EX-3.1 2 d753864dex31.htm EX-3.1 EX-3.1

Exhibit 3.1

AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

CORTEVA, INC.

(a Delaware corporation)

May 31, 2019

Corteva, Inc. (hereinafter called the “Company”), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, does hereby certify as follows:

FIRST: The original Certificate of Incorporation of the Company was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 16, 2018.

SECOND: This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has been duly adopted by the Company in accordance with the provisions of Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and has been approved by the requisite vote of the stockholders of the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 228 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

THIRD: The text of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company is hereby amended and restated to read in its entirety as follows:

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of the Company is Corteva, Inc.

ARTICLE II

REGISTERED OFFICE AND AGENT

The address of the registered office of the Company in the State of Delaware is Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle 19801. The name of its registered agent at that address is The Corporation Trust Company.

ARTICLE III

PURPOSE AND POWERS

The purpose of the Company is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which a corporation may now or hereafter be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. The Company shall have all powers that may now or hereafter be lawful for a corporation to exercise under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.


ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL STOCK

 

  A.

Classes of Stock. The total number of shares of stock of all classes of capital stock that the Company is authorized to issue is 1,916,666,667 shares. The authorized capital stock is divided into: (i) 1,666,666,667 shares of common stock having a par value of $0.01 per share (hereinafter, the “Common Stock”) and (ii) 250,000,000 shares of preferred stock having a par value of $0.01 per share (hereinafter, the “Preferred Stock”).

 

  B.

Common Stock. All shares of Common Stock of the Company shall be of one and the same class, shall be identical in all respects and shall have equal rights, powers and privileges.

 

  1.

Except as otherwise provided for by resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors pursuant to this Article IV with respect to the issuance of any series of Preferred Stock or by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the holders of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall have the exclusive right to vote on all matters requiring stockholder action. On each matter on which holders of Common Stock are entitled to vote, each outstanding share of such Common Stock will be entitled to one vote.

 

  2.

Subject to the rights of holders of any series of outstanding Preferred Stock, holders of shares of Common Stock shall have equal rights of participation in the dividends and other distributions in cash, stock or property of the Company when, as and if declared thereon by the Board of Directors from time to time out of assets or funds of the Company legally available therefor and shall have equal rights to receive the assets and funds of the Company available for distribution to stockholders in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary.

 

  3.

Upon this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation becoming effective (the “Effective Time”), the 100 shares of the Common Stock, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall thereafter constitute 748,814,970 shares of Common Stock.

 

  C.

Preferred Stock

 

  1.

Shares of Preferred Stock of the Company may be issued from time to time in one or more series, the shares of each series to have such voting powers, full or limited, if any, and such designations, preferences and relative,

 

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  participating, optional or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as are stated and expressed herein or in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of such series, adopted by the Board of Directors as hereinafter provided.

 

  2.

Authority is hereby expressly granted to the Board of Directors of the Company, subject to the provisions of this Article IV and to the limitations prescribed by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, to authorize by resolution or resolutions from time to time the issuance of one or more series of Preferred Stock out of the authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and with respect to each such series to fix, by filing a certificate of designation pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware setting forth such resolution or resolutions and providing for the issuance of such series, the voting powers, full or limited, if any, of the shares of such series and the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The authority of the Board of Directors with respect to each series shall include, but not be limited to, the determination or fixing of the following:

 

  i.

the designation of such series;

 

  ii.

the number of shares of such series, which number the Board of Directors may thereafter (except where otherwise provided in the certificate of designation for such series) increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding);

 

  iii.

the dividend rate, if any, payable to holders of shares of such series, any conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be payable, the relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any other class or classes of stock or any other series of any class of stock of the Company, and whether such dividends shall be cumulative or non-cumulative;

 

  iv.

whether the shares of such series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company or of the holder thereof, and, if made subject to such redemption, the times, prices, form of payment and other terms and conditions of such redemption;

 

  v.

the terms and amount of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of the shares of such series;

 

  vi.

whether or not the shares of such series shall be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of any other class or classes of any stock or any other series of any class of stock of the Company or any other security, and, if provision is made for conversion or exchange, the times, prices, rates, adjustments, and other terms and conditions of such conversion or exchanges;

 

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  vii.

the extent, if any, to which the holders of shares of such series shall be entitled to vote generally, with respect to the election of directors, upon specified events or otherwise;

 

  viii.

the restrictions, if any, on the issue or reissue of any additional Preferred Stock; and

 

  ix.

the rights and preferences of the holders of the shares of such series upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of, or upon the distribution of assets of, the Company.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the resolutions providing for issuance of any series of Preferred Stock may provide that such series shall be superior to, rank equally with or be junior to any other series of Preferred Stock to the extent permitted by law and the terms of any other series of Preferred Stock.

ARTICLE V

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

  A.

Power of the Board of Directors. The business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. In furtherance, and not in limitation, of the powers conferred by the laws of the State of Delaware, the Board of Directors shall be expressly authorized to:

 

  1.

determine the rights, powers, duties, rules and procedures that affect the power of the Board of Directors to manage and direct the business and affairs of the Company;

 

  2.

establish one or more committees of the Board of Directors, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire Board of Directors, to which may be delegated any or all of the powers and duties of the Board of Directors to the fullest extent permitted by law; and

 

  3.

exercise all such powers and do all such acts as may be exercised by the Company, subject to the provisions of the laws of the State of Delaware, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (as the same may be amended and/or restated from time to time, the “Bylaws”).

 

  B.

Number of Directors. The number of directors constituting the entire Board of Directors shall be fixed from time to time exclusively by a vote of a majority of the entire Board of Directors in the manner provided in the Bylaws. As used in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the term “entire Board of Directors” means the total authorized number of directors that the Company would have if there were no vacancies.

 

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  C.

Vacancies. Except as otherwise required by law and subject to the rights of the holders of any class or series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, any vacancies on the Board of Directors for any reason, including from the death, resignation, disqualification or removal of any director, and any newly created directorships resulting by reason of any increase in the number of directors shall be filled exclusively by the Board of Directors, acting by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, and shall not be filled by stockholders. Any directors elected to fill a vacancy shall hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

 

  D.

Removal of Directors. Except as otherwise required by law and subject to the rights of the holders of any class or series of Preferred Stock, any director, or the entire Board of Directors, may be removed from office at any time, with or without cause only by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all of the shares of capital stock of the Company then entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting as a single class.

ARTICLE VI

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

 

  A.

Limitation of Liability of Directors. A Director of the Company shall not be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of Delaware as the same now exists or hereafter may be amended. No repeal or modification of this Article VI shall apply or have any adverse effect on any right or protection of, or any limitation of the liability of, any person entitled to any right or protection under this Article VI existing at the time of such repeal or modification with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.

 

  B.

Indemnification. Directors, officers, employees and agents of the Company may be indemnified by the Company to the fullest extent as is permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended and as the Bylaws may from time to time provide.

ARTICLE VII

STOCKHOLDER ACTION

Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Company must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Company and may not be effected by any written consent of the stockholders of the Company; provided, however, that

 

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any action required or permitted to be taken by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a series or separately as a class with one or more other such series, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, to the extent expressly so provided by the applicable certificate of designation for such series of Preferred Stock.

ARTICLE VIII

AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

 

  A.

Amendment by the Board of Directors. In furtherance, and not in limitation, of the powers conferred upon it by law, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized and empowered to amend, alter, change, adopt or repeal the Bylaws of the Company; provided, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted shall invalidate any prior act of the directors that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.

 

  B.

Amendment by Stockholders. In addition to any requirements of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (and notwithstanding the fact that a lesser percentage may be specified by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware), unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all the shares of capital stock of the Company then entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders of the Company to amend, alter, change or repeal or to adopt any provision of the Bylaws of the Company.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENT OF CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

The Company hereby reserves the right at any time and from time to time to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and any other provisions authorized by the General Corporation Law of Delaware may be added or inserted, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by the General Corporation Law of Delaware, and all rights, preferences and privileges of whatsoever nature conferred on stockholders, directors or any other persons whomsoever therein granted are subject to this reservation.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has duly executed this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as of the date first written above.

 

By:  

/s/ Cornel B. Fuerer

Name:   Cornel B. Fuerer
Title:   Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary