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): August 26, 2019
SESEN BIO, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 001-36296 | 26-2025616 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||
245 First Street, Suite 1800 Cambridge, MA | 02142 | |||
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |||
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 444-8550
Not Applicable
(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)) |
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common Stock, par value $0.001 | SESN | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
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 x
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. x
Item 5.02 – Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Appointment of Monica Forbes as Chief Financial Officer
On August 26, 2019, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Sesen Bio, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Monica Forbes, age 44, as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and principal financial officer.
Ms. Forbes has served as the Company’s Vice President, Finance since August 1, 2019. She previously served as a finance consultant to the Company from April 2019 through July 2019. Prior to her work with the Company, Ms. Forbes served as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Nalpropion”) from July 2018 to April 2019. Prior to that Ms. Forbes served as Vice President and acting Chief Financial Officer of Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (“Orexigen”) from February 2018 until Nalpropion’s acquisition of Orexigen in July 2018, Senior Director of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) of Orexigen from October 2016 to February 2018, and Director of FP&A from October 2014 to October 2016. Ms. Forbes holds a B.S. in Business Administration from San Diego State University.
In connection with Ms. Forbes’ appointment, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “Employment Agreement”) with Ms. Forbes, which provides that her employment will continue until either the Company or Ms. Forbes provides notice of termination in accordance with the terms of the Employment Agreement. The Company previously entered into a non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality and assignment agreement with Ms. Forbes, which, among other things, prohibits her from competing with the Company, soliciting the Company’s employees and customers and disclosing confidential information during the term of her employment and for a specified time thereafter.
Pursuant to the Employment Agreement, Ms. Forbes is entitled to receive an annual base salary of $350,000, which will be reviewed annually and will be subject to increase from time to time, as determined by the Board. In addition, pursuant to the Employment Agreement, Ms. Forbes is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus, which is based on the achievement of individual and corporate performance objectives, calculated as a percentage of her annual base salary, and which will be determined by the Board, in its sole discretion. Ms. Forbes’ initial target annual bonus is 35% of her annual base salary.
In addition, the Company granted Ms. Forbes an option to purchase 280,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.13 per share. The stock option has a ten-year term and will vest over a four-year period, with 25% of the shares underlying the stock option award vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and an additional 6.25% of the shares underlying the stock option vesting at the end of each successive three-month period following the one-year anniversary of the date of grant of the stock option, subject to Ms. Forbes continued service with the Company through the applicable vesting dates. The option will also be subject to the terms and conditions of the Company’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan.
Under the Employment Agreement, termination of Ms. Forbes’ employment by the Company without “Cause,” or by Ms. Forbes with “Good Reason” (as such terms are defined in the Employment Agreement), would require the Company to pay severance to Ms. Forbes. Upon any such termination, Ms. Forbes would be entitled to receive (i) base salary continuation for a period of 12 months from the date of termination, payable in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices and (ii) provided that Ms. Forbes timely elects COBRA continuation coverage for herself and her eligible dependents, a monthly amount that equals the portion of the monthly health premiums paid by the Company on behalf of Ms. Forbes and her eligible dependents immediately preceding the date that her employment terminates until the earliest of (a) the last day of the period of Ms. Forbes’ base salary continuation, (b) the date on which Ms. Forbes becomes employed with benefits substantially comparable to the benefits provided to Ms. Forbes under the Company’s benefit plans, and (c) the date that Ms. Forbes and her eligible dependents become ineligible for COBRA continuation coverage pursuant to applicable law or plan terms.
Additionally, upon any such termination that occurs 12 months following a “Change in Control Transaction” (as such term is defined in the Employment Agreement), in addition to the same severance payments and COBRA premium assistance described above, all of Ms. Forbes outstanding and unvested equity awards will be accelerated such that all unvested equity grants vest and become fully exercisable.
Ms. Forbes’ right to receive the severance payments and benefits described above under the Employment Agreement is conditioned upon her execution and non-revocation of a separation agreement containing a general release of claims.
In connection with her appointment, Ms. Forbes also entered into the Company’s standard indemnification agreement (the “Indemnification Agreement”), the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K. Pursuant to the terms of the Indemnification Agreement, the Company may be required, among other things, to indemnify Ms. Forbes for some expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by her in any action or proceeding arising out of her services as an executive officer of the Company.
Other than with respect to the Employment Agreement and the Indemnification Agreement, there are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Forbes and any other persons pursuant to which Ms. Forbes was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. There are also no family relationships between Ms. Forbes and any director or executive officer of the Company and Ms. Forbes has no direct or indirect interest in any transaction or proposed transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
The description of the Employment Agreement and the Indemnification Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of the Employment Agreement and the Indemnification Agreement, which are filed as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2, respectively, to this current report on Form 8-K.
Appointment of Kirstin Anderson as Principal Accounting Officer
On August 26, 2019, the Board appointed Kirstin Anderson, the Company’s Corporate Controller, as the Company’s principal accounting officer, effective immediately. No new compensatory arrangements will be entered into with Ms. Anderson in connection with her appointment as the Company’s principal accounting officer.
Ms. Anderson, age 46, has served as the Company’s Controller since March 2018. She previously served as the Company’s Assistant Controller from January 2016 through February 2018 and Accounting Manager from September 2014 to January 2016. In addition, earlier in her career, Ms. Anderson served as an audit associate and lead tax services associate and senior associate at Deloitte and Touche LLP. Ms. Anderson holds a Masters in Accounting from the University of Colorado, Denver and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
There are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Anderson and any other persons pursuant to which Ms. Anderson was appointed as the principal accounting officer of the Company. There are also no family relationships between Ms. Anderson and any director or executive officer of the Company and Ms. Anderson has no direct or indirect interest in any transaction or proposed transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
Departure of Richard Fitzgerald as Chief Financial Officer
On August 26, 2019, the Company announced that Richard Fitzgerald departed as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.
Item 8.01 – Other Events.
A copy of the press release announcing certain of the matters described under Item 5.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference in this Item 8.01.
Item 9.01 – Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
SIGNATURE
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.
Date: August 26, 2019
Sesen Bio, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Thomas Cannell, D.V.M. | |
Thomas Cannell, D.V.M. | ||
President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
August 26, 2019
Monica Forbes
c/o Sesen Bio, Inc.
245 First St., Suite 1800
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
Dear Monica:
It is my pleasure to offer you the position of Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) at Sesen Bio (the “Company" or "Sesen Bio"). Your commencement date as the CFO will be August 26, 2019 (the “Promotion Date”). This letter summarizes important details about your employment, should you accept this offer (“Letter Agreement”). This Letter Agreement shall be effective on August 26, 2019, which shall also be your start date (the “Effective Date”)
1. Title, Position and Duties: You will hold the position of CFO with the Company and you will report to the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). You will have such duties and responsibilities as are usually performed by the chief financial officer of a Delaware corporation, including such duties as are reasonably and appropriately delegated to you from time to time by the CEO or the Board of Directors (the “Board”), consistent with your position as CFO, and you will have the authority and resources consistent with such position, subject to adjustments in resources consistent with normal operating decisions of the CEO or the Board in the event of changes in strategy or programs or any other changes to resources that are reasonable in light of the Company’s then current financial condition.
2. Full-Time and Best Efforts: As the Company’s CFO, which is a full-time position, we expect that you will devote substantially all of your working time to the performance of your Company duties in a satisfactory manner and to the best of your abilities at all times. You shall not engage in any other business or occupation during your employment here, including, without limitation, any activity that conflicts with the interests of the Company, interferes with the proper and efficient performance of your duties for the Company, or interferes with your exercise of judgment in the Company’s best interests. Approval of the CEO and/or Board will be required for you to serve on other outside boards while you are employed by the Company, including any outside for-profit boards, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you will be permitted to serve as an officer, director or trustee of any charitable, educational or non-profit organization, without the Company’s prior consent, provided that such services do not interfere with the performance of your duties to the Company or represent an actual or apparent conflict of interest with your role at the Company.
3. Compensation: You shall receive an annualized salary of $350,000 (“Base Salary”), pro-rated for the calendar year 2019 based on your employment commencement date, and paid in accordance with the Company's standard payroll practices, and subject to all applicable tax reporting and withholding. In January 2020, you will be considered for a merit review in conjunction with your performance review (which generally is conducted annually) and consistent with the Company’s compensation practices, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion.
4.Annual Bonus: You will be eligible for an annual target bonus of up to 35% of your Base Salary, based upon achievement of both corporate and individual goals, as determined by the Board or a designed committee of the Board (“Annual Bonus”), and shall be subject to all applicable tax reporting and withholding. The determination of whether an Annual Bonus will be granted, and the amount of any such bonus, will be solely determined by the Board or a designated committee of the Board in its sole discretion based on factors upon which the Board alone may choose to rely. All Annual Bonuses, if any, will be payable no later than March 15 of the year following the year in which they were earned. Bonuses are prorated for percentage of year as a full time employee. Please note that you must be employed on the date Annual Bonuses, if any, are paid, in order to be eligible for and to earn such a payment, as such bonuses also serve as retention incentives. The fact that you may receive a bonus in one year does not mean you will receive one in any other year.
5.Stock Option: Subject to and upon approval by the Board or a designated committee of the Board, you will be granted, on your Promotion Date, an incentive stock option to purchase 280,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”), which option is granted pursuant to the Company’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The stock option shall have an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on the date of the such grant and shall vest as to 25% of the shares subject to such option on the first anniversary of the date of the grant of the option and as to an additional 6.25% of the shares underlying the option at the end of each successive three-month period thereafter until the fourth anniversary of the date of the option. The stock option shall be subject to such other terms as are customary for the Company’s options under the Plan and the previously approved form of stock option agreement under the Plan. The Board or a designated committee of the Board will consider annually whether to grant additional equity awards to its employees and you will be eligible to be considered for such additional annual equity grants.
6. Employee Benefits: The Company presently offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes group health, dental and vision plans as well as life and disability and time-off benefits. Benefits offered by the Company may change from time to time in the sole discretion of the Board.
7.Vacation Time: As a full-time employee of the Company, you are eligible for up to fifteen (15) paid vacation days annually that are accrued on a monthly basis at a rate of 1.25 days (10 hours) per month of full time employment. The use and accrual of vacation is governed by the Company’s vacation pay policy in effect, which may change from time to time in the sole discretion of the Board.
8.Term of Employment; Restrictive Covenant Agreement: It is important for you to understand that you are an employee “at will”. This means that you have the right to terminate your employment relationship with Sesen Bio at any time with or without notice, for any reason or no reason. Similarly, the Company has the right to terminate its employment relationship with you, with or without notice, at any time for any or no reason. As a condition of your employment with the Company, you have executed an Employee Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Confidentiality, and Assignment Agreement dated August 2, 2019. Your employment and this Letter Agreement will be governed by the laws of the Massachusetts.
9.Severance Benefits: Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that Sesen Bio terminates your employment without “Cause” or you resign with “Good Reason” (each term as defined below and in either case a “Qualifying Termination”), you will be eligible for the benefits outlined in sub-paragraphs A or B below (the “Severance Benefits”), subject to the terms set forth in this Letter Agreement:
A.If a Qualifying Termination occurs: (i) Sesen Bio will pay you severance in the form of continuation of your Base Salary for a total of 12 months (“Severance Period”), such amount to be paid in accordance with the Company’s then current payroll practices, except as otherwise specified in this Letter Agreement, beginning on the Company’s first regular payroll date that occurs after the Payment Date (as defined below), and (ii) subject to the terms and conditions provided for in COBRA, and subject to your timely election of COBRA and copayment of premium amounts at the active employee’s rate, the Company shall pay its then current share of premium payments for group health and dental insurance after the termination date through the earliest of (1) your Severance Period as outlined above, (2) the date you become employed with benefits substantially comparable to the benefits provided under the corresponding Company plan, and (3) the date you become ineligible for COBRA benefits; provided, however, that such Company-paid premiums may be recorded as additional income pursuant to Section 6041 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and not entitled to any tax qualified treatment to the extent necessary to comply with or avoid the discriminatory treatment prohibited by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 or Section 105(h) of the Code. You shall be responsible for the entire COBRA premium should you elect to maintain this coverage after the earliest of the dates specified in Sections 9.A.(ii)(1)-(3) above.
B. | If a Qualifying Termination occurs within twelve (12) months after a Change in Control Transaction (as defined below), then: (i) you will be eligible for the same severance payments and COBRA premium assistance as set forth in sections 9.A.i-A.ii above, subject to the same terms, conditions, and limitations as described therein; and (ii) the vesting of 100% of your then outstanding unvested equity grants shall be accelerated, such that all unvested equity grants vest and become fully exercisable or non-forfeitable as of the termination date for a period of 90 days following the termination date; after such 90-day period, all unvested equity grants will no longer be exercisable. |
For the sake of clarity, it shall not be a “Qualifying Termination” if you voluntarily resign without Good Reason, your employment terminates For Cause or your employment terminates because of your death or due to your suffering a Disability (as defined below).
C. The Severance Benefits will be subject to the following terms:
i.Solely for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, each salary continuation payment is considered a separate payment.
ii.Any Severance Benefit under this Letter Agreement will begin only upon the date of your “separation from service” (as defined under Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code and Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(h)) which occurs on or after the date of termination of the employment. To the extent that the termination of your employment does not constitute a separation from service under Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code and Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(h) (as the result of further services that are reasonably anticipated to be provided by you to the Company, or any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliates, at the time your employment terminates), any severance benefits payable that constitute deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code shall be delayed until after the date of a subsequent event constituting a separation from service under Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code and Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(h). For purposes of clarification, this section shall not cause any forfeiture of benefits on your part, but shall only act as a delay until such time as a “separation from service” occurs.
Further, if you are a “specified employee” (as that term is used in Section 409A of the Code and regulations and other guidance issued thereunder) on the date your separation from service becomes effective, any severance benefits payable hereunder that constitute non-qualified deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code shall be delayed until the earlier of (i) the business day following the six-month anniversary of the date your separation from service becomes effective, and (ii) the date of your death, but only to the extent necessary to avoid such penalties under Section 409A of the Code. On the earlier of (A) the business day following the six-month anniversary of the date your separation from service becomes effective, and (B) your death, the Company shall pay you in a lump sum the aggregate value of the non-qualified deferred compensation that the Company otherwise would have paid you prior to that date as described above. Neither the Company nor you shall have the right to accelerate or defer the delivery of any such payments or benefits except to the extent specifically permitted or required by Section 409A of the Code. The Company makes no representation or warranty and shall have no liability to you or any other person if any provision of this Letter Agreement is determined to constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code, but do not satisfy an exemption from, or the conditions of, Section 409A of the Code.
iii.Sesen Bio’s obligations to make the above Severance Benefits payments will be contingent upon your execution of and compliance with a release of claims in a form reasonably acceptable to the Company (the “Release”), which Release must be signed and any applicable revocation period with respect thereto must have expired by the sixtieth (60th) day following the date of termination (i.e., last employment day with the Company). The Severance Benefits payments shall be paid or commence on the first payroll period following the date the waiver and release becomes effective (the “Payment Date”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the 60th day following the date of termination occurs in the calendar year following the termination, then the Payment Date shall be no earlier than January 1 of such subsequent calendar year. In addition, you must comply with all post-employment obligations, including those in the Employee Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Confidentiality and Assignment Agreement as a condition of employment, in order to be entitled to the Severance Benefits. In the event that you are in breach of any post-employment obligations, the Company shall cease providing the Severance Benefits.
iv.The Company’s obligations to pay or provide the Severance Benefits will be contingent upon your having tendered your resignation from any position on the Board, if applicable (and any other boards on which you serve at the request of the Company), effective as of the date of termination.
v.You agree to give prompt written notice of any reemployment during the Severance Period or CIC Severance Period that results in eligibility for comparable medical and dental benefits. If the Company makes any overpayment of COBRA Benefits, you agree to promptly return any such overpayment to the Company. The foregoing shall not create any obligation on your part to seek reemployment after the date of termination of your employment.
10. Definitions: For purposes of this Letter Agreement, “for Cause” shall mean the Company has complied with the “Cause Process”, as defined below, following your committing one or more of the following (each a “Cause Condition”): (i) an act of material dishonesty involving the Company, embezzlement, or misappropriation of assets or property of the Company; (ii) gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection with the performance of your duties, theft, fraud or breach of fiduciary duty to the Company; (iii) your willful, sustained, or repeated failure to substantially perform the duties or obligations of your position (other than due to illness or injury); (iv) a violation of federal or state securities law; (v) the conviction of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, including a plea of nolo contendere; (vi) a material breach of any of the Company’s written policies related to conduct, ethics, equal employment or harassment; or (vii) a material breach of your Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Confidentiality and Assignment Agreement.
“Cause Process” shall mean that (i) the Company reasonably determines, in good faith, that one of the Cause Conditions has occurred; (ii) the Company notifies you in writing of the first occurrence of the Cause Condition within thirty (30) days of the Board becoming aware of such condition; (iii) the Company cooperates in good faith with your efforts, for a period not less than thirty (30) days following such notice (the “Cause Cure Period”), to remedy the Cause Condition; (iv) notwithstanding such efforts, the Cause Condition continues to exist; and (v) the Company terminates your employment within thirty (30) days after the end of the Cause Cure Period, provided that the Company will not be required to provide a Cause Cure Period in the event that a Cause Condition (x) is of the type described in clauses (iv), (v) or (vi) of the first sentence of this Section 10; (y) is incapable of being cured; or (z) is required to be publicly disclosed under applicable securities law or stock exchange rule.
If you cure to the Company’s satisfaction any Cause Condition during the applicable Cause Cure Period, Cause shall be deemed not to have occurred. If the Company is not required to provide a Cause Cure Period, the Cause Process will be satisfied if the Company notifies you in writing of the first occurrence of the Cause Condition within thirty (30) days of the Board becoming aware of such condition and terminates your employment within thirty (30) days of such notice. You are eligible for no more than two “cure” opportunities during your employment.
“Change in Control Transaction” shall mean (i) a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation under circumstances where the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not own after such merger or consolidation shares representing at least fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the Company or the surviving, resulting or parent corporation, as the case may be, (ii) a transfer of shares representing fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting power of the Company to any person who was not, on the Effective Date, a holder of stock of any class or preference or any stock option of the Company, (iii) a liquidation of the Company, or (iv) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.
“Good Reason” shall mean you have complied with the “Good Reason Process” as defined below, following the occurrence of one or more of the following events: (i) any material diminution in your duties, authority or responsibilities, (ii) any material diminution in your Base Salary; (iii) the relocation of your primary place of work more than fifty (50) miles from Philadelphia, PA, or (iv) the material breach by the Company of any provision of this Letter Agreement or any other employment-related agreement between the Company and you (as defined below).
“Good Reason Process” shall mean that (i) you reasonably determine in good faith that one of the foregoing “Good Reason” conditions has occurred; (ii) you notify the Company in writing of the first occurrence of the Good Reason condition within thirty (30) days of the first occurrence of such condition; (iii) you cooperate in good faith with the Company’s efforts, for a period not less than thirty (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) you terminate your employment within thirty (30) 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.
“Disability” shall mean your inability (as determined by the Company in good faith) to perform the essential functions of your position due to physical or mental disability (after taking into account the Company’s obligation to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or analogous state law), which continues for a period of 90 days (whether or not consecutive) during any 12-month period. In connection with any determination regarding your possible Disability, you shall have the right to provide to the Company, and the Company shall consider in good faith, any physical or mental evaluation performed by a competent physician of your selection.
11. Modified Section 280G Cutback: Notwithstanding any other provision of this Letter Agreement, except as set forth in Section 11.B, in the event that the Company undergoes a “Change in Ownership or Control” (as defined below), the following provisions shall apply:
A.The Company shall not be obligated to provide to you any portion of any “Contingent Compensation Payments” (as defined below) that you would otherwise be entitled to receive to the extent necessary to eliminate any “excess parachute payments” (as defined in Section 280G(b)(1) of the Code) for you. For purposes of this Section 11, the Contingent Compensation Payments so eliminated shall be referred to as the “Eliminated Payments” and the aggregate amount (determined in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q/A-30 or any successor provision) of the Contingent Compensation Payments so eliminated shall be referred to as the “Eliminated Amount.”
B.Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 11.A, no such reduction in Contingent Compensation Payments shall be made if (1) the Eliminated Amount (computed without regard to this sentence) exceeds (2) 100% of the aggregate present value (determined in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q/A-31 and Q/A-32 or any successor provisions) of the amount of any additional taxes that would be incurred by you if the Eliminated Payments (determined without regard to this sentence) were paid to you (including, state and federal income taxes on the Eliminated Payments, the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code payable with respect to all of the Contingent Compensation Payments in excess of your “base amount” (as defined in Section 280G(b)(3) of the Code), and any withholding taxes). The override of such reduction in Contingent Compensation Payments pursuant to this Section 11.B shall be referred to as a “Section 11.B Override.” For purpose of this paragraph, if any federal or state income taxes would be attributable to the receipt of any Eliminated Payment, the amount of such taxes shall be computed by multiplying the amount of the Eliminated Payment by the maximum combined federal and state income tax rate provided by law.
C.For purposes of this Section 11 the following terms shall have the following respective meanings:
i.“Change in Ownership or Control” shall mean a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company determined in accordance with Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code.
ii.“Contingent Compensation Payment” shall mean any payment (or benefit) in the nature of compensation that is made or made available (under this Letter Agreement or otherwise) to a “disqualified individual” (as defined in Section 280G(c) of the Code) and that is contingent (within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Code) on a Change in Ownership or Control of the Company.
D.Any payments or other benefits otherwise due to you following a Change in Ownership or Control that could reasonably be characterized (as determined by the Company) as Contingent Compensation Payments (the “Potential Payments”) shall not be made until the dates provided for in this Section 11.D. Within 30 days after each date on which you first become entitled to receive (whether or not then due) a Contingent Compensation Payment relating to such Change in Ownership or Control, the Company shall determine and notify you (with reasonable detail regarding the basis for its determinations) (1) which Potential Payments constitute Contingent Compensation Payments, (2) the Eliminated Amount and (3) whether the Section 11.B Override is applicable. Within 30 days after delivery of such notice to you, you shall deliver a response to the Company (the “Executive Response”) stating either (A) that you agree with the Company’s determination pursuant to the preceding sentence or (B) that you disagrees with such determination, in which case you shall set forth (x) which Potential Payments should be characterized as Contingent Compensation Payments, (y) the Eliminated Amount, and (z) whether the Section 11.B Override is applicable. In the event that you fail to deliver an Executive Response on or before the required date, the Company’s initial determination shall be final. If you state in the Executive Response that you agree with the Company’s determination, the Company shall make the Potential Payments to you within three (3) business days following delivery to the Company of the Executive Response (except for any Potential Payments which are not due to be made until after such date, which Potential Payments shall be made on the date on which they are due). If you state in the Executive Response that you disagree with the Company’s determination, then, for a period of sixty (60) days following delivery of the Executive Response, you and the Company shall use good faith efforts to resolve such dispute. If such dispute is not resolved within such 60-day period, such dispute shall be settled exclusively by arbitration in Pennsylvania, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. Judgment may be entered on the arbitrator’s award in any court having jurisdiction. The Company shall, within three (3) business days following delivery to the Company of the Executive Response, make to you those Potential Payments as to which there is no dispute between the Company and you regarding whether they should be made (except for any such Potential Payments which are not due to be made until after such date, which Potential Payments shall be made on the date on which they are due). The balance of the Potential Payments shall be made within three (3) business days following the resolution of such dispute.
E.The Contingent Compensation Payments to be treated as Eliminated Payments shall be determined by the Company by determining the “Contingent Compensation Payment Ratio” (as defined below) for each Contingent Compensation Payment and then reducing the Contingent Compensation Payments in order beginning with the Contingent Compensation Payment with the highest Contingent Compensation Payment Ratio. For Contingent Compensation Payments with the same Contingent Compensation Payment Ratio, such Contingent Compensation Payment shall be reduced based on the time of payment of such Contingent Compensation Payments with amounts having later payment dates being reduced first. For Contingent Compensation Payments with the same Contingent Compensation Payment Ratio and the same time of payment, such Contingent Compensation Payments shall be reduced on a pro rata basis (but not below zero) prior to reducing Contingent Compensation Payment with a lower Contingent Compensation Payment Ratio. The term “Contingent Compensation Payment Ratio” shall mean a fraction the numerator of which is the value of the applicable Contingent Compensation Payment that must be taken into account by you for purposes of Section 4999(a) of the Code, and the denominator of which is the actual amount to be received by you in respect of the applicable Contingent Compensation Payment. For example, in the case of an equity grant that is treated as contingent on the Change in Ownership or Control because the time at which the payment is made or the payment vests is accelerated, the denominator shall be determined by reference to the fair market value of the equity at the acceleration date, and not in accordance with the methodology for determining the value of accelerated payments set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1Q/A-24(b) or (c)).
F. The provisions of this Section 11 are intended to apply to any and all payments or benefits available to you under this Letter Agreement or any other agreement or plan of the Company under which you receive Contingent Compensation Payments.
12. General: By signing below, you represent that you are not bound by any employment contract, restrictive covenant or other restriction preventing or limiting you from entering into employment with or performing your duties or responsibilities for the Company, or which is in any way inconsistent with the terms of this Letter Agreement. You also agree that you do not have in your possession, and will not disclose to anyone at the Company, bring onto Company premises, or use in the course of your employment at the Company at any time, any confidential information or trade secrets belonging to any former employer or to any other entity. You further agree that you will not, as a Sesen Bio employee, engage in any conduct that would constitute a breach of any obligation you may have to a former employer, including but not limited to any covenants not to solicit or compete.
After the Effective Date, this Letter Agreement (and Employee Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Confidentiality and Assignment Agreement, the plans, documents, and policies referenced herein) shall constitute our entire agreement regarding the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company and shall supersede any prior agreements or other promises or statements (whether oral or written) regarding the terms of your employment, including, without limitation, your Employment Agreement with the Company dated July 26, 2019 . The terms described herein cannot be modified except in writing by you and the Company. Failure of either party to this Letter Agreement to insist upon strict compliance with any of the terms, covenants or conditions hereof will not be deemed a waiver of such terms, covenants or conditions. In the event of any inconsistency between this Letter Agreement and any other contract between the Company and you, including the Employee Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation, Confidentiality and Assignment Agreement, the provisions of this Letter Agreement will prevail.
We are thrilled to have you join the leadership team at Sesen Bio. Please contact me if you have any questions or need more information.
Sincerely
/s/ Thomas R. Cannell
Thomas R. Cannell, DVM
President and Chief Executive Officer
I accept the above terms of employment as stated:
/s/ Monica Forbes August 26, 2019
Monica Forbes Date
Monica Forbes Date
1
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This Indemnification Agreement (“Agreement”) is made as of [ ], 20[ ] by and between Sesen Bio, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and [ ] (the “Indemnitee”). This Agreement supersedes and replaces any and all previous Agreements between the Company and Indemnitee covering the subject matter of this Agreement.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as directors, officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of the corporation;
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified individuals, the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons serving the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities. Although the furnishing of such insurance has been a customary and widespread practice among United States-based corporations and other business enterprises, the Company believes that, given current market conditions and trends, such insurance may be available to it in the future only at higher premiums and with more exclusions. At the same time, directors, officers, and other persons in service to corporations or business enterprises are being increasingly subjected to expensive and time-consuming litigation relating to, among other things, matters that traditionally would have been brought only against the Company or business enterprise itself. The Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (as the same may be amended from time to time, the “Certificate of Incorporation”) requires indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company. Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). The Certificate of Incorporation and the DGCL expressly provide that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the board of directors, officers and other persons with respect to indemnification;
WHEREAS, the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons;
WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future;
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify, and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so indemnified;
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Certificate of Incorporation and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee does not regard the protection available under the Certificate of Incorporation and insurance as adequate in the present circumstances, and may not be willing to serve as an officer or director without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve in such capacity. Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company on the condition that he be so indemnified; and
[WHEREAS, Indemnitee is a representative of [ ] [and its affiliated investment funds] (the “Fund”), and has certain rights to indemnification and/or insurance provided by the Fund which Indemnitee and the Fund intend to be secondary to the primary obligation of the Company to indemnify Indemnitee as provided herein, with the Company’s acknowledgement and agreement to the foregoing being a material condition to Indemnitee’s willingness to serve on the Board;]
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
Section 1.Services to the Company. Indemnitee agrees to serve a[n] [director] [officer] of the Company. Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign from such position (subject to any other contractual obligation or any obligation imposed by operation of law), in which event the Company shall have no obligation under this Agreement to continue Indemnitee in such position. This Agreement shall not be deemed an employment contract between the Company (or of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise) and Indemnitee. Indemnitee specifically acknowledges that Indemnitee’s employment with the Company (or of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise), if any, is at will, and the Indemnitee may be discharged at any time for any reason, with or without cause, except as may be otherwise provided in any written employment contract between Indemnitee and the Company (or of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise), other applicable formal severance policies duly adopted by the Board, or, with respect to service as a director or officer of the Company, by the Certificate of Incorporation, the Company’s Bylaws, and the DGCL. The foregoing notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in force after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a[n] [director] [officer] of the Company, as provided in Section 16 hereof.
Section 2. Definitions. As used in this Agreement:
(a) References to “agent” shall mean any person who is or was a director, officer, or employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such capacity as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.
(b) A “Change in Control” shall be deemed to occur upon the earliest to occur after the date of this Agreement of any of the following events:
i. Acquisition of Stock by Third Party. Any Person (as defined below) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner (as defined below), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing forty percent (40%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities unless the change in relative Beneficial Ownership of the Company’s securities by any Person results solely from a reduction in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors;
ii. Change in Board of Directors. During any period of two (2) consecutive years (not including any period prior to the execution of this Agreement), individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board, and any new director (other than a director designated by a person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in Sections 2(b)(i), 2(b)(iii) or 2(b)(iv)) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board;
iii. Corporate Transactions. The effective date of a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other entity, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or its ultimate parent, as applicable) more than 51% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the surviving entity or its ultimate parent, as applicable, outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation and with the power to elect at least a majority of the board of directors or other governing body of such surviving entity or its ultimate parent, as applicable;
iv. Liquidation or Sale of Assets. The approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; and
v. Other Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or a response to any similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement.
For purposes of this Section 2(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(A) “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
(B) “Person” shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Person shall exclude (i) the Company, (ii) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company, and (iii) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.
(C) “Beneficial Owner” shall have the meaning given to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Beneficial Owner shall exclude any Person otherwise becoming a Beneficial Owner by reason of the stockholders of the Company approving a merger of the Company with another entity.
(D) “Corporate Status” describes the status of a person as a current or former director or officer of the Company or as a current or former director, manager, partner, officer, employee, agent, or trustee of any other entity or enterprise that such person is or was serving at the request of the Company.
(E) “Disinterested Director” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.
(F) “Enterprise” shall mean the Company and any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, partner, managing member, employee, agent or fiduciary.
(G) “Expenses” shall include all reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts and other professionals, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, any federal, state, local or foreign taxes imposed on Indemnitee as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, and all other disbursements or expenses of the types customarily incurred in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding. Expenses also shall include (i) Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding, including without limitation the premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent, and (ii) for purposes of Section 14(d) only, Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement, by litigation or otherwise. The parties agree that for the purposes of any advancement of Expenses for which Indemnitee has made written demand to the Company in accordance with this Agreement, all Expenses included in such demand that are certified by affidavit of Indemnitee’s counsel as being reasonable shall be presumed conclusively to be reasonable. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.
(H) “Independent Counsel” shall mean a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.
(I) The term “Proceeding” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, claim, counterclaim, cross claim, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or investigative (formal or informal) nature, including any appeal therefrom, in which Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party, potential party, non-party witness or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by reason of any action taken by him (or a failure to take action by him) or of any action (or failure to act) on his part while acting pursuant to his Corporate Status, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or Expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of Expenses can be provided under this Agreement. If the Indemnitee believes in good faith that a given situation may lead to or culminate in the institution of a Proceeding, this shall be considered a Proceeding under this paragraph.
(J) Reference to “other enterprise” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise tax assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to “serving at the request of the Company” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Company” as referred to in this Agreement.
Section 3. Indemnity in Third-Party Proceedings. The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal Proceeding had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. The parties hereto intend that this Agreement shall provide to the fullest extent permitted by law for indemnification in excess of that expressly permitted by statute, including, without limitation, any indemnification provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, vote of its stockholders or disinterested directors or applicable law.
Section 4. Indemnity in Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No indemnification for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery (the “Delaware Court”) or any court in which the Proceeding was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for such expenses as the Delaware Court shall deem proper.
Section 5. Indemnification for Expenses of a Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with or related to each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter to the fullest extent permitted by law. For purposes of this Section and without limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or matter.
Section 6. Indemnification For Expenses of a Witness. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a witness or otherwise asked to participate in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party, he shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection therewith.
Section 7. Partial Indemnification. If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of Expenses, but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled.
Section 8. Additional Indemnification.
(a) Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, or 5, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the Proceeding.
(b) For purposes of Section 8(a), the meaning of the phrase “to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law” shall include, but not be limited to:
i. to the fullest extent permitted by the provision of the DGCL that authorizes or contemplates additional indemnification by agreement, or the corresponding provision of any amendment to or replacement of the DGCL, and
ii. to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by any amendments to or replacements of the DGCL adopted after the date of this Agreement that increase the extent to which a corporation may indemnify its officers and directors.
Section 9. Exclusions. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement [but subject to Section 15(e), however], the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make any indemnification payment in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee:
(a) for which payment has actually been made to or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount paid under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision; or
(b) for (i) an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (as defined in Section 2(b) hereof) or similar provisions of state statutory law or common law, or (ii) any reimbursement of the Company by the Indemnitee of any bonus or other incentive-based or equity-based compensation or of any profits realized by the Indemnitee from the sale of securities of the Company, as required in each case under the Exchange Act (including any such reimbursements that arise from an accounting restatement of the Company pursuant to Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), or the payment to the Company of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 306 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act); or
(c) except as provided in Section 14(d) of this Agreement, in connection with any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) prior to its initiation or (ii) the Company provides the indemnification, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under applicable law.
Section 10. Advances of Expenses. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary (other than Section 14(d)), the Company shall advance, to the extent not prohibited by law, the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) not initiated by Indemnitee, and such advancement shall be made within thirty (30) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements requesting such advances from time to time, whether prior to or after final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall be made without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses and without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement to indemnification under the other provisions of this Agreement. In accordance with Section 14(d), advances shall include any and all reasonable Expenses incurred pursuing an action to enforce this right of advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing and forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. The Indemnitee shall qualify for advances upon the execution and delivery to the Company of this Agreement, which shall constitute an undertaking providing that the Indemnitee undertakes to repay the amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company. No other form of undertaking shall be required other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 10 shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 9.
Section 11. Procedure for Notification and Defense of Claim.
(a) Indemnitee shall notify the Company in writing of any matter with respect to which Indemnitee intends to seek indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder as soon as reasonably practicable following the receipt by Indemnitee of written notice thereof. The written notification to the Company shall include a description of the nature of the Proceeding and the facts underlying the Proceeding. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request, including therein or therewith such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification following the final disposition of such Proceeding. The omission by Indemnitee to notify the Company hereunder will not relieve the Company from any liability which it may have to Indemnitee hereunder or otherwise than under this Agreement, and any delay in so notifying the Company shall not constitute a waiver by Indemnitee of any rights under this Agreement. The Secretary of the Company shall, promptly upon receipt of such a request for indemnification, advise the Board in writing that Indemnitee has requested indemnification.
(b) The Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its own expense.
Section 12. Procedure Upon Application for Indemnification.
(a) Upon written request by Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(a), a determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement thereto shall be made in the specific case: (i) if a Change in Control shall have occurred, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee; or (ii) if a Change in Control shall not have occurred, (A) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum of the Board, (B) by a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum of the Board, (C) if there are no such Disinterested Directors or, if such Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee or (D) if so directed by the Board, by the stockholders of the Company; and, if it is so determined that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within ten (10) days after such determination. Indemnitee shall cooperate with the person, persons or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person, persons or entity upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. Any costs or Expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby indemnifies and agrees to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom. The Company promptly will advise Indemnitee in writing with respect to any determination that Indemnitee is or is not entitled to indemnification, including a description of any reason or basis for which indemnification has been denied.
(b) In the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) hereof, the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this Section 12(b). If a Change in Control shall not have occurred, the Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board, and the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising him of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Change in Control shall have occurred, the Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee (unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be made by the Board, in which event the preceding sentence shall apply), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may, within ten (10) days after such written notice of selection shall have been given, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee, as the case may be, a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is so made and substantiated, the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or the Delaware Court has determined that such objection is without merit. If, within twenty (20) days after the later of submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof and the final disposition of the Proceeding, no Independent Counsel shall have been selected and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Delaware Court for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by such court or by such other person as such court shall designate, and the person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel under Section 12(a) hereof. Upon the due commencement of any judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, Independent Counsel shall be discharged and relieved of any further responsibility in such capacity (subject to the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing).
Section 13. Presumptions and Effect of Certain Proceedings.
(a) In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person or persons or entity making such determination shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 11(a) of this Agreement, and the Company shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption. Neither the failure of the Company (including by its directors or Independent Counsel) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of any action pursuant to this Agreement that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor an actual determination by the Company (including by its directors or Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct.
(b) Subject to Section 14(e), if the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under Section 12 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall not have made a determination within sixty (60) days after receipt by the Company of the request therefor, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law; provided, however, that such 60-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional thirty (30) days, if the person, persons or entity making the determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in good faith requires such additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation and/or information relating thereto; and provided, further, that the foregoing provisions of this Section 13(b) shall not apply (i) if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by the stockholders pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement and if (A) within fifteen (15) days after receipt by the Company of the request for such determination the Board has resolved to submit such determination to the stockholders for their consideration at an annual meeting thereof to be held within seventy-five (75) days after such receipt and such determination is made thereat, or (B) a special meeting of stockholders is called within fifteen (15) days after such receipt for the purpose of making such determination, such meeting is held for such purpose within sixty (60) days after having been so called and such determination is made thereat, or (ii) if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement.
(c) The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
(d) For purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Enterprise, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee by the directors or officers of the Enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Enterprise or on information or records given or reports made to the Enterprise by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with the reasonable care by the Enterprise. The provisions of this Section 13(d) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in which the Indemnitee may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement.
(e) The knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any director, officer, trustee, partner, managing member, fiduciary, agent or employee of the Enterprise shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement.
Section 14. Remedies of Indemnitee.
(a) Subject to Section 14(e), in the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 12 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of Expenses is not timely made pursuant to Section 10 of this Agreement, (iii) no determination of entitlement to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ninety (90) days after receipt by the Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment of indemnification is not made pursuant to Section 5, 6 or 7 or the last sentence of Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, (v) payment of indemnification pursuant to Section 3, 4 or 8 of this Agreement is not made within ten (10) days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, or (vi) in the event that the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or Proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to the Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication by a court of his entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of Expenses. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at his option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Indemnitee shall commence such proceeding seeking an adjudication or an award in arbitration within 180 days following the date on which Indemnitee first has the right to commence such proceeding pursuant to this Section 14(a); provided, however, that the foregoing clause shall not apply in respect of a proceeding brought by Indemnitee to enforce his rights under Section 5 of this Agreement. The Company shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration.
(b) In the event that a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 shall be conducted in all respects as a de novo trial, or arbitration, on the merits and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of that adverse determination. In any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, the Company shall have the burden of proving Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification or advancement of Expenses, as the case may be.
(c) If a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Company shall be bound by such determination in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law.
(d) The Company shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by law, be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Company is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement. It is the intent of the Company that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Indemnitee not be required to incur legal fees or other Expenses associated with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement by litigation or otherwise because the cost and expense thereof would substantially detract from the benefits intended to be extended to the Indemnitee hereunder. The Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify Indemnitee against any and all Expenses and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall (within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor) advance, to the extent not prohibited by law, such Expenses to Indemnitee, which are incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any action brought by Indemnitee for indemnification or advance of Expenses from the Company under this Agreement or under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company if, in the case of indemnification, Indemnitee is wholly successful on the underlying claims; if Indemnitee is not wholly successful on the underlying claims, then such indemnification shall be only to the extent Indemnitee is successful on such underlying claims or otherwise as permitted by law, whichever is greater.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no determination as to entitlement of Indemnitee to indemnification under this Agreement shall be required to be made prior to the final disposition of the Proceeding.
Section 15. Non-exclusivity; Survival of Rights; Insurance; Subrogation.
(a) The rights of indemnification and to receive advancement of Expenses as provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may at any time be entitled under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or a resolution of directors, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision hereof shall limit or restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee in his Corporate Status prior to such amendment, alteration or repeal. To the extent that a change in Delaware law, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits greater indemnification or advancement of Expenses than would be afforded currently under the Certificate of Incorporation and this Agreement, it is the intent of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right or remedy herein conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every other right and remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other right or remedy.
(b) To the extent that the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors, officers, employees, or agents of the Enterprise, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director, officer, employee or agent under such policy or policies. If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of a claim pursuant to the terms hereof, the Company has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of such claim or of the commencement of a Proceeding, as the case may be, to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such Proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policies.
(c) In the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee [(other than any rights of recovery of Indemnitee from a Fund Indemnitor or under any insurance provided by the Fund or its affiliates)], who shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights.
(d) [Except as provided for under Section 15(e) of this Agreement, the] The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable (or for which advancement is provided hereunder) hereunder if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.
(e) [The Company hereby acknowledges that Indemnitee has certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by the Fund and certain of its affiliates (collectively, the “Fund Indemnitors”). The Company hereby agrees (i) that it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to Indemnitee are primary and any obligation of the Fund Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by Indemnitee are secondary), (ii) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of Expenses incurred by Indemnitee and shall be liable for the full amount of all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws (or any agreement between the Company and Indemnitee), without regard to any rights Indemnitee may have against the Fund Indemnitors, and, (iii) that it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Fund Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Fund Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Fund Indemnitors on behalf of Indemnitee with respect to any claim for which Indemnitee has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Fund Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against the Company. The Company and Indemnitee agree that the Fund Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms hereof.]
Section 16. Duration of Agreement. This Agreement shall continue until and terminate upon the later of: (a) ten (10) years after the date that Indemnitee shall have ceased to serve as a [director] [officer] of the Company or (b) one (1) year after the final termination of any Proceeding then pending in respect of which Indemnitee is granted rights of indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder and of any proceeding commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14 of this Agreement [or by a Fund Indemnitor pursuant to Section 15(e) of this Agreement, in either case,] relating thereto. The indemnification and advancement of expenses rights provided by or granted pursuant to this Agreement shall be binding upon and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company), shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise, and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and his or her spouse, assigns, heirs, devisees, executors and administrators and other legal representatives.
Section 17. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement (including without limitation, each portion of any Section of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to conform to applicable law and to give the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and (c) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested thereby.
Section 18. Enforcement.
(a) The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order to induce Indemnitee to serve as a director or officer of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving as a director or officer of the Company.
(b) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof; provided, however, that this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws and applicable law, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder.
Section 19. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions of this Agreement nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
Section 20. Notice by Indemnitee. Indemnitee agrees promptly to notify the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding or matter which may be subject to indemnification or advancement of Expenses covered hereunder. The failure of Indemnitee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of any obligation which it may have to the Indemnitee under this Agreement or otherwise.
Section 21. Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed or (d) sent by facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral confirmation that such transmission has been received:
(a) If to Indemnitee, at the address indicated on the signature page of this Agreement, or such other address as Indemnitee shall provide to the Company.
(b) If to the Company to:
Sesen Bio, Inc.
245 First Street, Suite 1800
245 First Street, Suite 1800
Cambridge, MA 02142
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
or to any other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee by the Company.
Section 22. Contribution. To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification provided for in this Agreement is unavailable to Indemnitee for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee, shall contribute to the amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, fines, penalties, excise taxes, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable event under this Agreement, in such proportion as is deemed fair and reasonable in light of all of the circumstances of such Proceeding in order to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, as a result of the event(s) and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such Proceeding; and/or (ii) the relative fault of the Company (and its other directors, officers, employees and agents), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, in connection with such event(s) and/or transaction(s).
Section 23. Applicable Law and Consent to Jurisdiction. This Agreement and the legal relations among the parties shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Except with respect to any arbitration commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, the Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Delaware Court, and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably the Corporation Trust Center as its agent in the State of Delaware as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.
Section 24. Identical Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the party against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.
Section 25. Miscellaneous. Use of the masculine pronoun shall be deemed to include usage of the feminine pronoun where appropriate. The headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect the construction thereof.
[The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank.]
The parties executed this Agreement as of the day and year first set forth above.
SESEN BIO, INC.
By:
Name:
Office:
Name:
Office:
INDEMNITEE
Name:
Address:
Schedule of Material Differences to Exhibit 10.2
The following directors and executive officers are parties to an Indemnification Agreement with the Company, each of which are substantially identical in all material respects to the representative Indemnification Agreement filed herewith as Exhibit 10.2 except as to the name of the signatory and the effective date of each signatory's Indemnification Agreement and the fund affiliation of each signatory, which are listed below. The actual Indemnification Agreements are omitted pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 601 of Regulation S-K.
Indemnitee | Effective Date | Fund Affiliation |
Wendy L. Dixon, Ph.D. | October 22, 2014 | |
Daniel S. Lynch | February 11, 2014 | |
Jane V. Henderson | February 11, 2014 | |
Jay S. Duker | January 20, 2015 | |
Leslie L. Dan | September 20, 2016 | |
Stephen A. Hurly | September 20, 2016 | |
Richard F. Fitzgerald | January 23, 2018 | |
Thomas R. Cannell, D.V.M. | August 7, 2018 | |
Dennis Kim, M.D., MPH | December 3, 2018 | |
Glen MacDonald, Ph.D. | August 26, 2019 | |
Mark R. Sullivan | August 26, 2019 | |
Monica Forbes | August 26, 2019 | |
Sesen Bio Announces CFO Transition as Company Drives Towards Anticipated Initiation of BLA Submission in 4Q 2019
Company Appoints Monica Forbes as Chief Financial Officer and Kirstin Anderson as Principal Accounting Officer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., August 26, 2019 – Sesen Bio (Nasdaq: SESN), a late-stage clinical company developing targeted fusion protein therapeutics for the treatment of patients with cancer, today announced the appointment of Monica Forbes as its Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Forbes will succeed Richard F. Fitzgerald, who will be leaving the Company effective August 30, 2019. In addition, the Company has appointed Kirstin Anderson, Corporate Controller, as Principal Accounting Officer.
Ms. Forbes previously served as the Company’s Vice President of Finance. Ms. Forbes has more than 20 years of financial leadership experience, including prior experience leading the finance and administrative functions of late- and commercial-stage public and private life science companies. Ms. Forbes will report to the Company’s President and CEO, Dr. Thomas Cannell, and she will lead Sesen Bio’s finance department. Ms. Forbes holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from San Diego State University.
“Monica’s breadth of strategic and financial leadership experience, as well as her expertise in building operational infrastructure, M&A, and accessing capital markets, will help us scale the business in a financially prudent way, which will be essential to support the Company as we evolve from a development stage organization and drive towards the potential approval and commercialization of Vicinium®,” said Dr. Cannell. I would like to thank Rich for his many contributions to Sesen Bio and wish him success in his future endeavors.”
Ms. Anderson currently serves as the Company’s Corporate Controller. Ms. Anderson has extensive accounting and audit experience across multiple industries and has been an integral part of the Company’s accounting team for the last five years. Ms. Anderson will report to Ms. Forbes and she will continue to lead Sesen Bio’s accounting department and oversee the Company’s SEC and SOX reporting and compliance. Ms. Anderson received her Master’s in Accounting from the University of Colorado Denver and her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
“Kirstin is a talented individual that is deeply familiar with our team and accounting processes,” continued Dr. Cannell. “Kirstin’s contributions to date have positioned us for success and she is a natural fit to assume the position of Principal Accounting Officer.”
About Vicinium®
Vicinium, a locally-administered fusion protein, is Sesen Bio’s lead product candidate being developed for the treatment of high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Vicinium is comprised of a recombinant fusion protein that targets epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antigens on the surface of tumor cells to deliver a potent protein payload, Pseudomonas Exotoxin A. Vicinium is constructed with a stable, genetically engineered peptide tether to ensure the payload remains attached until it is internalized by the cancer cell, which is
Vicinium, a locally-administered fusion protein, is Sesen Bio’s lead product candidate being developed for the treatment of high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Vicinium is comprised of a recombinant fusion protein that targets epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antigens on the surface of tumor cells to deliver a potent protein payload, Pseudomonas Exotoxin A. Vicinium is constructed with a stable, genetically engineered peptide tether to ensure the payload remains attached until it is internalized by the cancer cell, which is
believed to decrease the risk of toxicity to healthy tissues, thereby improving its safety. In prior clinical trials conducted by Sesen Bio, EpCAM has been shown to be overexpressed in NMIBC cells with minimal to no EpCAM expression observed on normal bladder cells. Sesen Bio is currently conducting the Phase 3 VISTA trial, designed to support the registration of Vicinium for the treatment of high-risk NMIBC in patients who have previously received a minimum of two courses of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and whose disease is now BCG-unresponsive. Additionally, Sesen Bio believes that Vicinium’s cancer cell-killing properties promote an anti-tumor immune response that may potentially combine well with immuno-oncology drugs, such as checkpoint inhibitors. The activity of Vicinium in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC is also being explored at the US National Cancer Institute in combination with AstraZeneca’s immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab.
About Sesen Bio
Sesen Bio, Inc. is a late-stage clinical company advancing targeted fusion protein therapeutics for the treatment of patients with cancer. The company’s lead program, Vicinium®, also known as VB4-845, is currently in a Phase 3 registration trial, the VISTA trial, for the treatment of high-risk, BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Vicinium is a locally-administered targeted fusion protein composed of an anti-EPCAM antibody fragment tethered to a truncated form of Pseudomonas Exotoxin A for the treatment of high-risk NMIBC. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.sesenbio.com.
Sesen Bio, Inc. is a late-stage clinical company advancing targeted fusion protein therapeutics for the treatment of patients with cancer. The company’s lead program, Vicinium®, also known as VB4-845, is currently in a Phase 3 registration trial, the VISTA trial, for the treatment of high-risk, BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Vicinium is a locally-administered targeted fusion protein composed of an anti-EPCAM antibody fragment tethered to a truncated form of Pseudomonas Exotoxin A for the treatment of high-risk NMIBC. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.sesenbio.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, the Company’s strategy, future operations, and other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the safety and efficacy of the Company’s product candidates, the timing of the Company’s anticipated BLA submission, the potential approval and commercialization of the Company’s product candidates and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to this Offering and of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, the Company’s strategy, future operations, and other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the safety and efficacy of the Company’s product candidates, the timing of the Company’s anticipated BLA submission, the potential approval and commercialization of the Company’s product candidates and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to this Offering and of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.
Contact:
Erin Clark, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations
ir@sesenbio.com
ir@sesenbio.com