WEN » Topics » Action With Respect to Termination of Messrs. Peltz and Mays Employment Agreements

This excerpt taken from the WEN DEF 14A filed Apr 30, 2007.

Action With Respect to Termination of Messrs. Peltz’ and May’s Employment Agreements

In connection with consideration by the Company of a possible corporate restructuring, the Compensation Committee and Special Committee have over time reviewed the existing employment arrangements of Messrs. Peltz and May. In April 2007, as it appeared that corporate restructuring efforts would lead to a definitive agreement for the sale by the Company of D&C and the transition of the Company into a “pure play” restaurant company, the Compensation Committee and Special Committee undertook a further review of the options available to the Company regarding these employment arrangements and the advantages to the Company of ultimately consolidating its corporate and headquarters operations with its Arby’s operations in Atlanta. The Compensation Committee and Special Committee met together on numerous occasions regarding these matters and ultimately the Compensation Committee recommended and the Special Committee approved contractual settlements with Messrs. Peltz and May (which included negotiated contractual settlement payments) providing for the termination of their employment agreements and their resignations as executive officers of the Company as of June 29, 2007. Their employment agreements would otherwise have expired on April 30, 2012 (had they not otherwise been extended). After June 29, 2007, they will continue as directors of the Company, with it being anticipated that Mr. Peltz will serve as non-executive Chairman and Mr. May will serve as non-executive Vice-Chairman, respectively. The Company decided to enter into contractual settlements with Messrs. Peltz and May due to the desirability of ultimately consolidating the Company’s corporate operations and headquarters in Atlanta with its Arby’s operations and relying upon the skills and experience of the senior executive team of Atlanta based ARG.

The steps taken by the Company in connection with the contractual settlements with Messrs. Peltz and May included the following:

 

 

 

 

A joint review by the Special Committee and Compensation Committee (with the assistance of the independent compensation consultant to the Compensation Committee and outside counsel to each of the Special Committee and Compensation Committee) of (i) the compensation and other expenses that would be incurred in connection with continued operations of the New York City headquarters through the end of the current term of the Peltz and May agreements (April, 2012)(assuming no further extension) and (ii) the rights and obligations of the Company and the executives under their existing employment agreements for the remainder of the current term. Specifically, the independent compensation consultant projected that the contractual settlement of the obligations of the Company under these employment agreements, in conjunction with the consolidation of the Company’s corporate and headquarters operations with its Arby’s operations in Atlanta, would result in significant annual corporate savings and concluded that the contractual settlement represented a reasonable alternative, based on the economics, that was fair to the Company.

 

 

 

 

Entering into contractual settlement agreements with Messrs. Peltz and May, which were recommended by the Compensation Committee and approved by the Special Committee, providing for the termination of their employment agreements and their resignations as executive officers as of June 29, 2007, in return for payments of $50,213,753 and $25,106,877 to Messrs. Peltz and May, respectively, subject to applicable taxes and withholding. These payments are 25% less than the cash payments estimated to be owed to each of these executives under their employment agreements if their employment had been terminated as of June 29, 2007 by the Company. The Company has agreed to fund these payment obligations in separate rabbi trusts for the benefit of Messrs. Peltz and May and the payment of amounts in the trust will be made to the executives after six months following their June 29, 2007 separation of employment from the

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Company. At the time of the termination of their employment, and in connection with their contractual settlements, their outstanding unvested restricted stock in the Company and their unvested Class B Units of Triarc Deerfield Holdco and Jurl Holdco will also vest in full. Under the terms of these contractual settlement agreements, Mr. Peltz and May are not entitled to receive any further compensation, bonus, perquisites or other payments (other than payment of accrued and vested amounts in an existing deferred bonus account).

 

 

 

 

Entering into a transition services agreement with the Management Company, which was approved by the Special Committee, which provides that the Management Company and its employees and affiliates (including Messrs. Peltz and May and others) will provide the Company and ARG with a range of consultation and advice in connection with mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, investment banking, accounting, legal, tax, finance, investor relations and corporate communications, corporate development and other professional and strategic services, in each case as needed by the Company or ARG. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will pay a quarterly service fee of $3 million per quarter for the first year of services and $1.75 million per quarter for the second year of services. At the end of the second year, a review will be conducted to determine if any further services are required.

 

 

 

 

Agreeing to pay to the Management Company, effective January 1, 2008, the standard management fee and incentive fee charges paid by any unaffiliated third party investors with a similarly sized investment and not to withdraw the funds in its managed account prior to December 31, 2010.

The Compensation Committee has recommended, and the Special Committee approved, these arrangements based on their belief that the business prospects and future of the Company as a “pure play” restaurant operation are best served by ultimately consolidating the Company’s operations and headquarters in Atlanta with its Arby’s operations and relying upon the ARG senior executive team; that the costs associated with the contractual settlements with Messrs. Peltz and May represent a significant discount of the amounts that would have otherwise been payable under their agreements in connection with the termination of such agreements; and, that the Company will benefit from significant annual savings as a result.

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