EXHIBIT
4.3
THOMSON
REUTERS
GLOBAL
EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
(As
of September 10, 2009)
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Section
1.
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Purpose
of Plan.
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This
Global Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) has been
adopted by the Company in order to provide eligible Employees of the Company and
any Designated Subsidiary with an opportunity to purchase Common Shares. The
Plan has been established as a means of further aligning the interests of
Employees with those of the Company’s shareholders.
For
purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth
below:
“Administrator” means
the Board, or if and to the extent the Board delegates administration of the
Plan, the Committee or its designees in accordance with Section 12
below.
“Board” shall mean the
Board of Directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means a
day on which the New York Stock Exchange (or, if appropriate, any other exchange
that is used to determine Fair Market Value) is open for trading.
“Committee” shall mean
the Human Resources Committee appointed by the Board (or any successor committee
of the Board or subcommittee established by the committee) or person or group of
persons to whom such committee has delegated any or all of its powers to
administer the Plan and to perform the functions set forth herein.
“Common Shares” shall
mean common shares in the capital of Thomson Reuters Corporation, and shall
include all shares or other securities issued in substitution for the Common
Shares, as provided for in Section 17.
“Company” shall mean
Thomson Reuters Corporation and its successors.
“Compensation” shall
mean the total compensation paid to an Employee, including all salary, wages,
commissions, overtime pay and other remuneration paid directly to the Employee,
but excluding referral
and hiring bonuses, incentive bonuses, profit sharing, deferred compensation,
the cost of employee benefits paid for by Thomson Reuters, education, tuition or
other similar reimbursements, imputed income arising under any Thomson Reuters
group insurance or benefit program, traveling expenses, business and moving
expense reimbursements, income received in connection with stock options or
other equity-based awards, contributions made by Thomson Reuters under any
employee benefit plan, and similar items of compensation.
“Continuous Status as an
Employee” shall mean the employment relationship with the Company or a
Designated Subsidiary is not interrupted or terminated. Continuous
Status as an Employee shall not be considered interrupted in the case of (i) a
leave of absence agreed to in writing by the Company or a Designated Subsidiary,
as appropriate; provided, however, that (x) such leave is for a period of not
more than ninety (90) days or (y) reemployment with the Company or a Designated
Subsidiary, as appropriate, is guaranteed by contract or statute upon expiration
of such leave or (ii) transfers between locations or businesses of the Company
or its Designated Subsidiaries.
“Corporate
Transaction” shall mean a proposed sale or conveyance of all or
substantially all of the property and assets of the Company or any proposed
merger, consolidation, amalgamation or offer to acquire all or any portion of
the outstanding Common Shares or other transaction of a like
nature.
“Designated
Subsidiary” shall mean a non-U.S. Subsidiary that has been designated by
the Administrator from time to time in its sole discretion as having Employees
eligible to participate in the Plan.
“Employee” shall mean
any person who is customarily employed for twenty (20) or more hours per week by
the Company or a Designated Subsidiary. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, from time to time, the Committee may establish different eligibility
standards for employees of the Company or specified Designated
Subsidiaries.
“Enrollment Date”
shall mean the first Trading Day of each Offering Period.
“ESPP Broker” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 8 hereof.
“ESPP Share Account”
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8 hereof.
“Fair Market Value”
shall mean, as of a particular date, the closing price in U.S. dollars of a
Common Share on the New York Stock Exchange, provided, however, that (i) if the
Common Shares are not traded on the New York Stock Exchange or (ii) if in the
discretion of the Administrator, such exchange does not reflect the fair market
value of the Common Shares, then “Fair Market Value” shall mean the closing
price in the applicable trading currency of a Common Share on the other primary
trading market for the Common Shares, which as of the date of this Plan is the
Toronto Stock Exchange, such closing price to be converted into U.S. dollars or
other applicable currency (based on the mid-market noon spot rate for exchange
on the immediately preceding Business Day), in each case using such
closing price reported in such source as the Administrator deems to be
reliable. If the Common Shares are not traded on the New York Stock
Exchange or on any other trading market, the value of a Common Share as of a
particular date shall be determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion
in good faith.
“New Purchase Date”
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 17 hereof.
“Offering Period”
shall mean a period as described in Section 4 hereof.
“Participant” shall
mean an Employee who elects to participate in the Plan pursuant to
Section 5 hereof.
“Plan” shall have the
meaning set forth in Section 1 hereof, as amended, including any supplements,
schedules, guidelines, rules and regulations adopted by the Administrator from
time to time.
“Purchase Date” shall
mean the last Trading Day of each Offering Period.
“Purchase Price” shall
mean an amount equal to 85% of the Fair Market Value of a Common Share on the
Purchase Date.
“Subsidiary” shall
mean any corporation of which not less than 50% of the total combined voting
power of all classes of stock is held directly or indirectly by the Company,
whether or not such corporation now exists or is hereafter organized or acquired
directly or indirectly by the Company. “Subsidiary” also means an unincorporated
business entity, such as a limited liability company or partnership, in which
the Company holds directly or indirectly not less than 50% of the total combined
voting power with respect to all classes of equity ownership of such entity,
whether or not such unincorporated business entity now exists or is
hereafter organized or acquired directly or indirectly by the
Company.
“Thomson Reuters”
shall mean Thomson Reuters Corporation and its Subsidiaries or any one of them,
as the context requires.
“Trading Day” shall
mean a day on which the New York Stock Exchange (or, if appropriate, any other
exchange that is used to determine Fair Market Value) is open for
trading.
(a) Subject
to the limitations set forth in Section 3(b) hereof, any person who is an
Employee as of the Enrollment Date of a given Offering Period shall be eligible
to participate in the Plan in accordance with Section 5 hereof and shall be
granted an option for the Offering Period commencing on such Enrollment
Date.
(b) Notwithstanding
any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Employee shall be granted an
option under the Plan to the extent that (i) such Employee (or any other
person whose stock would be attributed to such Employee), immediately after the
option is granted, would own Common Shares and/or hold outstanding options to
purchase Common Shares representing five percent (5%) or more of the total
combined voting power or value of all classes of capital stock of the Company or
of any Subsidiary or (ii) such grant would permit such Employee’s right to
purchase Common Shares under all employee stock purchase plans of Thomson
Reuters to accrue at a rate that exceeds twenty-five thousand U.S. dollars
(US$25,000) of Fair Market Value of such Common Shares (determined at the time
such option is granted) for any calendar year in which such option would be
outstanding. Any amounts received from an Employee that cannot be
used to purchase Common Shares as a result of this limitation shall be returned
as soon as reasonably practicable to the Employee without interest.
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Section
4.
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Offering
Periods.
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The Plan
shall be implemented by a series of consecutive three-month Offering Periods,
with a new Offering Period commencing on the first Trading Day on or after the
first day of each calendar quarter (beginning October 1, 2009), or at such other
time or times as may be determined by the Administrator, and ending on the last
Trading Day on or before the end of each calendar quarter, or at such other time
or times as may be determined by the Administrator. The Plan shall
continue until terminated in accordance with Section 18
hereof. Subject to Section 18 hereof, the Administrator shall
have the power to change the duration and/or the frequency of Offering Periods
with respect to future offerings and shall use its reasonable efforts to notify
Employees of any such change at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled
beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected. In no event
shall any option granted hereunder be exercisable more than twenty-seven (27)
months from its date of grant.
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Section
5.
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Enrollment;
Participation.
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(a) On
each Enrollment Date, the Company shall commence an offering by granting each
eligible Employee who has elected to participate in such Offering Period
pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof an option to purchase on the Purchase Date
of such Offering Period up to a number of Common Shares determined by dividing
each Employee’s payroll deductions accumulated prior to such Purchase Date and
credited to the Participant’s account under the Plan as of such Purchase Date by
the applicable Purchase Price; provided that such purchase shall be subject to
the limitations set forth in Sections 3(b) and 11 hereof. Exercise of
the option shall occur as provided in Section 7 hereof, unless the
Participant has withdrawn his or her payroll deductions pursuant to
Section 9. The option with respect to an Offering Period shall
expire on the Purchase Date with respect to such Offering Period or the
withdrawal date, if earlier.
(b) An
Employee may (subject to the limitations set forth in Section 3(b)) elect
to become a Participant in the Plan by properly enrolling in accordance with
such procedures as may be specified by the Company, authorizing the Company or a
Designated Subsidiary to make payroll deductions (as set forth in Section 6
hereof) more than five (5) business days prior to the applicable Enrollment Date
unless a later time for enrollment is set by the Company or the Administrator
for all Employees. Unless a Participant, by giving written notice (or
by such other means or other notice as may from time to time be prescribed by
the Administrator) to the Company or a Designated Subsidiary, as applicable,
elects not to participate with respect to any subsequent Offering Period, the
Participant shall be deemed to have accepted each new offer and to have
authorized payroll deductions in respect thereof during each subsequent Offering
Period.
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Section
6.
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Payroll
Deductions.
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(a) An
Employee may, in accordance with rules and procedures adopted by the
Administrator and subject to the limitation set forth in Section 3(b)
hereof, authorize payroll deductions in amounts which are not less than one
percent (1%) and not more than ten percent (10%) of such Employee’s Compensation
on each payday occurring during an Offering Period (or such other maximum
percentage as the Administrator may establish from time to time before an
Offering Period). Payroll deductions shall commence on the first
payroll paid following the Enrollment Date (but if such date is not
administratively practicable, by the second payroll paid following the
Enrollment Date), and shall end (as is administratively practicable) on the last
payroll paid prior to or on the Purchase Date of the Offering Period to which
the enrollment is applicable, unless earlier terminated by the Participant’s
withdrawal from the Plan or termination of the Participant’s Continuous Status
as an Employee as provided in Section 9. A Participant may
decrease (or increase) his or her rate of payroll deductions or may suspend
payroll deductions at any such time during an Offering Period as may be
determined and communicated to Participants by the Company or the Administrator
prior to the commencement of an Offering Period; provided, however, that the
Participant shall be required to provide the Administrator with written notice
(or such other means or other notice as may from time to time be prescribed by
the Administrator) of any such decrease, increase or suspension. The
change in rate or suspension of payroll deductions, as the case may be, shall be
effective as soon as administratively possible, but in no event later than the
first full payroll period commencing five (5) or more business days after
the Administrator’s receipt of notice from the Participant.
(b) All
payroll deductions made by a Participant shall be credited to such Participant’s
account under the Plan and shall be withheld in whole percentages
only. A Participant may not make any payments into such account
except payments made through payroll deductions as provided in the Plan.
Crediting to the Participant’s account shall occur as soon as it is
administratively reasonable after the deductions are withheld from the
Employee’s Compensation.
(c) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 3(b) hereof,
a Participant’s rate of payroll deductions may be decreased by the Company to
zero percent (0%) at any time during an Offering Period. Payroll
deductions shall recommence at the rate provided for by the Participant as part
of his or her enrollment at the beginning of the first Offering Period which is
scheduled to commence in the following calendar year, unless a Participant
increases or decreases the rate of, or suspends, his or her payroll deductions
as provided in Section 6(a) hereof, or terminates his or her participation
in the Plan as provided in Section 9.
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Section
7.
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Purchase
of Common Shares.
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Except
for Participants who have withdrawn from the Plan as provided in Section 9
hereof, all Participants’ elections to purchase Common Shares shall be exercised
automatically on each Purchase Date, and the maximum number of whole Common
Shares subject to the option shall be acquired on behalf of and allocated to
each Participant at the applicable Purchase Price with the accumulated payroll
deductions credited to each Participant’s account as of the Purchase Date
(subject to such limitations as set forth in the Plan). No fractional
Common Shares may be purchased hereunder but notional fractional Common Shares
will be allocated to a Participant’s account. Any notional fractional
Common Shares allocated to a Participant’s account following the purchase of
Common Shares on any Purchase Date shall be retained in the Participant’s
account to be aggregated with other notional fractional Common Shares on future
Purchase Dates, subject to earlier withdrawal by the Participant as provided in
Section 9 hereof. During a Participant’s lifetime, a
Participant’s option to purchase Common Shares hereunder is exercisable only by
the Participant.
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Section
8.
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Delivery
of Common Shares; Withdrawal or Sale of Common Shares;
Dividends.
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(a) As
promptly as practicable after receiving written notice from a Participant, the
Company shall arrange for the delivery to each Participant, as appropriate, of a
certificate representing the whole Common Shares purchased upon exercise of his
or her option and cash in respect of any notional fractional Common Shares
allocated to the Participant’s account. Alternatively, other evidence of
ownership of the Common Shares will be sent to the Participant if the Common
Shares are to be held in book-entry form. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Administrator may require that all Common Shares purchased under the Plan be
held in an account (an “ESPP Share Account”)
established in the name of the Participant (or in the name of the Participant
and his or her spouse or domestic partner, as designated by the Participant to
the Administrator), subject to such rules as determined by the Administrator and
uniformly applied to all Participants, including designation of a brokerage or
other financial services firm (an “ESPP Broker”) to hold
such Common Shares for the Participant’s ESPP Share Account with registration of
such Common Shares in the name of such ESPP Broker for the benefit of the
Participant (or for the benefit of the Participant and his or her spouse or
domestic partner, as designated by the Participant to the
Administrator).
(b) Each
ESPP Share Account shall be established with the following default dividend
policy. Cash dividends, if any, paid with respect to the Common Shares held in
an ESPP Share Account under the Plan shall be automatically
reinvested in Common Shares unless the Participant notifies the
Administrator that its dividends are to be paid to
the Participant (net of withholding taxes). Any share dividend
or other distribution made to the holders of Common Shares will be credited to
and held in the Participant’s ESPP Share Account. The Administrator shall have
the right at any time or from time to time upon notice to Participants to change
the default dividend reinvestment policy.
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Section
9.
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Voluntary
Withdrawal; Termination of
Employment.
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(a) A
Participant may withdraw all, but not less than all, of the payroll deductions
credited to such Participant’s account (that have not been used to purchase
Common Shares) under the Plan by giving written notice to the Administrator or
communicating with the Administrator in such other manner as the Company or the
Administrator may authorize at least ten (10) business days prior to the
Purchase Date of the Offering Period in which the withdrawal
occurs. Withdrawal of payroll deductions shall be deemed to be a
withdrawal from the Plan. All of the payroll deductions credited to
such Participant’s account (that have not been used to purchase Common Shares)
shall be paid to such Participant promptly after receipt of such Participant’s
notice of withdrawal, and such Participant’s eligibility to participate in the
Plan for the Offering Period in which the withdrawal occurs shall be
automatically terminated. No further payroll deductions for the purchase of
Common Shares shall be made for such Participant during such Offering
Period. If a Participant withdraws from an Offering Period, payroll
deductions for such Participant shall not resume at the beginning of the
succeeding Offering Period unless the Participant timely re-enrolls in the Plan
in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 hereof. A
Participant’s withdrawal from an Offering Period shall not have any effect upon
a Participant’s eligibility to participate in any similar plan which may
hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods which
commence after termination of the Offering Period from which the Participant
withdraws.
(b) Upon
termination of a Participant’s Continuous Status as an Employee prior to a
Purchase Date of an Offering Period for any reason, including a Participant’s
voluntary or involuntary termination, retirement or death, all the payroll
deductions credited to such Participant’s account (that have not been used to
purchase Common Shares) shall be returned to such Participant or, in the case of
such Participant’s death, to the person or persons entitled thereto under
Section 13 hereof, and such Participant’s option shall be automatically
terminated. Such termination shall be deemed a withdrawal from the
Plan.
(c) In
the event an Employee fails to remain in Continuous Status as an Employee of a
Designated Subsidiary for at least twenty (20) hours per week during the
Offering Period in which the Employee is a Participant, unless such Employee is
on an approved leave of absence or a temporary reduction of hours, he or she
will be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the Plan and the contributions
credited to his or her account will be returned to him or her and his or her
option terminated.
No
interest shall accrue on or be payable by the Company or a Designated Subsidiary
with respect to the payroll deductions of a Participant in the
Plan.
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Section
11.
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Common
Shares Subject to Plan.
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(a) Subject
to adjustment as provided in Section 17 hereof, the maximum aggregate
number of Common Shares which shall be reserved for sale and issued under the
Plan shall be 6,000,000 Common Shares. The
Common Shares may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued
Common Shares issued from treasury, Common Shares purchased on the open market,
Common Shares purchased on a private placement basis or a combination thereof.
If an outstanding option expires or is terminated pursuant to the Plan, the
Common Shares allocable to the unexercised portion of the option shall again be
available for issuance under the Plan. If the total number of Common Shares
which would otherwise be subject to options granted pursuant to
Section 3(a) hereof on an Enrollment Date exceeds the number of Common
Shares then available under the Plan (after deduction of all Common Shares for
which options have been exercised or are then outstanding), the Administrator
shall make a pro rata allocation of the Common Shares remaining available for
option grant in as uniform a manner as shall be practicable and as it shall
determine to be equitable. In such event, the Administrator shall
notify Participants of such reduction in the number of Common Shares affected
thereby and shall similarly reduce the rate of payroll deductions, if
necessary.
(b) No
Participant shall have rights as a shareholder of the Company, including voting
rights, with respect to any option granted hereunder until the date on which the
option is exercised and such Common Shares have been purchased by the
Participant in accordance with Section 7 hereof.
(c) Common
Shares to be delivered to a Participant under the Plan will be registered in the
name of the Participant or in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse
or domestic partner, as designated by the Participant to the Administrator;
provided that if the Administrator has determined that Common Shares shall be
held in an ESPP Share Account held by an ESPP Broker in accordance with
Section 8, Common Shares shall be registered in the name of such ESPP
Broker for the benefit of the Participant or the Participant and his or her
spouse or domestic partner, as designated by the Participant to the
Administrator.
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Section
12.
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Administration.
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The Plan
shall be administered by the Board and, to the extent administration is
delegated by the Board, the Committee or its designees. The Board or
the Committee shall have full power and authority, subject to the provisions of
the Plan, to promulgate such rules and regulations as it deems necessary for the
proper administration of the Plan, to interpret the provisions and supervise the
administration of the Plan, and to take all action in connection therewith or in
relation thereto as it deems necessary or advisable. Any decision
reduced to writing and signed by a majority of the members of the Committee
shall be fully effective as if it had been made at a meeting duly
held. The Company shall pay all expenses incurred in the
administration of the Plan except for brokerage fees or expenses associated with
the sale or transfer of Common Shares by a Participant, which fees or expenses
shall be borne by the Participant. No member of the Board or
Committee shall be personally liable for any action, determination, or
interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan, and all members of
the Board or Committee and each other director or employee of the Company or its
Designated Subsidiaries to whom any duty or power relating to the administration
or interpretation of the Plan has been delegated shall be fully indemnified by
the Company with respect to any such action, determination or interpretation
unless, in each case, such action, determination or interpretation was taken or
made by such person in bad faith and without reasonable belief that it was in
the best interests of Thomson Reuters.
All
decisions, determinations and interpretations of the Board or Committee with
respect to the Plan shall be final and binding on all persons, including the
Company, any Designated Subsidiary, the Employee (or any person claiming any
rights under the Plan through any Employee) and any shareholder of the
Company.
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Section
13.
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Designation
of Beneficiary.
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(a) A
Participant may file, on forms supplied by and delivered to the Administrator
(or by such other means as are designated from time to time by the Administrator
or the Company), a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any
Common Shares and cash in respect of any notional fractional Common Shares, if
any, from the Participant’s account under the Plan in the event of such
Participant’s death. In addition, a Participant may file with the Company
a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any cash withheld
through periodic payroll deductions and credited to the Participant’s account
under the Plan in the event of such Participant’s death prior to the Purchase
Date of an Offering Period. If a Participant is married and the designated
beneficiary is not the spouse or domestic partner, spousal or domestic partner
consent shall be required for such designation to be effective.
(b) Such
designation of beneficiary may be changed by the Participant at any time by
written notice to the Administrator or the Company, as the case may be (or by
such other means as are designated from time to time by the Administrator or the
Company). In the event of the death of a Participant and in the
absence of a beneficiary validly designated under the Plan who is living at the
time of such Participant’s death, the Administrator or the Company, as the case
may be, shall deliver the balance of the Common Shares and/or cash credited to
the Participant’s account to the executor or administrator of the estate of the
Participant or, if no such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the
knowledge of the Administrator and the Company), the Administrator or the
Company, in their discretion, may deliver such Common Shares and/or cash to the
spouse or domestic partner or to any one or more dependents or relatives of the
Participant, or if no spouse, domestic partner, dependent or relative is known
to the Administrator or the Company, then to such other person as the
Administrator or the Company may designate.
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Section
14.
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Transferability.
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Neither
payroll deductions credited to a Participant’s account nor any rights with
regard to the exercise of an option or any rights to receive Common Shares under
the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any
way (other than by the laws of descent and distribution or as provided in
Section 13 hereof) by the Participant. Any such attempt at
assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be without
effect.
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Section
15.
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Use
of Funds.
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All
payroll deductions received or held by Thomson Reuters under the Plan may be
used by Thomson Reuters for any corporate purpose, and Thomson Reuters shall not
be obligated to segregate such payroll deductions.
Individual
accounts shall be maintained by the Company or the Administrator for each
Participant in the Plan. Statements of account shall be made
available to each Participant and promptly following each Purchase Date, such
statements shall set forth the amounts of payroll deductions, the Purchase
Price, the number of Common Shares purchased and the remaining cash balance, if
any. These statements of account may be made available by electronic
transmission or through a Thomson Reuters or Administrator intranet accessible
to Participants, as the Company may determine.
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Section
17.
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Effect
of Certain Changes.
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In the
event of any change in the number of outstanding Common Shares by reason of any
share dividend or split, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, amalgamation,
consolidation, combination or exchange of Common Shares, or other corporate
change affecting Common Shares, the Board or the Committee shall conclusively
determine the appropriate equitable adjustments, if any, to be made under the
Plan, including, without limitation, adjustments to the number of Common Shares
which have been authorized for issuance under the Plan, but have not yet been
placed under option, as well as the Purchase Price of each option under the Plan
which has not yet been exercised.
In the
event of a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any Offering Period then
in progress will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such action,
unless otherwise provided by the Board. In the event of a Corporate
Transaction, each option outstanding under the Plan shall be assumed or an
equivalent option shall be substituted by the successor corporation or a parent
or subsidiary of such successor corporation. In the event that the
successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for outstanding options,
the Offering Period then in progress shall be shortened and a new Purchase Date
shall be set (the “New
Purchase Date”), as of which date any Offering Period then in progress
will terminate. The New Purchase Date shall be on or before the date
of consummation of the transaction and the Board or the Committee shall notify
each Participant in writing that the Purchase Date for his or her option has
been changed to the New Purchase Date and that his or her option will be
exercised automatically on the New Purchase Date, unless prior to such date he
or she has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in
Section 9. A Participant must be an Employee on the New Purchase
Date in order for his/her option to be exercised on such date. For purposes of
this Section 17, an option granted under the Plan shall be deemed to be
assumed, without limitation, if, at the time of issuance of the shares or other
consideration upon a Corporate Transaction, each holder of an option under the
Plan would be entitled to receive upon exercise of the option the same number
and kind of shares or the same amount of property, cash or securities as such
holder would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of the
transaction if the holder had been, immediately prior to the transaction, the
holder of the number of Common Shares covered by the option at such time (after
giving effect to any adjustments in the number of Common Shares covered by the
option as provided for in this Section 17 hereof); provided that if the
consideration received in the transaction is not solely common stock of the
successor corporation, the Board may, with the consent of the successor
corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon exercise of the
option to be solely common stock of the successor corporation equal in fair
market value to the per Common Share consideration received by holders of Common
Shares in the transaction.
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Section
18.
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Amendment
or Termination.
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(a) The
Board or the Committee may at any time and for any reason terminate or amend the
Plan. Except as provided in Section 17, no such termination of the
Plan may affect options previously granted, provided that the Plan or an
Offering Period may be terminated by the Board or the Committee on a Purchase
Date or by the Board or the Committee setting a new Purchase Date with respect
to an Offering Period then in progress if the Board or the Committee determines
that termination of the Plan and/or the Offering Period is in the best interests
of Thomson Reuters and the shareholders or if continuation of the Plan and/or
the Offering Period would cause Thomson Reuters to incur adverse accounting
charges as a result of a change after the effective date of the Plan in the
generally accepted accounting rules applicable to the Plan. Except as
provided in Section 17 and in this Section 18, no amendment to the
Plan shall make any change in any option previously granted which materially and
adversely affects the rights of any Participant, except with the consent of the
Participant. In addition, to the extent required by Section 18(c) and to the
extent otherwise necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation or
stock exchange requirement, the Company shall obtain shareholder approval in
such a manner and to such a degree as so required.
(b) Without
shareholder consent and without regard to whether any Participant’s rights may
be considered to have been materially and adversely affected, the Board or the
Committee shall be entitled to change the Offering Periods, limit the frequency
and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering Period,
establish the exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld in any currency,
permit payroll withholding in excess of the amount designated by a Participant
in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in the Company’s processing of
properly completed withholding elections, establish reasonable waiting and
adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting procedures to ensure that
amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Shares for each Participant
properly correspond with amounts withheld from the Participant’s Compensation,
and establish such other limitations or procedures as the Board or the Committee
determines in its sole discretion advisable which are consistent with the
Plan.
(c) Subject
to the foregoing, the Board or the Committee may make any amendment to the Plan
without seeking shareholder approval, except for any amendment
which:
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(i)
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increases
the number of Common Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan or
changes that number from a fixed number of Common Shares to a fixed
maximum percentage;
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(ii)
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lowers
the Purchase Price payable for Common Shares under the
Plan;
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(iii)
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amends
the provisions of Section 17;
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(iv)
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extends
eligibility to participate in the Plan to
non-Employees;
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(v)
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changes
the rights attaching to the Common Shares;
or
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(vi)
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is
required to be approved by shareholders under applicable laws, regulations
or stock exchange rules.
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All
notices or other communications by a Participant to the Company under or in
connection with the Plan shall be deemed to have been duly given when they are
received in a timely manner in the form specified by the Company at the
location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt
thereof.
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Section
20.
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Regulations
and Other Approvals; Governing Law.
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(a) This
Plan and the rights of all persons claiming hereunder shall be construed and
determined in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and laws of
Canada applicable therein.
(b) The
obligation of the Company to sell or deliver Common Shares with respect to
options granted under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules
and regulations, including all applicable federal, provincial, state, local and
foreign securities laws, and the obtaining of all such approvals by governmental
agencies or stock exchanges as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the
Administrator. As a condition to the exercise of an option, the
Company may require a Participant exercising such option to represent and
warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Common Shares are being
purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or
distribute such Common Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company,
such a representation is required by any of the aforementioned applicable
provisions of law.
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Section
21.
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Withholding
of Taxes; Notification to Company from
Participant.
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At a time
a Participant’s option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time a
Participant disposes of some or all of the Common Shares he or she acquired
under the Plan, the Participant shall make adequate provision for the federal,
provincial, state, local or foreign tax withholding obligations, if any, of the
Company or Designated Subsidiary which arise upon exercise or disposition,
respectively. The Company or a Designated Subsidiary may, but shall not be
obliged to, withhold from the Participant’s Compensation the amount necessary to
meet such withholding obligations. Each Participant shall be
responsible for, and will indemnify the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries
against any applicable taxes, including any interest or penalties relating
thereto, to which the Participant may be subject as a result of the
Participant’s participation in the Plan or the Participant’s sale of Common
Shares acquired hereunder.
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Section
22.
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No
Right to Continued Employment, Etc.
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Nothing
contained in this Plan shall confer upon an Employee any right to the
continuation of employment with the Company or a Designated Subsidiary or
interfere in any way with the right of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary to
terminate employment-related services, responsibilities, duties and authority to
represent the Company or a Designated Subsidiary at any time for any reason
whatsoever.
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Section
23.
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Term
of Plan.
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Unless
the Plan is sooner terminated by the Board or the Committee under Section 18
hereof, no option shall be granted pursuant to the Plan and no Offering Period
shall commence on or after February 23, 2025, but options theretofore granted
may extend beyond that date.
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Section
24.
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Operation
of Plan in other Jurisdictions.
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The
Administrator may adopt additional sub-plans of the Plan applicable in any
jurisdiction under which participation may be subject to additional and/or
modified terms and conditions, having regard to any securities, exchange control
or taxation laws, which apply to an Employee, the Company or any Designated
Subsidiary. Any sub-plans must conform to the basic principles of the
Plan and must not exceed the limits on the number of Common Shares available
under the Plan as set out in Section 11. This Section will permit,
for example, the adoption and operation of an HM Revenue and Customs-approved
Savings Related Share Option Plan and/or Share Incentive Plan in the United
Kingdom.
Plan version effective as of
September 10,
2009