EX-10.1



 





Exhibit 10.1



Confidential Communication to: «First_name» «Last_name»




As we finish a very successful fiscal year and begin another, I would like to take a moment to
congratulate you and to thank you for your performance and commitment to our team goals both in the
past and looking forward. You play an important role in the present and future performance of our
Company.



One of the priorities of our management compensation program is to provide you with the opportunity
to share in the long-term success of Air Products. As a result of your performance during the past
year, I am pleased to present your 2008 stock awards under the Company’s Long-Term Incentive Plan.



As in the past, our long-term incentive awards recognize your contributions to the business, align
individual goals and performance with shareholder interests and the longer-term Company focus, and
provide you with a competitive pay opportunity. Your 2008 awards include:




	•	 	A Nonstatutory Stock Option to purchase «Stock_Option» shares of Common Stock at a purchase
price of $98.85 per share, which is the 1 October 2007 closing sale price of a share of Common
Stock; and






	•	 	An award of «RSU» 4-Year Restricted Shares of Company Common Stock issued to you as of 2
October 2007; and






	•	 	«Perf_Share» Deferred Stock Units with a three year performance period, each Unit (a
“Performance Share”) being equivalent in value to one share of common Stock. Please note the
final version of the performance share payout schedule will be sent to you in a separate
communication. The schedule will display how the growth and return measures will define
payout opportunities.





We are committed to offering long-term incentive awards for our employees who contribute to our
success — both now and in the future. Thank you again for your dedication and on-going
contributions to Air Products.



Your 2008 Awards are subject to and contingent upon your agreement to the attached conditions
described in Exhibit I. Please read these conditions carefully particularly those dealing with
“Prohibited Activity” in Paragraph 17. This letter, together with its Exhibit, constitutes the
agreement governing your 2008 Awards (this “Awards Agreement”). Your 2008 Awards are also at all
times subject to the applicable provisions of the Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and to any
determinations made by the Management Development and Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors (or its delegate) with respect to your 2008 Awards as contemplated or permitted by the
Plan or the Conditions. In addition, the Committee has established a one-year holding period for a
portion of your Nonstatutory



 









 





Stock Option. You are expected to hold, for one year, 50% of the net shares (after taxes and
commissions) that you receive upon an exercise of the Stock Option.



Neither your 2008 Awards, this Awards Agreement or the Plan constitute a contract of employment,
nor do they guarantee your continued employment for any period required for all or any of your 2008
Awards to vest or become exercisable, or to be earned or paid out. Except as otherwise indicated
all capitalized words used in this Awards Agreement have the meanings described in the Plan.



WITNESSETH the due execution of this Awards Agreement at Allentown, Pennsylvania effective as of
the 1st day of October 2007 intending to be legally bound hereby.



	 	 	 	 	 
	 	AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.

 	 
	 	By:  	 	 
	 	 	John E. McGlade 	 
	 	 	 	 
	 




Exhibit



 









 





EXHIBIT I




AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC. (the “Company”)

LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

FY2008 AWARD AGREEMENT





	1.	 	As described in the foregoing grant letter, you are hereby granted FY2007 Awards consisting
of Stock Options (“Options”), Restricted Shares of Company Common Stock (“Restricted
Shares”), and Deferred Stock Units to be called “Performance Shares” under the Air Products
and Chemicals, Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The Options are “Nonstatutory
Stock Options” as described in Section 6 of the Plan. The Restricted Shares are described in
Section 8 of the Plan. The Deferred Stock Units are described in Section 9 of the Plan. The
Management Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors has
approved these Awards subject to the applicable provisions of the Plan and the terms of this
Agreement, and contingent upon your execution of this Agreement. Except as noted herein, all
capitalized terms used in this Agreement have the meaning ascribed to them in the Plan. A
copy of the Plan is available from the Corporate Secretary’s Office of the Company, 7201
Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown, PA 18195-1501.






	2.	 	Each Option entitles you to purchase one share of Company Common Stock (“Share”) at a
purchase price of $98.85 (the “Grant Price”) as described below. You can first purchase
Shares as follows: (i) up to one-third of the Shares may be purchased on or after 1 October
2008 and (ii) up to an additional one-third of such Shares may be purchased on or after 1
October 2009 and 2010, respectively. The Options are granted as of 1 October 2007 and will
continue for a period of ten (10) years from such grant date and will expire and no longer be
exercisable after 1 October 2017.






	3.	 	You may purchase Shares covered by an Option by providing to the Company’s agent, Fidelity
Stock Plan Services, LLC (“Fidelity”), notice of exercise of the Option in a form designated
by Fidelity and the Grant Price of the Shares. Payment of the Grant Price and applicable
taxes may be made in cash or by providing an irrevocable exercise notice coupled with
irrevocable instructions to Fidelity to simultaneously sell the Shares and deliver to the
Company on the settlement date the portion of the proceeds representing the Grant Price and
any taxes to be withheld. Payment of the Grant Price may also be made by delivery or
attestation of ownership of other Shares of Common Stock owned by you, in which case the
number of Shares acquired in the exercise will be reduced by an amount equal in value to the
amount of any taxes required to be withheld and by any Shares attested.






	4.	 	Your Options terminate as of the close of business on the last day of your employment with
the Company and all its Subsidiaries, unless your employment ends due to your death,
Disability or Retirement on or after 30 September 2008. Upon your, death, Disability or
Retirement on or after 30 September 2008, any




 









 






	 	 	unexercisable portion of the Options will be extended for the remaining term of the award
(that is, will become exercisable) as if you have continued to be an active employee of the
Company or a Subsidiary. Notwithstanding the above, if your employment with the Company or a
Subsidiary is involuntarily terminated by the Company on or after 30 September 2008 due to
action necessitated by business conditions, including, but not limited to, job eliminations,
workforce reductions, divestitures of facilities, assets or businesses, sale by the Company of
a Subsidiary or plant closing, your exercisable Options will not be terminated but will
continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms for six months following your last
day of employment with the Company or a Subsidiary.






	5.	 	In the event of a Change in Control, the Options become exercisable on the later of the
Change in Control or the first date more than six months from grant. In the event of any
other change in the outstanding shares of the Common Stock of the Company or the occurrence
of certain other awards described in Section 12 of the Plan, an equitable adjustment shall be
made in the number or kind of Shares or the Grant Price for Shares covered by your Options.






	6.	 	Options are nonassignable and nontransferable except to your Designated Beneficiary, by
will or the laws of descent and distribution, or by gift to family members or to trusts of
which only family members are beneficiaries. Transfers by gift can be made only after the
Option has become exercisable and subject to such administrative procedures and to such
restrictions and conditions as the officers of the Company shall determine to be consistent
with the purposes of the Plan and the interests of the Company and/or to be necessary or
appropriate for compliance with all applicable tax and other legal requirements. Subject to
the foregoing, you may transfer Options by gift only by delivering to the Company at its
principal offices in Allentown, Pennsylvania, written notice of the intent to transfer the
Options on forms to be provided by the Company.






	7.	 	The Restricted Shares shall be issued to you, contingent upon your execution of this
Agreement, as of 2 October 2007. Upon issuance of the Restricted Shares, you shall have all
the rights of a shareholder with respect to the Restricted Shares, including the right to
vote such Restricted Shares and receive all dividends or other distributions paid with
respect to the Restricted Shares, subject to the restrictions contained in Paragraph 8 below.
In the event of any change in the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company or the
occurrence of certain other events described in Section 12 of the Plan, an equitable
adjustment of the number of Restricted Shares covered by this Agreement shall be made
consistent with the impact of such change or event upon the rights of the Company’s other
shareholders, and any additional Shares of Common Stock issued to you as a result of such
adjustment shall be Restricted Shares subject to this Agreement, including, without
limitation, the restrictions contained in Paragraph 8.






	8.	 	The “Restriction Period” with respect to the Restricted Shares shall be the period
beginning 2 October 2007 and ending on the earliest of 1 October 2011; your death, Disability
or Retirement on or after 30 September 2008, or a Change in Control of the Company. During
the Restriction Period, the Restricted Shares may not be sold,




 









 






	 	 	assigned, transferred, encumbered, or otherwise disposed of by you; provided however, that
such Restricted Shares may be used to pay the Grant Price by attestation upon your exercise of
Stock Options, with the stipulation that the Restricted Shares attested will remain subject to
the restrictions of this Paragraph 8 and the terms of this Agreement. If your employment by
the Company and all its Subsidiaries is terminated for any reason prior to 30 September 2008,
or for any reason other than death, Disability or Retirement prior to 1 October 2011, the
Restricted Shares shall be forfeited in their entirety; provided that, in the event of a
Change in Control of the Company, your rights to the Restricted Shares shall become
immediately transferable and nonforfeitable. At the end of the Restriction Period, all
nonforfeited Restricted Shares shall become transferable and otherwise be regular Shares.






	9.	 	At the end of the Restriction Period, and, if earlier, upon your election to include the
value of the Restricted Shares in your federal taxable income pursuant to Internal Revenue
Code Section 83(b), payment of taxes required to be withheld by the Company must be made.
When taxation occurs at the end of the Restriction Period, applicable taxes will be withheld
by reducing the number of the Restricted Shares issued to you by an amount equal in market
value to the taxes required to be withheld. In the event you make a Section 83(b) election,
applicable taxes must be paid in cash to the Company at the time the election is filed with
the Internal Revenue Service.






	10.	 	In the event your employment is terminated due to your death on or after 30 September 2008,
the Restricted Shares shall be transferred free of restriction, reduced by any applicable
taxes, to your Designated Beneficiary or, if none, to your legal representative.






	11.	 	The Performance Shares granted to you are associated with a three year performance cycle
ending 30 September 2010. The final version of the performance share payout schedule will be
sent to you in a separate communication. The schedule will display how the growth and return
measures will define payout opportunities. Subject to the forfeiture conditions contained in
Paragraph 12, each earned Performance Share will entitle you to receive, at the end of the
Deferral Period (as defined below), one Share.






	12.	 	The Deferral Period will begin on the date of this Agreement and will end on 1 October 2010.
If your employment by the Company and all its affiliates is terminated for any reason prior to
30 September 2008, all your Performance Shares will be automatically forfeited in their
entirety. If your employment by the Company and all its affiliates terminates on or after 30
September 2008, but during the Deferral Period, other than due to death, Disability or
Retirement, you will forfeit all of your Performance Shares. If your employment by the
Company and all its affiliates is terminated on or after 30 September 2008, but during the
Deferral Period, due to death, Disability or Retirement, you will forfeit a pro-rata portion
of your earned Performance Shares which portion in each case shall be based on the number of
full months you worked following 30 September 2007.




 









 












	13.	 	Performance Shares earned and not forfeited shall be paid, reduced by the number of Shares
equal in market value to any applicable taxes, as soon as administratively practical after the
end of the Deferral Period, in Shares. No cash dividends or other amounts shall be payable
with respect to the Performance Shares during the Deferral Period. At the end of the Deferral
Period, for each earned and nonforfeited Performance Share, the Company will also pay to you a
cash payment equal to the dividends which would have been paid on a Share during the Deferral
Period (“Dividend Equivalents”), net of applicable taxes.






	14.	 	If your employment by the Company or a Subsidiary terminates during the Deferral Period due
to death, payment in respect of earned Performance Shares that are not forfeited and of
related Dividend Equivalents shall be made, as soon as practical after the Deferral Period, to
your Designated Beneficiary or, if none, your legal representative, net of applicable taxes.






	15.	 	In the event of any change in the outstanding Shares of Common Stock of the Company or the
occurrence of certain other events as described in Section 12 of the Plan, an equitable
adjustment of the number of Performance Shares covered by this Agreement shall be made as
provided in the Plan.






	16.	 	Notwithstanding anything to the contrary above, any Performance Shares earned or paid and any
related Dividend Equivalents paid to you may be rescinded within three years of their payment
in the event: the earning of such Performance Shares is predicated upon the achievement of
financial results that are subsequently the subject of a restatement; the Committee determines
in its sole discretion that you engaged in misconduct that caused or partially caused the need
for the restatement; and the Performance Shares would not have been earned or a lesser amount
of Performance Shares would have been earned based upon the restated financial results. In
the event of any such rescission, you shall pay to the Company the amount of any gain realized
or payment received as a result of any rescinded payment, in such manner and on such terms as
may be required, and the Company shall be entitled to set off against the amount of any such
gain or payment any amount owed to you by the Company or any Subsidiary.






	17.	 	In the event the Company determines, in its sole discretion, that you have engaged in a
“Prohibited Activity” (as defined below), at any time during your employment, or within one
year after termination of your employment from the Company or any Subsidiary, the Company may
forfeit, cancel, modify, rescind, suspend, withhold, or otherwise limit or restrict any
unexpired, unpaid, unexercised, or deferred Awards outstanding under this Agreement, and any
exercise, payment, or delivery of an Award or Shares pursuant to an Award may be rescinded
within six months after such exercise, payment, or delivery. In the event of any such
rescission, you shall pay to the Company the amount of any gain realized or payment received
as a result of the rescinded exercise, payment, or delivery, in such manner and on such terms
as may be required, and the Company shall be entitled to set off against the amount of any
such gain or payment any amount owed to you by the Company or any Subsidiary.




 









 











The Prohibited Activities are:




	 	(a)	 	Nondisparagement — making any statement, written or verbal, in any forum or media,
or taking any action in disparagement of the Company or any Subsidiary or affiliate
thereof (hereinafter, the “Company”), including but not limited to negative references to
the Company or its products, services, corporate policies, current or former officers or
employees, customers, suppliers, or business partners or associates;






	 	(b)	 	No Publicity — publishing any opinion, fact, or material, delivering any lecture
or address, participating in the making of any film, radio broadcast, or television
transmission;, or communicating with any representative of the media relating to
confidential matters regarding the business or affairs of the Company which you were
involved with during your employment;






	 	(c)	 	Nondisclosure of Trade Secrets — failure to hold in confidence all Trade Secrets
of the Company that came into your knowledge during your employment by the Company, or
disclosing, publishing, or making use of at any time such Trade Secrets, where the term
“Trade Secret” means any technical or nontechnical data, formula, pattern, compilation,
program, device, method, technique, drawing, process, financial data, financial plan,
product plan, list of actual or potential customers or suppliers, or other information
similar to any of the foregoing, which (i) derives economic value, actual or potential,
from not being generally known to and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by,
other persons who can derive economic value from its disclosure or use, and (ii) is the
subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy;






	 	(d)	 	Nondisclosure of Confidential Information — failure to hold in confidence all
Confidential Information of the Company that came into your knowledge during your
employment by the Company, or disclosing, publishing, or making use of such Confidential
Information, where the term “Confidential Information” means any data or information,
other than Trade Secrets, that is valuable to the Company and not generally known to the
public or to competitors of the Company;






	 	(e)	 	Return of Materials — your failure, in the event of your termination of employment
for any reason, promptly to deliver to the Company all memoranda, notes, records,
manuals, or other documents, including all electronic or other copies of such materials
and all documentation prepared or produced in connection therewith, containing Trade
Secrets or Confidential Information regarding the Company’s business, whether made or
compiled by you or furnished to you by virtue of your employment with the Company; or
your failure promptly to deliver to the Company all vehicles, computers, credit cards,
telephones, handheld electronic devices, office equipment, and other property furnished
to you by virtue of your employment with the Company;




 









 












	 	(f)	 	Noncompete and Nonsolicitation — rendering services for any organization as an
employee, officer, director, consultant, advisor, agent, broker, independent contractor,
principal, or partner, or engaging directly or indirectly in any business which, in the
sole judgment of the Company, is or becomes competitive with the Company during the one
(1) year period following the termination of your employment; or directly or indirectly
soliciting any customer, supplier, contractor, employee, agent, or consultant of the
Company with whom you had contact during the last two years of your employment with the
Company or became aware of through your employment with the Company, to cease doing
business with, or to terminate their employment or business relationship with, the
Company; or






	 	(g)	 	Violation of Company Policies — violating any written policies of the Company
applicable to you, including, without limitation, the Company’s insider trading policy.





The provisions of this Section 17 are in addition to, and shall not supersede, the terms of
your Employee Patent and Confidential Information Agreement entered at the time you were
employed by the Company.



You expressly acknowledge and affirm that the foregoing provisions of this Section 17 are
material and important terms of this Agreement and that your agreement to be bound by the
terms of this Section 17 is a condition precedent to your FY2008 Awards.




	18.	 	All determinations regarding the interpretation, construction, enforcement, waiver, or
modification of this Agreement and/or the Plan shall be made in the Company’s sole discretion
or, in the case of Executive Officer Awards, by the Committee in its sole discretion and shall
be final and binding on you and the Company. Determinations made under this Agreement and the
Plan need not be uniform and may be made selectively among individuals, whether or not such
individuals are similarly situated.






	19.	 	If any of the terms of this Agreement in the opinion of the Company conflict or are
inconsistent with any applicable law or regulation of any governmental agency having
jurisdiction, the Company reserves the right to modify this Agreement to be consistent with
applicable laws or regulations.






	20.	 	You understand and acknowledge that the Company holds certain personal information about you,
including but not limited to your name, home address, telephone number, date of birth, social
security number, salary, nationality, job title, and details of all Shares awarded, cancelled,
vested, unvested, or outstanding (the “personal data”). Certain personal data may also
constitute “sensitive personal data” within the meaning of applicable local law. Such data
include but are not limited to the information provided above and any changes thereto and
other appropriate personal and financial data about you. You hereby provide explicit consent
to the Company and any Subsidiary to process any such personal data and sensitive personal
data. You also hereby provide explicit consent to the Company




 









 







	 	 	and any Subsidiary to transfer any such personal data and sensitive personal data outside the
country in which you are employed, and to the United States. The legal persons for whom such
personal data are intended are the Company and any third party providing services to the
Company in connection with the administration of the Plan.
	 
	21.	 	By accepting this award, you acknowledge having received and read the Plan Prospectus, and
you consent to receiving information and materials in connection with this Award or any
subsequent awards under the Company’s long-term performance plans, including without
limitation any prospectuses and plan documents, by any means of electronic delivery available
now and/or in the future (including without limitation by e-mail, by Website access, and/or by
facsimile), such consent to remain in effect unless and until revoked in writing by you. This
Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference, constitute the entire
agreement between you and the Company regarding the terms and conditions of this Award.






	22.	 	You submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal or state courts of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to resolve all issues that may arise out of or relate to and all
determinations made under this Agreement. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to conflicts or choice of law rules or
principles.






	23.	 	If any court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of this Agreement, or portion
thereof, to be unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent
permissible so as to effect the intent of the parties, and the remainder of this Agreement
shall continue in full force and effect.






	24.	 	Neither your FY2008 Awards, this Award Agreement, nor the Plan constitute a contract of
employment; nor do they guarantee your continued employment for any period required for all or
any of your Options to vest or become exercisable.