Corporate Charter Restrictions
At the 1997 annual meeting, Ben & Jerry’s shareholders approved amendments to the charter that gave the board greater power to perpetuate the mission of the firm. The amendments created a staggered board of directors, whereby the board was divided into three classes with one class of directors being elected each year for a three-year term. A director could only be removed with the approval of a two-thirds vote of all shareholders. Also, any vacancy resulting from the removal of a director could be filled by two-thirds vote of the directors who were then in office. Finally, the stockholders increased the number of votes required to alter, amend, repeal, or adopt any provision inconsistent with those amendments to at least two-thirds of shareholders. See Exhibit 4 for a summary of the current board composition