INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE, INC.
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OMB APPROVAL |
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OMB Number: |
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3235-0059 |
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Expires: |
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January 31, 2008 |
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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 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by the Registrant þ |
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Filed by a Party other than the Registrant
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Check the appropriate box: |
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o Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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þ Definitive Proxy Statement |
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o Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE, 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):
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þ No fee required. |
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11. |
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1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
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2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: |
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3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the
filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): |
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4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
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o Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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o Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee
was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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1) Amount Previously Paid: |
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2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
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SEC 1913 (02-02) |
Persons who are to respond to the collection of information
contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid
OMB control number. |
INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE, INC.
NOTICE OF 2006 ANNUAL MEETING
AND
PROXY STATEMENT
April 3, 2006
Dear Stockholder:
On behalf of the Board of Directors and management of
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., I am pleased to invite you to
the 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Annual Meeting will
be held at The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead,
3300 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30305 on Thursday,
May 11, 2006 at 8:30 a.m., local time.
The attached Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement
describe the formal business to be transacted at the Annual
Meeting. Our directors and officers, as well as representatives
from our independent registered public accounting firm will be
present to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.
Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting in person, please
mark, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy card in the
envelope provided or vote electronically using the Internet
voting procedures described on the proxy card, at your earliest
convenience.
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Sincerely, |
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Jeffrey C. Sprecher |
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.
2100 RiverEdge Parkway, Suite 500
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held May 11, 2006
NOTICE HEREBY IS GIVEN that the 2006 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. will be held at
The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, 3300 Peachtree Road,
Atlanta, Georgia 30305 on Thursday, May 11, 2006 at
8:30 a.m., local time, for the purposes of considering and
voting upon:
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1. The election of eight directors to serve until the 2007
Annual Meeting of Stockholders; |
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2. The ratification of the appointment of Ernst &
Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2006; and |
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3. Such other business as properly may come before the
Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof. The Board of
Directors is not aware of any other business to be presented to
a vote of the stockholders at the Annual Meeting. |
The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on
March 20, 2006 as the record date for determining the
stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting
and any adjournment thereof.
If you hold your shares through a broker or nominee, you will
need to bring either a copy of the voting instruction card
provided by your broker or nominee, or a copy of a brokerage
statement showing your ownership as of March 20, 2006.
A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the 2006 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders will be available for inspection upon
request of any stockholder for a purpose germane to the meeting
at our principal offices, 2100 RiverEdge Parkway,
Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia during the ten days prior to
the meeting, during ordinary business hours, and at The Grand
Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia during the meeting.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND, STOCKHOLDERS ARE
REQUESTED TO VOTE THEIR SHARES VIA THE INTERNET (BY FOLLOWING
THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PROXY CARD) OR TO MARK, SIGN, DATE AND
RETURN THE ENCLOSED FORM OF PROXY IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED. NO
POSTAGE IS REQUIRED IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES.
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By Order of the Board of Directors. |
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Jeffrey C. Sprecher |
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
Atlanta, Georgia
April 3, 2006
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.
2100 RiverEdge Parkway, Suite 500
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held May 11, 2006
This Proxy Statement is furnished to the stockholders of
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. in connection with the
solicitation of proxies by our Board of Directors to be voted at
the 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and at any adjournments
thereof (the Annual Meeting). The Annual Meeting
will be held at The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, 3300
Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30305 on Thursday, May 11,
2006 at 8:30 a.m., local time. When used in this Proxy
Statement, the terms we, us,
our, IntercontinentalExchange and
ICE refer to IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.
The approximate date on which this Proxy Statement and form of
proxy card are first being sent or given to stockholders is
April 3, 2006.
VOTING
General
The securities that can be voted at the Annual Meeting consist
of our (i) common stock, $0.01 par value per share
(the New Common Stock), (ii) Class A
common stock, Series 1, $0.01 par value per share (the
Class A1 Common Stock), and
(iii) Class A common stock, Series 2,
$0.01 par value per share (the Class A2 Common
Stock). The New Common Stock, Class A1 Common Stock
and Class A2 Common Stock are collectively referred to as
Common Stock in this Proxy Statement. Each share of
Common Stock entitles its owner to one vote on each matter
submitted to the stockholders for approval. Except as otherwise
required by law or our certificate of incorporation, holders of
Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters
presented to the stockholders for their vote or approval,
including the election of directors and ratification of the
appointment of our independent registered public accounting
firm. The record date for determining the holders of Common
Stock who are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the
Annual Meeting is March 20, 2006. On the record date,
55,581,702 shares of Common Stock were outstanding and
eligible to be voted at the Annual Meeting.
Quorum and Vote Required
The presence, in person or by proxy, of a majority of the issued
and outstanding shares of our Common Stock is necessary to
constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and
broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of
determining whether a quorum is present. Once a share is
represented for any purpose at the Annual Meeting, it will be
deemed represented for quorum purposes for the remainder of the
meeting and any adjournment thereof.
In voting with regard to the election of eight directors
(Proposal 1), stockholders may vote in favor of all
nominees, withhold their votes as to all nominees or withhold
their votes as to specific nominees. Under our Amended and
Restated Bylaws, directors are elected by a plurality of the
votes cast by the holders of shares represented and entitled to
vote at the Annual Meeting. Accordingly, the nominees receiving
the highest number of votes for will be elected.
Votes that are withheld will have no effect on the election of
directors.
In voting with regard to the ratification of the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm (Proposal 2), stockholders may vote in
favor of the proposal, against the proposal or may abstain from
voting. Under our Amended and Restated Bylaws, the vote required
to approve Proposal 2 is the affirmative vote of the
majority of votes cast for or against the matter at the Annual
Meeting. Abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of the
vote on Proposal 2.
Broker Non-votes
A broker non-vote occurs when your broker submits a
proxy for your shares but does not indicate a vote on a
particular matter because the broker has not received voting
instructions from you and does not have authority to vote on
that matter without such instructions. Broker
non-votes are treated as present for purposes of
determining a quorum but are not counted as withheld votes,
votes against the matter in question or as abstentions.
Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the
NYSE), if your broker holds shares in your name and
delivers this Proxy Statement to you, the broker, in the absence
of voting instructions from you, is entitled to vote your shares
on Proposals 1 and 2.
Proxy Voting Procedures and Revocability of Proxy
You may vote in person at the meeting or by proxy. We recommend
you vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting.
You can always change your vote at the meeting. Giving us your
proxy means you authorize us to vote your shares at the meeting
in the manner you direct.
If your shares are held in your name, you can vote by proxy in
two convenient ways:
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Via the Internet: Go to
www.ComputerShare.com/Expressvote and follow the
instructions. You will need to enter the information requested
on your computer screen and follow the simple instructions. |
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In writing: Complete, sign, date and return the enclosed
proxy card in the envelope provided. |
All properly executed proxies received in time to be voted at
the Annual Meeting and not revoked will be voted at the Annual
Meeting in accordance with the instructions noted on the proxy
card. If you execute your proxy card but do not give
instructions, the shares represented by a proxy will be voted
FOR the election of all director nominees and
FOR the ratification of the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm. If any other matters properly come before
the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies will vote upon
such matters according to their judgment.
You may revoke a proxy at any time before it is exercised by
filing a written revocation with the Secretary of ICE,
submitting a proxy bearing a later date (including by the
Internet), or voting in person at the meeting. Please note,
however, that under the rules of the NYSE, any beneficial owner
of our Common Stock whose shares are held in street name by a
member brokerage firm may revoke its proxy and vote its shares
in person at the Annual Meeting only in accordance with
applicable rules and procedures as employed by such beneficial
owners brokerage firm.
Proxy Solicitation
In addition to soliciting proxies through the mail, we may
solicit proxies through our directors, officers and employees in
person and by telephone or facsimile. Brokerage firms, nominees,
custodians and fiduciaries also may be requested to forward
proxy materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of
record by them. We will pay all expenses incurred in connection
with the solicitation of proxies.
Annual Report
The Annual Report of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2005 is being mailed with
this Proxy Statement. Stockholders are referred to the Annual
Report for financial and
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other information about us. The Annual Report is not a part of
this Proxy Statement. The Annual Report is also available on our
website at www.theice.com.
Availability of Certain Documents
We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports,
proxy statements and other reports with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the SEC). Copies of these
filings are available through our website at
www.theice.com or the SECs website at
www.sec.gov. We will furnish copies of our SEC filings
(without exhibits), including our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, without charge to any
stockholder upon written or oral request to us at
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., 2100 RiverEdge Parkway,
Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, Attn: Investor
Relations, telephone:
770-857-4700,
e-mail
ir@theice.com.
In accordance with a notice sent to certain street name
stockholders of Common Stock who share a single address, only
one copy of this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report is being
sent to that address unless we received contrary instructions
from any stockholder at that address. This practice, known as
householding, is designed to reduce our printing and
postage costs. However, if any stockholder residing at such an
address wishes to receive a separate copy of this Proxy
Statement or our 2005 Annual Report, he or she may contact us at
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., 2100 RiverEdge Parkway,
Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, Attn: Investor
Relations, telephone:
770-857-4700,
e-mail:
ir@theice.com, and we will deliver those documents to
such stockholder promptly upon receiving the request. Any such
stockholder may also contact Investor Relations if he or she
would like to receive separate proxy statements and annual
reports in the future. If you are receiving multiple copies of
our annual report and proxy statement, you may request
householding in the future by also contacting
Investor Relations.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth information, based on data
provided to us or filed with the SEC, with respect to beneficial
ownership of shares of our Common Stock as of March 1, 2006
for (i) each person known by us to beneficially own more
than five percent of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock,
(ii) each director and nominee for election as a director,
(iii) each of our executive officers named in the Summary
Compensation Table of this Proxy Statement (the Named
Executive Officers), and (iv) all of our directors
and executive officers as a group.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules
of the SEC and includes having voting and/or investment power
with respect to the securities. Except as indicated by footnote,
and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons
and entities named in the table below have sole voting and sole
investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite
each persons or entitys name.
Shares of Common Stock subject to options or warrants currently
exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 1,
2006 are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the
percentage ownership of the person holding such options or
warrants, but are not deemed outstanding for purposes of
computing the percentage ownership of any other person. As of
March 1, 2006, there were 55,517,371 shares of Common
Stock issued and outstanding. (comprised of
20,513,719 shares of New Common Stock, 755,710 shares
of Class A1 Common Stock and 34,247,942 shares of
Class A2 Common Stock). As part of a plan of
recapitalization approved by our Board of Directors in
connection with our initial public offering of New Common Stock
in November 2005, each share of Class A Common Stock may be
converted at the option of the holder into an equal number of
shares of New Common Stock at any time (i) on or after
February 19, 2006 (in the case of shares of Class A1
Common Stock, other than A1 shares held by holders of
Class A2 Common Stock) or (ii) on or after
May 20, 2006, subject to approval by our Board of Directors
(in the case of all other shares of Class A Common Stock).
Unless otherwise indicated, the
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address for each of the individuals listed in the table is
c/o IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., 2100 RiverEdge
Parkway, Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia 30328.
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Number of Shares | |
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner |
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Beneficially Owned | |
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Owned | |
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Holders of More Than 5%:
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The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.(1)
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6,473,434 |
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11.7 |
% |
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85 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004
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Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc.(2)
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6,452,564 |
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11.6 |
% |
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2000 Westchester Avenue, Floor 1, Purchase, NY 10577
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Total S.A.(3)
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4,505,268 |
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8.1 |
% |
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1105 N. Market Street, Suite 1442, Wilmington, DE
19899
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FMR Corp.(4)
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4,277,362 |
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7.7 |
% |
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82 Devonshire Street, Boston, MA 02109
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BP Products North America Inc.(5)
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4,208,224 |
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7.6 |
% |
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28100 Torch Parkway, Warrenville, IL 60555
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Société Générale Financial Corporation(6)
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2,870,478 |
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5.2 |
% |
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1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
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Named Executive Officers, Directors and Nominees:
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Charles R. Crisp(7)(8)
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23,019 |
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Jean-Marc Forneri(7)(9)
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22,894 |
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* |
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Sir Robert Reid(7)(10)
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23,998 |
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* |
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Frederic V. Salerno(7)
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18,207 |
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* |
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Dr. Richard L. Sandor(7)
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21,071 |
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* |
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Judith A. Sprieser(7)
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23,144 |
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* |
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Vincent Tese(7)
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18,144 |
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* |
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Jeffrey C. Sprecher (11)(12)
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2,553,800 |
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4.6 |
% |
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Richard V. Spencer(11)
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102,138 |
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* |
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Charles A. Vice(11)
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138,150 |
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* |
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David S. Goone(11)
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108,217 |
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* |
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Edwin D. Marcial(11)
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114,634 |
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* |
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Dr. Richard Ward(11)
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79,974 |
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* |
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International House, 1 St. Katherines Way,
London E1W 1UY United Kingdom
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All Directors, Nominees and Executive Officers as a Group
(15 persons)
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3,363,616 |
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5.9 |
% |
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* |
Represents less than 1% of the outstanding Common Stock. |
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(1) |
Based solely on information in Amendment No. 1 to
Schedule 13D dated March 23, 2006 filed by The Goldman
Sachs Group, Inc. and includes 6,394,479 shares of
Class A2 Common Stock held by The Goldman Sachs Group,
Inc., 44,775 shares of New Common Stock held in client
accounts in which Goldman Sachs & Co. or its employees have
investment discretion or which were acquired through ordinary
course trading activities of Goldman Sachs & Co., and
34,180 shares of Class A1 Common Stock held by Goldman
Sachs International, an affiliate of The Goldman Sachs Group,
Inc. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an affiliate of Goldman,
Sachs & Co., a broker-dealer. |
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(2) |
Includes 6,418,384 shares of Class A2 Common Stock
held by Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. and 34,180 shares
of Class A1 Common Stock held by Morgan Stanley &
Co. International Limited, an affiliate of Morgan Stanley
Capital Group Inc. Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. is an
affiliate of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, a
broker-dealer. |
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(3) |
Based solely on information in Schedule 13G dated
February 14, 2006 filed by Total S.A. Represents shares of
Class A2 Common Stock. |
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(4) |
Based solely on information in Schedule 13G dated
February 14, 2006 filed by FMR Corp. and includes
3,954,862 shares of New Common Stock held by Fidelity
Management & Research Company, 183,600 shares of
New Common Stock held by Fidelity Management Trust Company and
138,900 shares of New Common Stock held by Fidelity
International Limited, each of which is an affiliate of FMR Corp. |
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(5) |
Based solely on information in Schedule 13G dated
February 13, 2006 filed by BP plc and affiliates and
includes 4,174,044 shares of Class A2 Common Stock
held by BP Products North America Inc. and
34,180 shares of Class A1 Common Stock held by BP Oil
International Limited, an affiliate of BP Products North
America Inc. |
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(6) |
Includes 2,759,393 shares of Class A2 Common Stock
held by Société Générale Financial
Corporation and 111,085 Class A1 Common Stock held by Fimat
International Banque SA, an affiliate of Société
Générale Financial Corporation. Société
Générale Financial Corporation is an affiliate of SG
Cowen & Co., LLC and SG Americas Securities, LLC, each
of which is a broker-dealer. |
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(7) |
Director beneficial ownership includes stock options exercisable
within 60 days of March 1, 2006 under the 2000 Stock
Option Plan, restricted stock unit awards that vest within
60 days of March 1, 2006 under the
2003 Restricted Stock Deferral Plan for Outside Directors
and restricted stock unit awards that vest within 60 days
of March 1, 2006 under the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan. |
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(8) |
Includes 4,000 shares of New Common Stock held by
Mr. Crisps spouse. |
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(9) |
Includes 5,000 shares of New Common Stock held by Atalant
Inc., of which Mr. Forneri is an affiliate. |
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(10) |
Includes 5,000 shares of New Common Stock held by Sir
Reids spouse. |
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(11) |
Beneficial ownership of each executive officer includes stock
options exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2006
under the 2000 Stock Option Plan and restricted stock unit
awards that vest within 60 days of March 1, 2006 under
the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan. |
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(12) |
Includes 2,197,813 shares of Class A2 Common Stock
held by CPEX (CPEX) and 30,786 shares of
Class A2 Common Stock underlying stock options exercisable
within 60 days of March 1, 2006 under the 2000 Stock
Option Plan held by Mr. Sprechers spouse.
Mr. Sprecher currently owns 92.5% of the equity interest in
CPEX and holds an irrevocable proxy enabling him to vote the
remaining 7.5%. CPEX currently has no assets other than its
equity interest in us and conducts no operations.
Mr. Sprecher disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares
underlying stock options held by his spouse. |
PROPOSAL 1 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Nominees for Election as Directors at the 2006 Annual
Meeting
On the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee, the Board of Directors has nominated the persons
named below for election as directors at the Annual Meeting,
each to serve for a one year term expiring at the next annual
meeting. Each director will hold office until his or her
successor is duly elected and qualified or until the
directors earlier resignation or removal. All of the
nominees currently are members of the Board of Directors. The
Board of Directors has determined that five of the eight
nominees are independent under NYSE listing requirements and our
Corporate Governance Principles, which are available on our
website at www.theice.com. Mr. Sprecher is not
deemed independent because he is an employee of ICE, Sir Reid is
not deemed independent because he is
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Chairman of ICE Futures and Dr. Sandor is not deemed
independent due to his position as Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of the Chicago Climate Exchange, Inc., an entity with
which ICE has certain commercial relationships. Each of the
nominees has confirmed that he or she expects to be able to
continue to serve as a director until the end of his or her
term. If, however, at the time of the meeting, any of the
nominees named below is not available to serve as a director (an
event which the Board of Directors does not anticipate), all the
proxies granted to vote in favor of such directors
election will be voted for the election of such other person or
persons, if any, recommended by the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee and designated by the Board of Directors.
The size of ICEs Board of Directors is currently set at
nine, which leaves one vacancy on the Board of Directors. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is currently
conducting a search for a director candidate to fill the
vacancy. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of
directors than the eight nominees as stated in this Proxy
Statement.
Set forth below are the nominees names, biographical
information, age and the year in which each was first elected a
director of ICE.
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Director | |
Name |
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Biographical Information |
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Age | |
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Since | |
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Charles R. Crisp
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Mr. Crisp is the retired President and Chief Executive officer
of Coral Energy, a Shell Oil affiliate responsible for wholesale
gas and power activities. He served in this position from 1999
until his retirement in October 2000, and was President and
Chief Operating Officer from January 1998 through February 1999.
Prior to that, Mr. Crisp served as President of the power
generation group of Houston Industries and, between 1988 and
1996, served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Tejas
Gas Corporation. Mr. Crisp currently serves as a director
of EOG Resources, Inc., AGL Resources, Inc. and Targa Resources,
Inc. |
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58 |
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2002 |
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Jean-Marc Forneri
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Mr. Forneri is founder and senior partner of Bucephale Finance,
a boutique M&A firm specializing in large transactions for
French corporations, foreign investors and private equity firms.
For the seven years prior to Bucephales founding,
Mr. Forneri headed the investment banking business of
Credit Suisse First Boston in Paris. He was Managing Director
and Head of Credit Suisse First Boston France S.A., and Vice
Chairman, Europe. Prior to that, Mr. Forneri was a Partner
of Demachy Worms & Cie Finance from 1994 to 1996, where
he was in charge of investment banking activities of Group
Worms. Mr. Forneri is also a Director of Balmain SA, Banque
Lyonnaise Bonnasse, SAGEM, SNECMA and Friends of Paris Museum of
Modern Art. |
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2002 |
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Director | |
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Sir Robert Reid
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Sir Robert Reid was the Deputy Governor of the Halifax Bank of
Scotland from 1997 until 2004 and has served since 1999 as the
Chairman of ICE Futures, our subsidiary. He spent much of his
career at Shell International Petroleum Company Limited, and
served as Chairman and Chief Executive of Shell U.K. Limited
from 1985 until 1990. He became Chairman of the British Railways
Board in 1990, and retired from that post in 1995. From 1994 to
1997, he was Chairman of London Electricity. He was Chairman of
the Council of The Industrial Society between 1993 and 1997,
Chairman of Sears plc from 1995 until 1999, Chairman of Sondex
Limited from 1999 until 2002 and Chairman of Kings Cross
Partnership from 1999 until 2003. He also served as a
Non-Executive Director on the boards of Avis Europe from 2002
until 2004 (Chairman) and Sun Life Financial Services of Canada
from 1999 until 2004. He has served on the boards of directors
of The Merchants Trust since 1995, Siemens plc since 1998, CHC
Helicopter Corporation since 2004 and Miltron Keynes Partnership
Committee (Chairman) since 2004. He received his Knighthood in
Queen Elizabeths 1990 Birthday Honours. |
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2001 |
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Frederic V. Salerno
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Mr. Salerno is the former Vice Chairman of Verizon
Communications, Inc. Before the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE,
Mr. Salerno was Senior Executive Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer and served in the Office of the Chairman of
Bell Atlantic from 1997 to 2001. Prior to joining Bell Atlantic,
he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer of New England Telephone from 1985 to 1987, President
and Chief Executive Officer of New York Telephone from 1987 to
1991 and Vice Chairman Finance and Business
Development at NYNEX from 1991 to 1997. Mr. Salerno served
on the boards of directors of Verizon Communications, Inc. from
1991 to 2001, AVNET, Inc. from 1993 to 2003 and was Chairman of
Orion Power from 1999 until its sale in 2001. He has served on
the boards of directors of The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc.
since 1993, Viacom, Inc. since 1996, Consolidated Edison, Inc.
since 2002, Akamai Technologies, Inc. since 2002 and Popular,
Inc. since 2003. |
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2002 |
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Director | |
Name |
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Richard L. Sandor, Ph. D
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Dr. Sandor currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of the Chicago Climate Exchange, Inc., a position he has
held since 2002, and serves as Chairman of Climate Exchange PLC,
a position he has held since 2003. Previously, he served as
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Financial
Products, L.L.C. from 1993 to 1998. Prior to the creation of
Chicago Climate Exchange and Environmental Financial Products,
Dr. Sandor was a senior financial markets executive with
Kidder Peabody from 1991 to 1993, Banque Indosuez from 1990 to
1991 and Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1982 to 1990.
Dr. Sandor has served as a Non- Resident Director of the
Chicago Board of Trade, as its Second Vice-Chairman of Strategy
and, for more than three years, as its Chief Economist.
Dr. Sandor is currently a director of American Electric
Power, Millennium Cell, Bear Stearns Financial Products, Inc.
and its subsidiary, Bear Stearns Trading Risk Management, Inc.
He is also a member of the design committee of the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index. Dr. Sandor is currently a Research
Professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at
Northwestern University and has been a faculty member of the
School of Business Administration at the University of
California, Berkeley and at Stanford University. |
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2002 |
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Jeffrey C. Sprecher
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Mr. Sprecher has been a director and our Chief Executive Officer
since our inception and has served as our Chairman of the Board
since November 2002. As our Chief Executive Officer, he is
responsible for our strategic direction, operation, and
financial performance. Mr. Sprecher purchased Continental
Power Exchange, Inc. (CPEX), our predecessor
company, in 1997. Prior to joining CPEX, Mr. Sprecher held
a number of positions, including President, over a fourteen-year
period with Western Power Group, Inc., a developer, owner and
operator of large central-station power plants. While with
Western Power, Mr. Sprecher was responsible for a number of
significant financings. In 2002, Mr. Sprecher was
recognized by Business Week magazine as one of its Top
Entrepreneurs. Mr. Sprecher holds a B.S. degree in Chemical
Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from
Pepperdine University. |
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2001 |
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Judith A. Sprieser
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Ms. Sprieser was the Chief Executive Officer of Transora, Inc.,
a technology software and services company until March 2005.
Prior to founding Transora in 2000, Ms. Sprieser was
Executive Vice President of Sara Lee Corporation, serving prior
to that as Sara Lees Chief Financial Officer.
Ms. Sprieser has been a member of the boards of directors
of Allstate Insurance Company since 1999, USG Corporation since
1994, Reckitt Benckiser, plc since 2003, and
CBS Corporation since 2006 and is a member of Northwestern
Universitys Board of Trustees. She has a B.A. degree and
an MBA from Northwestern University. |
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2004 |
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Director | |
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Vincent Tese
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Mr. Tese currently serves as Chairman of Wireless Cable
International, Inc., a position he has held since 1995.
Previously, he served as New York State Superintendent of Banks
from 1983 to 1985, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the
Urban Development Corporation from 1985 to 1994, Director of
Economic Development for New York State from 1987 to 1994, and
Commissioner and Vice Chairman of the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey from 1991 to 1995. Mr. Tese also served as a
Partner in the law firm of Tese & Tese from 1973 to
1977. He was a Partner in the Sinclair Group, a commodities
trading and investment management company from 1977 to 1982,
where he traded on the COMEX. He was also a co-founder of Cross
Country Cable TV. Mr. Tese is a member of the boards of
directors of The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc., Bowne &
Co., Inc., Cablevision, Inc., Mack-Cali Reality Corporation and
Gabelli Asset Management and serves as a trustee of New York
University School of Law and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Mr. Tese has a B.A. degree in accounting from Pace
University, a J.D. degree from Brooklyn Law School and a LL.M.
degree in taxation from New York University School of Law. |
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2004 |
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR
EACH OF THE NOMINEES LISTED ABOVE.
Meetings and Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors conducts its business through meetings of
the full Board of Directors and through committees of the Board
of Directors, consisting of an Audit Committee, a Compensation
Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
In 2005, our Board of Directors held eleven meetings, the Audit
Committee held five meetings and the Compensation Committee held
five meetings. The Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee, which was formed in November 2005 in connection with
our initial public offering, did not hold a meeting in 2005.
Mr. Forneri is the sole director that attended less than
75% of the aggregate of meetings of the Board of Directors and
meetings of the committees of which he is a member. In addition
to serving on our Board of Directors, Mr. Forneri was a
member of our Audit and Compensation Committees in 2005.
ICEs policy is that all directors and nominees should
attend annual meetings of stockholders, and we currently expect
that all of our directors will attend this Annual Meeting.
The Audit Committee is comprised solely of directors who meet
the independence requirements of the NYSE and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act),
and are financially literate, as required by NYSE. At least one
member of the Audit Committee is an audit committee financial
expert, as defined by the rules and regulations of the SEC. The
Audit Committee has been established in accordance with
Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The Audit
Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling its
oversight responsibilities with respect to:
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the quality and integrity of our financial statements; |
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our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
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our systems of internal controls regarding finance, accounting
and legal compliance; |
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the independence, qualification and performance of our
independent auditors; |
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the performance of our internal audit function; and |
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our auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes
generally. |
The Audit Committee is governed by the Audit Committee Charter
approved by our Board of Directors. The charter is available on
our website at www.theice.com and is attached to this
Proxy Statement as Appendix A. We will also provide a copy
of the charter to stockholders upon request.
The members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Salerno
(Chairperson), Crisp and Forneri. The Board of Directors has
determined that Mr. Salerno is an audit committee financial
expert.
The Compensation Committee is comprised solely of directors who
meet NYSE independence requirements, meet the requirements for a
Nonemployee Director under the Exchange Act, and
meet the requirements for an outside director under
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the Code). The Compensation Committee:
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reviews and approves corporate goals and objectives relevant to
the compensation of our executive officers, including the Chief
Executive Officer; |
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evaluates the Chief Executive Officers performance and
sets the Chief Executive Officers compensation based on
this evaluation; |
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approves, in consultation with our Chief Executive Officer, the
compensation of our officers who are elected by our Board of
Directors; |
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reviews and approves option grants and stock awards; |
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exercises general oversight over our benefit plans and evaluates
any proposed new retirement or executive benefit plans; and |
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reviews and approves any severance or similar termination
payments proposed to any current or former executive officers. |
The Compensation Committee is governed by the Compensation
Committee Charter approved by the Board. The charter is
available on our website at www.theice.com. We will also
provide a copy of the charter to stockholders upon request.
The members of the Compensation Committee are Ms. Sprieser
(Chairperson) and Messrs. Forneri and Tese.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee |
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is comprised
solely of directors who meet NYSE independence requirements. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board
of Directors in:
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identifying and attracting highly qualified individuals to serve
as directors and establishing criteria for selecting new board
members; |
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selecting director nominees for the next annual meeting of
stockholders; |
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developing and maintaining a set of corporate governance
guidelines; |
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devising a code of business conduct and ethics for directors,
officers and employees; and |
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monitoring and safeguarding the Board of Directors
independence. |
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is governed by
the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter
approved by our Board of Directors. The charter is available on
our website at www.theice.com. We will also provide a
copy of the charter to stockholders upon request.
10
The members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
are Messrs. Tese (Chairperson) and Crisp.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Independent Directors
The Corporate Governance Policies adopted by our Board of
Directors, described further below, provide that a majority of
our directors must be independent directors and
specify independence standards consistent with NYSE listing
standards. The nominees for director are such that immediately
after the election of the nominees to the Board of Directors, a
majority of all directors holding office will be independent
directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and
the Board of Directors have determined that all directors and
nominees, except for Mr. Sprecher, Sir Reid and
Dr. Sandor, do not have any relationship that would
interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying
out their responsibilities as directors and are independent in
accordance with NYSE listing standards and our Corporate
Governance Policies.
Nomination of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for approving candidates
for board membership. The Board of Directors has delegated the
screening and recruitment process to the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee. More specifically, our
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board of
Directors have adopted the IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. Policy
Regarding Qualification and Nomination of Director Candidates.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee seeks to
create a Board of Directors that consists of a diverse group of
qualified individuals that function effectively as a group.
Qualified candidates for director are those who, in the judgment
of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, possess
all of the following personal attributes and a sufficient mix of
the experience attributes to assure effective service on the
Board of Directors. Personal attributes of a candidate
considered by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
include: leadership, ethical nature, contributing nature,
independence, interpersonal skills, and effectiveness.
Experience attributes of a candidate considered by the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee include: financial
acumen, general business experience, industry knowledge,
diversity of view points, special business experience and
expertise. When the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee reviews a potential new candidate, the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee looks specifically at the
candidates qualifications in light of the needs of the
Board of Directors and IntercontinentalExchange at that time
given the then current mix of director attributes.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will utilize a
variety of methods for identifying and evaluating nominees for
director. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will
periodically assess the appropriate size of the Board of
Directors and whether any vacancies on the Board of Directors
are expected. In the event that vacancies are anticipated or
otherwise arise, the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee will seek to identify director candidates based on
input provided by a number of sources, including:
(i) Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee members,
(ii) other directors, (iii) management and
(iv) stockholders of IntercontinentalExchange. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also has the
authority to consult with or retain advisors or search firms to
assist in the identification of qualified director candidates.
In accordance with NYSE listing standards, we ensure that at
least a majority of our Board of Directors is independent under
the NYSE definition of independence, and that the members of the
Board of Directors as a group maintain the requisite
qualifications under NYSE listing standards for populating the
Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committees.
11
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers
nominees recommended by stockholders as candidates for election
to the Board of Directors. A stockholder wishing to nominate a
candidate for election to the Board of Directors at an annual
meeting is required to give written notice to the Secretary of
ICE of his or her intention to make a nomination. Pursuant to
our Amended and Restated Bylaws, the notice of nomination must
be received not less than 90 days nor more than
120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual
meeting for the preceding year; provided, however, that if and
only if the annual meeting is not scheduled to be held within a
period that commences 30 days before and ends 30 days
after such anniversary date, the stockholder notice must be
given by the later of the close of business on the date
90 days prior to such annual meeting date or the close of
business on the tenth day following the date on which the annual
meeting is publicly announced or disclosed. Please see
Stockholders Proposals for 2007 Annual Meeting
below for additional information.
To recommend a nominee, a stockholder should write to Secretary,
2100 RiverEdge Parkway, Suite 500, Atlanta,
Georgia 30328. Any such recommendation must include:
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a statement in writing setting forth the name of the person or
persons to be nominated; |
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the number and class of all shares of each class of stock of
IntercontinentalExchange owned of record and beneficially by
each such person, as reported to such stockholder by such person; |
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the information regarding each such person required by
paragraphs (a), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of
Regulation S-K
adopted by the SEC, as amended from time to time; |
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each such persons signed consent to serve as a director if
elected; |
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such stockholders name and address; |
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the number and class of all shares of each class of stock of
IntercontinentalExchange owned of record and beneficially by
such stockholder; and |
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in the case of a nominee holder, evidence establishing such
nominee holders indirect ownership of stock and
entitlement to vote such stock for the election of directors at
the annual meeting. |
Once director candidates have been identified, the Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee will then evaluate each
candidate in light of his or her qualifications and credentials,
and any additional factors that the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including
those set forth above. Qualified prospective candidates will be
interviewed by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and at
least one member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee. The full Board of Directors will be kept informed of
the candidates progress. Using input from such interviews
and other information obtained by the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee will evaluate whether a prospective candidate is
qualified to serve as a director and, if so qualified, will seek
the approval of the full Board of Directors of the nomination of
the candidate or the election of such candidate to fill a
vacancy on the Board of Directors.
Existing directors who are being considered for re-nomination
will be re-evaluated by the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee based on each directors satisfaction of the
qualifications described above and his or her performance as a
director during the preceding year. All candidates submitted by
stockholders will be evaluated in the same manner as candidates
recommended from other sources, provided that the procedures set
forth above have been followed.
All of the current nominees for director recommended for
election by the stockholders at the 2006 Annual Meeting are
current members of the Board of Directors. Based on the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees evaluation
of each nominees satisfaction of the qualifications
described above and their performance as directors in 2005, the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determined to
recommend the nominees for re-election. The Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee has not received any nominations
from stockholders for the 2006 Annual Meeting.
12
Board of Directors Governance Principles
We have adopted the IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. Board of
Directors Governance Principles that guide the Board of
Directors on matters of corporate governance, including
composition of the Board of Directors; duties and
responsibilities of the Board of Directors; committees of the
Board of Directors; Board of Directors leadership, functioning
and evaluation; director independence, orientation,
compensation, education and access to management; Board of
Directors access to independent advisors; and director
compliance with the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. A copy
the Board of Directors Governance Principles are available on
our website at www.theice.com. We will provide a copy of
the Board of Directors Governance Principles to stockholders
upon request.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted the IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics, which applies to all of our
directors, officers and employees. The Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics meets the requirements of a code of
ethics as defined by Item 406 of
Regulation S-K,
and applies to our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer (who is both our principal financial and principal
accounting officer), as well as all other employees, as
indicated above. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics also
meets the requirements of a code of conduct under NYSE listing
standards. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available
on our website at www.theice.com. We will provide a copy
of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to stockholders upon
request.
Communications with the Board of Directors
We have established a process for stockholders to communicate
with members of the Board of Directors. If you have any concern,
question or complaint regarding any accounting, auditing or
internal controls matter, as well as any issues arising under
our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or other matters that
you wish to communicate to our Board of Directors or
non-management directors, send these matters in writing to
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., c/o Legal Department,
2100 RiverEdge Parkway, Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia
30328. Information about our Board of Directors communications
policy can be found on our website at www.theice.com
under the links About ICE Investor
Resources Corporate Governance Board
Communications Policy.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Directors who are also our employees do not receive additional
compensation for serving as directors. In 2005, non-employee
directors were paid an annual retainer of $30,000, which amount
may be taken as restricted shares of our Common Stock that vest
over three years under our 2003 Restricted Stock Deferral Plan
for Outside Directors. Non-employee directors receive a fee of
$1,500 for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors
and each committee meeting. Members of the Audit Committee
receive a fee of $3,000 for attendance at each meeting of the
Audit Committee. Both of these meeting fees may be taken in the
form of restricted shares of our Common Stock that vest over
three years under our 2003 Restricted Stock Deferral Plan for
Outside Directors. Non-employee directors are also reimbursed
for out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in attending meetings of our Board of
Directors. Directors are eligible for grants of stock options
under the 2000 Stock Option Plan, grants of restricted stock
under our 2004 Restricted Stock Plan, and grants of equity
awards under the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan.
For 2006, the Compensation Committee and Board of Directors have
approved various changes to the director compensation program.
These changes consist of the following:
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An increase in the annual retainer to $45,000 and an elimination
of all Board of Directors and committee meeting fees. |
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Adoption of annual retainers for each committee member as
follows: |
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Audit Committee $10,000; |
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Compensation Committee $6,000; and |
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee $3,000. |
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Adoption of committee chairperson retainers (in lieu of the
above annual retainers) for each committee of the Board of
Directors as follows: |
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Audit Committee $25,000; |
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Compensation Committee $15,000; and |
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee $8,000. |
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Adoption of equity grant guidelines for service on the Board of
Directors as follows: |
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Initial grant to new member: $200,000 in the form of restricted
stock units that vest in equal annual installments over three
years (with the number of units calculated at the time of grant
by dividing the annual grant value by the price per share at the
date of grant); and |
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Annual grant to existing member: $100,000 in the form of
restricted stock units that vest one year from the date of grant
(with the number of units calculated at the time of grant by
dividing the annual grant value by the price per share at the
date of grant). |
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Continuation of a restricted share deferral mechanism for cash
fees through the 2003 Restricted Stock Deferral Plan as made
through annual elections prior to the year of service, with a
10% discount on the value of common stock for any fees deferred
through this method. |
We have entered into an employment agreement with our sole
director who is also an employee of ICE, Jeffrey C. Sprecher, as
described under Executive Compensation
Employment Agreements.
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ICE Futures Board of Directors |
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, ICE Futures, is an entity organized
under the laws of the United Kingdom and is a Recognized
Investment Exchange under the Financial Services and Markets Act
2000. At the time of our acquisition of ICE Futures, we
committed to maintain an appropriate corporate governance
structure for ICE Futures to ensure its compliance with the
obligations under U.K. law and with its regulatory obligations
applicable to it as a Recognized Investment Exchange. We agreed
that ICE Futures board of directors should continue to
have primary responsibility for ensuring this compliance, and
ICE Futures agreed that it would retain at least two independent
non-executive directors. ICE Futures board of directors
operates in accordance with a code of practice that ICE Futures
adopted in April 2000. The code of practice, which is not
legally binding, provides for consultation with market
participants on various matters.
14
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Summary
The following table sets forth the cash and non-cash
compensation paid for the fiscal years ended December 31,
2005, 2004 and 2003, to (i) our Chief Executive Officer,
(ii) the four most highly compensated executive officers
(based on combined salary and bonus) of ICE other than the Chief
Executive Officer during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2005 and (iii) a former officer of ICE Futures who would
have been included in the above category had he still been
serving as an officer at December 31, 2005 (collectively
the Named Executive Officers).
Summary Compensation Table
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Long-Term Compensation | |
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Awards | |
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Annual Compensation | |
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Securities | |
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Other | |
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Restricted | |
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Underlying | |
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Annual | |
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Stock Unit | |
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Options/ | |
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All Other | |
Position |
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Year | |
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Salary($) | |
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Bonus($) | |
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Compensation($) | |
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Awards ($)(1) | |
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SARS(#) | |
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Compensation($) | |
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Jeffrey C. Sprecher
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2005 |
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675,750 |
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1,013,625 |
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21,730 |
(2) |
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Chairman and |
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2004 |
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603,750 |
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431,498 |
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421,498 |
(2) |
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3,533,400 |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
21,236 |
(2) |
|
Chief Executive |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
603,750 |
|
|
|
333,572 |
|
|
|
246,749 |
(2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
900,000 |
|
|
|
21,268 |
(2) |
|
Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles A. Vice
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
420,000 |
|
|
|
504,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,470 |
(3) |
|
President and |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
420,000 |
|
|
|
231,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16,949 |
(3) |
|
Chief Operating |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
420,000 |
|
|
|
178,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
432,200 |
|
|
|
10,000 |
(3) |
|
Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard V. Spencer
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
420,000 |
|
|
|
504,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,265 |
(4) |
|
Senior Vice |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
420,000 |
|
|
|
231,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,263 |
(4) |
|
President, Chief |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
420,000 |
|
|
|
178,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
330,500 |
|
|
|
10,000 |
(4) |
|
Financial Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David S. Goone
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
400,000 |
|
|
|
524,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,406 |
(5) |
|
Senior Vice |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
338,000 |
|
|
|
185,900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
930,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16,152 |
(5) |
|
President, Business |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
338,000 |
|
|
|
143,650 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
330,500 |
|
|
|
10,000 |
(5) |
|
Dev. & Sales |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Edwin D. Marcial
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
350,000 |
|
|
|
250,250 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16,347 |
(6) |
|
Senior Vice |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
350,000 |
|
|
|
192,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,621 |
(6) |
|
President, Chief |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
350,000 |
|
|
|
148,750 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
330,500 |
|
|
|
10,000 |
(6) |
|
Technology Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Richard Ward
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
446,072 |
|
|
|
245,339 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
369,750 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
89,214 |
(7) |
|
Vice Chairman, |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
448,252 |
|
|
|
190,507 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
670,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
89,650 |
(7) |
|
ICE Futures |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
400,355 |
|
|
|
170,151 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
57,837 |
|
|
|
80,071 |
(7) |
|
|
(1) |
Restricted stock awards were the only awards to the Named
Executive Officers between 2003 and 2005, and were granted at a
fair market value of $8.00 per share as determined by our
Board of Directors primarily based on a valuation performed by
an independent third party. Of the shares, 50% of the shares are
time-vesting shares that vest over four years (25% after one
year and the balance vesting ratably over the remaining
36 months), and the other 50% of the shares are
performance-vesting shares that vest based on the achievement of
cumulative earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization performance vs. pre-established targets between
2005 and 2007. On February 22, 2006, the Compensation
Committee approved awards of restricted stock units that vest
ratably over three years at a fair market value of
$49.23 per share. This grant was comprised of the
following: Mr. Sprecher (19,200 shares), Mr. Vice
(9,000 shares), Mr. Spencer (9,000 shares),
Mr. Goone (9,000 shares) and Mr. Marcial
(5,900 shares). |
|
(2) |
Effective as of January 1, 2005, Mr. Sprechers
annual salary was increased from $603,750 to $675,750 in
conjunction with the elimination of his $72,000 annual housing
and travel allowance. Other annual compensation for
Mr. Sprecher includes loan forgiveness and related gross up
of tax allowance amount (CPEXs portion of LLC tax
liability) of $349,498 in 2004 ($201,136 plus gross up |
15
|
|
|
of $148,362) and $174,749 in 2003 ($100,568 plus gross up of
$74,181), and payment of an Atlanta housing and travel allowance
($72,000 in 2004 and $72,000 in 2003). All other compensation
includes payment of an individual disability income policy
($8,479 in 2005, $8,988 in 2004 and $9,478 in 2003), payment of
a term life insurance policy ($2,751 in 2005, $1,998 in 2004 and
$1,790 in 2003), and the employer match in our 401(k) plan
($10,500 in 2005, $10,250 in 2004 and $10,000 in 2003). |
|
(3) |
All other compensation for Mr. Vice includes the employer
match in our 401(k) plan ($10,500 in 2005, $10,250 in 2004 and
$10,000 in 2003), payment of an individual disability income
policy ($7,763 in 2005 and $5,822 in 2004), and payment of a
term life insurance policy ($1,207 in 2005 and $877 in 2004). |
|
(4) |
All other compensation for Mr. Spencer includes the
employer match in our 401(k) plan ($10,500 in 2005, $10,250 in
2004 and $10,000 in 2003), payment of an individual disability
income policy ($8,179 in 2005 and $6,134 in 2004), and payment
of a term life insurance policy ($2,586 in 2005 and $1,879 in
2004). |
|
(5) |
In March 2005, the Compensation Committee approved a salary
increase for Mr. Goone from $338,000 to $400,000 per
year, effective as of January 1, 2005. All other
compensation for Mr. Goone includes the employer match in
our 401(k) plan ($10,500 in 2005, $10,250 in 2004 and $10,000 in
2003), payment of an individual disability income policy ($6,763
in 2005 and $5,072 in 2004), and payment of a term life
insurance policy ($1,143 in 2005 and $830 in 2004). |
|
(6) |
All other compensation for Mr. Marcial includes the
employer match in our 401(k) plan ($10,500 in 2005, $10,250 in
2004 and $10,000 in 2003), payment of an individual disability
income policy ($5,262 in 2005 and $3,946 in 2004), and payment
of a term life insurance policy ($585 in 2005 and $425 in 2004). |
|
(7) |
All figures for Dr. Ward have been converted to
U.S. dollars using the average exchange rate of pounds
sterling per U.S. dollar in each year (1.8128 pounds
sterling per U.S. dollar in 2005, 1.8296 in 2004 and 1.6341
in 2003). All other compensation includes a pension contribution
of 20% of salary. Pursuant to a Letter Agreement as of
October 24, 2005, Dr. Ward will terminate his service
as Vice Chairman of ICE Futures on April 24, 2006. He will
receive a one-time payment of £122,500 as of the
termination date. Thereafter, Dr. Ward will be paid
£19,560 per month pursuant to a Consulting Agreement
entered into as of October 24, 2005 for the period from
April 24, 2006 through October 24, 2006. He will also
remain eligible for our benefits and pension plan through
October 24, 2006. |
Stock Option Grants
There were no options to purchase our stock granted to our Named
Executive Officers during the year ended December 31, 2005.
16
Aggregated Option Exercises in the Last Fiscal Year and
Fiscal Year End Option Values
The following table sets forth option exercises by the Named
Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2005, including the aggregate value of gains
on the date of exercise. The table also sets forth (i) the
number of shares covered by options (both exercisable and
unexercisable) as of December 31, 2005 and (ii) the
respective value for
in-the-money
options, which represents the positive spread between the
exercise price of existing options and the fair market value of
our New Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange as of
December 31, 2005 ($36.35).
Aggregated Option Exercises in 2005
and 2005 Year-End Option Values
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Securities | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying Unexercised | |
|
Value of Unexercised | |
|
|
Number of | |
|
|
|
Options at | |
|
In-the-Money Options at | |
|
|
Shares | |
|
|
|
Fiscal Year-End(1) | |
|
Fiscal Year-End(2) | |
|
|
Acquired on | |
|
Value | |
|
| |
|
| |
Name |
|
Exercise | |
|
Realized | |
|
Exercisable | |
|
Unexercisable | |
|
Exercisable | |
|
Unexercisable | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Jeffrey C. Sprecher(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
|
|
219,037 |
|
|
|
112,500 |
|
|
$ |
6,614,540 |
|
|
$ |
3,189,375 |
|
Charles A. Vice(4)
|
|
|
33,750 |
|
|
|
805,250 |
|
|
|
28,919 |
|
|
|
28,919 |
|
|
|
819,839 |
|
|
|
819,839 |
|
Richard V. Spencer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
54,025 |
|
|
|
54,025 |
|
|
|
1,531,609 |
|
|
|
1,531,609 |
|
David S. Goone
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
76,825 |
|
|
|
41,313 |
|
|
|
2,212,066 |
|
|
|
1,171,209 |
|
Edwin D. Marcial(5)
|
|
|
6,250 |
|
|
|
23,750 |
|
|
|
70,575 |
|
|
|
41,313 |
|
|
|
2,111,983 |
|
|
|
1,171,209 |
|
Dr. Richard Ward
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
28,919 |
|
|
|
28,919 |
|
|
|
819,839 |
|
|
|
819,839 |
|
|
|
(1) |
The number of securities underlying unexercised options has been
adjusted to give effect to the 1 for 4 reverse stock split of
the Class A common stock that became effective immediately
prior to the completion of our initial public offering of New
Common Stock in November 2005. |
|
(2) |
The value of unexercised
in-the-money options at
fiscal year-end was calculated by multiplying the number of
securities underlying unexercised options at fiscal year-end by
the difference between $36.35 (the closing price of our New
Common Stock on the NYSE on December 31, 2005) and the
strike price (between $4.20 and $8.00) of the option. |
|
(3) |
Mr. Sprecher is the controlling shareholder of CPEX, which
holds 2,197,813 of our common shares. In connection with the
termination of the CPEX Stock Option Plan, CPEX sold
209,122 shares of New Common Stock in our initial public
offering in November 2005, representing all shares of stock
subject to exercisable options under the CPEX Stock Option Plan.
As part of each holders agreement to terminate the CPEX
Stock Option Plan and cancel all of their outstanding and vested
options, CPEX paid each holder an amount equal to (i) the
net proceeds received by CPEX in connection with its sale in the
offering of the respective number of shares of New Common Stock
underlying such holders options, less (ii) the
aggregate exercise price of such holders respective
options, less (iii) applicable Federal and state
withholding taxes. Mr. Sprecher did not personally sell any
of his interest in the offering, and CPEX sold solely in
connection with the termination of the CPEX Stock Option Plan. |
|
(4) |
Mr. Vice received a net cash payment from CPEX in the
amount of $2,025,828 for canceling 144,222 exercisable CPEX
options in November 2005. This amount was equal to (i) the
net proceeds received by CPEX in connection with its sale in our
initial public offering of 144,222 shares of our New Common
Stock underlying these options, less (ii) the aggregate
exercise price of these options, less (iii) applicable
Federal and state withholding taxes. These CPEX options were
exercisable by payment to CPEX, not IntercontinentalExchange. |
|
(5) |
Mr. Marcial received a net cash payment from CPEX in the
amount of $561,172 for canceling 36,055 exercisable CPEX options
in November 2005. This amount was equal to (i) the net
proceeds received by CPEX in connection with its sale in our
initial public offering of 36,055 shares of our common
stock underlying these options, less (ii) the aggregate
exercise price of these options, less |
17
|
|
|
(iii) applicable Federal and state withholding taxes. These
CPEX options were exercisable by payment to CPEX, not
IntercontinentalExchange. |
Employment Agreements
We have entered into employment agreements with each of
Messrs. Sprecher, Vice, Spencer, Marcial and Goone.
Each agreement provides for an initial employment term of two or
three years, depending on the employee. The term of each
agreement will be automatically extended every six months unless
either we or the employee, prior to the date of extension, give
written notice to the other that there will be no extension. The
extension will be for a term equal to the initial
term that is, two or three years, depending on the
employee. The effect of this provision is to ensure that the
term remaining under any of these agreements is never more than
six months less than the initial term. The initial term is three
years for Messrs. Sprecher, Vice and Spencer, and two years
for Messrs. Goone and Marcial.
Each employment agreement provides for an initial annual base
salary. Each of these employees is also eligible to receive an
annual bonus and to receive from time to time grants of awards
under our 2000 Stock Option Plan, 2004 Restricted Stock Plan and
2005 Equity Incentive Plan, in each case as set by the
Compensation Committee or by our Board of Directors as a whole.
If we terminate an employee for cause, as such term
is defined below, or any such employee resigns other than for
good reason, as such term is defined below, we must
pay the employee, among other benefits, all accrued but unpaid
salary, annual bonus, if any, and unreimbursed expenses. In the
event that we terminate any employee other than for cause or the
employee resigns for good reason, we must compensate the
employee as follows:
Termination Following a Change in Control. If the
termination occurs after the effective date of a change in
control of us, we must pay the employee a lump sum amount of
cash equal to a multiple of his salary and bonus. This multiple
is three for Messrs. Sprecher, Vice and Spencer, and two
for Messrs. Goone and Marcial. In these circumstances, the
applicable bonus amount will be the greater of the
employees last annual bonus and the employees target
bonus, as previously determined by the Board of Directors, for
the year in which the employee is terminated. We will also
provide gross up payments to the terminated employee as
necessary to compensate him for liability for certain excise
taxes that may become due as a result of payments called for
under the employment agreement.
An employee terminated following, or as a result of, a change in
control will be entitled to exercise his stock options that had
been granted after entering into the employment agreement for
the same period as if the employee had continued in employment
through the remainder of his term. All of the employees
stock options granted after the date of the employment agreement
will become exercisable upon the executives termination.
Termination Unrelated to a Change in Control. If the
termination of an employee is unrelated to a change in control,
we must continue to pay his salary and bonus for the remainder
of the employment term, over time as it would normally be paid,
with the bonus so paid equal to the greater of the last annual
bonus paid to him prior to termination and his target bonus for
the applicable year. In addition, any stock options granted
after the date of the applicable employment agreement will
become exercisable upon the employees termination.
Cause, as used in the employment agreements,
generally means: (1) the employee is convicted of, pleads
guilty to, or otherwise admits to any felony or act of fraud,
misappropriation or embezzlement;
18
(2) the employee knowingly engages or fails to engage in
any act or course of conduct that is (a) reasonably likely
to adversely affect our rights or qualification under applicable
laws, rules or regulations to serve as an exchange or other form
of a marketplace for trading commodities or (b) that
violates the rules of any exchange or market on which we effect
trades (or at such time are actively contemplating effecting
trades) and is reasonably likely to lead to a denial of our
right or qualification to effect trades on such exchange or
market; (3) there is any act or omission by the employee
involving malfeasance or gross negligence in the performance of
his duties and responsibilities or the exercise of his powers to
the material detriment of us; or (4) the employee
(a) breaches any of the covenants made under his employment
agreement or (b) violates any provision of any code of
conduct adopted by us that applies to him if the consequence to
such violation ordinarily would be a termination of his
employment.
Good reason generally means: (1) there is a
material reduction or, after a change in control, any reduction,
in the employees base salary or opportunity to receive any
annual bonus and stock option grants without the employees
express written consent; (2) there is a material reduction
or, after a change in control, any reduction in the scope,
importance or prestige of the employees duties;
(3) we transfer the employees primary work site to a
site that is more than thirty miles from his then current work
site; (4) we, after a change in control change the
employees job title or fail to continue to make available
to the employee the same or equivalent plans, programs and
policies; (5) there is a material breach or, after a change
in control, any breach of his employment agreement; or
(6) we fail to nominate the employee for re-election to our
Board of Directors (in the case of Mr. Sprecher).
Each employment agreement permits the employee to serve on the
board of directors of those business, civic and charitable
organizations on which he was serving on the date that we signed
his employment agreement, as long as doing so has no significant
and adverse effect on the performance of his duties and
responsibilities or the exercise of his powers under his
employment agreement. Each employee is not permitted, however,
to serve on any other boards of directors and shall not provide
services to any for-profit organization on or after the date
that we signed his employment agreement without the written
consent of the chair of the Compensation Committee (in the case
of Messrs. Sprecher, Vice and Spencer) or our Chief
Executive Officer (in the case of Messrs. Goone and
Marcial).
Each employee agrees under his employment agreement that for the
term of his employment agreement or, if less, for the one-year
period which starts on the date that his employment terminates,
not to assume or perform any managerial or supervisory
responsibilities and duties that are substantially the same as
those that he performs for us for any other business entity that
engages in any
business-to-business
electronic exchange for trading commodities in which we are
engaged as of the date of termination of the employees
employment or in which we propose to engage under our business
plan as in effect on such date, if any site of any of the
offices or equipment of such competitive business is located in
the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South
America or in any country that is a member of the European
Union. The employment agreements of Messrs. Vice, Spencer,
Goone and Marcial provide that they may own up to five percent
of the stock of a publicly traded company that engages in such
competitive business so long as they are only passive investors
and are not actively involved in such company in any way.
Each employee is restricted from soliciting, for the purpose of
competing with us or our affiliates, any of our customers or
customers of our affiliates with whom the employee had contact,
knowledge or association at any time during the employees
employment with us or our affiliates (1) at any time during
the employees employment with us or our affiliates and
(2) at any time during the twenty-four month period
immediately preceding the beginning of the restricted
period. Restricted period means the
19
remainder of the employees term of employment without
regard to the reason for the employees termination of
employment (as such initial term may have been extended under
the agreement).
Each employee is restricted from soliciting, for the purpose of
competing with us or our affiliates, any other officer, employee
or independent contractor of us or our affiliates with whom the
employee had contact, knowledge or association to terminate his
or her employment or business relationship with us or our
affiliates (1) at any time during the employees
employment with us or our affiliates and (2) at any time
during the twelve month period immediately preceding the
beginning of the restricted period.
Each employee is eligible, under his employment agreement, to
receive an annual bonus each year that is reasonable in light of
his contribution for that year in relation to the contributions
made and bonuses paid to other senior executives of ICE for such
year.
Each of the employees named above is subject to customary
confidentiality provisions during the term of employment and for
a specified period after termination, and each must not use or
disclose any of our trade secrets for as long as they remain
trade secrets.
Benefit Plans
Our U.S. employees are eligible to participate in our
401(k) and Profit Sharing Plan, which was implemented on
October 1, 2001. We offer to match 100% of the first 5% of
the eligible employees compensation contributed to the
plan, subject to plan and statutory limits.
Our U.K.-based subsidiaries have a defined contribution pension
plan for eligible employees. We contribute a percentage of the
employees base salary to the plan each month and employees
are able to make additional voluntary contributions, subject to
plan and statutory limits. Our contributions range from 10% to
20% of an employees base salary.
Our benefit plans include the 2000 Stock Option Plan, the 2003
Restricted Stock Deferral Plan for Outside Directors, the 2004
Restricted Stock Plan and the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, which
provide for the issuance of stock options, restricted stock or
restricted stock units that may be exercised for or converted
into, as the case may be, shares of our common stock. Until
May 20, 2006, Class A2 shares are issuable under
these plans. Effective May 20, 2006, each plan has been
amended to provide for the issuance of New Common Stock upon
exercise, conversion or vesting of outstanding awards, and all
awards issued from that date under the plans will entitle the
holder to receive shares of New Common Stock.
We adopted the 2000 Stock Option Plan in June 2000 and it was
approved by our stockholders on June 23, 2000 for the
purposes of attracting, retaining and rewarding our employees
and directors. The 2000 Stock Option Plan authorizes the
issuance of up to 5,250,000 shares of common stock upon the
exercise of options under the plan. Both incentive and
nonqualified options may be granted under and generally vest
over four years. Options may be exercised up to ten years after
the date of grant, but generally expire 14 days after
termination of employment or service as a director.
In the event of any increase or decrease in the number of issued
shares resulting from a subdivision or consolidation of shares
or the payment of a stock dividend or any other increase or
decrease in the number of issued shares effected without
consideration received by us, the Compensation Committee will
conclusively determine the adjustment to the number of shares
covered by the 2000 Stock Option Plan, the number of shares
covered by each outstanding option and the exercise price of
each option.
20
Eligibility. Options may be granted to any individual
employed by us, within the meaning of Section 3401 of the
Code, or to any of our directors, as the Compensation Committee
may determine.
Administration. The Compensation Committee administers
the 2000 Stock Option Plan. The Compensation Committee has the
authority to interpret and construe the plan, grant options and
determine who will receive options and the number of shares to
be granted subject to exercise of options issued under the plan.
All determinations of the Compensation Committee with respect to
the interpretation and construction of the 2000 Stock Option
Plan are final.
Nonassignability. Options may be exercised only by the
grantee and may not be assigned or transferred during the
grantees lifetime.
Restrictions on Shares Acquired. In connection with an
underwritten registered offering of any of our securities, we
may require that optionees not sell, dispose of, transfer, make
any short sale of, grant any option for the purchase of, or
enter into any hedging or similar transaction having the same
economic effect as a sale with respect to any shares or other
securities of ICE held by the optionee, for a period of time
specified by the underwriters (not to exceed 12 months)
following the effective date of registration.
Amendment; Termination. The Board of Directors may
terminate or amend the 2000 Stock Option Plan, except that no
such termination or amendment may increase the number of shares
subject to the 2000 Stock Option Plan or change the class of
individuals eligible to receive options without the approval of
our stockholders. In addition, no amendment may, without the
grantees consent, materially adversely affect a previously
granted option.
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2003 Restricted Stock Deferral Plan for Outside
Directors |
We adopted the 2003 Restricted Stock Deferral Plan for Outside
Directors (the 2003 Directors Plan) for the
purpose of attracting and retaining outside directors. Under the
2003 Directors Plan, members of the Board of Directors can
elect to receive up to 100% of their retainer and meeting fees
in restricted stock or restricted stock units. Shares of
restricted stock will be issued, or restricted stock units will
be credited, as of the end of each calendar quarter with respect
to retainer and meeting fees otherwise payable in that quarter.
The restricted stock or restricted stock units generally vest
over a three-year period, and one-third of the shares will vest
each year on the anniversary of the end of the calendar quarter
when fees were payable.
In the event of any increase or decrease in the number of issued
shares resulting from a subdivision or consolidation of shares
or the payment of a stock dividend or any other increase or
decrease in the number of issued shares effected without
consideration received by us, the Compensation Committee will
conclusively determine the adjustment to the number of unissued
shares of restricted stock or the number of restricted stock
units. On October 24, 2005, the Board of Directors approved
an amendment to the plan to authorize the issuance of up to an
aggregate of 250,000 shares of common stock, which will be
the maximum number of shares that may be issued pursuant to past
or future awards granted under the plan.
Eligibility. Restricted stock may be issued, or
restricted units credited, to any member of the Board of
Directors who is not a full-time employee of ICE.
Administration. The Compensation Committee administers
the 2003 Directors Plan. The Compensation Committee has the
authority to interpret and construe the 2003 Directors
Plan, and all such determinations are final.
Nonassignability. Restricted stock issued under the
2003 Directors Plan is not transferable and may not be
sold, exchanged, transferred, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise
disposed of at any time prior to the vesting of such shares. The
right to receive payments with respect to restricted stock units
is generally not assignable or transferable.
Amendment; Termination. The Board of Directors may at any
time terminate or amend the 2003 Directors Plan. No such
termination or amendment may adversely affect any outstanding
restricted stock or restricted stock units.
21
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2004 Restricted Stock Plan |
In September 2004, we adopted the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan.
The purpose of the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan is to attract,
retain and reward individuals performing services for us.
Type of Awards. The 2004 Restricted Stock Plan allows us
to issue awards of restricted stock or restricted stock units
that convert into shares of our common stock. On
October 24, 2005, our Board of Directors approved an
amendment to the plan to authorize the issuance of up to an
aggregate of 1,475,000 shares of common stock, which will
be the maximum number of shares that may be issued pursuant to
past or future awards granted under the plan.
In the event of any increase or decrease in the number of issued
shares resulting from a subdivision or consolidation of shares
or the payment of a stock dividend or any other increase or
decrease in the number of issued shares effected without
consideration received by us, the Compensation Committee will
conclusively determine the adjustment to the number of shares
covered by each outstanding award.
Eligibility. Awards may be made at the sole discretion of
the Compensation Committee to any of our employees that are
members of a select group of management or highly compensated
employees within the meaning of Sections 201(1), 301(a)(3)
and 401(a)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, or to any of our directors.
Vesting may be time-based or performance-based. Vesting may be
accelerated by events such as a change in control, an initial
public offering, or a sale of ICE or of substantially all of our
assets, but may not be deferred for more than ten years.
Administration. The Compensation Committee administers
the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan. The Compensation Committee has
the authority to interpret and construe the plan, grant awards
and determine who will receive awards and in what amounts. The
determination of the Compensation Committee with respect to the
interpretation and construction of the 2004 Restricted Stock
Plan is final.
Nonassignability. Awards under the 2004 Restricted Stock
Plan are not assignable or transferable during the lifetime of
the grantee.
Amendment; Termination. The Board of Directors may, with
respect to shares at the time not subject to awards, terminate
or amend the plan. No such termination or amendment may, without
the grantees consent, materially adversely affect a
previously granted award.
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2005 Equity Incentive Plan |
The 2005 Equity Incentive Plan was adopted by our Board of
Directors in April 2005 and was approved by our stockholders in
June 2005. The purpose of the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan is to
attract, retain and reward individuals performing services for
us and to motivate those individuals to contribute to the growth
and profitability of our business. The 2005 Equity Incentive
Plan will terminate on the tenth anniversary of its adoption.
Type of Awards. The 2005 Equity Incentive Plan allows us
to grant incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options,
stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock
units.
The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued
pursuant to awards granted under the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan
is 2,125,000, subject to certain adjustments. The maximum number
of shares of common stock with respect to which options or stock
appreciation rights may be granted during any calendar year to
any grantee is 250,000 (or 500,000 for an individual hired on or
after the date of the plans adoption), and the maximum
number of shares with respect to which restricted stock or
restricted stock units may by granted during any calendar year
to any grantee is 125,000 (or 250,000 for an individual hired on
or after the date of the plans adoption).
For incentive stock options and nonstatutory stock options that
are intended to qualify as performance-based
compensation within the meaning of Section 162(m) of
the Code, the exercise price may not be less than 100% of the
fair market value of the underlying shares as of the grant date.
If the
22
aggregate fair market value of shares as of the date of grant
with respect to which incentive stock options are exercisable by
an individual during a calendar year exceeds $100,000, then the
option will be treated as a nonstatutory stock option. Incentive
stock options granted to an individual who owns more than 10% of
the combined voting power of all classes of stock of ICE expire
five years after the date of grant and must have an exercise
price of at least 110% of the fair market value of a share as of
the date of grant.
Options granted under our 2005 Equity Incentive Plan may be
exercised by payment in cash or cash equivalent, by the tender
of shares owned by the exercising party or cashless exercise.
In the event of any merger, consolidation, reorganization,
recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock
split, separation, liquidation or other change in the corporate
structure or capitalization affecting the shares, the
Compensation Committee will conclusively determine the
adjustment in the kind, exercise price (or purchase price, if
applicable), and number of shares that are subject to awards,
provided that adjustments to options or stock appreciation
rights must comply with Section 424 of the Code.
Eligibility. Awards may be granted to any employee,
consultant or director of ICE, as selected in the sole
discretion of the committee administering the 2005 Equity
Incentive Plan.
Vesting of awards may be time-based or performance-based. In the
case of options and stock appreciation rights, if employment is
terminated for any reason other than for cause, the grantee may
exercise vested awards for a period of three months after the
date of termination. If employment is terminated for cause, the
awards will terminate immediately. If employment is terminated
for any or no reason, shares that have not vested may be
repurchased by us at the lesser of the original exercise price
or the shares fair market value. In the case of restricted
stock and restricted stock units, if employment is terminated
during the applicable restricted period as defined in the 2005
Equity Incentive Plan, any unvested shares of restricted stock
and restricted stock units will be forfeited and we will pay the
grantee $0.01 for each unvested share of restricted stock.
In the event of a change in control as defined in the 2005
Equity Incentive Plan, outstanding awards will become fully
vested and exercisable if the surviving corporation does not
assume our rights and obligations with respect to outstanding
awards or does not substitute for substantially equivalent
awards. Options and stock appreciation rights that are not
assumed or substituted for by the surviving corporation and that
are not exercised as of the date of the change in control will
terminate and cease to be outstanding. Shares that have not
previously been issued under restricted stock or restricted
stock units and that are not assumed or substituted for by the
surviving corporation will be issued. The 2005 Equity Incentive
Plan also provides that issuance or payment of restricted stock
and restricted stock units may be accelerated by an initial
public offering of ICE.
Administration. The 2005 Equity Incentive Plan is
administered by the Compensation Committee, which, pursuant to
the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, is required to consist of two or
more members of our Board of Directors, each of whom is an
outside director within the meaning of
Section 162(m) of the Code and a non-employee
director within the meaning of
Rule 16b-3 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Compensation
Committees composition is also required to comply with the
rules of the NYSE. The Compensation Committee has the authority
to determine who will be granted awards, the number of shares
granted subject to such awards and all matters relating to the
administration of the plan. The determination of the
Compensation Committee with respect to the interpretation and
application of the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan is final. The
Compensation Committee may only grant awards that either comply
with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or do not
result in the deferral of compensation within the meaning of
Section 409A.
Nonassignability. Awards may be exercised only by the
grantee and generally may not be assigned or transferred during
the grantees lifetime.
Amendment; Termination. The Board of Directors may at any
time amend or terminate the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, subject
to stockholder approval of certain amendments. No such amendment
or termination may impair the rights of any grantee unless
mutually agreed otherwise between the committee and the grantee.
23
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table gives information about our Common Stock
that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans
as of December 31, 2005, which consists of the 2000 Stock
Option Plan, 2003 Directors Plan, 2004 Restricted Stock
Plan and 2005 Equity Incentive Plan.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
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Number of Securities | |
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Number of | |
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Available for Future | |
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Securities to be Issued | |
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Weighted Average | |
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Issuance under Equity | |
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Upon Exercise of | |
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Exercise Price of | |
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Compensation Plans | |
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Outstanding Options, | |
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Outstanding Options, | |
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(Excluding Securities | |
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Warrants and Rights | |
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Warrants and Rights | |
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Reflected in Column (a)) | |
Plan Category |
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(a) | |
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(b) | |
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(c) | |
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Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1)
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4,851,168 |
(1) |
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$ |
9.51 |
(1) |
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2,368,173 |
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Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders(2)
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1,470,351 |
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N/A |
(2) |
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254,649 |
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TOTAL
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6,321,519 |
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N/A |
(1)(2) |
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2,622,822 |
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(1) |
The 2000 Stock Option Plan was approved by our stockholders in
June 2000 and the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan was approved by our
stockholders in June 2005. Of the 4,851,168 securities to
be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and
rights, 4,787,418 are options with a weighted average exercise
price of $9.51 and the remaining 63,750 securities are
restricted stock that does not have an exercise plan. |
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(2) |
This category includes the 2003 Directors Plan and the 2004
Restricted Stock Plan. The weighted average exercise price of
outstanding options, warrants and rights in column (b) for
equity compensation plans not approved by security holders is
not applicable since the only grants or awards under these plans
have been restricted stock and restricted stock units, which do
not have an exercise price. |
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
This Compensation Committee Report on Executive Compensation
discusses the methods that were used to determine executive
compensation for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005.
The report specifically reviews the methods employed in setting
the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and generally
with respect to all executive officers.
The Compensation Committee determines the type and level of
compensation for executive officers, reviews the performance of
the Chief Executive Officer, and oversees the administration of
ICEs annual incentive plan, the 2000 Stock Option Plan,
the 2003 Directors Plan, the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan and
the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan. The Compensation
Committees charter, which is periodically reviewed and
revised by the Compensation Committee and the Board of
Directors, outlines the specific responsibilities of the
Compensation Committee.
Philosophy
ICEs executive compensation philosophy is to link
compensation with individual achievement, company performance,
and the creation of stockholder value. This is accomplished
through four primary objectives:
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attract, retain and reward executive officers and critical
talent capable of achieving ICEs business objectives; |
24
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offer competitive compensation opportunities that reward
individual contributions and corporate performance; |
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align the interests of executive officers and stockholders
through long-term equity incentives; and |
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ensure that total compensation is commensurate with the
performance achieved and value created for stockholders. |
At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Compensation Committee
reviews officer compensation levels and bonus targets for the
upcoming fiscal year, as well as actual bonus payments and
equity awards for the completed fiscal year. In determining
compensation for a specific officer, the Compensation Committee
considers many factors, including the scope of the
officers particular job, his or her performance in the
job, the expected value of the officers future impact or
contribution to ICEs success and growth, geographic pay
differentials, ICEs recent financial performance, and
market competitiveness. Executive officers are matched to
positions in a relevant peer group with similar job scope and
responsibility. In establishing officer compensation
recommendations, the Compensation Committee reviews, and gives
consideration to, the recommendations of the Chief Executive
Officer, except with respect to his own compensation.
ICEs peer group includes comparably-sized financial
exchanges, financial services providers, and related companies
based on metrics such as revenue, market capitalization, and the
number of employees. The peer group for executive compensation
comparison is generally consistent with the peer group utilized
for valuation and corporate benchmarking purposes, but the
Compensation Committee may utilize additional comparators in
order to benchmark the full range of corporate officers and to
take into account the lack of compensation data for some
competitors. The peer group is reviewed annually by the
Compensation Committee and adjustments are made as necessary.
The Compensation Committee also reviews annually the executive
pay practices of these peer companies as reported in industry
surveys, public filings of specific companies and reports from
compensation consulting firms. In light of the varied duties and
responsibilities of our executive officers, the business mix
(e.g., futures exchange vs.
over-the-counter
trading vs. software development), and the geographic dispersion
of the executive group, the Compensation Committee may rely on
different comparators and/or compensation survey sources for a
subset of the officer group.
Compensation Elements
ICE delivers executive compensation through a combination of
fixed and variable cash vehicles and equity awards. The main
components used to support these objectives are base salary,
annual performance bonus, and equity grants. For each of these
elements, ICEs strategy has been to examine peer group
compensation practices and to review the placement of each
executive officer relative to the market percentiles, taking
into consideration individual and company performance relative
to the peer group.
ICE targets a base salary market position for each officer that
is between the median and 60th percentile of the market
depending on the officers experience in their respective
position and individual performance. Executive officers are
eligible for a base salary increase each year that is determined
under the business-wide performance review process and salary
increase guidelines. The Compensation Committee considers
individual performance for the preceding year, the
individuals pay level relative to similar positions in
ICEs peer group, any promotions or changes in
responsibilities, internal equity considerations, corporate
performance, and other factors in determining the group of
officers eligible for a base salary increase and the amount of a
salary increase, if any.
ICEs annual bonus plan is structured to deliver total cash
compensation (base salary plus annual incentive) that is
competitive with ICEs peers for commensurate performance,
and ICE targets a range
25
between the median and 60th percentile of the market
depending on the officers experience in his/her respective
position and corporate and individual performance. Target annual
incentive award opportunities are established at the beginning
of the fiscal year and are approximately 75% of base salary for
the Chief Executive Officer, 55% to 60% of base salary for
Senior Vice Presidents, and 45% of salary for Vice Presidents.
However, actual awards may range from no payouts to bonus
payments above the target level based on company and individual
performance. Awards are paid for the achievement of specific,
well-defined management business objectives (MBOs)
that are established early in each fiscal year. The primary
determinant of the ICE bonus pool is the performance against a
series of corporate MBOs (e.g., revenue growth, net income
performance, market share, new customer acquisition and other
key performance metrics), while individual awards are based on
performance against a series of individual performance metrics.
This performance review necessarily involves a subjective
assessment of corporate performance by the Compensation
Committee. Moreover, the Compensation Committee does not base
its considerations on any single performance factor, but rather
considers a mix of factors that balance growth and profitability
metrics and evaluates company and individual performance against
that mix. The Compensation Committee reviews ICEs
performance relative to its corporate MBOs throughout the year
on a quarterly basis, and also monitors and approves the bonus
accruals throughout the fiscal year.
The Compensation Committee believes that long-term incentives,
primarily delivered through equity grants, are an effective
vehicle to encourage ownership in ICE and align the interests of
executive officers with those of stockholders. ICE is sensitive
to the concerns of its stockholders regarding the potential
dilutive impact of equity awards, and also takes into account
the relevant accounting and tax impact of all potential forms of
equity awards. Accordingly, ICE has designed its equity award
practices to reflect an appropriate balance between
stockholders dilution concerns and ICEs need to make
competitive grant levels along with the Compensation
Committees desire to align the interests of executive
officers with those of stockholders. ICE benchmarks its equity
grant practices relative to its peer group, and is below the
peer median for several important benchmarks such as burn
rate (i.e., number of shares granted annually divided by
the total number of common shares outstanding), issued overhang
(i.e., total number of equity awards outstanding divided by the
total number of common shares outstanding) and total overhang
(i.e., total number of equity awards outstanding plus shares
available for future grant divided by the total number of common
shares outstanding).
Historically, ICE has relied on grants of stock options under
the 2000 Stock Option Plan, which only provide value if
ICEs stock price increases and generally vest over a
four-year schedule.
In 2004, the Compensation Committee and Board of Directors
approved the adoption of the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan in order
to attract, retain, and reward executive officers for the
accomplishments of long-term performance goals and to provide
the executive officers with the opportunity to obtain an equity
interest in ICE. Equity awards are designed to target a range
between the market median to 60th percentile of ICEs
peer group, though actual awards may vary based on individual
performance, the strategic importance of the individual and
retention objectives. ICEs 2004 restricted stock unit
awards for executive officers were based on a combination of
time-vesting and performance-vesting shares that are linked to
the cumulative EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation, and amortization) performance between 2005 and
2007. As part of the adoption of the 2004 Restricted Stock Plan,
ICE initiated a tender exchange process whereby six of the
executive officers surrendered 817,600 stock options that had
been granted in 2002 at a strike price of $12.00 per share
prior to the receipt of 586,462 time-vesting restricted shares
and 586,462 performance-vesting restricted shares at a fair
market value of $8.00 per share. One additional executive
officer was a new hire in June 2004, and received a grant of
38,750 time-vesting restricted shares and 38,750
performance-vesting restricted shares at a fair market value of
$8.00 per share. The 2004 restricted stock unit awards were
designed as multi-year equity grants, with no additional equity
awards planned through 2005. Accordingly, there were no equity
grants to any of the individuals in the Summary Compensation
table in 2005.
26
The benefits and perquisites offered to ICEs executive
officers are substantially the same as those offered to all ICE
employees. ICE provides medical insurance, life and disability
insurance, and other benefits to executives that are generally
available to other employees, including a 401(k) plan with
matching contributions. For its U.S. corporate officers,
ICE provides an enhanced term life insurance benefit (calculated
at five times salary less $50,000) and a supplemental disability
insurance benefit that is designed to approximate the total
benefit level (60% of eligible compensation) that cannot be
afforded through the limits in ICEs group disability plans
($10,000 per month). ICEs contributions to these
benefits programs are outlined in the All Other
Compensation section of the Summary Compensation Table.
Chief Executive Officer Compensation
The base salary, annual bonus and long-term incentives paid to
Mr. Sprecher in 2005 were generally determined in
accordance with ICEs compensation philosophy and
practices, as outlined above. Mr. Sprecher is eligible to
participate in the same compensation plans, including the annual
and long-term incentive plans available to ICEs other
officers and employees.
For 2005, Mr. Sprechers base salary was $675,750,
which was last updated on December 31, 2004 through a
restructuring of the housing and travel allowance that had
previously been paid to Mr. Sprecher. In September 2004,
the Compensation Committee approved the elimination of a
$6,000 monthly housing and travel allowance, and also
approved a corresponding increase in Mr. Sprechers
base salary by $72,000 per year (i.e., from $603,750 to
$675,750), and this adjustment was made as of December 31,
2004. Notwithstanding the restructuring of that allowance,
Mr. Sprechers last salary increase was effective as
of January 1, 2003. The Compensation Committee uses a peer
group described above for the purposes of determining the Chief
Executive Officers compensation. Mr. Sprechers
2005 target incentive opportunity under the annual incentive
plan was equal to 75% of base salary, which was increased from a
target of 65% of base salary in 2004. Based on the achievement
of the goals under the annual incentive plan, the Compensation
Committee approved an annual incentive payment for 2005 of
$1,013,625, or 200% of the target bonus payout for
Mr. Sprecher. Mr. Sprecher received a bonus greater
than his target bonus level due to ICEs strong operating
and financial performance, the successful completion of
ICEs initial public offering in November 2005, ICEs
successful transition of its futures business segment to an all
electronic platform and the expansion of ICEs product
offerings. This bonus was paid in cash in December 2005.
Additionally, in October 2005, the Compensation Committee and
the Board of Directors approved the terms of the Second
Amendment to Contribution and Asset Transfer Agreement (the
Put Termination Agreement) by and among ICE, CPEX
and Mr. Sprecher to cancel a Redeemable Stock Put
contingent upon the closing of ICEs initial public
offering in November 2005. As part of the Put Termination
Agreement, ICE amended CPEXs registration rights with
respect to its 2,197,813 shares of Class A2 Common
Stock. In addition to extending customary demand and piggy-back
registration rights for a twelve-month period from a six-month
period following the termination of Mr. Sprechers
employment, ICE has agreed to pay all underwriting discounts,
brokers fees and selling commissions incurred by CPEX in
connection with selling its shares pursuant to the registration
rights granted under the agreement. In no event will the
aggregate amount payable by ICE for these underwriting fees
exceed $4.5 million.
Mr. Sprecher received a restricted stock award in 2004
consistent with the terms and provisions applicable to the other
executive officers and as a consequence, he did not receive an
equity award in 2005.
Policy on Deductibility of Compensation
Section 162(m) of Code generally provides that publicly
held companies may not deduct compensation paid to certain of
its top executive officers to the extent that such compensation
exceeds $1 million per officer in a calendar year.
Compensation that is performance-based compensation
within
27
the meaning of the Code does not count toward the
$1 million limit. Performance-based compensation that has
been approved by ICEs stockholders is excluded from the
$1 million limit if, among other requirements, the
compensation is payable only upon attainment of pre-established,
objective performance goals and the Compensation Committee of
the Board of Directors that establishes such goals consists only
of outside directors (as defined for purposes of
Section 162(m)).
ICEs policy is to maximize the deductibility of executive
compensation so long as the deductibility is compatible with the
more important objectives of retaining executives and
maintaining competitive performance-based compensation that is
aligned with strategic business objectives. ICE attempts to
structure its compensation arrangements in a manner that is
consistent with the requirements of Section 162(m).
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Compensation Committee: |
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Judith A. Sprieser, Chairperson |
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Jean-Marc Forneri |
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Vincent Tese |
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
None of our executive officers or directors serves as a member
of the board of directors or compensation committee of any
entity that has one or more of its executive officers serving as
a member of our Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Relationships with Our Stockholders
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Continental Power Exchange Put Agreement |
As a part of the transactions surrounding our formation, we
entered into an agreement with our predecessor company, CPEX, on
May 11, 2000. Our chief executive officer,
Mr. Sprecher, owned then and continues to own substantially
all the equity interests in CPEX. Pursuant to the agreement,
CPEX conveyed all of its assets and liabilities to us. These
assets included intellectual property that we used to develop
our electronic platform. In return, we issued to CPEX a 7.2%
equity interest in our business and we agreed to give CPEX a put
option, by which CPEX could require us to buy its equity
interest in our business at the purchase price equal to either
our fair market value or $5 million, whichever is greater.
In connection with our initial public offering, in October 2005
we entered an agreement with CPEX and Mr. Sprecher to
terminate the put option upon the closing of our initial public
offering. In connection with the termination of the put option,
we amended certain registration rights previously granted to
CPEX pursuant to which, as described below, we may be obligated
to pay the expenses of registration of such shares, including
underwriting discounts up to a maximum of $4.5 million.
Mr. Sprecher currently owns 92.5% of the equity interest in
CPEX and holds an irrevocable proxy enabling him to vote the
remaining 7.5%. CPEX currently has no assets other than its
equity interest in IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. and conducts
no operations.
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Continental Power Exchange, Inc. Stock Option Plan |
Four of our executives and employees held options that were
granted between 1998 and 1999 under the CPEX Stock Option Plan
which was terminated in November 2005 in connection with our
initial public offering of common stock. These option holders
included our president and chief operating officer and our chief
technology officer. These options gave the option holder the
right to purchase shares of our common stock from CPEX, and were
fully vested. The exercise price for these options ranged from
$1.04
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to $1.72 per share. In total, there were 209,122 options
outstanding under the CPEX Stock Option Plan, which could have
been exercised against CPEXs total equity stake in ICE. In
connection with the termination of the CPEX Stock Option Plan,
CPEX sold 209,122 shares of New Common Stock in our initial
public offering, representing all shares of our common stock
underlying the outstanding and vested options. As part of each
holders agreement to terminate the Stock Option Plan and
cancel all of their outstanding and vested options, CPEX paid
each holder an amount equal to (i) the net proceeds
received by CPEX in connection with its sale in the offering of
the respective number of shares of common stock underlying such
holders options, less (ii) the aggregate exercise
price of such holders respective options, less
(iii) applicable Federal and state withholding taxes. No
payments were made to Mr. Sprecher in connection with the
sale by CPEX of the 209,122 shares of New Common Stock.
From time to time, we have received investment banking services
from Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and Goldman,
Sachs & Co., the lead underwriters of our initial
public offering and each an affiliate of one of our largest
stockholders. From time to time, we have also received
consulting services from Goldman, Sachs & Co. and have
entered into several foreign exchange forward contracts with
Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. In 2005, we paid Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated $500,000 in financial
advisory fees. In connection with the foreign exchange
contracts, we paid Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
$1.2 million in 2005.
Underwriting discounts in our initial public offering in
November 2005 were approximately $31.1 million. Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated and Goldman,
Sachs & Co. were the lead underwriters of our initial
public offering and each of them is an affiliate of one of our
largest stockholders. SG Americas Securities, LLC was also an
underwriter of our initial public offering and is an affiliate
of Société Générale Financial Corporation,
which is one of our largest stockholders. Morgan
Stanley & Co., Goldman, Sachs & Co., and SG
Americas Securities, LLC, along with other underwriters,
received a portion of the aggregate underwriting discounts.
Morgan Stanley & Co. and Goldman, Sachs & Co.
were each paid approximately $11.7 million, before
expenses, and SG Americas Securities, LLC was paid approximately
$915,000, before expenses, in connection with their service as
underwriters for our initial public offering.
Relationships with Certain Stockholders
In connection with the agreement to terminate CPEXs put
option, we amended certain registration rights previously
granted to CPEX, which owns 2,197,813 shares of our
outstanding Class A2 Common Stock. All of the equity
interest in CPEX is owned by Mr. Sprecher, our Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, and members of his family. Under this
agreement, CPEX is entitled to require us to register for resale
into the public market the common stock CPEX will receive upon
conversion of its shares of Class A2 Common Stock it
currently holds if Mr. Sprechers employment with us
has been terminated. In addition, we may be obligated to pay the
expenses of registration of such shares, including underwriters
discounts up to a maximum of $4.5 million.
In addition, we entered into a registration rights agreement
with certain stockholders, including, among others, Morgan
Stanley Capital Group Inc. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
(each an affiliate of the lead underwriters of our initial
public offering), Total S.A. and Société
Générale Financial Corporation (an affiliate of an
underwriter of our initial public offering). Each of the
foregoing stockholders beneficially owns more than five percent
of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock. The registration
rights agreements contain provisions relating
to S-3 demand
rights, piggy-back rights and lock-ups, among others.
29
On June 14, 2001, we entered into a Shareholders
Agreement with certain of our stockholders. This agreement
provided, among other things, the right to nominate directors to
our Board of Directors. When our independent board was elected,
the parties to the Shareholders Agreement voluntarily
agreed not to exercise their right under the Shareholders
Agreement to nominate directors. Instead, the nominating
shareholders, acting as a group, collectively nominated and
elected the members of the independent board. This agreement
also provided that the nominating shareholders would nominate
and elect the chief executive officer and the chairman of ICE
Futures to our Board of Directors as long as our Class B
redeemable common stock remained outstanding. Pursuant to this
agreement, since the elimination of our Class B redeemable
common stock, the nominating shareholders have been required to
nominate either the chief executive officer or the chairman of
ICE Futures to our Board of Directors, rather than both. The
agreement also placed restrictions on the use of proxies and
voting trusts with unaffiliated entities. The Shareholders
Agreement terminated on the closing of our initial public
offering in November 2005.
Relationships with Our Directors
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Chicago Climate Exchange Agreements |
One of our directors, Richard L. Sandor, is also the Chairman,
Chief Executive Officer and principal owner of the Chicago
Climate Exchange, Inc., which operates futures and OTC markets
for the trading of emissions. In July 2003, we entered into an
agreement with the Chicago Climate Exchange to provide hosting
services for the trading of the Chicago Climate Exchange
emissions on our electronic platform. Under this agreement, the
Chicago Climate Exchange is required to pay us an annual license
fee of $725,000 and an annual service fee of $500,000. The
Chicago Climate Exchange is also required to pay us for certain
technology development work at an agreed upon rate. The initial
term of this agreement expires in December 2006. The terms of
this agreement provide for automatic renewal for additional one
year periods following the expiration of the initial term,
unless either party provides at least six months notice of
its intention not to renew.
In May 2004, we entered into a listing agreement with the
Chicago Climate Exchange under which we agreed to allow the
Chicago Climate Exchange to make certain emissions contracts
available for trading in its emissions trading market, which we
host on our platform, and to delist such contracts from trading
on our platform. Pursuant to this agreement, the Chicago Climate
Exchange is obligated to pay us 10% of the gross revenues earned
by the Chicago Climate Exchange in connection with trading in
these contracts.
In August 2004, we entered into a license agreement with the
Chicago Climate Exchange in respect of certain of its
intellectual property relating to an emission reduction trading
system and method. Pursuant to our agreement, the Chicago
Climate Exchange granted to us, our affiliates (including ICE
Futures) and any of our contractors, agents and service
providers a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license,
including any patents or related applications thereto, in
relation to such intellectual property. Pursuant to the terms of
this agreement, we also acknowledged the Chicago Climate
Exchanges ownership of the intellectual property and
agreed not to challenge the ownership, validity or
enforceability of the intellectual property.
In addition, in August 2004, ICE Futures entered into a
Cooperation and Licensing Agreement with the Chicago Climate
Exchange. Pursuant to this agreement, the Chicago Climate
Exchange and ICE Futures formed a cooperative relationship for
the purposes of promoting the development of a European
emissions trading market through, in particular, the trading of
emissions contracts on our electronic platform. The agreement
provides for the Chicago Climate Exchange to fund ICE Futures
development and operating costs in relation to the emissions
contracts. The Chicago Climate Exchange will then receive 75% of
net transaction fee income from the emissions contracts (after
the deduction of operating costs). In December 2004, the
European Climate Exchange, which is a subsidiary of the Chicago
Climate Exchange, acceded to the terms of the Cooperation and
Licensing Agreement. Emissions contracts refer to any cash or
spot or futures contract for European emissions allowances
traded on our platform pursuant to this
30
agreement. Consistent with, and subject to, its legal and
regulatory obligations and the provisions of this agreement, ICE
Futures has agreed, among other obligations, to:
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use commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with the
Chicago Climate Exchange in the design and listing of the
emissions contracts; |
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manage, in cooperation with us, the process of modifying our
electronic platform and other hardware and software as necessary
to allow the trading of the emissions contracts; |
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provide required market supervision, compliance and regulatory
arrangements; and |
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obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to allow the trading
of the emissions contracts from trading screens located in the
United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland,
Sweden, Norway, the United States, and such other countries as
ICE Futures and the Chicago Climate Exchange agree. |
The initial term of this agreement concludes on the later of
December 31, 2007 and the date on which Phase I of the
European Emissions Allowances Trading Scheme terminates, unless
sooner terminated pursuant to special termination provisions of
the agreement. The terms of this agreement provide for automatic
renewal periods of one year following the conclusion of the
initial term, unless terminated earlier by either party upon
written notice provided no later than twelve months prior to the
end of the initial term, or three months prior to the end of any
renewal period.
During 2005, we recognized $1.8 million in revenues
pursuant to these agreements.
Intercompany Agreements
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License and Services Agreements |
In May 2003, we entered into a Software License Agreement and an
Atlanta Services Agreement with our subsidiary, ICE Futures,
pursuant to which we provide ICE Futures with access to our
electronic platform. Pursuant to the Software License Agreement,
we have granted ICE Futures a license to use software related to
our electronic platform, which ICE Futures may sub-license to
its members and their customers. The Atlanta Services Agreement
requires us to provide hosting, helpdesk and other services to
ICE Futures. These agreements are designed to assist ICE Futures
in meeting certain of its regulatory obligations as a Recognized
Investment Exchange. ICE Futures is required to pay us for the
license and related services pursuant to the terms of the
agreements, which have been set on the same basis as we would
negotiate with an unrelated third party. Similar agreements
exist between ICE Futures and two of our other U.K.-based
subsidiaries in respect of disaster recovery services and U.K.
helpdesk services.
In December 2002, we entered into a Recharge Agreement with ICE
Futures under which ICE Futures agreed to incur costs associated
with stock issued to ICE Futures employees upon their exercise
of options granted under the 2000 Stock Option Plan. Under the
terms of the agreement, ICE Futures is required to pay us as
soon as reasonably practicable after the exercise of an option
an amount equal to the difference between the option exercise
price and the value of the shares on the date of exercise. The
agreement, which was amended in April 2004, limits ICE
Futures maximum liability under the Recharge Agreement to
$18.0 million. There was a total of $19,614 paid in 2005.
Kelly L. Loeffler, a corporate officer and our Vice
President, Investor and Public Relations, is married to Jeffrey
C. Sprecher, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Since
joining ICE in September 2002, Ms. Loeffler has reported
directly to Richard V. Spencer, our Chief Financial
Officer. In 2005, Ms. Loeffler received total cash
compensation of approximately $400,000.
31
STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH
Our New Common Stock began trading on the NYSE on
November 16, 2005. The price information reflected for our
New Common Stock in the following performance graph and
accompanying table represents the closing sales prices of the
New Common Stock for the period from November 16, 2005
through February 28, 2006. The graph and the accompanying
table compare the cumulative total stockholders return on
our New Common Stock with the cumulative total return of the
Standard & Poors 500 Stock Index and the Dow
Jones Global Exchange Index. The calculations in the following
graph and table assume that $100 was invested on
November 16, 2005 in each of our New Common Stock, the
Standard & Poors 500 Stock Index and the Dow
Jones Global Exchange Index and also assumes dividend
reinvestment. The closing sale price of our New Common Stock on
the NYSE was $71.17 per share on March 20, 2006. The
performance shown in the graph and table represents past
performance and should not be considered an indication of future
performance.
COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
AMONG INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE, INC., THE S&P 500
INDEX
AND THE DOW JONES GLOBAL EXCHANGE INDEX
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* |
$100 invested on 11/16/05 in ICE common stock and Dow Jones
Global Exchange, or on 10/31/05 in the S&P 500 Index. The
chart includes the reinvestment of dividends. |
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Cumulative Total Return ($) |
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11/16/05(1) |
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11/30/05 |
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12/31/05 |
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1/31/06 |
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2/28/06 |
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IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.
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100.00 |
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82.29 |
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92.61 |
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129.48 |
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139.49 |
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Standard & Poors 500 Stock Index
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100.00 |
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103.78 |
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103.82 |
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106.57 |
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106.86 |
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Dow Jones Global Exchange Index
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100.00 |
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102.47 |
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109.38 |
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129.20 |
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131.86 |
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(1) |
ICEs New Common Stock began trading on the NYSE on
November 16, 2005. |
32
SECTION 16(a) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, and regulations of the
SEC require our directors, officers and persons who own more
than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities, as well
as certain affiliates of such persons, to file initial reports
of their ownership of our equity securities and subsequent
reports of changes in such ownership with the SEC. Directors,
officers and persons owning more than 10% of a registered class
of our equity securities are required by SEC regulations to
furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they
file. Based solely on our review of the copies of such reports
received by us and on information provided by the reporting
persons, we believe that during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2005, our directors, officers and owners of
more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities
complied with all applicable filing requirements.
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling
its oversight responsibilities relating to the quality and
integrity of our financial reporting, compliance with legal and
regulatory requirements, systems of internal controls,
qualifications and independence of our independent registered
public accounting firm, performance of our internal audit
function and independent auditors, financial reporting processes
and such other functions as the Board may assign from time to
time. On November 15, 2005, our Board of Directors adopted
an Audit Committee Charter, which sets forth the
responsibilities of the Audit Committee. A copy of the Audit
Committee Charter is available on our website at
www.theice.com and is attached as Appendix A to this
Proxy Statement.
The Audit Committee held five meetings during the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2005, one of which occurred after our
initial public offering of New Common Stock in November 2005.
The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management and
Ernst & Young LLP our audited financial statements for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005. The Audit
Committee also discussed with Ernst & Young LLP the
matters required under Statement on Auditing Standards
No. 61 (Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards).
The Audit Committee also received the written disclosures and
the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by
Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence
Discussions with Audit Committees) and has discussed with
Ernst & Young LLP its independence. The Audit Committee
reviewed the audit and non-audit services provided by
Ernst & Young LLP for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2005 and determined to engage Ernst &
Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm
of IntercontinentalExchange for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2006.
Based upon the Audit Committees review of the audited
financial statements and the discussions noted above, the Audit
Committee recommended that the Board of Directors include the
audited financial statements in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2005 for filing with the SEC.
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Audit Committee: |
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Frederic V. Salerno, Chairman |
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Charles R. Crisp |
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Jean-Marc Forneri |
33
PROPOSAL 2 RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors, in accordance
with its charter and authority delegated to it by the Board, has
appointed the firm of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as our
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ending December 31, 2006, and the Board of Directors
has directed that such appointment be submitted to our
stockholders for ratification at the Annual Meeting.
Ernst & Young LLP has audited our financial statements
since our formation in May 2000 and is considered by our Audit
Committee to be well qualified. Our organizational documents do
not require that our stockholders ratify the selection of
Ernst & Young LLP as our independent auditors. We are
doing so because we believe it is a matter of good corporate
practice. If the stockholders do not ratify the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP, the Audit Committee will reconsider
the appointment, but may still retain them.
Representatives of Ernst & Young LLP will be present at
the Annual Meeting and will have an opportunity to make a
statement if they desire to do so. They also will be available
to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and the Board
of Directors unanimously recommend that the stockholders vote
FOR the proposal to ratify the appointment of
Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANYS INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM FEES AND SERVICES
Audit and Non-Audit Fees
Aggregate fees for professional services rendered for us by
Ernst & Young LLP as of and for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2005 and 2004 are set forth below. The
aggregate fees included in the Audit category are fees billed
for the fiscal year for the integrated audit of our
annual financial statements and review of statutory and
regulatory filings. The aggregate fees included in each of the
other categories are fees billed in the fiscal years.
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Fiscal | |
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Fiscal Year 2005 | |
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Year 2004 | |
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Audit Fees
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$ |
1,711,900 |
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$ |
444,000 |
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Audit-Related Fees
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Tax Fees
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All Other Fees
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Total
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$ |
1,711,900 |
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$ |
444,000 |
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Audit Fees for the fiscal years ended December 31,
2005 and 2004 were for professional services rendered for the
audits of our annual consolidated financial statements and
regulatory related professional services rendered for our
initial public offering of common stock in November 2005. The
audit fees related to our initial public offering were
$1,066,000 of the audit fees in fiscal year 2005.
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and
Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm
Pursuant to the provisions of its charter, the Audit
Committees policy is to pre-approve all audit and
permissible non-audit services provided by the independent
public registered accounting firm. These services may include
audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other
services. The Audit Committee has sole authority, without action
by the Board of Directors, for the review and approval of such
fees. The Audit Committee pre-approved all services performed by
the independent registered accounting firm in fiscal year 2005.
34
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
To the extent that this Proxy Statement is incorporated by
reference into any other filing by ICE under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the sections of this
Proxy Statement entitled Compensation Committee Report on
Executive Compensation, Audit Committee Report
and Stock Performance Graph, as well as
Appendix A to this Proxy Statement, will not be deemed
incorporated, unless specifically provided otherwise in such
filing.
STOCKHOLDERS PROPOSALS FOR 2007 ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholders who, in accordance with the SECs
Rule 14a-8, wish
to present proposals for inclusion in the proxy materials to be
distributed by us in connection with our 2007 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders must submit their proposals by certified mail,
return receipt requested, and must be received by us at our
executive offices in Atlanta, Georgia, on or before
December 14, 2006 to be eligible for inclusion in our proxy
statement and form of proxy relating to that meeting. As the
rules of the SEC make clear, simply submitting a proposal does
not guarantee its inclusion.
In accordance with our Amended and Restated Bylaws, and in
addition to any other requirements under applicable law, for a
matter (other than a nomination for director) not included in
our proxy materials to be properly brought before the 2007
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a stockholders notice of
the matter the stockholder wishes to present must be delivered
to the Secretary of ICE, Johnathan H. Short, at
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., 2100 RiverEdge Parkway,
Suite 500, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, not less than 90
nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of
the 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. As a result, any notice
given by or on behalf of a stockholder pursuant to these
provisions of our Amended and Restated Bylaws (and not pursuant
to the SECs
Rule 14a-8) must
be received no earlier than January 11, 2007 and no later
than February 10, 2007. However, if and only if the 2007
Annual Meeting of Stockholders is not scheduled to be held
within a period that commences 30 days before and ends
30 days after the anniversary date of our 2006 Annual
Meeting, the stockholder notice must be given by the later of
the close of business on the date 90 days prior to such
annual meeting date or the close of business on the tenth day
following the date on which the annual meeting is publicly
announced or disclosed. Any such stockholder notice must be in
writing and must set forth (i) the text of the proposal to
be presented, (ii) a brief written statement of the reasons
why such stockholder favors the proposal and setting forth such
stockholders name and address, (iii) the number and
class of all shares of each class of stock of ICE owned of
record and beneficially by such stockholder, (iv) any
material interest of such stockholder in the matter proposed
(other than as a stockholder), if applicable, and (v) in
the case of a person that holds stock entitled to vote at the
annual meeting through a nominee or street name
holder of record of such stock, evidence establishing such
holders indirect ownership of the stock and entitlement to
vote such stock on the matter proposed at the annual meeting.
Stockholder nominations for the Board of Directors must comply
with the procedures set forth above under Corporate
Governance Nomination of Directors.
35
OTHER MATTERS THAT MAY COME BEFORE THE ANNUAL MEETING
Our Board of Directors knows of no matters other than stated in
the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders that
may properly come before the Annual Meeting. However, if any
other matter should be properly presented for consideration and
voting at the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof, it is
the intention of the persons named as proxies on the enclosed
form of proxy card to vote the shares represented by all valid
proxy cards in accordance with their judgment of what is in the
best interest of IntercontinentalExchange.
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By Order of the Board of Directors. |
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Jeffrey C. Sprecher |
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
Atlanta, Georgia
April 3, 2006
Our 2005 Annual Report, which includes audited consolidated
financial statements, has been mailed to our stockholders with
these proxy materials. The Annual Report does not form any part
of the material for the solicitation of proxies.
36
APPENDIX A
CHARTER OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE, INC.
I. Purpose
The Audit Committee (the Committee) of the Board of
Directors of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (the
Company) shall assist the Board of Directors (the
Board) in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities
with respect to: (i) the quality and integrity of the
financial statements of the Company and the financial reports
and other financial information provided by the Company to the
public or any governmental body; (ii) the Companys
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
(iii) the Companys systems of internal controls
regarding finance, accounting and legal compliance;
(iv) the qualifications and independence of the
Companys independent auditors; (v) the performance of
the Companys internal audit function and independent
auditors; (vi) the Companys auditing, accounting, and
financial reporting processes generally; and (vii) the
performance of such other functions as the Board may assign from
time to time. To this end, the Committee will maintain free and
open communication with the Board, the independent auditors, the
Companys internal auditor, legal counsel and any other
person responsible for the financial management of the Company.
The Committee will also prepare the report of the Committee
required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission
and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to be
filed in the Companys annual proxy statement. Consistent
with its functions, the Committee will encourage continuous
improvement of, and will foster adherence to, the Companys
policies, procedures and practices at all levels.
The Committee will primarily fulfill its responsibilities by
carrying out the activities enumerated in Section V of this
Charter.
The Committees responsibility is one of oversight. In
discharging its oversight role, the Committee is empowered to
investigate any matter brought to its attention with full access
to all books, records, facilities, and other personnel of the
Company and the authority to engage independent counsel and
other advisors as it determines necessary to carry out its
duties and responsibilities. While the Committee has the
responsibilities and powers set forth in this Charter, it is not
the duty of the Committee to plan or conduct audits or to
determine that the Companys financial statements are
complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Management is
responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of
the Companys financial statements and for the
appropriateness of the accounting principles and reporting
policies that are used by the Company. The Companys
independent auditors are responsible for auditing the
Companys financial statements and for reviewing the
Companys unaudited interim financial statements.
The Committee does not provide any expert or other special
assurance as to such financial statements or any expert or any
professional certification as to the work of the Companys
independent auditors. It is not the responsibility of the
Committee to resolve disagreements, if any, between management
and the Companys independent auditors. In fulfilling their
responsibilities hereunder, it is recognized that members of the
Committee are not full-time employees of the Company and are
not, and do not represent themselves to be, accountants or
auditors by profession or experts in the fields of accounting or
auditing, including in respect of auditor independence. As such,
each member of the Committee shall be entitled to rely on
(i) the integrity of those persons and organizations within
and outside the Company from whom he or she receives
information, (ii) the accuracy of the financial statements
and other information provided to the Committee by such persons
or organizations absent actual knowledge to the contrary (which
shall be promptly reported to the Board), and (iii) any
representations made by management or the Companys
independent auditors as to any non-audit services provided by
the independent auditors to the Company.
A-1
II. Composition and
Organization
The Committee will consist of at least three directors, or such
greater number determined by the Board, each of whom must be an
Independent Director (as defined below). Members of
the Committee shall be appointed by the Board and, unless
otherwise directed by the Board, shall serve one-year terms.
Members may be removed by the Board at any time with or without
cause. Membership on the Committee shall automatically end at
such time as a member ceases to be a member of the Board. Upon
the removal or resignation of a member, the Board may appoint a
successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. One
member of the Committee will be appointed chairperson by the
Board. If the Board fails to appoint the Committees
chairperson, the Committee will appoint one member of the
Committee as chairperson. The Committee shall have the power to
create subcommittees with such powers within its areas of
responsibility as the Committee shall from time to time confer.
For purposes of this Charter, the term Independent
Director means: a person other than an officer of the
Company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a
relationship which, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere
with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the
responsibilities of a member of the Committee or a director. The
following persons shall not be considered independent:
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a director who is, or at any time during the past three years
was, employed by the Company, or who has an Immediate Family
Member (as defined below) who is, or at any time during the past
three years was, an executive officer of the Company (although
employment as an interim Chairman or CEO or other executive
officer does not disqualify a director from being independent); |
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a director who received or who has an Immediate Family Member
who received in excess of $100,000 in direct compensation from
the Company, during any period of 12 consecutive months within
the three years preceding the determination of independence,
other than director and committee fees and pension or other
forms of deferred compensation for prior service (provided such
compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service); |
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a director who is, or who as an Immediate Family Member who is,
a current partner of a firm that is the Companys internal
or external auditor; |
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a director who is a current employee of a firm that is the
Companys internal or external auditor; |
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a director who has an Immediate Family Member who is a current
employee of a firm that is the Companys internal or
external auditor and who participates in the firms audit,
assurance or tax compliance (but not tax planning) practice; |
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a director who was, or who has an Immediate Family Member who
was, within the last three years (but no longer) a partner or
employee of a firm that was the Companys internal or
external auditor and who personally worked on the Companys
audit within that time; |
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a director who is, or who has an Immediate Family Member who is,
employed as an executive officer of another entity where at any
time during the past three years any of the Companys
present executive officers at the same time serves or served on
the compensation committee of such other entity; or |
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a director who is a current employee, or who has an Immediate
Family Member who is a current executive officer, of a company
that has made payments to, or received payments from, the
Company for property or services in an amount which, in any of
the last three fiscal years, exceeds the greater of
$1 million or 2% of such other companys consolidated
gross revenues (contribution to charitable organizations shall
not be considered payments for purposes of this
test, as long as disclosures are made for charitable
contributions exceeding the foregoing amounts). |
A-2
Additionally, the following enhanced Independent
Director requirements apply to members of the Audit
Committee. Each member of the Audit Committee must meet the
following requirements:
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The member does not accept, directly or indirectly, any
consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the Company
or any subsidiary of the Company (which shall include
compensation paid by the Company to a consulting firm,
investment bank, financial advisory firm, accounting firm, or
law firm with which a director serves as an executive officer,
partner, or similar position, but which shall not include fixed
amounts of compensation under a retirement plan for prior
service or fees related to service on the board or a committee
thereof); and |
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The member is not an affiliated person of the Company or any
subsidiary of the Company. |
A person shall be deemed affiliated with the Company
if such person, directly or indirectly, controls, or is
controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company. A
person shall not be deemed to be in control of the
Company if such person is not the beneficial owner, directly or
indirectly, of more than 10% of any class of voting equity
securities of the Company and such person is not an executive
officer of the Company.
For purposes of this Charter, Immediate Family
Member includes a persons spouse, parents, children,
siblings, mothers- and fathers-in law, sons-and daughters-in
law, brothers- and
sisters-in-law, and
anyone (other than domestic employees) who shares such
persons home. The above criteria for director independence
may be revised from time to time to conform to the requirements
of New York Stock Exchange and requirements promulgated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
III. Qualifications
Each member of the Committee must be able to read and understand
fundamental financial statements, including the Companys
balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.
Additionally, the chairperson of the Committee must have past
employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite
professional certification in accounting or any other comparable
experience or background which results in the individuals
financial sophistication, including being able to meet the
requirements of a financial expert as that term is
defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission and as
required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which are as follows:
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Has an understanding of GAAP and financial statements; |
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Has the ability to assess the general application of such
principles in connection with the accounting for estimates,
accruals and reserves; |
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Has experience preparing, auditing, analyzing or evaluating
financial statements that present a breadth and level of
complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to
the breadth and complexity of issues that can reasonably be
expected to be raised by the Companys financial
statements, or experience actively supervising one or more
persons engaged in such activities; |
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Has an understanding of internal controls and procedures for
financial reporting; and |
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Has an understanding of audit committee functions. |
No director may serve as a member of the Committee if such
director serves on the audit committees of more than two other
public companies unless the Nominating and Governance Committee
and the Board determine that such simultaneous service would not
impair the ability of such director to effectively serve on the
Committee and such determination is disclosed in the
Companys annual proxy statement.
IV. Meetings
The Committee will meet at least four times annually and more
frequently as circumstances dictate. The Committee chairperson
will establish the agenda for each Committee meeting. As part of
its job to foster open communication, the Committee will meet at
least quarterly with management (including the Chief Financial
Officer, corporate controller, chief legal counsel and others,
as appropriate), the internal
A-3
auditor and the independent auditors in separate executive
sessions to discuss any matters that the Committee or any of
these groups believe should be discussed privately. In addition,
the Committee will meet with the independent auditors and
management quarterly to review the Companys financial
statements, consistent with Section V below.
V. Responsibilities and
Duties
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties the Committee will:
1. Document/ Report Review
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(a) |
Review this Charter at least annually, update this Charter as
necessary and ensure that this Charter is submitted to the
Companys Secretary for posting on the Companys
website. |
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(b) |
Review any reports containing financial information that are
submitted to any governmental body, or the public, including any
certification, report, opinion, or review rendered by the
independent auditors. |
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(c) |
Review with financial management and the independent auditors
each Form 10-Q and
Form 10-K prior to
its filing. |
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(d) |
Review, at least annually, a report by the independent auditors
describing: (i) the independent auditors internal
quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues
raised by the most recent review of the independent auditors, or
by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional
authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or
more independent audits carried out by the independent auditors,
and any steps taken to deal with any such issues. |
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(e) |
Review a formal written statement submitted by the independent
auditors to the Company at least annually which delineates all
relationships between the independent auditors and the Company,
consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1
and hold discussions with the independent auditors regarding any
disclosed relationships that may impact the auditors
objectivity or independence. |
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(f) |
Review a report of the independent auditors prior to the filing
of the Form 10-K
or the release of any audited financial statements of the
Company with respect to: |
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(i) |
all critical accounting policies and practices used; |
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(ii) |
all alternative treatments of financial information within GAAP
that have been discussed with management, ramifications of the
use of such alternative disclosures and treatments, and the
treatment preferred by the independent auditor; and |
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(iii) |
other material written communications between the independent
auditors and management, such as any management letter or
schedule of unadjusted differences. |
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(g) |
Review any information from the Disclosure Controls Committee. |
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(h) |
Review the reports filed in the Companys periodic filings
with respect to the Companys internal controls over
financial reporting. |
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(i) |
Prepare (or cause to be prepared) the report of the Committee to
be included in the Companys annual proxy statement. |
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(j) |
The Committee shall discuss with management, legal counsel and
the independent auditors any correspondence with regulators or
government agencies and any employee complaints or published
reports that raise material issues regarding the Companys
financial statements or accounting policies. |
A-4
2. Independent Auditors,
Internal Auditors and Other Advisors
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(a) |
Select and hire the independent auditors. The Committee shall
have sole authority, without Board action, to select and hire
the independent auditors, considering independence and
effectiveness. On an annual basis, the Committee should review
and discuss with the independent auditors all disclosed
relationships the independent auditors have with the Company to
determine the independent auditors objectivity and
independence, consistent with Independence Standards Board
Standard No. 1. |
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(b) |
Review and approve the independent auditors fees. The
Committee shall have sole authority, without Board action, for
such actions. |
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(c) |
Approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the
independent auditors, prior to the Companys receipt of
such services. The Committee shall have sole authority, without
Board action, for such review and approval. All approved
non-audit services shall be disclosed in the Companys
periodic reports required by Section 13(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
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(d) |
Review and evaluate the qualifications, performance and
independence of the independent auditors and when circumstances
warrant, discharge the independent auditors. The independent
auditors will be accountable to the Board and the Committee, as
representatives of the stockholders of the Company. |
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(e) |
Periodically consult with the independent auditors out of the
presence of management about internal controls and the fullness
and accuracy of the Companys financial statements.
Instruct the independent auditors on areas that require special
attention. |
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(f) |
Set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of
the independent auditors that meet SEC/ NYSE standards. The
Committee shall have sole authority, without Board action, to
set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of
the independent auditors, including the requirement that no
person be hired as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial
Officer, Controller, Chief Accounting Officer or any other
financial reporting oversight role if such person was employed
by the independent auditors and participated in any capacity in
the audit of the Company during the one year period preceding
the date of initiation of such audit. |
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(g) |
Hire and determine the fees and other retention terms for legal,
accounting and other advisors to the Committee as it sees fit.
The Committee shall have sole authority, without Board action,
for such acts and shall be provided with appropriate funding for
such acts. |
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(h) |
Annually, review the pre-approval process for audit and
permissible non-audit services. |
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(i) |
Annually, review the overall audit plan as proposed by the
independent auditors, internal audit and management, including
the scope of the examination to be performed, the assistance to
be provided by the internal auditors and any developments in
accounting principles and auditing standards that may affect
either the financial statements or the audit. |
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(j) |
Review and approve the annual internal audit budget. On an
annual basis, review the scope and results of the internal audit
program/plan and meet with the Director of Internal Audit
periodically (out of the presence of management and the
Independent Auditors, as appropriate). Review with the Director
of Internal Audit compliance with appropriate audit standards.
Ensure that internal and external audit efforts have been
coordinated and directed toward maximizing audit effectiveness. |
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(k) |
Review a summary of internal audit findings and inquire whether
appropriate corrective actions have been taken on significant
audit findings. Also, review the current status of the annual
internal audit plan and explanations for any significant
deviations from the original plan. |
A-5
3. Financial Reporting
Processes
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(a) |
Discuss the annual audited financial statements and quarterly
financial statements with management and the independent
auditors, including the Companys disclosures under
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operation. |
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(b) |
Discuss earnings press releases, as well as financial
information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and
rating agencies. |
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(c) |
In consultation with the independent auditors, review the
integrity of the Companys internal and external financial
reporting processes. |
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(d) |
Consider the independent auditors judgments about the
quality and appropriateness of the Companys accounting
principles as applied in its financial reporting. |
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(e) |
Consider and approve, if appropriate, major changes to the
Companys accounting principles and practices as suggested
by the independent auditors or management. |
4. Process Improvement
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(a) |
Establish regular and separate systems of reporting to the
Committee by each of management and the independent auditors
regarding any significant judgments made in managements
preparation of the financial statements and the view of each as
to appropriateness of such judgments. |
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(b) |
Following completion of the annual audit, review separately with
each of management and the independent auditors any problems or
difficulties encountered during the course of the audit,
including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to
required information, and managements response to the
problems or difficulties. |
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(c) |
Review any significant disagreement between management and the
independent auditors in connection with the preparation of the
financial statements. |
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(d) |
Review with the independent auditors and management the extent
to which changes or improvements in financial or accounting
practices, as approved by the Committee, have been implemented. |
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(e) |
Report to the Board on a regular basis and forward copies of the
minutes of all meetings to the Board. |
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(f) |
Establish and review procedures for: (i) the receipt,
retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company
regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or audit
matters; and (ii) the confidential anonymous submission by
employees of concerns regarding accounting or auditing matters.
Review complaints and submissions pursuant to those procedures. |
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(g) |
Annually review and discuss with management (i) the
Companys policies and procedures regarding officers
expenses and perquisites and (ii) a summary of
officers expenses and use of corporate assets. |
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(h) |
Annually review and evaluate the performance of the Committee. |
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(i) |
Review effectiveness of the Companys internal controls
over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. |
5. Legal Compliance
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(a) |
Review, with the Companys counsel, any legal matter that
could have a significant impact on the Companys financial
statements and compliance programs and policies. The Committee
shall have the power to conduct or authorize investigations into
any matters within the Committees scope of
responsibilities. The Committee shall be empowered to |
A-6
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retain independent counsel, accountants, or others to assist it
in the conduct of any investigation. |
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(b) |
Review and discuss the Companys risk assessment and risk
management policies. Review the Companys major financial
risk exposures and steps that management has taken to monitor
them. |
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(c) |
Review (i) the status of compliance with laws, regulations,
and internal procedures, (ii) contingent liabilities and
risks that may be material to the Company, (iii) the scope
and status of systems designed to assure compliance with laws,
regulations, and internal procedures, and (iv) major
legislative and regulatory developments which could materially
impact the Company. The foregoing may be facilitated through the
receipt of reports from management, legal counsel and other
third parties as determined by the Committee. |
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(d) |
Review and approve all related party transactions. |
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(e) |
Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter as the
Committee deems necessary or appropriate, or as the Board
further delegates to the Committee. |
VI. Approval and Adoption
This charter was approved and effective as of the 15th day
of November, 2005.
A-7
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Mark this box with an X if you have made |
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changes to your name or address details above. |
Annual Meeting Proxy Card
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A Election of Directors
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PLEASE REFER TO THE
REVERSE SIDE FOR INTERNET VOTING INSTRUCTIONS. |
1. The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the listed nominees to serve
for the following year and until their successors are duly elected:
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold
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01 - Charles R. Crisp
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05 - Richard L. Sandor, Ph.D.
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold |
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02 - Jean-Marc Forneri
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06 - Jeffrey C. Sprecher
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold |
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03 - Sir Robert Reid
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07 - Judith A. Sprieser
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold |
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04 - Frederic V. Salerno
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08 - Vincent Tese
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B Issues |
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The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the following proposal. |
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To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP
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For
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Against
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Abstain
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as our independent registered public accounting firm for
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the fiscal year ending December 31, 2006. |
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In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to |
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vote upon such other business as may properly |
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come before the Annual Meeting and any and |
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all adjournments or postponements thereof. |
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Please check this box if you plan on attending the Annual Meeting |
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C Authorized Signatures - Sign Here - This section must be completed for your instructions to be executed. |
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NOTE: Please sign your name(s) EXACTLY as your name(s) appear(s) on this proxy. All joint holders must sign.
When signing as attorney, trustee, executor, administrator, guardian or corporate officer, please provide your FULL title. |
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Signature 1 - Please keep signature within the box
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Signature 2 - Please keep signature within the box
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Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
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Proxy
- IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.
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Annual Meeting Details: |
May 11, 2006, 8:30 a.m, local time |
The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead |
3300 Peachtree Road |
Atlanta, Georgia 30305 |
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Proxy Solicited by Board of Directors for 2006 Annual Meeting |
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The undersigned stockholder of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.,
a Delaware corporation, hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual
Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement with respect to the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. to be held at The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in
Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia 30305 on Thursday, May 11, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. and hereby
appoints Richard Spencer, Johnathan Short and Andrew Surdykowski and each of them proxies
and attorneys-in-fact, each with power of substitution and revocation and each with all
powers that the undersigned would possess if personally present to vote the
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. Common Stock of the undersigned at such meeting and
any postponements or adjournments of such meeting, as set forth on the reverse side,
and in their discretion upon any other business that may properly come before the meeting
(and any such postponements or adjournments) |
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The securities that can be voted at the annual meeting consist of
IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (i) common stock, $0.01 par value
per share, (ii) Class A common stock, Series 1, $0.01
par value per share, and (iii) Class A common stock,
Series 2, $0.01 par value per share. |
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THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS SPECIFIED OR, IF NO CHOICE IS SPECIFIED FOR THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES AND FOR PROPOSAL 2 AND AS SAID PROXIES DEEM
ADVISABLE ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE
MEETING AND ANY POSTPONEMENTS OR ADJOURNMENTS THEREOF. |
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PLEASE VOTE, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY CARD PROMPTLY USING
THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE OR VOTE THROUGH THE INTERNET.
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IMPORTANT - TO BE SIGNED AND DATED ON REVERSE SIDE. |
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Internet Voting Instructions |
We are pleased to provide our stockholders the ability to vote your shares by the Internet! Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week! |
We encourage you to take advantage of this voting feature, which eliminates the need to return the proxy card. Your Internet vote is quick, convenient and immediately submitted. Just follow these easy steps: |
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To vote using the Internet |
Go to the following web site: |
WWW.COMPUTERSHARE.COM/EXPRESSVOTE |
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Enter the information
requested on your computer screen and follow the simple instructions. |
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If you vote by Internet, please DO NOT mail back this proxy card. |
Proxies submitted by telephone or the Internet must be received by 1:00 a.m., Central Time, on May 11, 2006. |
THANK YOU FOR VOTING |