) No Suspension. Trading in the ADSs shall not have been suspended on Nasdaq.

(k) Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m), the Company shall have furnished to Guggenheim Securities such appropriate further information, certificates and documents as Guggenheim Securities may have reasonably requested. All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents shall have been in compliance with the provisions hereof. The Company will furnish Guggenheim Securities with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as Guggenheim Securities shall have reasonably requested.

(l) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424.

(m) Approval for Listing. The Placement Shares shall either have been (i) approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed an application for listing of the Placement Shares on Nasdaq at, or prior to, the issuance of any Placement Notice.

(n) No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit Guggenheim Securities to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 11(a).

 

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9. Indemnification and Contribution.

(a) Company Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Guggenheim Securities, the affiliates directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of Guggenheim Securities and each person, if any, who (i) controls Guggenheim Securities within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with Guggenheim Securities from and against any and all losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including, but not limited to, any and all reasonable investigative, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any and all amounts paid in settlement (in accordance with Section 9(c)) of, any action, suit or proceeding between any of the indemnified parties and any indemnifying parties or between any indemnified party and any third party (including any governmental or self-regulatory authority), or otherwise, or any claim asserted), as and when incurred, to which Guggenheim Securities, or any such person, may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are based, directly or indirectly, on (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in any free writing prospectus or in any application or other document executed by or on behalf of the Company or based on written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Placement Shares under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission or (y) the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated in it or necessary to make the statements in it not misleading; provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to the extent that such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage arises from the sale of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and is caused directly or indirectly by an untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have.

(b) Guggenheim Securities Indemnification. Guggenheim Securities agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company that signed the Registration Statement and the F-6 Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 9(a), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement (or any amendments thereto) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information.

(c) Procedure. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 9 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 9, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 9 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in

 

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and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any legal or other expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are incurred. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 9 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising or that may arise out of such claim, action or proceeding.

(d) Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 9 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable from the Company or Guggenheim Securities, the Company and Guggenheim Securities will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted, but after deducting any contribution received by the Company from persons other than Guggenheim Securities, such as persons who control the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement and directors of the Company, who also may be liable for contribution) to which the Company and Guggenheim Securities may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Guggenheim Securities on the other. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Guggenheim

 

30


Securities on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total Net Proceeds from the sale of the Placement Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by Guggenheim Securities from the sale of Placement Shares on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and Guggenheim Securities, on the other, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or Guggenheim Securities, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and Guggenheim Securities agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 9(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense, or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 9(d) shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 9(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section 9(c) hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9(d), Guggenheim Securities shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9(d), any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any officers, directors, partners, employees or agents of Guggenheim Securities, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 9(d), will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 9(d) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 9(c) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof.

10. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 9 of this Agreement and all representations and warranties of the Company herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of Guggenheim Securities, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers, directors or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement Shares and payment therefor or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.

 

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11. Termination.

(a) Guggenheim Securities shall have the right by giving notice as hereinafter specified at any time to terminate this Agreement if (i) any Material Adverse Effect, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect has occurred that, in the reasonable judgment of Guggenheim Securities, may materially impair the ability of Guggenheim Securities to sell the Placement Shares hereunder, (ii) the Company shall have failed, refused or been unable to perform any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder; provided, however, in the case of any failure of the Company to deliver (or cause another person to deliver) any certification, opinion, or letter required under Sections 7(m), 7(n), or 7(o), Guggenheim Securities’ right to terminate shall not arise unless such failure to deliver (or cause to be delivered) continues for more than thirty (30) days from the date such delivery was required; or (iii) any other condition of Guggenheim Securities’ obligations hereunder is not fulfilled, or (iv), any suspension or limitation of trading in the Placement Shares or in securities generally on Nasdaq shall have occurred. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g) (Expenses), Section 9 (Indemnification and Contribution), Section 10 (Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery), Section 16 (Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction), Section 17 (Judgement Currency) and Section 18 (Waiver of Jury Trial) hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination. If Guggenheim Securities elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 11(a), Guggenheim Securities shall provide the required notice as specified in Section 12 (Notices).

(b) The Company shall have the right, by giving five (5) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16, Section 17 and Section 18 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(c) Guggenheim Securities shall have the right, by giving five (5) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16, Section 17 and Section 18 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(d) Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 11, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Shares through Guggenheim Securities on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein; provided that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16, Section 17 and Section 18 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(e) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 11(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16, Section 17 and Section 18 shall remain in full force and effect.

 

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(f) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by Guggenheim Securities or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement Shares, such Placement Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

12. Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, and if sent to Guggenheim Securities, shall be delivered to Guggenheim Securities at Guggenheim Securities, LLC, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, fax no. 212-658-9689, Attention: Head of Equity Capital Markets, with a copy to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, Attention: William Hicks, Esq.; or if sent to the Company, shall be delivered to Orchard Therapeutics plc, 101 Seaport Boulevard, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02210, Attention: Chief Financial Officer with a copy to Goodwin Procter LLP, 100 Northern Avenue, Boston MA 02210, Attention: Michael Bison. Each party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission (with an original to follow) on or before 4:30 p.m., New York City time, on a Business Day (as defined below), or, if such day is not a Business Day on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight courier and (iii) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid). For purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Nasdaq and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.

13. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and Guggenheim Securities and their respective successors and the affiliates, controlling persons, officers and directors referred to in Section 9 hereof. References to any of the parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of such party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and permitted assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that Guggenheim Securities may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to an affiliate of Guggenheim Securities without obtaining the Company’s consent.

14. Adjustments for Share Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any share split, share dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Placement Shares.

 

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15. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability. This Agreement (including all schedules and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended except pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and Guggenheim Securities. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the parties as reflected in this Agreement.

16. Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection with any transaction contemplated hereby, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law.

17. Judgment Currency. The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to Guggenheim Securities shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first Business Day, following receipt by Guggenheim Securities of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which (and only to the extent that) Guggenheim Securities may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency; if the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to Guggenheim Securities hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify Guggenheim Securities against such loss.

18. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company and Guggenheim Securities each hereby irrevocably waives any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any claim based upon or arising out of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated hereby.

 

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19. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. In the event that Guggenheim Securities is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from Guggenheim Securities of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event that Guggenheim Securities is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of Guggenheim Securities becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against Guggenheim Securities are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

For purposes of this Section 8(h), a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

20. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:

(a) Guggenheim Securities has been retained solely to act as sales agent in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and Guggenheim Securities has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether Guggenheim Securities has advised or is advising the Company on other matters;

(b) the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(c) the Company has been advised that Guggenheim Securities and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that Guggenheim Securities has no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and

(d) the Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against Guggenheim Securities, for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that Guggenheim Securities shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, partners, employees or creditors of the Company.

21. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile transmission.

 

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22. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following term has the meaning set forth below:

(a) “Applicable Time” means the date of this Agreement, each Representation Date, the date on which a Placement Notice is given, and any date on which Placement Shares are sold hereunder.

(b) “Agent’s Information” means, solely the following information in the Prospectus: the third sentence in the eighth paragraph under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]

 

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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and Guggenheim Securities, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and Guggenheim Securities.

 

Very truly yours,
GUGGENHEIM SECURITIES, LLC
By:   /s/ Jordan Bliss
Name:   Jordan Bliss
Title:   Senior Managing Director
ACCEPTED as of the date first-above written:
ORCHARD THERAPEUTICS PLC
By:   /s/ Frank E. Thomas
Name:   Frank E. Thomas
Title:   President and Chief Operating Officer

 

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SCHEDULE 1

FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE

From: [ ]

Cc: [ ]

To: [ ]

Subject: Guggenheim Securities at the Market Offering—Placement Notice

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Sales Agreement between Orchard Therapeutics plc (the “Company”), and Guggenheim Securities, LLC (“Guggenheim Securities”) dated October 6, 2022 (the “Agreement”), I hereby request on behalf of the Company that Guggenheim Securities sell up to [ ] shares of the Company’s American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), at a minimum market price of $ per ADS. Sales should begin on the date of this Notice and shall continue until [DATE] [all ADSs are sold].

 

Schedule 1-1


SCHEDULE 2

Notice Parties

Company:

Christopher York

Frank Thomas

Guggenheim Securities:

Jordan Bliss

Eric Guzman

James Lee

Michael Jiang

Marguerite O’Brien

 

Schedule 2-1


SCHEDULE 3

Compensation

Guggenheim Securities shall be paid compensation up to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sales of Placement Shares pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

 

Schedule 3-1


Exhibit 7(m)

OFFICER CERTIFICATE

The undersigned, the duly qualified and elected [President and Chief Operating Officer], of Orchard Therapeutics plc, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales (“Company”), does hereby certify in such capacity and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(m) of the Sales Agreement dated October 6, 2022 (the “Sales Agreement”) between the Company and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, that to the best of the knowledge of the undersigned.

 

  (i)

The representations and warranties of the Company in Section 6 of the Sales Agreement (A) to the extent such representations and warranties are subject to qualifications and exceptions contained therein relating to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, are true and correct on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof, except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date, and (B) to the extent such representations and warranties are not subject to any qualifications or exceptions, are true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof as if made on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date; and

 

  (ii)

The Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied pursuant to the Sales Agreement at or prior to the date hereof.

 

By:

   

Name:

Title:

Date:

 

Exhibit 7(m)-1

EX-5.1

Exhibit 5.1

 

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Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP

100 Cheapside

London EC2V 6DY

 

goodwinlaw.com

+44 (0) 20 7447 4200

6 October 2022

Orchard Therapeutics plc

245 Hammersmith Road, 3rd Floor

London, England, W6 8PW

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Orchard Therapeutics plc – Prospectus Supplement – Exhibit 5.1

We have acted as English legal advisers to Orchard Therapeutics plc, a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales (the “Company”) in connection with the preparation and filing on the date hereof with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) of a prospectus supplement (the “Prospectus Supplement”) to the Company’s prospectus dated April 29, 2022 (the “Prospectus”), pursuant to the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

The Prospectus Supplement relates to the registration for the issue and sale by the Company of American depositary shares (“ADSs”), each ADS representing one ordinary share at a nominal value of £0.10 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”) (the “Offering” and the Ordinary Shares allotted and issued in connection therewith to Citibank N.A. as the custodian and represented by ADSs, being the “Shares”). The Company has entered into a sales agreement with Guggenheim Securities, LLC (“Guggenheim”) dated 6 October 2022 (the “Sales Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell its ADSs having an aggregate offering price of up to $30,000,000 from time to time through Guggenheim acting as its sales agent.

The sale of any ADSs by the Company pursuant to the Prospectus Supplement will constitute an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)4 promulgated under the Securities Act. The Company’s ADSs are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ORTX”.

 

1.

INTRODUCTION

 

1.1

Purpose

In connection with the preparation and filing of the Prospectus Supplement with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act we have been asked to provide opinions on certain matters, as set out below. We have taken instruction in this regard solely from the Company.

 

1.2

Defined terms and headings

In this letter:

 

  (a)

capitalised terms used without definition in this letter or the schedules hereto have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus Supplement unless a contrary indication appears; and

 

  (b)

headings are for ease of reference only and shall not affect interpretation.

 

 

Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC362294. Its registered office is at 100 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6DY. A list of the names of the members of Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP is available for inspection at the registered office. Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP is affiliated with Goodwin Procter LLP, which operates in the United States of America.


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6 October 2022

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1.3

Legal review

For the purpose of issuing this letter, we have examined such questions of law as we have considered appropriate to give the opinions set forth in this letter. We have reviewed such documents and conducted such enquiries and searches as we have considered appropriate to give the opinions set forth in this letter, including the following documents and the following enquiries and searches:

 

  (a)

an online search at Companies House in respect of information available for inspection on the Company’s file conducted on 6 October 2022 at 10.00 am (London time);

 

  (b)

an enquiry of the Central Index of Winding Up Petitions, London on 6 October 2022 at 10.00 am (London time) ((a) and (b) together, the “Searches”);

 

  (c)

an executed copy of the print of the resolutions passed by the shareholders of the Company at the Company’s annual general meeting on 16 June 2021 approving, inter alia, the allotment of shares by the directors, or the granting of rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, shares on a non-preemptive basis up to an aggregate nominal amount of £13,023,851.50 (the “Shareholder Resolutions”);

 

  (d)

an executed copy of the written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) dated 4 October 2022 (the “Board Resolutions”) at which it was resolved, inter alia: (i) that the Offering be approved in principle; (ii) that the Company be authorised to issue for sale the offered ADSs in accordance with the offer terms set out in the Prospectus Supplement; and (iii) to appoint a committee of the Board with delegated authority to effect the Offering;

 

  (e)

a PDF copy of the current articles of association of the Company adopted on 17 June 2020 (the “Articles”), the certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 1 August 2018 and the certificate of incorporation on re-registration of the Company as a public company dated 29 October 2018; and

 

  (f)

a copy of the Prospectus Supplement filed with the SEC on 6 October 2022.

 

1.4

Applicable law

This letter, the opinions given in it, and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with this letter and/or the opinions given in it, are governed by, and to be construed in accordance with, English law and relate only to English law as applied by the English courts, including the laws of the European Union to the extent having the force of law in England, as at today’s date. In particular:

 

  (a)

we have not investigated the laws of any country other than England and we express no opinion in this letter on the laws of any jurisdiction other than England and we assume that no foreign law affects any of the opinions given below. It is assumed that no foreign law which may apply to the matters contemplated by the Prospectus Supplement, the Company, any document or any other matter contemplated by any document would or might affect this letter and/or the opinions given in it; and


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  (b)

we do not undertake or accept any obligation to update this letter and/or the opinions given in it to reflect subsequent changes in English law or factual matters.

 

1.5

Assumptions and reservations

The opinions given in this letter are given on the basis of each of the assumptions set out in schedule 1 (Assumptions) and are subject to each of the reservations set out in schedule 2 (Reservations) to this letter. The opinions given in this letter are strictly limited to the matters stated in paragraph 2 (Opinions) below and do not extend, and should not be read as extending, by implication or otherwise, to any other matters.

 

2.

OPINIONS

Subject to paragraph 1 (Introduction) and the other matters set out in this letter and its schedules, we are of the opinion that as at today’s date:

 

  (a)

the Company is a public limited company duly incorporated under English law, noting the Searches revealed no order or resolution for the winding-up of the Company and no notice of the appointment of a receiver or administrator in respect of it or any of its assets; and

 

  (b)

the Shares, when issued and sold as contemplated in the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus and any related Prospectus supplement(s), will be duly and validly authorised and issued, fully paid or credited as fully paid and will not be subject to any call for payment of further capital.

 

3.

EXTENT OF OPINIONS

We express no opinion as to any agreement, instrument or other document other than as specified in this letter or as to any liability to tax or duty which may arise or be suffered as a result of or in connection with the transactions contemplated thereby.

This letter only applies to those facts and circumstances which exist as at today’s date and we assume no obligation or responsibility to update or supplement this letter to reflect any facts or circumstances which may subsequently come to our attention, any changes in laws which may occur after today, or to inform the addressee of any change in circumstances happening after the date of this letter which would alter our opinion.

 

4.

DISCLOSURE AND RELIANCE

This letter is addressed to you in connection with the Prospectus Supplement. We consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K relating to the Shares, which is incorporated by reference in the Prospectus Supplement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Other than for the purpose set out in the prior paragraph, this letter may not be relied upon, or assigned, for any purpose, without our prior written consent, which may be granted or withheld in our discretion.


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Yours faithfully
/s/ Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP
Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP


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6 October 2022

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SCHEDULE 1

ASSUMPTIONS

The opinions in this letter have been given on the basis of the following assumptions:

 

  (a)

the genuineness of all signatures, stamps and seals on all documents, the authenticity and completeness of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies;

 

  (b)

that each of the individuals who signs as, or otherwise claims to be, an officer of the Company is the individual whom they claim to be and holds the office they claim to hold;

 

  (c)

the accuracy as to factual matters of each document we have reviewed;

 

  (d)

that, where a document has been examined by us in draft or specimen form, it will be or has been duly executed in the form of that draft or specimen, and that each of the signed documents examined by us has been duly executed and, where applicable, delivered on behalf of the Company;

 

  (e)

that the Articles remain in full force and effect and no alteration has been made or will be made to such articles of association, in each case prior to the date of allotment and issue of the Shares (the “Allotment Date”) or any other securities;

 

  (f)

on the Allotment Date the Company will comply with all applicable laws to allot and issue the Shares and the Company will receive such amounts as are necessary to fully pay the nominal value of the Shares and any applicable share premium;

 

  (g)

that all documents, forms and notices which should have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies in respect of the Company have been so delivered, that information revealed by the Searches was complete and accurate in all respects and has not, since the time of the Searches, been altered and that the results of the Searches will remain complete and accurate as at the date of the Prospectus Supplement;

 

  (h)

that the Prospectus Supplement, as finally amended, has become effective under the Securities Act;

 

  (i)

an appropriate prospectus supplement with respect to the Shares has been prepared, delivered and filed in compliance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;

 

  (j)

the Shares will be sold or issued in accordance with a duly authorised, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement as may be required from time to time by Guggenheim acting as the Company’s sales agent;

 

  (k)

that the Shares when issued will be accurately and properly completed, duly authorised, executed and delivered on behalf of the Company and authenticated, issued and paid for and registered in the register of holders of Shares maintained for this purpose, in accordance with the then operative Articles and all applicable laws (for the avoidance of doubt, as in force at all relevant times);


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  (l)

that any issuance of securities, or any allotment of Shares, which occurs after the date of this letter is done in accordance with any terms and limits prescribed by the Shareholder Resolutions or such other shareholder resolutions relating to the Company in force at the time of such allotment;

 

  (m)

that any minutes of the meetings of the Board or the written resolutions of the Board provided to us in connection with the giving of this opinion or otherwise contemplated in connection with the matters referred to herein were and/or will be duly passed as resolutions of the Board, all constitutional, statutory and other formalities were and/or will be observed and such resolutions have not been, and will not be, revoked or varied and remain in full force and effect as at the Allotment Date or the date on which the securities (other than Shares) are issued or granted;

 

  (n)

that the resolutions set out in the Shareholder Resolutions were validly passed and have not been and will not be revoked or varied and remain in full force and effect and will remain so as at the Allotment Date or the date on which securities (other than Shares) are issued or granted and that, prior to the Allotment Date or the date on which securities (other than Shares) are issued or granted, the Company has not allotted shares or granted rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, shares pursuant to the Shareholder Resolutions which would, when aggregated with the allotment of the Shares in connection with the Offering, result in the directors exceeding the limits set out in the Shareholder Resolutions;

 

  (o)

that if the number of Shares, or other securities capable of being converted into Shares, to be allotted and issued in connection with the Offering, exceeds the limits set out in the Shareholder Resolutions, such new Shares shall be allotted and issued pursuant to an authority and power granted to the directors pursuant to section 551 and section 570 or 571 of the Companies Act at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held at which all constitutional, statutory and other formalities will be duly observed, a quorum of shareholders will be present throughout and the relevant resolutions will have been duly passed and will not have been revoked or varied and will remain in full force and effect, and that all filings required to be made with Companies House in connection therewith will have been made within the relevant time limits;

 

  (p)

that in relation to the allotment and issue of the Shares, the Board has acted and will act in the manner required by section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 (Duty to promote the success of the Company), and there has not been and will not be any bad faith, breach of trust, fraud, coercion, duress or undue influence on the part of any of the directors of the Company;

 

  (q)

the directors of the Company, including any pricing committee or other appropriate committee appointed thereby, and appropriate officers of the Company have taken all necessary corporate action to approve the allotment and issue of the Shares and related matters;

 

  (r)

that the directors of the Company acted or will act in accordance with sections 171 to 174 of the UK Companies Act 2006 in approving the resolutions recorded in the Board Resolutions and that all actions to be carried out by the Company are or will be in its commercial interests;


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  (s)

that there are no facts or circumstances (and no documents, agreements, instruments or correspondence) which are not apparent from the face of the documents listed in paragraph 1.3 or which have not been disclosed to us that may affect the validity or enforceability of the documents listed in paragraph 1.3 or any obligation therein or otherwise affect the opinions expressed in this letter;

 

  (t)

that the Company has not taken any corporate or other action nor have any steps been taken or legal proceedings been started against the Company for the liquidation, winding up, dissolution, reorganisation or bankruptcy of, or for the appointment of a liquidator, receiver, trustee, administrator, administrative receiver or similar officer of, the Company or all or any of its assets (or any analogous proceedings in any jurisdiction) and the Company is not unable to pay its debts as they fall due within the meaning of section 123 of the Insolvency Act 1986, as amended, and will not become unable to pay its debts within the meaning of that section as a result of any of the transactions contemplated herein, is not insolvent and has not been dissolved or declared bankrupt (although the Searches gave no indication that any winding-up, dissolution or administration order or appointment of a receiver, administrator, administrative receiver or similar officer has been made with respect to the Company);

 

  (u)

following the date of this letter and prior to the issue of the Shares, the Company will validly enter into the Sales Agreement (as defined above);

 

  (v)

that no Shares or rights to subscribe for Shares have been or shall be offered to the public in the United Kingdom in breach of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (“FSMA”) or of any other United Kingdom laws or regulations concerning offers of securities to the public, and no communication has been or shall be made in relation to the Shares in breach of section 21 of FSMA or any other United Kingdom laws or regulations relating to offers or invitations to subscribe for, or to acquire rights to subscribe for or otherwise acquire, shares or other securities; and

 

  (w)

the Company is not, nor will be, engaging in criminal, misleading, deceptive or unconscionable conduct or seeking to conduct any relevant transaction or any associated activity in a manner or for a purpose which might render any transaction contemplated under any corporate approvals or any associated activity illegal, void or voidable.


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SCHEDULE 2

RESERVATIONS

The opinions in this letter are subject to the following reservations:

 

  (a)

the Searches are not capable of revealing conclusively whether or not a winding-up or administration petition or order has been presented or made, a receiver appointed, a company voluntary arrangement proposed or approved or any other insolvency proceeding commenced, and the available records may not be complete or up-to-date. In particular, the Central Registry of Winding-Up Petitions in England may not contain details of administration applications filed, or appointments recorded in or orders made by, district registries and county courts outside London. Searches at Companies House and at the Central Registry of Winding Up Petitions in England are not capable of revealing whether or not a winding up petition or a petition for the making of an administration order has been presented and, further, notice of a winding up order or resolution, notice of an administration order and notice of the appointment of a receiver may not be filed at Companies House immediately and there may be a delay in the relevant notice appearing on the file of the company concerned. Further, not all security interests are registrable, such security interests have not in fact been registered or such security interests have been created by an individual or an entity which is not registered in England. We have not made enquiries of any District Registry or County Court in England;

 

  (b)

the opinions set out in this letter are subject to: (i) any limitations arising from applicable laws relating to insolvency, bankruptcy, administration, reorganisation, liquidation, moratoria, schemes or analogous circumstances; and (ii) an English court exercising its discretion under section 426 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (co-operation between courts exercising jurisdiction in relation to insolvency) to assist the courts having the corresponding jurisdiction in any part of the United Kingdom or any relevant country or territory;

 

  (c)

we express no opinion as to matters of fact;

 

  (d)

we have made no enquiries of any individual connected with the Company;

 

  (e)

a certificate, documentation, notification, opinion or the like might be held by the English courts not to be conclusive if it can be shown to have an unreasonable or arbitrary basis or in the event of a manifest error; and

 

  (f)

it should be understood that we have not been responsible for investigating or verifying (i) the accuracy of the facts, including statements of foreign law, or the reasonableness of any statements of opinion, contained in the Prospectus Supplement; or (ii) that no material facts have been omitted from it.

EX-10.1

Exhibit 10.1

AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This Amended and Restated Employment Agreement (“Agreement”) is made by and between Orchard Therapeutics plc (the “Parent”), Orchard Therapeutics North America (the “U.S. Subsidiary”), and Frank Thomas (the “Executive”), and is effective as of October 4, 2022 (the “Effective Date”). The Parent, the U.S. Subsidiary, and their respective subsidiaries and other affiliates are collectively referred to herein as the “Company,” and the duties of the Company set forth in this Agreement may be discharged by any entity within that definition.

Except with respect to the Equity Documents and the Restrictive Covenants Agreement (each as defined below) and subject to Section 10 below, this Agreement fully supersedes and replaces in all respects all prior agreements between the parties regarding the subject matter herein, including without limitation (i) the offer letter between Orchard Therapeutics Limited (a subsidiary of the Parent) and the Executive dated January 12, 2018, (ii) the Employment Agreement between the Company and the Executive dated September 1, 2019, as amended by the First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated March 18, 2020 (the “Prior Agreement”), (iii) the Transitional Services Agreement between the Company and the Executive dated November 3, 2021, as amended by the First Amendment to the Transitional Services Agreement dated March 30, 2022 (the “Transitional Services Agreement”), except for the release of claims set forth in Section 7 thereof, which is preserved (the “Release”) and (iv) any other offer letter, employment agreement or severance agreement between the Executive and any of the parties or their affiliated entities. In the interest of clarity, any intercompany transfer shall not be deemed a termination of the employment relationship unless otherwise specified at the time of the transfer.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

1. Employment.

(a) Term. The Company will employ the Executive on the terms and conditions set forth herein, commencing as of the Effective Date and continuing in effect until terminated by either party in accordance with this Agreement (the “Term”). The U.S. Subsidiary will maintain and distribute employment-related records. The Executive’s employment with the Company will be “at will,” meaning that the Executive’s employment may be terminated by the Company or the Executive at any time and for any reason subject to the terms of this Agreement.

(b) Position and Duties. During the Term, the Executive shall serve as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, and shall have powers and duties that may from time to time be prescribed by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”). The Executive shall continue to serve as the principal financial officer and principal accounting officer of the Company; provided that the Executive hereby acknowledges and agrees that if at any time he is replaced as principal accounting officer it shall not constitute a Good Reason condition as defined in Section 3(e) of this Agreement. In addition, the Executive shall serve on any boards of directors as may be requested by the Company or in any other capacity as may be requested by the Company. The Executive shall devote his full working time and efforts to the business and affairs of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive may serve


on up to two other boards of directors, with the prior written approval of the Board of Directors of the Parent (the “Board”), or engage in religious, charitable or other community activities as long as such services and activities are disclosed to the Board and do not interfere with the Executive’s performance of his duties to the Company as provided in this Agreement. The Executive reaffirms that he has no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit him from fully performing his duties for the Company.

2. Compensation and Related Matters.

(a) Base Salary. During the Term, the Executive’s base salary shall be paid at the rate of $528,000 per year, which is subject to review and redetermination by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee”). The base salary in effect at any given time is referred to herein as “Base Salary.” The Base Salary shall be payable in a manner that is consistent with the Company’s usual payroll practices for its U.S. senior executives.

(b) Incentive Compensation. During the Term, the Executive shall be eligible to receive cash incentive compensation as determined by the Board or the Compensation Committee, from time to time. The Executive’s target annual incentive compensation shall be 50 percent of his Base Salary, as may be redetermined from time to time (the “Target Bonus”). The actual amount of the Executive’s annual incentive compensation, if any, shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Board or the Compensation Committee and shall be subject to any applicable bonus plan, as may be amended from time to time. Any such incentive compensation shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year to which it relates. Except as otherwise provided herein, any bonus will be earned pursuant to the Company’s bonus plan for senior executives, as in effect from time to time.

(c) Expenses. The Executive shall be entitled to receive prompt reimbursement for all reasonable expenses incurred by him during the Term in performing services hereunder, in accordance with the policies and procedures then in effect and established by the Company for its U.S. senior executive officers.

(d) Other Benefits. During the Term, the Executive shall be entitled to continue to participate in or receive benefits under the Company’s employee benefit plans in effect from time to time for its U.S. employees, including paid sick time under applicable law, subject to the terms of such plans and to the Company’s ability to amend, modify, replace or terminate such plans and programs.

(e) Vacations. During the Term, the Executive shall be entitled to accrue up to 20 paid vacation days in each year, which shall be accrued ratably and must be used in accordance with the Company’s vacation policy for U.S. employees, as in effect from time to time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Company eliminates or modifies its vacation accrual policy, the Executive will be entitled to the benefits set forth in the Company’s applicable paid time off policy for its U.S. executives, as may be in effect from time to time. The Executive shall also be entitled to all paid holidays given by the Company to its U.S. executives, including two (2) floating holidays to be used at the Executive’s discretion in accordance with the Company’s U.S. holiday policy, as in effect from time to time. For the avoidance of doubt, any unused floating holidays will be forfeited at the end of each calendar year.

 

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(f) Equity. The equity awards held by the Executive shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the Company’s applicable equity incentive plan(s) and the applicable award agreement(s) governing the terms of such equity awards held by the Executive (collectively, the “Equity Documents”); provided, however, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Equity Documents, Section 6(a)(ii) of this Agreement shall apply in the event of a termination by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason in either event within the Change in Control Period (as such terms are defined below).

3. Termination. During the Term, the Executive’s employment hereunder may be terminated without any breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances:

(a) Death. The Executive’s employment hereunder shall terminate upon his death.

(b) Disability. The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment if he is disabled and unable to perform the essential functions of the Executive’s then existing position or positions under this Agreement with or without reasonable accommodation for a period of 180 days (which need not be consecutive) in any 12-month period. If any question shall arise as to whether during any period the Executive is disabled so as to be unable to perform the essential functions of the Executive’s then existing position or positions with or without reasonable accommodation, the Executive may, and at the request of the Company shall, submit to the Company a certification in reasonable detail by a physician selected by the Company to whom the Executive or the Executive’s guardian has no reasonable objection as to whether the Executive is so disabled or how long such disability is expected to continue, and such certification shall for the purposes of this Agreement be conclusive of the issue. The Executive shall cooperate with any reasonable request of the physician in connection with such certification. If such question shall arise and the Executive shall fail to submit such certification, the Company’s determination of such issue shall be binding on the Executive. Nothing in this Section 3(b) shall be construed to waive the Executive’s rights, if any, under existing law including, without limitation, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. §2601 et seq. and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq.

(c) Termination by the Company for Cause. The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause. For purposes of this Agreement, “Cause” shall mean: (i) the Executive’s arrest for or conviction of a crime; (ii) the Executive’s material breach of this Agreement or other obligation to the Company; (iii) the Executive’s gross or willful negligence in performing his duties or material failure to perform his duties; (iv) the Executive’s willful failure or refusal to accept, acknowledge or carry out the Company’s lawful and reasonable written direction; or (v) the Executive’s conduct which is unlawful, fraudulent, dishonest, creates a conflict of interest with the Company, causes material damage to the Company or materially interferes with the Company’s business operations.

(d) Termination without Cause. The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder at any time without Cause. Any termination by the Company of the Executive’s employment under this Agreement which does not constitute a termination for Cause under Section 3(c) and does not result from the death or disability of the Executive under Section 3(a) or (b) shall be deemed a termination without Cause.

 

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(e) Termination by the Executive. The Executive may terminate his employment hereunder at any time for any reason, including but not limited to Good Reason. For purposes of this Agreement, “Good Reason” shall mean that the Executive has complied with the “Good Reason Process” (hereinafter defined) following the occurrence of any of the following events without the Executive’s express consent: (i) a material diminution in the Executive’s responsibilities, authority or duties, provided that any organizational change that results only in a change in the Executive’s reporting structure prior to a Change in Control shall not constitute a material diminution in the Executive’s responsibilities, authority or duties; (ii) a material diminution in the Executive’s Base Salary except for across-the-board salary reductions based on the Company’s financial performance similarly affecting all or substantially all senior management employees of the Company; (iii) a material change in the geographic location at which the Executive provides services to the Company; or (iv) the material breach of this Agreement by the Company. “Good Reason Process” shall mean that (i) the Executive reasonably determines in good faith that a “Good Reason” condition has occurred; (ii) the Executive notifies the Company in writing of the first occurrence of the Good Reason condition within 60 days of the first occurrence of such condition; (iii) the Executive cooperates in good faith with the Company’s efforts, for a period not less than 30 days following such notice (the “Cure Period”), to remedy the condition; (iv) notwithstanding such efforts, the Good Reason condition continues to exist; and (v) the Executive terminates his employment within 60 days after the end of the Cure Period. If the Company cures the Good Reason condition during the Cure Period, Good Reason shall be deemed not to have occurred.

If the Executive’s employment with the Company is terminated for any reason, the Company shall pay or provide to the Executive (or to his authorized representative or estate) (i) any Base Salary earned through the Date of Termination, unpaid expense reimbursements (subject to, and in accordance with, Section 2(c) of this Agreement) and unused vacation that accrued through the Date of Termination on or before the time required by law but in no event more than 30 days after the Executive’s Date of Termination; and (ii) any vested benefits the Executive may have under any employee benefit plan of the Company through the Date of Termination, which vested benefits shall be paid and/or provided in accordance with the terms of such employee benefit plans (collectively, the “Accrued Obligations”).

4. Notice and Date of Termination.

(a) Notice of Termination. Except for termination as specified in Section 3(a), any termination of the Executive’s employment by the Company or any such termination by the Executive shall be communicated by written Notice of Termination to the other party hereto. For purposes of this Agreement, a “Notice of Termination” shall mean a notice which shall indicate the specific termination provision in this Agreement relied upon.

 

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(b) Date of Termination. “Date of Termination” shall mean: (i) if the Executive’s employment is terminated by his death, the date of his death; (ii) if the Executive’s employment is terminated on account of disability under Section 3(b) or by the Company for Cause under Section 3(c), the date on which Notice of Termination is given; (iii) if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company under Section 3(d), the date on which a Notice of Termination is given, or another date specified in the Notice of Termination; (iv) if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Executive under Section 3(e) other than for Good Reason, 45 days after the date on which a Notice of Termination is given, and (v) if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Executive under Section 3(e) for Good Reason, the date on which a Notice of Termination is given after the end of the Cure Period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the Executive gives a Notice of Termination to the Company, the Company may unilaterally accelerate the Date of Termination and such acceleration shall not result in a termination by the Company for purposes of this Agreement.

5. Compensation Upon Termination by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason Outside the Change in Control Period. During the Term, if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause as provided in Section 3(d), or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason as provided in Section 3(e), each outside of the Change in Control Period (as defined below), then the Company shall pay the Executive his Accrued Obligations. In addition, subject to (i) the Executive signing a separation agreement and release in a form and manner satisfactory to the Company, which shall include, without limitation, a general release of claims against the Company and all related persons and entities, a reaffirmation of all of the Executive’s Continuing Obligations (as defined below), and, in the Company’s sole discretion, a one-year post-employment noncompetition agreement, and shall provide that if the Executive breaches any of the Continuing Obligations, all payments of the Severance Amount shall immediately cease (the “Separation Agreement and Release”), and (ii) the Separation Agreement and Release becoming irrevocable, all within 60 days after the Date of Termination (or such shorter period as set forth in the Separation Agreement and Release), which shall include a seven (7) business day revocation period:

(a) the Company shall pay the Executive an amount equal to 12 months of the Executive’s Base Salary (the “Severance Amount”), provided in the event the Executive is entitled to any payments pursuant to the Restrictive Covenants Agreement, the Severance Amount received in any calendar year will be reduced by the amount the Executive is paid in the same such calendar year pursuant to the Restrictive Covenants Agreement (the “Restrictive Covenants Agreement Setoff”); and

(b) notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Company’s bonus plan for senior executives, as in effect from time to time, the Company shall pay the Executive’s annual cash incentive compensation for the year prior to the year in which the Date of Termination occurs, but only to the extent that it (i) has not already been paid, and (ii) otherwise would have been earned if the Executive had remained employed through the payment date (the “Prior Year Bonus”); and

(c) if the Executive was participating in the Company’s group health plan immediately prior to the Date of Termination and elects COBRA health continuation, then the Company shall pay the monthly employer COBRA premium for the same level of group health coverage as in effect for the Executive on the Date of Termination until the earliest of the following: (i) the 12 month anniversary of the Date of Termination; (ii) the Executive’s eligibility for group health coverage through other employment; or (iii) the end of the

 

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Executive’s eligibility under COBRA for continuation coverage for health care. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company determines at any time that its payments pursuant to this paragraph may be taxable income to the Executive, it may convert such payments to payroll payments directly to the Executive on the Company’s regular payroll dates, which shall be subject to tax-related deductions and withholdings; and

(d) the Company shall pay up to $20,000 to an outplacement services provider to be selected by the Company for the purpose of providing outplacement services to the Executive; provided that the Executive begins utilizing such services no later than one (1) month after the effective date of the Separation Agreement and Release. If the Executive informs the Company prior to signing the Separation Agreement and Release that he wishes to receive compensation in lieu of the outplacement services, then the Company will directly pay the Executive an amount equal to $15,000, which shall be paid in a lump sum at the same time that the first payment of the Severance Amount is made.

Except for the Prior Year Bonus (if applicable), the amounts payable under this Section 5 shall be paid out in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice over 12 months commencing within 60 days after the Date of Termination; provided, however, that if the 60-day period begins in one calendar year and ends in a second calendar year, the Severance Amount shall begin to be paid in the second calendar year by the last day of such 60-day period; provided, further, that the initial payment shall include a catch-up payment to cover amounts retroactive to the day immediately following the Date of Termination. The Prior Year Bonus (if applicable) shall be paid out in a lump sum when such amount is actually determined and annual bonuses are paid out to the U.S. Subsidiary’s executives for the relevant period, provided that the Prior Year Bonus (if applicable) shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year in which the Date of Termination occurs. Each payment pursuant to this Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2).

6. Compensation Upon Termination by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason within the Change in Control Period. The provisions of this Section 6 shall apply in lieu of, and expressly supersede, the provisions of Section 5 regarding severance pay and benefits upon a termination by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason if such termination of employment occurs 12 months after the occurrence of the first event constituting a Change in Control of the Parent (such period, the “Change in Control Period”). The provisions under this Section 6 shall terminate and be of no further force or effect beginning 12 months after the occurrence of a Change in Control of the Parent.

(a) Change in Control of the Parent. If during the Change in Control Period the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause as provided in Section 3(d) or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason as provided in Section 3(e), then, subject to the signing of the Separation Agreement and Release by the Executive and the Separation Agreement and Release becoming irrevocable, all within 60 days after the Date of Termination (or such shorter period as set forth in the Separation Agreement and Release),

(i) the Company shall pay the Executive a lump sum in cash in an amount equal to the sum of (A) 12 months of the Executive’s current Base Salary (or the Executive’s Base Salary in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control of the Parent, if higher) plus (B) one (1) times the Executive’s Target Bonus (the “Change in Control Payment”), provided the Change in Control Payment shall be reduced by the amount of the Restrictive Covenants Agreement Setoff, if applicable, paid or to be paid in the same calendar year; and

 

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(ii) notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any applicable option agreement or other stock-based award agreement, all stock options and other stock-based awards held by the Executive (the “Equity Awards”) shall immediately accelerate and become fully exercisable or nonforfeitable as of the later of (i) the Date of Termination or (ii) the Effective Date of the Separation Agreement and Release (the “Accelerated Vesting Date”); provided that any termination or forfeiture of the unvested portion of such Equity Awards that would otherwise occur on the Date of Termination in the absence of this Agreement will be delayed until the Effective Date of the Separation Agreement and Release and will only occur if the vesting pursuant to this subsection does not occur due to the absence of the Separation Agreement and Release becoming fully effective within the time period set forth therein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no additional vesting of the Equity Awards shall occur during the period between the Executive’s Date of Termination and the Accelerated Vesting Date; and

(iii) if the Executive was participating in the Company’s group health plan immediately prior to the Date of Termination and elects COBRA health continuation, then the Company shall pay the monthly employer COBRA premium for the same level of group health coverage as in effect for the Executive on the Date of Termination until the earliest of the following: (i) the 12 month anniversary of the Date of Termination; (ii) the Executive’s eligibility for group health coverage through other employment; or (iii) the end of the Executive’s eligibility under COBRA for continuation coverage for health care. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company determines at any time that its payments pursuant to this paragraph may be taxable income to the Executive, it may convert such payments to payroll payments directly to the Executive on the Company’s regular payroll dates, which shall be subject to tax-related deductions and withholdings; and

(iv) the Company shall pay up to $20,000 to an outplacement services provider to be selected by the Company for the purpose of providing outplacement services to the Executive; provided that the Executive begins utilizing such services no later than one (1) month after the effective date of the Separation Agreement and Release. If the Executive informs the Company prior to signing the Separation Agreement and Release that he wishes to receive compensation in lieu of the outplacement services, then the Company will directly pay the Executive an amount equal to $15,000.

The amounts payable under this Section 6(a) shall be paid or commence to be paid within 60 days after the Date of Termination; provided, however, that if the 60-day period begins in one calendar year and ends in a second calendar year, such payment shall be paid or commence to be paid in the second calendar year by the last day of such 60-day period.

 

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(b) Additional Limitation.

(i) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event that the amount of any compensation, payment or distribution to or for the benefit of the Executive, whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise, calculated in a manner consistent with Section 280G of the Code and the applicable regulations thereunder (the “Aggregate Payments”), would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, then the Aggregate Payments shall be reduced (but not below zero) so that the sum of all of the Aggregate Payments shall be $1.00 less than the amount at which the Executive becomes subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code; provided that such reduction shall only occur if it would result in the Executive receiving a higher After Tax Amount (as defined below) than the Executive would receive if the Aggregate Payments were not subject to such reduction. In such event, the Aggregate Payments shall be reduced in the following order, in each case, in reverse chronological order beginning with the Aggregate Payments that are to be paid the furthest in time from consummation of the transaction that is subject to Section 280G of the Code: (1) cash payments not subject to Section 409A of the Code; (2) cash payments subject to Section 409A of the Code; (3) equity-based payments and acceleration; and (4) non-cash forms of benefits; provided that in the case of all the foregoing Aggregate Payments all amounts or payments that are not subject to calculation under Treas. Reg. §1.280G-1, Q&A-24(b) or (c) shall be reduced before any amounts that are subject to calculation under Treas. Reg. §1.280G-1, Q&A-24(b) or (c).

(ii) For purposes of this Section 6(b), the “After Tax Amount” means the amount of the Aggregate Payments less all federal, state, and local income, excise and employment taxes imposed on the Executive as a result of the Executive’s receipt of the Aggregate Payments. For purposes of determining the After Tax Amount, the Executive shall be deemed to pay federal income taxes at the highest marginal rate of federal income taxation applicable to individuals for the calendar year in which the determination is to be made, and state and local income taxes at the highest marginal rates of individual taxation in each applicable state and locality, net of the maximum reduction in federal income taxes which could be obtained from deduction of such state and local taxes.

(iii) The determination as to whether a reduction in the Aggregate Payments shall be made pursuant to Section 6(b)(i) shall be made by a nationally recognized accounting firm selected by the Company (the “Accounting Firm”), which shall provide detailed supporting calculations both to the Company and the Executive within 15 business days of the Date of Termination, if applicable, or at such earlier time as is reasonably requested by the Company or the Executive. Any determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding upon the Company and the Executive.

(c) Definitions. For purposes of this Section 6, a “Change in Control of the Parent” shall mean a “Sale Event” as defined in Orchard Therapeutics plc 2018 Share Option and Incentive Plan, but only to the extent such Sale Event is also a “change in control event” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

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7. Section 409A.

(a) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, if at the time of the Executive’s separation from service within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, the Company determines that the Executive is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, then to the extent any payment or benefit that the Executive becomes entitled to under this Agreement or otherwise on account of the Executive’s separation from service would be considered deferred compensation otherwise subject to the 20 percent additional tax imposed pursuant to Section 409A(a) of the Code as a result of the application of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, such payment shall not be payable and such benefit shall not be provided until the date that is the earlier of (A) six months and one day after the Executive’s separation from service, or (B) the Executive’s death. If any such delayed cash payment is otherwise payable on an installment basis, the first payment shall include a catch-up payment covering amounts that would otherwise have been paid during the six-month period but for the application of this provision, and the balance of the installments shall be payable in accordance with their original schedule.

(b) All in-kind benefits provided and expenses eligible for reimbursement under this Agreement shall be provided by the Company or incurred by the Executive during the time periods set forth in this Agreement. All reimbursements shall be paid as soon as administratively practicable, but in no event shall any reimbursement be paid after the last day of the taxable year following the taxable year in which the expense was incurred. The amount of in-kind benefits provided or reimbursable expenses incurred in one taxable year shall not affect the in-kind benefits to be provided or the expenses eligible for reimbursement in any other taxable year (except for any lifetime or other aggregate limitation applicable to medical expenses). Such right to reimbursement or in-kind benefits is not subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit.

(c) To the extent that any payment or benefit described in this Agreement constitutes “non-qualified deferred compensation” under Section 409A of the Code, and to the extent that such payment or benefit is payable upon the Executive’s termination of employment, then such payments or benefits shall be payable only upon the Executive’s “separation from service.” The determination of whether and when a separation from service has occurred shall be made in accordance with the presumptions set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h).

(d) The parties intend that this Agreement will be administered in accordance with Section 409A of the Code. To the extent that any provision of this Agreement is ambiguous as to its compliance with Section 409A of the Code, the provision shall be read in such a manner so that all payments hereunder comply with Section 409A of the Code. Each payment pursuant to this Agreement or the Restrictive Covenants Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2). The parties agree that this Agreement may be amended, as reasonably requested by either party, and as may be necessary to fully comply with Section 409A of the Code and all related rules and regulations in order to preserve the payments and benefits provided hereunder without additional cost to either party.

 

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(e) The Company makes no representation or warranty and shall have no liability to the Executive or any other person if any provisions of this Agreement are determined to constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code but do not satisfy an exemption from, or the conditions of, such Section.

8. Continuing Obligations.

(a) Restrictive Covenants Agreement. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that the Employee Confidentiality, Assignment and Noncompetition Agreement dated September 1, 2019 that is attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Restrictive Covenants Agreement”) remains in full force and effect, including, without limitation the post-employment noncompetition obligation set forth in Section 8(c) thereof. For purposes of this Agreement, the obligations in this Section 8 and those that arise in the Restrictive Covenants Agreement and any other agreement relating to confidentiality, assignment of inventions, or other restrictive covenants shall collectively be referred to as the “Continuing Obligations.”

(b) Third-Party Agreements and Rights. The Executive hereby confirms that the Executive is not bound by the terms of any agreement with any previous employer or other party which restricts in any way the Executive’s use or disclosure of information or the Executive’s engagement in any business. The Executive represents to the Company that the Executive’s execution of this Agreement, the Executive’s employment with the Company and the performance of the Executive’s proposed duties for the Company will not violate any obligations the Executive may have to any such previous employer or other party. In the Executive’s work for the Company, the Executive will not disclose or make use of any information in violation of any agreements with or rights of any such previous employer or other party, and the Executive will not bring to the premises of the Company any copies or other tangible embodiments of non-public information belonging to or obtained from any such previous employment or other party.

(c) Cooperation. During and after the Executive’s employment, the Executive shall cooperate fully with the Company in (i) the defense or prosecution of any claims or actions now in existence or which may be brought in the future against or on behalf of the Company which relate to events or occurrences that transpired while the Executive was employed by the Company, and (ii) the investigation, whether internal or external, of any matters about which the Company believe the Executive may have knowledge or information. The Executive’s full cooperation in connection with such claims, actions or investigations shall include, but not be limited to, being available to meet with counsel to answer questions or to prepare for discovery or trial and to act as a witness on behalf of the Company at mutually convenient times. During and after the Executive’s employment, the Executive also shall cooperate fully with the Company in connection with any investigation or review of any federal, state or local regulatory authority as any such investigation or review relates to events or occurrences that transpired while the Executive was employed by the Company. The Company shall reimburse the Executive for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the Executive’s performance of obligations pursuant to this Section 8(c).

 

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(d) Injunction. The Executive agrees that it would be difficult to measure any damages caused to the Company which might result from any breach by the Executive of any of the Continuing Obligations (including without limitation any breach of the Restrictive Covenants Agreement), and that in any event money damages would be an inadequate remedy for any such breach. Accordingly, the Executive agrees that if the Executive breaches, or proposes to breach, any portion of this Agreement, the Company shall be entitled, in addition to all other remedies that it may have, to an injunction or other appropriate equitable relief to restrain any such breach without showing or proving any actual damage to the Company.

(e) Protected Disclosures and Other Protected Actions. Nothing in this Agreement shall be interpreted or applied to prohibit the Executive from making any good faith report to any governmental agency or other governmental entity (a “Government Agency”) concerning any act or omission that the Executive reasonably believes constitutes a possible violation of federal or state law or making other disclosures that are protected under the anti-retaliation or whistleblower provisions of applicable federal or state law or regulation. In addition, nothing contained in this Agreement limits the Executive’s ability to communicate with any Government Agency or otherwise participate in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by any Government Agency, including the Executive’s ability to provide documents or other information, without notice to the Company. In addition, for the avoidance of doubt, pursuant to the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, the Executive shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law or under this Agreement or the Restrictive Covenants Agreements for the disclosure of a trade secret that (a) is made (i) in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (b) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.

9. Consent to Jurisdiction. The parties hereby consent to the jurisdiction of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Accordingly, with respect to any such court action, the Executive (a) submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts; (b) consents to service of process; and (c) waives any other requirement (whether imposed by statute, rule of court, or otherwise) with respect to personal jurisdiction or service of process.

10. Integration. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to compensation, severance pay, benefits and accelerated vesting and supersedes in all respects all prior agreements between the parties concerning such the subject matter hereof, including without limitation the Prior Agreement, the Transitional Services Agreement (except for the Release, which is preserved) and any offer letter, employment agreement, arbitration agreement or severance agreement relating to the Executive’s employment relationship with the Company and/or the ending of that employment relationship. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Equity Documents, the Restrictive Covenants Agreement, any agreement relating to indemnification rights and any other agreement relating to confidentiality, assignment of inventions, or other restrictive covenants shall not be superseded by this Agreement and the Executive acknowledges and agrees that any such agreements remain in full force and effect. For the avoidance of doubt, the Transitional Services Agreement (except for the Release) is null and void and the Executive acknowledges and agrees that (i) he is not owed, and will not be owed, any compensation thereunder, including, without limitation, any incentive compensation and (ii) the extended vesting period and the extended exercise period described under the Transitional Services Agreement are of no force or effect. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that any claims arising under any separate agreements related to the subject matter of this Agreement that are not preserved herein are hereby waived.

 

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11. Taxes; Withholding. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit the Company’s ability to make deductions, withholdings and tax reports with respect to payments and benefits under this Agreement to the extent that it reasonably and in good faith believes that it is required to make such deductions, withholdings and tax reports. Payments under this Agreement shall be in amounts net of any such deductions or withholdings and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to require the Company to make any payments to compensate the Executive for any adverse tax effect associated with any payments or benefits or for any deduction or withholding from any payment or benefit.

12. Enforceability. If any portion or provision of this Agreement or the Restrictive Covenants Agreement (including, without limitation, any portion or provision of any section of the Continuing Obligations) shall to any extent be declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so declared illegal or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

13. Survival. The provisions of this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement and/or the termination of the Executive’s employment to the extent necessary to effectuate the terms contained herein.

14. Waiver. No waiver of any provision hereof shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by the waiving party. The failure of any party to require the performance of any term or obligation of this Agreement, or the waiver by any party of any breach of this Agreement, shall not prevent any subsequent enforcement of such term or obligation or be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach.

15. Notices. Any notices, requests, demands and other communications provided for by this Agreement shall be sufficient if in writing and delivered in person or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service or by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, to the Executive at the last address the Executive has filed in writing with the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its main offices, attention of the Board.

16. Amendment. This Agreement may be amended or modified only by a written instrument signed by the Executive and by a duly authorized representative of the Company.

17. Effect on Other Plans and Agreements. An election by the Executive to resign for Good Reason under the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed a voluntary termination of employment by the Executive for the purpose of interpreting the provisions of any of the Company’s benefit plans, programs or policies. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit the rights of the Executive under the Company’s benefit plans, programs or policies except as otherwise provided in Section 8 hereof, and except that the Executive shall have no rights to any severance benefits under any Company severance pay plan, offer letter or

 

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otherwise. Except for the Restrictive Covenants Agreement, in the event that the Executive is party to an agreement with the Company providing for payments or benefits under such agreement and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall govern and the Executive may receive payment under this Agreement only and not both. Further, Section 5 and Section 6 of this Agreement are mutually exclusive and in no event shall the Executive be entitled to payments or benefits pursuant to Section 5 and Section 6 of this Agreement.

18. Governing Law. This is a Massachusetts contract and shall be construed under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles of such Commonwealth. With respect to any disputes concerning federal law, such disputes shall be determined in accordance with the law as it would be interpreted and applied by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

19. Assignment. Neither the Executive nor the Company may make any assignment of this Agreement or any interest in it, by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other; provided, however, that the Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including the Restrictive Covenants Agreement) without the Executive’s consent to any affiliate or to any person or entity with whom the Company shall hereafter effect a reorganization, consolidate with, or merge into or to whom it transfers all or substantially all of its properties or assets; provided further that if the purchaser in any transaction involving the transfer of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets assumes this Agreement and the Executive accepts a position with the purchaser that is equivalent or better to his position immediately preceding such transaction, then the Executive shall not be entitled to any Severance Amount pursuant to Section 5 or any Change in Control Payment pursuant to Section 6. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Executive and the Company, and each of the Executive’s and the Company’s respective successors, executors, administrators, heirs and permitted assigns.

20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be taken to be an original; but such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same document.

21. Gender Neutral. Wherever used herein, a pronoun in the masculine gender shall be considered as including the feminine gender unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement effective on the Effective Date.

 

PARENT
ORCHARD THERAPEUTICS PLC
By:   /s/ Bobby Gaspar
Name:   Bobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D.
Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

U.S. SUBSIDIARY
ORCHARD THERAPEUTICS NORTH AMERICA
By:   /s/ Bobby Gaspar
Name:   Bobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D.
Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

EXECUTIVE
/s/ Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas

 


Exhibit A

Employee Confidentiality, Assignment and Noncompetition Agreement

In consideration and as a condition of my employment by Orchard Therapeutics North America (including its parent company, Orchard Therapeutics plc, and its and their respective subsidiaries and other affiliates, and all of the foregoing’s successors and assigns, the “Company”) and in exchange for, among other things, the benefits contained in the Employment Agreement to which this Exhibit A is appended, including without limitation the opportunity to receive enhanced post-employment severance benefits, which I acknowledge and agree is fair and reasonable consideration that is independent from the continuation of my employment, I enter into this Employee Confidentiality, Assignment and Noncompetition Agreement (the “Agreement”) and agree as follows:

1. Proprietary Information. I agree that all information, whether or not in writing, concerning the Company’s business, technology, business relationships or financial affairs that the Company has not released to the general public (collectively, “Proprietary Information”) and all tangible embodiments thereof are and will be the exclusive property of the Company. By way of illustration, Proprietary Information may include information or material that has not been made generally available to the public, such as: (a) corporate information, including plans, strategies, methods, policies, resolutions, negotiations or litigation; (b) marketing information, including strategies, methods, customer or business partner identities or other information about customers, business partners, prospect identities or other information about prospects, or market analyses or projections; (c) financial information, including cost and performance data, debt arrangements, equity structure, investors and holdings, purchasing and sales data and price lists; (d) operational, technological, and scientific information, including plans, specifications, manuals, forms, templates, software, pre-clinical and clinical testing data and strategies, research and development strategies, designs, methods, procedures, formulae, data, reports, discoveries, inventions, improvements, concepts, ideas, and other Developments (as defined below), know-how and trade secrets; and (e) personnel information, including personnel lists, reporting or organizational structure, resumes, personnel data, performance evaluations and termination arrangements or documents. Proprietary Information also includes information received in confidence by the Company from its customers, suppliers, business partners or other third parties.

2. Recognition of Company’s Rights. I will not, at any time, without the Company’s prior written permission, either during or after my employment, disclose any Proprietary Information to anyone outside of the Company, or use or permit to be used any Proprietary Information for any purpose other than the performance of my duties as an employee of the Company. I will cooperate with the Company and use my best efforts to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of all Proprietary Information. I will deliver to the Company all copies and other tangible embodiments of Proprietary Information in my possession or control upon the earlier of a request by the Company or termination of my employment.

3. Rights of Others. I understand that the Company is now and may hereafter be subject to nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements with third persons that require the Company to protect or refrain from use or disclosure of proprietary information. I agree to be bound by the terms of such agreements in the event I have access to such proprietary information. I understand that the Company strictly prohibits me from using or disclosing confidential or proprietary information belonging to any other person or entity (including any employer or former employer), in connection with my employment. In addition, I agree not to bring any confidential information belonging to any other person or entity onto Company premises or into Company workspaces.

4. Commitment to Company; Avoidance of Conflict of Interest. While an employee of the Company, I will devote my full-time efforts to the Company’s business and I will not, directly or indirectly, engage in any other business activity, except as expressly authorized in writing and in advance by a duly authorized representative of the Company. I will advise an authorized officer of the Company or his or her designee at such time as any activity of either the Company or another business presents me with a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest as an employee of the Company. I will take whatever action is requested of me by the Company to resolve any conflict or appearance of conflict which it finds to exist.

5. Developments. I will make full and prompt disclosure to the Company of all inventions, discoveries, designs, developments, methods, modifications, improvements, processes, algorithms, data, databases, computer programs, research, formulae, techniques, trade secrets, graphics or images, and audio or visual works and other


works of authorship, and other intellectual property, including works-in-process (collectively “Developments”) whether or not patentable or copyrightable, that are created, made, conceived or reduced to practice by me (alone or jointly with others) or under my direction during the period of my employment. I acknowledge that all work performed by me is on a “work for hire” basis, and I hereby do assign and transfer and, to the extent any such assignment cannot be made at present, will assign and transfer, to the Company and its successors and assigns all my right, title and interest in and to all Developments that (a) relate to the business of the Company or any customer of, supplier to or business partner of the Company or any of the products or services being researched, developed, manufactured or sold by the Company or which may be used with such products or services; or (b) result from tasks assigned to me by the Company; or (c) result from the use of premises or personal property (whether tangible or intangible) owned, leased or contracted for by the Company (“Company-Related Developments”), and all related patents, patent applications, trademarks and trademark applications, copyrights and copyright applications, sui generis database rights and other intellectual property rights in all countries and territories worldwide and under any international conventions (“Intellectual Property Rights”).

To preclude any possible uncertainty, if there are any Developments that I have, alone or jointly with others, conceived, developed or reduced to practice prior to the commencement of my employment with the Company that I consider to be my property or the property of third parties and that I wish to have excluded from the scope of this Agreement (“Prior Inventions”), I have set forth on Appendix A attached hereto a complete list of those Prior Inventions. If disclosure of any such Prior Invention would cause me to violate any prior confidentiality agreement, I understand that I am not to list such Prior Inventions in Appendix A but am only to disclose a cursory name for each such invention, a listing of the party(ies) to whom it belongs and the fact that full disclosure as to such inventions has not been made for that reason. If there are any patents or patent applications in which I am named as an inventor, other than those that have been assigned to the Company (“Other Patent Rights”), I have also listed those Other Patent Rights on Appendix A. If no such disclosure is attached, I represent that there are no Prior Inventions or Other Patent Rights. If, in the course of my employment with the Company, I incorporate a Prior Invention into a Company product, process or machine, research or development program, or other work done for the Company, I hereby grant to the Company a nonexclusive, royalty-free, fully paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license (with the full right to sublicense through multiple tiers) to make, have made, modify, use, sell, offer for sale and import such Prior Invention. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I will not incorporate, or permit to be incorporated, Prior Inventions in any Company-Related Development without the Company’s prior written consent.

This Agreement does not obligate me to assign to the Company any Development that, in the sole judgment of the Company, reasonably exercised, is developed entirely on my own time and does not relate to the business efforts or research and development efforts in which, during the period of my employment, the Company actually is engaged or reasonably would be engaged, and does not result from the use of premises or equipment owned or leased by the Company. However, I will also promptly disclose to the Company any such Developments for the purpose of determining whether they qualify for such exclusion. I understand that to the extent this Agreement is required to be construed in accordance with the laws of any state which precludes a requirement in an employee agreement to assign certain classes of inventions made by an employee, this Section 5 will be interpreted not to apply to any invention that a court rules and/or the Company agrees falls within such classes. I also hereby waive all claims to any moral rights or other special rights that I may have or accrue in any Company-Related Developments.

6. Documents and Other Materials. I will keep and maintain adequate and current records of all Proprietary Information and Company-Related Developments developed by me during my employment, which records will be available to and remain the sole property of the Company at all times.

All files, letters, notes, memoranda, reports, records, data, sketches, drawings, notebooks, layouts, charts, quotations and proposals, specification sheets, blueprints, models, prototypes, or other written, photographic or other tangible material containing Proprietary Information, whether created by me or others, which come into my custody or possession, are the exclusive property of the Company to be used by me only in the performance of my duties for the Company. Any property situated on the Company’s premises and owned by the Company, including without limitation computers, disks and other storage media, filing cabinets or other work areas, is subject to inspection by the Company at any time with or without notice. In the event of the termination of my employment for any reason, I will deliver to the Company all Company property and equipment in my possession, custody or control, including all files, letters, notes, memoranda, reports, records, data, sketches, drawings, notebooks, layouts, charts, quotations and proposals, specification sheets, blueprints, models, prototypes, or other written, photographic or other tangible material containing Proprietary Information, and other materials of any nature pertaining to the Proprietary Information of the Company and to my work, and will not take or keep in my possession any of the foregoing or any copies.

 


7. Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights. I will cooperate fully with the Company, both during and after my employment with the Company, with respect to the procurement, maintenance and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Company-Related Developments. I will sign, both during and after my employment, all papers, including without limitation copyright applications, patent applications, declarations, oaths, assignments of priority rights, and powers of attorney, which the Company may deem necessary or desirable in order to protect its rights and interests in any Company-Related Development or Intellectual Property Rights therein. If the Company is unable, after reasonable effort, to secure my signature on any such papers, I hereby irrevocably designate and appoint each officer of the Company as my agent and attorney-in-fact to execute any such papers on my behalf, and to take any and all actions as the Company may deem necessary or desirable in order to protect its rights and interests in any Company-Related Development, including any Intellectual Property Rights therein.

8. Nonsolicitation and Noncompetition.

In order to protect the Company’s Proprietary Information and goodwill, during my employment and for a period of: (i) one (1) year following the date of the cessation of my employment with the Company (the “Last Date of Employment”), or (ii) two (2) years following the Last Date of Employment if I breach my fiduciary duty to the Company or if I have unlawfully taken, physically or electronically, property belonging to the Company (in either case the “Restricted Period”):

(a) I shall not, directly or indirectly, in any manner, other than for the benefit of the Company, solicit or transact any business with any of the customers of the Company or any of its vendors. For purposes of this Agreement, (i) customers shall include then current customers to which the Company provided products or services during the twelve months prior to the Last Date of Employment (the “One Year Lookback”) and customer prospects that the Company solicited during the One Year Lookback and that I had significant contact with or learned confidential information about in the course of my employment, and (ii) vendors shall include then current vendors and vendors that provided services to or in connection with the Company during the One Year Lookback.

(b) I shall not, directly or indirectly, in any manner, solicit, entice or attempt to persuade any employee or consultant of the Company to leave the Company for any reason or otherwise participate in or facilitate the hire, directly or through another entity, of any person who is then employed or engaged by the Company.

(c) Unless (i) the Company terminates my employment without Cause (as defined below) or I have been laid off; or (ii) the Company waives the restrictions upon post-employment activities set forth in this Section 8(c), then, the Company shall make garden leave payments to me for the post-employment portion of the Restricted Period (but for not more than 12 months following the end of my employment) at the rate of 50% of the highest annualized base salary paid to me by the Company within the two-year period preceding the last day of my employment (“Garden Leave Pay”), and in exchange, I shall not directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, shareholder, director, manager, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, anywhere in the world engage or otherwise participate in any business that develops, manufactures or markets any products, or performs any services, that are competitive with the products or services of the Company, or products or services that the Company or its affiliates, has under development or that are the subject of active planning at any time during my employment. For purposes of this Agreement, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other agreement between the Company and me, “Cause” shall mean a reasonable and good faith basis for the Company to be dissatisfied with my job performance, my conduct or my behavior. I acknowledge that this covenant is necessary because the Company’s legitimate business interests cannot be adequately protected solely by the other covenants in this Agreement. I further acknowledge and agree that any payments I receive pursuant to this Section 8(c) shall reduce (and shall not be in addition to) any severance or separation pay that I am otherwise entitled to receive from the Company pursuant an agreement, plan or otherwise.

9. Government Contracts. I acknowledge that the Company may have from time to time agreements with other persons or with the United States Government or its agencies that impose obligations or restrictions on the Company regarding inventions made during the course of work under such agreements or regarding the confidential


nature of such work. I agree to comply with any such obligations or restrictions upon the direction of the Company. In addition to the rights assigned under Section 5, I also assign to the Company (or any of its nominees) all rights that I have or acquired in any Developments, full title to which is required to be in the United States under any contract between the Company and the United States or any of its agencies.

10. Prior Agreements. I hereby represent that, except as I have fully disclosed previously in writing to the Company, I am not bound by the terms of any agreement with any previous or current employer or other party to refrain from using or disclosing any trade secret or confidential or proprietary information in the course of my employment with the Company or to refrain from competing, directly or indirectly, with the business of such employer or any other party. I further represent that my performance of all the terms of this Agreement as an employee of the Company does not and will not breach any agreement to keep in confidence proprietary information, knowledge or data acquired by me in confidence or in trust prior to my employment with the Company. I will not disclose to the Company or induce the Company to use any confidential or proprietary information or material belonging to any previous employer or others.

11. Remedies Upon Breach. I understand that the restrictions contained in this Agreement are necessary for the protection of the business and goodwill of the Company and I consider them to be reasonable for such purpose. Any breach of this Agreement is likely to cause the Company substantial and irrevocable damage and therefore, in the event of such breach, the Company, in addition to such other remedies which may be available, will be entitled to specific performance and other injunctive relief, without the posting of a bond. I further acknowledge that a court may render an award extending the Restricted Period as one of the remedies in the event of my violation of this Agreement. If I violate this Agreement, in addition to all other remedies available to the Company at law (including, without limitation, the Company’s right to discontinue any payments I may receive pursuant to Section 8(c)), in equity, and under contract, I agree that I am obligated to pay all the Company’s costs of enforcement of this Agreement, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses.

12. Use of Voice, Image and Likeness. I give the Company permission to use any and all of my voice, image and likeness, with or without using my name, in connection with the products and/or services of the Company, for the purposes of advertising and promoting such products and/or services and/or the Company, and/or for other purposes deemed appropriate by the Company in its reasonable discretion, except to the extent prohibited by law.

13. No Employment Obligation. I understand that this Agreement does not create an obligation on the Company or any other person to continue my employment. I acknowledge that, unless otherwise agreed in a formal written employment agreement signed on behalf of the Company by an authorized officer, my employment with the Company is at will and therefore may be terminated by the Company or me at any time and for any reason, with or without cause.

14. Survival and Assignment by the Company. I understand that my obligations under this Agreement will continue in accordance with its express terms regardless of any changes in my title, position, duties, salary, compensation or benefits or other terms and conditions of employment. I further understand that my obligations under this Agreement will continue following the termination of my employment regardless of the manner of such termination and will be binding upon my heirs, executors and administrators. The Company will have the right to assign this Agreement to its affiliates, successors and assigns. I expressly consent to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement for the benefit of the Company or any parent, subsidiary or affiliate to whose employ I may be transferred without the necessity that this Agreement be resigned at the time of such transfer.

15. Notice of Resignation. If I elect to resign from my employment with the Company, I agree to provide the Company with written notification of my resignation at least 30 days prior to my intended resignation date. Such notice shall include information in reasonable detail about my post-employment job duties and other business activities, including the name and address of any subsequent employer and/or person or entity with whom or which I intend to engage in business activities during the Restricted Period and the nature of my job duties and other business activities. The Company may elect to waive all or part of the 30 day notice period in its sole discretion.

16. Post-Employment Notifications. During the Restricted Period, I will notify the Company of any change in my address and of each subsequent employment or business activity, including the name and address of my employer or other post-Company employment plans and the nature of my activities.


17. Disclosures During Restricted Period. I will provide a copy of this Agreement to any person or entity with whom I may enter into a business relationship, whether as an employee, consultant, partner, coventurer or otherwise, prior to entering into such business relationship during the Restricted Period.

18. Waiver. The Company and I acknowledge and agree that the Company’s election not to provide me with Garden Leave Pay as set forth in Section 8(c) shall be deemed a waiver of my noncompetition obligations under Section 8(c). Otherwise, no waiver of any of my obligations under this Agreement shall be effective unless made in writing by the Company. The failure of the Company to require my performance of any term or obligation of this Agreement, or the waiver of any breach of this Agreement, shall not prevent the Company’s subsequent enforcement of such term or obligation or be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach.

19. Severability. In case any provisions (or portions thereof) contained in this Agreement shall, for any reason, be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect the other provisions of this Agreement, and this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein. If, moreover, any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall for any reason be held to be excessively broad as to duration, geographical scope, activity or subject, it shall be construed by limiting and reducing it, so as to be enforceable to the extent compatible with the applicable law as it shall then appear.

20. Choice of Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement will be deemed to be made and entered into in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and will in all respects be interpreted, enforced and governed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I hereby consent to personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts situated within Massachusetts for purposes of enforcing this Agreement, and waive any objection that I might have to personal jurisdiction or venue in those courts, provided, however, the Company and I agree that all civil actions relating to Section 8(c) of this Agreement shall be brought in the county of Suffolk and that the superior court or the business litigation session of the superior court shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

21. Independence of Obligations. My obligations under this Agreement are independent of any obligation, contractual or otherwise, the Company has to me. The Company’s breach of any such obligation shall not be a defense against the enforcement of this Agreement or otherwise limit my obligations under this Agreement.

22. Protected Disclosures. I understand that nothing contained in this Agreement limits my ability to communicate with any federal, state or local governmental agency or commission, including to provide documents or other information, without notice to the Company. I also understand that nothing in this Agreement limits my ability to share compensation information concerning myself or others, except that this does not permit me to disclose compensation information concerning others that I obtain because my job responsibilities require or allow access to such information.

23. Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. I understand that pursuant to the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, I shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that (a) is made (i) in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (b) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.

Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Company and me with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior agreements or understandings, both written and oral, between the Company and me with respect to the subject matter hereof, but does not in any way merge with or supersede any other confidentiality, assignment of inventions or other restrictive covenant agreement or obligation entered into by the Company and me, which agreements and obligations shall supplement, and shall not limit or be limited by, this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended only in a written agreement executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company and me.

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I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS AGREEMENT AFFECTS IMPORTANT RIGHTS. BY SIGNING BELOW, I CERTIFY THAT (I) I WAS PROVIDED WITH THIS AGREEMENT AT LEAST TEN (10) BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS AGREEMENT AND (II) I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY THE COMPANY THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONSULT WITH COUNSEL PRIOR TO SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this agreement as a sealed instrument and shall become effective upon the later of the (i) full execution by both parties; or (ii) ten (10) business days after the Company provided me with notice of this Agreement.

EMPLOYEE

Signed: /s/ Frank E. Thomas

Type or print name: Frank E. Thomas

Date: 1 September 2019

THE COMPANY

Signed: /s/ John Ilett

Type or print name and job title: John Ilett, General Counsel & Company Secretary

Date: 1 September 2019