Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement • Jun 6, 2017
Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement
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WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
For the month of June 2017
Commission File Number: 001-36187
(Translation of Registrant's Name into English)
13 Gad Feinstein Street Park Rehovot P.O.B 2100 Rehovot 7612002 Israel (Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F x Form 40-F ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ____
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ____
The annual general meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") of Evogene Ltd. ("Evogene") will be held at Evogene's offices, located at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, Rehovot, Israel, on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 3:00 p.m., Israel time. In connection with the Meeting, Evogene hereby furnishes the following documents:
Exhibit 99.1 Notice of the Meeting.
Exhibit 99.2 Proxy Statement for the Meeting.
Exhibit 99.3 Form of Proxy Card for the Meeting.
The foregoing exhibits are available on the Company's website at investors.evogene.com/sec-filings.
This Form 6-K is incorporated by reference into the Company's registration statements on Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-193788, 333-201443 and 333-203856).
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
EVOGENE LTD. (Registrant)
By: /s/ Alex Taskar Name: Alex Taskar Title: Chief Financial Officer
3
Date: June 6, 2017
| EXHIBIT NO. 99.1 |
DESCRIPTION Notice of the annual general meeting of shareholders of Evogene Ltd. (the "Meeting") to be held on July 18, 2017. |
|---|---|
| 99.2 | Proxy Statement for the Meeting. |
| 99.3 | Form of Proxy Card for the Meeting. |
Exhibit 99.1

EVOGENE LTD. 13 Gad Feinstein Street Park Rehovot, P.O.B. 2100 Rehovot 7612002, Israel
June 6, 2017 ________________________________
Evogene Ltd. Shareholders:
We cordially invite you to attend the 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Evogene Ltd., or the Company, to be held at 3:00 p.m. (Israel time) on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, at our offices at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, Rehovot 7612002, Israel. At the meeting, the following proposals will be on the agenda:
In addition to the foregoing agenda items, at the Meeting, representatives of the Company's management will be available to review and discuss the Company's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016.
Approval of each of the above proposals requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power represented at the meeting in person or by proxy and voting on the proposals (excluding abstentions). The approval of Proposal 3 is also subject to satisfaction of one of the following additional voting requirements:
For purposes of the above special voting requirements, to the best of our knowledge, there are no shareholders who would be deemed "controlling shareholders" of our Company under the Companies Law.
Our board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote in favor of each of the above proposals, which are described in the accompanying proxy statement that we are sending to our shareholders. That proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, in a Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K, which may be obtained for free from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and from our website at http://investors.evogene.com/sec-filings. The proxy statement and proxy card are also available on MAGNA, the distribution site of the Israeli Securities Authority, at www.magna.isa.gov.il), and may furthermore be obtained by contacting our company at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, P.O.B. 2100, Rehovot 7612002, Israel, Attention: Amitai Bartov, Legal Advisor and Sassi Masliah, Company Secretary, facsimile number 972-8-9466724, e-mail address: [email protected]; [email protected].
Holders of record of our ordinary shares at the close of business on Thursday, June 15, 2017 are entitled to vote at the meeting. All shareholders are cordially invited to attend the meeting in person.
Shareholders who are unable to attend the meeting in person will be requested to vote by completing, dating and signing a form of proxy. You may send your completed proxy card to us by mail. No postage will be required if it is mailed in the United States to our United States transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company. If sending your proxy card to us by mail, the proxy card must be received by our transfer agent or at our registered office at least two Israeli business days prior to the appointed time of the meeting (that is, by Sunday, July 16, 2017) to be validly included in the tally of ordinary shares voted at the meeting, unless we waive that requirement. Your proxy card, if properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed by you. If no direction is made, your proxy will be voted "FOR" the proposals described above. If you attend the meeting, you may vote in person and in such case your proxy card will not be used. Detailed proxy voting instructions will be provided both in the proxy statement and on the proxy card that will be sent to you.
If your ordinary shares are held in "street name", that is, in a brokerage account or by a trustee or nominee, on the Nasdaq Stock Market, you should complete the proxy card that will be sent to you in order to direct your broker, trustee or nominee how to vote your shares.
Beneficial owners who hold ordinary shares through members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, or the TASE, may either vote their shares in person at the meeting by presenting a certificate signed by the TASE Clearing House member through which the shares are held, which complies with the Israel Companies Regulations (Proof of Ownership for Voting in General Meetings)-2000 as proof of ownership of the shares, no later than four (4) hours prior to the appointed time of the meeting, or send such certificate along with a duly executed proxy (in the form to be filed by us on MAGNA, the distribution site of the Israeli Securities Authority, or ISA, at www.magna.isa.gov.il), to the Company at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, P.O.B. 2100, Rehovot 7612002, Israel, Attention: Sassi Masliah, Company Secretary, or Amitai Bartov, Legal Advisor, and facsimile number +972-8-946-6724, e-mail address: [email protected] and [email protected].
The ISA has set up an electronic voting system for shareholder meetings of Israeli companies whose shares are listed on the TASE via the MAGNA online platform. Shareholders are able to vote their shares through the system, following a registration process, no later than six (6) hours before the time fixed for the meeting. Shareholders should receive instructions about electronic voting from the TASE member through which they hold their shares.
The form of proxy card for the meeting will be available to the public on the distribution website of the Israeli Securities Authority at http://www.magna.isa.gov.il, on the website of the TASE at http://www.tase.co.il, and will also be furnished to the SEC in a report of foreign private issuer on Form 6-K, which will be available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. A shareholder may also request from the Company directly to receive a copy of the proxy card (by using the contact information appearing above).
By order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Martin S. Gerstel Martin S. Gerstel Chairman of the Board


You are cordially invited to attend our 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, or the Meeting, which will be held at 3:00 p.m. (Israel time) on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, at our offices at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, Rehovot 7612002, Israel. At the meeting, the following proposals will be on the agenda:
In addition to the foregoing agenda items, at the Meeting, representatives of the Company's management will be available to review and discuss the Company's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016.
Approval of each of the above proposals requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power represented at the meeting in person or by proxy and voting on the proposals (excluding abstentions). The approval of Proposal 3 is also subject to satisfaction of one of the following additional voting requirements:
For purposes of the above special voting requirements, to the best of our knowledge, there are no shareholders who would be deemed "controlling shareholders" of our Company under the Companies Law.
Our board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote in favor of each of the above proposals, which are described in the accompanying proxy statement that we are sending to our shareholders. That proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, in a Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6- K, which may be obtained for free from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and from our website at http://investors.evogene.com/sec-filings. The proxy statement and proxy card are also available on MAGNA, the distribution site of the Israeli Securities Authority, at www.magna.isa.gov.il), and may furthermore be obtained by contacting our company at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, P.O.B. 2100, Rehovot 7612002, Israel, Attention: Amitai Bartov, Legal Advisor and Sassi Masliah, Company Secretary, facsimile number 972-8-9466724, e-mail address: [email protected]; [email protected].
Your vote is important to us. If you are unable to attend the Meeting in person, we request that you submit your vote in one of the manners described in the attached proxy statement.
If you vote via a proxy card, if you properly execute it, it will be voted in the manner directed by you. If no direction is made, your proxy will be voted "FOR" Proposals 1(a)-(f), 2 and 4 on the agenda, but will not be voted with respect to Proposal 3 (due to the special voting requirements related to Proposal 3). If you attend the Meeting, you may vote in person and may cancel your proxy. Detailed proxy voting instructions are provided both in the enclosed proxy statement and on the enclosed proxy card.
By order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Martin S. Gerstel Martin S. Gerstel Chairman of the Board

This Proxy Statement is being furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Board of Directors, or the Board, of Evogene Ltd., to which we refer as Evogene or the Company, to be voted at the 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company, or the Meeting, and at any adjournment thereof, pursuant to the Notice of 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders that was published by the Company on June 6, 2017. The Meeting will be held at 3:00 p.m. (Israel time) on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, at our offices at 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, Rehovot 7612002, Israel.
The notice of annual general meeting, this Proxy Statement, the attached cover letter from our Chairman of the Board, and the enclosed proxy card are being distributed to holders of Evogene ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.02 per share, or ordinary shares, on or about June 20, 2017.
You are entitled to vote at the Meeting if you held ordinary shares as of the close of business on Thursday, June 15, 2017, the record date for the Meeting (to which we sometimes refer as the Record Date). You can vote your shares by attending the Meeting or by following the instructions under "How You Can Vote" below. Our Board urges you to vote your shares so that they will be counted at the Meeting or at any postponements or adjournments of the Meeting.
The following proposals are on the agenda for the Meeting:
Approval of the re-appointment of Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, registered public accounting firm, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global, as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017 and until the Company's next annual general meeting of shareholders, and the authorization of the Company's Board of Directors or the audit committee thereof to fix such accounting firm's annual compensation.
In addition to the foregoing agenda items, at the Meeting, representatives of the Company's management will be available to review and discuss the Company's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016.
We will also transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.
As of the close of business on June 4, 2017, we had 25,721,571 ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Each ordinary share outstanding as of the Record Date is entitled to one vote upon the proposals to be presented at the Meeting. Under our Articles of Association, the Meeting will be properly convened if at least two shareholders attend the Meeting in person or submit proxies, provided that they hold shares representing at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the voting power in the Company. If such quorum is not present within one-half hour from the time scheduled for the Meeting, the Meeting will be adjourned for one week, to the same day, time and place, or to such other date, time and place that may be determined by our Board and for which notice is provided to our shareholders. If shares possessing 25% of the voting power in the Company are not present for the adjourned meeting, any one shareholder attending in person or by proxy will constitute a quorum, regardless of the number of shares held, or voting power possessed, by such shareholder.
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power represented at the Meeting in person or by proxy and voting thereon (which excludes abstentions) is necessary for the approval of each proposal.
In addition, the approval of Proposal 3 is subject to satisfaction of one of the following, additional voting requirements:
Under the Companies Law, a "controlling shareholder" is any shareholder that has the ability to direct a company's activities (other than by means of being a director or other office holder of the company). For purposes of Proposal 3, a controlling shareholder includes, in addition, a shareholder possessing twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the voting rights in the Company if no other shareholder possesses more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting rights in the Company. For purposes of the above special voting requirements, to the best of our knowledge, there are no shareholders who would be deemed "controlling shareholders" of our Company.
A "personal interest" of a shareholder under the Companies Law (i) includes an interest of any member of the shareholder's immediate family (i.e., spouse, sibling, parent, parent's parent, descendent, the spouse's descendent, sibling or parent, and the spouse of any of those) or an interest of an entity with respect to which the shareholder (or such a family member thereof) serves as a director or the chief executive officer, owns at least 5% of the shares or its voting rights or has the right to appoint a director or the chief executive officer; and (ii) excludes an interest arising solely from the ownership of shares of the Company.
A controlling shareholder and a shareholder that has a personal interest are qualified to participate in the vote on Proposal 3; however, the vote of such shareholders may not be counted towards the majority requirement described in the first bullet point above and will not count towards the 2% threshold described in the second bullet point above.
A shareholder must inform our Company before the vote (or if voting by proxy, indicate on the proxy card) whether or not such shareholder has a conflict, and failure to do so disqualifies the shareholder from participating in the vote on Proposal 3. In order to confirm that you lack a conflict in the approval of such proposal and in order to therefore be counted towards the special majority required for the approval of such proposal, you must check the box under Item 3A on the accompanying proxy card when you record your vote on Proposal 3.
If you believe that you, or a related party of yours, is a controlling shareholder or has such a conflict and you wish to participate in the vote on such proposal, you should not check the box under Item 3A on the enclosed proxy card and you should not vote on Proposal 3 via the proxy card. Instead, you should contact our Company's Corporate Secretary at +972-8-9311971 or fax: +972-8-9466724, who will provide you with a separate proxy card that is designed for you so that you can submit your vote on Proposal 3. In that case, your vote will be counted towards the ordinary majority required for the approval of Proposal 3, but will not be counted towards the special majority required for approval of Proposal 3. If you hold your shares in "street name" (i.e., shares that are held through a bank, broker or other nominee) and believe that you, or a related party of yours, is a controlling shareholder or has a conflict in the approval of such proposal, you should contact the representative managing your account, who should then contact our Corporate Secretary on your behalf.
You are entitled to vote at the Meeting if you are a shareholder of record at the close of business on Thursday, June 15, 2017, the Record Date. You are also entitled to vote at the Meeting if you held ordinary shares through a bank, broker or other nominee that is one of our shareholders of record at the close of business on June 15, 2017, or which appear in the participant listing of a securities depository on that date.
You can vote your ordinary shares by attending the Meeting. If you do not plan to attend the Meeting, the method of voting will differ for shares held as a record holder, shares held in "street name" (through a broker, trustee or nominee in the United States) and shares held through a Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, or TASE, member. Record holders of shares will receive proxy cards. Holders of shares in "street name" in the United States will also receive proxy cards, which will be used to instruct their banks, brokers or other nominees on how to vote. Holders of shares in "street name" through a TASE member may also vote via a proxy card or via the internet, but through a different procedure (as described below).
If you are a shareholder of record (that is, you hold a share certificate that is registered in your name or your shares are registered in your name in book-entry form in the Direct Registration System), you can submit your vote by completing, signing and submitting (in the enclosed envelope) a proxy card, which has or will be sent to you and which will be accessible at the "Investor Relations" portion of the Company's website, as described below under "Availability of Proxy Materials". You may change your mind and cancel your proxy card by sending us written notice, by signing and returning a proxy card with a later date, or by voting in person or by proxy at the Meeting. Except if the Chairman of the Meeting determines otherwise, we will not be able to count a proxy card unless we receive it at our principal executive offices at the above address, or our registrar and transfer agent receives it in the enclosed envelope, not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the time fixed for the Meeting (that is, by 3:00 p.m. (Israel time) on Sunday, July 16, 2017).
Please follow the instructions on the proxy card. If you provide specific instructions (by marking a box) with regard to the proposals, your shares will be voted as you instruct. If you sign and return your proxy card without giving specific instructions with respect to Proposals 1(a)-(f),2 or 4 your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Board. The persons named as proxies in the enclosed proxy card will furthermore vote in accordance with the recommendation of the Board on any other matters that properly come before the Meeting. If no direction is made with respect to Proposal 3, your proxy will not be voted on such proposal.
If you hold ordinary shares in "street name" in the United States, that is, you are an underlying beneficial holder who holds ordinary shares through a bank, broker or other nominee, the voting process will be based on your directing the bank, broker or other nominee to vote the ordinary shares in accordance with your voting instructions (by completing and mailing the enclosed proxy card). If no instructions are received by the bank, broker or other nominee from you with respect to Proposals 1(a)-(f), 2 or 4 on or before the date established for such purpose, the bank, broker or other nominee will not vote your shares (commonly referred to as a "broker non-vote"). If no instructions are received by the bank, broker or other nominee from you with respect to Proposal 3, it may vote at its discretion on that proposal.
Where a beneficial owner has executed and returned a proxy card, but has not provided voting instructions with respect to any proposals, and the broker, trustee or nominee may not cast a vote with respect to particular proposals (commonly referred to as a "broker non-vote"), the shares held by the beneficial owner will be included in determining the presence of a quorum at the Meeting, but are not considered "present" for the purpose of voting on those particular proposals. Such shares therefore have no impact on the outcome of the voting on those particular proposals.
If you hold ordinary shares in "street name" in Israel, that is, through a bank, broker or other nominee that is admitted as a member of the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange, or the TASE, your shares will only be voted if you provide instructions to the bank, broker or other nominee as to how to vote, or if you attend the Meeting in person.
If voting by mail, you must sign and date a proxy card in the form filed by us on MAGNA on June 6, 2017 and attach to it a proof of ownership certificate ("ishur ba'alut") from the TASE Clearing House member through which the shares are held indicating that you were the beneficial owner of the shares on the Record Date (June 15, 2017). Please then deliver or mail (via registered mail) your completed proxy and proof of ownership certificate to our offices at 13 Gad Feinstein St, Park Rehovot P.O.B 2100, Rehovot 7612002, Israel, Attention: Amitai Bartov, Legal Advisor, or Sassi Masliah, Company Secretary.
If you choose to attend the Meeting (where ballots will be provided), you must bring the proof of ownership certificate. If you seek to change or revoke your voting instructions, you must contact the broker.
The Israel Securities Authority has set up an electronic voting system for shareholder meetings of Israeli companies whose shares are listed on the TASE via its MAGNA online platform. Shareholders are able to vote their shares through the system, following a registration process, no later than six hours before the time fixed for the Meeting. Shareholders may revoke any electronic vote by voting through the electronic voting system on a later date (such later date must precede the date of the Meeting), or by voting in person at the Meeting.
You may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this document and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction forms. For example, shareholders who hold ordinary shares in more than one brokerage account will receive a separate proxy card for each brokerage account in which shares are held. Shareholders of record whose shares are registered in more than one name will receive more than one proxy card. You should complete, sign, date and return each proxy card that you receive in order to ensure that all shares that you own are voted.
Proxies are being distributed to shareholders on or about June 20, 2017. Certain officers, directors, employees, and agents of the Company, none of whom will receive additional compensation therefor, may solicit proxies by telephone, emails, or other personal contact. We will bear the cost for the solicitation of the proxies, including postage, printing, and handling, and will reimburse the reasonable expenses of brokerage firms and others for forwarding material to beneficial owners of shares.
Copies of the proxy card, the notice of the Meeting and this Proxy Statement are available at the "Investor Relations" portion of our Company's website, http://investors.evogene.com/sec-filings. The contents of that website are not a part of this Proxy Statement.
The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of June 4, 2017 by:
The beneficial ownership of ordinary shares is determined in accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and generally includes any ordinary shares over which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment power, or the right to receive the economic benefit of ownership. For purposes of the table below, we deem shares subject to options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of June 4, 2017, to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding the options or warrants for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership of that person but we do not treat them as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The percentage of shares beneficially owned is based on 25,721,571 ordinary shares outstanding as of June 4, 2017.
Unless otherwise noted below, each shareholder's address, for this purpose, is c/o Evogene Ltd., 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, P.O.B 2100, Rehovot 7612002, Israel.
| Shares Beneficially Held | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Beneficial Owner | Number | Percentage of Class |
||
| Executive Officers and Directors | ||||
| Ofer Haviv (1) | 660,625 | 2.5% | ||
| Yuval Ben Galim | - | * | ||
| Ido Dor (1) | 87,928 | * | ||
| Dr. Hagai Karchi (2) | 425,625 | 1.6% | ||
| Eran Kosover (1) | 71,553 | * | ||
| Alex Taskar | - | * | ||
| Martin S. Gerstel (3) | 419,006 | 1.6% | ||
| Sarit Firon (1) | 1,875 | * | ||
| Ziv Kop (1) | 8,125 | * | ||
| Dr. Kinneret Livnat Savitsky (1) | 15,000 | * | ||
| Dr. Adina Makover (4) | 15,317 | * | ||
| Leon Y. Recanati (5) | 866,359 | 3.4% | ||
| All executive officers and directors as a group (12 persons) | 2,571,413 | 9.5% | ||
| Principal Shareholders | ||||
| Entities affiliated with Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (6) | 3,057,294 | 11.9% | ||
| Entities affiliated with Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. (7) | 1,957,390 | 7.6% | ||
| Monsanto Company (8) | 1,636,364 | 6.4% | ||
| Entities affiliated with Harel Insurance, Investments & Financial Services Ltd. (9) ______ |
1,299,406 | 5.1% |
* Less than 1%.
(1) Consists of ordinary shares underlying options to purchase ordinary shares exercisable within 60 days of June 4, 2017.

(9) This information is based upon a Schedule 13G/A filed by Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd., or "Harel", with the SEC on January 31, 2017. According to this Schedule 13G/A (i) 1,297,276 ordinary shares are held for members of the public through, among others, provident funds, mutual funds, pension funds and insurance policies, which are managed by subsidiaries of Harel, (ii) 1,657 ordinary shares are held by third party client accounts managed by a subsidiary of Harel as portfolio managers, which subsidiary operates under independent management and makes independent investment decisions and has no voting power in the securities held in such client accounts, and (iii) 473 ordinary shares are beneficially held for Harel's own account (Nostro account). The principal address of Harel is Harel House, 3 Abba Hillel Street, Ramat Gan 52118, Israel.
Each of Psagot Investment House Ltd. and The Phoenix Holding Ltd. have informed us that its beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares has been reduced below 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares.
Item 6.B of our 2016 Annual Report on Form 20-F, which was filed with the SEC on April 28, 2017 (which we refer to as our 2016 Form 20-F), contains information regarding compensation paid to our directors and certain office holders (including our five most highly compensated office holders) in, or with respect to 2016. Item 6.C of our 2016 Form 20-F contains additional information regarding our Board, its committees and our corporate governance practices. We encourage you to review those items of our 2016 Form 20-F (which we incorporate by reference herein) to obtain additional information regarding our Board.
Under the Companies Law and our current Articles of Association, each member of our Board is subject to election on an annual basis, for a one-year term that concludes at the next annual general meeting of shareholders. Pursuant to those provisions, our Board, based on the recommendation of our compensation and nominating committee (in its role as nominating committee), has nominated each of (a) Mr. Martin S. Gerstel, (b) Ms. Sarit Firon, (c) Mr. Ziv Kop, (d) Dr. Kinneret Livnat Savitsky, (e) Dr. Adina Makover and (f) Mr. Leon Y. Recanati, each of whom is a current director of our Company, for election for a one-year term, until our 2018 annual general meeting of shareholders, or until their earlier resignation or termination based on applicable law or the provisions of our Articles of Association. Under the Companies Law and our Articles of Association, the reelection of each director requires approval by shareholders present in person or by proxy and holding ordinary shares representing a simple majority (excluding abstentions) of the votes cast and voting thereon at the Meeting.
Each of the six nominees has been determined by our Board to be independent within the meaning of the Listing Rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Therefore, to the extent that all of the nominees are re-elected, we will be able to maintain our compliance with the requirement under the Nasdaq Listing Rules that a majority of the Company's directors must be independent.
The Companies Law requires that a person will not be elected and will not serve as a director in a public company if he or she does not have the required qualifications and the ability to dedicate an appropriate amount of time for the performance of his or her position as director of the company, taking into consideration, among other factors, the special needs and size of the company. A prospective nominee must declare to a company, inter alia, that he or she complies with the above-mentioned requirements and provides details supporting his or her qualification. Each of the proposed nominees has provided the requisite declaration to our Company, a copy of which is available for inspection at our offices in Rehovot, Israel.
Each nominee for reelection as a director has consented to be named and has agreed to serve as a director, if reelected. Our compensation and nominating committee (in its role as nominating committee), referred to in this Proposal 1 as the Nominating Committee, recommended to our Board that each such director be nominated to serve for an additional term.
We have provided the following biographical information regarding the background and experience of each nominee for reelection, which is based upon the records of the Company and information provided to us by the nominees:
Martin S. Gerstel has served as our chairman of the board of directors since December 2004 and as a director since February 2004. In addition, Mr. Gerstel has served as the chairman of Compugen Ltd., a predictive drug discovery and development company, since 1997, other than from February 2009 to February 2010, during which time he served as either chief executive officer or co-chief executive officer, and, in both cases, as a member of the board of directors, chairman of Keddem Bioscience Ltd., a drug discovery company, since 2004, co-founder and co-chairman or director of Itamar Medical Ltd., a medical device company, since 1997. In addition, Mr. Gerstel has been a board member of Yeda Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Weizmann Institute of Science, since 1994 and was a board member of Yissum Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University, from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the board of governors and the executive committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science and the board of governors of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to relocating to Israel, Mr. Gerstel was co-chairman and chief executive officer of ALZA Corporation, a U.S. pharmaceutical company specializing in advanced drug delivery, which he helped found in 1968. Mr. Gerstel holds a B.S. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Sarit Firon has served as a director of our Company since she was appointed by the Board in August 2016. Ms. Firon is the Managing Partner of Cerca Partners, a Venture Capital, coinvestment fund. Previously, Ms. Firon was the Chief Executive Officer of Extreme Reality (XTR3D), a company that provides real time software-based, 3D motion capture technology, using a single standard webcam. Prior to her role at Extreme Reality (XTR3D), Ms. Firon held roles as Chief Financial Officer at each of Kenshoo, MediaMind (NSDQ: MDMD, acquired by DG corp.), Olive Software, P-CUBE (acquired by Cisco) and RADCOM, LTD. (NSDQ: RDCM). Ms. Firon serves as the Chairperson of myThings, a global leader in customized programmatic ad solutions, which runs personalized retargeting campaigns on desktop, mobile and Facebook, since July 2015. Ms. Firon also holds other board positions at Datorama, MediWound and Protected Media. Ms. Firon holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting and economics, and a Diploma in Accounting Advanced Studies, both from Tel Aviv University.
Ziv Kop has served as a director of our company since January 2014. Mr. Kop also serves as a director of Outbrain Inc. and Outbrain LTD. Mr. Kop is a Partner at Marker LLC, an early and late stage venture capital firm. Mr. Kop has served as chief operating officer of Outbrain Inc. a web-based content discovery platform, from February 2014 to December 2015. Previously, and since its inception in 2003 until June 2013, Mr. Kop was a Managing Partner at GlenRock Israel., a private equity investment firm, where he managed a portfolio of growth companies in the fields of advanced technologies and healthcare, and served on the board of more than ten private and public companies. Prior to his role at GlenRock, Mr. Kop served as Chief Executive Officer of POC Management Consulting, a leading Israeli consultancy in the field of strategic planning. Mr. Kop holds an LL.B. and M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University Law School and Business School, and is a graduate of INSEAD's Young Managers Program.
Dr. Kinneret Livnat Savitsky has served as a director of our company since September 2010. Dr. Savitsky currently serves as a Chairperson in KAHR Medical and ImmPACT-Bio, and a Director in DreaMed Diabetes, all private pharmaceutical development companies. In addition she serves as a consultant to other pharmaceutical development companies and related funds. Dr. Savitsky has served as the chief executive officer of BioLineRx Ltd., a drug development company. She also served on its board of directors from 2010 to 2011, and as its Vice President of Research and Development during 2004. From 2005 to 2009, she served as the General Manager of BioLine Innovations Jerusalem Ltd., after having been employed by Compugen Ltd. from 1997 to 2004, where she last served as Vice President of Biology. Dr. Savitsky holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, as well as a M.Sc. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, both from Tel Aviv University, in Israel.
Dr. Adina Makover has served as a director of our company since February 2003. Dr. Makover also serves as a diretor of the following companies: GeneGrafts Ltd., a biotechnology company, since 2006; Spine 21 Ltd., a medical device company, since 2008; EarlySense Ltd., a medical device company, since 2006; PerfAction Technologies Ltd., a medical device company, since 2007; and Kadimastem, a medicine company in the field of stem cell-based therapeutics, since 2013. She has also served as a board observer at Argo Medical Ltd., a medical device company in the rehabilitation field, since 2011. From 2006, Dr. Makover has served as the investment manager of the Life Sciences ventures at ProSeed Venture Capital Fund Ltd. Dr. Makover holds a Ph.D. in Life Sciences earned jointly from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Columbia University, and an M.B.A. from Bar-Ilan University.
Leon Y. Recanati has served as a director of our company since May 2005. Mr. Recanati has served as chairman and chief executive officer of GlenRock Israel Ltd. since 2003. Previously, Mr. Recanati was chief executive officer and/or chairman of IDB Holding Corporation; Clal Industries Ltd.; Azorim Investment Development and Construction Co Ltd.; Delek Israel Fuel Corporation; and Super-Sol Ltd. He also founded Clal Biotechnologies Industries Ltd., a biotechnology investment company operating in Israel. Mr. Recanati holds an M.B.A. degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Honorary Doctorates from the Technion Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University.
We are proposing the adoption by our shareholders of the following resolutions at the Meeting:
(a) "RESOLVED, that Mr. Martin S. Gerstel be, and hereby is, reelected to serve as a director of the Company, for a one-year term, until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and until his successor is duly qualified."
(b) "RESOLVED, that Ms. Sarit Firon be, and hereby is, reelected to serve as a director of the Company, for a one-year term, until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and until her successor is duly qualified."
(c) "RESOLVED, that Mr. Ziv Kop be, and hereby is, reelected to serve as a director of the Company, for a one-year term, until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and until his successor is duly qualified."
(d) "RESOLVED, that Dr. Kinneret Livnat Savitsky be, and hereby is, reelected to serve as a director of the Company, for a one-year term, until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and until her successor is duly qualified."
(e) "RESOLVED, that Dr. Adina Makover be, and hereby is, reelected to serve as a director of the Company, for a one-year term, until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and until her successor is duly qualified."
(f) "RESOLVED, that Mr. Leon Y. Recanati be, and hereby is, reelected to serve as a director of the Company, for a one-year term, until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and until his successor is duly qualified."
As described above (under "Vote Required for Approval of the Proposals"), the approval of the reelection of each of the six directors requires the affirmative vote of shareholders present in person or by proxy and holding ordinary shares representing a simple majority of the votes cast with respect to the resolution electing that director.
Our Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR the reelection of each one of the six directors, in each case to serve on our Board until the next annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company.
Under the Companies Law, the compensation of directors of a public company requires approval by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors, the Board and shareholders of the company (in that order). Dr. Livnat Savitsky served as an external director of our Company from 2010 until September 2016 and since her reappointment as external director in 2013 she received only cash compensation and did not receive equity compensation. Currently, other than Dr. Livnat Savitsky, all of our directors are entitled to both cash compensation and equity compensation, in accordance with our Compensation Policy. In view of her becoming a non-external director in September 2016, the compensation and nominating committee of our Board of Directors (in its role as compensation committee) determined that Dr. Livnat Savitsky should be entitled to receive options to purchase ordinary shares in the same amounts as our other directors in addition to cash compensation.
The compensation and nominating committee of our Board of Directors (in its role as compensation committee) and our Board of Directors have approved, subject to (i) shareholder approval and (ii) the election of Dr. Livnat Savitsky as a director pursuant to Proposal 1, the grant to Dr. Livnat Savitsky of annual grants (commencing in September 2017) of options to purchase 2,500 of our ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.02 per share.
Shareholders are being asked to approve the foregoing options grants at the Meeting.
We are proposing the adoption by our shareholders of the following resolution at the Meeting:
"RESOLVED, that, assuming approval of Proposal 1(d) at the Meeting, consistent with the Compensation Policy, annual grants of options to purchase 2,500 of the Company's ordinary shares, to Dr. Livnat Savitsky, in accordance with the grant mechanism described in the Compensation Policy, subject to the continued service by Dr. Livnat Savitsky on our Board of Directors be, and hereby are, approved in all respects."

Under the Companies Law, as a public Israeli company, we are required to obtain the approval of our Compensation Committee, board of directors and shareholders, in that order, for any arrangements regarding the compensation of our CEO.
Our Compensation Policy provides a framework for grant of cash bonuses pursuant to which our President and CEO is entitled, subject to full achievement of all of his objectives for 2017, to a bonus in an amount equal to his gross monthly salary (i.e. approximately \$21,000), multiplied by six (i.e. approximately \$126,000). We refer to that amount as his Target Bonus.
In addition, the Compensation Policy provides that in the event that the CEO over-achieves his objectives, he is entitled to a maximum bonus that shall not exceed 175% of the Target Bonus.
The annual bonus plan for 2017 that has been approved by our Compensation Committee and Board for our President and CEO, Mr. Ofer Haviv, sets the following main objectives with respect to the year 2017:
Each objective detailed above been assigned a differing quantitative and qualitative weight according to which Mr. Haviv's achievements will be reviewed and assessed early in 2018.
Following the approval of our Compensation Committee, our Board resolved, subject to the approval of our shareholders, to approve the proposed cash bonus plan for 2017 for Mr. Haviv, subject to the degree of his achievement of the foregoing objectives, and subject to the limits on an annual bonus plan and the amount of his cash bonus, all as provided for in the Company's Compensation Policy and as described above.
Shareholders are now being asked to pre-authorize our Board to approve a potential payment to Mr. Haviv of an annual bonus amount for 2017, to be paid in 2018, if the foregoing objectives are achieved and the other requirements set forth in the Company's Compensation Policy are met, subject to the Target Bonus amount and maximum bonus amount described above.
We are proposing the adoption by our shareholders of the following resolution at the Meeting:
"RESOLVED, that the objectives related to, and target amount and potential payment in 2018 of, a cash bonus to the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer subject to his achievement during 2017 of those objectives in accordance with the Company's 2017 annual bonus plan, as described in Proposal 3 of the Proxy Statement, dated June 6, 2017, with respect to the Meeting, be, and hereby is, approved in all respects."

As described above (under "Vote Required for Approval of the Proposals"), the approval of the cash bonus for our President and CEO requires the affirmative vote of shareholders present in person or by proxy and holding ordinary shares representing a majority of the votes cast with respect to this proposal. Furthermore, under the Companies Law, the approval of this proposal requires that either: (i) such majority includes at least a majority of the voting power of the non-controlling shareholders who lack a conflict in approval of this proposal and who are present in person or by proxy and who vote on this proposal (excluding abstentions); or (ii) the total votes cast in opposition to the proposal by the non-controlling, non-conflicted shareholders (as described in clause (i)) does not exceed 2% of all of the voting power in our Company.
Please see the discussion under "Vote Required for Approval of the Proposals" above for definitions of the terms "controlling shareholder" and "personal interest" for purposes of this Proposal 4. Please also see that section of this Proxy Statement for instructions as to how to confirm that you lack a conflict in approval of the proposal (by checking the box in Item 3A of the proxy card) and how to vote in the event that you possess a conflict in the approval of the proposal.
The Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR the foregoing resolution approving the bonus plan and potential cash bonus payment for 2017 for our President and Chief Executive Officer.
Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer, Certified Public Accountants (Israel), a member of Ernst & Young Global, also referred to as Kost Forer, served as our independent auditors for the year ended December 31, 2016 and for the additional period until the Meeting. Kost Forer has been nominated and approved by the audit committee of the Board, and the Board, for reappointment as our independent auditors for the year ending December 31, 2017 and for the additional period until the close of the next annual general meeting of shareholders of our Company. The shareholders at the Meeting are requested to approve such auditors' reappointment and authorize their remuneration, to be fixed, in accordance with the volume and nature of their services, by the Board, with power of delegation to the audit committee thereof.
We are proposing the adoption by our shareholders of the following resolution at the Meeting:
"RESOLVED, that the Company's independent auditors, Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer (Israel), a member of Ernst & Young Global, be and hereby are reappointed as the Company's independent, external auditors for the year ending December 31, 2017 and the additional period until the next annual general meeting of shareholders, and that the Company's Board of Directors be, and hereby is, authorized to set the fees to be paid to such auditors, with power of delegation to the audit committee thereof."
As described above (under "Vote Required for Approval of the Proposals"), the approval of the reappointment of the independent auditors requires the affirmative vote of shareholders present in person or by proxy and holding ordinary shares representing a simple majority of the votes cast with respect to this proposal.
Our Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR the foregoing resolution approving the reappointment of Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer (Israel), a member of Ernst & Young Global, as the Company's independent auditors.
The Board of Directors has approved, and is presenting to the shareholders for review and discussion at the Meeting, the Company's annual audited consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 and the consolidated statements of income for the period then ended.
The audited financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 comprise a part of the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F, which was filed on April 28, 2017 with the SEC, and which is available at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, at the Magna website of the Israel Securities Authority at www.magna.isa.gov.il, and at our Company's website at http://investors.evogene.com/sec-filings. None of such websites is a part of this Proxy Statement.
We will hold a discussion with respect to the financial statements at the Meeting, but no vote will be held with respect to this matter.
Our Board does not intend to bring any matter before the Meeting other than that specifically set forth in the Notice of the 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders and knows of no matters to be brought before the Meeting by others. If any other matters properly come before the Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote such proxy in accordance with the judgment and recommendation of our Board.
We report in an ongoing manner to the SEC. This Proxy Statement and the proxy card with respect to the proposal to be voted upon at the Meeting are attached as exhibits to a Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K that we have furnished to the SEC and that is available for viewing through the EDGAR website of the SEC at www.sec.gov, at the Magna website of the Israel Securities Authority (www.magna.isa.gov.il), and at the Investor Relations portion of our corporate website, at http://investors.evogene.com/sec-filings. None of such websites is a part of this Proxy Statement.
By Order of the Board of Directors, /s/ Alex Taskar Mr. Alex Taskar Chief Financial Officer
Dated: June 6, 2017
The undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints Alex Taskar, Sassi Masliah and Amitai Bartov, and each of them, the true and lawful attorneys, agents and proxies of the undersigned, with full power of substitution to each of them, to represent and to vote, on behalf of the undersigned, all of the Ordinary Shares of Evogene Ltd. (the "Company") held of record in the name of the undersigned at the close of business on June 15, 2017 at the 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") to be held at the executive offices of the Company, 13 Gad Feinstein Street, Park Rehovot, Rehovot, Israel, on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. (Israel time), and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof, on the following matters, which are more fully described in the Notice of 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement of the Company relating to the Meeting.
This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein by the undersigned. If no direction is made with respect to any proposal (other than Proposal 3), this proxy will be voted FOR each such proposal and in such manner as the holder of the proxy may determine with respect to any other business as may properly come before the Meeting or all and any adjournments or postponements thereof. If no direction is made with respect to Proposal 3, the undersigned will be deemed to have not participated in the voting on such proposal.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The vote under this proxy will not be counted towards the majority required for the approval of Proposal 3 unless the undersigned either (i) confirms that he, she or it is not a controlling shareholder and does not have a conflict in the approval of Proposal 3 by completing the box for Item 3A on the reverse side, or (ii) contacts the Company, in accordance with instructions in the proxy statement for the Meeting, to vote on Proposal 3 via a separate proxy card which is designed for a shareholder who is a controlling shareholder or has such a conflict.
Any and all proxies heretofore given by the undersigned are hereby revoked.
(Continued and to be signed on the reverse side)
↓Please detach along perforated line and mail in envelope.↓
| FOR | AGAINST ABSTAIN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Important Instructions for Item 3A relating to Proposal 3: PLEASE BE CERTAIN TO FILL IN THE BOX FOR ITEM 3A OPPOSITE TO CONFIRM THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE A CONFLICT IN THE APPROVAL OF PROPOSAL 3. |
Reelection of each of the following directors for a one-year term that expires at the next annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company, upon the election and due qualification of his or her successor: |
||||
| (a) Mr. Martin S. Gerstel | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| Under the Companies Law, you cannot be counted towards the majority required for | (b) Ms. Sarit Firon | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| Proposal 3 unless you provide either (i) the foregoing important confirmation or (ii) a confirmation that you are a controlling shareholder or actually do have a |
(c) Mr. Ziv Kop | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| conflict in the approval of Proposal 3, as described below. | (d) Dr. Adina Makover | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| If you are a controlling shareholder or have a conflict in the approval of Proposal 3, | (e) Dr. Kinneret Livnat Savitsky | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| you may vote on that proposal by contacting the Company's Corporate Secretary (telephone: +972-8-9311971 or fax: +972-8-9466724), who will provide you with a proxy card that is designed for you (and in that case, you should not vote under this proxy card with respect to Proposal 3 and should not fill in the box for Item 3A). 2. If you hold your shares via a broker or other nominee, please contact him, her or it, who should contact the Company as described above. 3. 4. |
(f) Mr. Leon Y. Recanati | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| Approval of annual grants (commencing in September 2017) of options to purchase 2,500 of our ordinary shares, par value NIS 0.02 per share, to Dr. Kinneret Livnat Savitsky (subject to her re-election to our Board of Directors pursuant to Proposal 1), in accordance with the grant mechanism described in our compensation policy for directors and other office holders and subject to the terms thereof (including continued service by Dr. Livnat Savitsky on the Company's Board of Directors). |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| Approval of the objectives related to, and target amount and potential payment in 2018 of, a cash bonus to the Company's President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ofer Haviv, subject to his achievement during 2017 of those objectives, in accordance with the Company's 2017 annual bonus plan as determined by our Board of Directors (based on the recommendation of the compensation and nominating committee thereof). |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| 3A. The undersigned hereby confirms that he, she or it is not a "controlling shareholder" (under the Israeli Companies Law, as described in the Proxy Statement for the Meeting) and does not have a conflict (referred to as a "personal interest" under the Israeli Companies Law, as described in the Proxy Statement for the Meeting) in the approval of Proposal 3. |
☐ | ||||
| Re-appointment of Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer as the Company's independent, external auditors for the year ending December 31, 2017. |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| To change the address on your account, please check the box at the ☐ right and indicate your new address in the address space above. Please note that changes to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted via this method. Signature of shareholder Date |
Signature of shareholder Date |
Note: Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each owner should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by a duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If the signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person.
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