I. | Acknowledgements |
a) | Walmart is a major retail operation, with stores located throughout the United States, territories of the United States and in certain foreign countries; |
b) | Associate will become Global Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer, which is a key executive officer position appointed by the Walmart Board of Directors and Associate will report to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart, who is located at Corporate; |
c) | As an essential part of its business, Walmart has cultivated, established and maintained long-term customer and vendor relationships and goodwill, and competitive advantages which are difficult to develop and maintain, have required and continue to require a significant investment of time, effort and expense, and that can suffer significantly and irreparably upon the departure of key officers, regardless of whether the officer has been personally involved in developing or maintaining the relationships, goodwill or competitive advantages; |
d) | In the development of its business, Walmart has expended a significant amount of time, money and effort in developing, maintaining and protecting private, sensitive, confidential, proprietary and trade secret information including but not limited to, information regarding Walmart’s products or services, strategies, research and development efforts, logistics, transportation, selling and delivery plans, geographic markets, developing or potential geographic markets, developing or potential product markets, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, data, business methods, computer programs and related source and object code, supplier and customer relationships, contacts and information, methods or sources of product manufacture, know-how, product or service cost or pricing, personnel allocation or organizational structure, business, marketing, development and expansion or contraction plans, information concerning the legal or financial affairs of Walmart, any other non-public information, and any other information protected by the Nondisclosure and Restricted Use Agreement executed by |
e) | As Global Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer, Associate will have access to Confidential Information that would be of considerable value to Walmart’s global and domestic competitors and potential competitors; and |
f) | Associate acknowledges that Walmart is entitled to take appropriate steps to ensure: |
i. | That its associates do not misappropriate or make any other improper use of Confidential Information; |
ii. | That no individual associate, competitor or potential competitor gains an unfair, competitive advantage over Walmart; and |
iii. | That its competitors and potential competitors do not improperly gain access to or make any use of Confidential Information in their efforts to compete against, or cause harm to, Walmart. |
II. | Transition Payments |
a) | Transition Payments will not be paid if Associate is terminated as the result of Associate’s violation of any Walmart policy. |
b) | No Transition Payments will be paid if Associate voluntarily resigns or retires from employment with Walmart. |
c) | Receipt of Transition Payments is contingent on Associate executing a waiver and release of claims at the time of Associate’s separation from employment with Walmart in a form that is satisfactory to Walmart. |
d) | Given the availability of other programs designed to provide financial protection in such circumstances, Transition Payments will not be paid under this Agreement if Associate dies or becomes disabled on or before the Separation Date. If Associate dies during the period when Transition Payments are being made, Transition Payments will cease, and Associate’s heirs will not be entitled to the continuation of such payments. Transition Payments will not be affected should Associate become disabled after the Separation Date. |
e) | Associate’s violation of the obligations under Sections IV, V or VI, below, or any other act that is materially harmful to Walmart’s business interests while the Agreement remains in effect, will result in the immediate termination of the Transition Payments, the recovery of the Transition Payments already made, and any other remedies that may be available to Walmart. In such event, Associate acknowledges that this Agreement and Associate's obligations hereunder shall continue per their terms and that Associate shall not claim that the Agreement fails for lack of consideration in light of the Sign-On Bonus and Initial Employment specifically referenced and incorporated above. |
f) | Transition Payments will be paid on the following schedule based on length of service: |
i. | Should Associate's Separation Date be on or before January 31, 2020, the Transition Payment will be equivalent to three (3) months of base salary, and will be paid within thirty (30) days of the Separation Date; |
ii. | Should Associate's Separation Date be anytime between February 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021, the Transition Payment will be one (1) year of base salary. 50% of such Transition Payment will be paid within thirty (30) days of the Separation Date and the remainder will be paid in accordance with subsection iv below; and |
iii. | Should Associate's Separation Date be on or after February 1, 2021, the Transition Payment will be two (2) years of base salary. 25% of such Transition Payment will be paid within thirty (30) days of the Separation Date and the remainder will be paid in accordance with subsection iv below. |
iv. | The remainder of the Transition Payments per subsection ii and iii above shall commence on the first regularly scheduled pay period six (6) months after Associate’s termination and |
g) | Receipt of Transition Payments will not entitle Associate to participate during the Transition Period in any other incentive, restricted stock, performance share, stock option, stock incentive, profit sharing, management incentive or other associate benefit plan or program maintained by Walmart; except that, Associate will be entitled to participate in such plans or programs to the extent that the terms of the plan or program provide for participation by former associates. Such participation, if any, shall be governed by the terms of the applicable plan or program. |
III. | Benefits |
IV. | Covenant Not to Compete and Non-Solicitation of Associates |
a) | For a period of two (2) years from the date on which Associate’s employment with Walmart terminates, and regardless of the cause or reason for such termination, Associate will not directly or indirectly: |
i. | Own, manage, operate, finance, join, control, advise, consult, render services to, have a current or future interest in, or participate in the ownership, management, operation, financing or control of, or be employed by or connected in any manner with, any Competing Business as defined below in Section IV (b) (i) and/or any Global Retail Business as defined below in Section IV (b) (ii); and/or |
ii. | Participate in any other activity that risks the use or disclosure of Confidential Information either overtly by the Associate or inevitably through the performance of such activity by the Associate; and/or |
iii. | Solicit for employment, hire or offer employment to, or otherwise aid or assist any person or entity other than Walmart in soliciting for employment, hiring, or offering employment to, any officer, officer equivalent or management associate of Walmart, or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. |
b) | i. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Competing Business” shall include |
1. | Sells goods or merchandise at retail to consumers and/or businesses (whether through physical locations, via the internet or combined) or has plans to sell goods or merchandise at retail to consumers and/or businesses (whether through physical locations, via the internet or combined) within twelve (12) months following Associate’s last day of employment with Walmart in the United States; and |
2. | Has gross annual consolidated sales volume or revenues attributable to its retail operations (whether through physical locations, via the internet or combined) equal to or in excess of U.S. $7 billion. |
ii. | For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Global Retail Business” shall include any general or specialty retail, grocery, wholesale membership club or merchandising business, inclusive of its respective parent companies, subsidiaries and/or affiliates, that: |
1. | In any country or countries outside of the United States in which Walmart conducts business or intends to conduct business in the twelve (12) months following Associate’s last day of employment with Walmart, sells goods or merchandise at retail to consumers and/or businesses (whether through physical locations, via the internet or combined); and |
2. | Has gross annual consolidated sales volume or revenues attributable to its retail operations (whether through physical locations, via the internet or combined) equal to or in excess of U.S. $7 billion in any country pursuant to |
3. | (b) (ii) (1) or in the aggregate equal to or in excess of U.S. $7 billion in any countries taken together pursuant to (b) (ii) (1) when no business in any one country has annual consolidated sales volume or revenues attributable to its retail operations equal to or in excess of U.S. $7 billion. |
iii. | For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Management Associate” shall mean any domestic or international associate holding the title of “manager” or above. |
iv. | For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Officer” shall mean any domestic Walmart associate who holds a title of Vice President or above. |
v. | For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Officer Equivalent” shall mean any non-U.S. Walmart associate who Walmart views as holding a position equivalent to an officer position, such as managers and directors in international markets, irrespective of whether such managers and directors are on assignment in the U.S. |
c) | Ownership of an investment of less than the greater of $25,000 or 1% of any class of equity or debt security of a Competing Business and/or a Global Retail Business will not be deemed ownership or participation in ownership of a Competing Business and/or a Global Retail Business for purposes of this Agreement. |
d) | The covenant not to compete contained in this Section IV shall bind Associate, and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of whether Associate qualifies or continues to remain eligible, for the Transition Payments described in Section II above. Termination of the Transition Payments pursuant to Section II will not release Associate from Associate’s obligations under this Section IV or Section V and VI. |
V. | Future Assistance |
VI. | Preservation of Confidential Information |
VII. | Remedies for Breach |
VIII. | Severability |
IX. | Nature of the Relationship |
X. | Entire Agreement |
XI. | Modification |
XII. | Successors and Assigns |
XIII. | Counterparts |
XIV. | Governing Law and Venue |
a) | Submit themselves to the personal jurisdiction of such courts; |
b) | Agree to service of such courts’ process upon them with respect to any such proceeding; |
c) | Waive any objection to venue laid therein; and |
d) | Consent to service of process by registered mail, return receipt requested. |
XV. | Statement of Understanding |
a) | That Associate has received a copy of this Agreement, |
b) | That Associate has read the Agreement carefully before signing it, |
c) | That Associate has had ample opportunity to ask questions concerning the Agreement and has had the opportunity to discuss the Agreement with legal counsel of Associate’s own choosing, and |
d) | That Associate understands the rights and obligations under this Agreement and enters into this Agreement voluntarily. |