Cronos Group Inc. - FORM 10-Q - EX-10.2

Attached files

file	filename
10-Q - 10-Q - Cronos Group Inc.	cron-20210630.htm
EX-32.2 - EX-32.2 - Cronos Group Inc.	a10-qq22021322.htm
EX-32.1 - EX-32.1 - Cronos Group Inc.	a10-qq22021321.htm
EX-31.2 - EX-31.2 - Cronos Group Inc.	a10-qq22021312.htm
EX-31.1 - EX-31.1 - Cronos Group Inc.	a10-qq22021311.htm
EX-10.4 - EX-10.4 - Cronos Group Inc.	ex104jerrybarbato.htm
EX-10.3 - EX-10.3 - Cronos Group Inc.	ex103robertmadoreemploymen.htm

Exhibit 10.2

AMENDED AND RESTATED

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

(this “Agreement”)

BETWEEN:

CRONOS USA CLIENT SERVICES LLC

(the “Company”)

- and -

TODD ABRAHAM

(the “Executive”)

- and –

solely for the purposes specified herein,

CRONOS GROUP INC.

(“Cronos Group”) and

solely for the purposes specified herein,

HORTICAN INC.

(“Hortican”)

WHEREAS the Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cronos Group;

WHEREAS the Executive previously entered into an employment agreement with Hortican, another wholly owned subsidiary of Cronos Group, in July 2019, which the parties considered to be operational (the “Original Agreement”);

WHEREAS, in January 2020, Hortican assigned the Executive’s employment to the Company pursuant to Section 8.9 of the Original Agreement;

WHEREAS the Executive is currently employed by the Company in the position of Chief Innovation Officer;

WHEREAS, effective June 1, 2021 (the “Effective Date”), the Company and the Executive wish to amend and restate the Original Agreement as set forth herein;

WHEREAS the Executive will continue to have extensive access to the customers, vendors, suppliers, distribution processes and other unique and valuable confidential information and trade secrets

of the Company, Cronos Group, and their respective affiliates (excluding Altria Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries) and related entities (together, the “Group”);

AND WHEREAS the Executive acknowledges that this Agreement, including, without limitation, the proprietary rights, confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition provisions that form part of this Agreement are essential to protect the legitimate business interests of the Group;

NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the above, the mutual covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, including without limitation the increased Base Salary (as defined at Section 5.1 below), target bonus opportunity (as set out at Section 5.2 below), and target incentive opportunity (as set out at Section 5.3 below), the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Executive (together, the “Parties”), and solely for the purposes of Section 5.3 herein, Cronos Group, and solely for the purposes of Section 8.14 herein, Hortican, agree as follows.

1.Position

1.1The Executive will continue be employed in the position of Chief Innovation Officer.

2.Location

2.1The Executive shall be based primarily from the Executive’s home office. During the term of the Executive’s employment with the Company, the Executive’s principal place of residence shall remain in the United States. The Executive will be available for business travel as reasonably required to perform the Executive’s duties hereunder.

3.Work Authorizations

3.1It is a condition of this Agreement and the Executive’s employment that the Executive shall be able to work lawfully in Canada and the United States. However, it is understood and agreed that the Executive’s position may require that the Executive work abroad, as needed by the Company. The Executive’s employment with the Company is therefore also conditional upon the securing of all necessary visas, work permits and other authorizations that may be required to enter and/or to work in any of the countries in which the Executive may be assigned to work or visit during the term of employment. The Company shall provide reasonable assistance in respect of immigration matters. Despite such assistance, the Company cannot guarantee when or whether the Executive’s application for a work permit, visa, permanent residence status or other immigration status or documents will be approved. Should the necessary authorizations that permit the Executive to legally work in Canada, the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which the Executive will be required to work not be obtained, this Agreement shall be null and void and of no force or effect. At any time, should necessary authorizations that permit the Executive to legally work in Canada, the United States, or any other jurisdiction in which the Executive will be required to work or visit expire without the possibility of renewal, the Executive’s employment shall come to an end and shall be treated by the Company as a termination without Just Cause (as defined below).

4.Employment Duties

4.1The Executive shall perform such duties and exercise such powers as are normally associated with or incidental and ancillary to the Executive’s position and as may be assigned to the

Executive from time to time. In fulfilling the Executive’s duties to the Company, the Executive shall be instructed by and shall regularly report to the Chief Executive Officer of Cronos Group (the “CEO”). The Executive’s duties, hours of work, location of employment and reporting relationships may be adjusted from time to time by the Company to meet changing business and operational needs. Without limiting the foregoing, the Executive shall

(a)devote the Executive’s full working time and attention during normal business hours and such other times as may be reasonably required to the business and affairs of the Company and shall not, without the prior written consent of the CEO, undertake any other business or occupation or public office;

(b)perform those duties that may be assigned to the Executive diligently, honestly, and faithfully to the best of the Executive’s ability and in the best interest of the Company;

(c)abide by all Company policies, as instituted and amended from time to time including but not limited to, the applicable Cronos Group Employee Handbook;

(d)use best efforts to promote the interests and goodwill of the Company and not knowingly do, or permit to be done, anything which may be prejudicial to the Company’s interests, it being understood and agreed that the Executive is a fiduciary of the Company and owes fiduciary obligations to the Company that are not extinguished by this Agreement; and

(e)identify and immediately report to the CEO any gross misrepresentations or violations of any Group policy or applicable law by the Company or its management.

5.Compensation and Benefits

5.1Base Salary. As of the Effective Date, the Company shall pay the Executive an annual base salary of US$240,000, less applicable deductions and withholdings (the “Base Salary”). The Base Salary shall be paid by direct deposit on a bi-weekly basis (as may be amended from time to time), in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices. Any changes to Base Salary shall be at the sole discretion of the Company.

5.2Annual Performance Bonus. In addition to the Base Salary, the Executive shall be eligible to participate in the Company’s annual cash bonus plan as may be in effect from time to time, and to receive an annual bonus, subject to the terms and conditions of that plan as determined by the Company at its sole discretion. The Executive’s annual target bonus opportunity shall initially be 100% of Base Salary, provided that the actual bonus amount, if any, will be determined pursuant to the terms of the applicable annual bonus plan. Nothing in this Agreement guarantees that the Company will maintain an annual bonus plan, and the Company reserves the right to amend or terminate any annual bonus plan established or adopted at any time, without notice or further obligation (subject only to the minimum requirements of applicable legislation, if any). The Executive must be actively employed by the Company on the applicable payment date in order to be eligible for any annual bonus for that year, subject only to the minimum requirements of applicable legislation, unless provided otherwise pursuant to the applicable annual cash bonus plan. For certainty, if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company with or without Just Cause, or the Executive resigns or otherwise terminates employment for any reason, the Executive will cease to be “actively employed” on the last day of employment as specified in the Company’s or the Executive’s written notice of termination, as applicable, will not be considered “actively employed” during any period of notice, pay in lieu of notice, or severance pay, and will not be entitled to an annual bonus (or any part thereof) or damages in lieu of the Executive’s

eligibility for a bonus, subject only to the minimum requirements of applicable legislation or unless provided otherwise pursuant to the applicable annual cash bonus plan. There shall be no guarantee of a bonus in any given year.

5.3Long-Term Incentive Opportunity. The Executive shall be eligible to receive annual grants of equity-based awards over shares of Cronos Group with an initial target incentive opportunity of US$300,000 (based on the grant date fair value of such awards), provided that the actual amount, if any, of the grants shall be determined by the board of directors of Cronos Group (the “Board”) at its sole discretion. Any such equity-based grants shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the equity award plan or any other applicable plan of Cronos Group and/or the applicable award agreement. Such plan or plans may be amended from time to time at Cronos Group’s sole discretion. In the event of the cessation of the Executive’s employment for any reason, the Executive’s entitlements in respect of any equity-based awards shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the applicable equity award plan, any other applicable plan and the applicable award agreement. Subject to the express minimum requirements of applicable legislation, if any, the Executive shall not be eligible for any further grants of equity-based awards following the effective date of termination or damages in lieu thereof, regardless of any applicable notice period, pay in lieu of notice, severance payment or similar amount.

5.4Group Insured Benefits. The Executive shall be eligible to participate in the benefits programs of the Company, as applicable, for health and dental, life insurance, disability and other benefits as may be available to the employees of the Company from time to time, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plan document. The Company reserves the right to alter, amend or discontinue all benefits, coverages, plans and programs referred to in this paragraph, without advance notice or other obligation, subject only to the minimum requirements of applicable legislation.

5.5Vacation. The Executive shall be eligible for four weeks’ paid vacation per year. The Executive shall take vacation time at such times as are approved in advance by the Company in accordance with the policies of the Company, as applicable. Vacation shall be accrued in accordance with the vacation policy of the Company.

5.6Business Expenses. The Executive shall be reimbursed for all reasonable travel and other out-of- pocket expenses properly incurred by the Executive from time to time in connection with performance of the Executive’s duties. The Executive shall furnish to the Company on a monthly basis and in accordance with any of the Company’s policies or procedures for expense reimbursement all invoices or statements in respect of expenses for which the Executive seeks reimbursement.

5.7Clawback Policy; Share Ownership Guidelines. The Executive agrees and acknowledges that any annual, long-term or other cash, equity or equity-based incentive or bonus compensation paid, provided or awarded to the Executive is subject to the terms and conditions of any clawback or recapture policy that Cronos Group may adopt from time to time, and may be subject to the requirement that such compensation be repaid to the Company after it has been distributed to Executive. In addition, by virtue of the Executive’s position with the Company, the Executive will be subject to Cronos Group’s executive share ownership guidelines, as it may be amended from time to time. The current executive share ownership guidelines require that the Executive own Cronos Group equity equal to at least two times the Executive’s annual base salary by the fifth anniversary of the effective date of the Original Agreement and thereafter during the term of the Executive’s employment with the Company.

5.8Deductions and Withholdings. The Company shall make such deductions and withholdings from the Executive’s remuneration and any other payments or benefits provided to the Executive pursuant to this Agreement as may be required by law.

6.Termination of Employment

6.1Termination by the Executive. The Executive may terminate his employment with the Company at any time by providing the Company with at least three months of notice in writing. If, upon receipt of the Executive’s resignation (or any later date during such notice period), the Company terminates the Executive’s employment before the date the resignation was to be effective, the Company shall, in full satisfaction of its obligations to the Executive: (a) pay the Executive’s Base Salary and vacation pay accrued until the date the resignation was to be effective up to a maximum of three months; (b) reimburse the outstanding expenses properly incurred by the Executive until the date the Executive’s employment ceases; and (c) provide the Executive with such other compensation and benefits that are expressly required pursuant to applicable legislation, if any. In such circumstances the Executive shall be ineligible for any pro- rated bonus for the year of termination, and any entitlements in respect of any equity-based awards shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the applicable equity award plan, any other applicable plan and the applicable award agreement.

6.2Termination by the Company for Just Cause or on Death or Disability. The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment at any time for Just Cause without prior notice or in the event of the Executive’s death or Disability (as defined below). On the termination of the Executive’s employment for Just Cause or on the Executive’s death or Disability, this Agreement and the Executive’s employment shall terminate and the Company shall, in full satisfaction of its obligations to the Executive: (a) pay the Executive’s Base Salary and vacation pay accrued until the date the Executive’s employment ceases; (b) reimburse the outstanding expenses properly incurred by the Executive until the date the Executive’s employment ceases; and (c) provide the Executive with such other compensation and benefits that are expressly required pursuant to applicable legislation, if any. In such circumstances the Executive shall be ineligible for any pro- rated bonus for the year of termination, and any entitlements in respect of equity-based awards shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the applicable equity award plan, any other applicable plan and the applicable award agreement. For the purposes of this Agreement, (A) “Just Cause” means: (i) any act or omission constituting “just cause” for dismissal without notice under applicable law; (ii) the Executive’s repeated failure or refusal to perform the Executive’s principal duties and responsibilities after notice from the CEO or other officer of the Company; (iii) misappropriation of the funds or property of the Company; (iv) use of alcohol or drugs in violation of the Company’s policies on such use or that interferes with the Executive’s obligations under this Agreement, continuing after a single warning (subject to the Company’s obligations under applicable human rights legislation); (v) the indictment, arrest or conviction in a court of law for, or the entering of a plea of guilty to, a summary or indictable offence or any crime involving moral turpitude, fraud, dishonesty or theft (subject to the Company’s obligations under applicable human rights legislation); (vi) the misuse of Company computers or computer network systems for non-Company business; (vii) engaging in any act (including, without limitation, an act of sexual harassment as determined by the Company) which is a violation of any law, regulation or Company policy; or (viii) any wilful or intentional act which injures or could reasonably be expected to injure the reputation, business or business relationships of the Company, and (B) “Disability” means a physical or mental incapacity of the Executive that has prevented the Executive from performing the duties customarily assigned to the Executive for 180 calendar days, whether or not consecutive, out of

any twelve consecutive months and that in the opinion of the Company, acting on the basis of advice from a duly qualified medical practitioner, is likely to continue to a similar degree.

6.3Termination by the Company without Just Cause or Resignation for Good Reason on Change of Control. The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment at any time without Just Cause, on providing thirty days’ written notice to the Executive. The Executive may resign the Executive’s employment for Good Reason (as defined below) within twenty-four months of the occurrence of a Change in Control (as defined below), on providing thirty days’ written notice to the Company. If: (i) the Company terminates the Executive’s employment without Just Cause, or (ii) if the Executive resigns his employment for Good Reason within twenty-four months of the occurrence of a Change of Control, and in each case if the Executive signs and delivers and does not revoke a release in favour of the Group pursuant to the form customarily used by the Group and on the timing set forth therein in consideration of amounts (including, for the avoidance of doubt, under clause (e) below) in excess of the Executive’s minimum entitlements under applicable legislation, the Company, shall, in full satisfaction of its obligations to the Executive:

(a)pay the Executive’s Base Salary and accrued but unpaid vacation pay in accordance with applicable legislation;

(b)reimburse the Executive’s expenses properly incurred until the date the Executive’s employment ceases;

(c)in lieu of notice, pay the Executive the greater of (i) one month of the Executive’s annual base salary in effect at the time of termination for each completed year of service with the Group, to a maximum of twelve months of base salary, payable by way of lump sum payment within sixty days following such termination, and (ii) the minimum termination pay and severance pay entitlements of the Executive pursuant to applicable legislation, if any;

(d)continue the Executive’s group insured benefits, if any, until the end of the notice period calculated under (c) above or the date on which the Executive obtains alternate benefit coverage, whichever occurs first, subject to the terms and conditions of the benefit plans, as amended from time to time, and the minimum requirements of applicable legislation, if any. If the Company is unable for any reason to continue its contributions to the benefit plans as set out in this Agreement, it shall pay the Executive an amount equal to the Company’s required contributions to such benefit plans on behalf of the Executive for such period. The Executive agrees that he is required to notify the Company when he obtains alternate life, medical and dental benefit coverage; and

(e)determine the Executive’s entitlements in respect of equity-based awards in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable equity award plan, any other applicable plan and the applicable award agreement.

If the Executive does not sign and deliver to the Company the release in favour of the Group described above, or if the Executive revokes the foregoing release, the Company shall only provide the Executive with such compensation (including any Base Salary and accrued but unpaid vacation pay, termination pay and severance pay) and benefits that are expressly required pursuant to applicable legislation, if any.

In this Agreement, “Change of Control” means:

(a)the consummation of any transaction or series of transactions including any reorganization, recapitalization, statutory share exchange, consolidation, amalgamation, arrangement, merger or issue of voting shares in the capital of Cronos Group, the result of which is that any individual, corporation (including not-for-profit), general or limited partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, estate, trust, organization, governmental authority or other entity of any kind or nature (“Person”) or group of Persons acting jointly or in concert for purposes of such transaction or series of transactions becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the voting securities in the capital of the entity resulting from such transaction or series of transactions or the entity that acquired all or substantially all of the business or assets of Cronos Group in a transaction or series of transactions described in paragraph (ii) below (in each case, the “Surviving Company”) or the ultimate parent entity that has beneficial ownership of sufficient voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors (or analogous governing body) of the Surviving Company (the “Parent Company”), measured by voting power of the outstanding voting securities eligible to elect members of the board of directors (or the analogous governing body) of the Parent Company (or, if there is no Parent Company, the Surviving Company) rather than number of securities (but shall not include the creation of a holding company or other transaction that does not involve any substantial change in the proportion of direct or indirect beneficial ownership of the voting securities of Cronos Group prior to the consummation of the transaction or series of transactions), provided that the exercise by Altria Summit LLC (or any of its affiliates) of the Purchased Warrant (as defined in the Subscription Agreement by and among Cronos Group Inc., Altria Summit LLC and Altria Group, Inc. dated as of December 7, 2018 as may be amended or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms) shall not constitute a Change of Control pursuant to this clause (a);

(b)the direct or indirect sale, transfer or other disposition, in one or a series of transactions, of all or substantially all of the business or assets of Cronos Group, taken as a whole, to any person or group of persons acting jointly or in concert for purposes of such transaction or series of transactions (other than to any affiliates of Cronos Group); or

(c)Incumbent Directors during any consecutive twelve month period ceasing to constitute a majority of the Board of Cronos Group (for the purposes of this paragraph, an “Incumbent Director” shall mean any member of the Board who is a member of the Board immediately prior to the occurrence of a contested election of directors of Cronos Group).

In this Agreement, “Good Reason” means the occurrence of any of the following events without the Executive’s consent, except in each case for any isolated, immaterial or inadvertent action not taken in bad faith and which is remedied by the Company within thirty days after a written notice thereof by the Executive (provided that such notice must be given to the Company within sixty days of Executive becoming aware of such condition):

(a)the assignment to the Executive of duties materially different than the duties assigned to the Executive hereunder;

(b)a material diminution in the Executive’s title, status, seniority, reporting relationship, responsibilities or authority; or

(c)a material reduction in the Executive’s Base Salary.

6.4Resignation on Termination. The Executive agrees that upon any termination of employment with the Company for any reason the Executive shall immediately tender resignation from any position the Executive may hold as an officer or director of the Company and take all steps necessary to remove Executive from any and all designated positions under any applicable laws, including without limitation, the Cannabis Act (Canada) and the regulations thereunder, as the same may be amended from time to time, or any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company. In the event that the Executive fails to comply with this obligation within three days of the Executive's termination or resignation, the Executive hereby irrevocably authorizes the Company to appoint a Person in the Executive's name and on the Executive's behalf to sign or execute any documents and/or do all things necessary or requisite to give effect to such resignation.

6.5Compliance with Laws. The Executive understands and agrees that the entitlements under this Section 6 are provided in full satisfaction of the Executive’s entitlements to notice of termination, pay in lieu of notice, and severance pay, if any, under applicable legislation, this Agreement, any employee benefit plan sponsored or maintained by the Group, applicable law (including the common law) or otherwise.

7.Restrictive Covenants

7.1Non-Disclosure. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that:

(a)during the term of the Executive’s employment, the Executive may be given access to or may become acquainted with confidential and proprietary information of the Company and its affiliates and related entities and third parties to which the Group may have any obligations of non-disclosure or confidentiality, including but not limited to: trade secrets; know-how; Intellectual Property (as defined below); Employee Inventions (as defined below), Invention Records (as defined below), existing and contemplated work product resulting from or related to projects performed or to be performed by or for the Group; programs and program modules; processes; algorithms; design concepts; system designs; production data; test data; research and development information; information regarding the acquisition, protection, enforcement and licensing of proprietary rights; technology; joint ventures; business, accounting, engineering and financial information and data; marketing and development plans and methods of obtaining business; forecasts; future plans and strategies of the Group; pricing, cost, billing and fee arrangements and policies; quoting procedures; special methods and processes; lists and/or identities of customers, suppliers, vendors and contractors; the type, quantity and specifications of products and services purchased, leased, licensed or received by the Group and/or any of its customers, suppliers, or vendors; internal personnel and financial information; business and/or personal information about any senior staff members of the Group or any Person with which the Company enters a strategic alliance or any other partnering arrangements; vendor and supplier information; the manner and method of conducting the Group’s business; the identity or nature of relationship of any persons or entities associated with or engaged as consultants, advisers, agents, distributors or sales representatives (the “Confidential Information”) the disclosure of any of which to competitors of the Group or to the general public, or the use of same by the Executive or any competitor of the Group, would be highly detrimental to the interests of the Company;

(b)disclosure or use of Confidential Information, other than in connection with the Group’s business or as specifically authorized by the Group, will be highly detrimental to the business and interests of the Group and could result in serious loss of business and damage to it.

Accordingly, the Executive specifically agrees to hold all Confidential Information in strictest confidence, and the Executive agrees that the Executive shall not, without the Company’s prior written consent, disclose, divulge or reveal to any person, or use for any purpose other than for the exclusive benefit of the Company, any Confidential Information, in whatever form contained; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to information (except for personal information about identifiable individuals) that: (i) was known to the public prior to its disclosure to the Executive; (ii) becomes generally known to the public subsequent to disclosure to the Executive other than by reason of the Executive’s breach of this Section; (iii) becomes available to the Executive from a source independent of the Group; or (iv) the Executive is specifically required to disclose by applicable law or legal process (provided that the Executive provides the Company with prompt advance written notice of the contemplated disclosure and cooperates with the Company in seeking a protective order or other appropriate protection of such information);

(c)the Executive shall deliver to the Company, immediately upon termination of employment (for any reason and regardless of whether the Executive or the Company terminate the employment) or at any time the Company so requests: (i) any and all documents, files, notes, memoranda, models, databases, computer files and/or other computer programs reflecting any Confidential Information whatsoever or otherwise relating to the Group’s business; (ii) lists or other documents regarding customers, suppliers, or vendors of the Group or leads or referrals to prospective business deals; and (iii) any computer equipment, home office equipment, automobile or other business equipment belonging to the Group that the Executive may then possess or have under the Executive’s control; and

(d)for the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement limits, restricts or in any other way affects the Executive communicating with any governmental authority or entity concerning matters relevant to the governmental authority or entity. The Executive and the Company agree that no confidentiality or other obligation the Executive owes to the Group prohibits the Executive from reporting possible violations of law or regulation to any governmental authority or entity under any applicable whistleblower protection provision of applicable Canadian, U.S. Federal or U.S. State law or regulation (including Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Section 806 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002) or requires the Executive to notify the Company of any such report. The Executive is hereby notified that the immunity provisions in Section 1833 of title 18 of the United States Code provide that an individual cannot be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for any disclosure of a trade secret that is made (i) in confidence to federal, state or local government officials, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, and is solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of the law, (ii) under seal in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, or (iii) to the Executive’s attorney in connection with a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of law (and the trade secret may be used in the court proceedings for such lawsuit) as long as any document containing the trade secret is filed under seal and the trade secret is not disclosed except pursuant to court order.

7.2Intellectual Property

(a)In this Section 7.2, the term “Germplasm” means any living or preserved biological tissue or material which may be used for the purpose of plant breeding and/or propagation, including,

without limitation, plants, cuttings, seeds, clones, cells, tissues, plant materials and genetic materials (including, without limitation, nucleic acids, genes, promoters, reading frames, regulatory sequences, terminators, chromosomes whether artificial or natural and vectors).

(b)For the purposes of this Agreement, “Intellectual Property” means any and all intellectual property rights and proprietary rights existing in any jurisdiction throughout the world, including any rights in or to: (i) patents, patent applications, patent rights, inventions, industrial designs, industrial design applications, industrial design rights, ideas, discoveries and invention disclosures (whether or not patentable), and any divisionals, continuations, continuations-in-part, reissues, renewals, reexaminations and extensions of any of the foregoing; (ii) trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade dress, logos, packaging designs, slogans, other indicia of source, Internet domain names and URLs, and registrations and applications for registration of any of the foregoing and any renewals thereof, together with any goodwill symbolized thereby; (iii) copyrightable works (including with respect to software and compilations of data), whether published or unpublished, including all copyrights, copyright registrations and applications; (iv) trade secrets, and confidential or proprietary information, data or database rights, know- how, techniques, designs, processes, recipes and formulas; (v) Germplasm, plant varieties, and applications and registrations for plant varieties issued by or pending before any Governmental Authority, including under the Plant Variety Protection Act (United States) or the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act (Canada); and (vi) circuit topographies, database rights and software.

(c)The Executive agrees to promptly disclose to the Company (including, without limitation, to the Executive’s manager) all Intellectual Property, including with respect to, but without limitation, Germplasm, and whether or not any of the foregoing are registrable, which the Executive may author, make, conceive, develop, discover or reduce to practice, solely, jointly or in common with other employees, during the Executive’s employment with the Company, and which relate to the business activities of the Company or any of its affiliates (“Employee Inventions”). The Executive agrees to maintain as confidential any Employee Inventions unless and until made generally public by the Company, and not to make application for registration of rights in respect of any Employee Inventions unless it is at the request and direction of the Company. Intellectual Property coming within the scope of the business of the Company made and/or developed by the Executive while in the employ of the Company, whether or not conceived or made during regular working hours and whether or not the Executive is specifically instructed to make or develop the same, shall be for the benefit of the Company and shall be considered to have been made pursuant to this Agreement and shall be deemed Employee Inventions and shall immediately become exclusive property of the Company. The Executive must keep, maintain and make available to the Company complete and up-to-date records relating to any such Intellectual Property, and agree that all such records are the sole and absolute property of the Company.

(d)The Executive further acknowledges that all Employee Inventions are “work made for hire” (to the greatest extent permitted by applicable Law) owned exclusively by the Company and that the Executive has been compensated for such Employee Inventions by the Executive’s salary, commissions and other benefits, unless regulated otherwise by Law. To the extent such Employee Inventions are not “work made for hire” or otherwise not owned automatically and exclusively by the Company as a matter of Law, then to the greatest extent permitted under by applicable Law, the Executive hereby irrevocably assigns and transfers, and shall assign and

transfer, to the Company, the Executive’s entire right, title and interest in and to any and all Employee Inventions, and the Executive agrees to execute and deliver to the Company any and all instruments necessary or desirable to accomplish the foregoing and, in addition, to do all lawful acts which may be necessary or desirable to assist the Company to obtain and enforce protection of Employee Inventions. If and to the extent the foregoing assignment cannot be effected as a matter of law with respect to any Employee Inventions, the Executive hereby grants to the Company an exclusive, perpetual, fully-paid, royalty-free, irrevocable, worldwide, fully-transferable, fully sublicensable (on multiple levels) license to use, modify, display, perform, make, have made, copy, make derivative works, import, export, distribute and otherwise exploit such Employee Inventions for any purpose. The Executive shall, at the request and cost of the Company, and for no additional compensation or consideration from the Company, sign, execute, make and do all such deeds, documents, acts and things as the Company and its duly authorized agents may reasonably require: (i) to apply for, obtain and vest in the name of the Company alone (unless the Company otherwise directs) registered rights in any Employee Inventions, including any patents, industrial designs, letters patent, copyrights, plant breeders’ rights, trademarks, service marks or other analogous protection in any country throughout the world and when so obtained or vested to renew and restore the same; (ii) to perfect or evidence ownership by the Company or its designees of any and all Employee Inventions, in form suitable for recordation in the United States, Canada and any other intellectual property office anywhere in the world; (iii) to defend any opposition proceedings of any type whatsoever in respect of such applications, and any opposition proceedings or petitions or applications of any type whatsoever for revocation of such Employee Inventions, whether such proceedings are brought before a court or any administrative body; (iv) to defend and/or assert the Company’s rights in any Intellectual Property against any third party; and (v) to assert the Executive’s moral rights in any Intellectual Property against any third party. For greater certainty, all materials related to Employee Inventions (including, without limitation, notes, records and correspondence, whether written or electronic) (collectively, “Invention Records”) are the property of the Company, which the Executive shall provide to the Company upon request. Invention Records shall not be removed from Company premises without the prior written consent of the Company. The Executive further waives all moral rights in and to any Employee Inventions and all work the Executive produced during the course of the Executive’s employment in favor of the Company, its licensees, successors and assigns, and transferees of the Employee Inventions and such work

(e)In the course of performing duties pursuant to this Agreement, the Executive shall only use Germplasm provided by the Company, and the Executive agrees that any such Germplasm provided by the Company remains the sole property of the Company and that such Germplasm shall not be removed from Company premises without the prior written consent of the Company.

(f)The Executive represents and warrants that the Executive does not possess any Intellectual Property or Germplasm of any third party, including, without limitation, any prior employer or competitor of the Company, and the Executive shall not acquire and/or use Intellectual Property or Germplasm of any third party in the course of performing duties pursuant to this Agreement and shall not bring any Germplasm of any third party onto Company premises.

7.3Non-Competition. The Executive shall not at any time during the Executive’s employment with the Company and for a period of one year following the date of the termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company for any reason, as specified in written notice by the Company or the Executive, as applicable (the “Termination Date”), either individually or in partnership or jointly or in conjunction with any Person as principal, agent, consultant, employee, partner, director, shareholder (other than an investment of less than five per cent of the shares of a company traded on a registered stock exchange or traded in the over the counter market in Canada), or in any other capacity whatsoever:

(a)engage in employment or enter into a contract to do work related to the research into, development, cultivation, production, supply, sales or marketing of cannabis or cannabis derived products; or the development or provision of any services (including, but not limited to, technical and product support, or consultancy or customer services) which relate to cannabis or cannabis derived products (the “Business”); or

(b)have any financial or other interest (including by way of royalty or other compensation arrangements) in or in respect of the business of any Person which carries on the Business; or

(c)advise, lend money to or guarantee the debts or obligations of any Person which carries on the Business;

anywhere within Canada and/or the United States of America.

For purposes of this section, “cannabis” means (a) any plant or seed, whether live or dead, from any species or subspecies of genus Cannabis, including Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis, Marijuana and Industrial Hemp and any part, whether live or dead, of the plant or seed thereof, including any stalk, branch, root, leaf, flower, or trichome; (b) any material obtained, extracted, isolated, or purified from the plant or seed or the parts contemplated by clause (a) of this definition, including any oil, cannabinoid, terpene, genetic material or any combination thereof; (c) any organism engineered to biosynthetically produce the material contemplated by clause (b) of this definition, including any micro-organism engineered for such purpose; (d) any biologically or chemically synthesized version of the material contemplated by clause (b) of this definition or any analog thereof, including any product made by any organism contemplated by clause (c) of this definition; and (e) any other meaning ascribed to the term “cannabis” under applicable Law, including the CDSA and the Cannabis Act.

7.4Non-Solicitation of Customers. The Executive shall not, during the Executive’s employment and for the one year period immediately following the Termination Date, whether alone or for or in conjunction with any Person or entity, whether as an employee, partner, director, principal, agent, consultant or in any other capacity whatsoever, directly or indirectly solicit or attempt to solicit any Customer or Prospective Customer for the purpose of obtaining the business of any Customer or Prospective Customer or persuading any such Customer or Prospective Customer to cease to do business with or reduce the amount of business it would otherwise provide to the Group. For the purpose of this Agreement, “Customer” means any Person which is a current customer or has been a customer of the Group during the term of the Executive’s employment with the Company but in the event of the cessation of the Executive’s employment “Customer” shall include only those current customers of the Group with whom the Executive had direct contact or access to Confidential Information by virtue of the Executive’s role as an employee of the Company at any time during the twelve month period preceding the Termination Date; “direct contact” means direct communications with or by the

Executive, whether in Person or otherwise, for purposes of servicing, selling, or marketing on behalf of the Company, but only if such communications are more than trivial in nature, and in any case excluding bulk or mass marketing communications directed to multiple customers; and, “Prospective Customer” means any organization, individual or entity which has been actively contacted and solicited for its business by representatives of the Group, but in the event of the cessation of the Executive’s employment within the twelve month period immediately preceding the Termination Date, with the involvement and knowledge of the Executive.

7.5Non-Solicitation of Employees. The Executive shall not, during the Executive’s employment and for two years following the Termination Date, whether alone or for or in conjunction with any Person or entity, whether as an employee, partner, director, principal, agent, consultant or in any other capacity whatsoever, directly or indirectly solicit or assist in the solicitation of any employee of the Group to leave such employment.

7.6Disclosure. During the Executive’s employment with the Company, the Executive shall promptly disclose to the Board full information concerning any interest, direct or indirect, of the Executive (whether as owner, shareholder, partner, lender or other investor, director, officer, employee, consultant or otherwise) or any member of the Executive’s immediate family, in any business which is reasonably known to the Executive to purchase or otherwise obtain services or products from, or to sell or otherwise provide services or products to the Company or to any of their respective suppliers or Customers.

7.7Other Employment. During the Executive’s employment with the Company, the Executive shall not, except as a representative of the Company or with the prior written approval of the Executive’s manager, whether paid or unpaid, be directly or indirectly engaged, concerned or have any financial interest in any capacity in any other business, trade, professional or occupation (or the setting up of any business, trade, profession or occupation).

7.8Return of Materials. All files, forms, brochures, books, materials, written correspondence (including email and instant messages), memoranda, documents, manuals, computer disks, software products and lists (including financial and other information and lists of customers, suppliers, products and prices) pertaining to the Group which may come into the Executive’s possession or control shall at all times remain the property of the Group. Upon termination of the Executive’s employment for any reason, the Executive agrees to immediately deliver to the Company all such property in the Executive’s possession or directly or indirectly under the Executive’s control. The Executive agrees not to make, for the Executive’s personal or business use or that of any other person, reproductions or copies of any such property or other property of the Group.

7.9Non-Disparagement. Subject to Section 7.1(d) of this Agreement, the Executive shall refrain, both during and after the cessation of the Executive’s employment with the Company, from making, publicly or privately, any statement or announcement that constitutes an ad hominem attack on, or that otherwise disparages, defames, slanders, impugns or is reasonably likely to damage the reputation of the Group, or its or any of their respective directors, members, limited or general partners, equity holders, officers, employees, agents, consultants, advisors or other representatives.

8.General

8.1Reasonableness of Restrictions and Covenants. The Executive hereby confirms and agrees that the covenants and restrictions contained in this Agreement, including, without limitation, those contained

in Article 7, are reasonable and valid the Executive further acknowledges and agrees that the Company may suffer irreparable injury in the event of any breach by the Executive of the obligations under any such covenant or restriction. Accordingly, the Executive hereby acknowledges and agrees that damages would be an inadequate remedy at law in connection with any such breach and that the Company shall therefore be entitled, in addition to any other right or remedy which it may have at law, in equity or otherwise, to temporary and permanent injunctive relief enjoining and restraining the Executive from any such breach.

8.2Survival. Article 7 and this Section 8.2 survive the termination of this Agreement and the Executive’s employment for any reason whatsoever.

8.3Entire Agreement. This is the entire agreement between the Parties on the subject matters addressed herein. There are no representations, warranties or collateral agreements, whether written or oral, outside of this written Agreement. This Agreement and the terms and conditions of employment contained herein supersede and replace any prior understandings or discussions between the Parties, including the Original Agreement, regarding the Executive’s employment.

8.4Withholding Taxes. The Company may withhold from any amounts or benefits payable under this Agreement income taxes and payroll taxes that are required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable law or regulation.

8.5Section 409A Compliance. To the extent applicable, this Agreement is intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (together with the applicable regulations thereunder, “Section 409A”). To the extent that any provision in this Agreement is ambiguous as to its compliance with Section 409A or to the extent any provision in this Agreement must be modified to comply with Section 409A (including, without limitation, Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(c)), such provision shall be read, or shall be modified (with the mutual consent of the parties, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), as the case may be, in such a manner so that all payments due under this Agreement shall comply with Section 409A. For purposes of Section 409A, each payment made under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment. In no event may Executive, directly or indirectly, designate the calendar year of payment. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if necessary to comply with the restriction in Section 409A(a)(2)(B) concerning payments to “specified employees” (as defined in Section 409A) any payment on account of the Executive’s separation from service that would otherwise be due hereunder within six months after such separation shall nonetheless be delayed until the first business day of the seventh month following the Executive’s date of termination and the first such payment shall include the cumulative amount of any payments that would have been paid prior to such date if not for such restriction. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Executive shall not be considered to have terminated employment with the Company for purposes of this Agreement unless he would be considered to have incurred a “separation from service” from the Company within the meaning of Section 409A.

8.6Amendments. This Agreement may only be amended by written agreement executed by the Parties. However, changes to the Executive’s position, duties, vacation, benefits and compensation, over time in the normal course, do not affect the validity or enforceability of the Agreement.

8.7Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware and the laws of the United States applicable in the State of Delaware. The Company and the Executive each irrevocably consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of

Delaware and the courts of Delaware shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to entertain any action arising under this Agreement.

8.8Severability. If any provision in this Agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed from this Agreement, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. If for any reason any court of competent jurisdiction will find any provisions of this Agreement unreasonable in duration or geographic scope or otherwise, the Parties agree that the restrictions and prohibitions contained herein will be effective to the fullest extent allowed under applicable law in such jurisdiction.

8.9Assignment. The Company may assign this Agreement to an affiliate or subsidiary, and it enures to the benefit of the Company, its successors or assigns.

8.10Independent Legal Advice. The Executive acknowledges that the Executive has been encouraged to obtain independent legal advice regarding the execution of this Agreement, and that the Executive has either obtained such advice or voluntarily chosen not to do so, and hereby waives any objections or claims the Executive may make resulting from any failure on the Executive’s part to obtain such advice.

8.11Waiver. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective or binding, unless made in writing and signed by the party purporting to give the same. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions, whether or not similar, nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver, unless expressly stated otherwise.

8.12Conditions. This Agreement and the Executive’s continued employment hereunder is conditional on the Company’s satisfaction (determined in the Company’s sole discretion) that the Executive has met the legal requirements to perform the Executive’s role, including but not limited to satisfactory results of Health Canada or any other applicable security clearance checks and criminal record checks and other reference checks that the Company performs. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that in signing this Agreement, and providing the Company with the necessary documentation to perform the checks required for the Executive’s role and with references, the Executive is providing consent to the Company or its agent, to performs such checks and contact the references the Executive provided to the Company.

8.13Prior Restrictions. By signing below, the Executive represents that the Executive is not bound by the terms of any agreement with any Person which restricts in any way the Executive’s hiring by the Company and the performance of the Executive’s expected job duties; the Executive also represents that, during the Executive’s employment with the Company, the Executive shall not disclose or make use of any confidential information of any other persons or entities in violation of any of their applicable policies or agreements and/or applicable law.

8.14Resignation from Hortican. Without limiting the generality of Section 8.3 above, by signing below, the Executive confirms that: (i) the Executive voluntarily and irrevocably resigned from his employment with Hortican, and Hortican accepted the Executive resignation, effective as of the date of the assignment of the Original Agreement to, and the start of the Executive’s employment with, Cronos USA; and (ii) the Executive has no rights or entitlements in respect of the cessation of such employment with Hortican, whether pursuant to contract, statute or the common law. For the avoidance of doubt, the Executive’s resignation from his employment with Horitcan does not impact any Cronos Group equity-based awards granted to the Executive before the Effective Date, which remain in full force and effect.

8.15Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by electronic transmission, including in portable document format (.pdf), shall be deemed as effective as delivery of an original executed counterpart of this Agreement.

[Signature Page Follows]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF this Agreement has been executed by the Parties as of this 3rd day of June, 2021.


						CRONOS USA CLIENT SERVICES LLC

						By: /s/ Michael Gorenstein Name: Michael Gorenstein Title: Executive Chairman


						CRONOS GROUP INC.
						solely with respect to Section 5.3

						By: /s/ Kurt Schmidt Name: Kurt Schmidt Title: President & CEO


						HORTICAN INC.
						solely with respect to Section 8.14

						By: /s/ Michael Gorenstein Name: Michael Gorenstein Title: Executive Chairman


						EXECUTIVE

						/s/ Todd Abraham Name: Todd Abraham




Signed and Returned to Shannon Buggy using electronic signature
SIGNED AND DELIVERED in the presence of


Witness Signature


Witness Print Name

Cronos Group Inc. - FORM 10-Q - EX-10.2 - August 6, 2021

Attached files

Cronos Group Inc. Reports