UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant x
Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant ¨
Check the appropriate box:
x |
Preliminary Proxy Statement
|
¨ |
Confidential, for Use of
the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
¨ |
Definitive Proxy Statement
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¨ |
Definitive Additional Materials
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¨ |
Soliciting Material Pursuant
to §240.14a-12 |
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement,
if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the
appropriate box):
¨ |
Fee paid previously with preliminary
materials. |
¨ |
Fee computed on table in exhibit
required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a6(i)(1) and 0-11 |
May , 2023
Dear Stockholder,
We cordially invite you to attend the 2023 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders of Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. to be held at 8:30 A.M. EDT on June 28, 2023 at the offices of LifeSci
Advisors, 250 W. 55th Street, Suite 3401, New York, NY 10019.
The attached notice of annual meeting and proxy
statement describe the business we will conduct at the meeting and provide information about us that you should consider when you vote
your shares. As set forth in the attached proxy statement, the meeting will be held to:
| · | consider the election of directors; |
| · | approve an advisory vote on executive compensation; |
| · | approve an advisory vote on the frequency of an advisory vote on
executive compensation; |
| · | to adopt amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock available
under the plan from 8,475,171 shares to 12,475,171 shares and to amend certain other terms
of said plan; |
| · | approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
to increase the number of shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, authorized
for issuance from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000; and |
| · | ratify the appointment of our independent registered public accounting
firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. |
Please take the time to carefully read each of
the proposals stockholders are being asked to consider and vote on.
Please promptly vote your shares either via the
Internet, by telephone or by marking, signing, dating and returning the proxy card in the enclosed envelope. Your vote is important,
whether or not you attend the meeting in person. We encourage you to vote by proxy so that your shares will be represented and voted
at the meeting. If you decide to attend the meeting and vote in person, your proxy may be revoked at your request.
We appreciate your support and look forward to
your attending the meeting.
Sincerely,
Eyal Rubin
Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
2 University Plaza, Suite 100, Hackensack, NJ 07601
Tel: 1-201-696-9435 | Web: www.protalix.com
NOTICE
OF 2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON JUNE 28, 2023
To the Stockholders of Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.:
The
2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held at the following
time, date and place for the following purposes:
TIME: |
8:30
A.M. EDT |
DATE: |
June 28,
2023 |
PLACE: |
The
offices of LifeSci Advisors, 250 W. 55th Street, Suite 3401, New York, NY 10019 |
PURPOSES: |
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1. |
To
elect seven members to the Board of Directors to serve for the ensuing year or until their respective successors have been duly elected. |
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2. |
To
approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy
statement that accompanies this notice. |
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3. |
To
approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, on the frequency (every one, two or three years) that stockholders of the Company will
have a non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers. |
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4. |
To
adopt amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of shares
of common stock available under the plan from 8,475,171 shares to 12,475,171 shares and to amend certain other terms of said plan; |
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5. |
To
approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of shares of our common stock, par value
$0.001 per share, authorized for issuance from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000; |
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6. |
To
ratify the appointment of Kesselman & Kesselman, Certified Public Accountant (lsr.), a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers
International Limited, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023; and |
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7. |
To
transact such other business that is properly presented at the meeting or any adjournment. |
All
of these proposals are more fully described in the proxy statement that follows. You may vote at the meeting and any adjournments if
you were the record owner of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on May 15, 2023. A list of stockholders
of record will be available at the meeting and, during the 10 days prior to the meeting, at the office of the Company’s Corporate
Secretary at 2 University Plaza, Suite 100, Hackensack, NJ 07601.
Please sign, date and promptly return the enclosed
proxy card in the enclosed envelope, or vote by telephone or Internet (instructions are on your proxy card), so that your shares will
be represented whether or not you attend the annual meeting.
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BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
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|
Eyal Rubin |
Carmiel, Israel May , 2023 |
Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary |
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
2 University Plaza, Suite 100
Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-696-9345
PROXY STATEMENT FOR PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON JUNE 28, 2023
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Why Did You Send Me This Proxy Statement?
We sent you this proxy statement and the enclosed
proxy card because the Board of Directors of Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. is soliciting your proxy to vote at the 2023 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders and any adjournments of the meeting to be held on June 28, 2023 at the offices of LifeSci Advisors, 250 W. 55th
Street, Suite 3401, New York, NY 10019. This proxy statement, along with the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders,
summarizes the purposes of the meeting and the information you need to know to vote at the meeting.
We anticipate that on or about May 24, 2023,
we will begin sending this proxy statement, the attached Notice of Annual Meeting and the form of proxy enclosed to all stockholders
entitled to vote at the meeting. Although not part of this proxy statement, we are also sending along with this proxy statement our Annual
Report on Form 10-K which includes financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 (the “FY2022 Annual
Report”). You can also find a copy of our FY2022 Annual Report on the Internet through the electronic data system called EDGAR
provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, at http://www.sec.gov or through the Investor Relations section of our
website at http://www.protalix.com. Our FY2022 Annual Report and the information on the website other than the proxy statement are not
part of our proxy soliciting materials. Additional copies of the FY2022 Annual Report are available upon request.
Who Can Vote?
Only
holders of record of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, on May 15, 2023 (the “Record Date”), are entitled
to vote at the meeting. On the Record Date, there were shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. The common stock is currently
our only outstanding class of voting stock.
You do not need to attend the meeting to vote
your shares. Shares represented by valid proxies, received in time for the meeting and not revoked prior to the meeting, will be voted
at the meeting.
How Many Votes Do I Have?
Each share of common stock that you own entitles
you to one vote.
How Do I Vote?
Whether you plan to attend the meeting or not,
we urge you to vote by proxy. Voting by proxy will not affect your right to attend the meeting. If your shares are registered directly
in your name through our stock transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, or you have stock certificates, you
may vote:
| · | By mail. Complete, date, sign and mail the enclosed proxy
card in the enclosed postage prepaid envelope. Your proxy will be voted in accordance with
your instructions. If you sign the proxy card but do not specify how you want your shares
voted, they will be voted as recommended by our Board of Directors. |
| · | By Internet or by telephone. Follow the instructions attached
to the proxy card to vote by Internet or telephone. |
| · | In person at the meeting. If you attend the meeting, you
may deliver your completed proxy card in person or you may vote by completing a ballot, which
will be available at the meeting. We recommend arriving early to the meeting as there may
be delays at the entrance to the meeting venue. |
If your shares are held in “street name”
(held in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee), you must provide the bank, broker or other nominee with instructions on how to
vote your shares and can generally do so as follows:
| · | By mail. Complete, date, sign and mail the enclosed proxy
card in the enclosed postage prepaid envelope. Your proxy will be voted in accordance with
your instructions. If you sign the proxy card but do not specify how you want your shares
voted, they will be voted as recommended by our Board of Directors. |
| · | By Internet or by telephone. Follow the instructions attached
to the proxy card to vote by Internet or telephone. |
| · | In person at the meeting. If you attend the meeting, you
may deliver your completed proxy card in person or you may vote by completing a ballot, which
will be available at the meeting. We recommend arriving early to the meeting as there may
be delays at the entrance to the meeting venue. |
If you need assistance in voting by telephone
or over the Internet or completing your proxy card or have questions regarding the meeting, please contact our proxy advisor:
Alliance Advisors, LLC
200 Broadacres Drive, 3rd Floor
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
+1 (855) 200-7892 (toll free in the United States)
PLX@AllianceAdvisors.com
What Am I Voting On?
You are voting on:
| · | The election of seven members to our Board of Directors to serve
for the ensuing year or until their respective successors have been duly elected (Zeev Bronfeld,
Dror Bashan, Amos Bar Shalev, Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D., Pol F. Boudes, M.D.,
Gwen A. Melincoff and Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D.). |
| · | To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of
our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement. |
| · | To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, on the frequency (every
one, two or three years) that our stockholders will have a non-binding, advisory vote on
the compensation of our named executive officers. |
| · | To adopt amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock available
under the plan from 8,475,171 shares to 12,475,171 shares and to amend certain other terms
of said plan. |
| · | To approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as
amended, to increase the number of shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share,
authorized for issuance from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000. |
| · | The ratification of the appointment of Kesselman and Kesselman,
Certified Public Accountant (Isr.), a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited,
as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2023. |
How Does The Board Of Directors Recommend That I Vote At The Meeting?
The Board of Directors recommends that you vote
as follows:
· “FOR”
the re-election of all director nominees named in “Proposal 1: Election of Directors” of this proxy statement.
· “FOR”
the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of our executive compensation as disclosed in the proxy statement that accompanies this
notice and as described in “Proposal 2: Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation” of this proxy statement.
· “FOR”
the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of every one year as the frequency that our stockholders will have a non-binding, advisory
vote on our executive compensation as described in the “Proposal 3: Advisory Vote on the Frequency of an Advisory Vote
on Executive Compensation” of this proxy statement.
· “FOR”
the adoption of amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of
shares of common stock available under the plan from 8,475,171 shares to 12,475,171 shares and to amend certain other terms of said plan
as disclosed in the proxy statement that accompanies this notice and as described in “Proposal 4: Advisory Vote on Executive
Compensation” of this proxy statement.
· “FOR”
the approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of shares of our common stock, par
value $0.001 per share, authorized for issuance from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000, as disclosed in the proxy statement that accompanies
this notice and as described in “Proposal 5: Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation” of this proxy statement;
and
· “FOR”
the ratification of Kesselman and Kesselman as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2023 fiscal year, as named in
“Proposal 6: Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” of this proxy statement.
If any other matter is properly presented at the
meeting or any adjournment, the proxy card provides that your shares will be voted by the proxy holder listed on the proxy card in accordance
with his or her best judgment. At the time this proxy statement was printed, we knew of no matters that needed to be acted on at the
meeting, other than those discussed in this proxy statement.
What Constitutes A Quorum For The Meeting?
Of the shares of common stock outstanding as of
the Record Date, the holders of at least one-third (1/3) of those shares, or at least shares, must be present at the meeting in person
or represented by proxy to hold the meeting and conduct business. Once a quorum is established at a meeting, it shall not be broken by
the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum. Shares held by stockholders of record who are present at the meeting in person
or by proxy are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists. Abstentions and “broker non-votes” are also
counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists. If a quorum is not present, the meeting
will be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.
What Are The Voting Requirements To Approve A Proposal?
Election of directors
Director nominees will be elected by a plurality
of votes cast, which means that the director nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. In voting to elect nominees
to the Board of Directors, stockholders may vote in favor of all the nominees or any individual nominee or withhold their votes as to
all the nominees or any individual nominee. Only “FOR” and “WITHHOLD” votes will affect the outcome. Abstentions
and broker non-votes will have no effect on Proposal 1.
Approval of non-binding advisory resolution on executive
compensation
You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST”
or “ABSTAIN” on the advisory vote to approve executive compensation. Approval requires the affirmative vote of the majority
of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the resolution. The outcome of this vote is
not binding; however, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee will consider the outcome of the vote when developing and
reviewing the future executive compensation plans. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on Proposal 2.
Vote on a non-binding advisory resolution regarding the
frequency of the vote regarding executive compensation
Stockholders will be asked to vote on whether
to advise us to include in our proxy statement a non-binding, advisory vote on executive compensation every year, two years or three
years. You may vote “One Year,” “Two Years,” “Three Years” or “ABSTAIN.” If a quorum
is present, the outcome of this vote will be determined by a plurality of the votes cast, which means that, while the outcome of this
vote is not binding on us, we will take under advisement the choice (every year, two years or three years) that receives the most votes.
Abstentions and broker non-votes have no effect on Proposal 3.
Adoption of amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the plan
and to amend certain other terms of the plan
You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST”
or “ABSTAIN” on the adoption of an amendment to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended,
to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the plan. If a quorum is present, adoption of
the amendment requires that the number of votes cast at the meeting in favor of adoption exceeds the number of votes cast opposing adoption.
Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on Proposal 4.
Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation,
as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock
You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST”
or “ABSTAIN” on the proposal to amend our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of shares of our
common stock authorized for issuance from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000. The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common
stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting is required to approve the amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000. Abstentions will have the same effect as
an “against” vote on Proposal 5.
Ratification of the selection of Kesselman &
Kesselman as our independent auditor
You may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST”
or “ABSTAIN” on the ratification of the selection of Kesselman & Kesselman to serve as our principal independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. Ratification of the appointment of our independent
registered public accounting firm requires the affirmative vote of the majority of shares present in person or represented by proxy at
the meeting and entitled to vote on the. Abstentions will have no effect on Proposal 6.
How Are My Votes Cast When I Sign And Return A Proxy Card?
When you sign the proxy card or submit your proxy
by telephone or over the Internet, you appoint Dror Bashan, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and Eyal Rubin, our Sr. Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer, as your representatives at the meeting. Either Dror Bashan or Eyal Rubin will vote your shares
at the meeting as you have instructed them on the proxy card. Each such person may appoint a substitute for himself.
Even if you plan to attend the meeting, it is
a good idea to complete, sign and return your proxy card or submit your proxy by telephone or over the Internet in advance of the meeting
in case your plans change. This way, your shares will be voted by you whether or not you actually attend the meeting. We recommend arriving
early to the meeting as there may be delays at the entrance to the meeting venue.
May I Revoke My Proxy?
If you give us your proxy, you may revoke it at
any time before it is voted at the meeting. There will be no double counting of votes. You may revoke your proxy in any one of the following
ways:
|
· |
entering a new vote or by granting a new proxy card
or new voting instruction bearing a later date (which automatically revokes the earlier instructions); |
|
· |
if your shares are held in street name, re-voting by
Internet or by telephone as instructed above (only your latest Internet or telephone vote will be counted); |
|
· |
notifying our Corporate Secretary, Eyal Rubin, in writing
before the meeting that you have revoked your proxy; or |
|
· |
attending the meeting in person and voting in person.
Attending the meeting in person will not in and of itself revoke a previously submitted proxy unless you specifically request it. |
Can My Broker Vote My Shares For Me?
A broker “non-vote” occurs when a
broker or nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular matter because the matter is not routine and
such broker or nominee does not have the discretionary voting authority to vote the shares for which it is the holder of record with
respect to a particular matter at the meeting and such broker or nominee has not received instructions from the beneficial owner.
Broker “non-votes,” and shares as to which proxy authority has been withheld with respect to any matter, are generally
not deemed to be entitled to vote for purposes of determining whether stockholders’ approval of that matter has been obtained.
Pursuant to New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Rule 452, the uncontested election of directors
(Proposal No. 1), the approval of a non-binding advisory resolution on executive compensation (Proposal No. 2), the
vote on a non-binding advisory resolution regarding the frequency of the vote regarding executive compensation (Proposal No. 3)
and the adoption of amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. 2006 Stock Incentive Plan which increase the number of
shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the plan and amend certain other terms of the plan (Proposal No. 4) are
non-routine matters and, therefore, may not be voted upon by brokers without instructions from beneficial owners. Consequently,
proxies submitted by brokers for shares beneficially owned by other persons may not, in the absence of specific instructions from
such beneficial owners, vote the shares in favor of or withhold votes from such proposals at the brokers’ discretion. The
amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock (Proposal
No. 5) and the ratification of the selection of Kesselman & Kesselman to serve as our principal independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 (Proposal No. 6) are routine matters. Please
complete your proxy and return it as instructed so your vote can be counted.
What If I Receive More Than One Proxy Card?
You may receive more than one proxy card or voting
instruction form if you hold shares of our common stock in more than one account, which may be in registered form or held in street name.
Please vote in the manner described under “How Do I Vote?” for each account to ensure that all of your shares are voted.
What If I Do Not Vote For Some Of The Matters Listed On My Proxy
Card?
If
you return your proxy card without indicating your vote, your shares will be voted for the nominees listed on the card; for the
approval, on an advisory basis, of the executive compensation; for the approval, on an advisory basis, of every one
year as the frequency that our stockholders will have a non-binding, advisory vote on our executive compensation; for the
adoption of amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. 2006 Stock Incentive Plan which increase the number of shares of
common stock authorized for issuance under the plan and amend certain other terms of the plan; for the amendment to our
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock; and for the
ratification of the appointment of Kesselman & Kesselman.
Will My Shares Be Voted If I Do Not Return My Proxy Card And Do
Not Attend The Annual Meeting?
If your shares are registered in your name or
if you have stock certificates, they will not be voted if you do not return your proxy card by mail or vote at the meeting as described
above under “How Do I Vote?”.
If your shares are held in street name and you
do not provide voting instructions to the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares as described above under “How Do
I Vote?,” the bank, broker or other nominee has the authority to vote your shares on certain routine matters scheduled to come
before the meeting even if it does not receive instructions from you. We encourage you to provide voting instructions. This ensures your
shares will be voted at the meeting in the manner you desire.
Is Voting Confidential?
Yes. Only the inspector of elections and our employees
who have been assigned the responsibility for overseeing the legal aspects of the meeting and our proxy solicitors will have access to
your proxy card. The inspector of elections will tabulate and certify the vote. Any comments written on the proxy card will remain confidential
unless you ask that your name be disclosed.
What Are The Costs Of Soliciting These Proxies?
We
will pay all of the costs of soliciting these proxies. Our officers, directors and employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone,
fax or email. We will pay these officers, employees and directors no additional compensation for these services. We will ask banks, brokers
and other institutions, nominees and fiduciaries to forward these proxy materials to their principals and to obtain authority to execute
proxies. We will then reimburse them for their expenses. We have engaged Alliance Advisors LLC to assist us in soliciting proxies
for the meeting. We will pay Alliance Advisors a base fee of $10,000, plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, plus an additional fee
based upon the number of contacts with stockholders made and work performed. We estimate the total amount payable to Alliance Advisors
will be approximately $100,000.
Could Other Matters Be Decided At The Annual Meeting?
We do not know of any other matters that will
be considered at the meeting. If any other matters arise at the meeting at or by the direction of the Board of Directors, the proxies
will be voted at the discretion of the proxy holders.
What Happens If The Annual Meeting Is Postponed Or Adjourned?
Your proxy will still be valid and may be voted
at the postponed or adjourned meeting. You will still be able to change or revoke your proxy until it is voted.
Do I Need A Ticket To Attend The Annual Meeting?
Yes, you will need an admission ticket or proof
of ownership of common stock to enter the meeting. If you are a stockholder of record, your admission ticket is the bottom half of the
proxy card sent to you. If you plan to attend the meeting, please so indicate when you vote and bring the ticket with you to the meeting.
If your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record, your admission ticket is the left side of your voting
information form. If you do not bring your admission ticket, you will need proof of ownership to be admitted to the meeting. A recent
brokerage statement or letter from a bank or broker is an example of proof of ownership. If you arrive at the meeting without an admission
ticket, we will admit you only if we are able to verify that you are a stockholder of our Company. We recommend arriving early to the
meeting as there may be delays at the entrance to the meeting venue.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth information, as
of April 30, 2023, regarding beneficial ownership of our common stock:
· each
person who is known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our common stock;
· each
director;
· each
of our executive officers; and
· all
of our directors and executive officers collectively.
Unless otherwise noted, we believe that all persons
named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our common stock beneficially owned by each of
them. For purposes of this table, a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of securities that can be acquired by such person within
60 days from April 30, 2023 upon exercise of options, warrants and convertible securities. Each beneficial owner’s percentage
ownership is determined by assuming that options, warrants and convertible securities that are held by such person (but not those held
by any other person) and that are exercisable or convertible within 60 days from such date have been exercised. The information set forth
below is based upon information obtained from the beneficial owners, upon information in our possession regarding their respective holdings
and upon information filed by the holders with the SEC. The percentages of beneficial ownership are based on 65,414,917 shares of our
common stock outstanding as of April 30, 2023.
The address for all directors and officers is
c/o Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., 2 Snunit Street, Science Park, P.O. Box 455, Carmiel 2161401, Israel.
| |
Amount and Nature of | | |
Percentage of | |
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | |
Beneficial Ownership | | |
Class (%) | |
Board of Directors and Executive Officers | |
| | | |
| | |
Zeev Bronfeld(1) | |
| 646,033 | | |
| * | |
Dror Bashan(2) | |
| 1,444,083 | | |
| 2.20 | |
Amos Bar Shalev(3) | |
| 42,043 | | |
| * | |
Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D.(4) | |
| 9,375 | | |
| * | |
Pol F. Boudes, M.D.(5) | |
| 41,915 | | |
| * | |
Gwen A. Melincoff(6) | |
| 41,875 | | |
| * | |
Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D.(7) | |
| 215,875 | | |
| * | |
Yaron Naos(8) | |
| 233,031 | | |
| * | |
Eyal Rubin(9) | |
| 508,722 | | |
| * | |
Yael Hayon, Ph.D.(10) | |
| 136,092 | | |
| * | |
All executive officers and directors as a group (10 persons)(11) | |
| 3,319,044 | | |
| 4.97 | |
5% Holders | |
| | | |
| | |
Alfred Akirov(12) | |
| 4,515,686 | | |
| 6.70 | |
Highbridge Capital Management LLC(13) | |
| 7,260,249 | | |
| 9.99 | |
HIR Investments Ltd.(14) | |
| 4,411,305 | | |
| 6.54 | |
* Less than 1%.
(1) Consists
of 216,247 outstanding shares of our common stock held by EBC Holdings Ltd., an investment company wholly-owned by Mr. Bronfeld,
216,036 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of an outstanding warrant held by Mr. Bronfeld and 213,750 shares of our
common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 126,250 shares of
our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(2) Consists
of 68,000 outstanding shares of our common stock, 139,978 outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are subject to forfeiture
within 60 days of April 30, 2023, 945,480 outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are not subject to forfeiture as
of April 30, 2023 and 290,625 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30,
2023. Does not include 619,375 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(3) Consists
of 168 outstanding shares of our common stock and 41,875 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within
60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 48,125 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days
of April 30, 2023.
(4) Consists
of 9,375 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include
40,625 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(5) Consists
of 40 outstanding shares of our common stock and 41,875 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within
60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 48,125 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days
of April 30, 2023.
(6) Consists
of 41,875 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include
48,125 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(7) Consists
of 174,000 outstanding shares of our common stock and 41,875 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options
within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 48,125 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within
60 days of April 30, 2023.
(8) Consists
of 12,955 outstanding shares of our common stock, 7,000 outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are not subject to forfeiture
within 60 days of April 30, 2023, and 213,076 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60
days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 314,580 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days
of April 30, 2023.
(9) Consists
of 68,217 outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are subject to forfeiture within 60 days of April 30, 2023, 299,880
outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are not subject to forfeiture as of April 30, 2023 and 140,625 shares of
our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 289,375 shares
of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(10) Consists
of 136,092 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include
243,679 shares of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(11) Consists
of 471,410 outstanding shares of our common stock, 215,195 outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are subject to forfeiture
within 60 days of April 30, 2023, 1,245,360 outstanding restricted shares of our common stock that are not subject to forfeiture
as of April 30, 2023, 216,036 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of an outstanding warrant and 1,171,043 shares of
our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options within 60 days of April 30, 2023. Does not include 1,826,384 shares
of our common stock underlying options that will not vest within 60 days of April 30, 2023.
(12) Based
on information provided by Alfred Akirov. Consists of 2,503,614 outstanding shares of our common stock and 2,012,072 shares of our common
stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants within 60 days of April 30, 2023, in the aggregate, held by Alrov Properties &
Lodgings Ltd., or Alrov Properties, Technorov Holdings (1993) Ltd., or Technorov, and Alrov Holdings Technologies Ltd., or Alrov Technologies.
Mr. Akirov is the majority shareholder, and Chairman of the Board of each of Alrov Properties, which is listed on the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange, and the subsidiaries of Alrov Properties, Technorov and Alrov Technologies, and, accordingly, in the normal course of business
has the power to direct the voting and disposition decisions of such entities, all subject to the Israeli law provision in regards to
a public company. Mr. Akirov’s principal business office is at The Alrov Tower, 46 Rothschild Boulevard, Tel Aviv 66883, Israel.
(13) Based on a Schedule 13F-HR
filed on February 12, 2023 for December 31, 2022 by Highbridge Capital Management LLC, or Highbridge and other information provided
by Highbridge. Consists of 7,260,249 shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible notes and exercise of outstanding
warrants within 60 days of April 30, 2023, held by Highbridge Tactical Credit Master Fund, L.P., or the Highbridge Fund. Highbridge,
as the trading manager of the Highbridge Fund, and the Highbridge Fund may each be deemed to be the beneficial owner of such shares. The
convertible notes and the warrants are subject to blocker provisions pursuant to which the holders thereof cannot convert the notes or
exercise the warrants to the extent that the reporting persons would beneficially own, after any such exercise, more than 9.99% of the
outstanding shares of our common stock. The disclosed holdings do not include all of the shares underlying all of the notes and the warrants
due to the blocker provisions. The principal business office of Highbridge is 40 West 57th Street, 32nd Floor, New York, New York
10019.
(14) Consists of 2,362,783
outstanding shares of our common stock and 2,012,072 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants within
60 days of April 30, 2023, in the aggregate, held by HIR Investments Ltd., or HIR, and 36,450 outstanding shares of our common stock
held directly or indirectly by Chinar Shah. Mr. Shah has the power to direct the voting and disposition decisions of, and thus may be
deemed to have beneficial ownership (as determined under Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”))
of, all such shares and warrants. The principal business office of HIR is Flat No. 303, Al-Shamal Building, Al-Khor Street, Goldsuq, Deira,
Dubai, UAE.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires
our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 10% of our common stock to file with the SEC reports regarding their ownership
and changes in ownership of our equity securities. We believe that all Section 16 filings requirements were met by our officers
and directors during 2022. In making this statement, we have relied solely upon examination of the copies of Forms 3, 4 and 5, and written
representations of our former and current officers and directors.
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
At the meeting, our stockholders will be asked
to elect seven directors for a one-year term expiring at the next meeting of stockholders. Each director will hold office until his or
her successor has been elected and qualified or until the director’s earlier resignation or removal.
Our Board of Directors recommends that the persons
named below be elected as directors of our Company and it is intended that the accompanying proxy will be voted for their election as
directors, unless the proxy contains contrary instructions. Shares of common stock represented by all proxies received by the Board of
Directors and not so marked as to withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee or for all nominees will be voted (unless one
or more nominees are unable to serve) for the election of the nominees named below. The Board of Directors knows of no reason why any
such nominee should be unable or unwilling to serve, but if such should be the case, proxies will be voted for the election of some other
person or the size of the Board of Directors will be fixed at a lower number.
Each of the nominees currently serves as a member
of our Board of Directors. The directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present or represented by proxy
and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Nominees for Election to the Board of Directors
The names of the nominees for election to the
Board of Directors and certain information about such nominees are set forth below. For information concerning the number of shares of
common stock beneficially owned by each nominee, see “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” above.
Name | |
Age | |
Position |
Zeev Bronfeld | |
71 | |
Chairman of the Board |
Dror Bashan | |
56 | |
President and Chief Executive Officer, Director |
Amos Bar Shalev | |
70 | |
Director |
Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D. | |
63 | |
Director |
Pol F. Boudes, M.D. | |
66 | |
Director |
Gwen A. Melincoff | |
71 | |
Director |
Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. | |
80 | |
Director |
Zeev
Bronfeld. Mr. Bronfeld has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors since August 2019. He has served as
a director of Protalix Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary and sole operating unit, since 1996 and as our director since December 2006.
Mr. Bronfeld brings to us vast experience in management and value building of biotechnology companies. He is an experienced businessman
who is involved in a number of biotechnology companies. He was a co-founder of Bio-cell Ltd., a former Israeli publicly-traded holding
company that specialized in biotechnology companies and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 1986 through 2015. Mr. Bronfeld
currently serves as a director of The Trendlines Group (SGX:42T), a company listed on the Singapore Exchange. Mr. Bronfeld is also
a director of a number of privately-held companies, most of which are involved in the life sciences industry, such as Contipi Medical
Ltd. From April 2017 through November 2022 Mr. Bronfeld served as a director of Electreon Wireless Ltd. (TASE:ELWS) (formerly,
Biomedix Incubator Ltd.), from August 2010 through April 2021, he served as a director of Entera Bio Ltd. (NASDAQ: ENTX), and
from November 2009 through February 2021, he served as a director of D.N.A. Biomedical Solutions Ltd. (TASE:DNA) and from January 2008
through January 2017, he served as a director of Macrocure Ltd., a Nasdaq-listed company that merged into Leap Therapeutics, Inc.
(NASDAQ:LPTX). Mr. Bronfeld received a B.A. in Economics from the Hebrew University in 1975. We believe Mr. Bronfeld’s
qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his years of experience in the management of private and public Israeli companies,
including life science companies.
Dror
Bashan. Mr. Bashan has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as our director since June 2019.
He has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with roles ranging from business development, marketing, sales
and finance providing him with both cross regional and cross discipline experience and a deep knowledge of the global pharmaceutical
and health industries. From 1998 through 2018, he served in a number of senior positions at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (“Teva”).
(NYSE:TEVA; TASE:TEVA). Most recently, he served as Teva’s Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, and was involved
in strategic alliances, cross-company strategic projects and the acquisition and divestiture of assets. Mr. Bashan holds a BA in
Economics and Business Management from the Tel Aviv University and an MBA from the Tel Aviv University.
Amos
Bar Shalev. Mr. Bar Shalev has served as our director since July 2008. Previously, Mr. Bar Shalev served as
a director of Protalix Ltd. from 2005 through January 2008, and as our director from 2006 through January 2008. Mr. Bar
Shalev brings to us extensive experience in managing technology companies. Currently, Mr. Bar Shalev serves on the Board of Directors
of the following privately-held Israeli companies: Aposense Ltd. and Sirvir Ltd. From 2004 through 2012, Mr. Bar Shalev served as
a director of Technorov Holdings (1993) Ltd. and managed its portfolio. From 1997 through 2004, he was a Managing Director of TDA Capital
Partners, a management company of the TGF (Templeton Tadiran) Fund. From 2004 through 2007, he was the President of Win Buyer Ltd. He
has served on the Board of Directors of a number of Israeli publicly traded and privately-held Israeli companies including, among others,
Steam CC Ltd., Velox Ltd., NESS Ltd. (acquired by BioNess Inc.), Idanit (acquired by Scitex Corporation Ltd.), Objet Geometrix (merged
with Stratasys, Inc. (NASDAQ:SSYS)), Verisity, Scitex Vision (acquired by Hewlett Packard), Golden Wings Investment Company Ltd.,
the venture capital fund of the Israeli Air Force Veterans Business Club, Win Buyer Ltd. and Sun Light Ltd. He received his B.Sc. in
Electrical Engineering from the Technion, Israel in 1978 and M.B.A. from the Tel Aviv University in 1981. He holds the highest award
from the Israeli Air Force for technological achievements. We believe Mr. Bar Shalev’s qualifications to serve on our Board
of Directors include his years of experience in the management of Israeli businesses.
Shmuel “Muli”
Ben Zvi, Ph.D. Dr. Ben Zvi joined our Board of Directors on June 30, 2022. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of
Bank Leumi, and serves on the credit, technology and strategy committees thereof. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Sol-Gel
Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:SLGL), where he is a member of the audit and compensation committees, and on the Board of Directors of Vascular
Biogenics Ltd. (Nasdaq:VBLT), where he also serves on the audit and compensation committees. From 2004 to 2014, Dr. Ben Zvi served in
a number of managerial positions at Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., the last two being Vice President, Strategy and Vice President,
Finance. From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Ben Zvi was the financial advisor to the chief of general staff of the Israel Defense Forces and head
of the Defense Ministry budget department. Dr. Ben Zvi holds a B.A. and an M.A., both Cum Laude, and a Ph.D. in economics, all from Tel-Aviv
University, Israel. He also participated in the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program (AMP) and in National Security &
Political Science programs at the National Security College, Israel and Haifa University, Israel. Dr. Ben Zvi performed post-doctoral
studies in Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We believe Dr. Ben Zvi’s qualifications to serve on
our Board of Directors include his years of experience in the management of public Israeli companies, including life science companies,
and in particular his experience in financial and investment matters and participation on audit committees.
Pol
F. Boudes, M.D. Dr. Boudes joined our Board of Directors in January 2020. He is a senior physician and chief medical
officer with more than 25 years of experience in research and development, with a special emphasis on orphan drugs and translational
medicine. In March 2020, Dr. Boudes was appointed Chief Medical Officer of Galectin Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:GALT). He
also serves as a research and development consultant. From April 2014 through October 2019, he served as the Chief Medical
Officer of CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CBAY) where he led the development of treatments for rare liver diseases. Dr. Boudes
was also Chief Medical Officer at Amicus Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:FOLD) from 2009 to 2013 where he was instrumental in the development
of migalastat (Galafold®) for the treatment of Fabry disease, as well as treatments for Pompe disease and Gaucher disease.
He has served in various roles at Berlex Laboratories (acquired by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals), Wyeth-Ayerst Research, Hoffmann-La
Roche and Pasteur-Merieux Serums & Vaccines. Dr. Boudes holds an M.D. from the University of Aix-Marseilles, France and
has specialized in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Internal Medicine, and Geriatric diseases. We believe Dr. Boudes’
qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his vast experience and knowledge of the research and development of pharmaceuticals.
Gwen
A. Melincoff. Ms. Melincoff joined our Board of Directors in January 2020. She is a seasoned business development
and venture professional with over 25 years of deal-making and management experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Her experience has spanned public and private company boards, venture financing, business development, licensing, mergers and acquisitions,
research operations, marketing, product management and project management. Ms. Melincoff currently serves on the Board of Directors
of Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:GANX), Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOLN) and Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLL).
She also serves in an advisory capacity at a number of pharmaceutical companies. From April 2017 through June 2020, she served
on the Board of Directors of Photocure ASA, from January 2017 through January 2019, she served on the Board of Directors of
Kamada Ltd. (NASDAQ:KMDA, TASE:KMDA), and from June 2014 through November 2016, she served on the Board of Directors of
Tobira Therapeutics Inc. (acquired by Allergan plc). From August 2014 through September 2016, Ms. Melincoff served
as Vice President of Business Development at BTG International Inc. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development
at Shire Plc. Additionally, she led the Shire Strategic Investment Group, the venture capital arm of Shire Plc. Ms. Melincoff was
Vice President of Business Development at Adolor Corporation and held executive positions at Eastman Kodak for over ten years in
a number of their health care companies. She holds a B.S. in Biology from The George Washington University and an M.S. in Management
and Health Care Administration from Pennsylvania State University. Ms. Melincoff has also attained the designation of Certified
Licensing Professional (CLP™). Ms. Melincoff was named to the “Top Women in Biotech 2013” by Fierce Biotech and
to the Powerlist 100 of Corporate Venture Capital in 2012 and 2013. We believe Ms. Melincoff’s qualifications to serve on
our Board of Directors include her years of experience at pharmaceutical companies, particularly with respect to business development.
Aharon
Schwartz, Ph.D. Dr. Schwartz has served as our director since November 2014. He retired from Teva in 2011 where
he served in a number of positions from 1975 through 2011, the most recent being Vice President, Head of Teva Innovative Ventures from
2008. Dr. Schwartz is currently chairman of the Board of Directors of BiolineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ:BLRX, TASE:BLRX) and a member of the
Board of Directors of Barcode Ltd. He also serves as the Head of the Advisory Board of Oncohost Ltd. and works as an independent consultant.
From May 2015 through March 2020, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Nasdaq: FOMX),
which was acquired by Menlo Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: MNLO), and from January 2013 through November 2017, he served as a member
of the Board of Directors of Alcobra Ltd., which is now called Arcturus Therapeutics Ltd. Dr. Schwartz received his Ph.D. in organic
chemistry in 1978 from the Weizmann Institute of Science, his M.Sc. in organic chemistry from the Technion and a B.Sc. in chemistry and
physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Schwartz received a second Ph.D. in 2014 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
in the history and philosophy of science. We believe Dr. Schwartz’s qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include
his years of experience at life science companies.
Our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote “FOR”
the election or re-election of all director nominees named in this “Proposal 1: Election of Directors.”
Corporate Governance and Independent Directors
In compliance with the listing requirements of
the NYSE American, we have a comprehensive plan of corporate governance for the purpose of defining responsibilities, setting high standards
of professional and personal conduct and assuring compliance with such responsibilities and standards. We currently regularly monitor
developments in the area of corporate governance to ensure we are in compliance with the standards and regulations required by the NYSE
American. A summary of our corporate governance measures follows.
Independent Directors
We believe a majority of the members of our Board
of Directors are independent from management. When making determinations from time to time regarding independence, the Board of Directors
will reference the listing standards adopted by the NYSE American as well as the independence standards set forth in the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, or the SOX, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under that Act, as well as other factors which could
assist our Board of Directors and its committees in determining that a director will have no material relationship with us that could
compromise that director’s independence.
Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Bronfeld,
Mr. Bar Shalev, Dr. Ben Zvi, Dr. Boudes, Ms. Melincoff and Dr. Schwartz are “independent” pursuant
to the rules of the NYSE American.
The position of Chairman of the Board is not held
by our chief executive officer at this time. The Board of Directors does not have a policy mandating the separation of these functions.
We believe it is in our best interest that Mr. Bronfeld serve as the chairman of our Board of Directors. This decision was based
on Mr. Bronfeld’s experience in the healthcare industry in Israel and globally and his years of experience serving on the
Board of Directors of public and private companies. Our non-management directors hold formal meetings, separate from management, at least
twice per year.
The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight
Our Board of Directors oversees an enterprise-wide
approach to risk management, designed to support the achievement of business objectives, including organizational and strategic objectives,
to improve long-term organizational performance and enhance stockholder value. The involvement of our Board of Directors in setting our
business strategy is a key part of its assessment of management’s plans for risk management and its determination of what constitutes
an appropriate level of risk for the Company. The participation of our Board of Directors in our risk oversight process includes receiving
regular reports from members of senior management on areas of material risk to the Company, including operational, financial, legal and
regulatory, and strategic and reputational risks. While the full Board of Directors has the ultimate oversight responsibility for the
risk management process, various committees of the Board of Directors also have responsibility for risk management. For example, financial
risks, including internal controls, are overseen by the Audit and Finance Committee and risks that may be implicated by our executive
compensation programs are overseen by the Compensation Committee. Upon identification of a risk, the assigned committee or our full Board
of Directors discuss or review risk management and risk mitigation strategies. Additional review or reporting on enterprise risks is
conducted as needed or as requested by our Board of Directors or a committee thereof.
Board and Committee Meetings
Our Board of Directors has an Audit and Finance
Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating Committee. The membership of each committee is as follows:
Committee | |
Chairman | |
Membership |
Audit and Finance Committee | |
Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D. | |
Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D., Amos Bar Shalev and Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. |
Compensation Committee | |
Amos Bar Shalev | |
Amos Bar Shalev, Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D. and Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. |
Nominating Committee | |
Amos Bar Shalev | |
Amos Bar Shalev, Zeev Bronfeld and Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. |
The primary functions of each committee are as
follows:
Audit and Finance Committee
Our Board of Directors has determined that Dr. Ben
Zvi, Mr. Bar Shalev and Dr. Schwartz are “independent” for purposes of membership on the Audit and Finance Committee
pursuant to Section 803B(2) of the NYSE American Company Guide and Section 10A(m)(3) of the Exchange Act. We require
that all Audit and Finance Committee members possess the required level of financial literacy and at least one member of the Audit and
Finance Committee meet the current standard of requisite financial management expertise as required by the NYSE American and applicable
rules and regulations of the SEC.
Our Audit and Finance Committee operates under
a formal charter that governs its duties and conduct. A current copy of the Audit and Finance Committee Charter is available on our website
at http://www.protalix.com.
All members of the Audit and Finance Committee
are independent from our executive officers and management.
Our independent registered public accounting firm
reports directly to the Audit and Finance Committee.
Our Audit and Finance Committee meets with management
and representatives of our registered public accounting firm prior to the filing of officers’ certifications with the SEC to receive
information concerning, among other things, effectiveness of the design or operation of our internal controls over financial reporting,
as required by Section 404 of SOX.
Our Audit and Finance Committee has adopted a
Policy for Reporting Questionable Accounting and Auditing Practices and Policy Prohibiting Retaliation against Reporting employees to
enable confidential and anonymous reporting of improper activities to the Audit and Finance Committee.
Dr. Ben Zvi, Mr. Bar Shalev and Dr. Schwartz
each qualify as “audit committee financial experts” under the applicable rules of the SEC. In making the determination
as to these individuals’ status as audit committee financial experts, our Board of Directors determined they have accounting and
related financial management expertise within the meaning of the aforementioned rules, as well as the listing standards of the NYSE American.
Compensation Committee
Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Bar
Shalev, Dr. Ben Zvi, and Dr. Schwartz are “independent” for purposes of membership on the Compensation Committee
pursuant to Section 805(c) of the NYSE American Company Guide. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the compensation
of executive officers and key employees and administers our stock incentive plan. A current copy of the Compensation Committee Charter
is available on our website at http://www.protalix.com.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is responsible for assisting
our Board of Directors in selecting nominees for election to the Board of Directors and monitoring the composition of the Board of Directors.
A current copy of the Nominating Committee Charter is available on our website at http://www.protalix.com. Although our Board of Directors
does not have a formal policy requiring the Nominating Committee to consider the diversity of directors in its nomination process, in
considering potential new directors, the Nominating Committee will review individuals from various disciplines and backgrounds, and consider
the following qualifications: broad experience in business, finance or administration; familiarity with national business matters; familiarity
with our industry; independence; and prominence and reputation. The committee seeks nominees with a broad diversity of experience, professions,
education, skills and backgrounds with a view to having a Board of Directors that represents a diversity of views, experiences, and backgrounds.
After making such a review, the Nominating Committee submits the nomination to the full Board of Directors for approval.
The Nominating Committee will consider any nominees
submitted by stockholders of record at the time of any such nomination in compliance with applicable rules of the SEC and our By-Laws.
The Nominating Committee will determine whether any stockholder nominee meets the qualifications for candidacy described above and in
the Nominating Committee Charter. Stockholders’ nominations for election at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be submitted
in writing to Eyal Rubin, Corporate Secretary, not less than 45 days nor more than 75 days prior to the date on which we first
mailed this proxy statement. Such written notice must include the following information: (i) name, age, business address and residence
address of the nominee; (ii) the principal occupation or employment of the nominee; (iii) the class and number of shares of
our Company beneficially owned by the nominee; and (iv) any other information relating to the nominee that would be required to
be disclosed in solicitations for proxies for elections of directors pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. The written notice
must also include the following information with respect to each stockholder delivering such notice: (i) the name and record address
of such stockholder; and (ii) the class and number of shares of our Company beneficially owned by the stockholder. Lastly, the written
notice must include certain information relating to any derivative or hedging transactions by the stockholder delivering such notice
and its Stockholder Associated Persons, as defined in our By-Laws, and other arrangements with other parties regarding our securities,
as presented in detail in our By-Laws. Stockholders can mail any such recommendations, including the criteria outlined above, to Eyal
Rubin, Corporate Secretary, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., 2 University Plaza, Suite 100, Hackensack, NJ 07601.
Under the rules of the NYSE American, a director
of our Company will only qualify as an “independent director” if, among other things, in the opinion of our Board of Directors,
that person does not have a material relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the
responsibilities of a director. The Board of Directors has determined that none of the non-employee directors has a relationship that
would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of the non-employee
directors is an “independent director” as defined under rules of the NYSE American. In addition, the Board of Directors
has determined that all members of the Audit and Finance Committee meet the independence requirements set forth in Section 803B(2) of
the NYSE American Company Guide and Section 10A(m)(3) of the Exchange Act, and that all members of the Compensation Committee
meet the independence requirements set forth in Rule 805(c) of the NYSE American Listed Company Guide.
Contacting the Board of Directors
Stockholders who wish to communicate with the
Board of Directors may do so by mailing any such communications to Eyal Rubin, Corporate Secretary, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.,
2 University Plaza, Suite 100, Hackensack, NJ 07601. All communications are distributed to the Board of Directors, as appropriate,
depending upon the facts and circumstances outlined in the communications received. For example, if any complaints regarding accounting
and/or auditing matters are received, they may be forwarded by our Corporate Secretary to the Audit and Finance Committee for review.
Policy Governing Director Attendance at Annual Meetings of Stockholders
We have no formal policy regarding attendance by
our directors at annual stockholders meetings, although we encourage such attendance and anticipate most of our directors will attend
these meetings. Mr. Bashan, Mr. Bronfeld, Mr. Bar Shalev and Ms. Melincoff participated in our 2022 annual meeting
of stockholders.
During the year ended December 31, 2022,
there were seven meetings of our Board of Directors, four meetings of the Audit and Finance Committee, three meetings of the Compensation
Committee and one meeting of the Nominating Committee. Our non-management directors hold meetings separate from management at least twice
per year. All of our current directors that served on our Board of Directors during the year ended December 31, 2022 attended
at least 75% of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board of Directors and the committees of the Board of Directors on which they
served.
Compensation of Directors
The following table sets forth information with
respect to compensation of our non-employee directors during fiscal year 2022.
| |
Fees Earned or | | |
Option | | |
| |
Name | |
Paid in Cash ($) | | |
Award(s) ($) | | |
Total ($) | |
Zeev Bronfeld | |
| | | |
| 94,022 | | |
| 94,022 | |
Amos Bar Shalev | |
| 40,000 | | |
| 21,464 | | |
| 61,464 | |
Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D. | |
| 20,000 | | |
| 13,399 | | |
| 33,399 | |
Pol F. Boudes, M.D. | |
| 40,000 | | |
| 21,464 | | |
| 61,464 | |
Gwen A. Melincoff | |
| 40,000 | | |
| 21,464 | | |
| 61,464 | |
Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. | |
| 40,000 | | |
| 21,464 | | |
| 61,464 | |
The Board of Directors approved a new compensation
program for our non-employee directors, commencing as of January 1, 2020. Directors are entitled to a cash payment equal to $40,000
per year, payable quarterly, and were granted options to purchase 40,000 shares of our common stock. The options vest quarterly in 16
equal increments over a four-year period. We granted to the Chairman of the Board an option to purchase 240,000 shares of our common stock,
which option vests quarterly in 16 equal increments over a four-year period. As part of the compensation program, Zeev Bronfeld, the Chairman
of the Board of Directors, is not entitled to cash compensation. His compensation is limited to equity compensation. Additional options
grants were made to directors in 2022. Our directors each were awarded options to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock in 2022, except
with respect to Mr. Bronfeld who was awarded an option to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock in 2022.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
No member of our Compensation Committee or any
executive officer of the Company or of Protalix Ltd. has a relationship that would constitute an interlocking relationship with
executive officers or directors of another entity. No Compensation Committee member is or was an officer or employee of ours or of Protalix Ltd.
or had any relationship that constituted a related party transaction. Further, none of our executive officers serves on the Board of
Directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board of Directors
or Compensation Committee.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics includes
provisions ranging from restrictions on gifts to conflicts of interest. All of our employees and directors are bound by this Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics. Violations of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics may be reported to the Audit and Finance Committee.
The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics includes
provisions applicable to all of our employees, including senior financial officers and members of our Board of Directors and is posted
on our website (www.protalix.com). We intend to post amendments to or waivers from any such Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
Insider Trading, Prohibition on Short-term, Speculative Transactions
Our Insider Trading and Blackout Policy includes
restrictions regarding the timing and types of transactions in our securities by our directors, officers, including our Named Executive
officers, and other employees. Our directors, officers and certain other designated other employees are prohibited from trading during
blackout periods (during the period from and including the close of business on the seventh day prior to the end of the third month of
each quarter and ends on the opening of the second business day following our filing with the SEC of the Company’s quarterly or
annual financial reports or earlier public release of quarterly or annual financial information) and without the clearance of our Compliance
Officer. In addition, the policy provides that none of our directors, officers or other employees may engage in the following transactions:
(i) purchasing our securities on margin; (ii) pledging our securities; (iii) short sales; (d) buying or selling puts
or calls in connection with our securities; and (v) engaging in derivative transactions relating to our securities (e.g., exchange
traded options, etc.).
MANAGEMENT
Our 2022 executive officers, their ages and positions,
and other information are as follows:
Name | |
Age | |
Position |
Dror Bashan | |
56 | |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Eyal Rubin | |
47 | |
Sr. Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |
Yaron Naos | |
59 | |
Sr. Vice President, Operations |
Yael Hayon, Ph.D. | |
40 | |
Vice President, Research and Development |
The biographical information for Mr. Bashan
is set forth above under “Proposal 1: Election of Directors.”
Eyal
Rubin. Mr. Rubin has served as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since September 2019. He brings
more than 20 years of finance and capital markets experience, an extensive background in financial planning and operations, management
and strategy and a deep knowledge of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining Protalix, he served as Executive
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BCLI), a publicly traded biotechnology company,
where he was responsible for all corporate finance, accounting and investor relations activities. Prior to his role at BrainStorm, Mr. Rubin
served at Teva (NYSE:TEVA; TASE:TEVA) in several roles, most recently as Vice President, Head of Corporate Treasury. In this role, Mr. Rubin
was responsible for Teva’s cash operations and cash management, as well as Teva’s equity and debt capital markets transactions.
Mr. Rubin holds a BA in Financing and IT Systems from the College of Management, Israel, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude
with a specialization in Financing and IT Systems, and an MBA from Bar-Ilan University, Israel, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude
with a specialization in Finance.
Yaron
Naos. Mr. Naos joined Protalix in 2004, originally as a Senior Director for Operations and later as Vice President for
Production, and became our Senior Vice President, Operations in 2018. Mr. Naos has a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge
in the field of pharmaceutical development. Prior to joining Protalix, he served for a decade as R&D Product Manager at Dexxon Pharmaceutical
Co., one of Israel’s largest pharmaceutical companies, where he was responsible for technology transfer from R&D to production,
and in charge of R&D activities that led to the commercialization of many products. Later, Mr. Naos was plant manager of Medibrands
Pharmaceutical Company, as well as logistics manager of Mediline for period of four years, where he was responsible for all operational
activities, from procurement to distribution. Mr. Naos holds a B.Sc. in Food Engineering and Biotechnology from the Technion-Israel
Technology Institute and an MBA from Haifa University.
Yael
Hayon, Ph.D. Dr. Hayon joined Protalix in 2020. She brings to Protalix over a decade of experience in pharmaceutical
research in development, both in the scientific operations and the administrative functions. She most recently served as Vice President
of Clinical Affairs of Syqe Medical Ltd., Tel-Aviv, where she, among other things, established the clinical and medical global strategy,
and was responsible for providing strategic input on the regulatory development plan. Prior to her role at Syqe Medical, Dr. Hayon
served as the Head of R&D Israeli Site of LogicBio Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease), Cambridge,
Massachusetts, where she managed LogicBio’s Israeli-based Research and Development facility and was involved in strategic decision-making.
From 2014 through 2016 she served as the R&D Manager, Stem Cell Medicine Ltd., Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Hayon holds a Ph.D.
in Neurobiology/Hematology, and an M.Sc. in Neurobiology, both from the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among directors
or executive officers of our Company.
Executive Compensation
The primary goals of the Compensation Committee
of our Board of Directors with respect to executive compensation are to attract and retain the most talented and dedicated executives
possible, to tie annual and long-term cash and stock incentives to achievement of specified performance objectives, and to align executives’
incentives with stockholder value creation. To achieve these goals, the Compensation Committee implements and maintains compensation
plans that tie a portion of executives’ overall compensation to key strategic goals such as developments in our clinical path,
the establishment of key strategic collaborations, the build-up of our pipeline and the strengthening of our financial position. The
Compensation Committee evaluates individual executive performance with a goal of setting compensation at levels the committee believes
are comparable with executives in other companies of similar size and stage of development operating in the biotechnology industry while
taking into account our relative performance and our own strategic goals.
Elements of Compensation
Executive compensation consists of following elements:
Base
Salary. Base salaries for our executive officers are established based on the scope of their responsibilities taking into
account competitive market compensation paid by other companies for similar positions. Generally, we believe that executive base salaries
should be targeted near the median of the range of salaries for executives in similar positions with similar responsibilities at comparable
companies. The Compensation Committee convenes from time to time to evaluate present and future executive compensation, which evaluation
generally includes an evaluation of the peer group considered in analyzing executive compensation. The Compensation Committee intends
to continue reviewing and revising the peer group periodically to ensure that it continues to reflect companies similar to the Company
in size and development stage. The Compensation Committee also reviews executive compensation reports and an analysis of publicly-traded
biotechnology companies prepared by third party experts from a well-known consulting firm for additional data and other information regarding
executive compensation for comparative purposes.
Base salaries are usually reviewed annually, and
adjusted from time to time to realign salaries with market levels after taking into account individual responsibilities, performance
and experience. The base salaries of each of our President and Chief Executive Officer, our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer our Senior Vice President, Operations, who we refer to collectively as the “Named Executive Officers,” are discussed
herein.
Annual
Bonus. The Compensation Committee has the authority to award discretionary annual bonuses to our executive officers.
The discretionary annual bonus awards were intended to compensate officers for achieving financial, clinical, regulatory and operational
goals and for achieving individual annual performance objectives. For any given year, the compensation objectives vary, but relate
generally to strategic factors such as developments in our clinical path, the execution of a license agreement for the commercialization
of product candidates, the establishment of key strategic collaborations, the build-up of our pipeline and financial factors such as
capital raising. Bonuses are awarded generally based on corporate performance, with adjustments made within a range for individual performance,
at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee determines, on a discretionary basis, the size of the entire
bonus pool and the amount of the actual award to each Named Executive Officer.
The Compensation Committee selects, in its discretion,
the executive officers of the Company or our subsidiary who are eligible to receive bonuses for any given year. Any bonus granted by
the Compensation Committee will generally be paid upon the achievement of a specific milestone, subject to certain terms and conditions.
The Compensation Committee has not fixed a minimum or maximum award for any executive officer’s annual discretionary bonus. Each
of our executive officers is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus under his or her employment agreement.
During the year ended December 31, 2022,
the Compensation Committee determined that Mr. Bashan and Mr. Rubin were both entitled to annual bonuses for fiscal years ended
December 31, 2021 and 2020, which had not yet been awarded. Performance milestones underlying such bonuses were as follows:
A. |
Finance
(50%, in the aggregate) |
|
· Debt
situation improvement (30%) |
|
· Cash
going forward for 1.5 years minimum (20%) |
B. |
Business
– Sales to Pfizer Inc. and Brazil (15%, in the aggregate) |
|
· Increasing
transfer price and contract extension with Pfizer Inc. (10%) |
|
· Sales
to Brazil (5%) |
C. |
R&D
(25%, in the aggregate) |
|
· Fabry
(15%) |
|
|
· Finalization
of the clinical development program |
|
|
· Preparation
for regulatory submissions (both in the United States and in the European Union) |
|
· Improving
pipeline (10%) |
|
|
· Current
existing programs |
|
|
· New
Programs |
D. |
· Strengthening
Corporate viability (10%) |
The
Compensation Committee determined that both Mr. Bashan and Mr. Rubin had achieved 100% of the performance milestones and awarded
a cash bonus equal to 10 months’ salary to Mr. Rubin to cover fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. The
Compensation Committee awarded a bonus equal to 18 months’ salary to Mr. Bashan to cover fiscal years ended December 31,
2021 and 2020. Given our cash position at the time, Mr. Bashan agreed to accept his bonus in shares of our common stock in lieu
of cash. Mr. Naos was awarded a cash bonus commensurate with other company Vice Presidents.
Options
and Share-Based Compensation. Our Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive Plan authorizes us to grant options to purchase
shares of common stock, restricted stock and other securities to our employees, directors and consultants. Our Compensation Committee
is the administrator of the stock incentive plan. Stock option or other grants are generally made at the commencement of employment and
following a significant change in job responsibilities or to meet other special retention or performance objectives. The Compensation
Committee reviews and approves stock option and other awards to executive officers based upon a review of competitive compensation data,
its assessment of individual performance, a review of each executive’s existing long-term incentives, and retention considerations.
The exercise price of stock options granted under our Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, must be equal to at
least 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant; however, in certain circumstances, grants may be made at
a lower price to Israeli grantees who are residents of the State of Israel.
Severance
and Change in Control Benefits. The Compensation Committee granted the following payments that would be payable in connection
with a change of control: $1.0 million to the President and Chief Executive Officer and $400,000 to each of the other executive
Vice Presidents. Such payments are subject to certain terms and conditions. In addition to the foregoing, pursuant to the employment
agreements entered into with each of our executive officers, the executive officer is entitled to be insured by Protalix Ltd. under
a Manager’s Policy in lieu of severance. The intention of such Manager’s Policies is to provide the Israel-based officers
with severance protection of one month’s salary for each year of employment. In addition, the stock options and restricted
stock granted to each of our Named Executive Officers provide that all of such instruments are subject to accelerated vesting immediately
upon a change in control of the Company.
Other
Compensation. Consistent with our compensation philosophy, we intend to continue to maintain our current benefits for
our executive officers; however, the Compensation Committee in its discretion may revise, amend, or add to the officer’s executive
benefits if it deems it advisable. As an additional benefit to all of our Israel-based Named Executive Officers and for most of our employees,
we contribute to certain funds amounts equaling a total of approximately 15% of their respective gross salaries for certain pension and
other savings plans for the benefit of the Named Executive Officers and other employees. In addition, in accordance with customary practice
in Israel, our Israel-based executives’ agreements require us to contribute towards their vocational studies, and to provide annual
recreational allowances, a company car and a company phone. We believe these benefits are currently equivalent with median competitive
levels for comparable companies.
Executive
Compensation. We refer to the “Summary Compensation Table” set forth below for information regarding the compensation
earned during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 by our Named Executive Officers.
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth a summary for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, of the cash and non-cash compensation awarded, paid or accrued
by us or Protalix Ltd. to our Named Executive Officers. There were no restricted stock awards, long-term incentive plan payouts
or other compensation paid during fiscal years December 31, 2022 and 2021 by us or Protalix Ltd. to the Named Executive
Officers, except as set forth below. All of the Named Executive Officers are employees of our subsidiary, Protalix Ltd. All currency
amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars.
| |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Option | | |
All Other | | |
| |
| |
| | |
Salary | | |
Bonus | | |
Stock | | |
Awards | | |
Compensation | | |
Total | |
Name and Principal Position | |
Year | | |
($) | | |
($) | | |
Awards ($) | | |
($)(1) | | |
($)(2) | | |
($) | |
Dror Bashan | |
| 2022 | | |
| 359,972 | | |
| | | |
| 817,576 | | |
| 177,564 | | |
| 113,184 | | |
| 1,468,296 | |
President and Chief Executive Officer | |
| 2021 | | |
| 373,817 | | |
| — | | |
| 585,224 | | |
| 82,371 | | |
| 116,287 | | |
| 1,157,699 | |
Eyal Rubin | |
| 2022 | | |
| 312,515 | | |
| 397,678 | | |
| 168,667 | | |
| 75,889 | | |
| 103,532 | | |
| 1,058,281 | |
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer | |
| 2021 | | |
| 325,101 | | |
| — | | |
| 385,201 | | |
| 21,062 | | |
| 105,460 | | |
| 836,824 | |
Yaron Naos | |
| 2022 | | |
| 239,201 | | |
| 81,176 | | |
| | | |
| 123,310 | | |
| 89,578 | | |
| 533,265 | |
Senior Vice President, Operations | |
| 2021 | | |
| 246,716 | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| 127,291 | | |
| 131,280 | | |
| 505,287 | |
(1) Amounts
in this column represent the grant date fair value of the option awards as computed in accordance with ASC 718, not including any estimates
of forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions. See Note 9(c) “Stock based compensation,” of Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 for a discussion of assumptions
we made in determining the grant date fair value of our option awards for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
(2) Includes
employer contributions to pension and/or insurance plans and other miscellaneous payments.
On February 25, 2022, we granted, with the
approval of the Compensation Committee, 637,531 shares of restricted common stock to Mr. Bashan and 121,951 shares of restricted
common stock to Mr. Rubin.
On September 7, 2022, we granted, with the
approval of the Compensation Committee, 10-year options to purchase 3,280,000 shares of Common Stock, in the aggregate, to certain of
our officers, directors and other employees under the Plan. The options have an exercise price equal to $1.03 per share and vest over
a four-year period in 16 equal quarterly increments. Vesting of the options granted to executive officers and directors is subject
to automatic acceleration in full upon a Corporate Transaction or a Change in Control, as those terms are defined in the Plan, and are
subject to certain other terms and conditions. Of such grant, an option to purchase 750,000 shares of common stock were awarded to Mr. Bashan,
an option to purchase 350,000 shares of common stock were awarded to Mr. Rubin and an option to purchase 340,000 shares of common
stock were awarded to Mr. Naos.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information with
respect to the Named Executive Officers concerning outstanding equity awards as of December 31, 2022.
|
|
|
Option Awards |
|
|
|
Stock Awards |
|
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
|
Market value |
|
|
|
|
of Securities |
|
|
|
of Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of shares |
|
|
|
of shares |
|
|
|
|
Underlying |
|
|
|
Underlying |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or units |
|
|
|
or units |
|
|
|
|
Unexercised |
|
|
|
Unexercised |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of stock |
|
|
|
of stock |
|
|
|
|
Options |
|
|
|
Options |
|
|
|
Option Exercise |
|
|
|
Option Expiration |
|
|
|
that have |
|
|
|
that have |
|
Name |
|
|
Exercisable (#) |
|
|
|
Unexercisable (#) |
|
|
|
Price ($) |
|
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
not vested (#) |
|
|
|
not vested ($) |
|
Dror Bashan |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
195,969 |
|
|
|
268,478 |
|
|
|
|
140,000 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
4.69 |
|
|
|
6/30/2029 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46,875 |
|
|
|
703,125 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
9/7/2032 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eyal Rubin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
95,502 |
|
|
|
130,838 |
|
|
|
|
65,000 |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
|
2.00 |
|
|
|
9/22/2029 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,875 |
|
|
|
328,125 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
9/7/2032 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yaron Naos |
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
17.20 |
|
|
|
3/23/2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
5.60 |
|
|
|
9/13/2028 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
68,994 |
|
|
|
53,662 |
|
|
|
3.59 |
|
|
|
8/11/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,250 |
|
|
|
318,750 |
|
|
|
1.03 |
|
|
|
9/7/2032 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pay Versus Performance
As required by Section 953(a) of the
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following information
about the relationship between executive “compensation actually paid” and certain financial performance of our Company.
Year | |
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Mr. Bashan (1) | | |
Compensation
Actually paid to
Mr. Bashan (2) | | |
Average
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Non-CEO NEOs
(3) | | |
Average
Compensation
Actually Paid to
Non-CEO NEOs
(4) | | |
Value of Initial
Fixed $100
Investment Based
On Total
Stockholder
Return (5) | | |
Net Income (6) | |
2022 | |
$ | 1,468,295 | | |
$ | 1,992,166 | | |
$ | 795,773 | | |
$ | 1,078,986 | | |
| 37.74 | | |
$ | (6,523 | ) |
2021 | |
$ | 1,157,698 | | |
$ | (220,717 | ) | |
$ | 671,056 | | |
$ | 101,009 | | |
| 22.87 | | |
$ | (27,582 | ) |
(1) The
dollar amounts reported are the amounts reported in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table for our President
and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bashan.
(2) The
dollar amounts reported represent the amount of “compensation actually paid,” as computed in accordance with SEC rules, for
Mr. Bashan. The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid during the applicable year. In
accordance with SEC rules, the following adjustments were made to total compensation to determine the compensation actually paid:
Year | |
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Mr. Bashan | | |
Less: Summary
Compensation
Table Reported
Value of Equity
Awards (a) | | |
Plus: Equity
Award Adjustments (b) | | |
Equals:
Compensation
Actually paid to Mr.
Bashan | |
2022 | |
$ | 1,468,295 | | |
$ | 995,140 | | |
$ | 1,519,011 | | |
$ | 1,992,166 | |
2021 | |
$ | 1,157,698 | | |
$ | 667,595 | | |
$ | (710,820 | ) | |
$ | (220,717 | ) |
(a) Represents
the aggregate grant-date fair value of equity awards as reported in the “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” columns
in the Summary Compensation Table for the applicable year.
(b) The
equity award adjustments for each applicable year were as set forth in the table below. The valuation assumptions used to calculate fair
values did not materially differ from those disclosed at the time of grant. The amounts deducted or added in calculating the equity award
adjustments are as follows:
Year | |
Year End Fair
Value of Unvested
Equity Awards
Granted in the
Covered Year | | |
Year over Year Change in fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in
prior Years | | |
Year End
Fair Value
of Vested
Equity
Awards
Granted in
the Covered
Year | | |
Year over Year
Change in Fair
Value of Equity
Awards Granted
in Prior Years
that Vested in the
Year | | |
Fair Value
at the End
of the Prior
Year of
Equity
Awards that
Failed to
meet
Vesting
Conditions
in the Year | | |
Value of
Dividend
Equivalents
Accrued or
other Earnings
Paid on Stock
Awards not
Otherwise
Reflected in
Fair Value | | |
Total Equity
Award
Adjustments | |
2022 | |
$ | 717,652 | | |
$ | 110,664 | | |
$ | 566,768 | | |
$ | 123,927 | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | 1,519,011 | |
2021 | |
$ | - | | |
$ | (981,931 | ) | |
$ | - | | |
$ | 271,111 | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | (710,820 | ) |
(3) The
dollar amounts reported represent the average of the amounts reported for our Named Executive Officers as a group (excluding our CEO)
in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table in each applicable year. The Named Executive Officers included for
purposes of calculating the average amounts are Mr. Rubin and Mr. Naos.
(4) The
dollar amounts reported represent the average amount of “compensation actually paid” to the Named Executive Officers identified
in footnote 3, as computed in accordance with SEC rules. The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by
or paid to the Named Executive Officers during the applicable year. In accordance with the SEC rules, the following adjustments were
made to average total compensation for the Named Executive Officers or each year to determine the compensation actually paid:
Year | |
Average Reported
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Other NEOs | | |
Less: Summary
Compensation Table Average
Reported Value of
Equity Awards | | |
Plus: Average
Equity Award
Adjustments (a) | | |
Equals: Average
Compensation
Actually Paid to
Other NEOs | |
2022 | |
$ | 795,773 | | |
$ | 183,933 | | |
$ | 467,146 | | |
$ | 1,078,986 | |
2021 | |
$ | 671,056 | | |
$ | 266,777 | | |
$ | (303,270 | ) | |
$ | 101,009 | |
| (a) | The amounts deducted or added in calculating the total average equity
award adjustments are as follows: |
Year | |
Average Year End
Fair Value of Unvested Equity
Awards Granted
in the Covered
Year | | |
Year over Year
Average
Change in fair
Value of
Outstanding and
Unvested Equity Awards
Granted in prior
Years | | |
Average Year
End Fair
Value of Vested
Equity
Awards
Granted in
the Covered
Year | | |
Year over
Year Average
Change in
Fair Value of
Equity
Awards
Granted in
Prior Years
that Vested in
the Year | | |
Fair Value at
the End of
the Prior
Year of
Equity
Awards that
Failed to
meet Vesting
Conditions in
the Year | | |
Average Value
of Dividend
Equivalents
Accrued or
other Earnings
Paid on Stock
Awards not
Otherwise
Reflected in
Fair Value | | |
Total Average
Equity Award
Adjustments | |
2022 | |
$ | 330,120 | | |
$ | 36,648 | | |
| $ 67, 913 | | |
$ | 32,465 | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | 467,146 | |
2021 | |
$ | - | | |
$ | (352,159 | ) | |
$ | - | | |
$ | 48,889 | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | - | | |
$ | (303,270 | ) |
(5) Cumulative
TSR is the value of a $100 investment in our common stock calculated by dividing the difference
between our share price at the end of each year shown and the beginning of the measurement period by our share price at the beginning
of the measurement period.
(6) The
dollar amounts reported represent the amount of net income reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Income included in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the applicable year.
Relationship Between Compensation Actually
Paid, Company Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) and Net Income (Loss)
Compensation actually paid to Mr. Bashan during
the year ended December 31, 2022 was approximately $2.0 million, an increase of approximately $2.2 million from approximately
a negative $0.2 million for the same period of 2021. Average compensation actually paid to our Non-CEO Named Executive Officers during
the year ended December 31, 2022 was approximately $1.1 million, an increase of approximately $1.0 million from approximately
$0.1 million for the same period of 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our TSR was $37.74, an increase of 65.0%, compared
to TSR of $22.87 for the year ended December 31, 2021. Our net loss decreased from $27.6 million to $6.5 million over the
same period.
Compensation actually paid to Mr. Bashan
and to our Non-CEO Named Executive Officers as a group does not correspond to our TSR or our net income (loss) over the two years presented
in the above tables. Over the periods covered in this analysis, our Company’s focus has been
primarily focused on the clinical and regulatory development of PRX-102 and, accordingly, we do not use TSR or net
income (loss) as a performance measure for the determination of executive compensation. In the year ended December 31, 2021,
our Company elected not to pay any bonuses as compensation for the year ended December 31, 2020, despite obligations to do so. In
the year ended December 31, 2022, given the clinical and regulatory advancement for PRX-102, our product under development for the
proposed treatment of Fabry disease, and given the improvement in our liquidity position, we elected to award to Mr. Bashan and
to our Non-CEO Named Executive Officers increased compensation, in part to compensate them for their efforts during 2020. Particularly
for Mr. Bashan but also for the Non-CEO Named Executive Officers, the compensation paid in 2022 focused more on equity grants as
our Company elected to preserve cash. As the fair market value of equity grants increases as the market price of our common stock increases,
the calculation of compensation actually paid with respect to equity grants increases as well. If PRX-102 is approved by the relevant
regulators for marketing in the United States and the European Union, we except that TSR and net income (loss) may become appropriate
performance measures for compensation of our executive officers.
All information provided
above under the “Pay Versus Performance” heading will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings
under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof
and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing, except to the extent we specifically incorporate such information
by reference.
Potential Payments upon Termination or Change-in-Control/Corporate
Transaction
Each of our Named Executive Officers (while they
remain employed by the Company) is entitled to be insured by Protalix Ltd. under a Manager’s Policy in lieu of severance upon
termination. The intention of such Manager’s Policies is to provide our officers with severance protection of one month’s
salary for each year of employment. The following payments would be payable in connection with a change of control of the Company: $1.0 million
to the President and Chief Executive Officer and $400,000 to each of the other Named Executive Officers, subject to certain terms and
conditions. In addition to the foregoing, the vesting periods of outstanding options held by our Named Executive Officers are accelerated
upon a change of control. Had we experienced a change of control on December 31, 2022, the value of the acceleration of the vesting
period of the options and shares held by Mr. Bashan would have been $507,540; the value of the acceleration of the vesting period
of the options and shares held by Mr. Rubin would have been $242,401 and the value of the acceleration of the vesting period of the
options held by Mr. Naos would have been $108,375.
Employment Arrangements
Dror
Bashan. Pursuant to Mr. Bashan’s employment agreement, his current monthly base salary is NIS 95,000 (approximately
$27,000 and Mr. Bashan is entitled to an annual discretionary bonus subject to the sole discretion of our Board of Directors, to
be determined on the basis of agreed-upon annual objectives which shall include both measurable and strategic parameters. He is also
entitled to a one-time bonus of $1.0 million upon the occurrence of certain change of control transactions. The monthly salary is subject
to cost of living adjustments from time to time as may be required by law. Mr. Bashan was granted an option award upon his employment
and he is entitled to additional equity awards from time to time on a discretionary basis. Mr. Bashan’s employment agreement
is terminable by the Company on 180 days’ written notice for any reason. Mr. Bashan may terminate the agreement on 90 days’
written notice for any reason during its term. We may terminate Mr. Bashan’s employment agreement for cause without notice.
Mr. Bashan is entitled to be insured by the Company under a Manager’s Policy in lieu of severance, Company contributions towards
vocational studies, annual recreational allowances, a company car, a company laptop and a company phone. Mr. Bashan is entitled
to 25 working days of vacation.
Eyal
Rubin. Pursuant to Mr. Rubin’s employment agreement, his current monthly base salary is NIS 80,000 (approximately
$22,700) and Mr. Rubin is entitled to an annual discretionary bonus subject to the sole discretion of our Board of Directors, to
be determined on the basis of agreed-upon annual objectives which shall include both measurable and strategic parameters. He is also
entitled to a one-time bonus of $400,000 upon the occurrence of certain change of control transactions. The monthly salary is subject
to cost of living adjustments from time to time as may be required by law. Mr. Rubin was granted an option award upon his employment
and he is entitled to additional equity awards from time to time on a discretionary basis. In addition, contingent upon certain conditions,
Mr. Rubin is entitled to a grant of restricted stock units with an aggregate value of $100,000, on an annual basis. Additional equity
awards may be granted from time to time on a discretionary basis. Mr. Rubin’s employment agreement is terminable by the Company
on 180 days’ written notice for any reason. Mr. Rubin may terminate the agreement on 90 days’ written notice
for any reason. We may terminate the Mr. Rubin’s employment agreement for cause without notice. Mr. Rubin is entitled
to be insured by the Company under a Manager’s Policy in lieu of severance, Company contributions towards vocational studies, annual
recreational allowances, a company car, a company laptop and a company phone. Mr. Rubin is entitled to 25 working days of vacation.
Yaron
Naos. Mr. Naos’ current monthly base salary is NIS 65,550 (approximately $18,600) and he is entitled to an
annual discretionary bonus for performance subject to the sole discretion of our Compensation Committee. The monthly salary is subject
to cost of living adjustments from time to time as may be required by law. In addition, vesting of all of Mr. Naos’ options
and restricted shares will be accelerated in full upon a Corporate Transaction or a Change in Control, as those terms are defined in
our Plan. Mr. Naos’ employment is terminable by either party on 60 days’ written notice for any reason and we may terminate
the agreement for cause without notice. Mr. Naos is entitled to be insured by the Company under a Manager’s Policy in lieu
of severance, Company contributions towards vocational studies, annual recreational allowances, a company car, a company phone, a company
laptop and a company phone. Mr. Naos is entitled to 29 working days of vacation.
Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive Plan
Our Board of Directors and our stockholders initially
approved our Plan on December 14, 2006. Since its initial approval, our stockholders have approved amendments to the plan five times,
the last time being on June 30, 2022. Of the 8,475,171 shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, as amended, as of December 31,
2022, there are outstanding options to purchase 5,519,315 shares of our common stock in the aggregate, subject to adjustment for a stock
split or any future stock dividend or other similar change in our common stock or our capital structure. As of December 31, 2022,
options to acquire 136,738 shares of common stock remain available for grant under the amended Plan.
Our amended Plan provides for the grant of stock
options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights and dividend equivalent rights, collectively referred to
as “awards.” Stock options granted under the amended Plan may be either incentive stock options under the provisions of Section 422
of the IRC, or non-qualified stock options. Incentive stock options may be granted only to employees. Awards other than incentive stock
options may be granted to employees, directors and consultants. Shares issued in connection with awards other than options or stock appreciation
rights shall count as one and one-half (1.5) shares for each share issued for purposes of the number of shares authorized for issuance
under the plan.
The amended Plan is also designed to comply with
the provisions of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance New Version, 1961 (including as amended pursuant to Amendment 132 thereto), or the
Tax Ordinance, and is intended to enable us to grant awards to grantees who are Israeli residents as follows: (i) awards to employees
pursuant to Section 102 of the Tax Ordinance; and (ii) awards to non-employees pursuant to Section 3(I) of the Tax
Ordinance. For this purpose, “employee” refers only to employees, office holders and directors of the Company or a related
entity excluding those who are considered “Controlling Stockholders” pursuant to, or otherwise excluded by, the Tax Ordinance.
In accordance with the terms and conditions imposed by the Tax Ordinance, grantees who receive awards under the amended Plan may be afforded
certain tax benefits in Israel as described below.
Our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee,
referred to as the “plan administrator,” will administer our amended Plan, including selecting the grantees, determining
the number of shares to be subject to each award, determining the exercise or purchase price of each award, and determining the vesting
and exercise periods of each award.
The exercise price of stock options granted under
the Plan must be equal to at least 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant; however, in certain circumstances,
grants may be made at a lower price to Israeli grantees who are residents of the State of Israel. If, however, incentive stock options
are granted to an employee who owns stock possessing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our stock or the stock of any
parent or subsidiary of the Company, the exercise price of any incentive stock option granted must equal at least 110% of the fair market
value on the grant date and the maximum term of these incentive stock options must not exceed five years. The maximum term of all
other awards must not exceed 10 years (or five years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to any participant who
owns stock representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our stock or the stock of any parent or subsidiary of the
Company). The plan administrator will determine the exercise or purchase price (if any) of all other awards granted under the amended
Plan.
Under the amended Plan, incentive stock options
and options to Israeli grantees may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred or disposed of in any manner other than
by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of the participant only by the participant.
Other awards shall be transferable by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and to the extent and in the manner authorized by
the plan administrator by gift or pursuant to a domestic relations order to members of the participant’s immediate family. The
amended Plan permits the designation of beneficiaries by holders of awards, including incentive stock options.
If the service of a participant in the amended
Plan is terminated for any reason other than cause, the participant may exercise awards that were vested as of the termination date for
a period ending upon the earlier of 12 months from the date of termination (or such shorter or longer period set forth in the award
agreement) or the expiration date of the awards unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator. If the service of a participant
in the amended Plan is terminated for cause, the participant may exercise awards that were vested as of the termination date for a period
ending upon the earlier of 14 days from the date of termination (or such shorter or longer period set forth in the award agreement)
or the expiration date of the awards unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator.
In the event of a corporate transaction, all awards
will terminate unless assumed by the successor corporation. Unless otherwise provided in a participant’s award agreement, in the
event of a corporate transaction and with respect to the portion of each award that is assumed or replaced, then such portion will automatically
become fully vested and exercisable immediately upon termination of a participant’s service if the participant is terminated by
the successor company or us without cause within 12 months after the corporate transaction. With respect to the portion of each
award that is not assumed or replaced, such portion will automatically become fully vested and exercisable immediately prior to the effective
date of the corporate transaction so long as the participant’s service has not been terminated prior to such date.
In the event of a change in control, except as
otherwise provided in a participant’s award agreement, following a change in control (other than a change in control that also
is a corporate transaction) and upon the termination of a participant’s service without cause within 12 months after a change
in control, each award of such participant that is outstanding at such time will automatically become fully vested and exercisable immediately
upon the participant’s termination. In addition, the stock options and shares of restricted stock issued to each of our Named Executive
Officers are subject to accelerated vesting immediately upon a corporate transaction or a change in control of the Company, as defined
in our amended Plan.
Under our amended Plan, a corporate transaction
is generally defined as:
· a merger
or consolidation in which we are not the surviving entity, except for the principal purpose of changing the Company’s state of
incorporation;
· the sale,
transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets;
· the complete
liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
· any reverse
merger in which we are the surviving entity but our shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to such merger are converted
or exchanged by virtue of the merger into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise, or in which securities
possessing more than forty percent (40%) of the total combined voting power of our outstanding securities are transferred to a person
or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such merger; or
· an acquisition
in a single or series of related transactions by any person or related group of persons of beneficial ownership of securities possessing
more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of our outstanding securities but excluding any such transaction or
series of related transactions that the plan administrator determines not to be a corporate transaction (provided however that the plan
administrator shall have no discretion in connection with a corporate transaction for the purchase of all or substantially all of our
shares unless the principal purpose of such transaction is changing our state of incorporation).
Under our amended Plan, a change of control is
defined as:
· the direct
or indirect acquisition by any person or related group of persons of beneficial ownership of securities possessing more than fifty percent
(50%) of the total combined voting power of our outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made directly to our stockholders
and which a majority of the members of our Board of Directors (who have generally been on our board for at least 12 months) who are not
affiliates or associates of the offeror do not recommend stockholders accept the offer; or
· a change
in the composition of our Board of Directors over a period of 12 months or less, such that a majority of the members of our Board of
Directors ceases, by reason of one or more contested elections for board membership, to be comprised of individuals who were previously
directors of the Company.
Unless terminated sooner, the amended Plan will
automatically terminate on December 31, 2028. Our Board of Directors has the authority to amend, suspend or terminate our amended
Plan. No amendment, suspension or termination of the amended Plan shall adversely affect any rights under awards already granted to a
participant. To the extent necessary to comply with applicable provisions of federal securities laws, state corporate and securities
laws, the IRC, the rules of any applicable stock exchange or national market system, and the rules of any non-U.S. jurisdiction
applicable to awards granted to residents therein (including the Tax Ordinance), we shall obtain stockholder approval of any such amendment
to the Plan in such a manner and to such a degree as required.
Impact of Israeli Tax Law
The awards granted to employees pursuant to Section 102
of the Tax Ordinance under the amended Plan may be designated by us as approved options under the capital gains alternative, or as approved
options under the ordinary income tax alternative.
To qualify for these benefits, certain requirements
must be met, including registration of the options in the name of a trustee. Each option, and any shares of common stock acquired upon
the exercise of the option, must be held by the trustee for a period commencing on the date of grant and deposit into trust with the
trustee and ending 24 months thereafter.
Under the terms of the capital gains alternative,
we may not deduct expenses pertaining to the options for tax purposes.
Under the amended Plan, we may also grant to employees
options pursuant to Section 102(c) of the Tax Ordinance that are not required to be held in trust by a trustee. This alternative,
while facilitating immediate exercise of vested options and sale of the underlying shares, will subject the optionee to the marginal
income tax rate of up to 50% as well as payments to the National Insurance Institute and health tax on the date of the sale of the shares
or options. Under the Plan, we may also grant to non-employees options pursuant to Section 3(I) of the Tax Ordinance. Under
that section, the income tax on the benefit arising to the optionee upon the exercise of options and the issuance of common stock is
generally due at the time of exercise of the options.
These options shall be further subject to the
terms of the tax ruling that has been obtained by Protalix Ltd. from the Israeli tax authorities in connection with the merger.
Under the tax ruling, the options issued by us in connection with the assumption of Section 102 options previously issued by Protalix Ltd.
under the capital gains alternative shall be issued to a trustee, shall be designated under the capital gains alternative and the issuance
date of the original options shall be deemed the issuance date for the assumed options for the calculation of the respective holding
period.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
All related party transactions are reviewed and
approved by the Audit and Finance Committee, as required by the Audit and Finance Committee Charter.
There were no transactions during the last two
fiscal years, or any currently proposed transaction, in which we were or are to be a participant and in which the amount involved exceeded
or exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of our total assets at year end for the last two completed fiscal years.
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The information contained
in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such
information be incorporated by reference into any future filings with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference
into a document filed under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act.
The Audit and Finance Committee
of our Board of Directors operates under a written charter adopted by our Board of Directors, and currently consists of Shmuel “Muli”
Ben Zvi, Ph.D., Chairman of the Committee, Amos Bar Shalev and Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. As described more fully in its charter, the
Audit and Finance Committee provides oversight of the quality and integrity of our consolidated financial statements, internal controls
and financial reporting process, and our process to manage business and financial risks and compliance with legal, ethical and regulatory
requirements. In addition, the Audit and Finance Committee interacts directly with and evaluates the qualifications, independence and
performance of the independent auditors, Kesselman & Kesselman, and is responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention
and oversight of the work of the auditors.
Management is responsible
for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the consolidated financial statements, and evaluation of and assessment of the effectiveness
of our internal control over financial reporting. The independent auditors are responsible for performing an independent audit of the
consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”).
The Audit and Finance Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and oversee these processes.
The Audit and Finance Committee
has reviewed and discussed the audited consolidated financial statements with our Board of Directors and management. The Audit and Finance
Committee has discussed with Kesselman & Kesselman, Certified Public Accountant (lsr.), a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers International
Limited (“Kesselman & Kesselman”) the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the PCAOB
and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee (“SEC”). The Audit and Finance Committee has received the written disclosures
and the letter from Kesselman & Kesselman required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent accountant’s
communications with the Audit and Finance Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with Kesselman & Kesselman that
firm’s independence from our Company.
Based on the review and discussions
of the audited consolidated financial statements and discussions with management and Kesselman & Kesselman, the Audit and Finance
Committee recommended to Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 for filing with the SEC.
Respectfully submitted on April 30, 2023,
Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D., Chairman
Amos Bar Shalev
Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D.
PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
As required by Section 14A of the Exchange
Act, we are providing our stockholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of
our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this proxy statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC.
We believe that the executive compensation program
for the Named Executive Officers, as described in the “Management” section of this proxy statement, is based on a pay-for-performance
culture and seeks to align the interests of our Named Executive Officers with the interests of our stockholders. We believe that our
compensation programs are designed to reward our Named Executive Officers for the achievement of short-term and long-term strategic and
operational goals and the achievement of increased total stockholder return, while at the same time creating a culture that focuses executives
on prudent risk management and appropriately rewards them for performance. Our executive compensation program is also designed to be
competitive with our peer companies, and seeks to enable us to attract and retain the best possible executive talent.
We also believe that the extensive disclosure
of compensation information provided in this proxy statement provides our stockholders the information they need to make an informed
decision as they weigh the pay of the Named Executive Officers in relation to our performance. This “Say-on-Pay” proposal
gives you the stockholder the opportunity to endorse or not endorse the compensation we paid to the Named Executive Officers through
the resolution set forth below.
“RESOLVED, that the compensation
paid to the Named Executive Officers of Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K,
including the compensation tables and narrative discussion included in this proxy statement, is hereby APPROVED.”
Because your vote is advisory, it will not be
binding upon our Company, our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee. The vote on this resolution is not intended to address
any specific element of compensation, but rather relates to the overall compensation of our named executive officers, as described in
this proxy statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. Our Company, our Board of Directors, and the
Compensation Committee will consider the outcome of the vote when evaluating future executive compensation arrangements for our named
executive officers.
This proposal is provided as required pursuant
to Rule 14a-21(a) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
Our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote “FOR”
the approval of the executive compensation as disclosed in this proxy statement and as described in this “Proposal 2: Advisory
Vote to Approve Executive Compensation.”
PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY
OF AN
ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Pursuant to Section 14A of the Exchange Act
we are providing our stockholders with the opportunity to vote, on a non-binding, advisory basis, for their preference as to how frequently
we should seek future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in accordance with the compensation
disclosure rules of the SEC. By voting with respect to this proposal, stockholders may indicate whether they would prefer that we
conduct future advisory votes on executive compensation once every one, two or three years. Stockholders also may, if they wish, abstain
from casting a vote on this proposal.
Our Board of Directors has determined that an
annual advisory vote on executive compensation is the most appropriate alternative for our company as it will allow our stockholders
to provide timely and direct input on our executive compensation philosophy, policies and practices as disclosed in the proxy statement
each year. Accordingly, our Board of Directors believes that an annual vote is consistent with our efforts to engage in an ongoing dialogue
with our stockholders on executive compensation and corporate governance matters and therefore recommends that you vote for a one-year
interval for the advisory vote on executive compensation.
Because your vote is advisory, it will not be
binding upon our Company, our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee. We recognize that our stockholders may have different
views as to the best approach for our company, and therefore looks forward to hearing from our stockholders as to their preferences on
the frequency of an advisory vote on executive compensation. We, our Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee will take into
account the outcome of the vote when considering the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation. Our Board of Directors
may decide that it is in the best interests of our stockholders to hold an advisory vote on executive compensation more or less frequently
than the frequency receiving the most votes cast by the stockholders.
Stockholders may cast a vote on the preferred
voting frequency by selecting the option of one year, two years, or three years (or abstain) when completing their proxy in response
to the resolution set forth below.
“RESOLVED, that the stockholders determine, on an
advisory basis, whether the preferred frequency of an advisory vote on the executive compensation of our named executive officers as
set forth in our proxy statement should be every year, every two years, or every three years.”
The proxy voting card provides stockholders with
the opportunity to choose among four options (holding the vote every one, two, or three years, or abstain from voting) and, therefore
stockholders will not be voting to approve or disapprove the recommendation of our Board of Directors.
Our
Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” the option of every year as the preferred frequency with which
stockholders are provided with an advisory vote on executive compensation as described in this “Proposal 3: Advisory
Vote on the Frequency of an Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation.”
PROPOSAL 4: AMENDMENTS TO THE PROTALIX
BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
2006 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN, AS AMENDED, TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF
AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER THE PLAN
AND TO AMEND CERTAIN OTHER TERMS OF THE PLAN
General
We are asking our stockholders to approve an amendment
to our amended 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, or the Existing Plan and, as amended, the Plan, so that we can continue to use the Plan in
order to attract and retain key talent, encourage stock ownership by our employees, non-employee directors and consultants, better align
with governance best practices. Our Board of Directors unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the Plan, subject to approval of
our stockholders at the meeting. Approval of the Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common
stock that are present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on this matter.
Primary Changes
As part of the proposed amendments to the Existing
Plan, we propose to:
| · | Increase
the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Existing Plan by 4,000,000
shares to 12,475,171 shares; |
| · | Increase
the annual per person limits on the number of shares covered by awards of stock options and
stock appreciation rights by 4,000,000 shares to 12,475,171 shares; and |
| · | Increase
the per person limits on the number of shares covered by awards of restricted stock and restricted
stock units intended to be “performance based compensation” by 4,000,000 shares
to 12,475,171 shares. |
Background on Code Section 162(m) Approval
We are also asking our stockholders to approve
this amendment to the material terms of the Existing Plan so that we may grant awards under the Plan that are designed to qualify for
the exception from the limits on corporate income tax deductions pursuant to Code Section 162(m). To the extent we grant such awards
and they qualify for the exception, we may deduct for federal income tax purposes compensation in excess of $1.0 million that may
be paid to certain executive officers in any single year. Compensation includes cash compensation and income arising from the exercise
of nonstatutory stock options, as a result of the grant, vesting or settlement of other types of equity awards, and from disqualifying
dispositions of incentive stock options.
Under Code Section 162(m), no deduction is
allowed in any taxable year of our Company for compensation in excess of $1.0 million paid to our “covered employees.”
A “covered employee” is our chief executive officer and our three other most highly compensated officers, other than our
chief financial officer.
An exception to the $1.0 million limit under
Code Section 162(m) applies to compensation that is paid to a covered employee pursuant to a stock incentive plan approved
by stockholders and that specifies, among other things, the maximum number of shares with respect to which options and stock appreciation
rights may be granted to eligible participants under such plan during a specified period. Compensation paid pursuant to options granted
under such a plan and with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of common stock on the date of grant is deemed to be inherently
performance-based, since such awards provide value to participants only if the stock price appreciates. To the extent required by Section 162(m) of
the Code or the regulations thereunder, in applying the foregoing limitation, if any option or stock appreciation right is canceled,
the canceled award shall continue to count against the maximum number of shares with respect to which an award may be granted to a participant.
The Plan provides that the maximum number of shares with respect to which options and stock appreciation rights may be granted to a participant
during a calendar year is 8,475,171 shares. The foregoing limitation shall be adjusted proportionately by the plan administrator in the
event of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of shares or other similar change in our
shares of common stock or our capital structure.
For awards of restricted stock and restricted
stock units that are intended to be performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code, the maximum number
of shares of common stock subject to such awards that may be granted to a participant during a calendar year is 8,475,171 shares. The
foregoing limitation shall be adjusted proportionately by the plan administrator in the event of a stock split, reverse stock split,
stock dividend, combination or reclassification of shares or other similar change in our shares or our capital structure. In order for
restricted stock and restricted stock units to qualify as performance-based compensation, the plan administrator must establish
a performance goal with respect to such award in writing not later than 90 days after the commencement of the services to which
it relates (or, if earlier, the date after which 25% of the period of service to which the performance goal relates has elapsed) and
while the outcome is substantially uncertain. In addition, the performance goal must be stated in terms of an objective formula or standard.
The Plan includes the following performance criteria
that may be considered by the plan administrator when granting performance-based awards: (i) increase in share price, (ii) earnings
per share; (iii) total stockholder return; (iv) operating margin; (v) gross margin; (vi) return on equity; (vii) return
on assets; (viii) return on investment; (ix) operating income; (x) net operating income; (xi) pre-tax profit; (xii) cash
flow; (xiii) revenue: (xiv) expenses; (xv) earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation; (xvi) economic value
added; and (xvii) market share. The performance criteria may be applicable to our Company, any parent or subsidiary of our Company,
and/or any individual business units of our Company or any parent or subsidiary of our Company. In addition, the performance criteria
will be calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, excluding the effect (whether positive or negative) of
any change in accounting standards and any extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring item occurring after the establishment of the performance
criteria applicable to the award.
Stockholder approval of the Plan pursuant to this
proposal will constitute stockholder approval of the material terms of the Plan, including the per person limitations on stock awards
and the performance criteria described above, for Code Section 162(m) purposes.
We believe strongly that approval of this amendment
to the Existing Plan is essential to our success. Our employees are our most valuable asset. Stock options and the other awards permitted
under the Plan are vital to our ability to attract and retain outstanding and highly skilled employees, especially in the competitive
labor markets in which we operate. These awards also are crucial to our ability to motivate employees to achieve our goals. Our Board
of Directors after reviewing the allocation of awards under the Plan has determined that it is in the best interest of our Company to
increase the equity compensation granted to our current and future employees. The proposed terms of the Plan are designed to allow us
to continue to attract, retain and motivate people whose skills and performance are critical to our success. We will continue to monitor
the environment in which we operate and make changes to our equity compensation program to help us meet our goals, including achieving
long-term stockholder value.
Our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders
vote “FOR” the adoption of the amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive
Plan described in this Proposal 4: Amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive
Plan to Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Common Stock Reserved for Issuance under the Plan and to Amend Certain other Terms
of the Plan.
A general description of the principal terms of
the Plan is set forth below. This description is qualified in its entirety by the terms of the Plan, a copy of which is attached hereto
as Appendix A.
At December 31, 2022, there were outstanding
under the Existing Plan options to purchase common stock issued covering 5,519,315 shares of our common stock with a weighted average
exercise price of $2.28 per share and a weighted average remaining contractual life of 8.47 years. The outstanding options represent
approximately 9.31% of our outstanding shares on an “as exercised” basis. As of December 31, 2022, we had 136,738 shares
of common stock available for future issuance under the Existing Plan.
As of April 30, 2023, the fair market value
of a share of our common stock was $2.78.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides information as of
December 31, 2022 with respect to the shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plan.
| |
A | | |
B | | |
C | |
Plan Category | |
| Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options | | |
| Weighted Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options | | |
| Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column A) | |
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Stockholders | |
| 5,519,315 | | |
$ | 2.28 | | |
| 136,738 | |
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Stockholders | |
| - | | |
| - | | |
| - | |
Total | |
| 5,519,315 | | |
$ | 2.28 | | |
| 136,738 | |
General Description
Purpose.
The purposes of the Plan are to attract and retain the best available personnel, to provide additional incentives to our officers, directors,
employees and consultants through ownership of our common stock, and to promote the success of our business.
Shares
Reserved for Issuance under the Plan. We currently have 8,475,171 shares of common stock reserved for issuance
under the Existing Plan. If approved by our stockholders, the total number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the
Plan will be increased by 4,000,000 shares for a total of 12,475,171 shares. Shares issued in connection with awards other than options
or stock appreciation rights shall count as one and one-half (1.5) shares for each share issued. The number of shares of common stock
available under the Plan will be subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination
or reclassification of shares or other similar change in our shares or our capital structure. Any shares of common stock covered by an
award (or portion of an award) which is forfeited, canceled or expires (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) are deemed not to have
been issued for purposes of determining the maximum aggregate number of shares of common stock which may be issued under the Plan. Shares
that actually have been issued under the Plan pursuant to an award will not be returned to the Plan and will not be available for future
issuance under the Plan, except that if unvested shares of common stock are forfeited, or repurchased by us at the lower of their original
purchase price or their fair market value (as defined in the Plan) at the time of repurchase, such shares of common stock shall become
available for future grant under the Plan. Any shares covered by an award which are surrendered (i) in payment of the award exercise
or purchase price (including pursuant to the ‘‘net exercise’’ of an option pursuant to Section 7(b)(v) of
the Plan) or (ii) in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations incident to the exercise of an award will not be returned to the
Plan and will not be available for future issuance under the Plan. Shares that are covered by the portion of a SAR that is exercised
(whether or not shares are actually issued) will be considered issued. Shares that are counted as one and one-half (1.5) shares upon
issuance will be counted as one and one-half (1.5) shares upon return.
During any calendar year, the maximum number of
shares with respect to which options and stock appreciation rights may be granted to a participant is currently 8,475,171 shares. If
approved by our stockholders, the maximum number of shares with respect to which options and stock appreciation rights may be granted
to a participant in any calendar year will be 12,475,171 shares. The maximum number of shares of restricted stock and restricted stock
units that are intended to be performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code that may be awarded to a participant
in any calendar year is 12,475,171 shares. The foregoing limitations shall be adjusted proportionately by the plan administrator in the
event of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of shares or other similar change in our
shares or our capital structure, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Administration.
Our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee, referred to as the “plan administrator,” administers the Plan, including
selecting the grantees, determining the number of shares to be subject to each award, determining the exercise or purchase price of each
award, and determining the vesting and exercise periods of each award. The Plan is currently being administered by the Compensation Committee.
With respect to grants to officers and directors, the Compensation Committee shall be constituted in such a manner as to satisfy applicable
laws, including Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
Terms
and Conditions of Awards. The Amendment provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units,
stock appreciation rights and dividend equivalent rights, collectively referred to as “awards.” Stock options granted under
the Plan may be either incentive stock options under the provisions of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, or non-qualified
stock options. Incentive stock options may be granted only to our employees or to employees of our related entities. Awards other than
incentive stock options may be granted to our employees, directors and consultants or to employees, consultants and directors of our
related entities. Because the Plan provides for broad discretion in selecting which eligible persons will participate and in granting
awards, the total number of persons who will actually participate in the Amended Plan and the benefits that will be provided to the participants
cannot be determined at this time. As of December 31, 2022, approximately 200 employees (four of whom are current executive officers
of the Company) and six directors were eligible for awards under the Plan. In addition, we engage certain of consultants that also may
be eligible for awards under the Plan. To the extent that the aggregate fair market value of the shares subject to options designated
as incentive stock options which become exercisable for the first time by a participant during any calendar year exceeds $100,000, such
excess options shall be treated as nonqualified stock options. Each award granted under the Plan shall be designated in an award agreement.
The Plan is also designed to comply with the provisions
of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance New Version, 1961 (including as amended pursuant to Amendment 132 thereto), or the tax ordinance,
and is intended to enable us to grant awards to grantees who are Israeli residents as follows: (i) awards to employees pursuant
to Section 102 of the tax ordinance; and (ii) awards to non-employees pursuant to Section 3(I) of the tax ordinance.
For this purpose, “employee” refers only to employees, office holders and directors of our Company or a related entity excluding
those who are considered “Controlling Stockholders” pursuant to, or otherwise excluded by, the tax ordinance. In accordance
with the terms and conditions imposed by the tax ordinance, grantees who receive awards under the Amendment may be afforded certain tax
benefits in Israel as described below.
The exercise price of stock options granted under
the Plan must be equal to at least 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. If, however, incentive stock
options are granted to an employee who owns stock possessing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our stock or the stock
of any parent or subsidiary of our Company, the exercise price of any incentive stock option granted must equal at least 110% of the
fair market value on the grant date and the maximum term of these incentive stock options must not exceed five years. The maximum term
of all other awards must not exceed 10 years (or 5 years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to any participant who
owns stock representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our stock or the stock of any parent or subsidiary of our
Company). The plan administrator will determine the exercise or purchase price (if any) of all other awards granted under the Plan.
Under the Plan, incentive stock options and options
to Israeli grantees may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred or disposed of in any manner other than by will or
by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of the participant only by the participant. Other awards
shall be transferable by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and, during the lifetime of the participant, to the extent and
in the manner authorized by the plan administrator by gift or pursuant to a domestic relations order to members of the participant’s
immediate family. The Plan permits the designation of beneficiaries by holders of awards, including incentive stock options.
If the service of a participant in the Plan is
terminated for any reason other than cause, the participant may exercise awards that were vested as of the termination date for a period
ending upon the earlier of 12 months from the date of termination (or such shorter or longer period set forth in the award agreement)
or the expiration date of the awards unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator. If the service of a participant in the Plan
is terminated for cause, the participant may exercise awards that were vested as of the termination date for a period ending upon the
earlier of 14 days from the date of termination (or such shorter or longer period set forth in the award agreement) or the expiration
date of the awards unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator.
Performance Criteria.
Amendment,
Suspension and Termination. The Board may at any time amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan; provided, however, that no
such amendment shall be made without the approval of the Company’s stockholders if such amendment would require stockholder approval
under any other applicable law or regulation. Any amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan may not adversely affect the rights
of any participant under an outstanding award (unless such participant’s consent is obtained). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
reduction or increase of the exercise price of any stock option or the base appreciation amount of a SAR and the canceling of any stock
option or SAR at a time when its exercise price or base appreciation amount exceeds the fair market value of the underlying shares in
exchange for another award shall be subject to stockholder approval unless such exchange occurs in connection with a corporate transaction.
Corporate
Transaction and Change in Control. In the event of a corporate transaction, all outstanding awards will terminate
unless assumed by the successor corporation. Unless otherwise provided in a participant’s award agreement, in the event of a corporate
transaction and with respect to the portion of each award that is assumed or replaced, then such portion will automatically become fully
vested and exercisable immediately upon termination of a participant’s service if the participant is terminated by the successor
company or us without cause within 12 months after the corporate transaction. With respect to the portion of each award that is not assumed
or replaced, such portion of the award will automatically become fully vested and exercisable immediately prior to the effective date
of the corporate transaction so long as the participant’s service has not been terminated prior to such date.
In the event of a change in control, except as
otherwise provided in a participant’s award agreement, following a change in control (other than a change in control that also
is a corporate transaction) and upon the termination of a participant’s service without cause within 12 months after a change in
control, each award of such participant that is outstanding at such time will automatically become fully vested and exercisable immediately
upon the participant’s termination.
Under the Plan, a corporate transaction is generally
defined as:
· a merger
or consolidation in which we are not the surviving entity, except for the principal purpose of changing our Company’s state of
incorporation;
· the sale,
transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets;
· the complete
liquidation or dissolution of our Company;
· any reverse
merger in which we are the surviving entity but our shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to such merger are converted
or exchanged by virtue of the merger into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise, or in which securities
possessing more than forty percent (40%) of the total combined voting power of our outstanding securities are transferred to a person
or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such merger; or
· acquisition
in a single or series of related transactions by any person or related group of persons (other than by us or by an employee benefit plan
sponsored by us) of beneficial ownership of securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of
our outstanding securities but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the plan administrator determines
not to be a corporate transaction (provided however that the plan administrator shall have no discretion in connection with a corporate
transaction for the purchase of all or substantially all of our shares unless the principal purpose of such transaction is changing our
Company’s state of incorporation).
Under the Plan, a change of control is defined
as:
| · | the
direct or indirect acquisition by any person or related group of persons of beneficial ownership
of securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power
of our outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made directly to our
stockholders and which a majority of the members of our Board of Directors (who have generally
been on our Board of Directors for at least 12 months) who are not affiliates or associates
of the offeror do not recommend stockholders accept the offer; or |
| · | a
change in the composition of our Board of Directors over a period of 12 months or less, such
that a majority of the members of our Board of Directors ceases, by reason of one or more
contested elections for board membership, to be comprised of individuals who were previously
directors of our Company. |
Amendment,
Suspension or Termination of the Plan. Unless terminated sooner, the Plan will automatically terminate on December 31,
2028. Our Board of Directors has the authority to amend, suspend or terminate the Plan. No amendment, suspension or termination of the
Plan shall adversely affect any rights under awards already granted to a participant. To the extent necessary to comply with applicable
provisions of federal securities laws, state corporate and securities laws, the Internal Revenue Code, the rules of any applicable
stock exchange or national market system, and the rules of any non-U.S. jurisdiction applicable to awards granted to residents therein
(including the tax ordinance), we shall obtain stockholder approval of any such amendment to the Plan in such a manner and to such a
degree as required.
Amended Plan Benefits
The grant of awards under the Plan, including
grants to our executive officers, is subject to the discretion of the plan administrator. Except as set forth below, the allocation of
the new shares is not determinable at this time.
New Plan
Benefits |
Protalix
BioTherapeutics, Inc. 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, amended |
Name
and Position |
|
|
Dollar
Value ($) |
|
|
Number
of Units |
Eyal Rubin, Sr. VP & CFO |
|
|
|
|
|
Annual Grant of Restricted Stock for $100,000 |
Certain Federal Tax Consequences
The following summary of the U.S. federal income
tax consequences of the Plan transactions is based upon federal income tax laws in effect on the date of this Proxy Statement. This summary
does not purport to be complete, and does not discuss state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences.
Nonqualified
Stock Options. The grant of a nonqualified stock option under the Plan will not result in any U.S. federal income tax consequences
to us or the participant, if a U.S. taxpayer. Upon exercise of a nonqualified stock option, the participant is subject to income taxes
at the rate applicable to ordinary compensation income on the difference between the option exercise price and the fair market value
of the shares at the time of exercise. This income is subject to withholding for U.S. federal income and employment tax purposes.
We are entitled to an income tax deduction in the amount of the income recognized by the participant, subject to possible limitations
imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code and so long as we withhold the appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required)
and the participant’s total compensation is deemed reasonable in amount. Any gain or loss on the participant’s subsequent
disposition of the shares will receive long or short-term capital gain or loss treatment, depending on whether the shares are held for
more than one year following exercise. We do not receive a tax deduction for any such gain.
A nonqualified stock option can be considered
deferred compensation and be subject to Section 409A of the Code. A nonqualified stock option that does not meet the requirements
of Code Section 409A can result in the acceleration of income recognition, an additional 20% tax obligation, plus penalties and
interest.
Incentive
Stock Options. The grant of an incentive stock option under the Plan will not result in any U.S. federal income tax consequences
to us or the participant, if a U.S. taxpayer. A participant recognizes no federal taxable income upon exercising an incentive stock option
(subject to the alternative minimum tax rules discussed below), and we receive no deduction at the time of exercise. In the event
of a disposition of stock acquired upon exercise of an incentive stock option, the tax consequences depend upon how long the participant
has held the shares. If the participant does not dispose of the shares within two years after the incentive stock option was granted,
nor within one year after the incentive stock option was exercised, the participant will recognize a long-term capital gain (or loss)
equal to the difference between the sale price of the shares and the exercise price. We are not entitled to any deduction under these
circumstances.
If the participant is a U.S. taxpayer and fails
to satisfy either of the foregoing holding periods (referred to as a “disqualifying disposition”), he or she must recognize
ordinary income in the year of the disposition. The amount of ordinary income generally is the lesser of (i) the difference between
the amount realized on the disposition and the exercise price or (ii) the difference between the fair market value of the stock
at the time of exercise and the exercise price. Any gain in excess of the amount taxed as ordinary income will be treated as a long or
short-term capital gain, depending on whether the stock was held for more than one year. We are entitled, in the year of the disqualifying
disposition, to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant, subject to possible limitations imposed
by Section 162(m) of the Code and so long as the participant’s total compensation is deemed reasonable in amount.
The “spread” under an incentive stock
option—i.e., the difference between the fair market value of the shares at exercise and the exercise price—is classified
as an item of adjustment in the year of exercise for purposes of the alternative minimum tax. If a participant’s alternative minimum
tax liability exceeds such participant’s regular income tax liability, the participant will owe the larger amount of taxes. In
order to avoid the application of alternative minimum tax with respect to incentive stock options, the participant must sell the shares
within the calendar year in which the incentive stock options are exercised. However, such a sale of shares within the year of exercise
will constitute a disqualifying disposition, as described above.
Stock
Appreciation Rights. Recipients of stock appreciation rights, or SARs, if U.S. taxpayers, generally should not recognize income
until the SAR is exercised (assuming there is no ceiling on the value of the right). Upon exercise, the recipient will normally recognize
taxable ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes equal to the amount of cash and fair market value of the shares, if any,
received upon such exercise. Recipients who are employees will be subject to withholding for federal income and employment tax purposes
with respect to income recognized upon exercise of a SAR. Recipients will recognize gain upon the disposition of any shares received
on exercise of a SAR equal to the excess of (i) the amount realized on such disposition over (ii) the ordinary income recognized
with respect to such shares under the principles set forth above. That gain will be taxable as long or short-term capital gain depending
on whether the shares were held for more than one year. We will be entitled to a tax deduction to the extent and in the year that ordinary
income is recognized by the recipient, subject to possible limitations imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code and so long as
we withhold the appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required) and the recipient’s total compensation is deemed reasonable
in amount.
A SAR can be considered non-qualified deferred
compensation and be subject to Section 409A of the Code. A SAR that does not meet the requirements of Code Section 409A can
result in the acceleration of income recognition, an additional 20% tax obligation, plus penalties and interest.
Restricted
Stock. The grant of restricted stock will subject the recipient to ordinary compensation income on the difference between
the amount paid for such stock and the fair market value of the shares on the date that the restrictions lapse. This income is subject
to withholding for federal income and employment tax purposes. We are entitled to an income tax deduction in the amount of the ordinary
income recognized by the recipient, subject to possible limitations imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code and so long as we
withhold the appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required) and the participant’s total compensation is deemed reasonable
in amount. Any gain or loss on the recipient’s subsequent disposition of the shares will receive long or short-term capital gain
or loss treatment depending on how long the stock has been held since the restrictions lapsed. We do not receive a tax deduction for
any such gain.
Recipients of restricted stock may make an election
under Section 83(b) of the Code, or a Section 83(b) Election, to recognize as ordinary compensation income in the
year that such restricted stock is granted, the amount equal to the spread between the amount paid for such stock and the fair market
value on the date of the issuance of the stock. If such an election is made, the recipient recognizes no further amounts of compensation
income upon the lapse of any restrictions and any gain or loss on subsequent disposition will be long or short-term capital gain to the
recipient. The Section 83(b) Election must be made within 30 days from the time the restricted stock is issued.
Restricted
Stock Units. Recipients of restricted stock units generally should not recognize income until such units are converted into
cash or shares. Upon conversion, the recipient will normally recognize taxable ordinary income for federal income tax purposes equal
to the amount of cash and fair market value of the shares, if any, received upon such conversion. Recipients who are employees will be
subject to withholding for federal income and employment tax purposes with respect to income recognized upon conversion of the restricted
stock units. Participants will recognize gain upon the disposition of any shares received upon conversion of the restricted stock units
equal to the excess of (i) the amount realized on such disposition over (ii) the ordinary income recognized with respect to
such shares under the principles set forth above. That gain will be taxable as long or short-term capital gain depending on whether the
shares were held for more than one year. We will be entitled to a tax deduction to the extent and in the year that ordinary income is
recognized by the recipient, subject to possible limitations imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code and so long as we withhold
the appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required) and the recipient’s total compensation is deemed reasonable in
amount.
Restricted stock units also can be considered
non-qualified deferred compensation and be subject to Section 409A of the Code. A grant of restricted stock units that is non-qualified
deferred compensation but does not meet the requirements of Code Section 409A will result in an additional 20% tax obligation, plus
penalties and interest to such recipient.
Dividends
and Dividend Equivalents. Recipients of stock-based awards that earn dividends or dividend equivalents will recognize taxable
ordinary income on any dividend payments received with respect to unvested and/or unexercised shares subject to such awards, which income
is subject to withholding for federal income and employment tax purposes. We are entitled to an income tax deduction in the amount of
the income recognized by a participant, subject to possible limitations imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code and so long as
we withhold the appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required) and the individual’s total compensation is deemed reasonable
in amount.
Impact of Israeli Tax Law
The awards granted to employees pursuant to Section 102
of the tax ordinance under the Plan may be designated by us as approved options under the capital gains alternative, or as approved options
under the ordinary income tax alternative.
To qualify for these benefits, certain requirements
must be met, including registration of the options in the name of a trustee. Each option, and any shares of common stock acquired upon
the exercise of the option, must be held by the trustee for a period commencing on the date of grant and deposit into trust with the
trustee and ending 24 months thereafter.
Under the terms of the capital gains alternative,
we may not deduct expenses pertaining to the options for tax purposes.
Under the Plan, we may also grant to employees
options pursuant to Section 102(c) of the tax ordinance that are not required to be held in trust by a trustee. This alternative,
while facilitating immediate exercise of vested options and sale of the underlying shares, will subject the optionee to the marginal
income tax rate of up to 50% as well as payments to the National Insurance Institute and health tax on the date of the sale of the shares
or options. Under the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, we may also grant to non-employees options pursuant to Section 3(I) of the
tax ordinance. Under that section, the income tax on the benefit arising to the optionee upon the exercise of options and the issuance
of common stock is generally due at the time of exercise of the options.
These options shall be further subject to the terms of the tax
ruling that has been obtained by Protalix Ltd. from the Israeli tax authorities in connection with our merger in 2006. Under the tax
ruling, the options issued by us in connection with the assumption of Section 102 options previously issued by Protalix Ltd. under
the capital gains alternative shall be issued to a trustee, shall be designated under the capital gains alternative and the issuance
date of the original options shall be deemed the issuance date for the assumed options for the calculation of the respective holding
period.
PROPOSAL 5: AMENDMENT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER
OF
AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
On March 30, 2023, our Board of Directors
authorized and approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (“Certificate”), to increase the number
of authorized shares of our common stock from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000 (the “Amendment”). We are not proposing any change
to the authorized number of shares of preferred stock. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, we are required to obtain the affirmative
vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock to amend the Certificate to increase the number of authorized
shares of common stock. Our Board of Directors determined that the Amendment is advisable and in the best interest of our Company and
our stockholders, and recommends that our stockholders approve the Amendment.
As of April 30, 2023, 65,414,917 shares of
our common stock were outstanding. As discussed in more detail in this Proposal 5, we have reserved approximately 5.7 million
shares of common stock for issuances in connection with outstanding share-based incentives under our Existing Plan, approximately 14.6 million
shares of common stock for issuances in connection with the exercise of our outstanding warrants (the “2020 Warrants”) and
approximately 21.4 million shares for issuance in connection with conversion of our outstanding 7.50% convertible notes (the “2024
Notes”). The amount of unreserved, authorized shares leaves us with an insufficient number of shares of common stock for corporate
purposes, and impedes and undermines our ability to raise capital in the future. If our stockholders do not approve this Proposal 5,
we are left without the authorized shares of common stock necessary for us to pursue a variety of business and financial objectives without
further action of our stockholders (except when required by applicable law or regulation). As a result, we believe that a delay in securing,
or a failure to secure, stockholder approval of this Proposal 5 will limit our ability to pursue transactions that we believe are
in the Company’s best interest and may impair the financial viability of our Company.
Description of Common Stock
The Certificate currently authorizes the issuance
of 144,000,000 shares of common stock and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, for a total of 244,000,000
shares of capital stock. As of April 30, 2023, there were 65,414,917 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, and no shares
of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We have reserved a number of additional shares
of common stock for future issuance under our equity compensation plan. As of December 31, 2022, 5,519,315 shares of common stock
are reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under the Existing Plan and 136,738 shares of common stock are
reserved for issuance in connection with future grants of stock options and/or future issuances of shares under the plan. In addition,
approximately 21.4 million shares of common stock are reserved for issuance upon conversions of 2024 Notes. A significant amount
of the shares reserved for issuance upon the conversion of our outstanding convertible promissory notes includes shares issuable upon
conversions that are effected in connection with a fundamental change, as described in the indentures governing 2024 Notes. Finally,
approximately 14.6 million shares of common stock are reserved for issuance upon exercises of the 2020 Warrants. After taking into
account the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding, in addition to the aggregate number of shares of common stock
reserved for future issuance as described in this paragraph, we believe it is in the Company’s best interest to increase the amount
of shares of our common stock that are authorized for issuance under the Certificate.
Purpose of the Amendment
Our Board of Directors believes that it is in
our best interest, and in the best interest of our stockholders, to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock available
for future issuance. The lack of authorized shares of common stock impedes and undermines our ability to raise capital in the future
to finance the last steps needed to bring our pegunigalsidase alfa investigational drug candidate to its anticipated approval finance
and the research and development activities to further enhance and strengthen our product development pipeline, among other corporate
activities. Absent an increase in the authorized number of shares of common stock, we are left with limited flexibility with respect
to the management of our capital structure. Consequently, we may elect to cash-settle at least part or all of our obligations upon the
conversion of our 2024 Notes. In addition, we are limited in our ability to elect to redeem outstanding convertible notes should we find
it in our best interest to do so based on market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, our Board of Directors has determined that
increasing the number of authorized shares of common stock available for future issuance will provide our Company with the ability to
best manage our obligations under our 2024 Notes and greater flexibility in considering and planning our future business needs. Such
plans may involve the issuance, from time to time, of additional shares of common stock.
As discussed above, if our stockholders do not
approve this Proposal 5, we are left without the authorized shares of common stock necessary to pursue a variety of business and
financial objectives without further action of the stockholders (except when required by applicable law or regulation). As a result,
we believe that a delay in securing, or a failure to secure, stockholder approval of this Proposal 5 would impair the financial
viability of our Company.
We anticipate that we may issue additional shares
of common stock in the future in connection with one or more of the following:
| · | issuances
in connection with the refinancing or retirement of our outstanding existing convertible
notes; |
| · | issuances
pursuant to the conversion of outstanding or future convertible securities, including the
2020 Warrants; |
| · | issuances
in connection with the interest payments and make-whole payments under our outstanding convertible
notes; |
| · | issuances
in connection with any partnerships, strategic alliances, collaborations or other similar
transactions; |
| · | issuances
in connection with strategic investments; |
| · | financing
transactions, such as public or private offerings; |
| · | issuances
under current and future stock incentive plans; |
| · | any
other proper corporate purpose. |
Our Board of Directors evaluates such opportunities,
from time to time, and considers different capital structuring alternatives designed to advance our business strategy. If additional
authorized shares of common stock are available, transactions dependent upon the issuance of additional shares would be less likely to
be impeded or undermined by delays and uncertainties occasioned by the need to obtain prior stockholder authorization. Our Board of Directors
will have the discretion to issue the shares of common stock without further stockholder action, except as may be required for a particular
transaction by applicable law or regulation, or the NYSE American Company Guide. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, we have no specific
plans, agreements or commitments to issue any shares of common stock for which approval of the proposed Amendment is required, except
as described herein. Our Board of Directors believes the additional authorized shares will provide us with needed flexibility to issue
shares of common stock in the future without the potential expense and delay incident to obtaining stockholder approval for a particular
issuance. Our Board of Directors believes that a failure to approve this proposed Amendment will seriously restrict our ability to manage
our capital needs and will be detrimental to the interests of our stockholders.
Possible Effects of the Amendment
The issuance of additional shares of common stock
may, among other things, have a dilutive effect on earnings per share and on stockholders’ equity and voting rights. Furthermore,
future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the perception that these sales might occur, could adversely affect the prevailing
market price of our common stock or limit our ability to raise additional capital. Stockholders should recognize that, as a result of
this proposal, they will own a smaller percentage of shares relative to the total authorized shares of our Company than they presently
own.
Neither the Delaware General Corporation Law,
the Certificate, nor our Bylaws provides for appraisal or other similar rights for dissenting stockholders in connection with this proposal.
Accordingly, our stockholders will have no right to dissent and obtain payment for their shares.
The text of the proposed Amendment is set forth
in Appendix B attached to this Proxy Statement, and this discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to Appendix B.
If this proposed Amendment is approved by the stockholders, it will become effective upon filing of a Certificate of Amendment with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. We expect to file the Certificate of Amendment promptly upon approval by our stockholders.
In accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law, however, our Board of Directors may elect to abandon the Amendment without further
action by the stockholders at any time prior to the effectiveness of the filing of the Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of
State of the State of Delaware, notwithstanding stockholder approval of the Amendment.
Our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote “FOR”
the approval of the Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Common
Stock from 144,000,000 to 185,000,000 as disclosed in this proxy statement and as described in this “Proposal 5: Amendment
to Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Common Stock.”
PROPOSAL 6: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT
OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation
of its Audit and Finance Committee, has ratified the selection of Kesselman & Kesselman to serve as our independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. The Audit and Finance Committee of our Board of Directors
is solely responsible for selecting our independent public accountants. Although stockholder approval is not required to appoint Kesselman &
Kesselman as our independent public accountant firm, we believe that submitting the appointment of Kesselman & Kesselman to
our stockholders for ratification is a matter of good corporate governance. If our stockholders do not ratify the appointment, then the
appointment may be reconsidered by the Audit and Finance Committee. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit and Finance Committee
may engage a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change
would be in the best interest of our Company and our stockholders. The proxy will be voted as specified, and if no specification is made,
the proxy will be cast “FOR” this proposal.
During our fiscal year ended December 31,
2022, there were no disagreements with Kesselman & Kesselman on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial
statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which if not resolve to their satisfaction would have caused them to make reference
to the subject matter of the disagreements in connection with their opinion.
The Audit and Finance Committee will consider
whether the provision of any other services by Kesselman & Kesselman is compatible with maintaining the independence of Kesselman &
Kesselman. The Audit and Finance Committee has concluded that Kesselman & Kesselman is independent.
We expect representatives of Kesselman &
Kesselman will be present at the meeting. They will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and are expected
to be available to answer stockholders’ questions.
Our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders
vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Kesselman & Kesselman for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2023.
The following table sets forth fees billed to
us by our independent registered public accounting firm during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 for: (i) services
rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and the review of our quarterly financial statements; (ii) services by
our independent registered public accounting firm that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial
statements and that are not reported as Audit Fees; (iii) services rendered in connection with tax compliance, tax advice and tax
planning; and (iv) all other fees for services rendered.
| |
Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2022 | | |
2021 | |
Audit Fees | |
$ | 254,750 | | |
$ | 284,500 | |
Audit Related Fees | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Tax Fees | |
$ | 71,000 | | |
$ | 61,768 | |
All Other Fees | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible
Non-Audit Services of Independent Auditors
Our Audit and Finance Committee has the sole authority
to approve the scope of the audit and any audit-related services, as well as all audit fees and terms. The Audit and Finance Committee
must pre-approve any audit and non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit and Finance
Committee will not approve the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm to perform any services that the independent
registered public accounting firm would be prohibited from providing under applicable laws, rules and regulations, including those
of self-regulating organizations. The Audit and Finance Committee will approve permitted non-audit services by our independent registered
public accounting firm only if it determines that using a different firm to perform such services will be more effective or economical.
The Audit and Finance Committee annually reviews and pre-approves the statutory audit fees that can be provided by the independent registered
public accounting firm.
SOLICITATION OF PROXIES
We
have engaged Alliance Advisors LLC to assist us in soliciting proxies for the meeting. We will pay Alliance Advisors a base fee of approximately
$10,000, plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, plus an additional fee based upon the number of contacts with stockholders made and
work performed. We estimate the total amount payable to Alliance Advisors will be approximately $100,000. Our officers, directors
and employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone, fax or email. We will pay these officers, employees and directors no additional
compensation for these services. We will ask banks, brokers and other institutions, nominees and fiduciaries to forward these proxy materials
to their principals and to obtain authority to execute proxies. We will then reimburse them for their expenses. We will pay all of the
costs of soliciting these proxies.
If you need assistance in voting by telephone
or over the Internet or completing your proxy card or have questions regarding the meeting, please contact our proxy advisor:
Alliance Advisors, LLC
200 Broadacres Drive, 3rd Floor
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
+1 (855) 200-7892 (toll free in the United States)
PLX@AllianceAdvisors.com
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS
All
stockholder proposals intended to be presented at our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be submitted in writing to Eyal Rubin,
Corporate Secretary, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., 2 University Plaza, Suite 100, Hackensack, NJ 07601, and received
by us no later than January 10, 2024, and must comply in all other respects with applicable rules and regulations of
the SEC relating to such inclusion. Such notice must include, with respect to each matter the stockholder proposes to bring before the
meeting: (i) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting and the reasons for conducting such business
at the meeting; (ii) the name and record address of the stockholder proposing such business; (iii) the class and number of
shares of our Company which are beneficially owned by the stockholder; and (iv) any material interest of the stockholder in such
business. In addition, the notice must include certain information relating to any derivative or hedging transactions by the stockholder
delivering such notice and its Stockholder Associated Persons, as defined in our By-Laws, and other arrangements with other parties regarding
our securities, as presented in detail in our By-Laws.
Any such proposal submitted with respect to our
2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders which is submitted outside the requirements of Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the Exchange Act
will be considered timely if we receive written notice of that proposal not less than 45 days nor more than 75 days prior to
the date in 2024 on which we first mailed this proxy statement in 2023; however, if the date of the meeting is changed by more than 30 days
from the date of the prior year’s meeting, the notice will be considered untimely if it is not received at least 90 days
prior to the newly announced date that we will mail our proxy statement.
ANNUAL REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS
Our FY2022 Annual Report, which provides additional
information about us, will be distributed to all stockholders entitled to vote along with the proxy materials. Additional copies of our
FY2022 Annual Report are available on the Internet at http://www.sec.gov and http://www.protalix.com and are also available in paper
form without charge upon written request to Investor Relations, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., 2 University Plaza, Suite 100,
Hackensack, NJ 07601.
HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS
The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies
and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy statements and annual reports with respect to two or
more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement addressed to those stockholders. This process, which
is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially means extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies.
This year, a number of brokers with account holders
who are stockholders of our Company will be “householding” our proxy materials. A single proxy statement may be delivered
to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from the affected stockholders. Once a stockholder
has received notice from its broker that it will be “householding” communications to such stockholder’s address, “householding”
will continue until such stockholder is notified otherwise or until such stockholder notifies its broker or us that it no longer wishes
to participate in “householding.” If, at any time, a stockholder no longer wishes to participate in “householding”
and would prefer to receive a separate proxy statement and annual report in the future such stockholder may (1) notify its broker
or (2) direct its written request to: Eyal Rubin, Corporate Secretary, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., 2 University Plaza,
Suite 100, Hackensack, NJ 07601, +1 (201) 696-9345. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the proxy statement
at their address and would like to request “householding” of their communications should contact their broker. In addition,
we will promptly deliver, upon written or oral request to the address or telephone number above, a separate copy of the annual report
and proxy statement to such stockholders at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.
OTHER MATTERS
Our Board of Directors knows of no other business
to be acted upon at the meeting. However, if any other business properly comes before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons
named in the enclosed proxy to vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.
The prompt return of your proxy is appreciated
and will be helpful in obtaining the necessary vote. Therefore, whether or not you expect to attend the meeting please sign the proxy
and return it in the enclosed envelope or vote by internet or telephone.
|
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, |
|
|
|
Eyal Rubin |
|
Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and
Corporate Secretary |
|
|
|
Carmiel, Israel |
|
May , 2023 |
Appendix A
PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED 2006 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN,
AS AMENDED
(June 28,
2023 June 30, 2022)
1. Purposes
of the Plan. The purposes of this Plan are to attract and retain the best available personnel, to provide additional incentives to
Employees, Directors and Consultants and to promote the success of the Company’s business.
2. Definitions.
The following definitions shall apply as used herein and in the individual Award Agreements except as defined otherwise in an individual
Award Agreement. In the event a term is separately defined in an individual Award Agreement, such definition shall supercede the definition
contained in this Section 2.
(a) “3(I) Option”
means Award granted under Section 3(I).
(b) “102
Option” means Award granted under Section 102.
(c) “Administrator”
means the Board or any of the Committees appointed to administer the Plan.
(d) “Affiliate”
and “Associate” shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the
Exchange Act.
(e) “Applicable
Laws” means the legal requirements relating to the Plan and the Awards under applicable provisions of federal securities laws,
state corporate and securities laws, the Code, the rules of any applicable stock exchange or national market system, and the rules of
any non-U.S. jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents therein.
(f) “Assumed”
means that pursuant to a Corporate Transaction either (i) the Award is expressly affirmed by the Company or (ii) the contractual
obligations represented by the Award are expressly assumed (and not simply by operation of law) by the successor entity or its Parent
in connection with the Corporate Transaction with appropriate adjustments to the number and type of securities of the successor entity
or its Parent subject to the Award and the exercise or purchase price thereof which at least preserves the compensation element of the
Award existing at the time of the Corporate Transaction as determined in accordance with the instruments evidencing the agreement to
assume the Award.
(g) “Award”
means the grant of an Option, SAR, Dividend Equivalent Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit or other right or benefit under
the Plan.
(h) “Award
Agreement” means the written agreement evidencing the grant of an Award executed by the Company and the Grantee, including
any amendments thereto.
(i) “Board”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(j) “Cause”
means, with respect to the termination by the Company or a Related Entity of the Grantee's Continuous Service, that such termination
is for “Cause” as such term (or word of like import) is expressly defined in a then-effective written agreement between the
Grantee and the Company or such Related Entity, or in the absence of such then-effective written agreement and definition, is based on,
in the determination of the Administrator, the Grantee’s: (i) performance of any act or failure to perform any act in bad
faith which is materially detrimental to the Company or a Related Entity as reasonably determined in good faith by a unanimous decision
of members of the Board entitled to vote thereon; (ii) dishonesty, intentional misconduct
or material breach of any agreement with the Company or a Related Entity; (iii) commission of a crime involving dishonesty, breach
of trust, or physical or emotional harm to any person; (iv) embezzlement of funds of the Company or a Related Entity; (v) ownership,
direct or indirect (i.e., by means of a holding company or family member), of an interest in a person or entity (other than a minority
interest in a publicly traded company) in competition with the products or services of the Company or a Related Entity, including those
products or services contemplated in a plan adopted by the Board; (vi) any breach of the Grantee’s fiduciary duties or duties
of care to the Company or a Related Entity (except for conduct taken in good faith); (vii) any material failure to carry out a reasonable
and legitimate directive of the Board; or (viii) any material breach of an Employee's
undertakings of confidentiality and non competition.
(k) “Change
in Control” means a change in ownership or control of the Company effected through either of the following transactions:
(i) the
direct or indirect acquisition by any person or related group of persons (other than an acquisition from or by the Company or by a Company-sponsored
employee benefit plan or by a person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company)
of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of securities possessing more than fifty percent
(50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made directly
to the Company’s stockholders which a majority of the Continuing Directors who are not Affiliates or Associates of the offeror
do not recommend such stockholders accept, or
(ii) a
change in the composition of the Board over a period of twelve (12) months or less such that a majority of the Board members (rounded
up to the next whole number) ceases, by reason of one or more contested elections for Board membership, to be comprised of individuals
who are Continuing Directors.
(l) “Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(m) “Committee”
means any committee composed of members of the Board appointed by the Board to administer the Plan.
(n) “Common
Stock” means the common stock of the Company.
(o) “Company”
means Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor entity that adopts the Plan in connection with a
Corporate Transaction.
(p) “Consultant”
means any person (other than an Employee or a Director, solely with respect to rendering services in such person’s capacity as
a Director) who is engaged by the Company or any Related Entity to render consulting or advisory services to the Company or such Related
Entity.
(q) “Continuing
Directors” means members of the Board who either (i) have been Board members continuously for a period of at least twelve
(12) months or (ii) have been Board members for less than twelve (12) months and were elected or nominated for election as Board
members by at least a majority of the Board members described in clause (i) who were still in office at the time such election
or nomination was approved by the Board.
(r) “Continuous
Service” means that the provision of services to the Company or a Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant
is not interrupted or terminated. In jurisdictions requiring notice in advance of an effective termination as an Employee, Director or
Consultant, Continuous Service shall be deemed terminated upon the actual cessation of providing services to the Company or a Related
Entity notwithstanding any required notice period that must be fulfilled before a termination as an Employee, Director or Consultant
can be effective under Applicable Laws. A Grantee’s Continuous Service shall be deemed to have terminated either upon an actual
termination of Continuous Service or upon the entity for which the Grantee provides services ceasing to be a Related Entity. Continuous
Service shall not be considered interrupted in the case of (i) any approved leave of absence, (ii) transfers among the Company,
any Related Entity, or any successor, in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, or (iii) any change in status as long
as the individual remains in the service of the Company or a Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant (except
as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement). An approved leave of absence shall include sick leave, military leave, or any other authorized
personal leave. For purposes of each Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan, if such leave exceeds three (3) months, and
reemployment upon expiration of such leave is not guaranteed by statute or contract, then the Incentive Stock Option shall be treated
as a Non-Qualified Stock Option on the day three (3) months and one (1) day following the expiration of such three (3) month
period.
(s) “Corporate
Transaction” means any of the following transactions, provided, however, that the Administrator shall determine under parts
(iv) and (v) whether multiple transactions are related, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive:
(i) a
merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity, except for a transaction the principal purpose of which is
to change the state in which the Company is incorporated;
(ii) the
sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company;
(iii) the
complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
(iv) any
reverse merger or series of related transactions culminating in a reverse merger (including, but not limited to, a tender offer followed
by a reverse merger) in which the Company is the surviving entity but (A) the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior
to such merger are converted or exchanged by virtue of the merger into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise,
or (B) in which securities possessing more than forty percent (40%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding
securities are transferred to a person or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such merger or the
initial transaction culminating in such merger; or
(v) acquisition
in a single or series of related transactions by any person or related group of persons (other than the Company or by a Company-sponsored
employee benefit plan) of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of securities possessing more
than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities but excluding any such transaction
or series of related transactions that the Administrator determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction (provided however that the Administrator
shall have no discretion in connection with a Corporate Transaction for the purchase of all or substantially all of the shares of the
Company unless the principal purpose of such transaction is to change the state in which the Company is incorporated).
(t) “Covered
Employee” means an Employee who is a “covered employee” under Section 162(m)(3) of the Code.
(u) “Director”
means a member of the Board or the board of directors of any Related Entity.
(v) “Disability”
means as defined under the long-term disability policy of the Company or the Related Entity to which the Grantee provides services regardless
of whether the Grantee is covered by such policy. If the Company or the Related Entity to which the Grantee provides service does not
have a long-term disability plan in place, “Disability” means that a Grantee is unable to carry out the responsibilities
and functions of the position held by the Grantee by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment for a period
of not less than ninety (90) consecutive days. A Grantee will not be considered to have incurred a Disability unless he or she furnishes
proof of such impairment sufficient to satisfy the Administrator in its discretion.
(w) “Dividend
Equivalent Right” means a right entitling the Grantee to compensation measured by dividends paid with respect to Common Stock.
(x) “Employee”
means any person, including an Officer or Director, who is in the employ of the Company or any Related Entity, subject to the control
and direction of the Company or any Related Entity as to both the work to be performed and the manner and method of performance. The
payment of a director’s fee by the Company or a Related Entity shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by
the Company.
(y) “Exchange
Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(z) “Fair
Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:
(i) If
the Common Stock is listed on one or more established stock exchanges or national market systems, including without limitation the American
Stock Exchange, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported)
as quoted on the principal exchange or system on which the Common Stock is listed (as determined by the Administrator) on the date of
determination (or, if no closing sales price or closing bid was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such closing
sales price or closing bid was reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;
(ii) If
the Common Stock is regularly quoted on an automated quotation system (including the OTC Bulletin Board) or by a recognized securities
dealer, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock as quoted on such system or by such securities dealer on
the date of determination, but if selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock shall be the mean
between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the date of determination (or, if no such prices were reported on that
date, on the last date such prices were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems
reliable; or
(iii) In
the absence of an established market for the Common Stock of the type described in (i) and (ii), above, the Fair Market Value thereof
shall be determined by the Administrator in good faith.
(aa) “Grantee”
means an Employee, Director or Consultant who receives an Award under the Plan.
(bb) “Incentive
Stock Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the
Code.
(cc) “Israeli
Employee” means Employees, office holders of the Company or a Related Company (“Nosei Misra” - as such term is
defined in the Israeli Companies Law 1999) and Directors (excluding those who are considered a “Controlling Shareholder”
pursuant to Section 32(9) of the Tax Ordinance or otherwise excluded by the Tax Ordinance).
(dd) “Israeli
Grantee” means Grantees who are residents of the State of Israel or those who are deemed to be residents of the State of Israel
for the payment of tax (whether such grantee is entitled to the tax benefits under Section 102 or not).
(ee) “ITA”
means Israeli Tax Authorities.
(ff) “Non-Employee”
means Consultants or any other person who is not an Israeli Employee.
(gg) “Non-Qualified
Stock Option” means an Option not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
(hh) “Non-Trustee
102 Option” shall mean a 102 Option granted pursuant to Section 102(c) of the Tax Ordinance and not held in trust
by the Trustee.
(ii) “Officer”
means a person who is an officer of the Company or a Related Entity within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(jj) “Option”
means an option to purchase Shares pursuant to an Award Agreement granted under the Plan.
(kk) “Parent”
means a “parent corporation”, whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.
(ll) “Performance-Based
Compensation” means compensation qualifying as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of
the Code.
(mm) “Plan”
means this Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive Plan.
(nn) “Related
Entity” means any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. With respect to Israeli Grantees of 102 Options, the definition shall
further include any entity permitted under Section 102 (a) of the Tax Ordinance.
(oo) “Replaced”
means that pursuant to a Corporate Transaction the Award is replaced with a comparable stock award or a cash incentive program of
the Company, the successor entity (if applicable) or Parent of either of them which preserves the compensation element of such Award
existing at the time of the Corporate Transaction and provides for subsequent payout in accordance with the same (or a more favorable)
vesting schedule applicable to such Award. The determination of Award comparability shall be made by the Administrator and its determination
shall be final, binding and conclusive.
(pp) “Restricted
Stock” means Shares issued under the Plan to the Grantee for such consideration, if any, and subject to such restrictions on
transfer, rights of first refusal, repurchase provisions, forfeiture provisions, and other terms and conditions as established by the
Administrator.
(qq) “Restricted
Stock Units” means an Award which may be earned in whole or in part upon the passage of time or the attainment of performance
criteria established by the Administrator and which may be settled for cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of cash, Shares
or other securities as established by the Administrator.
(rr) “Rule 16b-3”
means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor thereto.
(ss) “SAR”
means a stock appreciation right entitling the Grantee to Shares or cash compensation, as established by the Administrator, measured
by appreciation in the value of Common Stock.
(tt) “Section 3(I)”
means section 3(I) of the Tax Ordinance as may be amended from time to time.
(uu) “Section 102”
means section 102 of the Tax Ordinance as may be amended from time to time.
(vv) “Share”
means a share of the Common Stock.
(ww) “Subsidiary”
means a “subsidiary corporation”, whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.
(xx) “Tax
Ordinance” means the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance [New Version], 1961 (including as amended pursuant to Amendment 132 thereto)
and to the extent not specifically indicated hereunder also the rules, regulations and orders or procedures promulgated thereunder from
time to time, as amended or replaced from time to time.
(yy) “Trustee”
means any individual appointed by the Company to serve as trustee and approved by the ITA, in accordance with the provisions of Section 102(a) of
the Tax Ordinance and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(zz) “Trustee
102 Option” means a 102 Option granted pursuant to Section 102(b) of the Tax Ordinance and held in trust by the Trustee
for the benefit of an Israeli Grantee.
3. Stock
Subject to the Plan.
(a) Subject
to the provisions of Section 10, below, the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued pursuant to all Awards (including
Incentive Stock Options) under the Plan is 8,475,171 12,475,171
Shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Shares issued from and after November 10, 2014 in connection with Awards other
than Options and SARs shall be counted against the limit set forth herein as one and one-half (1.5) Shares for every one (1) Share
issued in connection with such Award (and shall be counted as one and one-half (1.5) Shares for every one (1) Share returned or
deemed not have been issued from the Plan pursuant to Section 3(b) below in connection with Awards other than Options and SARs).
The Shares to be issued pursuant to Awards may be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.
(b) Any
Shares covered by an Award (or portion of an Award) which is forfeited, canceled or expires (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) shall
be deemed not to have been issued for purposes of determining the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued under the Plan.
Shares that actually have been issued under the Plan pursuant to an Award shall not be returned to the Plan and shall not become available
for future issuance under the Plan, except that if unvested Shares are forfeited, or repurchased by the Company at the lower of their
original purchase price or their Fair Market Value at the time of repurchase, such Shares shall become available for future grant under
the Plan. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein: (i) Shares tendered or withheld in payment of an Option exercise
price shall not be returned to the Plan and shall not become available for future issuance under the Plan; (ii) Shares withheld
by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation shall not be returned to the Plan and shall not become available for future
issuance under the Plan; and (iii) all Shares covered by the portion of an SAR that is exercised (whether or not Shares are actually
issued to the Grantee upon exercise of the SAR) shall be considered issued pursuant to the Plan.
4. Administration
of the Plan.
(a) Plan
Administrator.
(i) Administration
with Respect to Directors and Officers. With respect to grants of Awards to Directors or Employees who are also Officers or Directors
of the Company, the Plan shall be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee designated by the Board, which Committee
shall be constituted in such a manner as to satisfy the Applicable Laws and to permit such grants and related transactions under the
Plan to be exempt from Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act in accordance with Rule 16b-3. Once appointed, such Committee
shall continue to serve in its designated capacity until otherwise directed by the Board.
(ii) Administration
With Respect to Consultants and Other Employees. With respect to grants of Awards to Employees or Consultants who are neither Directors
nor Officers of the Company, the Plan shall be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee designated by the Board, which
Committee shall be constituted in such a manner as to satisfy the Applicable Laws. Once appointed, such Committee shall continue to serve
in its designated capacity until otherwise directed by the Board. The Board may authorize one or more Officers to grant such Awards and
may limit such authority as the Board determines from time to time.
(iii) Administration
With Respect to Covered Employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, grants of Awards to any Covered Employee intended to qualify as
Performance-Based Compensation shall be made only by a Committee (or subcommittee of a Committee) which is comprised solely of two or
more Directors eligible to serve on a committee making Awards qualifying as Performance-Based Compensation. In the case of such Awards
granted to Covered Employees, references to the “Administrator” or to a “Committee” shall be deemed to be references
to such Committee or subcommittee.
(iv) Administration
With Respect to Israeli Grantees. With respect to grants of Awards to Israeli Grantees, the Plan shall be administered by (A) the
Board or (B) a Committee or one or more Officers designated by the Board, which Committee or Officers shall be constituted or appointed
in such a manner as to satisfy the ITA and the Applicable Laws applicable to Awards for Israeli Grantees. Once appointed, such Committee
or Officer shall continue to serve in its/his/her designated capacity until otherwise directed by the Board.
(v) Administration
Errors. In the event an Award is granted in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection (a), such Award shall
be presumptively valid as of its grant date to the extent permitted by the Applicable Laws.
(b) Powers
of the Administrator. Subject to Applicable Laws and the provisions of the Plan (including any other powers given to the Administrator
hereunder), and except as otherwise provided by the Board, the Administrator shall have the authority, in its discretion:
(i) to
select the Employees, Directors and Consultants to whom Awards may be granted from time to time hereunder;
(ii) to
determine whether and to what extent Awards are granted hereunder;
(iii) to
determine the number of Shares or the amount of other consideration to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;
(iv) to
approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;
(v) to
determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder;
(vi) to
amend the terms of any outstanding Award granted under the Plan, provided that (A) any amendment that would adversely affect the
Grantee’s rights under an outstanding Award shall not be made without the Grantee’s written consent, provided, however, that
an amendment or modification that may cause an Incentive Stock Option to become a Non-Qualified Stock Option shall not be treated as
adversely affecting the rights of the Grantee, (B) the reduction of the exercise price of any Option awarded under the Plan and
the base appreciation amount of any SAR awarded under the Plan shall be subject to stockholder approval and (C) canceling an Option
or SAR at a time when its exercise price or base appreciation amount (as applicable) exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying
Shares, in exchange for another Option, SAR, Restricted Stock, or other Award or for cash shall be subject to stockholder approval, unless
the cancellation and exchange occurs in connection with a Corporate Transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, canceling an Option or
SAR in exchange for another Option, SAR, Restricted Stock, or other Award or for cash with an exercise price, purchase price or base
appreciation amount (as applicable) that is equal to or greater than the exercise price or base appreciation amount (as applicable) of
the original Option or SAR shall not be subject to stockholder approval;
(vii) to
construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards, including without limitation, any notice of award or Award Agreement, granted
pursuant to the Plan;
(viii) to
grant Awards to Employees, Directors and Consultants employed outside the United States on such terms and conditions different from those
specified in the Plan as may, in the judgment of the Administrator, be necessary or desirable to further the purpose of the Plan; and
(ix) to
designate Awards as 102 Options (whether through a trustee or not) or 3(I) Options subject to the limitations under the ITA or any
other Applicable Law and to determine the type and route of the Trustee 102 Options.
(x) to
take such other action, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator deems appropriate.
The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to the Administrator
shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of the Administrator; provided that the Administrator may not exercise any
right or power reserved to the Board. Any decision made, or action taken, by the Administrator or in connection with the administration
of this Plan shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons having an interest in the Plan.
(c) Indemnification.
In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as members of the Board or as Officers or Employees of the Company
or a Related Entity, members of the Board and any Officers or Employees of the Company or a Related Entity to whom authority to act for
the Board, the Administrator or the Company is delegated shall be defended and indemnified by the Company to the extent permitted by
law on an after-tax basis against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and necessarily incurred in connection
with the defense of any claim, investigation, action, suit or proceeding, or in connection with any appeal therein, to which they or
any of them may be a party by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan, or any Award granted
hereunder, and against all amounts paid by them in settlement thereof (provided such settlement is approved by the Company) or paid by
them in satisfaction of a judgment in any such claim, investigation, action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to
which it shall be adjudged in such claim, investigation, action, suit or proceeding that such person is liable for gross negligence,
bad faith or intentional misconduct; provided, however, that within thirty (30) days after the institution of such claim, investigation,
action, suit or proceeding, such person shall offer to the Company, in writing, the opportunity at the Company’s expense to defend
the same.
5. Eligibility.
Awards other than Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants. Incentive Stock Options may be granted
only to Employees of the Company or a Parent or a Subsidiary of the Company. An Employee, Director or Consultant who has been granted
an Award may, if otherwise eligible, be granted additional Awards. Awards may be granted to such Employees, Directors or Consultants
who are residing in non-U.S. jurisdictions as the Administrator may determine from time to time, provided however that Awards to Israeli
Grantees under Section 102 or Section 3(I) of the Tax Ordinance shall be subject to Section 20 below.
The Company does not warrant that the Plan will
be recognized by the income tax authorities in any jurisdiction or that future changes will not be made to the provisions of applicable
laws or rules or regulations which are promulgated from time to time thereunder, or that any exemption or benefit currently available,
whether by the ITA pursuant to Section 102 or otherwise, will not be abolished.
6. Terms
and Conditions of Awards.
(a) Types
of Awards. The Administrator is authorized under the Plan to award any type of arrangement to an Employee, Director or Consultant
that is not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan and that by its terms involves or might involve the issuance of (i) Shares,
(ii) cash or (iii) an Option, a SAR, or similar right with a fixed or variable price related to the Fair Market Value of the
Shares and with an exercise or conversion privilege related to the passage of time, the occurrence of one or more events, or the satisfaction
of performance criteria or other conditions. Such awards include, without limitation, Options, SARs, sales or bonuses of Restricted Stock,
Restricted Stock Units or Dividend Equivalent Rights, and an Award may consist of one such security or benefit, or two (2) or more
of them in any combination or alternative.
(b) Designation
of Award. Each Award shall be designated in the Award Agreement. In the case of an Option, the Option shall be designated as either
an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option and with respect to Israeli Grantees may be further designated as 102 Options
or 3(I) Options under the Tax Ordinance subject to the qualifications described in Section 20 below. However, notwithstanding
such designation, an Option will qualify as an Incentive Stock Option under the Code only to the extent the $100,000 limitation
of Section 422(d) of the Code is not exceeded. The $100,000 limitation of Section 422(d) of the Code is calculated
based on the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to Options designated as Incentive Stock Options which become exercisable
for the first time by a Grantee during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company).
For purposes of this calculation, Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, and
the Fair Market Value of the Shares shall be determined as of the grant date of the relevant Option. In the event that the Code or the
regulations promulgated thereunder are amended after the date the Plan becomes effective to provide for a different limit on the Fair
Market Value of Shares permitted to be subject to Incentive Stock Options, then such different limit will be automatically incorporated
herein and will apply to any Options granted after the effective date of such amendment.
(c) Conditions
of Award. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator shall determine the provisions, terms, and conditions of each Award
including, but not limited to, the Award vesting schedule, repurchase provisions, rights of first refusal, forfeiture provisions, form
of payment (cash, Shares, or other consideration) upon settlement of the Award, payment contingencies, and satisfaction of any performance
criteria. The performance criteria established by the Administrator may be based on any one of, or combination of, the following: (i) increase
in share price, (ii) earnings per share, (iii) total stockholder return, (iv) operating margin, (v) gross margin,
(vi) return on equity, (vii) return on assets, (viii) return on investment, (ix) operating income, (x) net operating
income, (xi) pre-tax profit, (xii) cash flow, (xiii) revenue, (xiv) expenses, (xv) earnings before interest,
taxes and depreciation, (xvi) economic value added and (xvii) market share. The performance criteria may be applicable to the
Company, Related Entities and/or any individual business units of the Company or any Related Entity. Partial achievement of the specified
criteria may result in a payment or vesting corresponding to the degree of achievement as specified in the Award Agreement. In addition,
the performance criteria shall be calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, but excluding the effect (whether
positive or negative) of any change in accounting standards and any extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring item, as determined by the
Administrator, occurring after the establishment of the performance criteria applicable to the Award intended to be performance-based
compensation. Each such adjustment, if any, shall be made solely for the purpose of providing a consistent basis from period to period
for the calculation of performance criteria in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the Grantee’s rights with respect
to an Award intended to be performance-based compensation.
(d) Acquisitions
and Other Transactions. The Administrator may issue Awards under the Plan in settlement, assumption or substitution for, outstanding
awards or obligations to grant future awards in connection with the Company or a Related Entity acquiring another entity, an interest
in another entity or an additional interest in a Related Entity whether by merger, stock purchase, asset purchase or other form of transaction.
(e) Deferral
of Award Payment. The Administrator may establish one or more programs under the Plan to permit selected Grantees the opportunity
to elect to defer receipt of consideration upon exercise of an Award, satisfaction of performance criteria, or other event that absent
the election would entitle the Grantee to payment or receipt of Shares or other consideration under an Award. The Administrator may establish
the election procedures, the timing of such elections, the mechanisms for payments of, and accrual of interest or other earnings, if
any, on amounts, Shares or other consideration so deferred, and such other terms, conditions, rules and procedures that the Administrator
deems advisable for the administration of any such deferral program.
(f) Separate
Programs. The Administrator may establish one or more separate programs under the Plan for the purpose of issuing particular forms
of Awards to one or more classes of Grantees on such terms and conditions as determined by the Administrator from time to time.
(g) Individual
Limitations on Awards.
(i) Individual
Limit for Options and SARs. The maximum number of Shares with respect to which Options and SARs may be granted to any Grantee in
any calendar year shall be 8,475,171 12,475,171
Shares. Shares which shall not count against the limit set forth in the previous sentence. The foregoing limitations shall
be adjusted proportionately in connection with any change in the Company’s capitalization pursuant to Section 10, below.
To the extent required by Section 162(m) of the Code or the regulations thereunder, in applying the foregoing limitations with
respect to a Grantee, if any Option or SAR is canceled, the canceled Option or SAR shall continue to count against the maximum number
of Shares with respect to which Options and SARs may be granted to the Grantee. For this purpose, the repricing of an Option (or in the
case of a SAR, the base amount on which the stock appreciation is calculated is reduced to reflect a reduction in the Fair Market Value
of the Common Stock) shall be treated as the cancellation of the existing Option or SAR and the grant of a new Option or SAR.
(ii) Individual
Limit for Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. For awards of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units that are intended
to be Performance-Based Compensation, the maximum number of Shares with respect to which such Awards may be granted to any Grantee in
any calendar year shall be 8,475,171 12,475,171
Shares. The foregoing limitation shall be adjusted proportionately in connection with any change
in the Company’s capitalization pursuant to Section 10, below.
(iii) Deferral.
If the vesting or receipt of Shares under an Award is deferred to a later date, any amount (whether denominated in Shares or cash) paid
in addition to the original number of Shares subject to such Award will not be treated as an increase in the number of Shares subject
to the Award if the additional amount is based either on a reasonable rate of interest or on one or more predetermined actual investments
such that the amount payable by the Company at the later date will be based on the actual rate of return of a specific investment (including
any decrease as well as any increase in the value of an investment).
(h) Early
Exercise. The Award Agreement may, but need not, include a provision whereby the Grantee may elect at any time while an Employee,
Director or Consultant to exercise any part or all of the Award prior to full vesting of the Award. Any unvested Shares received pursuant
to such exercise may be subject to a repurchase right in favor of the Company or a Related Entity or to any other restriction the Administrator
determines to be appropriate.
(i) Term
of Award. The term of each Award shall be the term stated in the Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term of an Award shall
be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. However, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to
a Grantee who, at the time the Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all
classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, the term of the Incentive Stock Option shall be five (5) years
from the date of grant thereof or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement.
(j) Transferability
of Awards. Incentive Stock Options or Options to Israeli Grantees may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred,
or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of
the Grantee, only by the Grantee. Other Awards shall be transferable (i) by will and by the laws of descent and distribution and
(ii) during the lifetime of the Grantee, to the extent and in the manner authorized by the Administrator but only to the extent
such transfers are made to family members, to family trusts, to family controlled entities, to charitable organizations, and pursuant
to domestic relations orders or agreements, in all cases without payment for such transfers to the Grantee. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Grantee may designate one or more beneficiaries of the Grantee’s Award in the event of the Grantee’s death on a beneficiary
designation form provided by the Administrator.
(k) Time
of Granting Awards. The date of grant of an Award shall for all purposes be the date on which the Administrator makes the determination
to grant such Award, or such other date as is determined by the Administrator.
7. Award
Exercise or Purchase Price, Consideration and Taxes.
(a) Exercise
or Purchase Price. The exercise or purchase price, if any, for an Award shall be as follows:
(i) In
the case of an Incentive Stock Option:
(A) granted
to an Employee who, at the time of the grant of such Incentive Stock Option owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the
voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, the per Share exercise price shall be
not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant; or
(B) granted
to any Employee other than an Employee described in the preceding paragraph, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one
hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.
(ii) In
the case of a Non-Qualified Stock Option, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair
Market Value per Share on the date of grant.
(iii) In
the case of Awards intended to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, the exercise or purchase price, if any, shall be not less than
one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.
(iv) In
the case of SARs (other than with respect to Israeli Grantees), the base appreciation amount shall not be less than one hundred percent
(100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.
(v) In
the case of other Awards, such price as is determined by the Administrator.
(vi) Notwithstanding
the foregoing provisions of this Section 7(a), in the case of an Award issued pursuant to Section 6(d), above,
the exercise or purchase price for the Award shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the relevant instrument evidencing
the agreement to issue such Award.
(b) Consideration.
Subject to Applicable Laws, the consideration to be paid for the Shares to be issued upon exercise or purchase of an Award including
the method of payment, shall be determined by the Administrator. In addition to any other types of consideration the Administrator may
determine, the Administrator is authorized to accept as consideration for Shares issued under the Plan the following:
(i) cash;
(ii) check;
(iii) surrender
of Shares or delivery of a properly executed form of attestation of ownership of Shares as the Administrator may require which have a
Fair Market Value on the date of surrender or attestation equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which said Award
shall be exercised;
(iv) with
respect to Options, payment through a broker-dealer sale and remittance procedure pursuant to which the Grantee (A) shall provide
written instructions to a Company designated brokerage firm to effect the immediate sale of some or all of the purchased Shares and remit
to the Company sufficient funds to cover the aggregate exercise price payable for the purchased Shares and (B) shall provide written
directives to the Company to deliver the certificates for the purchased Shares directly to such brokerage firm in order to complete the
sale transaction; or
(v) with
respect to Options, payment through a “net exercise” such that, without the payment of any funds, the Grantee may exercise
the Option and receive the net number of Shares equal to (i) the number of Shares as to which the Option is being exercised, multiplied
by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the Fair Market Value per Share (on such date as is determined by the Administrator)
less the Exercise Price per Share, and the denominator of which is such Fair Market Value per Share (the number of net Shares to be received
shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number of Shares);
(vi) any
combination of the foregoing methods of payment.
The Administrator may at any time or from time to time, by adoption
of or by amendment to the standard forms of Award Agreement described in Section 4(b)(iv), or by other means, grant Awards which
do not permit all of the foregoing forms of consideration to be used in payment for the Shares or which otherwise restrict one or more
forms of consideration.
(c) Taxes.
No Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Grantee or other person until such Grantee or other person has made arrangements acceptable
to the Administrator for the satisfaction of any non-U.S., federal, state, or local income and employment tax withholding obligations,
including, without limitation, obligations incident to the receipt of Shares. Upon exercise or vesting of an Award the Company shall
withhold or collect from the Grantee an amount sufficient to satisfy such tax obligations, including, but not limited to, by surrender
of the whole number of Shares covered by the Award sufficient to satisfy the minimum applicable tax withholding obligations incident
to the exercise or vesting of an Award (reduced to the lowest whole number of Shares if such number of Shares withheld would result in
withholding a fractional Share with any remaining tax withholding settled in cash).
8. Exercise
of Award.
(a) Procedure
for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder.
(i) Any
Award granted hereunder shall be exercisable at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator under the terms
of the Plan and specified in the Award Agreement provided however that the standard vesting schedule for Israeli Grantees shall be as
set forth in Section 20.
(ii) An
Award shall be deemed to be exercised when written notice of such exercise has been given to the Company in accordance with the terms
of the Award by the person entitled to exercise the Award and full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Award is exercised
has been made, including, to the extent selected, use of the broker-dealer sale and remittance procedure to pay the purchase price as
provided in Section 7(b).
(b) Exercise
of Award Following Termination of Continuous Service. In the event of termination of a Grantee’s Continuous Service for any
reason other than Cause, Disability or death, such Grantee may, but only within twelve (12) months from the date of such termination
(or such longer or shorter period as specified in the Award Agreement but in no event later than the expiration date of the term of such
Award as set forth in the Award Agreement), exercise the portion of the Grantee’s Award that was vested at the date of such termination
or such other portion of the Grantee’s Award as may be determined by the Administrator. To the extent that the Grantee’s
Award was unvested at the date of termination, or if Grantee does not exercise the vested portion of the Grantee’s Award within
the time specified herein, the Award shall terminate.
(c) Exercise
of Award Following Termination of Continuous Service for Cause. In the event of termination of a Grantee’s Continuous Service
for Cause, such Grantee may, but only within fourteen (14) days from the date of such termination (or such longer or shorter period
as specified in the Award Agreement but in no event later than the expiration date of the term of such Award as set forth in the Award
Agreement), exercise the portion of the Grantee’s Award that was vested at the date of such termination or such other portion of
the Grantee’s Award as may be determined by the Administrator. To the extent that the Grantee’s Award was unvested at the
date of termination, or if Grantee does not exercise the vested portion of the Grantee’s Award within the time specified herein,
the Award shall terminate.
(d) Disability
of Grantee. In the event of termination of a Grantee’s Continuous Service as a result of his or her Disability, such Grantee
may, but only within twelve (12) months from the date of such termination (or such longer or shorter period as specified in the
Award Agreement but in no event later than the expiration date of the term of such Award as set forth in the Award Agreement), exercise
the portion of the Grantee’s Award that was vested at the date of such termination or such other portion of the Grantee’s
Award as may be determined by the Administrator. To the extent that the Grantee’s Award was unvested at the date of termination,
or if Grantee does not exercise the vested portion of the Grantee’s Award within the time specified herein, the Award shall terminate.
(e) Death
of Grantee. In the event of a termination of the Grantee’s Continuous Service as a result of his or her death, or in the event
of the death of the Grantee during the post-termination exercise periods following the Grantee’s termination of Continuous Service
specified in this Section 8, above, the Grantee’s estate or a person who acquired the right to exercise the Award by bequest
or inheritance may exercise the portion of the Grantee’s Award that was vested as of the date of termination or such other portion
of the Grantee’s Award as may be determined by the Administrator, within twelve (12) months from the date of death (or such longer
or shorter period as specified in the Award Agreement but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Award as set forth
in the Award Agreement). To the extent that, at the time of death, the Grantee’s Award was unvested, or if the Grantee’s
estate or a person who acquired the right to exercise the Award by bequest or inheritance does not exercise the vested portion of the
Grantee’s Award within the time specified herein, the Award shall terminate.
(f) The
holder of an Option shall have none of the rights of a stockholder with respect to the Shares subject to the Option until such shares
are transferred to the holder (or the Trustee, if applicable) upon the exercise of the Option.
9. Conditions
Upon Issuance of Shares.
(a) If
at any time the Administrator determines that the delivery of Shares pursuant to the exercise, vesting or any other provision of an Award
is or may be unlawful under Applicable Laws, the vesting or right to exercise an Award or to otherwise receive Shares pursuant to the
terms of an Award shall be suspended until the Administrator determines that such delivery is lawful and shall be further subject to
the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance. The Company shall have no obligation to effect any registration
or qualification of the Shares under federal or state laws or other Applicable Laws.
(b) As
a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award make such representations and warranties
which, in the opinion of the Company, are required to ensure that such exercise, or a subsequent sale or disposition of any Shares obtained
upon such exercise, does not contravene any Applicable Law, including inter alia, representations and warranties at the time of any such
exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares
if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any Applicable Laws.
(c) Unless
otherwise set forth in an Award Agreement, Shares issued to a Grantee or the Trustee, as applicable, shall be subject to such restrictions
as required by the appropriate securities’ law and in the event that the Company's shares shall be registered for trading in any
public market, Grantee's rights to sell the Shares may be subject to certain limitations (including a lock-up period), as will be requested
by the Company or its underwriters, and the Grantee by executing an Award Agreement unconditionally agrees and accepts any such limitations
and undertakes to further execute any agreement as may be requested by the Company or its underwriters from time to time.
10. Adjustments
Upon Changes in Capitalization. Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, the number of Shares covered by
each outstanding Award, and the number of Shares which have been authorized for issuance under the Plan but as to which no Awards have
yet been granted or which have been returned to the Plan, the exercise or purchase price of each such outstanding Award, the maximum
number of Shares with respect to which Awards may be granted to any Grantee in any calendar year, as well as any other terms that the
Administrator determines require adjustment shall be proportionately adjusted for (i) any increase or decrease in the number of
issued Shares resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of the Shares, or similar
transaction affecting the Shares, (ii) any other increase or decrease in the number of issued Shares effected without receipt of
consideration by the Company, or (iii) any other transaction with respect to Common Stock including a corporate merger, consolidation,
acquisition of property or stock, separation (including a spin-off or other distribution of stock or property), reorganization, liquidation
(whether partial or complete) or any similar transaction; provided, however that conversion of any convertible securities of the Company
shall not be deemed to have been “effected without receipt of consideration.” In the event of any distribution of cash or
other assets to stockholders other than a normal cash dividend, the Administrator shall also make such adjustments as provided in this
Section 10 or substitute, exchange or grant Awards to effect such adjustments (collectively “adjustments”). Any such
adjustments to outstanding Awards will be effected in a manner that precludes the enlargement of rights and benefits under such Awards.
In connection with the foregoing adjustments, the Administrator may, in its discretion, prohibit the exercise of Awards or other issuance
of Shares, cash or other consideration pursuant to Awards during certain periods of time. Except as the Administrator determines, no
issuance by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into shares of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by
reason hereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of Shares subject to an Award.
11. Corporate
Transactions and Changes in Control.
(a) Termination
of Award to Extent Not Assumed in Corporate Transaction. Effective upon the consummation of a Corporate Transaction, all outstanding
Awards under the Plan shall terminate. However, all such Awards shall not terminate to the extent they are Assumed in connection with
the Corporate Transaction.
Acceleration
of Award Upon Corporate Transaction or Change in Control.
Corporate
Transaction. Except as provided otherwise in an individual Award Agreement, in the event of a Corporate Transaction and:
for the portion of each Award that is Assumed or
Replaced, then such Award (if Assumed), the replacement Award (if Replaced), or the cash incentive program (if Replaced) automatically
shall become fully vested, exercisable and payable and be released from any repurchase or forfeiture rights (other than repurchase rights
exercisable at Fair Market Value) for all of the Shares (or other consideration) at the time represented by such Assumed or Replaced
portion of the Award, immediately upon termination of the Grantee’s Continuous Service if such Continuous Service is terminated
by the successor company or the Company without Cause within twelve (12) months after the Corporate Transaction; and
for the portion of each Award that is neither Assumed
nor Replaced, such portion of the Award shall automatically become fully vested and exercisable and be released from any repurchase or
forfeiture rights (other than repurchase rights exercisable at Fair Market Value) for all of the Shares (or other consideration) at the
time represented by such portion of the Award, immediately prior to the specified effective date of such Corporate Transaction, provided
that the Grantee’s Continuous Service has not terminated prior to such date.
Change
in Control. Except as provided otherwise in an individual Award Agreement, following a Change in Control (other than a Change
in Control which also is a Corporate Transaction) and upon the termination of the Continuous Service of a Grantee if such Continuous
Service is terminated by the Company or Related Entity without Cause within twelve (12) months after a Change in Control, each Award
of such Grantee which is at the time outstanding under the Plan automatically shall become fully vested and exercisable and be released
from any repurchase or forfeiture rights (other than repurchase rights exercisable at Fair Market Value), immediately upon the termination
of such Continuous Service.
Effect
of Acceleration on Incentive Stock Options. Any Incentive Stock Option accelerated under this Section 11 in connection
with a Corporate Transaction or Change in Control shall remain exercisable as an Incentive Stock Option under the Code only to the extent
the $100,000 dollar limitation of Section 422(d) of the Code is not exceeded.
12. Effective
Date and Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon the earlier to occur of its adoption by the Board or its approval by
the stockholders of the Company. It shall continue in effect until December 31, 2028 unless sooner terminated. Subject to Section 17,
below, and Applicable Laws, Awards may be granted under the Plan upon its becoming effective.
13. Amendment,
Suspension or Termination of the Plan.
(a) The
Board may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the Plan; provided, however, that no such amendment shall be made without the approval
of the Company’s stockholders to the extent such approval is required by Applicable Laws, or if such amendment would lessen the
stockholder approval requirements of Section 4(b)(vi) or this Section 13(a).
(b) No
Award may be granted during any suspension of the Plan or after termination of the Plan.
(c) No
suspension or termination of the Plan (including termination of the Plan under Section 11, above) shall adversely affect any
rights under Awards already granted to a Grantee.
14. Reservation
of Shares.
(a) The
Company, during the term of the Plan, will at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as shall be sufficient to satisfy
the requirements of the Plan.
(b) The
inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s
counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect
of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
15. No
Effect on Terms of Employment/Consulting Relationship. The Plan shall not confer upon any Grantee any right with respect to the Grantee’s
Continuous Service, nor shall it interfere in any way with his or her right or the right of the Company or any Related Entity to terminate
the Grantee’s Continuous Service at any time, with or without cause, including but not limited to, Cause, and with or without notice.
The ability of the Company or any Related Entity to terminate the employment of a Grantee who is employed at will is in no way affected
by its determination that the Grantee’s Continuous Service has been terminated for Cause for the purposes of this Plan.
16. No
Effect on Retirement and Other Benefit Plans. Except as specifically provided in a retirement or other benefit plan of the Company
or a Related Entity, Awards shall not be deemed compensation for purposes of computing benefits or contributions under any retirement
plan of the Company or a Related Entity, and shall not affect any benefits under any other benefit plan of any kind or any benefit plan
subsequently instituted under which the availability or amount of benefits is related to level of compensation. The Plan is not a “Pension
Plan” or “Welfare Plan” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
17. Stockholder
Approval. The grant of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan shall be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within
twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted excluding Incentive Stock Options issued in substitution for outstanding
Incentive Stock Options pursuant to Section 424(a) of the Code. Such stockholder approval shall be obtained in the degree and
manner required under Applicable Laws. The Administrator may grant Incentive Stock Options under the Plan prior to approval by the stockholders,
but until such approval is obtained, no such Incentive Stock Option shall be exercisable. In the event that stockholder approval is not
obtained within the twelve (12) month period provided above, all Incentive Stock Options previously granted under the Plan shall be exercisable
as Non-Qualified Stock Options.
18. Unfunded
Obligation. Grantees shall have the status of general unsecured creditors of the Company. Any amounts payable to Grantees pursuant
to the Plan shall be unfunded and unsecured obligations for all purposes, including, without limitation, Title I of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. Neither the Company nor any Related Entity shall be required to segregate any monies
from its general funds, or to create any trusts, or establish any special accounts with respect to such obligations. The Company shall
retain at all times beneficial ownership of any investments, including trust investments, which the Company may make to fulfill its payment
obligations hereunder. Any investments or the creation or maintenance of any trust or any Grantee account shall not create or constitute
a trust or fiduciary relationship between the Administrator, the Company or any Related Entity and a Grantee, or otherwise create any
vested or beneficial interest in any Grantee or the Grantee’s creditors in any assets of the Company or a Related Entity. The Grantees
shall have no claim against the Company or any Related Entity for any changes in the value of any assets that may be invested or reinvested
by the Company with respect to the Plan.
19. Construction.
Captions and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of any provision of
the Plan. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular.
Use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
20. Israeli
Grantees. This Section shall apply only to Israeli Grantees and is intended to enable the Company to grant Awards under the
Plan pursuant and subject to Section 102 and Section 3(I) of the Tax Ordinance. Accordingly, the Plan is designated to
comply with the Tax Ordinance and the rules, regulations and orders or procedures promulgated thereunder from time to time, as amended
or replaced from time to time and shall be submitted to the ITA as required thereunder.
In any case of contradiction, whether explicit or implied, between
the provisions of this Section and the Plan, the provisions set out in this Section shall prevail unless the Administrator
decides otherwise to ensure compliance with the Tax Ordinance and other Applicable Laws.
(a) Eligibility.
102 Options may be granted only to Israeli Employees. Non-Employees may only be granted 3(I) Options. The grant of an Award hereunder
shall neither entitle the Grantee to participate nor disqualify the Israeli Grantee from participating in, any other grant of Awards
pursuant to the Plan or any other option or stock plan of the Company or any Related Company.
(b) Grant
of Awards in Trust
(i) Grants
Made Under Section 102.
The Company may designate 102 Options as Trustee
102 Options or Non-Trustee 102 Options. The designation of Non-Trustee 102 Options and Trustee 102 Options shall be subject to the terms
and conditions set forth in Section 102 of the Tax Ordinance and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(ii) Grant
of Trustee 102 Options.
(1) The grant of the Trustee 102 Options shall
be made under the Plan and shall be conditional upon the approval of the Plan by the ITA. Trustee 102 Options may be granted at any time
after the passage of thirty (30) days following the delivery by the Company to the ITA of a notice pertaining to the appointment of the
Trustee and the adoption of the Plan, unless otherwise determined by the ITA. Options which shall be granted pursuant to Section 102
and/or any Shares issued upon exercise of such Options and/or other shares received subsequently following any realization of rights,
shall be issued to the Trustee. Each Israeli Grantee in respect of whom a Trustee 102 Option is granted and held in trust by the Trustee
shall be referred to as a “beneficial optionee” hereunder.
(2) Trustee 102 Option(s) may either be
classified as Capital Gain Option(s) or Ordinary Income Option(s):
(A) Trustee
102 Option(s) elected and designated by the Company to qualify under the capital gain tax treatment in accordance with the provisions
of Section 102(b)(2) shall be referred to herein as “Capital Gain Option(s)” or “CGO”.
(B) Trustee
102 Option(s) elected and designated by the Company to qualify under the ordinary income tax treatment in accordance with the provisions
of Section 102(b)(1) shall be referred to herein as “Ordinary Income Option(s)” or “OIO”.
(3) The Company’s election of the type
of Trustee 102 Options as CGO or OIO granted to Employees (the “Election”) shall be appropriately filed with the ITA 30 days
before the date of grant of a Trustee 102 Option, unless otherwise determined by the ITA. Such Election shall become effective beginning
the first date of grant of a Trustee 102 Option under this Plan and shall remain in effect until the end of the year following the year
during which the Company first granted Trustee 102 Options. The Election shall obligate the Company to grant only the type of Trustee
102 Option it has elected, and shall apply to all Israeli Grantees who were granted Trustee 102 Options during the period indicated herein
or therein, all in accordance with the provisions of Section 102(g) of the Tax Ordinance. Notwithstanding, such Election shall
not prevent the Company from granting Non-Trustee 102 Options simultaneously.
(4) All Trustee 102 Options must be held in
trust by and issued on the name of the Trustee, as described below.
(5) With respect to Trustee 102 Options, the
provisions of the Plan and/or an Award Agreement shall be subject to the provisions of Section 102 and the ITA’s permit, and
the said provisions and permit shall be deemed an integral part of this Section and of the Award Agreement for the respective Grantees
thereof. Any provision of Section 102 and/or the said permit which is necessary in order to receive and/or to keep any tax benefit
pursuant to Section 102, which is not expressly specified in the Plan or the Award Agreement, shall be considered binding upon the
Company and the Israeli Grantee.
(iii) Issuance
to Trustee.
(1) All Trustee 102 Options granted under the
Plan and/or any Shares allocated or issued upon exercise of such Trustee 102 Options and/or other and all rights deriving from or in
connection therewith, including, without limitation, in accordance with Section 10 above or any bonus shares or stock dividends
issued in connection therewith shall be granted by the Company to the Trustee, and the Trustee shall hold each such Trustee 102 Option
and the Shares issued upon exercise thereof in trust for such period of time as required by Section 102 or any regulations, rules or
orders or procedures promulgated thereunder (the “Holding Period”), for the benefit of the Grantees in respect of whom such
Trustee 102 Option was granted. All certificates representing Shares issued to the Trustee under the Plan shall be deposited with the
Trustee, and shall be held by the Trustee until such time that such Shares are released from the Trust as herein provided.
(2) In event the requirements for Trustee 102
Options are not met for any reason whatsoever, then the Trustee 102 Options may be treated as Non-Trustee 102 Options, all in accordance
with the provisions of Section 102 and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(3) With respect to any Trustee 102 Option,
subject to the provisions of Section 102 and any rules or regulations or orders or procedures promulgated thereunder, an Israeli
Grantee shall not be entitled to sell or release from Trust the Trustee 102 Option, the Shares received upon the exercise of such Option
and/or any right deriving from or in connection therewith, including, without limitation, in accordance with Section 10 above or
any bonus shares or stock dividends issued in connection therewith, until the later of: (i) the lapse of the Holding Period required
under Section 102, and (ii) the vesting of such Options set forth in the respective Award Agreement (such later date being
hereinafter referred to as the “Release Date”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if such sale or release occurs during the
Holding period, the provisions of Section 102 and the rules or regulations promulgated thereunder shall apply and any expenses
and/or tax consequences therefrom shall be borne by the Israeli Grantee.
(4) Subject to the terms hereof, at any time
after the Release Date with respect to any Trustee 102 Options or Shares the following shall apply:
(A) Trustee
102 Options granted, and/or Shares or rights issued to the Trustee shall continue to be held by the Trustee, on behalf of the beneficial
optionee. From and after the Release Date, upon the written request of any beneficial optionee, the Trustee shall release from the Trust
the Trustee 102 Options granted, and/or the Shares or rights issued, on behalf of such beneficial optionee, by executing and delivering
to the Company such instrument(s) as the Company may require, giving due notice of such release to such beneficial optionee, provided,
however, that the Trustee shall not so release any such Trustee 102 Options and/or Shares and/or rights to such beneficial optionee unless
the latter, prior to, or concurrently with, such release, provides the Trustee with evidence, satisfactory in form and substance to the
Trustee, that all taxes, if any, required to be paid upon such release have, in fact, been paid.
(B) Alternatively,
from and after the Release Date, upon the written instructions of the beneficial optionee to sell any Shares and rights issued upon exercise
of Trustee 102 Options, the Trustee shall use its best efforts to effect such sale and shall transfer such Shares to the purchaser thereof
concurrently with the receipt, or after having made suitable arrangements to secure the payment, of the purchase price in such transactions.
The Trustee shall withhold from such proceeds any and all taxes required to be paid in respect of such sale, shall remit the amount so
withheld to the appropriate tax authorities and shall pay the balance thereof directly to the beneficial optionee, reporting to such
beneficial optionee and to the Company the amount so withheld and paid to said authorities.
(C) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, in the event the underwriters of securities of the Company impose restrictions on the transferability of the Shares during
a lock-up period, the beneficial optionee shall not be entitled to release from Trust the Trustee 102 Options granted and/or the Shares
issued and/or to instruct the Trustee to effect a sale of same, for as long as the restrictions are in effect. In the event the Trustee
102 Options granted and/or the Shares issued have been released from trust the restrictions imposed on the transferability of same shall
nevertheless apply to said optionee’s Trustee 102 Options and/or Shares in the same manner. Consequently, the Israeli Grantee shall
sign any documents required in order to effect the restrictions, for as long as the restrictions are in effect.
(D) Upon
receipt of the Award, the Israeli Grantee will sign an undertaking to release the Trustee from any liability in respect of any action
or decision duly taken and bona fide executed in relation with the Plan, or any Option or Share or rights granted to same thereunder.
The Trustee may establish additional terms and conditions in connection with Awards held in trust by the Trustee.
(iv) Grant
of Non-Trustee 102 Options
(1) Awards granted pursuant to this subsection
are intended to constitute Non-Trustee 102 Options and shall be subject to the general terms and conditions of the Plan and Section 20,
except for provisions of the Plan applying to Trustee 102 Awards or Options under a different tax law or regulation.
(2) With respect to Non-Trustee 102 Options,
if the Grantee ceases to be employed by or of service to the Company or a Related Company, the Grantee may be required to extend to the
Company a security or guarantee for the payment of tax due at the time of sale of Shares or other rights, all in accordance with the
provisions of Section 102 and the rules, regulation or orders promulgated thereunder.
(v) Grants
Made Under Section 3(I). Awards granted pursuant to this subsection are intended to constitute 3(I) Options and shall be
subject to the general terms and conditions of the Plan and Section 20 thereof, except for said provisions of the Plan applying
to Awards under a different tax law or regulation. The Administrator may choose to deposit the Awards granted pursuant to Section 3(I) of
the Tax Ordinance with a trustee. In such event, said trustee shall hold such Option in trust, until exercised by the Grantee, pursuant
to the Company's instructions from time to time. If determined by the Administrator, the trustee shall be responsible for withholding
any taxes to which a Grantee become liable upon the exercise of Options.
(c) Award
Agreement. Without derogating from the powers of the Administrator under the Plan, the Administrator shall adopt the form of Award
Agreement for Israeli Grantees in form acceptable by the ITA and in compliance with the Tax Ordinance. The Award Agreement shall further
indicate the type of Options (102, 3(I), Trustee, Non-Trustee etc.) granted thereunder.
(d) Vesting.
Without derogating from the terms of any Award Agreement or the discretionary authority of the Administrator, the standard vesting for
Options to Israeli Grantees shall be as follows:
(i) Twenty
five percent (25%) of the Options granted under each Award Agreement shall vest on the end of the first year of Continuous Service following
the vesting commencement date determined by the Administrator and if not specified the date of the grant of an Option (the “First
Anniversary”); and
(ii) The
remaining 75% of the Options shall vest on a quarterly basis over a period of three years commencing as of the First Anniversary in twelve
(12) equal portions subject to Continuous Service of the Grantee.
(e) With
respect to all Shares (in contrast to unexercised Options) allocated or issued upon the exercise of Options by the Israeli Grantee, the
Grantee shall be entitled to receive dividends in accordance with the quantity of such Shares, subject however to any applicable taxation
on distribution of dividends. Subject to the Tax Ordinance and any restrictions imposed by the Trustee or the ITA, during the period
in which Shares are held by the Trustee on behalf of the Israeli Grantee, the cash dividends paid with respect thereto shall be paid
directly to the Grantee after deduction of withholding tax applicable thereto.
(f) Without
derogating from anything in the Plan, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, any tax consequences, attributable to the Israeli Grantee,
arising from the grant or exercise of any Option, from the payment for Shares covered thereby or from any other event or act (of the
Company, a Related Company, the Trustee or the Grantee), hereunder, shall be borne solely by the Grantee. The Company and/or or a Related
Company and/or the Trustee shall withhold taxes according to the requirements under the Applicable Laws, rules, and regulations, including
withholding taxes at source. Furthermore, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Grantee shall agree to indemnify the Company
and/or a Related Company and/or the Trustee and hold them harmless against and from any and all liability for any such tax or interest
or penalty thereon, including without limitation, liabilities relating to the necessity to withhold, or to have withheld, any such tax
from any payment made to the Grantee. The Administrator and/or the Trustee shall not be required to release any Share certificate to
a Grantee until all required payments have been fully made.
The Plan, to the extent applicable to Israeli Grantees, shall be governed
by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Israel applicable to contracts made and to be performed therein,
without giving effect to the principles of conflict of laws. The competent courts of Tel-Aviv, Israel shall have sole jurisdiction
in any matters pertaining to Israeli Grantees.
Appendix B
FIFTH CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF
PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Pursuant to Section 242 of the
General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware)
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.,
a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, hereby certifies as follows:
1. The
name of the corporation is Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (the “Corporation”). The Certificate of Incorporation of the
Corporation was filed with the Secretary of the State of Delaware on March 30, 2016, as amended by that Certificate of Amendment
dated August 15, 2016, that Second Certificate of Amendment dated January 10, 2019, that Third Certificate of Amendment dated
December 16, 2019 and that Fourth Certificate of Amendment dated August 2, 2022 (the “Certificate of Incorporation”).
2. This
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation was duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation
pursuant to a resolution setting forth the proposed amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation and declaring said amendment to be
advisable.
3. Article III
of the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:
“The Corporation is authorized to issue the following
shares of capital stock: (a) 185,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.001 per share (the “Common Stock”); and
(b) 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”). The voting rights, the
rights of redemption and other relative rights and preferences of the Preferred Stock shall be established by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors may authorize the issuance of such
stock to such persons upon such terms and for such consideration in cash, property or services as the Board of Directors may determine
and as may be allowed by law. The just valuation of such property or services shall be fixed by the Board of Directors. All such stock
when issued shall be fully paid and exempt from assessment.”
4. The
aforesaid amendment was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware.
[Remainder of this page intentionally left
blank.]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of
Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation to be signed by its duly authorized President and Chief Executive Officer this
day of , 2023.
|
PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC. |
|
By: |
|
|
|
Dror Bashan |
|
|
President and Chief Executive Officer |
PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC. The Offices of LifeSci Advisors
250 W. 55th Street Suite 3401 New York, NY 10019 THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The undersigned hereby appoints
Dror Bashan and Eyal Rubin as proxies, each with full power of substitution, to represent and vote as designated on the reverse side,
all the shares of Common Stock of Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc . held of record by the undersigned on May 15 , 2023 , at the Annual
Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 28 , 2023 , or any adjournment or postponement thereof . UNLESS A CONTRARY DIRECTION IS INDICATED,
THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE PROPOSALS, AS MORE SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED IN THE PROXY STATEMENT . IF SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ARE INDICATED,
THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED IN ACCORDANCE THEREWITH . (Continued and to be markde)
Please mark your votes in blue or black ink as shown here 1. To elect seven members to the Board of Directors to serve for the ensuing year or until their respective successors have been duly elected F O R WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ALL EXCEPT all nominees from all nominees (see instructions below) Zeev Bronfeld Dror Bashan Amos Bar Shalev Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D. Pol F. Boudes, M.D. Gwen A. Melincoff Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. INSTRUCTION: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark, “For All Except” and fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold, as shown here: 2. To approve, on a non - binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement that accompanies this notice ; FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 3. To approve, on a non - binding advisory basis, on the frequency that stockholders of the Company will have a non - binding, advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers ; ONE YEAR TWO YEARS THREE YEARS ABSTAIN 4. To adopt amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc . 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock available under the plan from 8 , 475 , 171 shares to 12 , 475 , 171 shares and to amend certain other terms of said plan ; FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 5. To approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of shares of our common stock, par value $ 0 . 001 per share, authorized for issuance from 144 , 000 , 000 to 1 8 6 5 , 000 , 000 ; and FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 6. To ratify the appointment of Kesselman & Kesselman, Certified Public Accountant (lsr . ), a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31 , 2023 ; FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN Date: Signature Address Change/Comments: (If you noted any Address Changes and/or Comments above, please mark box.) CONTROL NUMBER I plan to attend the meeting Signature (if held jointly) NOTE : Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy . When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign . When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such . If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such . If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person . PLEASE DETACH ALONG PERFORATED LINE AND MAIL IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED. PROXY VOTING INSTRUCTIONS Please have your 11 - digit control number ready when voting by Internet or Telephone THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF ALL DIRECTOR NOMINEES, A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSALS 2, 4, 5 AND 6, AND “ONE YEAR” FOR PROPOSAL 3. PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. SCAN TO VIEW MATERIALS &VOTE CONTROL NUMBER INTERNET Vote Your Shares on the Internet: Go to www.FCRVote.com/PLX Have your proxy card available when you access the above website. Follow the prompts to vote your shares. TELEPHONE Vote Your Shares by Phone: Call 1 (866) 402 - 3905 Use any touch - tone telephone to vote your Shares . Have your proxy card available when you call . Follow the voting instructions to vote your shares . MAIL Vote Your Shares by Mail: Mark, sign, and date your proxy card, then detach it, and return it in the postage - paid envelope provided.
’s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement that accompanies this notice ; FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 3. To approve, on a non - binding advisory basis, on the frequency that stockholders of the Company will have a non - binding, advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers ; ONE YEAR TWO YEARS THREE YEARS ABSTAIN 4. To adopt amendments to the Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc . 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock available under the plan from 8 , 475 , 171 shares to 12 , 475 , 171 shares and to amend certain other terms of said plan ; FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 5. To approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of shares of our common stock, par value $ 0 . 001 per share, authorized for issuance from 144 , 000 , 000 to 165 , 000 , 000 ; and FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN 6. To ratify the appointment of Kesselman & Kesselman, Certified Public Accountant (lsr . ), a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31 , 2023 ; FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN Date: Signature F O R WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ALL EXCEPT all nominees from all nominees (see instructions below) Zeev Bronfeld Dror Bashan Amos Bar Shalev Shmuel “Muli” Ben Zvi, Ph.D. Pol F. Boudes, M.D. Gwen A. Melincoff Aharon Schwartz, Ph.D. INSTRUCTION: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark, “For All Except” and fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold, as shown here: Address Change/Comments: (If you noted any Address Changes and/or Comments above, please mark box.) CONTROL NUMBER I plan to attend the meeting Signature (if held jointly) NOTE : Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy . When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign . When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such . If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such . If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person . PLEASE DETACH ALONG PERFORATED LINE AND MAIL IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED. PROXY VOTING INSTRUCTIONS Please have your 11 - digit control number ready when voting by Internet or Telephone THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF ALL DIRECTOR NOMINEES, A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSALS 2, 4, 5 AND 6, AND “ONE YEAR” FOR PROPOSAL 3. PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. SCAN TO VIEW MATERIALS &VOTE CONTROL NUMBER INTERNET Vote Your Shares on the Internet: Go to www.FCRVote.com/PLX Have your proxy card available when you access the above website. Follow the prompts to vote your shares. TELEPHONE Vote Your Shares by Phone: Call 1 (866) 402 - 3905 Use any touch - tone telephone to vote your Shares . Have your proxy card available when you call . Follow the voting instructions to vote your shares . MAIL Vote Your Shares by Mail: Mark, sign, and date your proxy card, then detach it, and return it in the postage - paid envelope provided.
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