Registration No. 333- |
France | 98-0667516 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S Employer Identification Number) |
Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ |
Emerging growth company | ☐ |

-i- |
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
RISK FACTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS . . . . . . . . . | |
USE OF PROCEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
LEGAL MATTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
EXPERTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Delaware | France |
Duties of directors | |
The board of directors of a Delaware corporation bears the ultimate responsibility for managing the business and affairs of a corporation. There is generally only one board of directors. In discharging this function, directors of a Delaware corporation owe fiduciary duties of care and loyalty to the corporation and to its shareholders. The duty of care generally requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. Directors must not use their corporate position for personal gain or advantage. In general, but subject to certain exceptions, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Delaware courts have also imposed a heightened standard of conduct upon directors of a Delaware corporation who take any action designed to defeat a threatened change in control of the corporation. In addition, under Delaware law, when the board of directors of a Delaware corporation approves the sale or break-up of a corporation, the board of directors may, in certain circumstances, have a duty to obtain the highest value reasonably available to the shareholders. | In France, a company organized as a “Societas Europaea” can have a two-tier board structure: a management board comprising managing directors (Directoire) and a supervisory board comprising the non-executive directors (Conseil de Surveillance), or a single-tier board of directors (Conseil d’Administration). The single-tier board of directors of such French company will be comprised of non-executive directors and, if any, executive directors. Under French law, the board of directors supervises the management of the executive officers, sets the guidelines for a company’s activities and oversees their implementation. Subject to the powers expressly assigned by law to the shareholders’ meetings and within the limit of the corporate purpose, the board of directors hears any issue relevant to the company’s operation and, by means of its deliberations, settles the matters of concern to it, taking into consideration the social and environmental impact of the company’s activity. The board of directors proceeds with the controls and checks what it deems advisable. In addition, the board of directors exercises the special powers conferred on it by law As of the date of this document, we have a single-tier Board of Directors consisting of one executive director (the CEO) and ten non-executive directors, two of whom are employee directors appointed to our Board of Directors by, respectively, the French Group Works Council and the European Works Council. |
Delaware | France |
Under French law, each director has a duty towards the company to properly perform his/her duties. Furthermore, each director has a duty to act in the corporate interest of the company. The corporate interest extends to the interests of all corporate stakeholders, such as shareholders, creditors, employees, customers and suppliers. The company is bound vis-à-vis third parties by the actions of its board of directors, even if such actions are not in line with the corporate purpose, unless it can be proven that the third party knew that the action exceeded that purpose or that the third party could not have been unaware of such excess in light of the circumstances; publication of the articles of association (which, under French law, include a description of the corporate purpose) does not per se constitute such proof. Any board resolution regarding a change in the company’s Articles of Association requires shareholders’ approval or ratification. The board of directors may decide in its sole discretion, within the confines of French law and the Articles of Association, to incur additional indebtedness subject to any contractual restrictions pursuant to existing financing arrangements. Under French law, there is no obligation for directors to hold shares in the company unless required by the articles of association. According to our Articles of Association, there is no such obligation. However, the Company adopted internal Share-Ownership Guidelines (“SOGs”) to encourage minimum levels of the Company’s share ownership by its executive director (CEO) and by those of its non-executive directors who receive compensation in such capacity. |
Delaware | France |
Director terms | |
The Delaware General Corporation Law generally provides for a one-year term for directors, but permits directorships to be divided into up to three classes with up to three-year terms, with the years for each class expiring in different years, if permitted by the certificate of incorporation, an initial bylaw or a bylaw adopted by the shareholders. A director elected to serve a term on a “classified” board may not be removed by shareholders without cause, except as otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation. There is no limit to the number of terms a director may serve. | Under French law, a director of a company is appointed for a maximum term of six years. In practice, the articles of association set the directors’ precise term. According to the Articles of Association, the term of office of the Company’s directors is three years and can be renewed without limitation. Directors may be appointed for a shorter term so that the renewal of the directors’ terms of office may be spread out over time. According to the Articles of Association, the number of directors who are more than seventy-five years old may not exceed one third of the directors in office, and, if this limit is exceeded during the terms of office, the oldest director shall automatically be considered to have resigned at the close of the next general meeting. According to the Articles of Association, the Chairman of the Board of Directors cannot be older than seventy- five years. If the Chairman of the Board of Directors reaches this age limit during his or her term as Chairman, he or she is automatically deemed to have resigned from such position. His or her mandate would extend however, until the next meeting of the Board of Directors during which his or her successor is appointed. As set forth in the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors also comprises two employee directors whose term of office is also three years, renewable. |
Delaware | France |
Director election and vacancies | |
The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that vacancies and newly created directorships may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office (even though less than a quorum) or by a sole remaining director unless (a) otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation or (b) the certificate of incorporation directs that a particular class of stock is to elect such director, in which case a majority of the other directors elected by such class, or a sole remaining director elected by such class, will fill such vacancy. | Under French law, new members of the board of directors of a company are appointed by the general meeting of shareholders by a simple majority. The board of directors which convenes the shareholders’ meeting proposes candidates; shareholders may also propose candidates under certain conditions. The shareholders at the meeting may vote for other candidates than those proposed on the agenda, by a simple majority. Vacancies on the board of directors occurring between shareholders’ meetings may be filled at a board meeting by a majority of the remaining directors, subject to ratification at the next shareholders’ meeting. According to the Articles of Association, the first employee director is appointed by the French Group Works Council and the second by the European Works Council. In the event of a vacancy in a seat of an employee director, the vacant seat is filled in by an employee designated in the same way as the replaced employee director. |
Delaware | France |
Conflict of interest transactions | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, an act or transaction between a corporation and its directors or officers may not be the subject of equitable relief, or give rise to an award of damages, if: (1) the material facts as to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest are disclosed or are known to all members of the board of directors or a committee of the board, and the board or committee in good faith and without gross negligence authorizes the act or transaction by the affirmative votes of a majority of the disinterested directors, even though the disinterested directors be less than a quorum (provided that if a majority of directors are not disinterested, a committee of at least two disinterested directors must approve the act or transaction); (2) the act or transaction is approved or ratified by an informed, uncoerced, affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the disinterested stockholders; or (3) the act or transaction is fair as to the corporation and the corporation’s stockholders. Common or interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the board of directors or of a committee which authorizes the act or transaction. | Pursuant to French law and the Articles of Association any agreement between (directly or through an intermediary) a company and any of its directors, its executive corporate officers (“Directeur Général” or any “Directeur Général Délégué”), its shareholders holding more than 10% of its voting rights or companies controlling such shareholders, that is not entered into (i) in the ordinary course of business and (ii) under normal terms and conditions, is subject to a prior authorization of the board of directors, excluding the participation and vote of the interested director. Such agreement is also described in a special report of the statutory auditors to the shareholders and subject to approval at the next ordinary shareholders’ meeting (by a simple majority), excluding the votes of any interested persons. The foregoing requirements also apply to agreements between the company and another entity if one of the company’s directors, or executive corporate officers (“Directeur Général” or any “Directeur Général Délégué”) is an owner, a general partner, manager, director, general manager, member of the executive or supervisory board of the other entity, as well as to agreements in which one of the company’s directors, executive corporate officers (“Directeur Général”or any “Directeur Général Délégué”), shareholders holding more than 10% of its voting rights or companies controlling such shareholders has an indirect interest. If the transaction has not been pre-approved by the board of directors, then it can be nullified if it has prejudicial consequences for the company. If an agreement is not then approved by the shareholders, then the interested person may be held liable for any prejudicial consequences for the company of the unapproved transaction; such transaction will nevertheless remain valid unless it is nullified in case of fraud. Aside from the above rule, there are no specific provisions prohibiting conflicted directors to participate or vote at board meetings. However, as a general rule, directors must act in the interest of the company. |
Minimum number of directors | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation law, a corporation must have at least one director and the number of directors shall be fixed by or in the manner provided in the bylaws (unless specified in the certificate of incorporation of the corporation). | Under French law, a company organized as an SE must have at least three directors. The number of directors is defined by the Articles of Association. Pursuant to the Articles of Association, the Board shall be composed of directors between three and eighteen in number. |
Delaware | France |
Qualifications of directors | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation law, a corporation may prescribe qualifications for directors under its certificate of incorporation or bylaws. | French law does not impose any requirement in terms of qualifications of directors for a company whose shares are not listed on an EU-regulated market. |
Notice of annual meetings | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation law, the annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place, on such date and at such time as may be designated from time to time by the board of directors or as provided in the certificate of incorporation or by the bylaws. | Under French law and according to the Articles of Association, the annual general meeting of shareholders shall be held at such place, on such date and at such time as may be decided from time to time by the Board of Directors which in principle convenes the meeting and as specified in the convening notice (avis de convocation). |
Shareholder proxy voting | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation law, at any meeting of stockholders, a stockholder may designate another person to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. | Under French law and according to the Articles of Association, at any meeting of shareholders, a shareholder may be represented by the intermediary registered on its/his/her behalf; or assign a proxy to another shareholder, to his/her spouse, or to the partner with whom he/she has entered into a civil union (pacte civil de solidarité); or vote by mail; or send a proxy to the company without indicating an assignment, in accordance with the conditions set forth by French law. In this last case, unless otherwise indicated in the proxy, proxies are deemed given to the chairman of the general meeting of shareholders who will vote in favor of the proposals of resolutions presented or approved by the board of directors and against all the other proposals of resolutions. |
Delaware | France |
Appraisal Rights | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a holder of shares of any class or series has the right, in specified circumstances, to dissent from a merger, consolidation, conversion, transfer, domestication or continuance by demanding payment in cash for the stockholder’s shares equal to the fair value of those shares, as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery in an action timely brought by the corporation or a dissenting stockholder. Delaware law grants these appraisal rights in the case of mergers, consolidations, conversions, transfers, domestications and continuances, but not in the case of a sale or transfer of assets or a purchase of assets for shares. Further, no appraisal rights are available for shares of any class or series of stock, that is: (i) listed on a national securities exchange or (ii) held of record by more than 2,000 holders, unless the agreement of merger or consolidation requires the holders to accept for their shares anything other than: shares of stock of the surviving or resulting corporation, or of the converted entity; shares of stock of another corporation that are listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 holders; cash in lieu of fractional shares described in the two preceding bullet points; or any combination of the above. In addition, appraisal rights are not available for shares of the surviving corporation if the merger did not require the vote of the stockholders of the surviving corporation. | French law does not provide for the payment of cash or the grant of appraisal rights to dissenting shareholders, except in case of an EU cross-border merger and/or conversion (subject to certain requirements). |
How to amend the articles of incorporation | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation law, generally a corporation may amend its certificate of incorporation if: •its board of directors has adopted a resolution setting forth the amendment proposed and declared its advisability; and •the amendment is adopted by the affirmative votes of a majority (or such greater percentage as may be specified by the corporation) of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment and a majority (or such greater percentage as may be specified by the corporation) of the outstanding shares of each class or series of stock, if any, entitled to vote on the amendment as a class or series. | Under French law and pursuant to the Articles of Association, only the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders may approve or ratify an amendment to the articles of association. The amendment is validly adopted by the votes of a two thirds (2/3) majority. |
Delaware | France |
Proxy voting by directors | |
A director of a Delaware corporation may not issue a proxy representing the director’s voting rights as a director. | According to French law and the Articles of Association, a director may grant another director a proxy to represent him or her at a meeting of the board of directors. No director can hold more than one proxy at any meeting. |
Delaware | France |
Voting rights | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, each shareholder is entitled to one vote per share of stock, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. In addition, the certificate of incorporation may provide for cumulative voting at all elections of directors of the corporation, or at elections held under specified circumstances. Either the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws may specify the number of shares or the amount of other securities that must be represented at a meeting to constitute a quorum, but in no event will a quorum consist of less than one-third of the shares entitled to vote at a meeting, except that, where a separate vote by a class or series or classes or series is required, a quorum will consist of no less than 1/3 of the shares of such class or series or classes or series. Shareholders as of the record date for the meeting are entitled to vote at the meeting, and the board of directors may fix a record date that is no more than 60 days nor less than 10 days before the date of the meeting, and if no record date is set then the record date is the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. The determination of the shareholders of record entitled to notice or to vote at a meeting of shareholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting, but the board of directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting. | Under French law and in general, each shareholder is entitled to one vote per share at any general shareholders’ meeting unless the Articles of Association provide otherwise. A general shareholders meeting is held annually to, among other things, approve the annual financial statements. General shareholders’ meetings (including annual meetings) can be ordinary and/or extraordinary, depending upon the resolutions submitted to the vote. At an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting (which votes upon any proposal to change the Articles of Association, including any change in the rights of shareholders), the requisite majority is 2/3 of the votes validly cast. The quorum necessary for such a meeting to be validly held on the date set by the first convening notice is 1/4 of the voting shares. If this quorum is not reached, then a second meeting is convened with an agenda identical to the first meeting. If the quorum at the second meeting is not reached, then the second meeting can be postponed to a date no later than two months after the date on which the second meeting was convened. The quorum for such second or postponed meeting, as the case may be, to be validly held is 1/5 of the voting shares. At an ordinary shareholders’ meeting (which votes upon any proposal within the competence of a general shareholders’ meeting other than an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, such as approval of annual financial statements or appointment of directors), the requisite majority is a simple majority (more than 50%) of the votes validly cast. The quorum necessary for such a meeting to be validly held on the date set by the first convening notice is 1/5 of the voting shares. If this quorum is not reached, then a second meeting is convened with an agenda identical to the first meeting and no quorum is required for such second meeting. Special meetings would bring together the holders of shares of a specified class (if any were to be created) to vote on an amendment to the rights relating to the shares of such class. A majority at special meetings would be 2/3 of the votes validly cast. |
Delaware | France |
Except as otherwise provided in the meeting materials made available to the shareholders whose shares are registered on the U.S. Register, the votes cast at the shareholders’ meetings do not include votes attaching to shares in respect of which the shareholder did not vote or abstained or returned a blank or spoilt ballot paper (save for blank proxies which are deemed granted to the chairman of the meeting under French law). The Articles of Association do not provide for cumulative voting. In accordance with the provisions of the French Commercial Code applicable as of the date hereof, the right to participate in, and vote at, a shareholders’ meeting is granted to all the shareholders whose shares are fully paid up and for whom a right to attend and vote at a shareholders’ meeting has been established by registration of their shares in their names or names of the authorized intermediary acting on their behalf on the fifth business day prior to the shareholders’ meeting at 0:00 (zero hour) (Paris time) (the “French Record Date”), either in the registered (“au nominatif”) shares accounts held by the Company (or an agent acting on its behalf) or in the bearer (“au porteur”) shares accounts held by the authorized intermediary. Shareholders holding shares registered on the U.S. Register (which include all shares which are listed on the NYSE, held through a DTC participant and shares directly recorded in the name of shareholders with Computershare) vote through the following process: •their voting instructions are transmitted to the Company via the French Intermediary, acting as intermediary for the account of all shareholders registered on the U.S. Register, in accordance with articles L. 228-1 et seq. of the French Commercial Code; •the French Record Date is set; only the shareholders as of the French Record Date have the right to participate in, and vote at, a shareholders’ meeting; •an additional record date is set for all shareholders registered on the U.S. Register, which date is generally on or about the 50th day before the meeting, subject to approval by the Board of Directors (the “U.S. Record Date”); the meeting materials are mailed to the shareholders whose shares are registered on the U.S. Register as of the U.S. Record Date and •the French Record Date, such voting instructions will be invalidated or modified by the Company, whichever is applicable, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the French Commercial Code. |
Delaware | France |
•shareholders who purchase shares between the U.S. Record Date and the French Record Date are entitled to participate in and vote at the shareholders’ meeting as long as they continue to be shareholders on the French Record Date. Given the short time between the French Record Date and the shareholders’ meeting date, shareholders as of the French Record Date who become shareholders subsequent to the U.S. Record Date may not have received the notices and information received by shareholders holding shares registered on the U.S. Register as of the U.S. Record Date. To the extent that shareholders as of the U.S. Record Date have sent voting instructions and sold or otherwise transferred their shares as of the U.S. Record Date have sent voting instructions and sold or otherwise transferred their shares as of the French Record Date, such voting instructions will be invalidated or modified by the Company, whichever is applicable, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the French Commercial Code. |
Delaware | France |
Shareholder proposals | |
Delaware law does not provide shareholders an express right to put any proposal before a meeting of shareholders, but it provides that a corporation’s bylaws may provide that if the corporation solicits proxies with respect to the election of directors, it may be required to include in its proxy solicitation materials one or more individuals nominated by a shareholder. In keeping with common law, Delaware corporations generally afford shareholders an opportunity to make proposals and nominations; provided that they comply with the notice provisions in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws. | Pursuant to French law, the Board of Directors is required to convene an annual ordinary general meeting of shareholders for approval of the annual financial statements. This meeting must be held within six months after the end of each prior fiscal year. The Board of Directors may also convene an ordinary or extraordinary meeting of shareholders upon proper notice at any time during the year. If the Board of Directors fails to convene a shareholders’ meeting, then the auditors may call the meeting. In a bankruptcy, the liquidator or court-appointed agent may also call a shareholders’ meeting in some instances. Any of the following may request the court to appoint an agent to convene a shareholders’ meeting (subject to establishing that such request is in furtherance of the corporate interest): •one or several shareholders holding at least 5% of the share capital; or •any interested party or the worker’s committee in cases of urgency. Shareholders holding a majority of the capital or voting rights after a public take-over bid or exchange offer or the transfer of a controlling block of shares may also convene a shareholders’ meeting. In general, shareholders can only take action at shareholders’ meetings on matters listed on the agenda for the meeting. As an exception to this rule, shareholders may take action with respect to the dismissal and appointment of directors, whether or not the resolution was listed on the agenda for the meeting. |
Delaware | France |
Under French law, proposals of additional resolutions to be submitted for approval by the shareholders at the shareholders’ meeting may be submitted to the Board of Directors within the legal time limit (which is no later than 20 days from the publication of the convening notice (avis de réunion) and no later than 25 days prior to the date of the shareholders’ meeting) by one or several shareholders holding a specified percentage of shares. The convening notice (avis de réunion) must be published in France with the BALO at least 35 days before the date of the shareholders’ meeting and can be consulted at https://www.journal-officiel.gouv.fr/balo/. As the U.S. Record Date is generally on or about the 50th day before the shareholders’ meeting and the meeting materials are mailed to the shareholders registered on the U.S. Register shortly thereafter, shareholders wishing to submit proposals of additional resolutions should consider submitting them before receiving the meeting materials, otherwise they may have insufficient time for submission of any such resolution. The percentage of shares required to be held by one or several shareholders to be able to submit proposals of additional resolutions depends on the amount of the share capital of the Company; based on the Company’s issued share capital of €2,936,397.68 as of March 31, 2026, this percentage would be 2.88%. Further disclosure regarding shareholder proposals and the annual ordinary general meeting are set forth in the Company’s annual proxy materials. | |
Action by written consent | |
Unless otherwise provided in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of a corporation may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if one or more consents in writing, setting forth the action to be so taken, are signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. Although permitted by Delaware law, publicly listed companies do not typically permit stockholders of a corporation to take action by written consent. | Under French law, shareholders’ action by written consent is not permitted in a Societas Europaea. |
Delaware | France |
Shareholder suits | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the corporation to enforce the rights of the corporation. An individual also may commence a class action suit on behalf of himself and other similarly situated shareholders where the requirements for maintaining a class action under Delaware law have been met. A person may institute and maintain such a suit only if that person was a shareholder at the time of the transaction which is the subject of the suit. In addition, under Delaware case law, the plaintiff normally must be a shareholder not only at the time of the transaction that is the subject of the suit, but also throughout the duration of the derivative suit. Delaware law also requires that the derivative plaintiff make a demand on the directors of the corporation to assert the corporate claim before the suit may be prosecuted by the derivative plaintiff in court, unless such a demand would be futile. | French law provides that a shareholder, or a group of shareholders, may initiate a legal action to seek indemnification from the CEO and/or the directors of a company in the company’s interest if the company fails to bring such legal action itself. If so, any damages awarded by the court are paid to the company and any legal fees relating to such action are borne by the relevant shareholder or the group of shareholders. The plaintiff must remain a shareholder throughout the duration of the legal action. There is no other case under French law where shareholders may initiate a derivative action to enforce a right of a company. A shareholder may alternatively or cumulatively bring an individual legal action against the CEO and/or the directors, provided that the shareholder has suffered distinct damages from those suffered by the company. In this case, any damages awarded by the court are paid to the relevant shareholder. |
Liability of Directors and Officers | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may include a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director or officer to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer. However, no provision can limit or eliminate the liability of a director or officer for: (i) any breach of the duty of loyalty; (ii) acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) a director’s liability under § 174 of Title 8 (relating to willful or negligent payment of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions); (iv) any transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit; or (v) an officer’s liability in any action by or in the right of the corporation. | To the extent permitted by French law, a company may include a provision to limit the civil liability of a director. According to the Articles of Association, directors shall be reimbursed under certain conditions for (i) reasonable cost of conducting a defense against claims based on acts or failure to act in the exercise of their duties and (ii) any damages payable by them as a result of an act or failure in the exercise of their duties. However there shall be no entitlement to indemnity: •if and to the extent the laws of France would not permit such indemnification; •if and to the extent a competent court has established in a final and conclusive decision that the act or failure to act of the current or former member of the Board may be characterized as willful (faute intentionnelle), intentionally reckless (faute lourde) or falling outside the exercise of its duties (faute détachable); or •if and to the extent the costs, damages or fines payable by the current or former member of the Board are covered by any liability insurance and the insurer has paid out the costs, damages or fines. |
Delaware | France |
Repurchase of shares | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may purchase or redeem its own shares unless the capital of the corporation is impaired or the purchase or redemption would cause an impairment of the capital of the corporation. A Delaware corporation may, however, purchase or redeem out of capital any of its preferred shares or, if no preferred shares are outstanding, any of its own shares if such shares will be retired upon acquisition and the capital of the corporation will be reduced in accordance with specified limitations. | Under French law, a private company (which the Company is considered to be for French law purposes so long as its shares are not listed on an EU-regulated market) may not subscribe for newly issued shares in its capital, but may, however, acquire its own shares, under a shareholders’ authorization up to the 10% of the share capital (effective for a period of up to 12 months), with a view to allocating the repurchased shares: •within one year of the repurchase, to employees and corporate officers of the company and its affiliates under a profit-sharing, free share or share option plan or other share allocation; •within two years of the repurchase, as payment or in exchange for assets acquired by the company in connection with a potential acquisition, merger, demerger or contribution- in-kind transaction, not to exceed 5% of the share capital; •within five years from the repurchase, to shareholders willing to purchase the shares as part of a sale process organized by the company. The repurchased shares not used for one of the above- mentioned purposes and within the above-mentioned timeframes are automatically cancelled. As of the date hereof, the Company has in place a shareholders’ authorization to the Board of Directors to purchase its own shares. Also, under French law, the Company may acquire its own shares, without shareholders’ approval, with a view to allocating the repurchased shares within one year of the repurchase, to employees and corporate officers of the company and its affiliates under a free share or share option plan or other share allocation. For the avoidance of doubt, any allocations of repurchased shares to a profit-sharing, free share or share option plan or other share allocation are subject to applicable limits under the Constellium SE 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (as amended from time to time, the “Plan”). In any case, the number of its own shares owned by the Company and held in treasury cannot exceed 10% of a total of the Company’s issued shares at any given time. Treasury shares have no voting rights and are not entitled to receive dividends. |
Delaware | France |
The Company may also acquire its own shares to reduce its share capital; provided that such decision is not driven by losses and that a purchase offer is made to all shareholders on a pro rata basis, with the approval of the shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting determining the capital reduction. | |
Anti-takeover provisions | |
French law does not contain provisions restricting the ability to change the composition of the Board of Directors following a change of control. | |
Delaware | France |
In addition to other aspects of Delaware law governing fiduciary duties of directors during a potential takeover, the Delaware General Corporation Law also contains a business combination statute that protects Delaware companies from hostile takeovers and from actions following the takeover by prohibiting some transactions once an acquirer has gained a significant holding in the corporation. Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits “business combinations,” including mergers, sales and leases of assets, issuances of securities and similar transactions by a corporation or a subsidiary with an interested shareholder that beneficially owns 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock (or which is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and owned 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock within the past three years), within three years after the person becomes an interested shareholder, unless: the transaction that will cause the person to become an interested shareholder is approved by the board of directors of the target before the transaction; after the completion of the transaction in which the person becomes an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder holds at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation not including shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers of interested shareholders and shares owned by specified employee benefit plans; or after the person becomes an interested shareholder, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66⅔% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested shareholder. A Delaware corporation may elect not to be governed by Section 203 by a provision contained in the original certificate of incorporation of the corporation or an amendment to the certificate of incorporation or to the bylaws of the company, which amendment must be approved by a majority of the shares entitled to vote and may not be further amended by the board of directors of the corporation. An amendment adopted by stockholder action to opt out of Section 203 is not effective until twelve months after its adoption in certain cases, and the election shall not apply to any business combination with a person who became an interested stockholder before the amendment’s effective date. | French law allows shareholders at general meetings to delegate the authority to the Board of Directors to issue shares or warrants to subscribe for shares, including subsequent to the announcement of a takeover offer for the Company, which may make it more difficult for a shareholder to obtain a control position. |
Delaware | France |
Inspection of books and records | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any shareholder may inspect for any proper purpose the corporation’s stock ledger, a list of its shareholders and its other books and records during the corporation’s usual hours of business. | The board of directors must provide all required information for the shareholders’ meeting. Under French law, shareholders are entitled to review and copy the list of the shareholders (name and address) who hold their shares in nominative form during 15 days prior to any shareholders’ meeting. |
Removal of directors | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors, except (a) unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise, in the case of a corporation whose board is classified, shareholders may effect such removal only for cause, or (b) in the case of a corporation having cumulative voting, if less than the entire board is to be removed, no director may be removed without cause if the votes cast against his removal would be sufficient to elect him if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire board of directors, or, if there are classes of directors, at an election of the class of directors of which he is a part. | Under French law, directors may be removed from office, with or without cause, at any shareholders’ meeting without notice or justification, by a simple majority vote of shareholders. Directors cannot be suspended or removed by the board of directors. Under French law, an employee director may be removed from office only in case of a fault in the performance of the directorship, by decision of the president of a French court (Tribunal Judiciaire), at the request of a majority of the directors. An executive corporate officer appointed by the board of directors (CEO (Directeur Général)) can have his or her executive duties terminated at any time by the board of directors. If such executive corporate officer is also a director, he or she will remain non-executive director as his or her duties as a director can only be removed by a shareholders’ meeting. |
Preemptive rights | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, shareholders have no preemptive rights to subscribe to additional issues of stock or to any security convertible into such stock unless, and except to the extent that, such rights are expressly provided for in the certificate of incorporation. | Under French law, in case of issuance of additional shares or other securities giving the right, immediately or in the future, to new shares for cash or set-off against cash debts, the existing shareholders have preferential subscription rights to such securities on a pro rata basis unless such rights are waived by a two-thirds majority of the votes held by the shareholders present, represented by proxy or voting by mail at the extraordinary meeting deciding or authorizing the capital increase. If such rights are not waived by the extraordinary general meeting, each shareholder may individually exercise or assign its preferential rights, or may choose not to exercise such rights. No such rights exist with respect to treasury shares. |
Delaware | France |
Dividends | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a Delaware corporation may, subject to any restrictions contained in its certificate of incorporation, pay dividends out of its surplus (the excess of net assets over capital), or in case there is no surplus, out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared or the preceding fiscal year (provided that the amount of the capital of the corporation is not less than the aggregate amount of the capital represented by the issued and outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets). In determining the amount of surplus of a Delaware corporation, the assets of the corporation, including stock of subsidiaries owned by the corporation, must be valued at their fair market value as determined by the board of directors, without regard to their historical book value. Dividends may be paid in the form of common stock, property or cash. | Our Board of Directors periodically explores the potential adoption of a dividend program. Any proposal of our Board of Directors to declare and pay future dividends to holders of our ordinary shares will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, statutory obligations, future prospects and contractual restrictions applying to the payment of dividends and other considerations that our Board of Directors considers to be relevant. The Board of Directors has no current intention to adopt a dividend program, and no assurances can be made that any future dividends will be paid on the ordinary shares. Under French law, dividends are approved by the shareholders at a shareholders’ meeting. All calculations to determine the amounts available for dividends or other distributions will be based on our statutory financial statements which are, as a holding company, different from our consolidated financial statements and which are prepared in accordance with French generally accepted accounting principles because the Company is a French company. Dividends may only be paid by a French Societas Europaea (an SE), such as the Company, out of “distributable profits,” plus any distributable reserves and “distributable premium” that the shareholders decide to make available for distribution, other than those reserves that are specifically required by law to be maintained. “Distributable profits” consist of the unconsolidated net profits of the relevant company for each fiscal year, as increased or reduced by any profit or loss carried forward from prior years. |
Delaware | France |
“Distributable premium” refers to the contribution paid by the shareholders in addition to the par value of their shares for their subscription that the shareholders decide to make available for distribution. The Board of Directors may approve the distribution of interim dividends before the approval by the shareholders of the financial statements for the relevant fiscal year when the interim balance sheet, established during or at the close of such year and certified by the auditors, reflects that the company has earned distributable profits since the close of the previous fiscal year, after recognizing the necessary depreciation and provisions and after deducting prior losses, if any, and the sums to be allocated to reserves, as required by French law and the Articles of Association, and including any retained earnings. The amount of such interim dividends may not exceed the amount of the profit so defined. The distribution of interim dividends decided by the Board of Directors must be ratified by the next shareholders’ meeting. In addition, restrictions contained in agreements governing the Company’s indebtedness may limit our ability to pay dividends on the Company’s ordinary shares and the ability of the Company’s subsidiaries to pay dividends to the Company. Future indebtedness that the Company may incur may contain similar restrictions. According to the Articles of Association, distributions payable in cash are to be approved in euros and paid (i) in euros for the holders of shares under the French Register and (ii) in U.S. dollars for the holders of shares under the U.S. Register. For the purposes of the payment of the dividend in dollars, the general shareholders’ meeting or, as the case may be, our Board of Directors, may set the reference date to be considered for the euro/U.S. dollar exchange rate. Dividends (if any) shall be paid within nine months after the end of the fiscal year. Cash dividends and other distributions that have not been collected within five years after the date on which they became due and payable will revert to the French State. French exchange control regulations currently do not limit the amount of payments that we may remit to non- residents of France. Laws and regulations concerning foreign exchange controls do require, however, that all payments or transfers of funds made by a French resident to a non-resident be handled by an accredited intermediary, who would be required to comply with relevant laws in making such payments or transfers. |
Delaware | France |
Shareholder vote on certain reorganizations | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon generally is necessary to approve a merger or consolidation or the sale of substantially all of the assets of a corporation. The Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a provision requiring for any corporate action the vote of a larger portion of the stock or of any class or series of stock than would otherwise be required. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, no vote of the shareholders of a surviving corporation to a merger is needed; however, unless required by the certificate of incorporation, if (a) the agreement of merger does not amend in any respect the certificate of incorporation of the surviving corporation, (b) the shares of stock of the surviving corporation are not changed in the merger and (c) the number of ordinary shares of the surviving corporation into which any other shares, securities or obligations to be issued in the merger may be converted does not exceed 20% of the surviving corporation’s common shares outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger. In addition, shareholders may not be entitled to vote in certain mergers with other corporations that own 90% or more of the outstanding shares of each class of stock of such corporation, but the shareholders will be entitled to appraisal rights. | Generally, under French law, completion of a legal merger (fusion), demerger (scission), dissolution, sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of a company’s assets, requires: •the approval of the Board of Directors; and •the approval by a two-thirds majority of the votes held by the shareholders present, represented by proxy or voting by mail at the relevant meeting, or in the case of a legal merger (fusion) with a non-EU company, approval of all the shareholders of the company. |
Compensation of board of directors | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the shareholders do not generally have the right to approve the compensation policy for the board of directors or the senior management of the corporation, although certain aspects of the compensation policy may be subject to shareholder vote due to the provisions of federal securities and tax law, as well as stock exchange requirements. | The board of directors determines the remuneration of the executive director (i.e. the CEO (“Directeur Général”) who may (but is not required to) be a director). French law does not provide for any specific rules on remuneration of executive directors for French companies not listed on an EU-regulated market. Executive directors may be granted free shares and stock options of the Company. |
Delaware | France |
With respect to the remuneration of non-executive directors, the ordinary shareholders’ meeting votes an envelope for the aggregate amount of fixed annual fees to be allocated to directors for each year. The board of directors will then decide the allocation of these fees among directors. These fees include all cash remunerations granted to directors in such capacity. In addition to the fixed amount of fees approved at the shareholders meeting, the board of directors may grant fees to the chairman of the board in such capacity, and may also, exceptionally, grant additional fees to certain directors in remuneration for separate, specific missions or tasks assigned to them. Non-executive directors are not eligible to receive awards that are to be settled with shares. However, the board of directors may grant share- settled awards (such as free shares or stock options) to the chairman of the board in such capacity. | |
Action by written consent and quorum requirements at the board of directors | |
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a majority of the total number of directors constitutes a quorum unless the company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws require a greater number. Unless the certificate of incorporation says otherwise, the bylaws may provide that a number less than a majority constitutes a quorum (but no less than 1/3 of the total number of directors). The vote of the majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the board unless the certificate of incorporation or bylaws require the vote of a greater number. Unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation or bylaws, the board or any committee may take any action without a meeting if all members consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission. | Following an amendment of the Articles of Association adopted by the Company’s Annual General Meeting held on May 15, 2025, all decisions of the Board of Directors may be adopted in writing. According to French law and the Articles of Association, a director may grant to another director a proxy to represent him or her at a meeting of the Board of Directors. No director can hold more than one proxy at any meeting. According to French law and the Articles of Association, for the Board’s deliberations to be valid, more than half of the Board members must be present or represented or have voted remotely or, as the case may be, have participated to a written consultation. The Board of Directors’ decisions (including by way of a written consultation) shall be taken by a majority vote; if the votes are tied, the chairman’s vote shall be decisive. |
SEC Registration Fee | * | |||
Legal Fees and Expenses | ** | |||
Accounting Fees and Expenses | ** | |||
Miscellaneous | ** | |||
Total | * |
* | In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r), we are deferring payment of all of the registration fee required in connection with this registration statement. | |
** | The foregoing sets forth the general categories of expenses (other than underwriting discounts and commissions) that we anticipate we will incur in connection with the offering of ordinary shares under this registration statement. Information regarding estimated expenses of issuance and distribution will be provided at the time information as to such offering is included in a prospectus supplement.. |
Exhibit No. | Description |
1.1 | Form of Underwriting Agreement* |
3.1 | |
5.1 | |
23.1 | |
23.2 | Form of Consent of Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier A.A.R.P.I. (included in Exhibit 5.1) |
24.1 | Powers of Attorney (included on signature page to the registration statement) |
107 |
Signature | Title | Date |
/s/ Ingrid Joerg | Chief Executive Officer and Director | 6/24/2026 |
Ingrid Joerg | (Principal Executive Officer) | |
/s/ Jack Guo | Executive Vice President and | 6/24/2026 |
Jack Guo | Chief Financial Officer | |
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | ||
/s/ Jean-Christophe Deslarzes | Chairman | 6/24/2026 |
Jean-Christophe Deslarzes | ||
/s/ John Ormerod | Director | 6/24/2026 |
John Ormerod | ||
/s/ Lori A. Walker | Director | 6/24/2026 |
Lori A. Walker | ||
/s/ Martha Brooks | Director | 6/24/2026 |
Martha Brooks | ||
/s/ Isabelle Boccon-Gibod | Director | 6/24/2026 |
Isabelle Boccon-Gibod | ||
/s/ Jean-Philippe Puig | Director | 6/24/2026 |
Jean-Philippe Puig | ||
/s/ Jean-Francois Verdier | Employee Director | 6/24/2026 |
Jean-François Verdier | ||
/s/ Wiebke Weiler | Employee Director | 6/24/2026 |
Wiebke Weiler | ||
/s/ Emmanuel Blot | Director | 6/24/2026 |
Emmanuel Blot | ||
/s/ Bradley Soultz | Director | 6/24/2026 |
Bradley Soultz |